Michigan parents now tracking their teen's driving

Written by: Mariah Rochester '12

          With new programs and technology, Michigan parents can track the driving habits of their teens. Parents are able to track when their teens are pulled over and the location of the vehicle. They receive alerts when teens are rapidly accelerating or decelerating, they can set geographic boundaries, and they can keep track of how much time their teens spend behind the wheel.

         The STOPPED program, which stands for Sheriffs Telling Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers, is a free program available to all parents with teen drivers. When a vehicle is registered with the STOPPED program, a sticker is placed on the inside of the front windshield and when a young motorist is stopped by a sheriff’s deputy, his/her parents receive a letter about the traffic stop even if a ticket is not issued.

Heartland and Pinckney High Schools in Livingston County require all students who drive to school to have vehicles registered in STOPPED.

         The Michigan Sheriff’s Association says that more than 16,000 vehicles are registered in the STOPPED program. Parents can register a vehicle at http://michigansheriff.com.

Holland’s Crayon Interface’s wireless training tool, Copilot, is an innovative device that plugs into a standard port found in all vehicles built after 1995. Copilot tracks, in real time, the driver’s performance on everything from speed to location through the use of personal computers, software, and mobile devices.

         Parents can instantly locate their teen drivers using an interactive map, they receive alerts when the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating rapidly, they can set geographic boundaries for their teens, and they can track their teens’ time spent behind the wheel for verification of supervised driving time required by most graduated drivers licenses.

          Copilot is about half the size of a deck of cards and plugs directly into a vehicle’s computer diagnostic port, which is normally located under the dash near the steering column. It costs $299 with an annual renewal service fee of $99 after one year.

          Crayon Interface’s vice president of business development, Kevin Virta, says, "The goal of Copilot is to give parents a method of observing and teaching their teens safe driving without always being in the passenger seat of the vehicle." The company hopes to reduce the number of traffic accidents, which is the leading cause of teen deaths.

         DriveCam is offered by The American Family Insurance Company as part of its Teen Safe Driver Program. DriveCam is a tiny, onboard camera that records when risky driving, including speeding, hard-braking, or swerving from lane to lane, occurs. The video information, which includes images from seconds before the event, is sent to safety analysts who provide a diagnosis and possible solutions.

         Rusty Weiss, the director of the consumer division at DriveCam, thinks that having a camera in the car prevents driving habits that teens would not want to be caught doing.

         Policy holders with American Family Insurance are eligible for a free one year subscription to the Teen Safe Driver Program, and DriveCam offers families with different insurance providers the technology for $899, including installation and a one year subscription.

         Safe Driver from Lemur Vehicle Monitors is intended to be a ‘tattletale’ for parents to monitor how their teens are driving. Safe Driver records the distance driven, any stops that activate the anti-lock brakes, and the maximum speed reached by the car.

         The Lemur system is about $60 and easy to install. The device plugs into the car’s OBDII port underneath the dash and transmits wirelessly to a key fob on the car’s key ring. If it is unplugged, parents will receive a "Tamper" message to know that their teen has deactivated the unit.

         According to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, high tech devices worked best when a teen heard an alert and was given the chance to correct their behavior while driving. Driving ten miles per hour over the speed limit dropped almost 60 percent, and sudden braking and accelerating dropped almost 40 percent.

         Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that unaccompanied 16 and 17 year-olds crash nine times more often than adults. When parents are out of the car, seatbelt use drops to less than 40 percent of the national average. Teens and teenager passengers are the most accident-prone group; except when their parents are in the car. Though few teens are likely to admit it, having a monitoring system in the car may be the "next best thing" to having parents riding with them.

Steve Jobs, innovator, is remembered

Written by: Isaiah Bellville '12

         On October 5th, 2011, the world lost one of its greatest innovators and inventors. Steve jobs passed away at age 56; 6 years after his announcement to Apple employees that he suffered from pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs was an iCon, a leader in a revolution that emphasized innovation and creativity. Jobs was always one step ahead of the competition in an industry that demanded originality, and wanted it now. Jobs is looked at as a role model.           

