The Bark. Volume 2. Issue 2. October 2019

Volume 2. Issue 2. October 2019

THE GENRE ISSUE

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NEWS 6 NEWS BRIEFS 8 Changing for a Future

The changes that the Climate Strike participants are trying to make for the future.

FEATURES 14 Don’t Fall Victim to a High School

REVIEWS 10 Is This Planet Earth’s Downfall?

Based on the many environmental problems we cause and misuse of technology, the downfall of Planet Earth may be inevitable.

Horror Story A comparison between the everyday life of a high schooler and horror movies.

16 Elucidating the Everyday Hero

12 Joker: Classic or Hazard

A peer struggling with an alcoholic parent tells about the effect it has on their life. Additionally, this story provides a discussion about the impor-

Movie review of The Joker

tance of superheroes as role models.

21 SPREADING KINDNESS

The importance of eliminating stereotypes in our communities.

gchs_newspaper @GCHS_newspaper

31 SPORTS 28 Shooting Down the Star

A recap in ABs’ last few years, from being the best wide receiver in the league to being removed from the league

30 The Dual Of Rackets

How competition affects a player’s behavior on and off the court and the advantages and disadvantages that it has towards their abilities.

31 Supporting the Crucial Catch

The changes that the Climate Strike participants are trying to make for the future.

Letter From The Editor

Within my fabulous seventeen years of life, I have watched The Breakfast Club a solid fifteen hundred times. Is that an over-exaggeration?

Sure, but it also indicates that I know the movie so well that I often find myself reflecting on the common themes from the film and how I can apply them to my everyday life.

For instance, when I see the stereotypical jock as I make my way to the library to return my five overdue library books, I stop and reflect. I wonder what his story is and why I only ever see the one aspect of him that depicts the image of protein shakes and gym shoes. I understand there is more to who he is as a person, and yet there is so much that I won’t ever be able to fathom about his life and vice versa.

You see, when I first saw this specific movie I realized that Molly Ringwald was the most interesting and relatable personality I had seen yet on a screen. The more I observed, I pointed out the personality traits of her character and even attempted her red lipstick trick. Nonetheless, I knew from that moment on that if I ever had to choose who I wanted to be; a jock, geek, princess, criminal, or basketcase, I would indefinitely always choose to be the princess.

However, just because I adapted a tiara from that day on doesn’t mean that everyone else made the same choice as I did. Hence the purpose of social cliques and stereotypes.

These cliques were made to divide us all into separate minorities where we can surround ourselves with people who are ‘like us.’ Yet this behavior is a vicious cycle and The Breakfast Club proves that. This film demonstrates the importance and value behind breaking out of our comfortable ‘social genres’.

In order to better understand, coexist with, and nurture each other, we all have to act as a dedicated community. Currently, within my AP Lang class with the most intelligent teacher I’ve ever had, Mrs. Balanag, I have had an immense amount of time to reflect on the definition of community and why it is a necessity here at Grant.

Humans, in general, feel the need to be loved and validated through an ecosystem of open arms and tolerance. When these opportunities are provided for students, blossoming and growth perspires. This is pivotal to the success as a school because as each of us produce this community for the four years of high school that we have, we need to strive to learn acceptance and empathy for each other. How do we do that? We act with kindness, integrity, and acceptance which creates a stronger sense of bonding among students and staff. The benefits of generating those relationships would be not only so we can coexist, but so we can thrive together in union.

As you open the rest of the Movie Genre Issue, I advise you to keep an open mind about all of the concepts you will explore. The different genres are representations that create a whole image of our ideas and more so our identity as a newspaper, but also as our own community.

Each and every author belongs to their own social clique, yet when we come together to produce The Bark, we achieve an issue so unique and diverse that it brings together everyone within our community. In my opinion, there’s nothing more beautiful or worth aspiring more for than that.

The Bark Editor, Elizabeth Newcomb

Editors Ethan Dicken Seager Johnson Elizabeth Newcomb Mariah Ona

News Mariah Ona (Editor) Alyssa Aleman Kyra Jagodinski Sarah Viramontes

Features Seager Johnson (Editor) Anthony Haberstroh Kyra Jagodinski Ryan Lewis Elizabeth Newcomb Amariah Vivians

Sports Ethan Dicken (Editor) Adil Siraj Melanie Viscioni

Cover Photo

Photographer: Seager Johnson Model: Samantha Kaltenbach

RED READ

Expect Respect

Do your part in creating a bully-free zone.

Written by: Alex Sullivan

Every October, schools and organizations across the country join STOMP Out Bullying in observing National Bullying Prevention Month. On Monday, October 7, our Bulldog community joined together to #BlueUp and take a stand against bullying. To further our participation in this critical issue, students spent TEAM time getting a refresher/introduction to what “Expect Respect” means at Grant.

Part of our “Expect Respect” lesson focuses on what to do if you are being bullied. If you are being bullied, or are in an uncomfortable situation, use these S.W.A.T. steps: STOP: WALK:

TALK:

Tell the person who is being disrespectful to stop.

If the person who is being disrespectful does not stop, the next step is to walk away.

If the person continues to be disrespectful after the STOP and WALK, then tell an adult. The adult that you talk to within the school will then help you manage the situation.

