Building Bricks With Weber

How a Life Can Be Built Through Many Pieces

By Clark Kent

Anthony Weber has been teaching at LEAD for a number of years. He got his start in Michigan, and through certain circumstances ended up speaking about worldview in the Minnesota LEAD. This year is Mr. Weber’s second year speaking in Minnesota and he plans to continue in the future. He enjoys forming relationships with the students and getting to know as many students as possible.

Mr. Weber enjoys reading books and recommends the book, “The Reason for God” by Timothy Keller. It covers many questions that a young Christian may have about God, including why God allows sin, why Christianity is right, and many more. This book and more by Keller can be found at timothykeller.com/books.

Mr. Weber had heard Ravi Zacharias speak and became interested in worldview. He started teaching English at Traverse City Christian School and eventually switched to the Bible department. He was sent to Summit Ministries to teach a curriculum called Understanding the Times. This led to his involvement in youth ministries and eventually his becoming a pastor. His time at Traverse City Christian School came to an end due to heart complications. Mr. Weber now teaches an ethics class at a university and is still a pastor.

When asked about which state Mr. Weber preferred, he gave a chuckle, but then went into depth about the benefits of each. According to him, both programs have their advantages. When he is in Minnesota, he is here longer and has more opportunities to meet people. However, when Mr. Weber is in Michigan, he comes in later, which makes the environment more relaxed.

Weber has an interesting relation with LEGOs. He has built the lives of many LEGOs and at the same time they have built his life. According to Mr. Weber, he has had two cameos in both of the LEGO Movies with a character similar to Batman.

 

Brothers, Sisters, Siblings, Oh My!

Can siblings coexist at LEAD?

By Caitlin Snow

You love them one minute and hate them the next. They are the only people in your life who can annoy you to the brink of insanity, yet who remain can remain one of your closests friends. They are your siblings.

Throughout LEAD history, having your siblings at camp has seemed like a tradition. Although you may not have wanted to attend LEAD, everybody in your family has gone before you, so going becomes like eating lutefisk at Christmas—another family tradition.

Does life at camp change if you have a sibling? We asked the Metzler and Teachey siblings to find out.

I appears that having a sibling at LEAD results in mixed feelings. “She is like my support system…she’s a cutie,” comments Cora Teachey. However, some family relationships are not quite so strong. John Metzler comments that, “I haven’t known him (his brother, Nathan) for the last four- five years. It’s been seven years since we last had a meaningful conversation,” and Nathan Metzler noted that his brother is kind of annoying and a bit indifferent.

Although LEAD is, of course, a leadership camp, there still is some competition, and nowhere is this stronger than in sibling relationships. Daphne Teachey recalled that earlier that day she and her sister “Smashed water balloons all over each other. Our clothes were soaked.” Cora said that they are “Competitive. One-upping one another.” Although it is unclear who will win on the floor on Friday, it can be sure that neither Teachey sister will go down without a fight.

Daphne Teachey that if she were to embarrass her sister this week at camp she would, “dress weirdly, and DANCE.” She later goes on to state that, “I am a bad dancer.” Interestingly, when the Metzlers were asked how to embarrass their sibling they came up with a blank slate. John Metzler stated that they were the kind of siblings “That do not associate with each other.” Perhaps it is time for some brother bonding time…

 

Talent Show Petition Approved

By Peter Parker

LEAD students petitioned to host a talent show on Thursday and their voices were heard.

Petition-writing has been a cornerstone of LEAD since its inception. Just as democracy allows the people to influence public policy, petitions allow students to personalize their LEAD experience. On Sunday, July 28th, a petition was authored by two students, known only as Eli and Hannah, to incorporate a “talent show” into the itinerary for the week. Yesterday, LEAD staff Amanda Hage confirmed that the petition was accepted and the talent show has been scheduled for Thursday, August 1st.