         He set the bar in the industry that he cared so much about.

Jobs was unique. His past didn’t seem like one that would make for a business giant. Jobs was an adopted child, born to then unmarried parents. He claimed that the couple who adopted "were his parents", a statement which readily portrays the close relationship he shared with his adoptive parents. Jobs attended college for only one semester at Reed College. There was a period shortly after dropping out that Jobs spent sleeping on the floor of friend’s homes, using the money he earned by returning pop bottles for food, and taking a free meal every week from a local temple.

          Jobs co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1976. Jobs resigned from Apple in 1985, and started his own computer company, NeXT. Jobs worked on NeXT computers until 1996, when it was bought out by Apple. The first NeXT workstation was completed in 1990, and was sold at a price of almost $10,000.

At Apple, Jobs received a yearly salary of $1. He made almost all of his riches through stocks that he had in Disney/Pixar and Apple. He bought "The Graphics Group", which later became Pixar.

Osama bin Laden killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan

Written by: Alisa Bennett '11

       On September 11^th 2001, the United States faced its largest and most devastating tragedy since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. An act of terrorism, formulated by Al Qaeda’s leader Osama bin Laden, in which nearly 3,000 American citizens were killed unjustly and soon became known as the largest terrorism assault ever experienced on American soil. On May 1^st 2011, the United States of America reestablished their pride and reclaimed the title as the world’s most powerful nation. Osama bin Laden was found, and killed, by American military personnel after ten years of searching relentlessly.

        "Justice has been done," said President Barak Obama during a late night video announcement to the nation.

        The mission that was sought to capture and assassinate bin Laden took merely minutes to carry out and fortunately involved no American casualties. Although there was Pakistani involvement in the search for bin Laden, President Obama made it very clear on multiple occasions that the death of bin Laden was caused by American hands and efforts. Obama did make a point however to contact the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, and tell him that it was "important to note that [the United States’] counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding."

        As the news of bin Laden’s death spread throughout the nation, there were few silent and unhappy voices to be heard. College campuses around the nation, including Michigan State University, were loudly chanting "USA! USA! USA!" in proud voices as more and more people filed into the streets to celebrate this momentous occasion. The White House also experienced its wave of chanters at close to midnight, and people were seen waving American flags and showing their appreciation to the nation’s president. However, the largest crowd of people could be found in New York City as people cried with joy and relief with the fact that the man who destroyed their city and families was no longer alive.

        Even though there was much joy revolving around his death, many are concerned as to what may happen as far as retaliation by those who were in cahoots with bin Laden. Though many believe that the death of bin Laden will lead to an alleviation of troops overseas, Obama claims that American forces will still remain in Afghanistan, and various Middle Eastern countries, until the job that was started has come to a complete end. As CIA director Leon Panetta says, "bin Laden is dead, [but] Al Qaeda is not." Panetta was the head of the mission, which began on Friday, that finally put an end to Osama’s life and when word came back to headquarters that his team had succeeded, cheers broke out around the conference room.

         Whatever the global consequences may be, the death of Osama bin Laden marks the end of a decade of the search for American justice and the beginning of the upward climb toward regaining strength as a nation.

Secret Millionaire shares that giving back trend

Written by: Becca Waters '11
           The television network ABC has picked up on the growing trend of giving. On Sunday, March 6^th, the network aired a new show: Secret Millionaire. Secret Millionaire is also shown in the United Kingdom and has been aired since 2006, with this year being the shows sixth season on the air.

In 2008 the television network Fox gave Secret Millionaire a try but the show was only able to produce an average of 6.7 million viewers so the network cut the show from its schedule.

ABC, however, has had a much more successful run with the show.

The title, Secret Millionaire, gives the plot away. Some of America's most successful, self-made millionaires will spend a week in the country's poorest areas and ultimately reward some unsung community heroes with hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own money.

The “secret millionaires” will reside in local housing on welfare-level wages, and will try to find the most deserving people within the community and reward them with the financial help that they need. In some cases the millionaires give money and items that some of the organizations are in need of.

