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The mood changes instantly as the girls walked into the hospital. As staff members gathered around, the Mesitersingers deliver a compelling

performance for a woman with little time to live. Meister teacher Jennifer Brenneman shares this heartwarming experience.

“A few years ago, one of our music parents bought a Singing Valentine for a friend who was in the hospital and wasn’t expected to live much longer,” Brenneman said. “I happened to be driving the girls group that was doing the delivery. The woman’s family was there, and all the nurses. She was so touched that the girls sang her another song and she asked to hug each one of them. It was really beautiful, there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere. That’s why we do what we do - those connections are what make music so special.”

Singing Valentines, as Brenneman described, have been an ongoing tradition that started long before she began teaching at MHS. This popularity is because of the Singing Valentines unique way to express love and appreciation.

“Basically they are a singing telegram,” Brenneman said. “The Meistersingers split up into groups of guys and groups of, and girls. All the groups prepare three songs. There are songs you can send to someone of a romantic nature and songs that you can send to friends, grandparents etc.”

Junior Meistersinger Elia Danielson was first introduced to Singing Valentines after her mother received one as a gift while Danielson was in middle school.

“The first Singing Valentine I saw was when [my brother ] Noah sent one to my mom,” Danielson said. “The group came to our house and sang in our kitchen. I was in 7th grade, and was taken away by their lovely voices – and how cute high school boys were compared to middle schoolers.”

The Meistersingers spend two days performing the Singing Valentines. When Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, like this year, they split delivery into two days. A school delivery day, then a business delivery day for people that are outside of school or at a business. For senior Meistersinger Emily Long, this time can be very stressful.

“We have a limited amount of time to perfect a song and choreography to sing numerous times in front of many people,” Long said. “It’s usually fun and rather upbeat working with the ladies and working through the songs, but everyone has those days where we need to buckle down, drop the chitchat, and work. Those are the most stressful moments.”

While the preparation can be overbearing at times, Long admits that in the long run, Singing Valentines are a memorable experience for her.

“Yes, it takes an awful major load of work,” Long said. “But what’s better than doing what

Meisters reflect on past years, and prepare for their annual Singing Valentines fund-raiser Michelle Demo | Managing Editor & Sydnie Meath | Staff Writer & Kaitlyn Stymeist | Staff Writer & Claire Booth | Staff Writer

you love for a couple days with people that you love and share the same passion with? Especially when the people you’re singing for are totally into it. There’s nothing better.”

Long believes that the Meisters’ Singing Valentines do more that just fund-raise at MHS.

“It brings the Meisters to many groups of people we may not normally go to. The other kids get to experience what we do and prepare so hard for first hand,” Long said. “I know that when I was a freshman, seeing these Singing Valentines intrigued me so much that it brought me this much closer to becoming a part of this family I love.”

On average, the Meisters gain around $2,500 for their Singing Valentines. This money goes towards their annual end-of-the-year trip.

“This year we plan to go to Nashville, Tennessee,” senior Meistersinger Sam Nowak said. “It is a fund-raiser, so the more money we get the better. A lot and the leftover money we have from our trip goes towards the rest of the vocal program at Midland High as well. Next

year we plan on receiving new uniforms because the ones we have now are getting kind of old.”

This year, the male Meistersingers will be performing “Lean On Me,” “Hooked on a Feeling,” and “500 Miles.” The female’s songs are “Dream a Little Dream,” “I’ll Be There for You,” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The songs that the Meisters pick are hopefully as great a variety as the people who purchase them.

“The people that buy Singing Valentines can range anywhere from a kid getting his mom a cute gift or an old man buying his wife a song,” Nowak said. “There isn’t really one group of people that buys more of them.”

Along with the variety in buyers, the Meistersingers may receive various requests to correlate with the Singing Valentine.

“We can deliver notes, from anonymous, flowers, poems, anything is possible, we can even substitute the person’s name into the song if it is appropriate for that song,” Danielson said.

While these requests are expected, the Meisters have had unique requests to coincide with a Singing Valentine along the years.

However, the Meisters do not need a request in order to make a Signing Valentine special. Danielson remembers a moment from her first Singing Valentine trip where the Meistersingers were able to brighten the day of multiple people

by simply singing numerous songs. “Our group went to visit a former Meister

who was in the hospital,” Danielson said. “It was a surprise visit. The ladies at the front desk wouldn’t let us go up until we sang them a song. We sang “You Raise Me Up” and the volunteers were crying. They let us go up, but we couldn’t see our friend. Anyway, we came back two other times trying to deliver the valentine, each time we sang a different song for the front desk. It was cool that we had a reputation, because by the time we sang our third song a crowd had gathered. I looked into the balcony above the front desk and it was filled with smiling faces as we sang “Say a Little Prayer for You.” Those faces and the excitement we could bring to patients day was superb. It is the best feeling to love on other people.”

Danielson and Long both have Singing Valentine memories involving the song “Say a Little Prayer for You;” however, Long’s was memorable for the comedic property of it rather than the sentimental.

“We were performing for Michael Adams in his first hour English I believe, and we were singing “Say a Little Prayer for You. We were all ready for it because this was our favorite song; we practiced it a lot, made sure the choreography was correct and everything, we were set. Then we actually started singing,” Long said. “We got through most of it before all 6 girls in my group had a mini brain-blank and forgot the next part. We just sang what we did know until we could jump back into the actual song. Everyone in the room loved it, mainly because they couldn’t tell we messed up, but afterwards all of us were laughing at our mistake. Regan Danner said to me, ‘good thing we knew him!’ It made it slightly less embarrassing, but never the less. At least we all knew the song after that!’