Stop, Breathe, and Leave The other acronym that does along with “Expect Respect” is S.B.L. (Stop, Breathe, and Leave). If someone tells you to stop because they feel disrespected, you should stop what you were doing, take a deep breath, and leave the situation.

Be On Time Challenge The Be On Time Challenge begins at the end of October and will run through November.

Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors will compete to see which class can have the least amount of tardies over the course of the challenge. The winning class could earn themselves an ice cream party!

Last year, the senior class was victorious with the least amount of tardies. The freshmen class fell short of beating seniors by 8 tardies! It will be another tough battle this year, so make sure you have your class schedule and route memorized!

Check out some of our October Bulldog Buck raffle winners! From left to right: Grant Pederson, Germaliz Ortiz, Neil Knudsen, Grace Ruiz, Alyssa Manthi, and Allen Melton.

Photo: Alex Sullivan

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Freshmen 12

Sophomores 9

Juniors 15

Seniors 13

Bulldog Cup Standings

RED READ

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NEWS

News Briefs Safety Guidelines For Halloween Written by: Elizabeth Newcomb

Pictured above is a spooky pumpkin that was taken from Creative Commons in 2013.

Halloween is known as the holiday for excitement, candy, and fear! However, don’t let that excitement prevent you from being safe on this spooky day. The key tips to surviving this ghostly holiday is to simply check all of your candy for razor blades or drugs, travel through the haunted streets with a buddy, and most importantly, follow the Fox Lake trick or treating times!

The trick or treating fun seems to never last long enough, which in turn creates the debate on whether or not the hours are long enough or should be extended for extra for more opportunities to gather candy and produce memories.

Junior at Grant Community High School, Briana Promenzio, is fully ready to encourage the change of trick or treat times within Fox Lake for a multitude of reasons.

She stated, “I think that they start really early which means that kids in school have to rush out of school to go get dressed and everything else.”

The time difference between the starting hours and the end of the school day is only fifty minutes. That doesn’t include transportation or preparation time for the evening. Following her previous statement, she concluded, “By the time you get ready, it is already halfway over. And I feel like people want to trick or treat later in the night especially if you’re in high school. It’s more fun to be out later!”

On the other hand, it can be argued that later hours could have negative side effects such as kids get in trouble with the law, there would be a lack of adult supervision, and overall it would not be safe for everyone involved because of the dark.

Nonetheless, the pros and cons of this tiny debate are solid on both sides of the argument. However, that doesn’t mean that this holiday is any less enjoyable or fun, so get whatever side you’re on, make choices that are safe and Keep It Red on this Halloween.

GCHS Adds Charging Carts Written by: Alyssa Aleman

On September 26th Mr. Schmidt and his team put out the new Chromebook Charging Station in between the Red and Blue hallways for a new opportunity for students to take responsibility for charging their dead Chromebooks. There are also charging carts in the commons and senior cafe. The school does not officially own the charging stations, but a loan to the school. Math teacher Mr. Viscioni thinks we should keep them in and was very excited and many others when it first arrived, but for the wrong reasons.

Many people along with him thought that they were pizza ovens or a new vending machine. Sadly, it was neither of those, but they are still greatly appreciated by students and teachers. “I think it’s hard for a teacher and when you’re teaching then it’s “Oh my Chromebook is dead.” And then you have to send them to TSI.” says Mr. Viscioni. It benefits students greatly giving them an opportunity to be responsible for using the charging stations and carts instead of having to visit TSI in the middle of class.

Before placing them into the school, Mr. Schmidt and his team visited different schools for inspiration and saw kids using

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and interacting with them. Responsibility plays a huge role in our Chromebooks at our school. “We hope that kids are more responsible for their own devices such as their cell phone because it’s important to them, because they always find a way to keep them charged and just plug them into a wall,” says Mr. Schmidt discussing how students should be making sure their Chromebooks are charged just like their phones. When asked if it might make students take more responsibility in taking care and charging their Chromebooks, Mr. Viscioni says, “ The students can choose to use it or not.” He also says it gives them more opportunity and holds them accountable to make sure they have their Chromebooks ready when they come to class. He also talks about how students can easily charge their phone so they should feel the same about their Chromebooks.

“I think it’s good to do it on our own.” said senior Molly Boyd talking about charging Chromebooks. She also states she thinks it is better to charge them in the stations or carts than going to TSI and getting a mark on our number of visits to TSI. Here at Grant we have a strict policy for charging our Chromebooks and our visits to TSI, ranging from a detention to a visit to the deans. Students have a perfect opportunity to take responsibility to charge their Chromebooks and be ready for class.

It is a great tool for

students that they should take advantage of and appreciate greatly. “I think it’s a great idea, I was really excited when I first saw it. I thought it was a pizza oven, but less excited when I found out it wasn’t a pizza oven but was still happy that students have an opportunity to take care of their Chromebooks on their own,” says Mr. Viscioni. Even though it is not a pizza oven, it is still a great opportunity along with many others that Grant has provided us with.

Senior Jackie Nueroth uses the Chromebook Charging Station image taken by Alyssa Aleman

Club Spotlight

NEWS Pictured above is the French Club at the Homecoming Day parade on September 14th.

Say Oui To French Club!

