The Pioneer Optimist – The student news site of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School

October 31Read Now: The Optimist October Print Issue

Thanksgiving break extended by two days due to continued staffing shortages and COVID cases

Thanksgiving break extended by two days due to continued staffing shortages and COVID cases

Clare Hong, Editor in Chief

In an email sent out tonight, Nov. 17, Superintendent Swift announced that Thanksgiving...

COVID infection concerns, low staffing, and a much-needed break for staff and students prompted the cancellation decision.

Superintendent cancels school on Monday, Nov. 1

Aaron J. Puno, Staff Writer

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift announced earlier today...

Huron, Skyline and Forsythe to temporarily move online due to staff shortages caused by illness

Clare Hong, Editor in Chief

UPDATE Oct. 25 - Superintendent Swift announced this morning that A2STEAM, grades...

D2A2 commuter express buses resumed service after a pandemic-prompted hiatus. Photo courtesy of MLive/The Ann Arbor News.

Detroit-Ann Arbor regional bus service restored

Aaron J. Puno, Staff Writer

After long delays related to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Detroit-Ann Arbor Express...

Soap was taken out of the mens restroom and thrown onto the Pioneer roof.

“Devious lick” challenge has students stealing soap, moving toilets, and even selling buildings

Lulu Zhang, Editor in Chief

The “devious lick” challenge--an internet phenomena encouraging students...

Superintendent Swift announced the closure of schools next week on Nov. 17 in an evening email sent to parents.

Shutting down early for Thanksgiving break: a poor decision

Solomon Bernstein, Opinion Editor

Less than one week before Thanksgiving break was set to begin, Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent...

Image is free use via pexels.com

The life of a Jewish student in public school

Solomon Bernstein, Opinion Editor

The life of a Jewish student is not always easy in public school. That was something that I needed to...

Image is free use via Wikimedia Commons

The dress code farce, from the male perspective

Aaron J. Puno, Staff Writer

The dress code is a relic from a long-gone era that does nothing but stifle creativity and boggle reasonable...

Inside the cafeteria, students crowd around tables with seats just seven inches apart, nowhere near the six feet recommended by the Center for Disease Control.

Pioneer and AAPS must improve COVID safety protocols

Jonah Botkin, Staff Writer

Aug. 27 saw the return of students to Pioneer High School, many after an 18-month hiatus. And while the...

Image is Free Use from pixabay.com

Oscars 2021: a step in the right direction?

Lulu Zhang, News Editor

The Oscars Awards ceremony has always been a landmark event in the film-making industry. In fact, the...

Halloween Kills: Where did the old Micheal go?

Halloween Kills: Where did the old Micheal go?

E.V. Bowden-Dykehouse, Staff Writer

The Micheal Myers of the past has been sacrificed to the modern horror movie cliche. Spoilers...

All mentioned shows can be streamed on Netflix.

Top five underrated Netflix shows

Rachel Lewis, Entertainment Editor

In recent years, many streaming services have gained massive amounts of popularity....

Picture is free use via pixabay.com

Big Brother 23 Review

Rachel Lewis, Entertainment Editor

As CBS wraps up the 23rd season of “Big Brother” (U.S.) the network is receiving...

Although October is over, these bone-chilling horror films are sure to keep you in the Spooky Season mood.
Image is free use via pixabay.com

10 horror movies to keep Spooky Season alive

E.V. Bowden-Dykehouse, Staff Writer

If you’re looking for something to match the chilly weather outside and stay in...

Pioneer bands rehearse at Skyline before their All Hallows concert (Image courtesy of Sabine Gabaron).

Return to the ensembles: Pioneer musicians celebrate in-person playing after an online year

Dhivya Bala, Regular Contributor

With bows on strings and mouthpieces out of cases, playing in an ensemble for the...

Podcast by former Editor in Chief Heath Monsma and former Opinion Editor James Catanzaro

Poll

Loading ...

Instagram

phsoptimist

Ann Arbor Public Schools announced tonight that al

Ann Arbor Public Schools announced tonight that all district schools will be closed tomorrow due to a “quite high” volume of threats of school violence on social media. In an email to families Superintendent Jeanice Swift said no threats have been found to be credible but the district is working with law enforcement around the clock to investigate further.

“I was super thrilled when I first heard about the cancellation,” said Pioneer senior Jenny Sun. “But then it started to creep in that AAPS could potentially be facing a very real danger. I’m glad Dr Swift and other AAPS officials decided to take extra caution in addressing this situation and the safety of its staff and students.”

“It’s definitely very scary that something like this is happening within the AAPS,” agreed Shuyi Xu, a Pioneer senior. “I just really hope these are only rumors, and I’m glad school has been canceled. I can’t imagine having another Oxford incident.”

In the meantime, students are encouraged to be advised of the seriousness of making or spreading such threats of violence. The administration looks forward to the return of all students and staff next Monday, Dec. 6.

Over half the student body at Pioneer left early t

Over half the student body at Pioneer left early today after rumors of local school shooting threats spread across social media. This follows the mass shooting that occurred at Oxford High School earlier this week.