The trend of giving, giving back, or paying it forward, as it’s been called, has become increasingly possible within the last three or four years. Many television shows have made a point of proving that good natured human’s still exists among the tragic and less sustaining ways of our nation.

As of March 20^th three episodes of the show have aired. Dani Johnson was the first millionaire, a self made millionaire who built two companies and manufactured and developed a nutritional product line.

 Johnson donated money to The Love Kitchen, Joy of Music School, and Special Spaces. They were all organizations that Johnson spent time with learning about and bonding with people from each organization. Johnson gave a total of 100,000 dollars to the organizations in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Marc Paskin, the millionaire of the second episode. Paskin became a multi millionaire through real estate purchasing and selling. Paskin grew up poor and knows how it feels to struggle with finances; it wasn’t until his adult life that he came into money.

Paskin lives in San Diego, but he left the comforts of his beach house for the run down and suffering areas of Detroit, Michigan. Paskin is forced to live on less then ten dollars a day, the amount that an average single male on welfare in Detroit survives on.

                Over the course of Paskins stay in Detroit he finds three organizations that touch his heart: The Man Network, is a group of volunteers that patrol Detroit neighborhoods to prevent crime; Young Detroit Builders, an organization that helps young adults transform their lives through schooling and by learning how to build homes; and Really Living, an organization that offers Detroit's uninsured medical patients free transportation to their appointments.

                Paskin gives 110,000 dollars of his money to the people in Detroit that he spent his “secret” week with.

                The third episode to air of Secret Millionaire was the millionaire James Malinchak. Malinchak became a self mad millionaire first as a financial advisor then a motivational speaker.

                Malinchak resides near Las Vegas, Nevada, and for a week he lived in the steel mill town of Gary, Indian. Malinchak donated a total of 105,000 dollars and tools to the Adonia Community Service program; a non-profit organization that collects trash and picks up liter throughout the city Gary. Malinchak also gave to Urban Faithworks, an organization that provides a safe haven for children and teenagers after their school days.

                The foundation that touched Malinchak’s heart the most though, was the Baylor Youth Foundation. Baylor Youth Foundation is a non-profit organization formed to provide a safe, nurturing and engaging environment where at-risk urban youth are encouraged to develop their full potential through participation in athletic competition.

                Through the journeys that the millionaires ventured through they were all able to realize things about themselves and the world in which we all are living. Giving yourself, your time, or your money for someone in need, is always an honorable feeling.

Governor Snyder's budget effects ERPS

Written by: Ryan Hayward '13

                Throughout the last ten years, public schools in Michigan have taken several cuts to their budgets and have found ways to still function with less money. It seems as if the state thinks, “what could another cut hurt.” The problem is that schools are already operating on an extremely tight budget.

                New Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has proposed yet another cut to school funding for the 2011-2012 school year. If Governor Snyder’s plan makes it through the state legislature, where it may face stiff opposition, schools would receive an extra $300 per pupil cut added to the already proposed $170 cut to funds. The districts chief finance officer, Collin Smith, says that the cut would cost the district more than $800,000. Due to this cut, there is a probability that another ER school could be closed.

                Eaton Rapids Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Bill DeFrance has been instructed by the Board of Education to create a budget proposal based around closing a building in the school district and reconfiguring existing buildings. The building most liable to close is Northwestern Elementary, which would only leave Lockwood Elementary and possibly Greyhound Intermediate School to hold the new flood of students.

                After considering the cut to the budget and increasing costs to the district, the expected budget gap is somewhere between $1.1 million and $1.9 million. But from the bad news comes a little bit of good. Technology and curriculum purchases will not be eliminated. No plans for privatizing operations will be made. Athletics and fine arts will not be eliminated. Busing will not be suspended or eliminated due to the amount of students that live in the country and have no way to get to school other than by bus. And good news for fans of swimming, the swimming pool will remain open.

