The Roughwriter - The Roeper School

THE
ROEPER
SCHOOL
The
Roughwriter
November, 2009
June,
2011
Volume IV, Issue VI
Staff Looking To Increase Healthy Food Options
Inside this issue:
8th Grade
Graduation
2
Birmingham
Campus
Building
Celebrates
90 Years
4
Fighting Tuna
5
Strange Sites
9
New Lounge?
10
Baseball
Coaches
13
By Frankie Misra
An apple a day
keeps the doctor away!
Healthy food options, like
apples and other fruits, are a
vital source to staying lean
and fit. Some of the Middle/
Upper School staff members
are pushing to increase
healthy food choices on the
Birmingham campus
―We are looking at
what are healthy options,
what is the responsibility of
the school as an institution
to provide those options to
students, and what is our
responsibility in what we
provide that‘s easily accessible to people,‖ Upper School
Director Lisa Baker says.
Good food choices
are important to stay
healthy, especially at a young
age. ―This is a time where
students need to learn how
to eat, and our vending ma-
Sixth grader Emma Kretchmer and 7th grader Naomi Savas enjoy
unhealthy snacks during a free block. Photo by Zoe Raines
chine options aren‘t that
great, and students don‘t
know what‘s healthy and
what‘s not,‖ Upper School
Environmental Science teacher Jill Graf says. Graf is aiming towards options ―that
aren‘t greasy, aren‘t fried, and
aren‘t full of fat. Things like vegetables and grains - things we‘re
supposed to eat a lot more of,
and we have a lot less. Having
healthy options like that,‖ she
adds. ―You don‘t have to buy
cont on page 6 -
Deely Hired as New Interim Head of School
By Armani Lee
Phillip Deely has
been selected as the Interim
Head of School for the 20112012 school year.
―I am very excited
about being asked to serve
as Roeper‘s Interim Head for
the upcoming school year,‖
Deely says.
Deely is currently a
Principal Consultant at Phillip
Sedgwick Deely & Associates, and has served an administrator for numerous
schools.
When asked why he
was interested in serving in
this position at Roeper
Deely says, ―I‘d first taught
at a progressive school, Simons Rock of Bard College.
I enjoy serving as an interim
because it enables me to
make a distinctive contribution;
and, I was able to sense a commitment to education embedded
into the Roeper community.‖
Deely and his wife recently visited Roeper. ―My wife
Hilary and I were impressed with
the students, teachers, and parents that we met.‖
The Deely‘s, who currently live in Stockbridge,
Cont. on page 2
NEWS
Page 2
Eighth Grade Graduation Being Held
By Frankie Misra
On the evening of
June 3rd, 49 eighth grade students will graduate from the
Roeper Middle School, and
journey on to high school.
―I started [having a
graduation ceremony] last
year,‖ Middle School Director
Borman says. ―I just thought it
was nice to have some kind of
a ceremony to celebrate going
to high school. [After] finishing
your years at the Lower
School, you have a little ceremony there. I think Middle
School is another stage of your
life, and I think the students
need to be honored for doing
so,‖ she adds.
The ceremony is a
gathering that takes place in
the Birmingham campus‘ R.
Dean Acheson Theatre.
―The eighth grade
students come with their par-
―[After] finishing your years at the Lower School,
you have a little ceremony there. I think Middle
School is another stage of your life, and I think
students need to be honored for doing so.‖
- Middle School Director Carolyn Borman
ents, and ―[Head of School]
Randall [Dunn] starts it by saying
‗hello,‘ and then [Upper School
Director] Lisa [Baker] says a few
things about how she‘s looking
forward to working with the
students, coming from eighth
grade to ninth,‖ Borman explains. ―Then I speak, and I say
how much I am going to miss
[them] all, but that I‘m still here
to see [them],‖ she adds.
Many of the students
of the graduating class also participate in the ceremony.
―Usually in between, there‘s a
choral singing that [Middle
School Choir Director]] Eric
[Swanson] directs. Then there
are two speakers - a girl speaker and a boy speaker, who talk
about their school years together,‖ Borman says.
A reception for students, parents, and teachers
follows the ceremony.
Deely - cont. from page 1
Massachusetts, are looking
forward to their move to
Michigan.
―We are in the
process of securing a place
to stay during our time in
Metro Detroit,‖ Deely says.
―We have some ‗friends-offriends‘ here and we are
looking forward to seeing
the ‗real Detroit.‘ We are
glad the orchestra strike is
over and will take full advantage of what the city has
to offer,‖ he adds.
―I‘m hoping for New Interim Head of School
Phillip Deeley.
visits from our ―adult chilPhoto courtesy of
dren,‖ Phillip - a financial
Facebook.com
manager in New York - and
Maisie - an independent mittee, Middle School Direcschool admissions director.‖ tor Carolyn Borman and
Members of the Social Studies teacher Mike
Interim Head Search Com- Ruddy are looking forward
to Deely assuming the job.
―He has a lot of experience as both Head and
Interim Head, and he will be
able to teach us things,‖ Ruddy says.
―I feel good about it
because he is experienced,
open, and positive; he is excited to join our community,‖
Borman says. ―He‘s been in
progressive schools, so that
will help him,‖ she adds.
NEWS
Page 3
Five Teams Participate in Annual Robofest Competition
By Drew Dagenais
Five Middle School
Robotics teams competed
at Canton Charter Academy on April 2nd.
Robofest is a competition for autonomous
robots for kids from 4th
grade through college," Science teacher and Robotics
coach Linda Pence says.
This is Pence‘s 12th year
involved with Robofest.
We had five teams:
four exhibition and one
dance storytelling,‖ Pence
explains. Each team created, built and programmed
their robots.
―We had the Pianobots, which was an autonomous piano playing
robot that played a scale,
―Hot Cross Buns‖, and
―Mary Had a Little Lamb‖
with Drew Dagenais and
Clayton Spevak. We [also]
had the Flying Ninjas, which
was a self-driving car with
Kyler Cousins and Jake Jan-
owitz,‖ Pence says. ― . . .
Nadav
PaisGreenapple, Cristian Andre,
and David Degazio [were
the members of] Double
Double Rubble Trouble . . .
