Sailors On the ScenenewsmagazineMay 2009 | Volume 3 | Issue 5

MONA SHORES MIDDLE SCHOOL I 1700 WOODSIDE I MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN 49441

On the Inside“Freedom Writer” shares her story with students

Track teams run away with another victory

Facebook or Myspace?

www.sailorsonthescene.com

sai lors on the scene ~ staff

Page Two2

On

The

Coverphoto by: zak drabczyk

Eighth grader Madison Campbell starts the run up the first base line while teammates Lauren Johnson, Morgan Smith and Kayla Miller look on with anticipation.

editor-in-chief:nicole shady

managing editor:lindy torvinen

photo editor:briann wilson

section editors:sammy burmeisterkatie debruinzak drabczyktaylor groenhoutmallika maddurimegan schluentz

sam andradenicole bertapellenicole brownkayleigh dakinrachel greenmegan hertelrachel kellykelly mcmahonbrianna panicimolly schaub

trevor boydderek copeashley corycorrine dewittjacob dewitttyler diltsamber dionmeghan ebareleah glubrechtrachel mattsontaylor mccarthymegan moranpaige quallsmeredith smith

staff writers:adviser:mike phillips

editorial board:marie bettenken byardshelly dykstrajacey ecclestontrisha hallcheri kimballpatty mercermichelle phillipsmatt schuchardtamy stielstralori veurink

For years, the members of Student Congress have chosen our school of-ficers, but if our entire student body were to have a voice in a school wide election, there could be many beneficial factors.

At Mona Shores, most students are not aware of the issues and problems that occur at our school. Electing our Student Congress officers would permit students to become more involved with what goes on at the middle school. Stu-dents would finally be able to influence changes that they want by electing stu-dents who would make those changes within the school.

Letting students vote for Student Congress officers would not only be

educational, but also would add excitement to the start of school. The seventh and eighth grade students who

run for a higher position in Student Congress would be able to campaign throughout the school at the beginning of the first semester. This would create interest in students in becoming an officer and the students would become more willing to join Student Con-gress the following year.

If seventh and eighth grad-ers are campaigning during

school, the political process that the other students will be exposed to during the election would help to create

an understanding of real politics. During social studies at the middle school, students are only taught the ba-sics of politics. If a school election were to take place, students would have an easier time applying what they learn in school to what they read about in the news.

Allowing our student body to partake in the elec-toral process would not only improve our school, but also the students’ understanding towards what our Student Congress is all about.

In the Lead 3School elections would provide students with opportunities

Our Voice

Volunteering is an assignment in eighth grade, but we believe students should try to volunteer more often and on their own time. Getting your mind off of school and friends and the stresses of life are only a few of the advantages of volunteering.

There’s many different ways to volunteer. Whether it’s at a soup kitchen serving food, at school in the library, or at a community organiza-tion. Getting motivated to volunteer is difficult, but with the motivation and the will to make a difference,

it can be done. Volunteering is both self rewarding and rewarding to the community.

Volunteering time benefits all that are involved

Our Voice is the opinion message selected by the editors of the Sailors On the Scene newsmagazine.

Just like Govenor Sarah Palin and Senator John McCain during their run for the office, Student Congress treasurer Ryan Fritz and secretary Mandy Versalle perform a speech for their campaign. This is what it may look like if students had to prepare a speech for a school election.

illustration by: lindy torvinen and sammy burmeister

— Mrs. Halmich ~ Staff

“I would think it’s beneficial to the students, because everyone has an opinion, and if they understand more about politics, they will have better opinions on the issues.”

— Clair Jennings ~ 7th

“I think it would help the school because more students would get involved.”

SammyBurmeister

LindyTorvinen

by: katie debruin / section editorNext year female athletes will have a change in their seasons

The season switch for girls volleyball and basketball at the middle school will effect many young female athletes.

This switch allows the high school and the middle schools seasons to be aligned, with volleyball now in the fall and basketball in the winter.

“High school players may be able to come and mentor teams like our little sisters program,” high school basketball varsity coach Brad Kurth said. “Certainly having the seasons coincide with the high school season helps players in many ways.”

Because of the switch and conflicts with other extra-curricular activities, some girls will not be able to participate in certain sports while others will now have the opportunity.

“Girls who want to do side-line cheer, like me, will now have the opportunity to participate in both,” eighth grader McKenzie Jackson said.