Written by: Elizabeth Newcomb

Have you ever wondered if the Grant French club was the environment for you? Oui, of course, you have! This club specifically focuses on the importance and value of elucidating French culture, cuisine, and vocabulary in the most fun and engaging ways possible.

“Madame” Rebecca Wilds is not only one of the very outgoing French club sponsors, but she is a francophone enthusiast and teacher as well. She has been enlightening students about everything francais for twenty-one years at Grant and has been a co-sponsor for 19 years!

Her passion for educating students within the Grant community is what drives the purpose of this club.

When asked about her enthusiasm towards pursuing not only this club, but her career as a French teacher, she stated, “ I am so grateful to be the one who can expose them to learning a new language and get them excited about exploring and appreciating other cultures. As they continue with their French, it becomes like a little family! I can share my travel experi-

ences and stories to motivate my students to discover all the wonderful, beautiful things and places the world has to offer!”

As enticing as this whole experience already sounds, let it be noted that the activities provide joy and knowledge after every meeting. If you’re wondering what the typical meeting looks like, Madame Wilds explains it best, “We have movie, game, craft, cultural, and cooking days.We also do a field trip at least once a year to a French restaurant.”

Finally, it must be reiterated that everyone is welcome at French club whether you are in a French class at Grant or not. For more information, reach out to the other fabulous co-sponsor, Madame Lebrun, President Elizabeth Newcomb, or Vice President Lilian Jensen in order for you to learn more and join soon!

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NEWS

Creating Changes For Our Future

An Attempt to Stop Climate Change Written by: Mariah Ona

Image of Children at Waukegan Climate Strike The youth of our generation standing up for a better future.

“

From September 20th through September 27th a series of Climate Strikes occurred. Considering how we close we are to places such as Waukegan and Chicago, where a climate strike had occurred, it is something widely heard about around us. One of the organizers of the Waukegan rally was senior Eduardo Flores. The actual organization of the rally wasn’t difficult.

He had posted the idea on social media. The idea to participate in this Climate Strike at Waukegan received quite positive feedback.

“I was kind of hesitant to do it at first but after I heard that people would be willing to help me out and actually walk out with me I got even more motivated,” explained Flores.

In order for this event to occur Eduardo decided to get the school on board with his plans regarding security management.

Eduardo did this in order to insure students “weren’t creating a bigger disruption than necessary.”

Trying to gain support from a higher

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...after I heard that people would be willing to help me out and actually walk out with me I got even more motivated.”

authority, a video of the climate strike was shared with Governor J.B. Pritzker who has yet to respond and or support. Even if he hasn’t directly supported Waukegan overall, Pritzker still supports the climate

strike worldwide.

“We know that climate change is real.

We know there is a threat, and I think there’s just no disputing it anymore. And we know we must act.”

The 2019 Climate Strike was the largest in history with an estimated 4 million people. With so many people all around the world, it leads one to think about what’s so bad about climate change. There are only 11 years until climate change is irreversible. It causes diseases such as asthma, in which the rate has increased by 50% from the years 2001-2009.

“Climate change can, therefore, affect human health in two main ways: first, by changing the severity or frequency of health problems that are already affected by climate or weather factors; and second, by creating unprecedented or unanticipated health problems or health threats in places where they have not previously occurred.” Read in globalchange. gov.

Even if it is not a deadly matter for our generation it will become that for generations to come. Your future family, your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, everyone in your

Waukegan Climate Strike Image of Waukegan students standing up for climate strike.

“We are the first generation to be able to end poverty and the last generation that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Future generations will judge us harshly if we fail to uphold our moral and historical responsibilities. Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General United Nations.

We are around twenty miles away from the Waukegan power plant. Power Plants use 20 metric tons of used fossil fuels annually.

Waukegan High School is just less than four miles away from this power plant.

“Fifty-Five percent of the air and

NEWS

future might not have a long one.

“We have a single mission to protect and hand on the planet to the next generation,” François Hollande President of French Republic.

Nothing positive is gained out of climate change. It ventures the security of water an already limited supply.

So far our average temperature has risen 1.62 percent in Fahrenheit according to NASA. 2016 has been the warmest year on record. Oceans have absorbed this heat and have risen 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.

Due to this decrease in temperature between the years 1993 through 2016, Greenland has lost 127 billion pounds of ice. The rate of ice loss in Antarctica has tripled over the past decade.

If something doesn’t change in our society we soon won’t have the option to make a difference.

“We must now agree on a binding review mechanism under international law so that this century can credibly be called a century of decarbonization,” Angela Merkel Chancellor of Germany

The acidity of the ocean surface has increased by around 30 percent, and has been confirmed by NASA as well. Along with that fact, the upper layer of the ocean absorbs 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually. America has won wars and abolished slavery however we can’t end climate change. We as people have chosen the convenience of wasting plastic to save money over having a clean planet.

water toxins in Lake County come from the coal plant just four miles from where we are standing here today,” said Eduardo Flores.

We as people no longer have sustainable resources to last us much longer if we continue to use them carelessly. People look at our world as if we have more planets we can destroy.

“The time is past when humankind thought it could selfishly draw on exhaustible resources. We know now the World is not a commodity.” François Hollande President of French Republic.

Image of Edwardo Director of Waukegan Climate Strike (Eduardo Flores) giving a speech. All photos were provided by Eduardo Flores.