[they] had three autonomous robots, two cranes
and a delivery-bot that
cleaned up toxic waste sites
from disasters. We also had
Double Vision, which built a
hat that would help the
visually impaired with Lainy
Lesnau, Devin Misra, Josh
Eisenmen, and Ben Goldberg.‖ . . .
Storytelling group
True Colors, made up of
sixth
graders
Audrey
Barnes, Alexis Johnson, Joe
Allen, Ryan Smith, and Ryan
Mersol-Barg also competed
with six RCX robots, two of
which made scenery spin.
When asked what
she thinks are some of the
benefits of competing at
Robofest, Pence replied, "I
think the ability to work as
(L-R) Sixth graders Kyler Cousins and Jake Janowitz set up their
robots at the Robofest competition.
Photo courtesy of Marla Cherrin
a team member, the persistence to deal with the multitude of gremlins that arrive that make what should
be a perfectly working robot cease to work and the
ability to keep problem
solving."
Robofest participants also see benefits in
being a part of this program.
"I feel really good and really
accomplished because it
seemed like all the hard
work throughout months
finally paid off," Smith says..
"I learned that with simple
sensors and robotics parts,
you can make a lot of useful
things," Janowitz says.
Teams that moved on to
the Regional competition
held on April 16th at Lawrence Tech were the Double Double Rubble Trouble,
Double Vision, and True
Colors.
Robotics Yields Many Benefits for Students
By Brielle Ashford
―An autonomous
robot challenge to solve a
game problem or to provide
an invention.‖ This is how
advisor Linda Pence describes Robofest.
Pence feels there
are many benefits for students who participate in it.
―Kids learn to work together and problem solve together . . . and are excited
about getting their robots to
do what they want them to
do,‖ she says.
―At this
point, there are kids already
talking about what they‘re
going to do next year.‖
Robofest has three
levels of competition. ―One
is called ‗Qualifying,‘ and you
have to pass through certain
judging to complete the mission you set out to do,‖
Pence explains. ―If you pass
to the next level, it‘s an even
bigger set of competition.
The final competition is
World Robofest . . . where
people from all over the
world - China, United States,
Mexico, Canada, Great Britain – turn in entries.‖
Roeper teams did
very well in the first round
of competition this year.
One team was made up of
[sixth graders] Jake Janowitz
and Kyler Cousins . . . called
‗The Flying Ninjas.‘ They
built a self-driving car,‖
Pence says. ― . . We had
another team called ‗Double
Vision‘ that was [7th graders] Deven Misra, Josh Eisenman, Ben Goldberg and
[6th grader] Lainy Lesnau.They built an assist for
the visually impaired. They
put ultra-sonic censors on
the visor of a baseball cap
and one on a belt loop, so
you could walk without
being able to see. It would
say, ‗Left, right, up,‘ or,
‗Forward‘ or ‗Down.‘ They
also built a walking robot to
demonstrate it,‖ Pence says.
―One group made a
storytelling robot called
‗True Colors.‘ That group
built a scenario where taxi
cabs and police cars are going through the streets of
New York City to music.
They have robots that coordinate their motion in spinning, and if the taxis run into
the police cars, they spin
around and fly away and get
chased by the police cars,‖
Pence says.
Students needed to
put in a lot of time in order
to complete their robots.
―Students just don‘t throw
cont. on page 4 -
Page 4
FEATURES
Birmingham Campus Building Celebrating 90th Birthday
By Nadav Pais-Greenapple
Not many Roeper
people know that the Birmingham campus, originally known
as the Adams School, is celebrating its 90th birthday this
year.
Built in 1921, The
Adams School building was
constructed to serve 750 students in elementary and junior
high (Middle School). According to information about the
Adams School at the Birmingham Historical Museum, the
building originally had two gyms
and a swimming pool.
What was daily life
like at the Adams School? According to Nancy Rae, who
was in kindergarten at the Adams School in 1961, ―Most kids
walked to school in those days.
. . some kids rode their bikes,
which could be parked in the
courtyard in the center of the
school. (EDITOR‘S NOTE:
This is the current Six Square
area). ―Kids would congregate
outside their designated entry
door until the bell rang, then
line up to enter the building,‖
she says.
―The kindergarten
entrance was off Oakland at
the front of the building,‖ Rae
remembers. ― You entered and
went up one flight of stairs to
the main floor. The big kindergarten room stretched across
the front of the building with an
entrance door off the hall on
either end.‖
(EDITOR‘S
NOTE: This is the current
library, Quiet Study room and
College Counseling).
―This [main] floor
had the office, school nurse,
music room, the library, first
grade,
second
grade and the
gym,‖ Rae says.
ings. I think this was the second
gym at one time.‖ (EDITOR‘S
NOTE: Originally a gym with a
swimming pool, the room was
dows on hot days (no air conditioning), because every so often a
wasp would fly in and spend a few
hours swooping through the
―The
gym
had
an
equipment room
off of it, a stage
where we had
plays and pageants and a balcony you could
access by stairs
or off the second
floor,‖ she adds.
―The
second
story
floor was third,
fourth and fifth
grades . . . Art
was my favorite
class, in the ABOVE: The Adams School in 1921.
basement under
Photo courtesy of the Birmingham Historical Museum
the gym. The
lower floor was
classroom, which terrified me!‖
sixth grade, the art room, eventually changed to a cafete―I do have lots of specifcounselor offices, the boiler ria.
ic memories of my years there
room and the cafeteria (which
When Roeper pur- from kindergarten through sixth
was directly under the large chased the building in 1980, grade. I haven't been back since I
kindergarten).‖
(EDITOR‘S they used the room as a cafete- left . . . I can see it clearly in my
NOTE: The cafeteria is now ria, as well as for theater pro- mind like it was yesterday, walk
The R. Dean Acheson Thea- ductions and assemblies. The through a virtual Adams school
space is now the R. Dean and still find each of my classter).
