the class f 2013 seniors page eleven 11 senior issue • may 22, 2013 We are so proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad, Jason, and Alyshia Brandon ... JACOB..... Go Green!! Go White!! Go Jake!! Go Flight!! We all know you’ll do great at State!! Love, Dad, Mom, Katie, Amy, & Scott We are so proud of all your accomplishments and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Love, Mom, Dad, Kelsey, & Rachel Jon Cubbage Will Your future is an open book! We are so proud of you... Love, Mom, Dad, Megan, and Cowboy “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson CONGRATULATIONS, JULIA!! We could not be more proud of our unique, talented, and beautiful daughter. Love, Mom, Dad, & Preston Congratulations!
Transcript
the class f 2013seniors page eleven11
senior issue • may 22, 2013
We are soproud of
you!Love,
Mom, Dad, Jason, and Alyshia
Brandon...
JACOB.....Go Green!! Go White!!
Go Jake!! Go Flight!!
We all know you’ll dogreat at State!!
Love,Dad, Mom, Katie, Amy, & Scott
We are so proud of all your accomplishments
and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Love,Mom, Dad, Kelsey, & Rachel
Jon Cubbage
WillYour future is an open book!
We are so proud of you... Love, Mom, Dad, Megan, and Cowboy
“What lies behind us and whatlies before us are tiny matters
compared to what lies within us.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Salma Abdul-Muhmin - Undecided Derek Allard - Full Sail UniversityMason Allen - WorkHunter Bagley - Siena Heights UniversityOlivia Barkholz - Indiana Wesleyan UniversityAnastasiya Barna - UkraineNestor Barrera - Hope
CollegeKayla Bean - Grand Rap-ids Community CollegeSarah Benedict - Michigan Technological UniversitySteven Bierenga - Wyo-Tech-Daytona CampusCurtis Buckallew - US MarinesAndrew Carr - Ferris State UniversityElaine Chiu - Travelling abroadGalib Choudhury - Michi-gan Career and Technical InstituteQuinton Colwell - Ka-lamazoo CollegeMichelle Cox - Blue Water College of CosmetologyJon Cubbage - Saginaw Valley State UniversityAlessia D’Angelo - ItalyCali DiGiuseppe - Hope CollegeMatt Dolfi - Grand Rapids Community CollegeAndrew Finch - Corner-stone UniversityNick Ford - UndecidedPaula Garcia De La Varga - SpainMadison Geib - Hope CollegeAnirudh Ghantasala - Purdue UniversityJessica Gipson - WorkAfrica Gomez Muga - SpainConor Gorczyca - Cornell UniversityAnthony Hasson - North-ern Michigan UniversityMadison Heeringa - Michigan Technological UniversityDaichi Hirakawa - Ka-lamazoo CollegeHaley Hoerle - Southern Illinois UniversityCody Hoffer - WorkTanis Hoffer - UndecidedAimee Hoffman - Hope CollegeChris Holmes - US Coast Guard/Air ForceElle Humphries - Ferris State UniversityCassidy Hyland - Grand Rapids Community Col-legeMuku Irei - JapanPaulo Jaloto - Brazil
Nate Jeppesen - Univer-sity of ToledoZack Junger - Michigan Technological UniversityNicholas Keleman - Mich-igan Career and Technical InstituteNikolas Kindler - North-ern Michigan UniversityHolly Krill - Wayne State UniversitySydney Lambdin - Cen-tral Michigan UniversityCaitlin Loc - Ferris State UniversityLogan Lockridge - Ferris State UniversityRyan Loe - University of Northwestern OhioLindsey Luginbill - Cen-tral Michigan UniversityRoc Martin - Manchester UniversityAdam Mulvihill - Sagi-naw Valley State Univer-sityRobin Nickell - Oakland UniversityMatt Nolan - UndecidedCassy Padilla - Cedarville UniversityChristopher Palmiter - Michigan Career and Technical InstituteDarren Peel - Kalamazoo CollegeConor Phelps - University of OregonRichard Phillips - Duke UniversityGauri Rangrass - North-western UniversityLogan Ransler - Univer-sity of Northwestern OhioVidhay Reddy - DePauw UniversityJessi Robbert - Calvin CollegeAlexis Robertson - Ferris State UniversityEliane Ruesch - Switzer-landSharayu Salvi - Kalama-zoo CollegeCole Schaefer - Coastal Carolina UniversityLiz Schatz - Ferris State UniversityMarie Schoeberl - Ger-manyMatt Schuen - Miami UniversityKris Seelman - Michigan