Most middle schools in Michigan have already made the girls season switch. Some just to be aligned with the high school sea-sons, while others are because of the

MHSAA high school mandate last year.

“The MHSAA did the switch to align the middle school and high school seasons,” mid-dle school athletic director Ken Byard said. “It will also make it easier for the athletes, being able to watch varsity games.”

The change will also effect coaches, most of whom are teachers as well.

“I coach both sports so it won’t affect me that much,” eighth grade volleyball and bas-ketball coach Leah Kern said. “It will be nice having the high school and middle school seasons aligned.”

A lot of the volleyball players are excited for the season switch because they are able to condition during the summer allowing them to be more prepared for the upcoming season.

“It will help me have a better chance of making the team because I will be able to get in shape over the summer,” seventh grader Kaylyn Chandonnet.

Features4

by: taylor groenhout / section editorTwo students represent Shores in the “Off the Wall” contest

Two Mona Shores students were chosen out of hundreds in Muskegon County to be published in the “Off the Wall” contest which collects artwork, poems, stories, and comics from students in sixth through twelfth grade

Eight graders Danielle Riehl and Reed Hrynewich had their artwork and poems published into a book along with 25 other “Off the Wall” contest winners.

“It’s not really hard at all (to make it into the “Off the Wall” contest) if you put in a little effort.” English teacher Kristin Johnson said.

Hrynewich submitted a drawing called, Ring of Peace, which is a lady transforming from a swan into a woman which represents a very peaceful situation. The drawing won the hearts of the judges and landed him a spot among the winners for his third year in a row.

“My last two drawings were about an Arabian women which I named Schehe-razade and a lady posed on top of build-ings,” Hrynewich said. “Winning three years in a row is a great accomplishment and I hope to win next year to move further on in my art career. “My Mask” is one of the four poems Riehl wrote that became one of the winners of the incredibly competitive contest.

“(My poem is) about the cover up every-one puts on to show other people,” Riehl said

The ceremony for all 25 winners was held at the Hackley Library on March 18th to a crowd filled with family and friends who praised and acknowledged everyone’s hard work.

Riehl and Hrynewich are two truly tal-ented students who have been recognized

by the “Off the Wall” Contest.“The Off the Wall contest recognizes

and celebrates students who exhibit great creativity and originality in their writing and artwork,” English teacher Beth Prentice said. “I am thrilled that both Reed and Dani-elle were winners, but I’m not surprised. Both students were always demonstrating ingenuity in their language arts work when I had them in class. I love the contest because it gives teens an outlet for expression.”

Eighth grader Danielle Riehl reads her poem to the crowd of 80 at the Hackley Coffee House.

courtesy photos

Eighth grader Reed Hrynewich presents his artwork to the Hackley Coffee House audience.

MSMS girls volleyball and basketball seasons will be switched next year.

illustration by: mike phillips

Four years ago, eighth grader John Swainston jumped on a drum set at his church and has been playing ever since.

He performs at The Grand Oyster Bar and Grill in Grand Haven called “Jazz Night” every Tuesday from 7-11 pm. Along side him plays eighth grader Alex Pearson, his

drum teacher Scott Pellegrom, and local musicians Kaja Lill, Mike Drost, and Kevin Kozel.

“It’s exciting, fun, and John raises the roof on stage,” eighth grader Alex Pearson said.

He practices everyday for one to two hours, either at school or home. His family and friends support his dream by coming to his performances and cheering him on.

“We go to his gigs and cheer him on,” John’s father Tim Swainston said. “We do what we need to do to help our son excel.”

His inspiration to play is Pellegrom be-cause he was his very first drum teacher, he made John what he is today.

“He makes me a better overall person,” Swainston said. “If he wasn’t my teacher, I probably wouldn’t be what and where I am today.”

Pellegrom gave him the want to play and practice more, and John is hopeful that his future includes becoming a famous drum-mer.

“I am Jonathan’s mentor and teacher,” Pellegrom said. “He is very talented and dedicated to music. He works hard and when he gets into it you are able to see the lights turn on inside of his head. He has come a long way as a student, person, drummer and musician since he took his first lesson with me. Since he has been playing out every Tuesday he has started to learn the ropes of what it is like on the gigs playing in a restaurant/bar setting. I feel that if Jonathan stays humble, works on his reading and versatility as a drummer he is able to go very far in the music scene in Michigan and even Nationally.”