While junior Meistersigner Allie Williams’ favorite memory of Singing Valentines does not incorporate the same song as Long and Danielson, it does encompass the family-like bond that the groups grow when rehearsing. Due to their individual rehearsing schedules and locations, the Meisters don’t get to see each other perform their routines before distributing the valentines.

Williams believes that the moment she was able to finally see the rest of the Meisters perfom was her favorite memory from last year.

“All the groups met [at the Riverside Retirement Home] and we all sang something, so each group sang a different song and we performed in front of all the people in the retirement home,” Williams said. It was adorable. I hadn’t seen everybody sing all the different songs before, like all the groups together and all there black dresses. The guys were seriously so cute, and all the girls were fabulous. I hadn’t seen all the choreography yet so it was really cool to see everything put together, and everybody really enjoyed it.” F

(Top) Left to right: Senior Emily Long, junior Allie Williams, and senior Megan O’Connor practice their group’s Singing Valentine songs in front of a freshman English class. (Middle) Juniors Elia Danielson and Taylor Winslow finish their song ‘I’ll be there For You’ by forming a heart symbol with their heands. (Bottom) Left to right: Senior Natalie Schwartz; juniors Emma Longoria, Elia Danielson, Taylor Winslow, and Jamie Dwyer insert poses into their choreography of their Singing Valentines routine. Michelle Demo| Photos

{ }‘‘Yes, it takes an awful major load of work, but, what’s better than doing what you love for a couple of days with people that you love and share the same passion with?

Senior Emily Long

12| FOCUS | 02/06/2015 | a&e a&e| mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 13The songs listed above are the songs that Meisters are currently selling as Singing Valentines this year for 10 dollars. Michelle Demo| Photos & Illustrations

Page 3: Michelle demo portfolio

The mood changes instantly as the girls walked into the hospital. As staff members gathered around, the Mesitersingers deliver a compelling

performance for a woman with little time to live. Meister teacher Jennifer Brenneman shares this heartwarming experience.

“A few years ago, one of our music parents bought a Singing Valentine for a friend who was in the hospital and wasn’t expected to live much longer,” Brenneman said. “I happened to be driving the girls group that was doing the delivery. The woman’s family was there, and all the nurses. She was so touched that the girls sang her another song and she asked to hug each one of them. It was really beautiful, there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere. That’s why we do what we do - those connections are what make music so special.”

Singing Valentines, as Brenneman described, have been an ongoing tradition that started long before she began teaching at MHS. This popularity is because of the Singing Valentines unique way to express love and appreciation.

“Basically they are a singing telegram,” Brenneman said. “The Meistersingers split up into groups of guys and groups of, and girls. All the groups prepare three songs. There are songs you can send to someone of a romantic nature and songs that you can send to friends, grandparents etc.”

Junior Meistersinger Elia Danielson was first introduced to Singing Valentines after her mother received one as a gift while Danielson was in middle school.

“The first Singing Valentine I saw was when [my brother ] Noah sent one to my mom,” Danielson said. “The group came to our house and sang in our kitchen. I was in 7th grade, and was taken away by their lovely voices – and how cute high school boys were compared to middle schoolers.”

The Meistersingers spend two days performing the Singing Valentines. When Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday, like this year, they split delivery into two days. A school delivery day, then a business delivery day for people that are outside of school or at a business. For senior Meistersinger Emily Long, this time can be very stressful.

“We have a limited amount of time to perfect a song and choreography to sing numerous times in front of many people,” Long said. “It’s usually fun and rather upbeat working with the ladies and working through the songs, but everyone has those days where we need to buckle down, drop the chitchat, and work. Those are the most stressful moments.”

While the preparation can be overbearing at times, Long admits that in the long run, Singing Valentines are a memorable experience for her.

“Yes, it takes an awful major load of work,” Long said. “But what’s better than doing what

Meisters reflect on past years, and prepare for their annual Singing Valentines fund-raiser Michelle Demo | Managing Editor & Sydnie Meath | Staff Writer & Kaitlyn Stymeist | Staff Writer & Claire Booth | Staff Writer

you love for a couple days with people that you love and share the same passion with? Especially when the people you’re singing for are totally into it. There’s nothing better.”

Long believes that the Meisters’ Singing Valentines do more that just fund-raise at MHS.

“It brings the Meisters to many groups of people we may not normally go to. The other kids get to experience what we do and prepare so hard for first hand,” Long said. “I know that when I was a freshman, seeing these Singing Valentines intrigued me so much that it brought me this much closer to becoming a part of this family I love.”

On average, the Meisters gain around $2,500 for their Singing Valentines. This money goes towards their annual end-of-the-year trip.

“This year we plan to go to Nashville, Tennessee,” senior Meistersinger Sam Nowak said. “It is a fund-raiser, so the more money we get the better. A lot and the leftover money we have from our trip goes towards the rest of the vocal program at Midland High as well. Next

year we plan on receiving new uniforms because the ones we have now are getting kind of old.”

This year, the male Meistersingers will be performing “Lean On Me,” “Hooked on a Feeling,” and “500 Miles.” The female’s songs are “Dream a Little Dream,” “I’ll Be There for You,” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The songs that the Meisters pick are hopefully as great a variety as the people who purchase them.

“The people that buy Singing Valentines can range anywhere from a kid getting his mom a cute gift or an old man buying his wife a song,” Nowak said. “There isn’t really one group of people that buys more of them.”

Along with the variety in buyers, the Meistersingers may receive various requests to correlate with the Singing Valentine.