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FEATURES

Is This Planet Earth’s Downfall?

WALL-E shows the ecological problems that are manifested in the real world.

Written by: Anthony S. Haberstroh

Throughout the years, pollution, global warming, and climate change has been a danger to us and our environment. With the rise in fossil fuel burning and oil being dug out of the ground, large amounts of gas, smoke, and carbon have flooded into our atmosphere. These pollutants have burnt a hole in our Ozone layer, causing excess heat to be poured into the atmosphere. As the condition of the Earth slowly starts to degrade, people have been considering alternatives based around space travel and moving the human race to a new inhabitable planet.

No movie shows this better than WALL-E, the garbage compacting and sorting robot who was left on Earth, as well as several copies, to clean the entire planet and make it more inhabitable for humans. Humans discovered new ways of space travel to put themselves into orbit for years to come. WALL-E becomes the last

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of his kind that wasn’t destroyed or broken down, developing a personality as the years go by. While fulfilling his purpose, he finds the last living plant, giving life to Earth a second chance. As to most, the story seems to be about two robots falling in love, but if you dig deeper into the story itself, you can find several meanings and messages hidden in plain sight.

As for WALL-E, as he gets sent into space to the ship the humans inhabited for around seven-hundred years, giving us perspective about how all the humans live in the ship.

For example: how they get around, how they socialize with one another, how they eat, exercise, and sleep.

While WALL-E is trying to get to the main part of the ship, we see that humans are more or less obese blobs that can’t get up out of their chairs. Showing that in our current time, how we as humans are getting progressively lazier as the rise of people sitting/laying down instead of doing meaningful activities that can benefit us.

Instead of striking a conversation

face-to-face with someone, they use holographic screens, which is portrayed with the current generation on how we are on our phones, staring at our screens 24/7. And on how they eat, you’d expect they would be eating something that is actual food. But as shown, they eat by drinking different artificially flavored beverages out of slushie-like cups. Hinting to the artificial foods that we consume on a daily

Artwork By Anthony Haberstroh

FEATURES

basis, and seeing as we are eating all of these foods that aren’t real, or natural. We are practically killing ourselves with almost everything we eat.

As Grant student, Emily Hawkins said, “The Earth is just being destroyed by everything that we’re making, and it’s warming up. And then that’s just creating even more problems for both us as humans and all the other plants and animals on the earth.” She describes that in the time we live in, the machines, and activities we are doing and making is causing the environment to slowly wither away. Animals can become extinct with the land we are destroying, where they build their habitats, only to see it crash down into more land for humans to live in.

On human influence, and effect on the Earth during the duration that WALL-E is stranded on the sandstorm wasteland, we can see the unmanaged damage that humans have done to the planet. Buildings are tilting and either destroyed, stacks of waste and debris stretch for miles, and lifeless shells of the past robots that used to clean were no longer in service, now mangled and lost. As well as the setting that WALL-E is on in the world. The place seems to suffer from drought, as shown that it

takes place in desert-like terrain, with frequent sandstorms being accompanied. Showing that the environment was absolutely stripped by humans, changing the biome as a whole.

To move back to when they were in the middle of space, we see during the movie that there are several, upon several robots on the massive ship, wth many jobs to do, so they can benefit humans. This is portrayed on how we are using more technology

to benefit us in somewhat unhealthy ways, as we’ve made pointless technology to help us with even the simplest of tasks. Is this the future that awaits humanity, or will we be able to change the direction we are headed?

All pictures provided from Creative Commons.

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REVIEWS

Joker:

Classic or Hazard

By Ryan Lewis

DC’s stand-alone, Joker, had a record obliterating opening weekend, breaking Joaquin Phoenix’s, Todd Phillip’s, and the incredible Robert De Niro’s PB for box office earnings. It took first at the Venice Film Festival for best film and best soundtrack, it has stellar audience ratings and poor reviews from stuffy, old media critics. All abject successes.

Though this seems to be a major contender for film of the year in the hearts of many moviegoers, news outlets are raising concerns about the potential audience reaction after seeing Joker.

Articles predicting mass shootings mirroring the acts of Arthur Fleck have flooded the news feed. In doing so many of the positive reviews are being suppressed in favor of worry some pieces foreseeing a dangerous future.

This overshadowing of a true audiences reaction is nothing new for the film industry’s finest. Some of the most beloved movies, at the time of their release, received massive scrutiny. The Baltimore sun made the “Lion King” out to be some kind of violent slasher meant to scar its adolescent audiences.

Many fear that this film will promote and incite violence. While there is merit in their anxieties, they fail in thinking this is unique to Joker.Looking at other cases prove these falacious claims untrue. John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan after seeing Taxi Driver, also starring De Niro. He did so in hopes of impressing Jodi Foster, who plays a 12 year old prostitute. In the film.

After stalking her for months to no avail, in a final attempt to win her affection, Hinckley shot then President

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Ronald Reagan outside of a DC Hilton Hotel. It is clearly not the fault of the Oscar-nominated performances that caused Reagan to be severly wounded. Those who blame the film pay no attention to Hinckley’s diagnosises of Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Schizoid Personality Disorder, that ultimately led to his successful insanity plea. Had the signs of mental illness been properly spotted and treated, Reagan may never have been harmed. Much like in the movie, Arthur Fleck is not given the proper care after a budget cut shut down his mental health clinic. Had someone cared enough about those suffering from illness, Joker would have been a heartfelt drama, not an origin story.