Technological UniversityBenjamin Sheehan - Cen-tral Michigan UniversityChelsey Smith - Great Lakes Christian CollegeEvan Stanford - US MarinesAaron Starks - US Ma-rinesZach Stoner - Central Michigan UniversityElizabeth Sumner - Hope CollegeAdam Taggett - George-town UniversityReinie Thomas - Hope CollegeHassan Turk - Kalamazoo CollegeEvie Vanduijn - The NetherlandsDaryna Vashchuk - UkraineSandra Waldforst - Ger-manyMeggan Warnicke - Loyola University ChicagoAllie Wass - Kendall Col-lege of Art and DesignNathan Weber - Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyEmily Wright - Northern Michigan UniversityKaty Wyman - Eastern Michigan University
focus 7May 22, 2013
Retirees receive warm farewell
No RegRets: From left, Patricia Heinrich, Rebecca Pence and Deborah Ross retire this spring, after almost 100 years of service to public education.
Although the thought was far from their minds decades ago, the time for retirement has arrived for three of Portage Central’s long-time staff members.
These staff members, who will be ending their careers this year, are English teacher Rebecca Pence, who has been teaching for 39 years; Span-ish teacher Deborah Ross, who has been teach-ing for 38 years; and library secretary Patricia Heinrich, who has worked at Portage Central for 19 years.
These staff members will be greatly missed, but they will miss PC as well.
“I will miss students and staff the most,” Pence said. “This is a great place to teach.”
Heinrich shares similar thoughts and cherish-es the time she was able to spend with students.
“I will miss talking to the students; they are wonderful, each in their own way, and I will miss all of them,” Heinrich said.
However, all three staff members agreed that they are ready to retire, and that this was the best year to do it.
“This is the first year that I actually feel like it’s the right time,” Ross said.
As expected, all three staff retirees have relax-ing plans for the future.
“[I plan to] spend time with my husband, raise chickens, read without a red pen in my hand, grow a big garden, cook, volunteer, play with my labs, work-out without watching the clock, and get eight hours of sleep each night,” Ross said.
“[My husband and I plan to] remodel our new condo, and I also plan to travel the world, take classes, read novels, and knit,” Pence said. After the conclusion of this school year, Pence will be “spending a month in the Alps and then moving into our new condo,” Pence said.
As for Heinrich, she is also taking some time to travel.
“My husband and I live on a lake, and we plan on spending much more time fishing and cruising on our pontoon. Next September, we are going on a family trip to London,” Heinrich said.
As of now, replacement staff members are undecided, as the selection process has not yet begun, but according to Pence, it is confirmed that someone will be hired part time to replace her in the English department.
When these beloved staff members leave, they will not be forgotten. They all wish to be remem-bered for the qualities that distinguished them. Pence wishes to be remembered as “fair, firm, caring, knowledgeable, dedicated and effective” while Ross hopes to be appreciated “as someone who worked very hard, was enthusiastic and had a positive impact on students.”
Over the years, Heinrich, Ross, and Pence have gained wisdom, and they all have a few words of advice that they feel are valuable.
Ross’ message is something for everyone to keep in mind: “Never, ever take yourself seri-ously,” Ross said.
Pence’s lesson applies to the academic world, yet could still apply to others: “Keep expectations high; motivated students will meet them,” Pence said.
Finally, Heinrich’s advice is inspirational: “Set a goal for yourself and work hard to achieve it,” Heinrich said. “Don’t let setbacks discourage you; keep trying. Never give up your dreams!”