“We can deliver notes, from anonymous, flowers, poems, anything is possible, we can even substitute the person’s name into the song if it is appropriate for that song,” Danielson said.

While these requests are expected, the Meisters have had unique requests to coincide with a Singing Valentine along the years.

However, the Meisters do not need a request in order to make a Signing Valentine special. Danielson remembers a moment from her first Singing Valentine trip where the Meistersingers were able to brighten the day of multiple people

by simply singing numerous songs. “Our group went to visit a former Meister

who was in the hospital,” Danielson said. “It was a surprise visit. The ladies at the front desk wouldn’t let us go up until we sang them a song. We sang “You Raise Me Up” and the volunteers were crying. They let us go up, but we couldn’t see our friend. Anyway, we came back two other times trying to deliver the valentine, each time we sang a different song for the front desk. It was cool that we had a reputation, because by the time we sang our third song a crowd had gathered. I looked into the balcony above the front desk and it was filled with smiling faces as we sang “Say a Little Prayer for You.” Those faces and the excitement we could bring to patients day was superb. It is the best feeling to love on other people.”

Danielson and Long both have Singing Valentine memories involving the song “Say a Little Prayer for You;” however, Long’s was memorable for the comedic property of it rather than the sentimental.

“We were performing for Michael Adams in his first hour English I believe, and we were singing “Say a Little Prayer for You. We were all ready for it because this was our favorite song; we practiced it a lot, made sure the choreography was correct and everything, we were set. Then we actually started singing,” Long said. “We got through most of it before all 6 girls in my group had a mini brain-blank and forgot the next part. We just sang what we did know until we could jump back into the actual song. Everyone in the room loved it, mainly because they couldn’t tell we messed up, but afterwards all of us were laughing at our mistake. Regan Danner said to me, ‘good thing we knew him!’ It made it slightly less embarrassing, but never the less. At least we all knew the song after that!’

While junior Meistersigner Allie Williams’ favorite memory of Singing Valentines does not incorporate the same song as Long and Danielson, it does encompass the family-like bond that the groups grow when rehearsing. Due to their individual rehearsing schedules and locations, the Meisters don’t get to see each other perform their routines before distributing the valentines.

Williams believes that the moment she was able to finally see the rest of the Meisters perfom was her favorite memory from last year.

“All the groups met [at the Riverside Retirement Home] and we all sang something, so each group sang a different song and we performed in front of all the people in the retirement home,” Williams said. It was adorable. I hadn’t seen everybody sing all the different songs before, like all the groups together and all there black dresses. The guys were seriously so cute, and all the girls were fabulous. I hadn’t seen all the choreography yet so it was really cool to see everything put together, and everybody really enjoyed it.” F

(Top) Left to right: Senior Emily Long, junior Allie Williams, and senior Megan O’Connor practice their group’s Singing Valentine songs in front of a freshman English class. (Middle) Juniors Elia Danielson and Taylor Winslow finish their song ‘I’ll be there For You’ by forming a heart symbol with their heands. (Bottom) Left to right: Senior Natalie Schwartz; juniors Emma Longoria, Elia Danielson, Taylor Winslow, and Jamie Dwyer insert poses into their choreography of their Singing Valentines routine. Michelle Demo| Photos

{ }‘‘Yes, it takes an awful major load of work, but, what’s better than doing what you love for a couple of days with people that you love and share the same passion with?

Senior Emily Long

12| FOCUS | 02/06/2015 | a&e a&e| mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 13The songs listed above are the songs that Meisters are currently selling as Singing Valentines this year for 10 dollars. Michelle Demo| Photos & Illustrations

Page 4: Michelle demo portfolio

A & E A & E

12 | FOCUS | MAR 27, 2014 mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 13

With spring break around the corner, many students are working towards a healthier lifestyle. A method gaining popularity is

the juice cleanse, a three-day process where the participant consumes only juice. This fills the body with powerful nutrients and antioxidants gained from the ingredients added. According to Dr. Oz, however, it is important to remember that juicing is not the only way. Participants should also be aware that avoiding sol id foods is a lso unhealthy. Juicing is only recommended for short periods of time without consulting a physician.

“My initial interest in [the juice cleanse] wasn’t to diet,” Senior James Miller said. “I want to be in shape for spring break, but I’m not really interested in going on a hard-core weight loss diet.”

A j u i c e c l e a n s e essentially replaces most of a person’s meals with a juice a l t e r n a t i v e . T h e reason behind this new alternative diet’s popularity is due to the rumors circulating about its effectiveness. F o r e x a m p l e , o n e rumor is that within a week of beginning the juice cleanse, your waistline will be three inches smaller. Planet Fitness trainer Michelle Sparling does not recommend this method of dieting, due to its lack in nutrients. Those who partake in the juice cleanse tend to become deficient in other necessary nutrients such as protein.

“When it comes to things that are an unnatural diet or fad, I wouldn’t actually put my stamp of approval on any of them because eating a well-rounded diet is still the healthiest thing you can do for yourself,” Sparling said. “Fad diets and drinking your calories is not the

Leafy Green

SweetenerJuicy Base

way to go.”Although the juice cleanse is meant to be a

total cleanse of the body, senior Kathryn Smith understands the importance of eating solid foods and plans on eating at least one meal.

“You can have foods like chicken or steak for dinner, because you should have solid food,” Smith said. “It doesn’t have to be in smoothie form.”

A l t h o u g h t h e r e a r e m a n y p o s s i b l e disadvantages from the juice cleanse, there

a r e a l s o v a r i o u s advantages. Because most of the recipes for the juices have so many fiber-filled ingredients, the juice cleanse will h e l p i m p r o v e t h e b o d y ’ s d i g e s t i v e system. After weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the juice cleanse, Miller has become both nervous and excited for the week-long experience.