It is irresponsible to blame art for atrocities. Molecular Psychiatry, Science Direct, and Western Kentucky University, all conducted studies on violent media within the last 2 years, and all three found no connection between violent content and aggressive tendencies. These same tired arguments are invalid and take away from the more important conversation.

Image by: ”Joker 2019” by Kaexi Ng is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Review of The Movie

For transparency sake, Batman is my favorite super hero, Joaquin Phoenix is one of my favorite actors, and The Joker is my favorite villian. This is all before I walked into the theatre.

Seeing the first trailer, I was absolutely floored. I counted down the days leading up to October 4th and saw it opening night.

I wanted to enjoy every moment of this movie, but I cannot say that I did.

Once Arthur died and the Joker was all that was left, I absolutely loved it. As a comic book villan this Joker is on par with the best, but seeing all that took place to lead up to curtains being pulled back, I felt gross enjoying the incredible joker moments.

Before I continue, Joker gets an 11/10 from me. It is beautiful. The journey it takes you on starts you feeling bad for Arthur. His life is miserable, he is abused by his environment, and does not deserve to be left in the alleys the way that he is. It then slowly makes you begin to despise him for the evil he commits. His first killing (SPOILER ALERT) in the train can be debated as justified, but following his other attacker, then brutally murdering him isn’t. The dance he does following it only further shows his snap to full insanity. All of his following wicked acts feel the same. As a film, this is a heartwrenching story about a man who was turned into monster by a grim, forgive me, society. As a comic book flick, it pulls back the Murray Franklin Show curtain and shows the disgusting genesis neccessary to create our tv/movie villains. This mix is what forces the audience to leave the theatre feeling off put. Personally, I believe art that draws out a visceral reaction is what advances us. Being out of our comfort zone is what enacts change. If a movie has to be violent to force us to acknowledge mental health as a serious issue, then so be it.

If you are a comic fan, the last 10 minutes is for you. Phoenix is a magnificent Joker. If you want to experience a dark origin that is beautifully shot, scored and performed, watch Joker.

Inforgraphic Generator Canva

FEATURES

Pick Your Horror

Which horror movie is the right fit for you?

3.) Which is the creepiest setting to you?

1.) What is the scariest thing to you?

A. GHOSTS B.MONSTERS C.DOLLS D.SERIAL KILLERS 2.) Which movie name relates to you more?

A. School At Night B. Woods C. Abandoned House D. Small Town in No Where 4.) If stuck in a situation who would you call to help ypu?

A. Halloween B. Friday 13th C. Annabelle D. Insidious

A. The Police B. No One C. Friends D. Family Answer Key:

Mostly A "The Awakening"

Mostly B "The Cabin In The Woods"

Mostly C 14 "Dead Silence"

Mostly D "Joy Ride"

Don’t Fall Victim to a High School Not every horror movie has a happy ending, and no one’s high school experience is utterly positive.

FEATURES

Horror Story

Written by: Amariah Vivians

High School Of Doom School looking very ominous at night.

High school is a time filled with magical moments and new beginnings, but once you get past the novelty of being older, you’ll see the true horror that lies between the halls. From the moment you step into the school you can see the terrorizing fear on the students faces, fear of the unknown for their future, fear of the everyday responsibility of their lives, fear of the truly scary encounters they face within the school.

Three GCHS students: Allie Johnson, Shayna Cohen, and Cedajia Atterberry courageously gave their testimonies on the horrors that walk this hallway and provide ways to survive it.

From the first day of high school to graduation, students are bombarded about the reality of their future.

One day they will have to come up with a plan for their life or face the reality of being left behind; that is the fear of the unknown in their future.

When asking Senior and dance team co-captain, Shayna Cohen, her opinion on the concept of darkness and the correlation to scary movies within high school she stated, “The darkness does represent graduating high school.

And post high school is a very big and scary thought, but like in all horror movies, everyone opens the door even when they don’t know what’s behind it or what it’s like.”

Darkness is truly scary because you never know what’s in store for you and how to prepare for the unknown.

Horror movies utilize the dark to help intensify the fear we get once surprised by the shadow lurking in the dark.

Michael Myers from the movie, Halloween always hides in the shadows, ready to strike when we least expect it. The

Michael Myers Hiding in the shadows covered by the darkness. only difference between the darkness he’s shrouded in and the darkness of our future is that we have a mental countdown of when we’ll open the door and face our success...or doom.

Although the threatening date looming over our head is scary, it’s not the only thing lurking in our brains. It’s everyday students and activities that they can’t get away from, such as bullies and presenting in front of the class.

Things that most people look over as nothing could be a high schooler’s biggest fear.

Senior Shayna says “Public speaking or presentations in general is a bit scary. You get the suspense of a time clock until it’s time for your turn to go in front of the class and it’s like hearing the scary theme song when you know someone is behind the door and some stupid teenager is about to open it anyway.”