                When asked about what his thoughts were about the proposal, ERHS Principal David Johnson said that the proposed cuts can affect the school by forcing a cutting of staff, paying more for playing sports, and eliminating elective classes, such as band, choir, and visual arts.

                Cuts like these would be detrimental to the student body; students wouldn’t be receiving education geared toward what they want to do in the future, but instead would receive a basic education. With the present economy, it could be hard for many students to get into a college to learn these things that are currently offered. Cuts to elective classes could possibly cause an uproar with the students and make more students want to find a different school to attend, which in turn would cause more economic problems for the school.

Mr. Johnson believes the government is not placing the value in education that they claim to be. He says, “The present economic climate has forced governments to critically evaluate how much money can be given to important programs. Unfortunately, education has become an area where the government is seeking to save money.”

The failing economy forces more than homes into foreclosure

Written by: Alisa Bennett '11

         The Pledge of Allegiance clearly states “One nation under God…” But what happens when the nation just isn’t enough to support God?

       It is not a secret that the current U.S. economy is in a slump, a 1.3 trillion dollar slump in fact. Small business owners and local family-owned chains are falling and dropping off the face of the earth one by one because they can no longer afford to keep a steady flow of income to pay for their mortgages and operating costs. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones. Churches around the country have been forced to close down and give up their sanctuaries because of lack of funding and government support.
       “Religious organizations may be subject to the laws of God but they are also subject to the laws of economics," said Chris Macke, senior real-estate strategist at CoStar in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Michigan, along with other states such as California and Georgia, are the states who will be the most affected by these churches closings because they are among the list of states that are currently experiencing the highest home-foreclosure rates.

         Even though churches are non-profit organizations, they still need a sum of money to run their services and partake in community-based services. A significant amount of the money churches acquire comes from donations provided by those who are members of the congregation and/or community. However, because of the economic crisis, a lot of people have significantly decreased the amount of money that they are willing to donate to the church because they have their own personal bills to pay.

         Instead of completely shutting down their congregations, some churches have decided to merge together in order to help each other make ends meet.

         Some banks try their best to help out churches and make deals with them because they don’t want to “foreclose on God.” Despite this fact, there are still churches who decide to just take the easier way out and just let the bank take their property.

Stretched to the limit, the pastors stopped making payments.
         "I just told the bank to take it," said Pastor Oliver of the Family Christian Center. "If you're a church with a piece of property upside down and no one will refinance the loan or lend you more money, there's not really another choice but to walk away."

          Luckily, people are still keeping their heads held high and a positive outlook in their minds.

         "A building does not make a church. We will find a way to continue," Mr. Zapara, a Sacramento pastor said

          Indeed, a building does not make a church, but will services be the same without the holy chapels? Only time will tell what will become of these sanctuaries.

Greyhounds team up against heart disease

Written by: Amanda Farhat '11

            The month of February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the number one killer in America, and a lot of people don’t even know it’s happening when they have a heart attack.

Eaton Rapids High School teamed up with the American Heart Association during Spirit Week and sold t-shirts to raise money for the organization.

It’s important to know your own personal risks and signs of a heart attack so you’re prepared if it happens to you. Heart attacks aren’t exactly like we see on TV and in the movies; sometimes they are that dramatic but more often than not they begin mildly.

Some signs of a heart attack include chest pain, discomfort in areas of the body such as arms, neck, and back, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, and lightheadedness.

Warning signs of a stroke include numbness or weakness on one side of the body, trouble speaking and understanding, trouble seeing, loss of balance and coordination, and severe headache. Many people who suffer from a heart attack or stroke don’t know it’s happening to them because they don’t recognize the signs. Early treatment is the key for minimizing potentially devastating effects of a heart attack and stroke.

As teenagers, we do not often think that a heart attack can happen to people our age, and while it is rare, it certainly can happen. The American Heart Association recommends to people in their twenties that they should check their family history of heart disease, don’t smoke and stay away from secondhand smoke, choose birth control carefully, and drink in moderation.

Your twenties may seem far away when you’re in high school, but they’ll sneak up on you faster than you think, and it’s essential to start educating yourself now about the risks you can choose to take or not.