―Since I lived a block Acheson Theater).
rooms,‖ Rae says.
away, I walked home for lunch
You may think that
and don't remember ever eat- the problems with the wining in the cafeteria. I went dows are new, but Rae goes on
there for a spelling bee, band to say, ―What I liked least
practice and Girl Scout meet- about it was opening the win-
Robotics Benefits - cont. from page 3
these inventions together because it‘s an extracurricular
activity,‖ Pence says. ―It took a
lot of practice to come out on
top,‖ she says. ―Missions came
out in December, and they
started in January. They practiced during class two or three
times a week, and then for the
last two months, they‘ve been
practicing three to six hours or
more a week. . . I would say
each team put in around 40 to
60 hours before qualifying.‖
Pence would love to
see more students try their
hand at Robotics. ―I would like
to see all kids give it a try. Not
necessarily Robofest, but just
messing around with the robots and getting comfortable
with the technologies.‖
FEATURES
Page 5
Something’s Fishy About Fighting Tuna
By Alex Exler
A weird tradition that few understand, that‘s the best way to describe the
Fighting Tuna, Roeper‘s unofficial mascot. To
find out more about this mysterious custom,
The Roughwriter reeled in two of the 26
members of the Order - Third Dame Commander Sara Puzey ‘96 and current Knight
Duncan Burns ‘11 - to get their fishy feedback.
ter. I think I remember that the graduating
Tuna had to get the support of a few past
Tunas for their choice of successor.
R: Is this a real honor?
DB: I like to think so. I mean, there is a certain air of nobility about it.
SP: Damn straight it is.
R: Is there any secret Tuna stuff that you will
share?
DB: I certainly can‘t really say who the new
Tuna will be, but there is a box containing
the items that past Tuna have left the newer
Tunas that can only be seen with Tuna eyes
that you receive through a transplant.
SP: There used to be a collection of Tuna
Dollars - dollar bills each signed by all former
Tunas. I think it was called the Fighting Tuna
Scholarship Fund. Is that still around? It was
looking a little scarce by the time it got
passed to me, and I tried to put it back together. But hey, Tunas fall on hard times,
too.
R: What did you contribute and or what are
your favorite contributions?
DB: I think one of the nicest things we have
is the pimp coat given to us by Brett Klein.
It‘s warm, it sheds a little on you, but it‘s nice
to wear. I‘m not quite sure about what my
contributions will be. I made one, but I
ROUGHWRITER: The Fighting Tuna was
founded in 1985 by Brian Felder ―to protect
the honor of the members of the Roeper
Community.‖ What does that mean?
Duncan Burns: To protect the honor of
the Roeper Community. I mean, I try to
defend Roeper‘s good name where I go and
show it in a good light. I‘d say for the most
part, I try and make the school a better
place, if that counts as defending any one‘s
honor.
R: What does the Fighting Tuna do?
DB: . . . You know, it varies from Tuna to ABOVE: Current Knight of the Order of the
Fighting Tuna Duncan Burns stands ready ―to
Tuna. At all school events, I‘ll put on the
protect the honor of the members of the Roeper
costume to raise school spirit, though I‘m
quite larger than the average Tuna so I don‘t community.‖
Photo by Max Whipple
quite fit in the costume. The Fighting Tuna
tries to be a physical manifestation of school spirit. I mean, some Tunas might make another.
go to sports games. I have a very busy schedule.
SP: I added the Viking helmet. My favorite contribution was a dirty
Sara Puzey: They fight hard to preserve the ―wackitude‖ of Roeper;
towel.
to make sure that we don't take ourselves too seriously, that Roeper
R: Do you care to comment on the rivalry between the Tuna and the
stays the strange and wonderful place that it is.
Roughrider?
R: How is the Fighting Tuna picked?
DB: The Roughrider is alright . . . As the Tuna, I mean, I can swim unDB: [By a] very careful observation process . . . you try and find the derwater and The Roughrider has Teddy Roosevelt on his back. Obvione person who‘s got the pizzazz and motivation . . . sometimes you
ously, I come out on top
consult the Tuna of the previous year to bounce ideas off of . . . or
SP: I love that they are actual physical mascots now for there to be a
take a poll of people of what they like in a Tuna and never tell them
rivalry between. Back in my day, we didn't have no stinking mascots.
who you‘re thinking about .
R: Which mascot is the most appropriate for the school?
R: How many Tuna were there?
DB: Well, they‘re appropriate for different reasons. The Tuna is for
DB: Let‘s see, there‘s been me, Grace Krysinski ‗10, Brett Klein ‗09,
the every day, and the Roughrider is more war-like, so it would be betNed Baker ‘08 - that‘s just when I was here. I have only been here four ter for like basketball, or something.
years, and there might have been 10 Tunas before me.
SP: I like the subversive spirit of the Tuna. Growing up in Detroit and
SP: One at a time.
attending Roeper has caused me to be a chronic rooter-for-theR: When are the new Tunas picked / announced?
underdog. So you gotta love the unofficial stinky fish with a heart of
DB: At the last day of school at the end of the year, I shall summon the gold mascot, you know?
new Tuna to kneel before me - him or her - and with my rod, my Tuna R: Were there any hard times for the Tuna?
staff, I shall christen them the new Fighting Tuna.
DB: Hard times? I don‘t know. I guess when I first figured out that the
SP: Back in my day, the honor was bestowed on the next Tuna during suit didn‘t fit me, I was a little bummed out, I thought ―I‘ll be wearing
an assembly in the Commons on one of the last days of school, when
this the whole time,‖ and then I put it on. It sorta looked like shorts and
all of the other end-of-the-year-type awards and distinctions were bea tank top, with the head sorta loosely sitting on my neck. But you
ing passed out: National Merit Scholars, George Roeper Humanitarian know, I worked that out.
Award (I think I'm making that title up), Athlete of the Year, and . . .
SP: I think times are always hard for the Tuna. Goes with the territory.
The Fighting Tuna. The Tuna of that year who was graduating would
R: Do you know that there are 19 guys and only seven girls who have
announce their successor whom they had chosen, and hold the swear- served as the Fighting Tuna. How do you feel about that?
ing in ceremony where the new Tuna was knighted, given the scepter
DB: Not particular in any way. I don‘t think there is any discrepancy
(signed by all prior Tunas), and the box o' Tuna Treasures. I remember there. I mean, you pick the one with the most spirit.
kneeling on one knee and being tapped on my shoulders with the scep- SP: That's impressive. However, only a quarter have been Dame Commanders? That's pretty weak. Ladies, we need to step up our game.