Features 5

by: sam andrade and brianna panici / staff writersEighth grader John Swainston takes the stage with his drums

On Thursday, March 12, Mona Shores Middle School welcomed Freedom Writer, Maria Reyes, to share her story.

Jacey Eccleston, an MSMS sixth grade English teacher, had her students read “I Escaped a Violent Gang,” a story of Maria Reyes’ troubled past and experiences with gang violence. After reading her story, the inspired Pod C students were willing to do what it takes to bring Maria Reyes to Mona Shores Middle School.

“My students were inspired by this story and asked if we could find a way to bring this brave student to our class,” Mrs. Ec-cleston said. “A bell went off in my head and the hope to locate Maria Reyes, the courageous girl who escaped the gang, became our Big Dream.”

Anyone that has been a sixth grade Language Arts student of Mrs. Eccleston’s in the past six years, has read Maria’s story. But this year’s Pod C students went farther into it than any other class and were determined to have Maria come to our school.

“The students expressed a willingness to complete chores and acts of service in order to raise the funds,” Mrs. Eccleston said. “The support from the middle school teachers and all of the middle school stu-dents has been amazing.”

In order to have Reyes speak in our auditorium, sixth grade students wrote es-says and raised the money needed to bring her here.

“Honoring Maria’s courage to free herself, my 100 sixth grade students also wrote essays explaining how they have been trapped, what they can do to grow wings, and how they have helped free oth-ers,” Mrs. Eccleston said. “Furthermore, they made moving illustrations of their entrapment, and we also made a short video to introduce our essays.”

To help raise the money that was needed, staff and students’ families made baked goods weekly, and sometimes even daily.

“The middle school has such a sup-portive staff and community, making one

awesome crew,” Mrs. Eccleston said.The 100 Pod C sixth graders accom-

plished their goal of raising $3,000 within two months.

“Ultimately, I am so proud of my students, and I am so happy they found power in the pen, the power to dream, and the power to achieve,” Mrs. Eccleston said.

Eighth grader John Swainston practices drumming for his Tuesday performances.

courtesy photo

by: rachel kelly / staff writer

Reyes captures the attention of MSMS students with her moving story onMarch 12.

courtesy photo

Pod C students bring “Freedom Writer” Maria Reyes to MSMS

The middle school dress code states that your shorts or skirts have to be finger-tip length, but changing the method to something that is more fair to all students would make them happier.

Students like to dress how they want, but aren’t always allowed to. They choose to buy the shorts or skirts that are too short or the tank tops that aren’t three fingers wide, because that’s what is in at stores like Hollister and Abercrombie. After looking at the Hollister and Abercrombie websites,

I noticed that the only shorts that fit the finger-tip method are the Bermudas.

While Hollister and Abercrombie are more popular among teens than JCPenneys and Kohls, they seem to be following the shorter short idea to get more teens atten-tion, and to increase revenue. Finding shorts that fit the school dress code is getting harder and harder to find.

The dress code here at the middle school states that your shorts have to be

finger tip length. That may not be fair to the students with longer arms, and an advan-tage to the students with shorter arms. At Novi High school they use the ‘skirt stick’ method. The students stand next to the stick to measure their leg length and then calcu-late 30 percent of it, and that’s the amount that needs to be covered. Using this method would be much better. It would be fair for everyone and not give students with shorter arms an advantage.

Students want to be able to dress the way they want, but with our school dress code, that’s not always possible. Finding a new method that is fair to all students would make a lot more sense.

TCBY...a savory, local ice cream joint for students to enjoy any time of year: winter, summer, spring or fall.

If you are looking to slim your waistline down for summer or get away from the extra calories ice cream has without giving up taste and flavor, TCBY provides you with frozen yogurt, the healthy alternative to ice cream. There are normally 6 soft serve fla-vors and 12 hand scooped flavors of frozen yogurt each day, plus the delicious smoothies, sundaes, and shivers.

TCBY provides a laid back and relaxed set up of table and chairs that allow you to enjoy their deli-cious treats. At the same time, you may converse with friends or study and do homework around the tables.

Except for Waffle Cone Wednesdays, when ice cream in a waffle cone is a reduced price, normal prices for waffle cones are $2.49 for a small, $2.99 for

a medium, and $3.49 for a large. Those are pretty rea-sonable prices for the quality of their frozen yogurt.

If you want to cool down and enjoy a delightful frosty blend of frozen yogurt, TCBY is definitely the place to go.

