The Communicator

02/08/2024

The Huron Emery vs. The Communicator! The challenge is out there, and Sara-Beth and Tracy both think they will get the most donations for their Donors Choose campaigns for new equipment for their journalists.

Who will win? (Our hope is everyone wins!)

Alums and journalists, we need 100 of you to donate $10, which will be matched. (Matches are up to $50.)

In order to get the match, you have to use the code LIFTOFF at checkout. This challenge goes until midnight on August 4.
Let's do this! Please pass and share to our friends who love journalism!

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/the-time-is-now-for-student-journalists/8522174/?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=directlink&utm_campaign=project&utm_term=unknown&rf=directlink-dc-2024-08-project-unknown

18/11/2022

The Hechler Forum transformed the third floor hallway into a “fun fair” on Thursday, Nov. 17. Their goal was to raise money for the schoolwide Food Gatherers fundraiser. Sarah Hechler and her forum had discussed different ideas for fundraising. They thought a carnival would be a creative way to tie them all together. “Once we had that idea, we kind of took and ran with it, but it really all came from [the students].” Hechler Said.

The fair was organized into many stations including a bake sale, tarot readings, fortune telling, silent auction, card games and carnival games. “We've never really done anything fun in the past,” said forum member Lila Fetter. “We just ask relatives for money and we wanted to do something more and take the extra step.” Fetter ran the tarot reading table along with Sadie Barber.

The event had a great turnout, with many students and teachers stopping by on their way out of school, as the event took place at the end of the day. “It's the first time I've gotten to do a creative thing with [my forum] for food gatherers,” said Hechler. “My forum has been planning for the past couple of weeks and I’m excited for them.”

Post and photos by Leila Durrie

18/11/2022

Yesterday’s Guess Who was Luca Hinesman! Hinesman recently made the decision to join CET. He is now a member of both the costumes and makeup crew.

He joined CET to get involved in the school and is looking forward to the upcoming performances of “The Visit”.

“I really love how the story of the “The Visit” has many layers, which has allowed the costume crew to have a lot of fun picking out the outfits,” Hinesman said.

Photo courtesy of Luca Hinesman
Post by Addi Hinesman

14/11/2022

After almost two years, the CHS library has finally returned to its original location. Jeri Schneider, CHS’s librarian, is excited to be back and create a new way to organize.

“We are going to be grouping books into genres,” Schneider said. “We'll have a mystery section, we'll have science fiction, we'll have fantasy and then we're gonna have an unnamed section where I'm going to be asking for student input on what to do.”

Though the library is back it’s expected to take a little while until the area is fully ready. At the moment there are too many books for the shelves, furniture is misplaced around the school and old books are looking for new homes.

Nevertheless, CHS’s library is now full of more plants, light and space for its students.

Photos by Aidan Hisa
Post by Izzie Jacob

03/11/2022

After a year at CHS, Goose — the Paws with a Cause puppy — will be leaving on Nov 5. Under the care of Spanish teacher Olivia Wylie, Goose has grown to 90 pounds.

“Until the puppy is mature enough to be trained, they need foster caregivers,” Wylie said. “When he's old enough, he goes back to the Paws with a Cause organization.”

For the next few months, Goose will be trained in a Muskegon prison by two inmates. When his training is fully done, Goose may go on to do a number of things.

“[Paws with a Cause] have dogs that go to people in wheelchairs, people that maybe have some sort of neuromuscular disorder, and they need these dogs to have a [life] that will give them much more freedom, more independence,” Wylie said.

Goose will be in room 105 most Tuesdays and Thursdays before he departs for Paws with a Cause headquarters.

Post by Aidan Hsia and Griffin Siersma
Photo by Aidan Hsia

28/10/2022

On Oct. 25, Tracy Anderson’s Yearbook Class gathered on the front lawn to capture photos of CHS students’ fall fashion.

This sunny afternoon was filled with style, photos, and some seasonal pumpkin cookies, courtesy of the yearbook staff. Due to the 70-degree weather, there were many students looking for something to do outside during lunch and morning free blocks.

Jacqueline Boynton, A Social Media editor for the Midnight Sun Yearbook, thinks it's a great opportunity for CHS students to show off their style.

“I really liked this idea of people showing up to get their photos taken. It's cool,” Boynton said. “...People at Community are known for their outfits.”

The goal of the photo shoot was to create a spread for the book and to bring more content to the Midnight Sun’s Instagram ().

