The Moxie Mountie

8 December 2014 Centers

Standing against discrimination
Pocahontas film helps teach valuable lessons
Maddie Perin
be learned about different cultures and individuals
Junior Opinion Editor
around the world. Expanding someones mind is
Acceptance is a characteristic that has developed in one of the greatest gifts we can give. Openness and
society over the past few decades. It is has become, acceptance can lead to so many different avenues
almost, a part of who individuals are. Humanity has and pathways in life that one may have not known
learned that distancing themselves from one another not before.
only limits their knowledge but is also an opportunity of I grew up in a family where we were taught to
growth and happiness. accept other people. One side of my family was
Civilization has experienced what rejection does to local here in Michigan, Caucasian, Christian and
society and they have inevitably learned from these my dads side was Hawaiian or pacific islander,
experiences. Although people have come a long way, said Hiram. We learned different ways to talk and
they continue to change, and so must their ability to socialize [because of the combination of the two
accept others. families]. But despite their differences, both sides of
Disneys classic Pocahontas teaches the valuable lesson my family had a mutual respect for one another.
of accepting differences and living harmoniously. This is In the film Pocahontas, Pocahontas meets a young
evident in the classic line, You think the only people man, John Smith, from another country and falls in
who are people, are the people who look and think like love. Although this is the surface viewpoint of the film,
you. But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, youll the overall view is within the quote. Empathizing with
learn things you never knew you never knew. another person teaches
an individual so many
If you walk in the
different things about life footsteps of a stranger,
I think it
is important
to be open- and how it should really be youll learn things you
lived.
Being able to walk in never knew you never
minded because
the opposite
of that is someone elses shoes is knew.
dangerous, said really important. We are able to help one another
History teacher through acceptance and without it we cannot
Mr. Hiram. grow, said junior Breanna Duncan.
When you cut After Pocahontas falls in love, she discovers aspects
Illus
trati
on b yourself off from about the English culture and John learns about how
y Em
alee
Cantl
in trying to understand the natives live. They find an understanding in each
other people you are others ways of living and even go about exploring
going to pigeon hole those ideas.
yourself into not being happy We often take our lives for granted, said junior
and not being satisfied. Cory Riker. When I left the country to go to Haiti I
There is so learned the different ways they handle things and it was
much to really eye opening to me. After being there I became
thankful for everything that I have.
This way of life is key to growth and success.
There is so much to be acquired from other

Mu
A w
individuals. Isolation is limitation,
and acceptance is

sic
r
dito prosperity.
w sE
Ne Music
er
ill is beloved by
fee
po man once
M
i s e people of all ages and
ar
backgrounds from across the globe.
ds
M r
nio
Se As William Shakespeare stated in his play

Twelfth Night, If music be the food of Collins.

love, play on. This quote is one It helps
of the most relatable among its me
enthusiasts.
keep a
positive outlook. s itiv
ity Famous quo
Love drives peoples lives, and music For its audience, music
often fuels this emotion. Whether evokes an array of emotions,

students d
it be an escape, an enhancer, or a feelings, and concepts that could be
constant love, melodies, harmonies, very hard to convey with words alone. Even
and dissonance often fuse together. This creates instrumental music can get across abstract
circle
an incredible passion and adoration for many or intense messages about love, moods, or
students. feelings towards something else. These spiritual o f
adoration as
Music basically drives everything I do, said experiences emit energy for the listener.
Music gives people energy, like food, so its it circulates between
senior Kels Curl. Theres
rarely a moment in my If music be the food essentially what the two.
makes you alive, [The quote], to me, means
everyday life that isnt of love, play on. said senior Brandon that music can emphasize love
related to music.
and make it even sweeter, said Curl.
Curl has been involved in choir since sixth McIntyre.
McIntyre is involved in band, Jazz Band, the No matter what genre or form of music an
grade, and listens to music often both outside
individual prefers, William Shakespeares
and during school, with her favorite genre pit for the musical, and Solo & Ensemble
festivals. Some of his favorite musicians assertion of If music be the food of love,
being goth music.
include Gershwin (classical) and Harry play on, has just as strong of a meaning
Along with being a continuous pleasure in
for enthusiasts of tunes and rhythms
itself, music can serve as a reinforcement in James (jazz).
Music admirers can agree that it is as it did when he scripted it in
an individuals faith if they identify with one.
1602.
People of many religions often listen to worship its own entity, unlike any other form of
music and bands affiliated with their beliefs. expression, and can convey and create
I listen to [Christian music] a lot, especially love in the most real way possible. In
when Im in a bad mood, said junior Samantha turn, the listeners feel this, which forms a Illustration by Morgan Huver
 The Moxie Mountie
spread December 2014 9

Playing for oneself

Athlete learns lesson about letting
others dictate athletic performance
Lexie Khon
Junior Entertainment Editor

Somewhere strong basketball

behind the athlete player to someone
youve become who was scared
and the hours of to shoot even
practice and the a layup. I had
coaches who have the fear of
pushed you is a little disappointing
girl who fell in love my parents,
with the game and or because
never looked back. Play I thought my
for her. -Mia Hamm teammates would
I knew how to shoot a call me selfish.
basketball correctly before Something changed for me in middle school; I
I even had the strength to was no longer the athlete I used to be. I was not sure
get the ball to the rim, and that I wanted to play basketball anymore, and one of
when I came home after my the only reasons I kept playing was because I was
first basketball practice in third terrified of what my parents would say if I told them
grade and said to my father, I wanted to quit.
Daddy, I love basketball. We To this day, I have never told anyone that the day I
both knew that no matter what I made the Varsity team my freshman year that I went
did in my future it would include home and cried myself to sleep. In the three years
basketball. prior I had felt out of place playing with my own
My father has taught me everything grade, so I was clueless as to how I was supposed to
I know about basketball, and I would be able to play with a group upperclassmen.

wise
not be the athlete that I am today Despite my worries, freshman year ended up as one
without him. For my first three years of my favorite basketball seasons. The confidence I
in the sport my dad transformed me once had as a basketball player began to come back
from an awkward little child to a decent to me.
athlete with a bright future. Then came Now, after playing two years of high school

e said...
middle school. basketball, I can look back and see what had changed
My seventh and eighth grade year, our me so much from my transition to middle school.
team went undefeated for a perfect 21-0. I started playing for my parents, my team or my
For most of the players those years are a time coaches, but not once did I ever feel like I was
they will look back on and think about how playing for myself. After all of my training, different
awesome of an experience it was. For me, they coaches, and pressure from my team and parents,
were the worst two years of basketball I have I had forgotten to play for that little girl who came

otes apply to ever experienced. home after her first practice and said, Daddy, I love
There is not a single factor that I can look back basketball.

daily lives
on and pinpoint exactly why these two years were An athlete cannot play for their parents or the fans,
so awful for me. It could have been the comments the coaches or the pressure of succeeding, they have
from teammates about being a ball hog, or the to play for their passion of the sport. A true athlete
constant pressure I felt from
myself and my parents, but
Somewhere behind the plays
that
for
little
whatever it was I changed athlete youve become and kid who fell
from a confident, the hours of practice and the in love with
coaches who have pushed never the game and
looked
you is a little girl who fell in back.
love with the game.
All other illustrations by Genna Barner