“I expect it to be a success as always.  It’s a big smash with the kids especially.  The alumni love it.” Hage said on Tuesday. “I expect anything from dancing to singing to keyboards. In past years, there’s even been some miming going on.” The LEAD Examiner reached out to the authors of the initial petition for comment. Eli provided some background on the petition: “On Sunday night, Hannah came to me and said she was looking at starting a petition.  The two of us made sure to get all the details to not allow Matt [Steele] to rip it up 15 times before it was approved.”

In past years, the students have participated in a talent show, the acts notably including a Frozen sing-along and a harp performance.  One of the aforementioned petition authors, Hannah, specifically mentioned an “impressions act” that she hopes will make a return appearance at the talent show.

The requirements are simple. Any submitted act must meet certain content requirements: namely, it must be PG-rated. In order to submit an act to the talent show, students must meet with Matthew Steele to secure a position on the talent show roster. After that, students can participate in an optional sound check to warm up for their official performance.

 

Senate Bills Under Consideration

By Felicity Smoak

LEAD Senators have been deep in discussion as Wednesday’s committee meetings approach, doing extensive research to prepare. A few caucuses are interested in making a pact. These vetted senators have much to discuss as the week progresses, but have spoken with the press regarding their bills.

Senator Eli Johnson of  Justice Green spoke about Bill SF 2737: Medically Accurate Information. Senator Johnson spoke passionately about his bill and stated that it does not directly deal with abortion, but does look at informed consent. Sen. Johnson says he wants women to be respected in this time. However, he made sure to state that a woman’s health care provider will ultimately decide was is best for that patient.

Speaking from Justice Orange, Senator Jesse Isom gave insight on  HF 2304: Municipal I.D. Senator Isom broke down the bill, explaining that it is simply a city ID and cannot be used to go in and out of the country. Senator Isom went on to say that the local government ought to take on this bill, if passed. As of right now, no amendments are being put into place.

Liberty Green is sponsoring SF 90: Reducing Legislature Size. Senator John Metzler said that, if this bill is passed, one third of senators will be cut back. This process could give Minnesota lawmakers an easier time shuffling through their everyday work. Liberty Green is discussing amendments with the opposite caucus.

Senator Connor Strauss spoke on SF 2011: Damaging Infrastructure, stating they would like to seek a higher punishment for those who damage the city property. Liberty Orange believes that the higher economic cost of implementing this bill  is acceptable due to the health risks of not having this policy in place. As of right now, the punishment is a misdemeanor, which Liberty Orange wishes to change to felony by passing this bill.

 

Competition Carnage Crashes Camp

By Caitlin Snow and Kara Danvers

Countries crumble when confronted by cards 

Tuesday afternoon. Caucuses are knee-deep in legislative strategy. House press conferences are tomorrow, and stress levels are running high. LEAD students gather together to compete in a friendly rivalry. The annual Sports Bowl. Although blood was forbidden from being spilled during the Sports Bowl, the promise of being soaked hung in the air.

The six teams, ICELAND, SERBIA, Mongolia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, and Paraguay meet on the Egg to receive an inspiring pep talk from Matthew Steele. “….they are here to make you lose,” says Mr. Steele. He goes on to say, “ something,” and the games begin.

There were three games. The classing card game, spoons using water balloons, capture the flag, and, last but not least, ultimate frisbee, continuing LEAD traditions.

Intense concentration occurred during spoons, while two countries sat in a circle and frantically attempted to receive four cards of the same kind. Once a four of a kind was received, the player rushed to grab a water balloon while the others were fast in pursuit.

Countries danced ridiculously in a fruitless attempt to deter the other team from stealing their flag. A country’s flag was worth forty points, tagging a member of the opposite country resulted in two points, and putting the other country completely in jail earned twenty points. If tagged, a camper must go to jail for a minute, and once released touch the far mulch. When asked by a camper about how long they had left, jailer Shaohannah Emery, replied, “You can go, when I say you can go!”