Page 6
FEATURES
New Elective Teaches “You Are What You Eat”
By Max Whipple
Every hour children
play video games or watch
television may double their
risk of obesity, a new study
suggests. These are the kind
of facts that you learn in ―You
Are What You Eat,‖ a new
class being offered this trimester.
―It‘s just so much
fun,‖ 8th grader Trace Sheerin
says. ―It‘s an elective combining fitness with eating.‖
When asked about
this new class, teacher Jill Graf
says it ―consists of 6th through
8th graders who have a curiosity about what they are putting into their bodies.‖
Graf came up with
the idea for the class after
noticing what kids were eating
at lunch. ―I observed the food
choices that were being provided on the second floor, and
I saw some students eating by
my office, and was concerned
about the health of the food.
So I made this class,‖ she
says.
―I‘m an old lady,
who keeps trying to stay
healthy and eat well and I
think it will be beneficial to
see what you‘re putting in
your body and the lack of
exercise that middle schoolers have.‖
Graf is teaching this
class off of the Harvard University‘s School of Public
Health‘s program.
In this class, students will eat food and exercise to get themselves to
explore healthier options.
Kids will eat foods for every
fat-soluble and every watersoluble vitamin there is. One
exercise that kids will partake in is doing the ―Beep
Test,‖ which consists of running 20 meters in the
amounted time between the
beeps. The further along you
get in the test, the faster the
beeps come. This test is completed in the gym, and is just
one of the many physical challenges that students experience in this class.
―If you don‘t pay attention in this class, you will be
on the ground doing pushups!‖
Graf says.
When asked why he
took this class, 8th grader Max
Labe says, ―[So I can find]
healthy options for eating and
daily exercise that I should
get.‖
If you would like to
find out more about this class,
show up 6th block on A-C-E
days in the Chemistry room to
see Jill conducting a beep test
or kids sampling healthy food
items.
Healthy Food Options - cont. from page 1
cheese sticks, but instead you can get carrot sticks.‖
Biology teacher Laura Panek is also pushing towards
healthier options for our campus. ―It‘s important for students
to have healthy choices available at school to support their
learning . . . that are less processed, have more nutrition in
them, and are lower in salts, sugars, and saturated fats,‖ Panek
says.
―It‘s about looking at what we think is a reasonable
guideline. If you think about the fact that what you put into your
body is what your brain has access to, that if you don‘t think of
food as something that you eat, but you think of food as something that sustains you, your body, and your brain,‖ Baker says.
―There are certain foods that are better for that than others,
because of the quality that exists in the food. It‘s not about
judging food specifically; it‘s about saying what it‘s made up of
that matters,‖ Baker adds.
Panek and other staff members will be meeting with
the current lunch provider - Chartwells - in the near future.
―The administration, and some other people including myself,
will discuss if they are providing healthy food choices for students, and if our needs as a community [are] being met by
Chartwells,‖ Panek says.
―We have to ask [Chartwells] if they can provide
[healthy food options],‖ Baker says. ―[We want to know if] these companies know where the food [originated]. We are curious about that, and we don‘t have the answer yet,‖ Baker adds.
―Chartwells is really the only food accessible to middle
schoolers and first semester ninth graders. As an institution we
are providing a service, and we have to think about what the
health ramifications are for the students who are making choices
that work for them,‖ Baker adds.
Many other students, teachers, and parents are also
involved with the cause. ―[Junior] Emma Kirby is probably the
student [who] is most seriously involved,‖ Baker says. ―[Social
Studies teacher] Regis Carozza has been interested [in this topic], and a number of parents, too,‖ Baker adds.
―[Middle School Forensics teacher] Dan Jacobs is hopefully going to stage an actual debate about this topic. He is going
to do it over a series of lunch blocks so that students can be a
discussion,‖ Baker says. ―I think the outcome could be that [we]
stick with the same vendors, but say that we have certain
FEATURES
Page 7
iPad - Cool For School
By Max Whipple
Trying to convince your parents to get you an iPad
for school? Here are some facts that you can use to
help persuade them to let you get one:
You can put the ―Pages‖ application on it which acts
like Microsoft Word, so you can write essays and
take notes.
The ‖Keynote‖ application acts like Microsoft
Powerpoint to help you with those last-minute
powerpoints.
You can put the ―Numbers‖ application on it. This
acts like Microsoft Excel which you can use to
create those graphs for your science project.
You can download the books that are on the
iBooks application. This can save you some money,
as well as provide easy access for your literary
needs.
There is a calculator app on the iPad for that
Algebra problem you need to figure out.
The flashcard application will help you to study
those vocab words.
In case you don‘t know the definition of a word in
that paper you‘re reading, you can use the
dictionary app.
There is calendar app to help keep track of your
busy life.
Download the hit music-making app Garageband
onto your iPad to make your own music.
The 9.5‖ x 7.5‘ screen maximizes the HD quality of
whatever you‘re watching.
Once you get your new iPad, these are the musthave games you want on it:
ABOVE: Eighth grader Max Whipple shows visiting Dutch
student Stefan Krieg from Olympus College one of his favorite iPad applications.
Angry Birds - Involves propelling a bird from a
slingshot into the ―pigs‖ or the bad guys.
Fruit Ninja - Has fruit popping up on the screen
and you have to slice it before the fruit falls off the
screen. Hit a bomb and game over!
Bloons TD 4- A tower defense game.
Plants vs Zombies- A game that involves collecting
sun and planting plants to kill the zombies before
they kill you
Paper Toss - A popular favorite, this game simply
involves shooting a piece of paper in the trash with
different kinds of ―wind.‖
Slice It - Cut the shape into a certain amount of
pieces, while you try to make the pieces as even as
possible.