“I’m actually kind of excited to make the juice,” Miller said. “ I ’ m a l s o n e r v o u s about being hungry, I know the book [of rec ipes I ’m us ing] a l l o w s e a t i n g a n d snacking on vegetables, but it’s going to be a lot different than my normal routine, but

I’m both nervous and excited.”In order to avoid the possible protein

deficiency, Miller will be adding a protein supplement to his juices. While this will help him achieve the daily suggested protein requirement, Sparling does not recommend this as it does not offer the same nutritional value as solid foods.

“Eat the rainbow,” Sparling said. “Sticking to one thing is not good [for you] at any time. [This way of dieting] is not going to be healthy. Eating lean meats, fruits, and vegetables is really the way to go.”

“THE BOOK RECOMMENDS THAT YOU ADD A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT, YOU ALSO GET PROTEIN FROM

OTHER INGREDIENTS.” JAMES MILLER

“FOR PROTEIN YOU DRINK MUSCLE MILK OR YOU EAT CHICKEN OR SOMETHING CARBS WILL COME

FROM FRUITS.” KATHRYN SMITH

As students look to juice cleanses as a way to help them get in shape for Spring Break, many have ignored the possible health effects that may occur. Michelle Demo | Web Editor & Sarah Wontorcik | Photo Editor

O

ptional Oomph

You only drink the water and nutrients

extracted from fruits and

vegetables

Contains the entire fruit or vegetable, skin and all

foodmatters.tv | Source

CilantroAmounts per 1/4 cup

Calories 1 calories

Total Fat 0 grams

Protein .1 grams

LemonAmounts per 1 cup

Calories 61 calories

Total Fat .6 grams

Protein 2.3 grams

CeleryAmounts per 1 cup

Calories 16 calories

Total Fat .2 grams

Protein .7 grams

TomatoAmounts per 1 cup

Calories 32 calories

Total Fat .4 grams

Protein 1.6 grams

Fresh vegetable juices are very nutrient

rich

Juicing a lot of fruits could cause

an increase in blood sugar

Juicing: Smoothies:

A slow, even release of nutrients

prevents an increase in blood sugar

The fiber from fruit will

keep you from getting hungry

faster

CucumberCelery

ZucchiniOrange Rind

Apple

TomatoPineapple

OrangeStrawberry

Watermelon

SpinachLettuceCilantroParsley

Broccoli Stems

LemonFresh Ginger

Garlic CinnamonWheat Germ

usda.com | Source

Michelle Demo and Sarah Wontorcik | Infographics

Page 5: Michelle demo portfolio

A & E A & E

12 | FOCUS | MAR 27, 2014 mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 13

With spring break around the corner, many students are working towards a healthier lifestyle. A method gaining popularity is

the juice cleanse, a three-day process where the participant consumes only juice. This fills the body with powerful nutrients and antioxidants gained from the ingredients added. According to Dr. Oz, however, it is important to remember that juicing is not the only way. Participants should also be aware that avoiding sol id foods is a lso unhealthy. Juicing is only recommended for short periods of time without consulting a physician.

“My initial interest in [the juice cleanse] wasn’t to diet,” Senior James Miller said. “I want to be in shape for spring break, but I’m not really interested in going on a hard-core weight loss diet.”

A j u i c e c l e a n s e essentially replaces most of a person’s meals with a juice a l t e r n a t i v e . T h e reason behind this new alternative diet’s popularity is due to the rumors circulating about its effectiveness. F o r e x a m p l e , o n e rumor is that within a week of beginning the juice cleanse, your waistline will be three inches smaller. Planet Fitness trainer Michelle Sparling does not recommend this method of dieting, due to its lack in nutrients. Those who partake in the juice cleanse tend to become deficient in other necessary nutrients such as protein.

“When it comes to things that are an unnatural diet or fad, I wouldn’t actually put my stamp of approval on any of them because eating a well-rounded diet is still the healthiest thing you can do for yourself,” Sparling said. “Fad diets and drinking your calories is not the

Leafy Green

SweetenerJuicy Base

way to go.”Although the juice cleanse is meant to be a

total cleanse of the body, senior Kathryn Smith understands the importance of eating solid foods and plans on eating at least one meal.

“You can have foods like chicken or steak for dinner, because you should have solid food,” Smith said. “It doesn’t have to be in smoothie form.”

A l t h o u g h t h e r e a r e m a n y p o s s i b l e disadvantages from the juice cleanse, there

a r e a l s o v a r i o u s advantages. Because most of the recipes for the juices have so many fiber-filled ingredients, the juice cleanse will h e l p i m p r o v e t h e b o d y ’ s d i g e s t i v e system. After weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the juice cleanse, Miller has become both nervous and excited for the week-long experience.

“I’m actually kind of excited to make the juice,” Miller said. “ I ’ m a l s o n e r v o u s about being hungry, I know the book [of rec ipes I ’m us ing] a l l o w s e a t i n g a n d snacking on vegetables, but it’s going to be a lot different than my normal routine, but

I’m both nervous and excited.”In order to avoid the possible protein

deficiency, Miller will be adding a protein supplement to his juices. While this will help him achieve the daily suggested protein requirement, Sparling does not recommend this as it does not offer the same nutritional value as solid foods.

“Eat the rainbow,” Sparling said. “Sticking to one thing is not good [for you] at any time. [This way of dieting] is not going to be healthy. Eating lean meats, fruits, and vegetables is really the way to go.”