Baby Mustangs make debuts
Mrs. Heinrich: “Don’t let setbacks discourage you...”
Mrs. Pence: “Keep expectations high...”
Señora Ross: “Never, ever take yourself seriously...”
Parting Shots...
Pac-Man to Call of Duty
Hairstyles From butterfly clips to long and shiny, hair from way back when has changed dramati-cally. Girls have traded in their poufs and updos, like Jennifer Aniston’s from “Friends” for long straightened locks, not unlike Victoria Justice’s. Gamers In video games of the past, we used to chase little white pearls with a yellow creature while listening to repetitive music. Now we have armored characters loaded with weapons shooting opponents, hiding in warehouses and battling to the death in games like “Call of Duty.”
Female Icons Madonna was the face for girl power, with songs such as Express Yourself that preached respect for women and having fun. Her crazy outfits and hairstyles are remembered to this day. Lady Gaga followed suit in the 2000’s, walking in Madonna’s footsteps with insane clothing and songs such as “Born This Way” and “Edge of Glory.” These songs speak about being yourself. Boy Bands Boy bands have not gone out of style since Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass and the rest of NSync rocked concerts around the world in the late `90s and early 2000’s.Now we have One Direction sweeping across the globe with their signature British and Irish accents that make ladies swoon when they step onstage. Only time will tell if this band of brothers will stick around as long as ‘N Sync. Movies The most remembered dance move in the `80s- the lift- came from Dirty Dancing. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, this Holly-wood hit captured audiences of all ages and cap-tivated everyone’s attention with racy new dance styles that were extremely controversial. Then in 2006 “Step Up” quickly became the favorite of teenagers across the nation, with incredible dances and performances tied into a love story between two of the main characters as they face different life challenges.
Brennan James EichstaedtBorn Monday, May 67:17 p.m. BronsonHospital
6 lbs. 1 oz.,19 inches long
Born Wednesday, May 87:11 a.m. BorgessHospital
6 lbs. 15 oz.,20 inches long
Yuri Roland Moore
When we look back at music, style, and entertainment, evolution is evident. From shoulder pads to sagging pants, many things have changed since the good old days. Hair, videogames, music, and celebrities all have made improvements or lack improvement. Here are some examples of some evolutions from then to now that changed with our society.
Stuart Wagner @StuartWagner3I might as well bring a sleeping bag and pillow to school at this point.
8
Baz Luhrmann’s movie adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, “The Great Gatsby,” was uninspired, exaggerated and difficult to follow. In the party scenes, the quick camera movements only disoriented viewers, a typical technique for Luhrmann, but something that seemed unauthentic to the Roaring Twenties. Movie-goers expecting the swing music popularized in that decade will be sorely disappointed, as it has been replaced by artists like the unim-pressive Lana Del Rey. One bright aspect, was Luhrmann’s incorporation of symbols that en-hanced the viewer’s understanding of this classic American tragedy. Additionally, Carey Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio sparkle as Daisy and the mysterious Gatsby. Despite that, “The Great Gatsby” measures up as something much less
“Volume 3,” the third release from She and Him continues on their well known quirky retro pop trek. This time however, listeners can hear hints of heartbreak as Zooey reveals for the first time, lyrics about her divorce in 2011. Easily heard on tracks like “I’ve Got Your Number Son:” “I don’t want to spend night after night with you/ while you figure it out,” although kept light and summery with the accompani-ment of mellow instrumentals and gentle harmonies from M. Ward, the He in She and Him. Altogether, “Volume 3” is nothing really new from She and Him, they continue on their comfortable path of sweet melodies and cute sounding tracks that we’ve heard in their first two records.
Described as “very much so the last of a tril-ogy” by lead singer Ezra Koenig, high expecta-tions were set and met by Vampire Weekend’s new album, “Modern Vampires of the City.” Vastly different from the band’s last two bouncy albums, this record strays from the band’s distinct indie rock style, focusing much more on lyrical aspects of the music. While songs such as “Diane Young” and “Ya Hey” reveal the band’s old sound, the underlying new tone of the album is much more simplified.
