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

Many Pioneer students have questioned the benefits of the school dress code.

Pioneer’s ‘controversial’ dress code has students speaking out against sexism in schools

Ava Walker, Feature Editor

Recent conflict with the Pioneer dress code has caused a number of students to call...

Due to the development of mold in the theaters, Pioneer musical ensembles have had to relocate.

Mold discovered in Schreiber and Little Theater disrupts music department and PTG

Ari Jacob and Clare Hong

Mold discovered in the Schreiber Auditorium and the Little Theater has forced their...

Twenty-three Pioneer students were named National Merit semifinalists for the 2021-22 school year.

National Merit Semifinalists announced

Twenty-three Pioneer students qualified for the National Merit Scholarship, the highest...

The official list of spirit week themes.

Official spirit week themes released after miscommunication from Student Council

Aaron J. Puno, Staff Writer

Following a raunchy gaffe including inappropriate themes and confusion, the Pioneer...

Changes in bus routes and child care services have left families upset about the districts decisions.

Fiery debates continue to flare in the new school year over AAPS decisions regarding childcare and busing

Ari Jacob, News Editor

With the dual complication of the Covid-19 pandemic and a labor shortage...

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...

My experience living in Ann Arbor as a student with conservative views

My experience living in Ann Arbor as a student with conservative views

Danika Miller, Staff Writer

It seems like I've been living here in Ann Arbor for my whole life, but the reality of it is that it's...

Image is Free Use from pixabay.com

Why the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should not have been paused

Lily Babicky, Staff Writer

On April 13th, the CDC recommended a pause in the use of the J&J vaccine due to reports of 6 individuals...

The U.S. should stay closed–at least for now

The U.S. should stay closed–at least for now

Solomon Bernstein, Staff Writer

As we pass the one year mark since our country was shut down, controversy still remains over how to best...

For two months, the PTG cast has been rehearsing in the orchestra room with the closure of the Pioneer theaters.

PTG's 'Les Miserables' delayed a second time due to theater and COVID setbacks

Rachel Lewis, Entertainment Editor

Pioneer Theater Guild has postponed the production of Les Miserables from November...

“Shang-Chi has some of the most exciting action scenes that Marvel has had in a long time, and it’s more than just people throwing punches at each other.”

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings": A fresh addition to the Marvel universe

E.V. Bowden-Dykehouse, Staff Writer

“Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings”, the latest installment in the Marvel...

Most movie theaters shut down in March of 2020. However, many are now seeing somewhat of a return to normalcy.

Movie theaters reopen after COVID-19 pandemic

Zubaidah Al-Maawi, Staff Writer

Emma Powell, a senior at Pioneer High School, recalls her enjoyment of going to the...

Taking on a scenario that has never occurred in U.S. history, Designated Survivor presents viewers of a possible array of events that could happen in the case of a total governmental reform (Image is free use from pixabay.com).

'Designated Survivor' is an applaud-worthy show of moderate dramatization and gusto

Solomon Bernstein, Staff Writer

Designated Survivor, which ran from 2016-2019 and starred Kiefer Sutherland, is a...

Blown Away: A Netflix show with a fitting title

'Blown Away': A Netflix show with a fitting title

Rachel Lewis, Staff Writer

In recent years, the popularity of reality competition shows has skyrocketed....

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

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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.

The district decision to cut childcare services an

The district decision to cut childcare services and reduce busing has created complex problems and reinvigorated heated debates between the AAPS parents and district board members.

“Liz Lin, a parent who has been an advocate for childcare, finds the districts’ decision and response both shocking and disheartening. ‘The district claims to be very progressive and claims to value equity, but this is such an inequitable decision,” she said. “Something is better than nothing, but it’s just a drop in the bucket of the actual need that’s in the community.’”

Read the full story through the link in bio.

Read about juniors Josie Hodges and Alysa Zhu, the

Read about juniors Josie Hodges and Alysa Zhu, the two students running @pihi.info: how they feel about their roles, their goals for the account, and even their future plans. Access the article through the link in our bio.

Following the Pioneer vs. Bedford junior varsity f

Following the Pioneer vs. Bedford junior varsity football game that entailed alleged racial slurs from Bedford players, the Pioneer varsity team forfeited their game on Friday night.

The districts' superintendent have been notified of the events, and administration and officials are currently working towards appropriate steps.

Pioneer athletes say this isn't the first occurrence.

"It has been like that since my freshman year, so it didn’t come as a surprise during the game that they were going to be like that," said Brian Robinson.

Read the full story using the link in bio.

Returning to school, students have faced a combina

Returning to school, students have faced a combination of new and familiar reminders, faces, and rules, from the usual classroom mixups or new COVID rules. Some considered normal, others perhaps not so much:

“In the lunchroom, it’s extremely crowded. I feel that the safety at the lunch table is very limited and that people are too grouped up in such a small area without masks,” said Pioneer sophomore Sahan Gunarante.

Read about Pioneer students' first week experience using the link in bio.

In a district newsletter today, superintendent Swi

In a district newsletter today, superintendent Swift announced that all AAPS schools will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch for students the entire year. Menus will be available starting on Aug. 23.
See the official page for more information using the link in bio.

The Optimist has been awarded a 1st place national

The Optimist has been awarded a 1st place national rank by the American Scholastic Award this past June for newspaper publication. Congrats to the entire staff for culminating a phenomenal round of articles this year (which will continue to be uploaded over the summer), and to all those who have read our works.

News editor Lulu Zhang also won Outstanding Editorial for her opinion piece "Coronavirus fear is no excuse for bigotry against Asians."

Read this past year's articles using the link in bio.

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The student news site of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School

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The student news site of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School