Marvel vs. DC
By: Jonathan DeClaire
Staff Writer
The superhero genre has been a staple of literary and cinematic history for almost a century. Since the debut of the superhero comics and movies in the “Golden Age” of comics, many heroes and comic book companies have risen while others have fallen into obscurity. However, two giants of the superhero genre are ruling over the land. On one side is Marvel Comics, best known for one of their writers Stan Lee, and such iconic heroes like Captain America, Spiderman, and The Hulk. On the other is DC Comics; they created the legendary superheroes like Superman and Batman and such villains like The Joker and Lex Luthor.
As of the last century we’ve seen fans of both companies fight out their differences over who is better with small arguments and epic debates on reddit, leading to the unfortunate instances where both sides’ stubbornness creates a massive geek war. Both sides have their own advantages and pitfalls but are supposedly equally matched.
These arguments can include but aren’t limited to people arguing who’s the better hero, the quality of the publication, how well can you connect with said heroes, and so on and so forth. Kory McMillan, Plymouth senior, said, “Marvel is way better; they have better heroes than the DC and you can, for the most part, connect with them a lot easier. I mean if both sides were to fight, all the Marvel characters would need to defeat Superman is just get some Kryptonite and he’s already tapping out. The only good group of heroes that would cause problems for the Marvel character would be the Green Lanterns, but that’s about it.”
Colin Hammocks, Plymouth senior, said, “I would love to see a Justice League movie, but I would still say that Marvel is better because how often they put them out and how interesting they are. Plus I love the characters like Thor, Thanos and Iron Man.”
Emma Reeves, Plymouth sophomore, said, “I prefer DC because even though they don’t have as much material nor color and sheer amount they make up for it by making it much more interesting.”
Both companies are known as the undisputed kings of their genre and are incredibly rich from the profits of their hard and diligent work over the years. They died down during the 90’s and early 2000’s but resurfaced with their recent movies. These movies are like the arms race during the Cold War except that we benefit from the fact that we can watch all these quality movies that are put out every year. I find this is the best way for them to force us to find a winner between the two superhero moguls. They do all the hard work while we get to sit back and watch, and read these awesome products that they put out for our enjoyment.
Finals: Before or After Break?
By: Victoria Hall
Business Manager
We are officially in mid-term season where a familiar question is asked every year. Should mid-terms be held before or after winter break? Answers range from “before because then we won’t forget everything over break” to “after so we can have more time to prepare.” The response to this question has been split. So which is better?
A lot of districts choose to do their mid-terms before students go off for winter break. While it might be easier to find students at the Park who prefer to take mid-terms after break, there are quite a few who would rather take them before.
“At my old school we had mid-terms before winter break which made more sense because the semester ended with the year,” said Canton junior Janet Nava who recently moved from Cedar Park High School in Austin, Texas. “A break is not a real break if you have to study for finals and worry about remembering the units that you are currently studying.”
“I think that it would be better to have finals before break because when we come back from break we don’t have to be stressed to study everything or having to study during our break so we can actually enjoy it,” said Salem junior Julia Wicker.
“Finals should be before winter break because when we get back from break it is stressful when teachers are throwing a lot of reviews at me,” Canton Junior Amy Nichol said.
There are also many people who prefer to have finals after winter break. Canton junior Jamaca Bradley prefers for mid-terms to be held after winter break. “I think that I need a break from all the stress of school before I go into mid-terms in order to be better.”
“I prefer for finals to be after break just because I need more time to procrastinate and prevent as much stress as possible,” said Canton senior Claire Campbell.
The answer of whether it is better to take mid-terms before or after winter break depends solely on your how you take tests. No matter when mid-terms are given, there will always be the question of when they should be taken.
Waking up at 3:00 a.m. on Dec. 27 was the start of my final journey with the Plymouth-Canton Marching Band. I was about to embark on what four years had lead to me: the Rose Bowl parade. This trip was my last “hoorah.”
In May of 2012, I walked into the band room for the first time. As a freshman, I had no idea of the odyssey I was about to embark on. With an organization as rich with history and legacy that Plymouth-Canton has, I had big shoes to fill.
Each year, faces change; seniors leave, freshmen come in. I’ve spent hours, months, and years with some old and some new people, but Plymouth’s policy always stayed the same: strive for perfection.
I learned something more about the program with every year. As a freshman, I saw what it meant to others; as a senior, I finally understood what it meant to me.