When talking to track star and senior Allie Johnson about the scariest things and certain morals you see in horror movies in relation to high school, she stated, “Trying to fit in and not be judged is a very big fear teenagers constantly go through because we’re embarrassed about being wrong and humiliated. That relates to scary movies because people decide not to go to the

Kylie Corrao , Faith Smith, and Jackie Neuroth Three GCHS students pose for pictures in senior cafeteria. police out of fear of sounding crazy or being judged about the issue.”

Now we know about what’s happening between the horrific hallways, but how do we get ready to battle against these nightmares? So what usually triumphs over the masked man chasing you?

According to IT: Chapter 2, you make them feel like they are the last thing on your mind, and you and your friends support each other through the whole ordeal. As for presentations and deadlines hanging over your heads, the best thing to do is study and focus on your schoolwork because that’s what matters at the end of the day. When talking to Junior Cedaija on ways to combat the fear you feel she suggested, “Outsmarting your problems such as finding ways to study better would help you survive high school.”

Welcome to the Party Photo credit: Seagar Johnson It styled Photo in the woods.

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FEATURES

Elucidating the Everyday Superhero It was a cold night in 2018, and snow was covering the ground. The majority of Grant Community High School students would be sleeping in preparation for the school day ahead. But for one student, it’s a different story. *All names have been changed for privacy to the family* Written by: Kyra Jagodzinski

To me, it was just a normal day.

To some of my peers, it could have been a tragedy, My dad was almost always gone, so it was no surprise to not know where he was, or when he was getting home.

It was midnight in the middle of winter on a school night, so I was getting myself ready for the school day ahead of me.

The second my heels touched the end of my mattress, the door immediately started to bang. They were loud, shaking the entire house with every strike. Grabbing my phone, I rushed down the stairs while simultaneously dialing my father, hoping he was going to pick up. The only answer I received that night was the empty, robotic voice asking me to leave a message. Hoping to keep the would-be intruders out, I decided to shut off all the lights in the house, hoping to appear as if nobody was home. After a few more minutes, the trespassers became interested in getting inside.

After making sure that they were gone, I looked around outside--trying to visualise what the people had done to create the footprints that were so deeply molded in the snow. The icy winds of winter sent chills down my bare spine, so I decided to return to the warmth of my house. Taking the steps two at a time, I eased my anxiety of the trespassers being near the house by looking through my dads window. I tried multiple other times to call him, but he never picked up

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once, Thirty minutes later, Dad walks in. He immediately told me that Olivia, our roommate, was missing and we had to go look for her. With Dad dragging me by the arm to the damaged car, I could smell the stench of alcohol on him. He reeked of it almost every night.

I argued with Dad, tried to talk him out of driving. I was 14, and all I wanted to do was get my father out of the drivers seat so he wouldn’t hurt himself or anybody else. I begged and pleaded with him, but he was insistent on driving to find Olivia.

I watched from the passenger’s seat as he zoned out, his eyes glossy as he watched the road go under the broken car. He was slowly going faster, but luckily nobody else was on the road. We were about to pass an empty parking lot when an idea hit me like a bullet. I grabbed ahold of the steering wheel, and pulled the car into the parking lot.

My mind was racing as I got out of the car to cool down. I started pacing around the side of the car and eventually made my way around to the back of the car, where I realized that the already broken vehicle was now smashed from the back, as if it were put into a car crusher.

I realised that we had to make our way home and find somebody who was sober to drive the car in order to find Olivia. We rode home in silence, the only sound I could hear was the sputtering engine of our car.

Once we pulled into the driveway, I immediately got out and walked inside. My dad got into my step-mom Sophies car, and I watched him pull out onto the road once more. I was tired, confused and angry, so I let him go.

The second that I closed the front door and started to walk away, our roomate Olivia walks in. She started to scream at me, telling me that my dad was a liar and that I shouldn’t trust him. Olivia had just stopped her rant as she began to go up the stairs, so I followed suit.

I watched as Olivia started to pack up her belongings, shoving clothes and books into a suitcase. A second later, dad walked into Olivia’s bedroom as well. Dad pushed me out of the doorway and slammed the door, but I could still hear the shouting. I forced my way

The outlook of an alcoholic An alcoholic struggles with their adiction daily. back into the room, and saw my father crying and was begging me to leave, to not listen to what Olivia was trying to tell me. I was confused but curious, so I listened to her. As she threw more clothes into the suitcase, she cried.

Olivia told me that my dad loved both Olivia and Sophie, who was deployed.

I was furious with my dad. How could he do this to Sophie while she was gone? Sophie was a huge inspiration for me, so it hurt deeply to know that Dad could love Olivia. Everybody was shouting as much as the next, but it had escalated. Olivia had grabbed my arm and pinned me against the wall behind me, and I tried as hard as I could to

parent or parents, they grow up with multiple constraints.

Children who grow up with adults who are often unpredictable, sometimes violent and give in to their impulses and desires often face high risks of mental health trauma and could eventually lead to substance abuse as well.

Families who have alcoholics in them often consist of chaos, inconsistency, unclear roles, and illogical thinking. Children who grow up in these types of homes often suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress How an Alcoholic Parent affects the Body Disorder, which can also be equivalent to those of soldiers who survived a war.

“These children are more at risk for alcoholism and other drug abuse than are children of non-alcoholics, and more at risk of marrying an alcoholic as well,” says Stephanie Brown, founder of the Alcohol Clinic at Stanford Medical Center.