Summer is coming around the corner and students are starting to get cravings towards ice cream, and a local place to visit would be Whippi Dip.

During the summer, students like to have new flavors of ice cream to experiment with. Since 1953 Whippi dip has been catering to the public with the 23 different flavors of ice cream.

Instead of a laid back, same old, classical ice cream parlor that is found at any other indoor place, you can drop by Whippi Dip and experience the fresh air and the outdoor

sitting benches. The swing set and weather rock add to the atmosphere that you wouldn’t get at any other indoor sit down ice cream parlor.

A reasonable price for a deli-cious summer treat at Whippi Dip would be a small cup or cone for $1.75, a medium for $2.00,

or a large for $2.25. This small price would last you for a good cooling down.

With the perfect outdoor surroundings, you can experience more than a taste of ice cream. You can follow history back in time from the beginning of Whippi Dip, a small lo-cal ice cream parlor.

A change in the seasons equals a change in the clothing

Opinions6

Two scoops are better than one

— Tyler Patrick ~ 8th

“When I go to Whippi Dip I get the vanilla ice cream with flavor burst.” — Ashton Dilts ~ 7th

“I like the vanilla yogurt with sprinkles and gummy bears.”

— Shayna Hoch ~ 6th

“The dress code does effect me when shopping, but I still buy whatever I want.”

Tyler Dilts

RachelMattson

MeganMoran

Walking down the Mona Shores Middle School halls you see lockers, teachers, stu-dents, and surprisingly PDA.

Your parents send you to school to learn about reading, writing, math,

science and social studies, but no where in that list does it say make-out 101. When I see people making out with their “significant others”, I wonder what’s the rush, and what’s

the reason that people have to be all over each other be-fore class? At school you are taught respect, and if these acts of PDA

continue then you are not respecting yourself and the others around you.

As eighth graders, we are the leaders in the middle school and are expected to be the role models to the rest of our peers. If we walk down the halls making out with our “sig-nificant other”, then what will they think? These acts of PDA will set the tone for the school, and our behavior reflects not only the students, but our teachers and administrators.

At the high school the rules for PDA change. They allow you to hold hands and put an arm around the waist. Although the rules at the high school somewhat allows PDA, the rules at the middle school say that students can not hold hands, kiss, hug, etc. The school administrators believe that Public Displays of Affection are inappropriate, and the reason for banning PDA is to protect the students and to show that we are still matur-ing.

Public Displays of Affection are disgusting to everybody but the people taking part in it, so from where I stand, PDA is definitely not okay.

At Mona Shores Middle School, students are assigned their locker partner as a way to branch out and associate with people they

may not already know.Meeting new people and making

new friends is what middle school is all about, and this is possible when locker partners are chosen randomly. There is a potential that your locker partner and yourself may have things in common, and lifelong bonds can be formed in middle school. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could say at your wedding that you met your maid of honor or best man in middle school and they had been your locker partner?

In middle school, many people experience insignificant arguments with their circle of friends, or ‘clique.’ Having their closest friend as their locker partner could cause problems. Fights cause tension, and that makes people want to get

away from each other, but this is impossible when the person you are fighting with also happens to be your locker partner. By having the school assign locker partners, you can save yourself from a fight or feeling unhappy.

Things change constantly during middle school and personalities are developed. This can cause a change in interests or also in friend pref-erences. If you had the chance to choose your locker partner, obvi-ously you would choose a close friend. A clash in opinions could lead to a lost friendship, and a request to have your locker partner changed. By having locker partners assigned randomly, this saves the counseling office’s time, because they are not using their time switch-ing locker partners and catering to students’ ever changing needs.

By being assigned their locker partner, students can step outside their comfort zone and embrace all middle school has to offer.

Opinions 7

Assigned locker partners has more positives than negatives

PDA is not okay

— Alec VanderBosh ~ 7th

“These rules are not fair. If its a free country than we should be able to hold hands in school.”

NicoleBertapelle

illustration by: tyler dilts

TaylorMcCarthy

by:megan schluentz, malliika madduri, kayleigh dakin, kelly mcmahon

Center Section8

What do you first notice in a guy/girl?

When asked how many people they

have dated this year, the results were:

89% have dated one to two people.

11% have dated three to four people.

VS

Is it Love?“I like it when they are fun and happy.”

~ Mitchell White • 6th

“If their cute, coolor fun.”

~Marcas Williams • 6th

“How hot they are.”