Each November, the band performs their competitive show at Lucas Oil Stadium for Bands of America’s Grand National Championship. However, this year was different.
Instead of taking a four hour bus ride down to Indiana for four days, we took a five hour plane ride to California, and stayed for six. Instead of competing against other bands on a national level, we explored southern California and marched in a 5.5 mile parade.
The difference didn’t change our approach. We worked hard throughout the year, and played hard in California. The parade itself was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I tried hard to distract myself from contemplating the next two hours of straight marching and playing. The air was cool enough in the morning to feel comfortable, and I felt wide awake. The mountains, glorious in height, laid in front of us as we began to march down Colorado Boulevard.
Student of the Month: The Band Experience
By: Natasha Pietruschka
Art Director
Already, the crowds were cheering loudly for us. News announcers and Rose Bowl staff scattered the outskirts of the parade route, and patches of TV cameras captured our moment of triumph and fame.
After a mile or two, the media-hullabaloo died down, and it was just us and the fans. The streets were scattered with dark-colored tortillas, sticky marshmallows, and silly string, which came from a tradition of throwing those items to the first few floats.
As we marched down, we’d get backed up sometimes. The onlookers, always positive in their manner, would try to make us laugh or smile as we played in place. Some even held homemade signs: “Are you hot yet?” or “3 miles left!”
One of the fondest parts of the parade was breaking out into unchoreographed dance, during “Don’t Stop Believing.” We grooved while we marched, receiving laughter and cheers from the supportive crowd.
A bright red balloon floating in the sky marked the end of the parade route. In a disarray of exhaustion, we broke out of form and limped to our buses, gulping down the precious water that Rose Bowl volunteers gladly provided us. In sweet victory, we nibbled on our free meal from In-N-Out with friends.
The parade was what we worked hard for; a year’s worth of preparation made for a magical day. In the days leading up to the parade, however, we were given time for social festivities.
I stood in the waters of the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica Pier. I rode Hyperspace Mountain in Disneyland, marched in Disney’s California Adventure parade, and even saw Jack Black. I took a picture next to the Muppets’ star on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame. I took an evening tour of Universal Studio’s film sets.
But most importantly, I did all these things with my band family.
We have a tradition at Plymouth called “senior block,” where all the seniors of the band make a formation, and march their last steps together. In years past, I was merely the underclassman who watched her seniors take their last steps, but this year it was my class’s turn.
Our final steps took place outside on our hotel’s parking lot, with the mountains and towering palm trees as our stage. The seniors stood tall together, with the warm Californian sun on our cheeks and the morning air blowing the strands of our hair.
Mr. Thomann, our band director, commenced our final march and bid us farewell. He talked; we marched, and after that moment took its last breath, tears and hugs awaited us when we broke out of the form.
My journey of four years, from being merely a one out of 16 freshmen clarinets to becoming clarinet section leader, has been a glorious experience. When I reflect on my time in band, I resort to images of marching in the late summer nights, with the sunset painting a gorgeous scheme on the Michigan treetop-horizon.
After years of worn out tennis shoes, brisk morning practices, and many, many belly aches from laughter, I’d like to thank all of the people I’ve marched with and the staff members I’ve had since 2012 for teaching me what community means.
It’s been one heck of a ride, Plymouth.
Natasha Pietruschka in front of Jimmy Kimmel's studio during the P-CEP Marching Band trip to California
Photo provided by Natasha Pietruschka
Open Door Ministries
By: Jordan Anheuser
Staff Writer
What better time for helping out the community than the middle of the cold winter? Open Door Ministries is a charitable nondenominational organization that provides food to those in need. The organization works by providing carts of assorted food to families and individuals in need based on the size of their family. Their mission is to not only provide food for a family, but also to help individuals find jobs and get on their feet to help them become independent.
The organization depends on the help of many volunteers. People of all ages can come to Open Door Ministries every Thursday evening to assist in providing food to about 500 families.
There are many positions to help. A volunteer can be a “food runner” where they bring the specific color cart out to a designated car and assist in loading the groceries, a “food sorter”, sorting the food that has been acquired by Open Door Ministries, or a volunteer can also prepare and stack the carts so that they are ready to be sent to cars.
Every year Open Door Ministries gives out over 1.2 million pounds of food to those in need. The nonprofit organization is run by Steven Darr with the help of other adult correspondents and is located in on Michigan Avenue and Lilley Rd in Canton, Michigan.