Ultimate Frisbee stole awards for the most competitive, energetic, loved and hated game. Countries raced across the field in a desperate attempt to catch a wildly thrown frisbee. Countries earned points by getting the flying disk over the predesignated end zone, and completing consecutive passes. The Sport Bowl really showed who was a natural athlete, and who prefers to read books.

 

Male Immaturity Causes Driving Rights To Be Curbed

The danger young males pose to transportation.

By: Caitlin Snow

On Monday night, Mr. John Tuma presented a piece of legislature which would impact the safety of our roads. Men under twenty-five should not be allowed to receive a driver’s license due to their mental immaturity. This would provide for the “safety of the populus,” and a “sense of security, ” according to Mr. Tuma. The legislator did stipulate that boys eighteen to twenty-five could drive under the condition that they were directly supervised by their mother. Mr. Tuma noted that although this piece of legislator is untested, it is also being considered by China and North Korea. He did not mention when the bill would go into effect.

According to police officer Jack Matthys, a startling 68.735% of car crashes are caused by males. Officer Matthys believes that “[the roads would be] much safer if men were just not driving.”  

Mr. Tuma even went as far as to state, “Women are obviously safer drivers than men.” Additionally, he believes that the DMV should “make tests harder for twenty-five year old [males],” and that his bill represents “the general opinion of the public.” However, Mr. Tuma does admit that this law lends itself to the potential abolition of the voting rights of young males under twenty-five. 

When questioned about how working men are expected to go to work, Mr. Tuma suggested that they could skateboard or ride the bus. For men with disabilities, a bus will be sent to chauffeur them to their destination. Ideally, mothers would drive their sons to work and other activities. Nothing was addressed on increased expenses for buses fare, although it was stipulated by Mr. Tuma that it would boost the economy by the increased bus usage. 

 

According to Mr. Tuma, the proposed bill does not violate the fourteenth amendment because it does not deprive the men of their natural liberties, nor will any aliens who come to earth be subjected to this law due to questionable human status. 

Do You Really Know the Muffett Man?

By Clark Kent

From founding LEAD to being a member of a potential cult and maybe even meeting Terry Crews, the life of James Muffett may surprise you.

In 1993, James Muffett had an idea. He wanted to create an organization that would equip the future generation for every aspect of the future. This idea was made into reality through the Foundation for Traditional Values (FTV). This organization became SSI, which is now known as LEAD. During the first year of FTV, there were only around 12 students that attended. The following five years saw a doubled growth from the previous year. As the years when by, the program grew to become what it is today and has given many teenagers the opportunity to learn more about God and the government in a way that is invaluable.

 

In his early years, Muffett was a member of the organization called Citizens for Traditional Values, and organization which promotes christian values in America. This organization was, in a way, a grandfather program to what is now called LEAD. Many of the core values held at LEAD came from Citizens for Traditional Values. More information about Citizens for Traditional Value can be found at http://www.ctvmichigan.org.

 

In the 80’s, James Muffett was also a part of a Pentacastal Christain ministry called Maranatha Campus Ministries. Their main target was college campuses and universities. Muffett was a pastor in this organization until the late 80’s. However, Maranatha Campus Ministries has come under scrutiny in recent times due to the fact that it shared many similarities to cults. Unknown by many, Actor Terry Crews was at one point a member of Maranatha Campus Ministries and may have met Muffett. But luckily Muffett had left the organization before the cult-like activities had begun. Muffet stated,“I had left before any of the cult stuff had happened.” 

 

Frisbees, Flags, and Fun

by Peter B. Parker

July 29th, 2019.  It’s the middle of summer. Students at LEAD Minnesota have been hard at work in their mock legislative sessions. And many students wish for a competitive outlet through which to release tension. That’s why LEAD staffers Nathan Metzler and Jaclyn Haak have organized an outdoor event tomorrow at 1:00 PM.