“THE BOOK RECOMMENDS THAT YOU ADD A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT, YOU ALSO GET PROTEIN FROM

OTHER INGREDIENTS.” JAMES MILLER

“FOR PROTEIN YOU DRINK MUSCLE MILK OR YOU EAT CHICKEN OR SOMETHING CARBS WILL COME

FROM FRUITS.” KATHRYN SMITH

As students look to juice cleanses as a way to help them get in shape for Spring Break, many have ignored the possible health effects that may occur. Michelle Demo | Web Editor & Sarah Wontorcik | Photo Editor

O

ptional Oomph

You only drink the water and nutrients

extracted from fruits and

vegetables

Contains the entire fruit or vegetable, skin and all

foodmatters.tv | Source

CilantroAmounts per 1/4 cup

Calories 1 calories

Total Fat 0 grams

Protein .1 grams

LemonAmounts per 1 cup

Calories 61 calories

Total Fat .6 grams

Protein 2.3 grams

CeleryAmounts per 1 cup

Calories 16 calories

Total Fat .2 grams

Protein .7 grams

TomatoAmounts per 1 cup

Calories 32 calories

Total Fat .4 grams

Protein 1.6 grams

Fresh vegetable juices are very nutrient

rich

Juicing a lot of fruits could cause

an increase in blood sugar

Juicing: Smoothies:

A slow, even release of nutrients

prevents an increase in blood sugar

The fiber from fruit will

keep you from getting hungry

faster

CucumberCelery

ZucchiniOrange Rind

Apple

TomatoPineapple

OrangeStrawberry

Watermelon

SpinachLettuceCilantroParsley

Broccoli Stems

LemonFresh Ginger

Garlic CinnamonWheat Germ

usda.com | Source

Michelle Demo and Sarah Wontorcik | Infographics

Page 6: Michelle demo portfolio

<Headed> towards </success>

news | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 1312| FOCUS | 11/21/2014 | news

Students strive to succeed in programming inside and outside of the classroom. Through club, class, and personal preparation, they have gone above and beyond what was ever expected. Aelish Shay | News Editor & Michelle Demo | Managing Editor & Megan Nylund | Assistant Web Editor

Computer Science teacher Robert Fox instructs senior Kyle Henegar on how to fix a coding problem for his AP Computer Program assignment to successfully create a Yahtzee game. Megan Nylund | Photo

Power of Programming

Percentage of wom

en in computing occupations as according to

NCW

IT.o

rg

50%

26%

Mr. Fox ’s Com

puter Programming 1 clas

s

Bits of informations helpful to know about the programming world

Computer sc ience teacher Robert Fox’s programming 1 class has a balanced gender ratio; compared to the large, real- l i fe def ic it in Science, Technology, Engineering, and M ath (STEM) occupat ions.

The Bro Code

One of the main projects that AP programming completes are a series of fractals. Broken down, a fractal is a series of repeating images in order to make a larger one. The above f rac ta ls are designs of Senior Andrew Kim.

Fun with Fractals

15NovemberMidland placed 1st

in the Advanced co m p e t i t i o n at E M U. Th e te a m i n c u d e d M a x D y k h u i z e n , J o r d a n S m i t h , and Joh Reeves.

02PLACING

The programming c l u b h a s b e e n active since 2005. Throughout that time, the club has w o n n e a r l y 4 5 awards and has placed second at ACLS competition the last few years.

V B + C + J a v a++

97%According to Java’s webs i te, most computer tech. Businesses code their programs through the Java programing software.

Visual Basic (VB), along with C and Java are the programming software used by the computer p r o g r a m m i n g c l a s s e s .

They’re not your stereotypical geek squad. They’re simply students who have found a place in the school that challenges them: creatively,

analytically, and competitively. They are programmers.

As defined by computer science teacher Robert Fox, Programming Club is a prime example of a welcoming environment of ‘geeks’ working on something they love – coding.

“[They’re] not your stereotypical quote-unquote ‘geeks,’” Fox said. “I think anybody in the class from Varsity football player all the way to hardcore gamer would probably be forced to admit they’re a geek, and I would hope everybody’s a geek about something, whether it’s programming or journalism or whatever it is. But that diversity makes us better, and makes the class more attractive to people.”

In order to accommodate the variety of students in his programming classes, Fox attempts to work with each students’ needs and way of learning. He also attempts to prepare his students for college and career lifestyles by ensuring that the students work with each other in order to find the answers that they need.

“The reality is, I don’t care what field you go into - teamwork is key,” Fox said. “It used to be, 20-30 years ago, that computer programming was sitting in a cubicle by yourself. That’s just not true anymore. Now, most of the work spaces are open, and you are expected to work with people, to minimize the likelihood of mistakes, and increase the clarity of thought.”

Programming club began in 2005, and gradually increased in size from there. The club has now competed in national and even global competitions. They have been coming in second behind a team from Romania for the past few years.

“[The club began] when a group of my students approached me and decided they wanted to do this competitively,” Fox said. “I don’t think I ever would have thought that students would have found this particular activity to be fun - at least not that early on in my career. But they pushed me into doing it and got it started, and it’s only grown since that time.”

The club meets every Thursday at 6 p.m., where the students get into groups of three, all sharing one computer. Fox passes out a packet with practice problems from old competitions,

puts 100 points on the board, and starts a timer. One student starts coding on the computer and the other two begin hand writing code for when it’s their turn. For every five minutes that passes, one point is lost. This has aided students in their skill development and ability to work through problems quickly.

The students work on strategy and try the problems that are going to get the most points up on the board first, all the while trying to ignore the ones that take too long. One of the most important aspects of programming club is time management.