Heart attacks and strokes do not happen to just the elderly, and if you don’t learn about them now, you could suffer for it later.

During Spirit Week, Mr. Smith and Mr. Warriner sold t-shirts in their classrooms to support the causes of the American Heart Association. The sales resulted in about $1,800 dollars, which is incredibly successful. Students who bought the shirts know that their $10 dollars went to a great cause and that joining together as a school has helped raise a substantial amount for an organization that has saved the lives of many people.

Mrs. Surato, an ERHS staff member who largely organized the t shirt sale on her own, has been personally touched by the American Heart Association.

“I am very thankful for the American Heart Association because without them my mother wouldn’t be alive. They taught me the warning signs for heart attack and stroke by sharing the stories of survivors. Heart attack and stroke are the biggest causes of death in the United States, and yet people still don’t view them as a major threat. I believe the students and staff did a great job participating in the t-shirt sale and has contributed greatly to the goal of spreading awareness and saving lives.”

Pledging to save lives with safe driving

Written by: Becca Waters '11

               “Driving is a privilege not a right.” Parents and educators remind their children and students, yet the privilege is taken advantage of more often then not, and consequently, the end result, all too often, is a motor vehicle accident with the possibility of a death.

                According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in 2009, 3,466 teens, age 13 to 19 were killed in motor vehicle accidents. That number is actually a decline from recent years. 2002 recorded nearly 6,000 teen deaths that were related to motor vehicle accidents.

                Although the numbers are decreasing the risk teenage drivers run is at an all time high. The root of the risk of danger seems to be the technology that the twenty first century has adopted.

                According to a Nielsen study from 2009, a typical teenager sends about 80 text messages per day assuming that the same amount is received in a day as well.

                A week day for a teen is usually spent at school, attending sporting practices or events, or working. Each of which, for most, would require some form of transportation to their destination. Most teens strive for independence and what better way to receive independence then driving?

                The independence that comes along with having a driver’s license though also carries a long list of responsibilities. One very important responsibility that has been on the minds of law makers and enforcers across the nation is the use of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle.

In 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSA), an estimated 1.6 million teens drive while reading or writing text messages.

                Caught up in the hectic pace of an average day, most people want instant gratification, especially teenagers. Texting grants the instant gratification that teens strive for. “I don’t like to call people if I don’t have to, I can text them without interrupting every part of the moment we both are in,” said Izzy Bellville ‘12.

                Bellville doesn’t have his license but a lot of his friends do and he has found that they have a hard time putting their cell phones down and focusing strictly on the road, whether they have passengers or not. Proving that laws against texting and driving are necessary.

                For a teen in Texas a law banning texting and driving could have been the factor that saved her life. Alex Brown from Lullbock, Texas was killed in a single car rollover accident that was caused by her own texting and driving in November of 2009. The result of her death left her family devastated. Through the devastation though, her parents decided to campaign against texting and driving by putting Brown’s wrecked pick up truck on a trailer and take the truck to high schools around Texas telling their daughters story in hopes of changing teens minds about texting and driving.

                The Brown’s story was made public when the family was on ABC family’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. With the help of ABC a website for “Remember Alex Brown” was created. On the website, www.remeberalexbrownfoundation.com, people can sign a pledge against texting and driving. Carly Darrow ‘12 participated in pledging against texting and driving.

                “My best friend and I both have cell phones and drive. After we watched Extreme Makeover we visited the website for Alex Brown and signed the pledge to not text while we’re driving,” said Darrow.

                Browns parent repeatedly said that they don’t want to see another tragic and unnecessary death like their daughters happen. Parents of teens that drive can only do so much if the state they reside in doesn’t have strict laws against cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle but they can find information about safe driving at: www.KeeptheDrive.com.

                Teens can also find information and statistics about safe driving at keepthedrive.com. There are also many ideas for teens to show the people in their lives that they care about them and want them to be safe drivers.

                KeeptheDrive.com has many cool interactive ways to get involved with advocating against distracted and unsafe driving.