~Jared Steger •7th

“I notice their personality.”

~ Sam Reynolds • 7th

“Shoes and socks.”

~Greg Chandonett • 8th

“Her personality.”

~Daniel Bryant • 8th

“How cute they are.”

~Sydney Dewall • 6th

“I notice their laugh because if its weird

I don’t want to listen to it all the time.”

~Ashley Barret • 6th

“Their smile.”

~Danielle Pauwels • 8th

“Muscles.”

~Abbey Medema • 8th

“Their personalityand shoes.”

~Diamond Tarrio • 7th

“Smile or eyes.”

~Sarah Jones • 7th

Eighth graders Julia Walsh and Trevor Boyd have been going out for two years

and three months.

Eighth grader Madison Polinori and seventh grader Ryan Fritz have been

going out for eight months.

Center Section 9

‘I Scream, You Scream!’

by: corrine dewitt, meghan ebare, leah glubrecht, meredith smith

Cookie dough gets on your shirt what do you do you do?

You have a sore throat what do

you want?

After school you are most likely to

get?

You get to choose one topping what do

you pick?

What do you get to hold your ice cream?

You dare to try dif-ferent things, and

you don’t care what people think.

You always put oth-ers before yourself.

You don’t like change. You go with the flow.

After a nice day at the beach what flavor would you

choose?

Bold ChocolateSweet Strawberry Average Vanilla

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Evan D

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Change your shirt

Mrs. ShafferMint

Chocolate

Jacob Main * 6th

TCBY

Danielle R

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Shayna Hoch * 6th

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Sailor Days10

Maddie Rabbit • 8th Grade1st Place

Colt Pena • 6th Grade2nd Place

Samantha Fox • 8th Grade3rd Place

Doodle Contest Winners

If you could be a cartoon character, who would you be and why?

Voices

Quinn Kendra6th Grade

“Spongebob, becausehe’s funny.”

“Jimmy Neutron because he’s smart and he has cool hair.”

Reeta Chandler7th GRADE

“Bugs bunny becausehe’s cool.”

“Superman becausehe can fly.”

Hallsfrom the

Jonny Lawton8th GRADE

Mrs. Helsen Art Teacher

Jena’a Matthews6th GRADE

“I’d be Sandy off of Spongebob because we have thesame teeth.”

“Patrick from Spongebob because then I could be dumb all day long and getaway with it.”

Jake Radikopf7th GRADE

“Spongebob because he lives in a pineapple.”

“King Julian from Madagascar because he’s quick, witty,

and funny.”

Anna Beechnau8th GRADE

Mr. TrautnerSocial Studies Teacher

Jacob DeRemer6th GRADE

“Jerry from Tom and Jerry because he alwaysout-smarts Tom.”

“Patrick from Spongebob because he’s stupid like me.”

Holly Strang7th GRADE

“Spongebob because he’s really weird and funny.”

“Mulan because she’s couragous, funny, she doesn’t

let anything stop her. She’s smart, she’s my hero.”

Zach Brothers8th GRADE

Mrs. VeurinkLibrary Media Clerk

Sailor Days 11

Studentsof the month

Student-Athletesof the month

VolleyballWrestling

8th Grade

8th Grade

Paige HartnessDallas Schmidbauer

Emily KlempDerek Baker

1A. Kenny Olsen 1B. Andrew Vanaelst 1C. Jermey Szost 1D. Nathan Majeski 2A. Sarina Hobby 1B.Haylee Dykstra 1C. Meagan Huetnher 2D. Britni Gielow 3A. Kyle Petterson 3B.Mitchel Anderson 3C. Tony Chrum 3D. Andrew Denny 4A. Angela Kim 4B.Holly Polly 4C.Kirstin Schoonbeck 4D. Lonjarae Gamble 5A. Quinn Kendra 5B.Frank Kule 5C. Tyree Jackson 5D. Anthony Bradfield 6A. Kassidy Vresdeveld 6B. Alissa Firlit 6C. Dylan Gonzalez 6D. Kennedy Mosley

A

D

C

B

Eighth Graders Seventh Graders Sixth Graders

A

D

C

B

A

D

C

B

A

D

C

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A

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A

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1

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Sports12

by: zak drabczyk I section editor

Eighth grade softball dominates Orchard View

Contrasts between indoor and outdoor soccer affects players

On April 16, the eighth grade softball team crushed Orchard View with a 16-0 decisive win, in only the second game of the season.