Certainly this album is darker than its two predecessors, but when con-sidered as a whole trilogy the albums feel like a complete statement.
What to do in K-zoo -Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Fair: In Bronson
Park, the 62nd annual KIA Art Fair will be back June 7-8. There will be over 190 artists present, with music, entertainment, food and drinks, and plenty of colorful artwork. Come join this com-munity tradition.
-Arcadia Rock Fest: Calling all rock music fanatics, we have the event for you. For fans of Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Bruce Spring-steen, tribute bands will perform a fantastic concert, all for the low price of $10.
-Climb Kalamazoo: In the Kalamazoo Mall, you will find many great stores and restaurants, but one building holds the holy grail of rock climbing walls. Climb Kalamazoo is the place to be, with over 10, 500 square feet of climbing surface and 2,500-square-foot lead cave.
-Outdoor Movie Night: “Life’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” On June 14, at 8:30 p.m., “Forrest Gump” will be played at Celery Flats Historical Area.
-21st Annual B-93 Birthday Bash: Country music fans get ready, the Birthday Bash is back in town on June 8 at U.S.- 131 Motorsports Park . This is the Midwest's largest free country music festival.
Compiled byHattie Foley
Ryan Shore @shorezy55I feel like a snail slowly crawling from Monday to Friday.
Jenna Beffel @Jenna_BeffelEveryday this week has felt likeFriday, and it still isn’t friday yet.
vibe 9May 22, 2013
SummerFashionStudents show off new summer trends
KVCC ad
Summer is the perfect time
to rock those Aztec print
shorts and gladi-ator shoes. Shorts come in a variety of colors and are
always easy to match with a plain
silky top. Gladiator shoes are always in
fashion for summer, keeping it simple but
fashionable.
Casually dressing up, but not too formally, is the way to go on hot summer days. Patterned dresses and simple Converse shoes can go for a unique style with great taste.
For men, simply put-
ting on a cardigan
over a V-neck with some khakis is a laidback yet classy style, adding the thick-rimmed glasses for that intellectual look.
Colored shorts can leave many options for the shirt on a guy. It could
be a sweatshirt, a regular t-shirt or a man-tank. With the right type of
Sperrys or sneak-ers, any style can
work.
The jean vest is
a classic piece to any
dress or shirt variety. Turn-ing elegant to edgy is a challenge
but with the right kind of shoes and ac-cessories, this trend-setter makes the im-age a success.
MUSTANG MEMORIESHighlights of the 2012-13 sports year
Compiled by Brett Kaufman
Men’s & women’s lacrosse cel-ebrate Matt Thrasher triumphsMay 4 - The Mustangs men’s la-crosse team used a strong second half surge to power past Portage Northern 8-4 in the 9th Matt Thrash-er Memorial. Senior Matt Schuen scored three goals, while Isaac Ha-zen, Jack Levy, Max Quertermus, Paul Lewis and Michael Kuchen-buch added goals and senior Nick Ford made nine saves to preserve the victory. The victory helped Por-tage Central capture a first place finish in the Southwest Michigan Lacrosse Conference. Portage Cen-tral/Northern united women’s la-crosse team defeated Mattawan 8-7 early afternoon Saturday. It was the second win for Portage united over Mattawan this year. Senior Mariah Claremont tallied a goal in the Matt Thrasher game.
Joy & Jubilation: Hockey players celebrate with the crowd after claiming a 3-2 overtime victory over Northern in the Portage Classic at Wings Stadium.
Eluding dEfEndErs: Sophomore Max Quertermus carries the ball up-field during the Matt Thrasher Memorial game. Portage Central defeated Portage Northern 8-4.