Open Door Ministries is a popular community service choice for members of the National Honor Society, but you do not have to be a member to volunteer. If you are interested in giving back to the community, Open Door Ministries is a flexible and fun way to do so.
On Thursday, Jan. 28, a group of seven NHS members will be hosting their own event at Open Door Ministries by taking over the various leadership roles normally conducted by the official supervisors. Such jobs include food coordinator, radio station host and traffic conductor.
In order to make this event as successful as possible, volunteers are welcome and needed not only for this particular date, but for every Thursday evening. Open Door Ministries is very friendly, and is always searching for new volunteers as well as welcoming frequent volunteers back.
Volunteers can be anyone from your little brother to your grandmother. People of all ages are welcome, appreciated, and useful for help.
Open Door Ministries is a great way to give back to the community, and leaves you with a great sense of accomplishment and warmth.
Cage the Elephant is back at it again with their 4th full length album, “Tell Me I’m Pretty.” This spunky group from Kentucky has been strong and alive in the world of alternative music since their self-titled album debut in 2008 that hit the charts with the instant hit, “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked.”
“Tell Me I’m Pretty,” produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, is arguably Cage the Elephant’s most polished album. The group headed in this refined direction with the release of “Melophobia” in 2013, and took their new identity further with this album.
This new album cuts across multiple eras of rock, with clear influences from surf rock, garage and psychedelic rock, funk, and freak-folk bands from the 1960s and 70s like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and slightly more recent bands like Sublime and Pixies. It also carries a darker theme than previous albums; disguised by the upbeat sound are ideas surrounding death.
The first track, “Cold, Cold, Cold” highlights the band’s signature style of mixing catchy lyrics to a hard, jumpy beat and screaming electric guitars.
Among the rhythmic coo’s of lead vocalist, Matt Shultz, in “Trouble” are drum patterns influenced by the surf rock style of the late 60’s and 70’s, paired with acoustic guitars, the song is smooth and upbeat, perfect for chilling out and listening.
This album has its hard, electric beats and raucous guitars, but unlike their previous albums, it is also broken up by a more a soothing tune in the middle called “How Are You True” Shultz’s voice sings of love, backed up by a slow string of drum and guitar beats. “How Are You True” effectively acts as a calming intermission between the two harder halves of the LP.
“That’s Right” features twang and fuzzy sounding electric guitars coupled with familiar surf rock drum patterns, giving the song a psychedelic, surf rock feel that sounds perfect for a drive down a California coastline in the 70’s. It’s a real “feel good” song.
“Portuguese Knife Fight” clearly shows Auerbach’s influence on the album. The fuzzy guitars and peppy and repetitive guitar riffs make it sound almost like a long lost Black Keys song.
“Sweetie Little Jean” stands as one of the best tracks of the album, with the classic Cage the Elephant style. This song features Shultz’s signature high pitched tones and spiky, bouncy instruments, which are reminiscent of their previous work.
Cage the Elephant is an easy band to like, and to all those that do, it may be worthwhile to check out some similar, and lesser known bands. Playdate is a fantastic surf rock/alternative band composed of young adults from southern California, The Growlers have a great sound consisting of funer, yet psychedelic beats, and WAVVES, who are slightly more popular than these others, are a psychedelic surf rock band with some punk vibes.
'Tell Me I'm Pretty' : A Polished Alubum
By: Lauren Flynn
Photo Editor
“This is ground control to Major Tom.” To many people, this iconic rock lyric sums up the career and style of one of rock and roll’s most innovative and interesting personalities. Explorative, mysterious, inventive are just some words that characterize the artist Bowie was.
David Bowie passed away Jan. 10 after an eighteen month battle with cancer, leaving behind wife Iman and children Alexandria Zahra Jones and Duncan Jones. Bowie was a fearless creator. In 26 studio albums over five decades, he was never afraid to change and experiment with musical styles, always making something fresh and original with whatever style he wanted.
The Brixton native began his career in performing at the ripe age of 13 playing the saxophone in bands such as the Konrads, the Kingbees, the Mannish Boys, and the Lower Third. He did not make waves on the charts until 1969 at the age of 29. By 1975 Bowie was taking the United States by storm with his chart topping single “Fame” featuring John Lennon.
David Bowie’s career is one of a legend. Even at the age of 69 in his cancerous state he never stopped creating music. Within the past year he released an album “Blackstar”. He also released the haunting song “Lazarus,” with an even more haunting video accompanying it, days before his passing.