Pitcher Kendall Sells set the tone quickly striking out the first batter of the game.

“It felt good to strike the first girl out,” Sells said. “It really built up my confidence for the rest of the game.”

The Shores girls made a team effort thoughout the first inning, with the first hit of the game by Leann Ronning, eventually finishing the inning with a 4-0 Shores lead.

“I think we did a pretty good job,” second baseman Kenadi Carpenter said. “And we all worked as a team.”

With Shores leading Orchard View, right

fielder Madison Campbell cracked a home run down left field to score two runs as well as demoralizing their Orchard View opponents.

“I thought it was lucky,” Campbell said. “But it was pretty sweet too.”

With the game closing and Shores in the obvious lead the final Orchard View batter was making a last desperate slide into home plate, but was ousted by catcher Megan Birr, sealing the victory for Shores.

“I got lucky that it bounced off the fence right into my glove,” Birr said

With Orchard view defeated and a clear victory for Shores, the team looks on to a promising season.

“We got our bats to start working and pitching went real well,” coach Paul Sells said. “They hit the ball really well, and had an all around good game.”

One of the most no-ticeable aspects of the indoor soccer game are the walls surrounding the fields, but there are many more differences that might not be as noticeable.

One of the biggest differences spectators see from the outdoor game compared to the indoor game of soc-cer is that the field is surrounded by walls. These walls create a very different environ-ment for the indoor soccer players because they keep the game go-ing at a faster pace and

brings the fans closer to the action. While in the game, the walls help the players because they are able to bounce the soccer ball off the wall to create different shots. With the walls you need to be more conditioned and have more strategy.

Another major difference is the size

between the two fields. Indoor soccer fields are smaller and they help the players so they do not have to run as far lengthwise, but because there are no time-outs or stops, there is more running around. The field is smaller so there is less room to get around the opposing team members.

The size of the goal also affects how the players perform. They are smaller in indoor, so there is less room to shoot, and there are many more opportunities. There are only about three goals scored in an outdoor soc-cer game compared to six for indoor. There are 11 players on the field in outdoor, while only six for indoor. With less players, there are more shots to be made.

So whether you are in the stands or in the game, be ready for an exciting game with non- stop action, that keeps you on your feet.

Top Left: Second baseman Kenadi Carpenter begins her swing.Left: Catcher Megan Birr grimaces as she goes for the bunt.

photos by: zak drabczyk

Top Right: Eighth grader Amber Dion rushes into the scene to steal the ball

from her opponent.Right: Eighth grader Anna Beechnau

kicks the ball to restart the period. courtesy photos

AshleyCory

AmberDion

Sports 13

by: megan herteI I staff writer

Track team, two steps ahead

by: trevor boyd I staff writer

Muskegon’s rich tradition of great hockey players gives it the nickname Hockeytown

On April 16, Mona Shores Middle School boys and girls track teams faced off at home against Grand Haven with the Sailors taking the victory for both teams.

In the 200 meter hurdles, it was a tight race between eighth grader Adam Ulfsax of Shores and Bazany of Grand Haven. Ulfsax, running as fast as he could, beat Bazany by 1.55 seconds finishing the race in 30.22 sec-onds. Ulfsax also took first place in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 9.84 seconds.

“It was exciting and the whole team did a good job,” seventh grader Taylor McPhail said.

In field events, seventh grader Libo Chandler took first in the long jump with a distance of 16 feet and 4 inches.

“I think I will do better on the next meet by stretching and practicing more,” Chan-dler said.

Eighth grader Emma Milek showed Grand Haven how great Shores can be in the two mile with a first place time of 14 minutes, 34 seconds.

“I thought that I could have done a lot better since there wasn’t really that much competition,” Milek said. “One of the better two mile runners on the Grand Haven team wasn’t even there and the rest of the girls

weren’t that good, not that they were bad either, but I did okay.”

Eighth grader Renee Tardani stepped up big in the 70 meter dash, adding to the team total with a first place finish and a time of 10.16 seconds.

Eighth grader McKenzie Jackson stole the show in the girls field events, throwing the shot put a distance of 28 feet, 3 inches.

“That was my first time ever doing shot put,” Jackson said. “My goal is, by the end of the track season, to beat the shot put record.”

Overall, Mona Shores beat Grand Haven by a landslide with the girls team winning 75 to 48 and the boys winning 84 to 39.