“Mr. Fox’s theology is that once you get to the computer you should only be typing what you’ve written down,” Senior Zach Purtill said. “You shouldn’t stop and have to think about things when you’re at the computer because that’s going to waste time.”

After the students began competing, Fox was

able to see their appreciation for competitive programming grow, and as Purtill explains, most of the reason for this was the mental challenge of programming.

“I really like how [the competition] forces you to break down your thinking step by step,” Purtill said. “Coming up with how to solve a problem, like the abstract idea of how to solve something, isn’t hard. It’s coming up with a step-by-step routine of how to do it, and how to do it effectively.”

While the challenging atmosphere is an alluring aspect of the programming club, Fox acknowledges that it can have its more stressful moments. Dealing with the stress of not knowing the answer to a problem right away is important to be comfortable with the students’ futures.

“If my students don’t see it in the class or the club, they will see it in college. There will be that point of ‘I just don’t know what to do.’ You persevere, and you problem solve, and you get it right, and that’s so intensely

satisfying,” Fox said. “That’s what keeps kids coming back. That’s why they say they like the club. Because of that feeling that ‘I actually accomplished something. I wasn’t doing busy work. I wasn’t doing something I knew the answer to. I actually did something. It was me.’ That’s pretty satisfying.”

Fox goes on to discuss how guiding a student to an answer, rather than simply telling it to them, can be stressful to him as well.

“When I know the answer, it’s easier to just give them the answer than to say, ‘Hey I think you can figure this out,’” Fox said. “But then they didn’t learn anything. So, I don’t have this natural tendency to say no to people. But, when they’re learning programming, it’s really important that I say no to them, because I have to let students who have the ability to do it, do it.”

With the experience gained from self-

teaching, the students feel more comfortable with competing and thinking through problems, according to Senior AP Computer Science student Rachel Grunder. Grunder finds programming helpful in other areas of her life as it makes her more of a well-rounded thinker.

“[Programming] has taught me a lot about patience, perseverance, and problem-solving. When a program doesn’t work, I’m forced to assess the situation, figure out why it isn’t working, and find and try potential solutions until it works,” Grunder said. “This has especially carried over to my duties as chairperson and stage manager in the drama club. As stage manager, it’s my job to find a solution when things go wrong, whether it be with the logistics of a scene change, an injured actor, a broken set piece, etc. Programming has prepared my brain to think outside the box and find the best solution to backstage problems when time is not always an ally.”

Looking around the classrooms during Programming One and Two, one would find

an even ratio of boys to girls; however, in AP Computer Science and the Programming Club, there are fewer girls who continue to stay active in Programming. The three girls for every seven boys ratio is found rather upsetting to Grunder.

“I think women are an asset to technology that are, unfortunately, rather scarce,” Grunder said. “The fact that so many women have been discouraged from pursuing these careers just because they’ve been told for so long that men are inherently better at math/science/engineering is not acceptable.”

This gender gap is one of the main things that Fox has been trying to fix in his classes.

“One thing I’ve tried very hard to do throughout my career is increase women in computing, because, of all the fields, the biggest gender gaps are in computers and engineering. I think nationally, the female population of computer scientists is between 10-20 percent, so it’s taken me a few years, but I’ve finally gotten my intro class up to 50 percent girls,” Fox said.

In order to help the number of women in technology grow, the National Council for Women in Technology has offered a nationwide award to women looking to pursue a future in technology.

“Mr. Fox strongly encouraged all the girls in our AP Computer Science class to apply for the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award,” Grunder said. “This is a really cool award because not only does it give money for college, but it also provides the opportunity to gain a lot of networking connections in the industry.”

Along with Fox and Grunder, Senior Joh Reeves notices the gender gap, and also wishes more females would join the club.

“There’s not much we can do to change it, but programming club tends to be more male heavy, but there’s a lot of opportunities that Mr. Fox presents to his girl students,” Reeves said. “ I’m not saying that we’d be a better club with more girls, but it’d be nice to be gender balanced.”

Reeves goes on to explain what makes a good programmer isn’t based on gender, but how well one can work with computers.

“There’s no rule saying that guys have to be better programmers, I think there’s plenty of girls that would be good at programming,” Reeves said, “Programming isn’t, ‘are you good at computers?’ It’s ‘are you good at problem solving?’” F

< >‘‘Programming has prepared my brain to think outside the box and find the best solution to

problems when time is not always an ally.”Senior Rachel Grunder

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<Headed> towards </success>

news | mhsfocus.com | FOCUS | 1312| FOCUS | 11/21/2014 | news

Students strive to succeed in programming inside and outside of the classroom. Through club, class, and personal preparation, they have gone above and beyond what was ever expected. Aelish Shay | News Editor & Michelle Demo | Managing Editor & Megan Nylund | Assistant Web Editor

Computer Science teacher Robert Fox instructs senior Kyle Henegar on how to fix a coding problem for his AP Computer Program assignment to successfully create a Yahtzee game. Megan Nylund | Photo

Power of Programming

Percentage of wom

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26%

Mr. Fox ’s Com

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Bits of informations helpful to know about the programming world

Computer sc ience teacher Robert Fox’s programming 1 class has a balanced gender ratio; compared to the large, real- l i fe def ic it in Science, Technology, Engineering, and M ath (STEM) occupat ions.

The Bro Code

One of the main projects that AP programming completes are a series of fractals. Broken down, a fractal is a series of repeating images in order to make a larger one. The above f rac ta ls are designs of Senior Andrew Kim.