Unquestionably, it is harder for children to understand what their parent is doing and or how they can help their parent.

Medical professionals who talk to these children and help them know this, which is why several movements have been made to help children talk about it more.

In the early 1990s, the National Association for Children of Alcoholics had produced a series of posters that featured familiar faces like Captain America, Hulk, Storm, Wanda, Silver Surfer, Spiderman, and Ironman. The heroes could be seen saying quotes like “Some moms and dads who drink too much are alcoholics, and they have a disease called alcoholism. If you want to learn more … ask someone you trust.”

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push her off of me.

With Sophie’s weight holding me down, I watched as my Dad slammed his head against the wall, again and again. He was begging for Sophie to stop, to let me go. But Sophie seemed to have blocked out all the noise, and could only hear her screaming.

Eventually, Sophie let me go and Dad pushed me outside the door so that the two adults could have their conversation without a third party involved.

I saw this as the perfect time to escape the whirlwind of insults and yelling, so I decided to walk to a friends house. Before I left, Dad told me that Sophie had a gun. But I was too tired to care, so I just grabbed my shoes and my phone and started walking.

The crisp winter air pierced my bare legs and sent chills running down my spine. I took out my phone to call my mom, who decided to call the cops.

A tear seemed to run down my face for every step I took, and yet the freezing temperatures caused them to cool only halfway down my cheek.

I waited for my mom at my friends house, and she eventually showed up. She took me back to the house to grab some clothes, and I had to have a police officer escort me through the house because Olivia had disappeared that night after I left, and the cops had no idea where she was.

It was around 2:00, and my mother and I were in the police station, filling out a police report on the night. We scheduled a court time for that morning at 7:00. I got home at 3:00 and couldn’t sleep, so I went to court and when we got out almost an hour later, I went to school to finish the school day.

Undoubtedly, when a child grows up with an alcoholic

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The posters helped to draw attention to the growing problem within adults, and it made the children of alcoholics more likely to reach out and learn more and or ask for help.

But according to Dr. Robin Rosenberg, a licensed clinical psychologist, she believes that we can identify to the heroes we see more then we believe. Dr. Rosenberg says that there are generally 3 types of life-altering experiences that superheroes go through that almost all of us can relate to.

The first experience being trauma, Dr. Rosenberg uses Bruce Wayne/Batman as an example.

After Wayne sees his parents be murdered, he dedicates his life to fighting crime. Although most of our trauma may not be as morbid, a lot can relate to him. In real life, many people experience “self-induced growth” after a trauma to help others, usually becoming an activist. he develops powers The second life-alof a spider after untering force is desThese chilwillingly being bitten. tiny. Like Buffy the dren are more Parker chooses to use Vampire Slayer, his powers for good, many of us identify at risk for aland many people can with her because coholism and relate to his situation. they had to take on The majority of the other drug great amounts of time when something responsibility that abuse than awful occurs, people compels the person are children of have to reroute some or to grow up faster all aspects of their lives nonthen they want to. to go around what hapThis can happen alcoholics. pened, which is what in several different Parker does. ways, which makes When something bad it very common. happens to you, the The third and final majority of us don’t look towards option, sheer chance, is the least Superheros for support as teens common experience of the three. and or adults. As kids, a lot of us Dr. Rosenberg uses Spiderman admired superheroes and wanted as an example. Peter Parker acto be just like them. Dr. Rosenberg quires a “Spidey-Sense,” where believes that the writers purposely wrote their backgrounds as traumatic as they were so that we could 18 relate to them, and show the reader

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how if you take control of your life, you can take what comes your way and use it for good.

Almost a month after a Grant Community High School student’s parent got drunker then ever before, they are currently involving themselves at school through coursework and sports.

They try hard and also remember to always be respectul and friendly to everyone. They have changed drastically, and are going to counseling continuously for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The roommate has a restraining order against him, and their alcoholic parent is currently awaiting to be prosecuted for destruction of property.

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Fall Recipes To Munch On! Written And Collected By: Elizabeth Newcomb

Whether you care to admit it or not, pumpkin spiced lattes are the spirit drinks of the Halloween/fall season. The smooth, delicious taste of a cinnamon and pumpkin concoction are sure to cure any feelings or discomfort due to the dreary weather outside. After just one sip of this beverage, you’ll be filled with content and joy that will last through all of this holiday season!

Soup is the national food of fall, I officially declared it! After a long day of school or work, nothing feels better than curling up on the couch with a bowl of soupy goodness. On sick days when your grandma brings it to you, or when you heat it up straight from a can, one thing remains constant. That bowl of pure comfort will bring satisfacation that will last an entire evening!

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All pictures have been found on Creative Commons.

Directions: Add milk, pumpkin puree, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until hot, but do not boil.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and the coffee. Finally, add the whipped cream and enjoy!

As the colder weather arrives, so do the sweet cravings. Whether you’re munching leftovers after Thanksgiving at two in the morning, or you’ve decided to have a baking day with some of your best friends, it would be wise to consider this recipe! Apple pies originates in 1381 in England from Geoffrey Chaucer, according to an article on travelmamas.com. This retro style dessert has clearly been around for quite some time, therefore it definitely must be considered as a top priority recipe to make in the fall.