“Adam Ulfsax won 3 races, both hurdle events and a relay,” coach John Adams said. “What is unique, is he’d never done that before, he threw it out there and just did it.”

Hockeytown is not only in Detroit; there is a smaller Hockeytown right here in our own town of Muskegon.

The tradition starts with the Mus-kegon Chiefs program that ranges from age eight to eighteen. In the last few years they have had many great players come though like Justin Abdelkader and Dan Bylsma. Ab-delkader plays for the Red Wings and Bylsma played for the Anaheim Ducks and is currently coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I like playing in the Muskegon Chiefs program because they have certain coaches for certain positions,” eighth grader Reed Schlender said.

The Mona Shores High School

hockey team has a very long and rich tradition of great hockey. Winning 12 regional championships and going to the state finals two times out of the past three years. Many big names have come through the program, such as Justin Abdelkader and Boo Rowe, both of them playing for the Michi-gan State University hockey team.

“I want to play Mona Shores hockey because they have a very good program,” eighth grader Adam Ulfsax said.

The Muskegon Lumberjacks have been in the Muskegon area so long they have changed their name four different times. Each time there has been a name change they have gotten

better and better. This year they have finished at the top of their league and are fighting through the playoffs for the championship.

“One reason for the name change was because of the historical impor-tance of the lumbering industry in Muskegon,” Tim Taylor Muskegon Lumberjacks General Manager said.

One of the best things about living in or being associated with Muskegon is the rich tradition of great hockey and the players it has produced.

“The city of Muskegon is a mini version of the Hockeytown in De-troit,” Mona Shores hockey coach Bob Boyd said.

Top Right: Eighth grader Trevor Boyd demonstrates determination to represent

Shores well in the high jump.Right: Eighth grader Adam Ulfsax finds

himself neck and neck with two of his opponents during the 55 meter hurdles.

photos by: briann wilson

When most teenag-ers get home the first thing they do is head to their favorite social net-working site, but

whether they go to Face-book or Myspace is the question.

Facebook is known for it’s clean ap-pearance and easy navigation. The site makes it easy to find people you know and what they’re up to. Everyones user pages look the same so it’s quick to load and even has chatting features making it easy to communicate with your friends.

Myspace is more customizable, giving you all sorts of options for your profile page and home page. Due to this fact, Myspace pages can take a long time to

load depending on how much content is spamming the profile you’re trying to visit. Your Myspace will only be neat and

polished if you work to keep it that way, otherwise your home page and profile could become littered with all your activities and ap-plications.

On Facebook you are instantly connected to all that your friends do when you log on. You know who they have talked to, any new pictures

they have posted and any groups they have joined, which instantly keeps you in the loop

with your friends. You can also visit a friends profile page to see exactly what they’ve been doing in the neat format that Facebook is known for.

Facebook’s uncluttered pages and simple navigation rule over Myspace’s messy layouts.

Jack Johnson has been a popular artist with teens for many years because of his relaxing music and catchy lyrics.

Before Jack started his musical career, he was a championship surfer on his way to becoming a professional. His dream of surf-ing soon ended with a near death experience

at age 17 when his body crashed into an ex-posed reef, and from then on it was music. He started writing acoustic based songs that would soon make him a hit, while attending the Univer-sity of California.

Many people like him for his acoustic genre and almost reggae feel. His lyrics tend to tell a story or make you think about life in general. His music is very relaxing and is good to listen to whether you’re just hanging out with friends or working out.

If you have heard him on the radio and are still skeptical, try listening to the song Good People. It doesn’t sound like most of his songs, but it has more of a rock/blues feel. Another song you should try is Never

Know, it sounds like something you would listen to poolside, with a cold

lemonade, sunglasses, and flip-flops.

Jack has been pleas-ing teens with his mellow sound and relaxed at-mosphere for many years.

Jack Johnson relaxes teens with his mellow sounds

Entertainment14

JakeDeWitt

Eighth graders Ryan Cooper and Lydia Karel are like most teens that use social networking sites as part of their everyday life.

photo by: molly schaub

Facebook provides neater, cleaner atmosphere for teens

Johnson plays and sings to thousands of his fans at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Stadium.

— Samantha Pike ~ 6th

“I have both, but I like Facebook. There are more ways to chat and get connected.”

— Rachel Resterhouse ~ 7th

“I have both, but I like Myspace because more friends are on it and you can have music and backgrounds.”

— Allie Mccarty ~ 6th

“I listen to him when I’m doing homework because it helps me concentrate.”