Fun with Fractals

15NovemberMidland placed 1st

in the Advanced co m p e t i t i o n a t E M U. Th e te a m i n c u d e d M a x D y k h u i z e n , J o r d a n S m i t h , and Joh Reeves.

02PLACING

The programming c l u b h a s b e e n active since 2005. Throughout that time, the club has w o n n e a r l y 4 5 awards and has placed second at ACLS competition the last few years.

V B + C + J a v a++

97%According to Java’s webs i te, most computer tech. Businesses code their programs through the Java programing software.

Visual Basic (VB), along with C and Java are the programming software used by the computer p r o g r a m m i n g c l a s s e s .

They’re not your stereotypical geek squad. They’re simply students who have found a place in the school that challenges them: creatively,

analytically, and competitively. They are programmers.

As defined by computer science teacher Robert Fox, Programming Club is a prime example of a welcoming environment of ‘geeks’ working on something they love – coding.

“[They’re] not your stereotypical quote-unquote ‘geeks,’” Fox said. “I think anybody in the class from Varsity football player all the way to hardcore gamer would probably be forced to admit they’re a geek, and I would hope everybody’s a geek about something, whether it’s programming or journalism or whatever it is. But that diversity makes us better, and makes the class more attractive to people.”

In order to accommodate the variety of students in his programming classes, Fox attempts to work with each students’ needs and way of learning. He also attempts to prepare his students for college and career lifestyles by ensuring that the students work with each other in order to find the answers that they need.

“The reality is, I don’t care what field you go into - teamwork is key,” Fox said. “It used to be, 20-30 years ago, that computer programming was sitting in a cubicle by yourself. That’s just not true anymore. Now, most of the work spaces are open, and you are expected to work with people, to minimize the likelihood of mistakes, and increase the clarity of thought.”

Programming club began in 2005, and gradually increased in size from there. The club has now competed in national and even global competitions. They have been coming in second behind a team from Romania for the past few years.

“[The club began] when a group of my students approached me and decided they wanted to do this competitively,” Fox said. “I don’t think I ever would have thought that students would have found this particular activity to be fun - at least not that early on in my career. But they pushed me into doing it and got it started, and it’s only grown since that time.”

The club meets every Thursday at 6 p.m., where the students get into groups of three, all sharing one computer. Fox passes out a packet with practice problems from old competitions,

puts 100 points on the board, and starts a timer. One student starts coding on the computer and the other two begin hand writing code for when it’s their turn. For every five minutes that passes, one point is lost. This has aided students in their skill development and ability to work through problems quickly.

The students work on strategy and try the problems that are going to get the most points up on the board first, all the while trying to ignore the ones that take too long. One of the most important aspects of programming club is time management.

“Mr. Fox’s theology is that once you get to the computer you should only be typing what you’ve written down,” Senior Zach Purtill said. “You shouldn’t stop and have to think about things when you’re at the computer because that’s going to waste time.”

After the students began competing, Fox was

able to see their appreciation for competitive programming grow, and as Purtill explains, most of the reason for this was the mental challenge of programming.

“I really like how [the competition] forces you to break down your thinking step by step,” Purtill said. “Coming up with how to solve a problem, like the abstract idea of how to solve something, isn’t hard. It’s coming up with a step-by-step routine of how to do it, and how to do it effectively.”

While the challenging atmosphere is an alluring aspect of the programming club, Fox acknowledges that it can have its more stressful moments. Dealing with the stress of not knowing the answer to a problem right away is important to be comfortable with the students’ futures.

“If my students don’t see it in the class or the club, they will see it in college. There will be that point of ‘I just don’t know what to do.’ You persevere, and you problem solve, and you get it right, and that’s so intensely

satisfying,” Fox said. “That’s what keeps kids coming back. That’s why they say they like the club. Because of that feeling that ‘I actually accomplished something. I wasn’t doing busy work. I wasn’t doing something I knew the answer to. I actually did something. It was me.’ That’s pretty satisfying.”

Fox goes on to discuss how guiding a student to an answer, rather than simply telling it to them, can be stressful to him as well.

“When I know the answer, it’s easier to just give them the answer than to say, ‘Hey I think you can figure this out,’” Fox said. “But then they didn’t learn anything. So, I don’t have this natural tendency to say no to people. But, when they’re learning programming, it’s really important that I say no to them, because I have to let students who have the ability to do it, do it.”

With the experience gained from self-

teaching, the students feel more comfortable with competing and thinking through problems, according to Senior AP Computer Science student Rachel Grunder. Grunder finds programming helpful in other areas of her life as it makes her more of a well-rounded thinker.

“[Programming] has taught me a lot about patience, perseverance, and problem-solving. When a program doesn’t work, I’m forced to assess the situation, figure out why it isn’t working, and find and try potential solutions until it works,” Grunder said. “This has especially carried over to my duties as chairperson and stage manager in the drama club. As stage manager, it’s my job to find a solution when things go wrong, whether it be with the logistics of a scene change, an injured actor, a broken set piece, etc. Programming has prepared my brain to think outside the box and find the best solution to backstage problems when time is not always an ally.”

Looking around the classrooms during Programming One and Two, one would find

an even ratio of boys to girls; however, in AP Computer Science and the Programming Club, there are fewer girls who continue to stay active in Programming. The three girls for every seven boys ratio is found rather upsetting to Grunder.

“I think women are an asset to technology that are, unfortunately, rather scarce,” Grunder said. “The fact that so many women have been discouraged from pursuing these careers just because they’ve been told for so long that men are inherently better at math/science/engineering is not acceptable.”

This gender gap is one of the main things that Fox has been trying to fix in his classes.