THE ROUGHWRITER STAFF
REPORTERS
BRIELLE ASHFORD, BIANCA BERGER, DREW DAGENAIS, MICHAEL DENEROFF, ALEX EXLER,
LOGAN GARLO, ARMANI LEE, FRANKIE MISRA, NADAV PAIS-GREENAPPLE,
NICK POPP, ZOE RAINES, JUSTIN WESLEY-JOHNSON, MAX WHIPPLE
LAYOUT
MICHAEL DENEROFF & FRANKIE MISRA
ADVISOR
LINDA VERNON
FEATURES
Page 8
Lost and Found: Take It or Forsake It
By Zoe Raines
Running along the
wall of the Dance Hallway
are three long tables topped
with clothing: sweatpants,
sweatshirts, and t-shirts,
galore. A coatrack next to
the tables is overflowing
with coats and jackets,
some that have names on
the tags. Under the tables
are boxes filled with textbooks, lunch boxes, backpacks, and an assortment of
other objects. The owners
of all this junk are Roeper
students who have not taken the time to come and
claim it.
―I am mystified
how people can lose things
worth so much money,‖
well known Sixth Grade
Science, Robotics, and Life
Skills teacher Linda Pence
says. Pence is also the organizer of the not so wellknown ‗Lost and Found‘.
The Lost and
Found bins are located all
around the school—in the
sixth grade hallway, inside
the big mysterious box by
Susan Knight‘s room on the
first floor, and by the girls‘
bathroom on the second
floor. ―The ‗Lost and Found‘
bins are really hard to find
things in, [especially] when
they‘re full, they‘re impossible!‖ Pence says.
At several points
during the year, the Lost and
Found is still crowding the
side of the hallway during
conferences and the lost
things are on display for student‘s parents. Signs go up,
the community newsletter announces it before
conferences,
Pence tells
the teachers
to tell the
kids, she
even tells the
kids themselves, and
they still
don‘t pick
their stuff up.
Pence
finally has to
donate all
the lost
things. Pence and the Life
skills students sort the items
by what they are: a shirt,
pants, shoes… then they sort
based on the materials. The
dirtier things are washed first
by the Life Skills students,
and then finally everything is
donated.
The lost belongings
go to the Salvation Army in
hauls that are worth up
$10,000. Pence doesn‘t actually get money for the donations, but she says, ―In the
year, we usually donate (just
in terms of winter coats)
40 coats, then new pairs of
athletic shoes. There are
several hundred sweatshirts, hoodies, fleeces - all
name brands.‖ If there‘s a
name in the coat, they try
ple do find their things
there. ―I know they do. The
kids in my Life Skills class
helping out with the ‗Lost
and Found‘ find their
clothes, sixth graders especially. They lose a lot.‖
Pence says some
The heap of lost clothes, jackets, and lunch boxes in the Dance
Hallway before they were taken to the Salvation Army.
Photo Courtesy of Zoe Raines
to return the lost item to
its owner, but sometimes
it just ends up right back in
the Lost and Found. The
binders, textbooks, and all
school related items are
never donated. school
things are put in the big
box by the library.
Pence has been
doing the larger scale Lost
and Found for ―at least 10
to 15 years.‖ She says peo-
of the weirdest things she
has found in the semiannual heaps include
―underwear and old food.
It‘s disgusting. There have
been shoes without matches and a toga.‖
If you ever lose
something, you know
where to look. Somewhere
in the piles are the lost
things, just waiting to be
found.
GOT BOOKS?
Have a collection of great books that you‘ve already read and are now just gathering dust? Moving…
and wondering what to do with your Harry Potter collection? Why not share them with your classmates?!
In an effort to improve the library collection at the Birmingham Campus, donations of new (or gently used,
yet greatly loved ) books are being taken. Space is limited, so please limit your donations
to exceptional titles that will appeal to many. Drop them off with Anna in the library.
FEATURES
Page 9
Strange Sites Stumbled Upon in Birmingham Campus
By Justin Wesley-Johnson
Have you noticed the
locker room in the Dance Hallway, or all of the sealed-off
doors behind the staircases? A
lot of secret areas and items
exist like this around the
school, and some are better
hidden than others.
Some are hidden
from sight, such as the ―Ninja
spot,‖ a gap between the lockers and a window in the 6th
Grade Hall. ―We had to put
the lockers there in front of
the window because we didn‘t
have any place else to put
them,‖ Birmingham campus
Facilities Manager Vern Arnold
says. ― It would have been illegal to place them on the other
side of the hallway,‖ he adds.
There is also the
―Wall of Weird,‖ a bulletin
board riddled with photos, in
the Yearbook room. ―I started
the ‗Wall of Weird‘ 10 years
ago when I first moved into
this room,‖ teacher Linda
Vernon says. ―Most of the pictures go back to the early
90‘s.‖ The ―Wall of Weird‖
has about 450 pictures, mostly
of students that have graduat- about it, he just made it a pic- school that leads into a closet
ed. Some notable faces on the ture room one day,‖ Righetti that leads ultimately into Wen―Wall of Weird‖ are Olympic says.
dy Mayer‘s room. There is also
Silver Medalist Charlie White
Many rooms lead to the closet that leads into the
‗05, Bruno Mar‘s pianist Phred other areas of the school, such boys‘ bathroom from the sciBrown ‗03, and Black Dahlia as Dennis‘s lead into the gym- ence hallway‘s kitchen.
Murder‘s lead guitarist Brian nasium. More doors that lead
Many places like theEschbach from the Class of ‗00. into other rooms include the se exist around the school
Other weird places door in a stairway of the waiting to be discovered.
around the school include the
closet to the roof on the 2nd
floor, and all of the doors that
lead either into other classrooms or into underground
tunnels beneath the school.
―All of the doors to the tunnels
are sealed off, but we open
them from time to time to do
maintenance,‖ Arnold says.
―I have a secret
room?‖ Athletic Director Ernie
Righetti says when asked about
the secret door in his office.
The door has been there since
the building was built, and
where it leads is unknown since
it
is
boarded
up.
In the Dance Hallway
there used to be a locker ABOVE: Hundreds of photos of ―strange‖ Roeper students and
room, but it was changed into a staff adorn the ―Wall of Weird‖ in Linda Vernon‘s room.