Michigan teens will soon face rigid driving restrictions

Written by: Becca Waters '11

               Many teenagers feel that obtaining their drivers license is a right of passage. You’re granted a new found freedom along with an abundance of new responsibilities and the state of Michigan, along with quite a few other states, have decided to enforce stricter driving restrictions on new teen drivers.

                The restrictions will apply to 16 year old and some 17 year old drivers. The new limitations will include an earlier curfew and a confinement on the number of non-family member passengers allowed to ride in a vehicle operated by a new driver.

                As of now, the curfew for a driver with a graduated level two license, which is usually sixteen year olds, is midnight to five a.m. Under the new restrictions curfew will be 10 o’clock p.m. until 5 o’clock a.m.

As for the number of passengers, there is no limit now unless your parents have placed one for you, but the state of Michigan has not put a limitation on the number of passengers allowed to ride with a driver with a graduated level two license-until now. Under the new law new drivers, with a graduated level two license will only be allowed one, under age 2 or younger, non-family member passenger unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian or adult 21 or older approved by a parent. An exception is made for travel to school or school-sanctioned events.

                Lawmakers and the states former Governor Jennifer Granholm approved the new limitations in the fall. They're part of a nationwide effort to restrict dangerous teen driving. Studies show drivers ages 16 to 20 are the most dangerous on the road, and the risk of crashes increases significantly if they have other teens in their vehicles.

                The new restrictions will be effective around March 30^th.

                Nothing has been said as far as teen drivers who have there level three, operator’s license, which gives teens full driving privileges with no restrictions but you are still considered to be under the state of Michigan’s “probationary stage” so you will be monitored by the state until you turn 18 at which age you are able to exit the graduated license system.

                Sixteen year olds of Michigan are not the only ones who will have a curfew that begins at ten o’clock p.m.  Ten other states participate in setting a curfew of ten o’clock or earlier for teen drivers age sixteen and some states even have curfews at ten o’clock or earlier for seventeen year olds. 39 States, including Michigan when the restrictions take effect, allow only one non-family member passenger at some point through the graduated license system.

                The restrictions are not being placed in effect to peeve any new drivers but to make the roads safer and, in hopes, to make the new drivers of Michigan more independent drivers. Michigan teens have a few more months to take advantage of the midnight curfew and hopefully the summer won’t bring to much controversy to the table with the earlier curfew for new Michigan teen drivers.

Red Shirt Fridays

Written by: Becca Waters '11

Now entering the tenth year of the War on Terrorism, too many of our fellow Americans have given there lives to let civilians rest their heads every night in peace. A great deal of Americans would disagree with the course the war has taken; some of those Americans may also be the ones directly fighting the war.

There are many big organizations that offer support to military personnel and military families but within the last three or four years a day of the week has been designated to show support for our men and women in uniform.

Red Shirt Fridays. Every Friday you would wear a red shirt of some sort to show your support. Don’t get confused though, wearing the red shirt on Fridays is showing support for the men and women in the uniforms, not the War on Terrorism.

Red Shirt Fridays is rumored to have been started by a man traveling for business. The man traveling for business had a Marine Corps Sergeant that had been invited to sit in first class placed next to him. The man noticed the Sergeant was traveling with a folded flag on his lap. The man made small talk with the Sergeant, and to be polite the man asked the sergeant if he was heading home. The Sergeant responded that he was "escorting a comrade home". The Sergeant explained that his fellow Marine was killed in the line of duty in Iraq.

As the plane landed the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow Marine. We will then turn off the seat belt sign." The story continues that without a sound, all had gone as requested and the man traveling for business noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane and realized how truly proud he was to be an American.

The man then decided that to show his pride for his country and his fellow Americans he would dedicate his Fridays to wearing some article of red clothing in recognition of the red blood the has been bled by those who have served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces, past or present.

The story has questionable authenticity but the sacrifice that American men and women have made fighting any war America has been involved in has never been questioned.