Elle McReadie, Midnight Sun photographer, loves seeing people embrace their style and gain their confidence in front of a camera. Alongside Boynton, she interviewed students about their outfits, as well as took pictures.

Post and photos by Leila Durrie and Clara Freeth

26/10/2022

Vol. 50 Edition one of the Communicator is here! On Oct. 26, 2022 the six print Editor-In-Chief's opened the boxes for the new edition.

Post and photos by Ailish Kilbride

20/10/2022

Today the students of the FOS 3 classes celebrated an early Mole Day!

Mole Day is a day that celebrates the chemistry unit of measurement- 6.02x10^23, similar to the celebration of Pi.

FOS teacher, Marcy McCormick has been celebrating it ever since she has joined the CHS team. McCormick thinks this celebration is important because a mole is key concept in chemistry but it also brings an element of fun into the learning.

“When you're studying things like chemistry, that's pretty challenging and abstract it's important every once in a while just to kind of pause and have a little fun and be creative,” McCormick said. “It's also something that's celebrated worldwide and so, being part of that [Mole Day], I think is just an opportunity to have some fun.”

Photos by Addi Hinesman and Serena O’Brien
Post by Morgan McClease

18/10/2022

On Oct. 13, the Skyline women’s golf team piled into two eight-seater Ford Expeditions and made their way to Battle Creek, Michigan, for the MHSAA Division 1 State Championship. The Eagles had placed second out of a strong field of teams at Regionals a week earlier to earn their place at states as a team for the first time in the program’s history.

Ali O’Brien is a junior at Community and a member of the golf team for Skyline.

“When I found out we made it to states, I was surprised because our region is very hard,” O’Brien said. “We have teams such as Northville, Saline, and Pioneer [in our region] — all teams that we've been going back and forth with the whole season.”

The two-day championship consisted of a total of 36 holes played, and was held at Bedford Valley Golf Course.

To read the full article tap the link in our bio.

Post and photos by Anjali Kakarla

14/10/2022

“Light From Uncommon Stars” by Ryka Aoki is the newest book coming to the CHS library.

“It's funny, it's serious, it's otherworldly in a lot of ways,” CHS librarian, Jeri Schneider said.

“Light From Uncommon Stars” is a genre-bending story of chance, where a cursed violinist, a young transgender runaway, and a donut-shop-owning alien’s lives intertwine.

“It was a really fun read,” Scheider said. “It was one of those books where you just have to like the people because they're realistic, they’re smart, they're funny and they're kind. There are a lot of unexpected things that you learn about them as they grow and change.”

“Light From Uncommon Stars” will arrive at the CHS library next week!

Post by Lucia Page Sander

14/10/2022

Happy ! This week features senior Dè Barney. Barney wears a green jacket, a mini dress with added chains and shorts. Their accessories include platform sneakers, a skull necklace from France, a thrifted flower necklace, and jeg warmers they made themselves.

“I do like to seem kind of individual in my outfit,” Barney said. “I love that fashion is a way to express yourself. I feel like it's definitely my favorite way to express myself.”

Barney has always found joy dressing in a more femminine style. Changes in interest over the years has caused their style to go from fairy-esque, more into space-core. Finding inspiration off Pinterest like Y2K and sci-fi movies such as Star Trek has influenced how they dress.

“Make a Pinterest board, follow people who have a style you like,” Barney said, as some advice for those still finding their style. “Just try to flip something from clothes you already have. Because I feel like flipping stuff doesn't have to be super hard. It can be super easy.”

Photos by Navi Fields and Abbi Bachman
Post by Navi Fields
IGTV by Abbi Bachman

07/10/2022

On Thursday Oct. 6 during lunch, Black Student Union (BSU) held a bake sale in support of a historical plaque for the CHS building, the former Jones School.

After the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Jones School— an all-Black elementary school until its closing in 1965, after which the building reopened as CHS— teachers and students lined up to buy sweet potato pie, banana pudding, and other soul food classics.

This fundraiser was the first of many, as BSU seeks to memorialize the history of Jones School as a cornerstone of Ann Arbor’s Black community.

BSU member Isabella Stevens-Mercado counts the bake sale a success, but says there’s more work to be done.

“We plan on doing a lot of things like this [throughout the school year],” Stevens-Mercado said. “We want to bring even more attention to the Jones alumni who are still within this community, and just to honor the history of Black culture in this city.”