Photo by Zoe Raines
storage room for the art classes. ―Yeah the head of school
at the time didn‘t even ask me
Healthy Food Options - cont. from page 6
dietary requirements for
anything that goes in, and
here‘s what they are, and
here‘s why they exist,‖
Baker adds.
Some of the members of the group have observed the lunch cart food
for ‗check-ups‘, such as Environmental Science teacher
Jill Graf. ―Laura [Panek] and I
observed [the Chartwells
cart], when lunch was being
served, and had discussions
with [the employee selling
food]. We were concerned
that the choices were not
very healthy. We kept seeing kids with greasy [foods]
on their plates that are very
unhealthy,‖ Graf says.
The shift from a
school environment filled
with greasy and unhealthy
foods to one with more
healthy options may stretch
over a long period of time.
―I think it‘s going to have to
go through a series of
steps,‖ Graf says. ―You have
to consider Athletics; they
use the money to fund programs, [as well as] the benefits of what other things
you could put in the vending machines that students
will actually drink, and not
just have something in [the
vending machines] they‘re
not going to purchase,‖
Graf believes.
―What we have to
do is meet. Some of it can
happen quickly, [such as]
the initiative of fruit cups.
Some things are easily implemented, and some are
not as easily implemented,‖
Baker says.
FEATURES
Page 10
Network Administrator St. Dennis Not Scary At All
By Armani Lee
You are having
problems with your Roeper
computer account, so you
work your way up to the
Tech Lab on the second
floor.
The only person
there to help you is a tall,
angry-looking, tattooed,
computer man a.k.a. Russ
St. Dennis.
Most kids think
that St. Dennis is scary. ―I
don‘t know why they think
that. If they come up and
talk, they will find different,‖
he says.
St. Dennis, who
works most of the time by
himself in the Tech Lab, is
the Network Administrator
for Roeper. ―My job is very
complicated and busy,‖ St
Dennis says. ―I need to
make everything work and
order more equipment.‖
St. Dennis, who has
been working at Roeper for
six years, splits his time between both campuses.
When asked why he became
interested in this job, St.
Dennis says, ―I used to work
on cars, and it got boring,
and one of my friends recommended computer networking.‖
When he is not
working at Roeper, St. Dennis enjoying spending time
with his wife Brandi and his
two-and-one-half-year-old
daughter Alexandria. ―She is
at a very fun age. I can‘t believe that I am responsible
enough to have a kid.‖
He also enjoys
―cutting down trees, because I have a lot of trees on
my property.‖
Students see St.
Dennis pull up to school on
his motorcycle. ―I have a
Kawasaki ZX9R, it is green. I
don‘t ride it as much as I
would like to. My 4 wheeler
is a Kawasaki Brute Force
750.‖
Besides spending
time with family and riding
his cycles, St. Dennis has
some other interesting
things about him – his
many tattoos. ―I have a
spider web on my elbow,
my last name on my back,
flames on my wrist, and a
tribal skull on my forearm.‖
In addition to his
tattoos, St. Dennis has
three Great Danes, two
rag doll cats, ducks, goats
and chickens. The names
of his Great Danes are
Emma, Walter, and Elwood.
St. Dennis was
born in Lake Orion and
currently lives in Ortonville. He says Ortonville is
―very quiet, rural and
peaceful. I own 11 acres; I
see a lot of animals, like
deer.‖
Now, when you
Network Administrator Russ
St. Dennis shows daughter
Alexandria where he works.
have to visit Russ St. Dennis
because you have account
problems, hopefully
you
won‘t be so scared anymore.
―Yes,‖ ―No,‖ ―Maybe So‖ On New Lounge Proposal
By Bianca Berger
There is a current
proposal by senior Leah
Walkiewicz for a new Middle
School lounge to be built this
summer, taking the place of
the gym‘s stage. Middle Schoolers have mixed opinions about
this idea.
There are many kids
who are all for a new lounge
for Middle Schoolers. ―In the
high school lounge, there are
older kids all over the place
and it feels really awkward
when you
walk in there,‖ 6th grader Peyton Kinchen says.
―[A new Middle
School lounge would be good
so] we don‘t have to deal with
the older kids talking about
stuff we might not be ok with,‖
6th grader Jalyn Blakey says.
―We need to feel comfortable
in our own environment,‖ she
adds.
Seventh grader Naomi Savas agrees. ―I want a place
where I can hang out after
school and on my free blocks
that doesn‘t involve the high
schoolers,‖ she says.
―I would like a middle school lounge,‖ 7th grader
Josh Eisenman says. ―It needs
to be a controlled environ-
ment. I hope it will become a
place where kids go to hang
out. Plus, the [Science]Hallway
smells, and we can‘t be too
loud [when we are hanging out
there during classes].‖
Cla ssmat e Noah
Gilman thinks students can
―hang out pretty much anywhere,‖ and feels that a new
lounge for Middle School students ―might be nice because it
could become a place where
kids go to
hang out other than the
[Science} Hall, although, it‘s
kind of a waste of money.‖
Some kids are still
―on the fence‖ about the idea.
―It would be a good idea, but I
don‘t know how many kids
would actually use it,‖ 8th grader Noah Raminick says. We
should have a temporary
lounge and see what happens,‖
he adds.
―It doesn‘t seem
necessary, because there‘s
already a lounge but we
[Middle Schoolers] are
too scared to go in there,‖ 6th
grader Simon Roennecke says.
―I mean, if the school has the
money to spend, I don‘t see
why not.‖
FEATURES
Page 11
What Does A Student Life Coordinator Coordinate?
By Logan Garlo
Most middle schoolers know that Linda Vernon
teaches Journalism and Yearbook. A lot of students don‘t
know that she is also the Student Life Coordinator. The
Roughwriter interviewed Vernon
recently in her room inside the
SLC to find out what exactly
she is coordinating.
The Roughwriter: How would
you define your job title of
Student Life Coordinator?
Linda Vernon: I coordinate
everything that has to do with
student life.
R: What do you do besides
teach Journalism and Yearbook?