If wearing a red shirt on Fridays is a way to show thankfulness to those who make the ultimate sacrifice then let us dawn red to show support to those who sacrifice all for the American way.

All gave some. Some gave all.

Cody's Wish

Written by: Janaya Roes '11

          December is the season of giving. Giving toys to children, gifts to love ones, and to those in need. Cody Chapman, an Eaton Rapids alumnus, began the program that soon became known as “Cody’s Wish.” Chapman made a proposal to Interact, detailing his idea about providing Christmas gifts to children in our local community that otherwise would not have any gifts, and to help people out in their time of need during the holidays.
          “I started Cody's Wish when I saw my Mom bring home one of the Salvation Army angels and thought it was a really cool idea,” said Chapman. “I wanted to do something like that for Christmas and thought getting something like that started at the school would work really well.” This once little idea, has worked out so well that the Eaton Rapids High School has continued this program now for four consecutive years.
           The name of the project was exactly what Cody did, he made a wish to help others, but Chapman believes the name should be changed. “If I were to change anything I suppose it would be the name. As much as I love my name, I think it would be better and last longer with a name more related to the project,” said Chapman.          
           Interact decided to keep the name being that Chapman was the one who initiated the idea and the group feels he should receive the credit.
           The impact of Cody’s Wish was huge in the school. As word spread, sports teams, clubs, and individuals took a part in giving back to the community. Some of the groups involved this year are: The Bark, Yearbook, Student Council, and the High School custodians. Members of these groups chose a child from Mrs. Trudgeon our librarian, donated a couple dollars each, and then bought items that the child had asked for. Everybody remains anonymous with their gifts and to who they are going too. In a way, its like Secret Santa.
            As head of Interact, Mrs. Stacy Surato plays a big part in helping, organizing, and colleting the gifts. She compiled lists of all the children in need and created sheets with each child’s age and the gifts they wished for. “It honestly wouldn't have happened without her,” said Chapman. Surato was the right person for Cody to go to with his proposition. She was able to get it started in the right direction.
            Chapman hopes the giving will continue in our school and feels that as long as someone has the notion to pick up the idea and carry it forward, Cody’s Wish will continue on for years to come. Though he is no longer at the high school he is proud of what Interact, the students, and the staff’s efforts continue to do. Many kids in the Charlotte and Eaton Rapids areas have received presents from one honorable students’ wish.

ERHS Student Handbook

Written by: Izzy Bellville '12

“You know you can’t do that. It’s in the student handbook.”

             The student handbook is an almost legendary artifact, making many appearances in teacher’s lectures against this offense or that one, but almost never making a real appearance in a student’s hands. How many students have actually read the handbook, or know what rules it contains?

            When asked whether or not it was real, a teacher just happened to have a copy of the mystic text in his desk. The sheer size of it makes it known why it is the student hand “book” and not student pamphlet.

             It was simple in show, boasting only a pink cover, a single staple in the top left corner, and then just the pages within. When flipping through the holy texts, it is too overwhelming to actually read what it states, but rest assured, it is full of all the legalese that our teachers promise us.

            “It’s on the website, if you want to download it.” a teacher explained, before he took back his copy of the student scriptures.

            It can be downloaded, but you may have to take some time to find it.        

            If you actually read through all 23 pages, you may find many, many rules that you were totally unaware of.

            A quiz was made to see just how well the students here at ERHS know the handbook rules, and was distributed to five students from each graduating class.

The averages for each class were:

Seniors: 24%

Juniors: 22%

Sophomores: Failed to give turn in all five quizzes, so they get no score.

Freshmen 22%

            The high score for the quiz was a 50%, achieved by a freshman and a senior. The low score was a 0%, achieved by a junior.

These questions were not hard. They were simple, and anyone who has read the student handbook would have easily received a B on the quiz. So it can easily be assumed that no one who took the quiz has read the handbook.

“I definitely think that all students should read (the handbook)” Said Mrs. Allison.

            But the fact that we have or have not read the handbook does not necessarily affect our behavior negatively. Our school is still a safe and respectful place, and not reading the handbook isn’t going to change that.