Post and photos by Rita Ionides

05/10/2022

Bakehouse 46, located on East Liberty St., is the perfect spot to pick up a delicious fall treat! Communicator journalists Morgan McClease, Anjali Kakarla and Addi Hinesman tried the Apple Pie Donut and the Apple Cheesecake.

The journalists tasted the Apple Pie Donut first, and here were their overall ratings:
Morgan McClease: 5/10
Anjali Kakarla: 7/10
Addi Hinesman: 6.5/10

They then tasted the Apple Cheesecake.
Morgan McClease: 9/10
Anjali Kakarla: 8.5/10
Addi Hinesman: 9/10

Photos by Addi Hinesman
Post by Morgan McClease, Anjali Kakarla and Addi Hinesman

05/10/2022

Today’s Guess Who is Maggie Lamb! After school, you can find Lamb on the field playing forward for Pioneer’s JV field hockey team.

“I’ve been playing [field hockey] since third grade,” Lamb said. “I really liked my coach when I was younger and I kept playing.”

Pioneer’s JV field hockey team is currently undefeated.

Lamb also plays for a field hockey club called FDL. In the rest of her free time, Lamb loves to paint and has started doing crew for CET.

Photo courtesy of Maggie Lamb
Post by Izzie Jacob and Hannah Rubenstein.

04/10/2022

This CHS freshman is in the Hamstra forum. Guess who it is in the comments and we'll reveal later this week!

Post by Izzie Jacob and Hannah Rubenstein.

01/10/2022

The Becky Brent forum got a taste of Becky’s mornings, making the commute to her home in Commerce Township for this year’s forum day. The day was filled with pancakes (and waffles), boat rides and enough chips to supplement the forum snack roster for weeks to come.

"It’s a long standing Community tradition of coming together," Brent said. “[Of] taking off many of the masks we wear at school, showing unique perspectives of our personality, and fostering true connections in celebration of our differences.”

Brent’s forumettes painted, tubed and played games together, including an UNO tournament and some zero stake poker. All activities were accompanied by Piper, Becky’s new puppy and the newest addition to the Brent forum.

Brent believes that Forum Day demonstrates the importance of putting academic rigor on hold to strengthen relationships with one another.

“Forum day is transformative,” Brent said. “We will all feel the difference in the building on Monday.”

Post and photos by Serena O’brien

30/09/2022

The Laurel Landrum forum overnight at the Waterloo State Recreation Area was filled with pizza, campfires and games. Forum classics like “Steal the Bacon” were played alongside newly introduced games like “Kubb.” Laurel Landrum plans an overnight for her forum students every year.

“I think the fall overnight is important because we have a lot of freshmen this year,” Landrum said. “Until the forum overnight, there’s a little bit of awkwardness. But everyone comes back from the forum overnight bonded. I believe [they] bond more on an overnight than on a day trip.

Landrum has been a forum leader for three years, after not having a forum for ten years. She feels that forum is one of the most important systems at CHS.

“I think sometimes people think it’s not important,” Landrum said. “But everything we do as teachers and as a school, it's all centered around forums. You are really a part of the school community, and I missed that after so many years.”

Post and photos by Scarlett London

28/09/2022

Blue Kirkpatrick was born into the farm life.

As the daughter of the owners of White Lotus, a farm and bakery, Kirkpatrick has been surrounded by farming since her birth. She grew up coexisting with llamas, goats, and chickens, and she describes the farm as its own world. Over the years, White Lotus has grown into its own thriving business.

“[My parents] just believed in great food,” Kirkpatrick said. “We were, for a long time, just running our own farm where we just grew stuff that we wanted to, and then as they started to branch out it started to get really successful.”

Kirkpatrick has been connected to the Kerrytown community for years. She graduated from Community High School in 2018 and now, after finishing college, she is back at the farmers’ market.

“What my parents did is they had a vision and they materialized it,” Kirkpatrick said. “I feel so privileged to have grown up being able to see that that actually is true. I feel like it made my life more limitless just to see that they are truly [living their vision].”

Post by Ria Lowenschuss
Photos by Ailish Kilbride

27/09/2022

Braiding Hopes for the New Year - Rosh Hashanah 2022

Sundown, Sept. 25, 2022 marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and start of the Jewish High Holy Days.

In my family, we celebrate through food. At least a day of preparation goes into each holiday, and this Sunday included the baking of a round, fig-stuffed loaf of challah.