— Kyle Peterson ~ 7th

“His music is calm, it soothes the soul.”

Johnson sings and plays quitar to his thousands of fans at Columbia Meadows.

www.jackjohnsonmusic.com

MollySchaub

With a wide range of Asian food and a good variety of American food, the Asian Buf-fet and Grill is a great place to go to have a good time and some good food.

The buffet was good, with lots of food like chicken, sushi, seafood, vegetables, rolls, and fruit. We tried to taste a little bit of everything by taking small amounts. By doing this we found some things we liked and some things that were not too tasty. There was a large variety of chicken, there was sesame, General Tso’s, sweet and sour orange chicken. The sushi came with rice, crab, and a yellow pepper that was good, but the seaweed was a little overpowering. Three other things that we tried were the octopus, baked mussel and frog legs. Each had their own taste. The oc-topus had a peppery tangy taste, the baked mussel with a fishy rotten taste, and the frog

legs which had a texture of jerky taste. For dessert we had the brownie that tasted like it had cinnamon in it and just tasted wrong. The other desserts were kind of bland and didn’t have much flavor. Overall, the best part of the buffet was the soft serve ice

cream with a never end-ing buffet of toppings.

The service was not the best. Our waitress was quiet and hard to understand and was not very talkative or helpful toward us. The comfort

of the place was nice. It had a great layout except the decor was a little plain. The booths were comfy and the place was not too crowded or loud, nor too empty or quiet.

Rather than going to Subway or Brooklyn Bagels, we would recommend heading over to The Asian Buffet and Grill and trying it out. Although it was a little pricey at $11.34 a person, we got our money’s worth in the amount of food. As most of us know, middle school students like to be adventur-ous and try new foods, and the Asian Buffet

is a great place to do that. There is plenty of seating so you and your friends can all fit.

With a slightly high price and lots of food we were pleased, but wished we could have left with a little bit more in our wallets.

Students at Mona Shores Middle School have many different ways of expressing themselves, singing fun music, and performing with friends

makes choir one of the most popularly requested on the elective list.

There are several concerts throughout the school year in which students learn new and exciting music. Choir students get the opportunity of trying out to do a solo if they are chosen.

Seventh grade students should get involved because it’s a new and exciting way to have fun and get a break from all of their regular classes, also you can be-come closer to your eighth grade peers. Every year there are more and more seventh grade choir students because of the encouragement of their classmates.

Eighth graders should join because of the additional opportunities that take place; such as festival and the concert

at the end of the year. Eighth graders guide seventh grade stu-dents through their first year in choir and help them achieve what they learned in their previous years as a singer. As an eighth grade choir student you are a leader and a “lifter, not a leaner”, so get involved and show off your talent.

There are many students out there with a wonderful, undiscovered talent of singing, and choir is a great opportu-nity to find it and show it off.

Entertainment 15Asian Buffet brings variety and taste to the Muskegon area

Choir offers opportunities for singing and performing

— Dakota Wadden ~ 6th

“I liked the noodles and the stuff they make on the grill.”

Cars line the front of the popular restaurant, Asian Buffet and Grill, across from the Lakes Mall.

photo by: paige qualls

Mona Shores Middle School choir sings fun and exciting new music.

photo by: rachel green

RachelGreen

PaigeQualls

Nicole Shady

16 Photo Story

Everyone Get on Your Feet

On Friday, April 4, Mona Shores Middle School held the annual pep assembly before Spring Break to send students off.

Seventh graders Taylor Southland and eighth graders Amanda Plumley and Nicole Bertapelle stick a perfect elevator.

Eighth grader Lauren Johnson and seventh grader Reagan Wilcox perform a basket toss.

Eighth graders in competitive cheer prepare toe touch.

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Eighth grader Brandi Gabris cheers as she gets introduced to the crowd as part of the volleyball team.

Seventh grader Sam Reynolds waves to the crowd while being introduced for basketball.

Mr. Wahlberg and Adam Ulfsax stand up to cheer for teachers.

Eighth graders Helen Oldaker and Katie Tibbits cheer for the eighth grade.

The crowd goes wild as the teachers began to race for the win.

Sixth grade teacher Ms. Zimmer dribbles down the court keeping first place.

Seventh grade teacher Mrs. Prentice long boards down the court to keep to pace.

Seventh grade teacher Mrs. Brink struggles to keep up with Ms. Barnett.

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