That is the legacy of David Bowie. His music will live on forever because of his creativity and innovation. Songs like “Space Oddity” and “Let’s Dance” were decades apart and stylistically different in so many ways, but still created by the same man.
Remembering David Bowie
By: Michael Adzima and Victoria Hall
Sports Editor and Business Manager
Don't Wait Until the New Year to Make a Change
By: Ally Schwinke
Staff Writer
Every time Dec. 31 arrives, everyone believes that it is a time for change and to improve on their lives.
News flash: that is not very realistic. Every time the New Year comes around people say things like, “New Year, new me” and “Bye old 2015 me hello new 2016 me”. Which in reality, you’re still the same person you were on Dec. 31 that you are on Jan. 1.
People today believe that a new year can completely change their life and they end up just procrastinating change up until Jan. 1. But while in reality you can make changes anytime you want, you do not have to wait until an official day to do so. Why would you a wait until a whole new year, which is basically just a change in one number to change something about your life, when you can change it at any point?
Salem senior Lauren Flynn realized that she wanted to read more. She said, “During Spring Break I realized that I wanted to try reading more, so I made a goal to read a new book or two every month.” Flynn is a prime example of realizing she wanted to make a change in her life and did not wait until a New Year to do so.
Canton senior Jared Stephens also made a change in his life in October. “I realized I needed to try harder in school,” Stephens said, “I did not want to wait until New Years to do so because then it could be too late.” Stephens then started to study more, finish his homework, and work harder. He did not have to wait until a new year to do so.
Say you want to go to the gym three times a week. Well do not just wait until the New Year to start this goal, start it right away. The sooner you reach for your goal the sooner you’ll see progress and feel happier.
New Years is a good time to have a fresh-start and move on from the things that were difficult. But, if you feel like you need a change in your life, make the change right away.
Moving is a pain for anybody. Whether it’s moving from thirty minutes away or cross country, school is always thought to be the same. However, here at P-CEP, it’s not. Coming from one school on one campus to three schools on one campus is a lot to take in, though this is not always a bad thing.
But starting with the bad, walking has become an issue. Even if it’s healthier to walk around for what seems to be half the day, it’s hard to walk from Plymouth to Canton, or vise versa, especially in the cold and snow. The blue salt damages shoes, which can make it harder to walk, and even with it, there is still always a chance to fall on the path. The ten minute passing period seem to be enough at first, but when put to the test, half the people walking on the Canton- Plymouth path are still late to class.
Along with the treacherous walk in between schools, there is a four season weather experience each day. From winter blizzards to spring thunderstorms, there's always a new sight to see. From season to season, you’re hit with the baggage it comes with, especially when walking the paths, which can make any person dread them even more.
With coming to a new school, it’s expected to get lost or be late to a class; that’s just the territory of going somewhere new. Nevertheless, finding the way through one school is hard enough, but making sure that you get to the right class out of the three schools and making sure you’re there at the right time seems impossible. It’s bad enough to memorize which school to go to each period, but having to navigate through the masses of people all seemingly knowing where to go makes everything even more intimidating. Some students seem to be running off the sidewalk to get to class at lightning speed against the crowd of students, while others wander around aimlessly without a care in the world, creating a line of frustrated people trudging behind them. Along with navigating the miles and miles of sidewalk outside of the schools, memorizing each school’s layout is made out to be pointless until there’s a change in schedule the next semester or year.
Not only do people walk past you knowing where to go, it’s hard to recognize anybody and everybody here at P-CEP. There are so many students that it’s impossible to recognize all the students at the Park.
The advantage to moving to three schools is having a lot more choices in picking classes. Certain classes aren’t available to other schools compared to PCEP such as the culinary program located in the Rock Cafe in Salem, the STEM program which prepares students who want to possibly go into the medical or engineering field of study, or the marketing class that runs school stores in all three schools.
Though having three schools is not all bad, one of the real pros to the Park is that it acts like a small college. Having over six thousand students on one campus can be a struggle, but being ultimately surrounded by more diversity gives more opportunities to expand on social experiences. Compared to in a small town, where a new student arrives in a blue moon, meeting more people everyday isn’t all bad; it’s going to happen in everyday life anyways, might as well make the best of it.
Moving On Up to the Mitten
By: Janet Nava and Natalie Hunt
Staff Writers
Patricia McComick’s book “Sold”, published in 2006 and winner of the Quill Award for Young Adult/teens is an amazing story based on the sex-trafficking in Nepal. “Sold” is a gripping first person narrative told by Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old girl living in a small village in Nepal.