My mom has decided I am the household expert on braiding challah, my credibility based on a Zoom class I took a year and a half ago.

In practice, the braiding process involved peering over cryptic instructions, stiffly holding flour-coated hands in the air. Which left, over where? What does it mean, octopus? In tradition, weaving strands of dough into a round loaf symbolizes the year; beginning and end joining together in bread and in life.

Participating in these traditions opens a space for me to step into Judaism. As I braid the loaf into being with my mother, as we light candles and recite blessings, as we sit down and dig into the meal, I’m thinking of the year ended and the year begun.

Shanah Tovah!

Post and photos by Sofi Maranda

23/09/2022

On Sept. 19, 2022, juniors had their first class meeting of the year, providing them with a layout of the important year ahead of them.

Counselors Kelly Maveal and Brian Williams lead them through a presentation giving the students an overview of what to expect from their junior year.

“Seniors right now are currently in the row of applying for colleges, which is a year from today for juniors,” Williams said. “So we really just want to make sure we start that process, but at the same time, understand the uniqueness of each person's post secondary journey.”

The weight of junior year is stressful and the counselors want to make it a point that students understand the importance of this specific school year. Meaning they hope that students make the most of the year and push themselves, while understanding their limits.

“I think the biggest thing is, this is the last time you're gonna have an impact on that transcript, which is really kind of the golden ticket for a lot of institutions and serves as their starting point,” Williams said. “They're gonna look at your transcripts, see how well you did in school academically, what types of courses you've taken, so you want to make sure we pass that message on early in the junior year.”

Photos by Ivy Prochaska
Post by Addi Hinesman

20/09/2022

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the Skyline Women’s Golf team played the Pinckney Pirates at the Eagles’ home course. Skyline crushed the Pirates in a 216-182 match with Skyline having a comfortable lead for most of the round. CHS students Ali O’Brien and Alana Eisman competed for the Eagles.
Eisman shot a 50 for the 9-hole round, tying her second best score this season. While she was happy with the score, she did acknowledge that there are some parts of her golf game she needs to work on in order to reach her goal of consistently shooting under 50.
“Overall, I did play well, but I can always do better,” Eisman said. “I definitely could have knocked my score down by putting better. I did have good shots though, and at the end of the day it’s important to [reflect] on the good shots, too.”
An added bonus for the day was that Eisman got to play with O’Brien, whom she considers to be “one of the funniest people on the golf team”. This made Eisman feel more relaxed and allowed her to have a fun day on the course.
The Eagles will play again at Tecumseh on Monday, Sept. 19.

Photo by Anjali Kakarla
Post by Anjali and Vedha Kakarla

20/09/2022

This is a junior in the Landrum forum. Guess who it is in the comments and we’ll reveal later today!

Post by Morgan McClease

16/09/2022

Happy ! This week features senior Ella Glass. Glass wears a flannel from Uniqlo, thrifted jeans, and a muscle tank. Her accessories feature Adidas sneakers and earrings she made herself.

“I like a nice sense of flow and coordination throughout the outfit,” Glass said. “Fashion can really make or break your attitude. You’ve got a lot of control in what you wear.”

In freshman year, Glass would roll up her jeans and cut off the bottoms of her shirts to make sure everything laid just right. As high school continued, she explored more and found it fun to mix it up. One day a loose shirt, the next a dress.

“I’m a lot less restrictive with what I wear.” Glass said. “When I was younger I thought you had to fully embody everything you were wearing. Wearing lame or unrelated pieces will still look fun because of how you’re wearing it.”

Post and photos by Abbi Bachman
IGTV by Morgan McClease

14/09/2022

Since Feb. 2, 2022, The University of Michigan’s testing policy for 2023 applicants has changed from test-optional to test-flexible. The University of Michigan’s definition of Test-Flexible contradicts the definition posted on the Common App.

On the Common App’s website, Test-Flexible is defined as: “SAT and ACT are not required if alternate exams specified by the institution are submitted, such as SAT Subject Test, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate.” However, according to Alexa Rae Salazar, an Officer of Admissions for UofMs undergraduate institution, Test-Flexible admissions do not require any test scores. This also means UofM cannot hold a lack of test scores against an applicant; However, test scores may still be submitted in your application to the University but are never required.

Post by Sam Cao, Kevin Dutton and Matthew Castilho.