AAPS district officials say there have been no credible threats against Pioneer or any Ann Arbor public schools, but that each alert is investigated.

“I think if this were any other day I would have stayed in school but because of the recent events concerning Oxford High School I want to be extra careful with rumors and threats even if they aren’t true,” said Pioneer senior Sneha Thodla.

Use the link in bio to read the full story.

Read opinion editor Solomon Bernstein's piece on w

Read opinion editor Solomon Bernstein's piece on why the district shouldn't have closed down early before Thanksgiving break from childcare, school-day requirement and COVID reasons:

"Cancelling school before a break is just ludicrous. Students won’t have traveled yet, and are no more likely to have the Coronavirus than they have these entire past couple of months. Despite rising numbers in Coronavirus cases, shutting down two days early is not the solution."

Use the link in bio to read the full story.

CORRECTION - the dates should be Nov. 22 and 23. S

CORRECTION - the dates should be Nov. 22 and 23.
Swift has announced that all AAPS schools will be closed next week on Monday, Nov. 22 and Tuesday, Nov. 23 as an addendum to Thanksgiving break. The closure will act as a mitigation in response to continuing staff shortages and rising COVID cases.

Use the link in bio to read the full story.

Check out The Optimist’s October print issue: st

Check out The Optimist’s October print issue: stories we’ve already shared along with new articles from movie reviews to opinion pieces can now be read.
Use the link in bio to access.

COVID infection concerns, low staffing, and a much

COVID infection concerns, low staffing, and a much-needed break for staff and students prompted the district decision to cancel school on Monday, Nov. 1st.

“[We are doing this] in order to confidently and safely staff our buildings every day we are open for classes, and to provide some relief during this demanding fall for our students and staff,” said Swift.

Use the link in bio to read the full story.

Due to high levels of illness causing staff absenc

Due to high levels of illness causing staff absences, Skyline and Huron high schools and Forsythe Middle School will temporarily move to online instruction tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 22.

“This is an emergency measure made necessary due to numerous unfilled positions across the district and an inability to fully staff our schools for tomorrow,” said Superintendent Jeanice Swift in a district announcement through email.

Skyline senior Sarah Stansfield says she has experienced multiple occasions of teacher absences in classes and did not expect the late announcement.

“This was just very sudden. Normally, you’d think people would be like, ‘Oh, I heard we might shut down tonight,’ but I hadn’t heard anything,” Stansfield said.

Use the link in bio to read the full story.

“Somebody grabbed my foot while I was peeing, an

“Somebody grabbed my foot while I was peeing, and somebody devious licked my Bernie sticker off my car,” said Pioneer junior Henna Mahmood. “I also keep getting chocolate milk cartons under my car wheels, and someone messed with my lug nuts, which could have killed me.”

Read the full story through link in bio.

The strict regulations enforced upon students by t

The strict regulations enforced upon students by the school dress code has invigorated many to incite a call for change.

“I feel that the Pioneer dress code is completely outdated and should be seen as irrelevant at this point,” said Joey Montri, a senior at Pioneer. “The dress code is nothing but a hypocritical, shameful rhetoric of a past that we claim to have moved past.”

Use the link in bio to read the full story.

OPINION: Seating arrangements in the school cafete

OPINION: Seating arrangements in the school cafeterias and lack of communication from school officials has put the reality of students’ health and safety into question.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the guidance from health professionals has been to maintain at least three feet of social distance while wearing masks and six feet when not. Despite this, the Pioneer cafeteria is largely functioning as it would any other year. The school has set up tables outside, and is looking to expand their reach to allow for more social distancing space between students. However, inside the cafeteria, students crowd around tables with seats just seven inches apart, nowhere near the six feet recommended by the Center for Disease Control.”

Read the full story, along with suggestions on how the district can improve, through the link in bio.

Pioneer Theater Guild has postponed the production

Pioneer Theater Guild has postponed the production of Les Miserables from November to spring of 2022 after spending two months preparing for the show.

“I was devastated,” said Pioneer senior Joleena Siebler, the president of PTG’s student board. “Theater has been my number one thing in high school, and it was the thing I was looking forward to most coming back from Covid.”

Due to the undergoing repair of the Pioneer theaters and concerns with rising Covid cases, PTG co-sponsors and district leadership have come to the conclusion that postponing the production is the safest way to continue the show.

Use the link in bio to read the full story.

Mold discovered in the Schreiber Auditorium and th

Mold discovered in the Schreiber Auditorium and the Little Theater has forced their closures for at least a year, leaving Pioneer’s musical ensembles and theater guild searching for other performance venues.

Information regarding the cause and plans regarding the theaters has been unclear: “I understand that the district wants to have a solid base of information before they tell us a ton, but it has been a bit infuriating to get little bits of information here and there and not know the cause of things. I’m getting a lot of different information," said senior Suri Doepfer.

The Pioneer bands and orchestras have planned their upcoming concerts at Skyline, while the theater guild has announced Huron as their venue for 'Les Miserables.'

Read the full story using the link in bio.

Load More... Follow on Instagram

The Pioneer Optimist

The student news site of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School

Activate Search

The student news site of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School