Women’s tennis defends Greater Kalamazoo tournament titleApril 22 - A trio of doubles pairs paved the way for the Mustangs to defend their Greater Kalama-zoo tournament championship. Double pairs #1 Samantha Galloway & Julia Rauch, #2 Katherine Wu & Natalie Liou, and #3 Elena Lentz & Paige Walters all collected their flight championships to push the Mustangs over the top. Portage Central hopes to carry last year’s success to this season, where they won championships at the Greater Kalamazoo, SMAC West, SMAC overall and re-gionals.
Individual athletes compete at state cham-pionshipsA number of athletes competed for individual state championships this year. Sophomore Hanna Kozacki placed 13th in the giant slalom race at the Division 1 skiing state championships. Sopho-more Connor Wuori ran a 15:53 three-mile time to finish in 40th place at the cross country state finals. Senior Jessica Heimonen shot a two-round total of 167 to tie for 8th place at the Division 2 golf state championships. Senior wrestlers Kevin Haughn, Dominic Latora and Travis Vanderveen contested at the Division 1 state finals, with both Latora and Haughn picking up top 10 finishes.
Men’s swimming rises to SMAC West titleFeb. 22 - Men’s swimming convincingly clinched the SMAC West championship after finishing 127 points ahead of second-place Portage Northern. Senior Nathan Weber posted wins in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke. In addition, Jon
Hockey keeps canoe in dramatic fashionDec. 10 - Senior Matt Schuen scored the decisive goal with 30 seconds left in overtime to propel the Mustangs to a 3-2 victory over Portage Northern in the Portage Classic. A crowd of 2,500 people watched the annual cross-town rivalry hockey game at Wings Stadium. The win marked the sec-ond consecutive year Portage Central’s retained the canoe trophy, and eight of the past nine years since the inception of the event.
Cubbage was victorious in the 200-yard freestyle and senior Robin Nickell helped claim diving victories. The conference championship was Cen-tral’s first since 2008, and it advanced the swim-mers to the Division 2 state championship where they finished in 18th place.
Football redeems itself in the playoffsOct. 26 - After falling 42-13 to Portage Northern in an earlier regular season game, the Mustangs’ football team rebounded and avenged the loss with an exciting 21-17 defeat of the Huskies in the district semifinals. Senior De’Juan James scored the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute to lift Portage Central to the win. The Mustangs re-turned to the playoffs after missing out the previ-ous season and finished 2012 with a 7-4 record.
Men’s soccer upsets Northern in district finalsOct. 20 - Goalkeeper Isaac Nystrom played hero for the men’s soccer team as he stopped two Por-tage Northern shots in a penalty shootout to lead the Mustangs to a 2-1 win in the district cham-pionship. Despite losing two games to Northern earlier in the season, the Mustangs were able to upset the eighth-ranked Huskies for the district title. Aaron Abdo and Ian Garrett both chipped in with goals in the penalty shootout victory.
Women’s swimming dives into the record booksNov. 16 and 17 - The women’s swimmers and div-ers capped off an unforgettable season with a con-ference championship and program-best fourth place finish at the Division 2 state championships in November. Junior Madison Umberger turned in strong performances with a third-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke and a second-place fin-ish in the 200-yard individual medley. Sophomore Natalie Criswell contributed with a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and Madison Carl-son took fourth-place in the 100-yard freestyle.
Men’s basketball reaches new heightsPortage Central men’s basketball accomplished a number of feats this season for the first time in quite some time. First-year coach Darryl Blasin-game guided the Mustangs to their first playoff victory and appearance in the district finals since 2004. He improved a team that finished the previ-ous season at 6-15 to this year’s team which fin-ished with a 14-8 record. For the successful turn around, MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette awarded Blasingame boy’s basketball coach of the year. The promising season shows encouraging signs for next year’s team, especially with the return of juniors Hunter Lassitter, Rodney Turner and
Quae Furlow.
Men’s Tennis claims 3rd at stateOct. 19 & 20 - Seniors Billy Heckman, Rob Stevens and Trevor Vander Klok captured state runners-up in their respective singles flights to help the men’s tennis team finish third-place at the Divi-sion 2 state championships. Portage Central fin-ished with 22 points at the state finals, only one point behind second-place Forest Hills Central. Also, Heckman and the team’s four doubles pairs clinched championships to lead the Mustangs to a regional championship.