“I am very excited. This is always the highlight of the week.” Nathan Metzler told the LEAD Examiner in an interview, “All the students will be involved. We’re going to seperate you guys all into teams, each with its own team name. Then the teams will compete against each other in the various games until one of the teams wins the Sports Challenge.” This hour-long “Sports Challenge” will take all six teams through the three games, pitting them against each other in groups of two. Staffer Jaclyn Haak, who was heavily involved in the planning of this event, elusively summed up the event in a single warning, “You may get wet.”

Staffer Shaohannah Emery explained that the three game types will be Capture the Flag, Water Balloon Spoons and Ultimate Frisbee. In Capture the Flag, she elaborates: there will be two teams who must defend their own turf whilst also attempting to steal the enemy’s flag.  A “jail rule” has been instituted as a penalty for getting tagged in the opponent’s zone. The “Water Balloon Spoons” game is a modified version of the popular card game “Spoons” with a water-soaked twist. The last, but certainly not least, game on the agenda tomorrow is Ultimate Frisbee― the infamous camp game. In Ultimate Frisbee, the players must follow football-esque strategies to efficiently maneuver around the field and escort the frisbee to the goal line.

The staffers have been hard in their efforts to make LEAD as exciting as possible.  It is because of this that LEAD requires all students to attend the “Sports Challenge.” Fun is mandatory here at LEAD Minnesota.

What’s in a Name? SSI Becomes LEAD

By Kara Danvers

Many returning campers found that their applications looked a bit differently this year. Instead of applying to SSI, they applied for LEAD. In response, returning alumni questioned why the name had changed.

Mr. James Muffett, who originally founded SSI, was able to give some answers about the recent change. He explained campers had a hard time describing SSI to their friends. The acronym, which stands for Student Statesmanship Institute, didn’t do a good job explaining what campers actually did at camp. Rather than using the acronym to explain the camp, campers would eventually describe their week to friends as going to “government camp.” 

 

While the program was, and still is, a camp for aspiring politicians, it is more importantly a camp for future leaders. After much feedback and consideration, a year long marketing and research project began. There were several focus groups with what Muffett described as, “alumni, parents, and donors.”  

 

In the end, it was eventually decided to rename the program to LEAD, which stands for Learn, Empower, Act, Discover. Mr. Muffett thought this better described the goals of the camp, stating, “it took several years,” for the Michigan program to change its name from SSI to LEAD. It went through a couple transitions, such as calling the program “LEAD sponsored by SSI.”  

 

Christiana Nuñez, the current LEAD program director in Minnesota, explained why it took a bit longer to make the name switch from SSI to LEAD in MN. She said they had to hire someone to redesign the logo and other behind-the-scenes changes. Nuñez stated that although she has heard some complaints from alumni about the change, “The overall public response has been good.”

 

Of the half of the student body that was interviewed, 80% agreed they prefer the name SSI to LEAD. While there is an understandable loyalty to the name SSI that many alumni have, a surprising number of House students said they would prefer SSI, claiming it better fit the theme of what actually happened at camp. Although no petitions to change the name back to SSI have been started, there is still plenty of time left in the week.

LEAD: Expect the Unexpected

By Natasha Romanoff

House Members Share Their Experiences at LEAD so far.

Some house students at LEAD didn’t choose to come this week, while others were excited to come. There seems to be an overarching theme– that students did not know what they were getting themselves into. Representative Matson, of Jefferson Green states, “I didn’t really know what to expect, because I was just kind of signed up for this and I didn’t really know what it was.” Representative Phillips, also from Jefferson Green, says, “I just really enjoy doing stuff with my caucus more than I thought I would!”  

Both representatives said they really enjoy the food, and each have been having fun getting to know their roommates better. When asked what the biggest thing he has gotten out of LEAD so far has been, representative Phillips replied, “It’s fun!” Representative Matson also told the media crew that getting to know all the people has been fun.  

These two representatives seem to be enjoying their time here at LEAD so far and are having an enjoyable time getting to know people in their caucuses, while also learning more about the legislature.