Lakshmi’s family, unable to be supported on Lakshmi’s stepfathers income, tells Lakshmi that she will have to get a job to help support the family.
Lakshmi is introduced to an older woman by her stepfather who says she will take her to India to work as a maid. When Lakshmi gets there, however, she realizes she has been sold into prostitution and the old joys of her childhood are literally stripped away throughout her story.
This book will take you though every emotion from suffocating sadness to joy to the realization that our problems now are much smaller then little Lakshmi and the millions of slaves in the world today.
“Sold” was turned into a feature film in 2014 and won the Audience Award at the Florence Indian Film Festival and the Pure Heaven Audience Film at London Indian Film Festival in the same year. It also won the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sonoma International Film Festival in 2015.
According to IMDb.com, “Sold” will be coming to theaters in the United States on March 4th, 2016.
This emotional, realistic novel sparks amazement through audiences who are experiencing this type of life for the first time. On the website soldthemovie.com you can subscribe to join the campaign to end the sexual exploitation of children worldwide.
If you have any information regarding sex trafficking in the United States you should call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1 (888) 373-7888.
"Sold": A Book To Read
By: Amanda Hoehn
Staff Writer
The STEM Academy was started at Canton High School in September of 2012. It is open to all Plymouth-Canton High School students. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The STEM Academy is geared towards students who have a passion for knowing how and why things work. Students create, design, build, discover, collaborate, and solve problems while applying what they learn in math and science.
The curriculum was created by the Project Lead the Way organization, also known as PLTW, and is continually updated. PLTW engages students in activities, projects, and problem-based learning, which provides hands-on classroom experiences.
There are two STEM pathways: Biomedical and Engineering. The biomedical science program provides students with curriculum essential to prepare for the medical field. Courses include Principles of Biomedical Science, Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions, and Biomedical Innovation. The engineering courses include Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Biotechnical Engineering, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, and Engineering Design and Development. The biomedical and engineering classes offer rigor and discipline for college preparation. Possible college credit, preferential admission, and scholarship opportunities are available through this program as well. Through the rigorous course work, mentor programs, career fairs, and community speakers, students become well educated and more aware of the diverse careers in biomedicine and engineering.
The STEM program at Canton High school is PLTW certified. STEM classes offer rigor and discipline for college preparation. Possible college credit, preferential admission, and scholarship opportunities are also available through this program as well.
There is a STEM Advisory Council that is student run at the Park. Students meet every other Tuesday. They reflect on the Academy and formulate new activities and projects for community involvement. The students also teach science and engineering lessons once a month to fourth through eighth graders in the Plymouth District Library.
According to the Co- President of the STEM Council, Baily Brown stated, “A very unique feature of the STEM club is that we organize one major STEM community service project every school year. In 2012-2013 students raised $1500 to donate Goldie Blox- female engineering toys- to teach kindergarten classes in the district, and increase the female interest in engineering at a young age. In 2013-2014 we raised $4,500 for Childhood Cancer Research for Mott’s Hospital. Last year we raised over $4,000 for Gift of Life.”
Each year, the STEM Academy hosts a career fair. Community members with careers in biomedicine, engineering and CTE come together and speak about their experience, college classes, career responsibilities, and future opportunities in their career. In 2015, 49 speakers shared their expertise.
Salem senior, Meghan Hofner, explains what the career fair does for STEM students. “Through the career fair, STEM students explore career possibilities and gain a new outlook on the engineering and biomedical fields.”
The STEM Academy has over 60 community members from local businesses involved in a Partnership Team. Bosch is one member of the partnership, and they helped fund the startup of the STEM Academy. Other members include Aisin, Durr Systems, General Electric, Visteon, NSF International, Schoolcraft College, and University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Danielle Ramos, the coordinator of the STEM Academy at the Park, said, “Through some these partnerships, the STEM Academy has several mentor programs available for STEM juniors and seniors. The goal of these programs is to provide students with a real world experience in a field that they are interested in. They are able to interact with professionals, experience the workplace firsthand and formulate future goals for a career with their pathway.”
The STEM Advisory Council is open to STEM students that are interested in helping to shape the STEM Academy and leave a powerful impact in the community. If interested in joining please contact Ramos, the STEM Academy Coordinator, at danielle.ramos@pccsk12.com.
The History of STEM
By: Maha Zahid
Staff Writer