Spring sports roll into playoffsThe Mustang spring sports’ teams head into their state tournament competitions beginning in May. Women’s lacrosse plays in regionals tonight against Grand Haven at Rockford High School, with the opening faceoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Men’s lacrosse recently competed in pre-region-als and depending on results the Mustangs con-test at regionals this week. The women’s soccer team hosts districts May 28 through June 1. Also on May 28 - June 1, baseball and softball heads to Portage Northern for district playoffs. Men’s golf competes in regionals on May 31 at Holt’s Eldo-rado Golf Club. Women’s tennis hosted region-als last week and depending on results they will advance to the Division 2 state championships at Grand Blanc & Holly High Schools on May 31-June 1. Both track & field teams contested at re-gionals last week, and depending on results the Mustangs qualified for the state championships.
Rachel Bates/STAMPEDERachel Bates/STAMPEDE
couRtesy of MaRlen schuen
sports 11May 22, 2013
Women’s TennisSenior Robin Moore
Athlete of theMonth
Q How are you preparing yourself for re-gionals?
A Going to practice every day and challenging myself. I also work on stuff over the weekend.
Q How have you bonded with other team-mates to help develop a strong team?
A We are all very close. We have team dinners and call downs.
Q What is the team’s expectations headed into regionals?
AWe hope to do well and put the things we have been working on into play. We hope to go far and do well as a team and as individuals.
Q What are your individual goals to finish out your last high school season?
AI am hoping to do well in our tournaments, and last a few matches. I also hope to do well in region-als and states.
On the MOund: Schaefer winds up to deliver another fastball.
Senior Schaefer receives scholarships for academic and athletic excellenceCoastal Carolina and Cole
The opportunity to be talented enough both inside the classroom and on the field to receive college scholarships is quite rare. Senior baseball pitcher Cole Schaefer has been offered just that by Division I Coastal Carolina University, where he plans to attend college in the fall. Coastal Caro-lina’s baseball team is the defending Big South conference champions in 2012, also losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Schaefer has earned a 25-percent tuition schol-arship for freshman year due to baseball, that per-cent will increase to 50-percent for the remaining three years, he said. On top of that, he received a 25-percent academic scholarship for all four years.
The coach of Coastal Carolina, which is locat-ed in Conway, S.C. has asked for a pitching video to be submitted to him weekly for critique, which Schaefer said he will use to better prepare himself for next year.
"I want a starting rotation on the weekend job," Schaefer said. "That should lead me into the weekend starting position and then hopefully to the draft."
Schaefer feels that the transition to col-lege baseball will not be too big. He plays with college-bound athletes throughout the sum-mer and feels comfortable enough to tackle the challenge next year at the college level. Although, Schaefer will leave two of his best friends and long-term baseball teammates, Gavin
Porter and Nate Schneider. Not only do the three play together for Portage Central, but also throughout the summer on a travel team. Por-ter, as Schaefer's pitcher, has built an unmatched bond on the field with Schaefer. But, Schafer has met all the incoming freshman at Coastal Carolina who are also on the baseball team and most of the current players. Schaefer loves the team and feels like the chemistry will be there.
Schaefer's teammates also support Schaefer
moving to the next level. "He has a lot of potential to be a great pitcher
at the next level," junior Ryan Mergener said. Schaefer and the team have high hopes to fin-
ish off this year’s season. "He will be helpful for conference and district
playoffs," Mergener said. Baseball hosts a double-header against Battle Creek Lakeview tomorrow at 4 p.m. Their high hopes begin with the May 28 to June 1 district playoffs at Portage Northern.
Courtesy of Portage Central BaseBall
GOOD-BYE SENIORS!!
GOOD LUCK INEVERYTHING YOU DO!!
As a reminder, next year’s officers are:President: Spencer Westley
Vice President: Emily FullingSecretary: Ian EpkeyTreasurer: Kevin Zhu