04/06/2022

On June 3, CHS Graduation attendees gathered at Hill Auditorium. Students and their families mingled as they waited with anticipation for the doors to open at 7pm. Graduates-to-be, including Gaby Adams, felt a variety of emotions.

“I’m feeling really excited, but really nervous about the speeches,” Adams said.

Adams plans to talk about the influence Community has had on her and what she’s looking forward to in the future.

Elliot Davis, another senior, decorated his blue cap to honor the college he will be attending for the next four years. He’s excited to attend Michigan State University (MSU) and play a variety of sports there.

“I’m hoping to play ultimate frisbee, intramural basketball and potentially flag football,” Davis said. “Hopefully [I’ll be] going to the business school [at MSU].”

Photos and Post by Staff

23/05/2022

On May 14th, 2022, Planned Parenthood organized the “Bans Off Our Bodies” rally. It was in protest of the Supreme Court leak of plans to overturn the landmark court case Roe V. Wade and nationally jeopardize abortion rights.

The crowd consisted of people from a variety of communities, genders and age groups. Jan Sovak, a protester who showed up in support of the rally, believes people should have the choice to have reproductive rights and continues to fight a battle that they think should ultimately be a right.

“I’m glad to speak my voice,” Sovak said. “I hope my voice is heard but I’m really sorry I even have to be here to protest.”

They believe reproductive rights should be up to the person going through it, instead of government choice.

“I believe all women should have the choice to have reproductive rights, if they want a child or not,” Sovak said. “I don’t think courts, or politicians or legislators should be making any of these decisions for us.”

Groups and organizations also attended the protest, including “Rising Voices.” The organization is an Asian-American political group that is statewide. A member and leader of the group, Chun Soo Jung Han, attended the rally with some members of her group in order to stand up for reproductive rights.

“There are a lot of working class and low income Asian Americans who will really suffer from not having reproductive rights,” Han said. “We need to protect our precious women.”

Rising Voices has been fighting for reproductive rights since its creation in 2020. The organization recognized and recognizes the fight for reproductive freedom.

“It’s not just a now issue, it’s been a forever issue. Many people who have been in reproductive justice have known that this was going to come,” Hans said. “We just didn’t realize it was going to come this soon.”

Photos and post by Izzie Jacob and Abbi Bachman

09/05/2022

On May 6, 2022, Community Highschool (CHS) prom returned for the first time since 2019. History teacher Ryan Silvester worked with students to plan the prom. The committee started its meetings in February earlier this year.

“I think the prom committee should feel incredibly proud of themselves,” Silvester said. “We did a lot of work to make that night successful… It really looked great as well. We were definitely happy and satisfied with how things went.”

Since prom was such a vital part of the year, bringing it back was something that made CHS feel like how it did before to Silvester.

“I think this is one of the biggest proms Community has had in a long time,” Silvester said. “These last couple of weeks feel like Community is back.”

Post by Morgan McClease and Abbi Bachman
Photos by Morgan McClease, Abbi Bachman, Anjali Kakarla, Izzie Jacob, and Addi Hinesman

30/04/2022

30/04/2022

Happy ! This week features senior Felicity Rosa-Davies. Rosa-Davies wears striped thrifted pants, a pink top and a jacket that belonged to her grandfather. She wears a layered assortment of necklaces including from her friend and from a Boston flea market. She is decorated with rings from Crazy Wisdom, and finally leather boots.

This jacket is one of her favorite pieces that she owns because of the sentimental value it holds.

“I’m wearing a jacket that belonged to my grandpa, my Nanu, when he served in Vietnam as a rocket engineer,” Rosa-Davies said. “He was working behind the scenes and these were the shirts that he would wear and on the right side is his military rank and on the left was the branch he operated out of.”

Rosa-Davies says the song “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and The Waves would describe her outfit. She believes that what you wear affects how you feel about yourself, and this outfit makes her happy.

“I really believe that you're only as confident as what you're wearing,” Rosa-Davies said. “If I'm wearing something that doesn't feel right on me, I physically like shrink up a little bit and feel like everyone's looking at me. I only ever buy clothes that I feel really comfortable in because I know that. Everyone wants to wear something they're comfortable in and I like wearing stuff that helps me feel good about myself. Whenever I wear those clothes or have a certain mentality about myself, I walk different, I think everyone does that too.”

Post by Abbi Bachman and Izzie Jacob
IGTV by Morgan McClease