L.V.: Before school starts, I
work at ‗Welcome Back Days‘
and help kids with their locker
assignments. I also am in charge
of keeping track of student
parking permits for the kids
who drive. I plan the annual
school photos; I get to be
outside lining the kids up and
making sure the school photos
go well. I help kids plan dances,
and I also help kids who are
interested in starting groups –
like the Roeper Detective
Agency. I also help assign kids
to Upper School homerooms.
If kids or particular classes are
interested in fund raising, they
run their idea by me first.
R: How long have you been
doing this?
L.V.: I used to work in the
Development Office as the
Alumni Coordinator, and then
I moved here in the late 1990‘s
when I started teaching Journalism to upper schoolers. I
have been advising yearbook
staffs since 1993. I started
Middle School Journalism in the
mid- 2000‘s. When Marian
Hoag retired in 1998, she gave
me a lot her jobs to do which
included being in charge of
graduation and Junior /Senior
Dinner.
R: How do you put up with all
of the kids?
L.V.: I count to 20 a
lot, supplemented
with a lot of noogies.
R: How do you coordinate student activities?
L.V.: It depends on
the group. Usually
we set up meetings,
like the Prom Committee - we meet
every Wednesday at
lunch. I am also currently one of the
Senior Class advisers
- and that‘s a Thursday at lunch thing. So
it‘s just kind of
spreading things out
so you have enough
time for everybody. Student Life Coordinator Linda Vernon talks
with Prom Committee member, senior April
R: What is your faMueller, about the Gatsby-inspired centervorite activity that
pieces. Photo by Logan Garlo
you have ever coordinated?
L.V.: I think they all have their
own part that is interesting or
fun.
Teachers Have Awkward Moments Too
By Nick Popp All of the sixth graders
were mature and didn‘t
Usually it‘s one laugh. But their teacherof the students who does me -started laughing so
something embarrassing hard she couldn‘t control
that causes a class to herself, so I was the imcome to a complete halt. mature person in the
But every once in a while, room.‖
a teacher will have someMiddle School
thing awkward happen.
Director Carolyn Borman
English teacher also remembers an emColleen Potocki says her barrassing moment. ―I
embarrassing moment was teaching Health or
happened about seven Social Studies,‖ she says.
years ago. ―The class- ―I came into my room
room was quiet because and was teaching for
everyone was taking a about ten minutes when I
test,‖ Potocki says. ―It discovered that there was
was a sixth grade class, a student under my desk.
and a young man had I don‘t remember who it
flatulence during the test. was, but I think it was a
ninth grader.‖
―
T
h
e
[embarrassing moment]
that comes to mind immediately was when I was
doing my practice teaching,
―Social Studies teacher
Mike Ruddy says. ―. . . I had
a student give a report
which was so off the truth
- and we were reading it
orally - that the other
students fell down on the
floor because they were
laughing so hard. [This
went on] for about five
minutes. The year that this
happened was probably
1977.‖ Ruddy remembers,
―I just had to wait for them
to stop going crazy! There
was nothing else I could
do, I just had to wait it
out.‖
Not everyone
admits to having an uneasy moment during a
class. Social Studies
teacher Regis Carroza
says, ―I honestly can‘t
think of a specific one,
but I probably embarrass
myself every day,‖ while
math teacher Sheh Yi
Chu says, ―I‘m too old to
be embarrassed.‖
FEATURES
Page 12
Assistant Forensics Coach Confesses All
BY JUSTIN WESLEYJOHNSON
Not much is known
about Assistant Forensics
Coach Andrew Brock. To find
out more about Brock, The
Roughwriter decided to sit down
and have a chat with him.
Roughwriter: What do you
do for a living?
Andrew Brock: My exact
position is Assistant Forensics
Coach.
R: How did you become
tied with the school?
AB: [Alumni Relations Director] Emery [Pence]‘s daughter
and I were friends and dating
while we were . . . going to the
same church. So I knew Emery
through Amanda [Pence] and
Roeper through Emery.
R: How long have you been
helping Dan?
AB: . . . This is my 5th… full
year as Assistant Coach.
R: What do you do beside
forensics?
AB: . . . Not much. Occasionally I sleep. I enjoy eating. Or did
you mean like in a professional
way? I also do boring computer
stuff.
R: What were your parents
like?
AB: I don‘t know… they were
lost in the crash . . . No. . .
actually my parents, I guess, are
pretty normal. My dad thinks
I‘m crazy because I don‘t have a
real job. My mom really likes
forensics and she shows up at
forensics tournaments. That
doesn‘t really answer your
question.
R: What was your childhood like?
AB: Well, l I didn‘t really mind
being chained in the basement
all that much, but just sometimes fighting the rats for the
food they threw down the
stairs was . . . (sigh) distressing.
Actually . . . I spent a lot of
time of it reading and wishing I
books and stuff so that‘s
was a Teenage Ninja Turtle.
where the joking of like being
R: Do you have any siblings?
a ninja comes. I just like havWhat are they like?
AB: Yes, I have a younger sister. ing fun and a big part of having
fun is running around because
She also is involved with teachkids are energetic and I like
ing, as it were. She does combeing energetic
munity theatoo which is
ter work
sort of the
with various
whole running
youth theaaround and
ter projumping thing. I
grams
guess it‘s more
around the
like the persoDetroitna. I actually
metro area.
study a lot of
For examgymnastics and
ple, she and
martial arts so
I actually
that‘s why I can
collaborated
do all that stuff
on a fight
and not land on
scene she
my head. Or
was doing at
land on my
a Redford
head and not
high school.
She was the
really get hurt.
R: Will the
Music DiAndrew Brock
rector and
asked me to
come in and teach kids how to
kick each other.
R: What’s your favorite
food?
AB: Oh now, you‘re asking me a
hard question. . . I love food so
much. . . well right now Maha
[Hashwi]‘s mom made me delicious food and it‘s sitting on my
desk right now, so that‘s my
favorite right now.
R: Which grade is your favorite and why?
AB: I don‘t know. It‘s hard not
to love the seniors this time of
year, because their high school
careers are coming to a close
and the stuff they‘re doing now.