“One thing I’ve tried very hard to do throughout my career is increase women in computing, because, of all the fields, the biggest gender gaps are in computers and engineering. I think nationally, the female population of computer scientists is between 10-20 percent, so it’s taken me a few years, but I’ve finally gotten my intro class up to 50 percent girls,” Fox said.

In order to help the number of women in technology grow, the National Council for Women in Technology has offered a nationwide award to women looking to pursue a future in technology.

“Mr. Fox strongly encouraged all the girls in our AP Computer Science class to apply for the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award,” Grunder said. “This is a really cool award because not only does it give money for college, but it also provides the opportunity to gain a lot of networking connections in the industry.”

Along with Fox and Grunder, Senior Joh Reeves notices the gender gap, and also wishes more females would join the club.

“There’s not much we can do to change it, but programming club tends to be more male heavy, but there’s a lot of opportunities that Mr. Fox presents to his girl students,” Reeves said. “ I’m not saying that we’d be a better club with more girls, but it’d be nice to be gender balanced.”

Reeves goes on to explain what makes a good programmer isn’t based on gender, but how well one can work with computers.

“There’s no rule saying that guys have to be better programmers, I think there’s plenty of girls that would be good at programming,” Reeves said, “Programming isn’t, ‘are you good at computers?’ It’s ‘are you good at problem solving?’” F

< >‘‘Programming has prepared my brain to think outside the box and find the best solution to

problems when time is not always an ally.”Senior Rachel Grunder

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24| FOCUS | 10/2/2014 | a&e

PeopleOfMidland13 42K 34

repor terspopulationposts

Ever yone has their own unique stor y. Random cit izens of Midland were asked by the focus to share their tales and give words of wisdom. Fol low @MHSfocus1 on Instagram for more stor ies from the People O f Midland.

Michelle Demo | Managing Editor & Lydia Dornbos | Staff Writer & Maddy Pasche | Staff Writer

Following

Michelle Demo, Lydia Dornbos, & Maddy Pasche | Photos

“I tell my students ‘Life’s not always sunshine and rainbows, and learning to face adversity and push through is not going to always be easy, and that’s just life.’ Push through, find people that can support you, or help you, or that type of thing. You don’t have to go at it alone. You’ll get through it.”

Matt MurphyTeacher at Mt. Pleasant High School

“The most spine tingling [memory from search-and-rescue] was when a young woman went missing from the residence where she lived. This residence was in a rural area, and there was a large pond. We had asked, had the pond been searched before? And they said, yes, we’ve been all around the pond, it’s gated off - no one can get in there.

My dog and I were working around the outside of the fence, and the dog kept saying, “I want to go in, I want to go in.” So, we actually found a break in the fence, and a way in. The dog kept wanting to go in the water, and the field support person with me said, “Oh she’s a lab, she just wants to go swimming.” I said, “I don’t think so.” She had purpose, and was heading in a direction. I said, “Keep the flashlight on her, see where she’s going.” So we followed her with the flashlight to these little shrugs at the edge of the pond, and all of a sudden, a head right out of the water turned and looked at us. So we were, “Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!”

My field person ran around to help the lady while we were watching her, and she had slipped into the water, and was just holding onto the branch there - holding her from sliding under, she had been there for several hours. But she didn’t respond when people called out for her. Without the dogs, we never would have found her. She was okay, but that was probably the most exciting one.”

Suzanne Ramos and her dog EmmaDog trainer and service dog in training

“Big time dreams? I can't really pin-point any-thing right now. Just laying low, enjoying the retire-ment, & playing music on the side."

Ike BeehrRetired art teacher

“If I could go back and tell my 16 year old self anything, it would be to get yourself together, don’t stress, and honestly just do the best you can. For real.”

Dylan ShangleFormer MHS student

“Live your life happily. Don’t worry about what others say about you.”

Tiana BowveePish Posh worker

focusthe

Page 9: Michelle demo portfolio

PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB | PAGE 23SENIOR WALL | PAGE 10 MHS VS DOW | PAGES 12-13 FLASHBACK FRIDAY | PAGE 24

Superior seasonAs the year’s season wraps up, the Boys Varsity soccer seniors reflect on their four

year winning streak in the SVL.Page 15

SPECIAL REPORT: the affects of ADHD, and how a student can overcome the obstacle is examined

the

Midland High School | October 24, 2014 | Volume 37. Issue 2

Michelle Demo | Photo Illustration

focus

Pictured: SVL MVP Jake Rajewski

Page 10: Michelle demo portfolio

focusSOCIAL MEDIA | PAGE 14ATHEISM | PAGE 09 ONE BILLION RISING| PAGES 12-13 CAPTURED PHOTOGRAPHY | PAGE 24

An unhealthy tripMore people are using research chemicals in an attempt to reach an similar high to that of LSD. Is the high

worth the risk?Page 15

S P E C I A L R E P O R T : f o c u s i n g o n t h e s t r u g g l e s a n d s u c c e s s e s i n g y m n a s t i c s

the

Midland High School | March 6, 2015| Volume 37. Issue 6

Maddy Wheelock & Michelle Demo | Illustration

Page 11: Michelle demo portfolio

focusBEEKEEPING | PAGE 14TRACK PREVIEW | PAGE 09 ALCOHOL | PAGES 12-13 SPRING BREAK QUIZ | PAGE 24

Music of the nightThe Midland High Drama club has less than one month left until the curtain

rises on The Phantom of the Opera. Pages 21-23

SPECIAL REPORT: recent events have star ted discussions on transgender students

the

Midland High School | March 27, 2015| Volume 37. Issue 7

Michelle Demo | Illustration