It‘s not like a cliché, but they‘re
all my favorites. There is something inherently unique to the
character of each grade that
makes them their own feel and
vibe.
R: Where did your “ninja
skills” come from?
AB: Like, I just love teenage
mutant ninja turtles like ninja
movies and you know like comic
Martial Arts Club extend
into “ninja” training?
AB: We hope so, but this time
of year we‘re really busy with
forensics. [Social Studies
teacher and club advisor] Regis
[Carozza] and I have high
hopes and there‘s a lot of interest, so we want to [do the
ninja training. But our enemy
now is time, because there are
only so many hours in a day.
When we finalize practice days
and consistent meeting times
and places, we hope to cover
any range of martial arts.
Whatever anyone can bring to
the table is what we would like
to present and practice.
R: How many mobsters
with switchblades do you
think you could take down
by yourself?
AB: I‘m going to go with none.
I‘d throw down a smoke pellet
and just run.
HAVE
A
GREAT
SUMMER!
SPORTS
Page 13
Bases Loaded With Three New Coaches
By Michael Deneroff
Three people have
stepped up to the plate to
coach Middle School Baseball this season.
―When [Athletic
Director] Ernie [Righetti]
came up with this idea, I
thought, ‗Well ok we‘ll try
it,‘‖ Alumni Relations Director and Co-coach Emery
Pence says. ―Plus, when
Ernie couldn‘t find anyone
else, I felt that I kind of
needed to try it and Linda
also was interested so we
decided that the two of us
would do it,‖ he adds.
In addition to Emery, Middle School Science
teacher Linda Pence and
Roeper friend Erich Watry
are coaching the team.
―It‘s always hard to
find coaches for the middle
school level because practice has to begin after
school, and there‘s not a lot
of people who have the job
flexibility,‖ Righetti says.
When asked about
their qualifications all three
of the new coaches said that
they have very little or no
experience coaching baseball before. Linda does have
baseball is by far the greatest,‖ he says.
When asked how
he feels about the coaching
trio this year Emery replied,
―We (Linda and Emery)
Baseball Coaches Emery and Linda Pence and Erich Watry
coaching experience
through Lego Robotics
(which prevented her from
taking a more active coaching role for most of the beginning of the season), and
Emery coached Little
League a long time ago.
Watry does have prior experience playing the game.
―I played many sports
throughout my life, and
know the kids, and they feel
comfortable around us. . .
When we picked up Erich,
[while] he doesn‘t know the
kids at Roeper; he does
know how to coach baseball. . . I think that the three
of us are in pretty good
shape.‖
Emery‘s top goals
for this season are ―to have
good safe fun, to teach the
kids some skills, some
knowledge about the game,
and to be competitive enough
not to be embarrassed.‖
Watry‘s goals are similar in
wanting to make sure that
everyone has fun and learns
the fundamentals of the game.
While, none of them
have a special coaching style,
Watry does like to be very
vocal during the games. ―I‘m
very loud. I like to make sure
that everyone hears me; I like
to talk a lot.‖
All three are most
looking forward to having fun
with the kids this season. ―[I‘m
looking forward to] having
them improve, having kids feel
good about themselves so that
they make some improvements and do some stuff; If I
see some smiles from the kids
I‘ll feel fine,‖ Emery says.
―It‘s the basics of the
game. If you‘re not having fun,
then we‘re not doing our jobs.
As long as we‘re [all] having
fun, then everything should go
well,‖ Watry says.
Middle School Sports Participation Declines
By Logan Garlo who has served as
Roeper‘s Athletic Director for 30 years,
If you are a
Middle School girl and says that this is the
you were looking for- first time that he has
ward to playing soccer noticed a decline in the
this spring, you are out number of Middle
of luck. Middle School School students particSoccer is not the only ipating in sports.
―They have so many
sport that has been
cancelled or cut down things to choose from,
this year. This past fall, but they need to parthe Middle School Boys ticipate [in sports] to
feel a responsibility to
Eighth Grade Basketball team was made up their school and classof only five members. mates,‖ Righetti says.
―The kids
Ernie Righetti,
should participate in at
least one sport a year
because they learn
things in sports that
they don‘t learn doing
other things, like teamwork, he adds.‖
When Righetti
first joined the school
he says that, ―20 times
better Teams. Better
Competition Roeper is
in a Conference Roeper
is able to play large Public Schools and do well
and all the Teams have
nice Uniforms.‖
The reasons
that students don‘t
play in sports vary.
Sixth grader Emma
Kretchmer says that
she doesn‘t play because, ―I‘m not interested in the sports
that Roeper offer, I
participate in boxing
and tennis.‖ Classmate
Rashab Iyer says he
doesn‘t participate
because ―the afterschool practices are
too long.‖
Eighth grader
Adam Kochanowski
plays sports and thinks
that the decline might
be due in part to the
lack of winning. ―It‘s a
lot more fun to play a
sport if there is a
chance of winning,‖ he
says.
As of now,
there are no plans to
help increase participation in Middle School
sports. If the decline
continues the Athletic
department ―Will cut
Sports and in time lose
ENTERTAINMENT
Page 14
This month’s question is: “If you were one of the Greek gods,
who would you be and why?”
By Alex Exler
―Athena, because I‘d
be bright, and
Socrates and I could
hang out.‖
-Science teacher
Jill Graf
―Apollo, because I like being
outside in the sun.‖
Facilities Manager Vern Arnold
―Zeus, because I
want power.‖
John Hatcher 7th Grade
―Athena, because
she‘s cool and takes
care of business …‖
Jalyn Blakey 6th Grade
―Artemis, ‗cause
she‘s awesome.‖
Chloe Heldt 6th Grade
―Poseidon, because I
could enjoy the sea.‖
Liam Rybicki-Kler 8th Grade
―Apollo, because he‘s the
God of Music. Not to say
I‘m the God of Music, but I
am certainly in the running.‖
- Instrumental Music
teacher Jason McIntosh
―Poseidon, because
I like the sea.‖
Matthew Uchno 7th Grade
―Aphrodite, because
she‘s the Goddess of
Love.
Chloe Linkner 6th Grade