Recipe: 3/4 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 (15 oz can) of pumpkin puree, 1 1/4 cups of Half and Half or evaporated milk, 2 eggs beaten, 1 pie crust of your choice.

Directions: Heat oven to 425°F. In large bowl, mix filling ingredients.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 2 hours.

Serve or refrigerate until serving time.

Store in refrigerator.

Recipe: 2 cups of milk, 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, 1 to 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 of a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 cup of hot strong coffee, and whipped cream for serving.

Recipe: 6 slices of bacon, 1 small onion diced, 3 tablespoons of flour, 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of Half and Half, 3 cups of potatoes, 1 cup of cheese, 1/3 cup of sour cream, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

Directions: Create a roux out of the bacon grease and some flour. This will thicken the soup as it cooks.

Use waxy potatoes. I love using gold potatoes. The low starch of these potatoes is perfect for blending into pure creaminess.

Use mixture of milk AND cream. Because it does make a difference.

Mix in sour cream and cheese at the end.

How to break the trend of negative stereotyping in our communities

Written by: Seager Johnson

Is it possible to end the reign of stereotypes? Stereotypes have become one of the most common problems in our modern society.

When watching different movies of the same genre, one begins to notice many similar patterns among them, building an expectation that those same patterns appear in each movie of that genre. Pattern seeking is human nature and contributes to the problem of stereotyping. When we are used to groups of people acting a certain way, we assume that each person in this group will act the same. What do you think when you see a group of kids discussing Minecraft or the group who likes to wear darker colors? How do you think of the football team as it’s captains come strolling down the hall?

These personalities might differ from your own, but does that really make someone less or more valuable? Stereotyping causes you to make assump-

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Spreading Kindness

tions about people that may lead to a negative judgment. You may not think negatively of such people, but the negative stereotypes you people due to their ability to bond have heard or known lead you to apply them and support their teammates. They to that person. agree that one must not treat someone differently due to the rumors that are

The types of clubs you’re in, sports commonly used to describe them. One you play, classes you take, friend groups, of the individuals wished all cheerhow you dress, ethnicity, and sexuality/gen- leaders became seen “as any other der identification all subject you to stereotyp- athlete, as a hard-working person”. She ing. People see the typical ways that people believes that people must get to know in these groups act, and they treat the people each other before they choose how in these groups differently because of it. to treat one another. If people didn’t Many of these commonly known stereotypes jump to stereotypical views, stopping contain no factual basis, they are based on ru- the stereotyping process may become mors and prior prejudices that started many easier when viewing those surrounded years ago about how these people probably by rumor-based stereotypes. act in their groups. Cheerleading remains a

GCHS student Guerritha common place for rumor based stereotyping. Muntu can personally speak of the In an interview with three GCHS cheernegative effects of stereotyping. As a leaders (who want to remain anonymous), they discussed how many people only see cheerleaders as ‘mean’ and ‘dumb’, but in reality, they are some of the most supportive

Guerritha Ignores the Judgement from Others Guerritha resents the effects of stereotypes and those who choose to use them. She chooses to ignore the idea that peo21 ple use them on her and conotinues to be a proud and confident individual.

10/13/2019

Word Art

FEATURES Typical Stereotypes

Word Cloud Created through WordArt.com These words hurt people and are often untrue.The focus of this word cloud is essential, the stereotypes must stop. black woman, she understands that people commonly apply stereotypes when they first see her, assuming that she may be ‘ratchet’, ‘getto’, or ‘uneducated’.

She hates that stereotyping exists, but it makes her more aware of the way she puts herself out there. “ You really have to watch what you say to people... how you act, [and] how you present yourself because people already have that stereotype in their heads and already assume a lot of things about you.”

Guerritha wishes that she didn’t need to act this way around new people to prove that stereotypes about people like her are false.

Guerritha looks forward to coming to school, but not for the people who see her in the halls and think otherwise, the people who come up with all of these negative stereotypes in their heads. To try and stop stereotypes from progressing in our society, she

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menlives by certain morals and shares those morals with other people. “ I don’t judge people, only because I know what it feels like to be judged... but sometimes I do. I hate it, [but] it’s just how the brain works”. This plays a sizable part in ending the reign of stereotypes. As discussed earlier, stereotyping people by first glance is a natural process in our head. In order to end stereotyping, people need to push away those negative thoughts that first come to mind and replace them with feelings of neutrality.

Guerritha acknowledges the difficulty in ignoring what your first thoughts are, but the more we try, the closer we are to a stereotype free commu- Ricky Practices for Competition nity.

Ricky embracing his

As previously

tioned, when we think of a sport, we think of stereotypical qualities about the players, but with that comes additional stereotypes about those who we don’t picture playing those sports. In cheerleading, dance, and flags, people tend to picture the ideal female in that sport. When men participate in it, the stereotypes are often harsher for them, consisting of more negative stereotypes than positive. Ricky Huhn, an athlete on Color Gaurd and Winter Guard, discusses what it’s like to be one of the few guys on guard. People often see these men as either ‘too girly’ and ‘flamboyant’, or as ‘lazy’ and ‘just there for attention’.

Ricky understands that passion at practice. he is seen like this by 1/1

many, but he proves that he is more than only that. He proves that he is “somebody who’s dedicated and works hard”, and he’s not only there for “the name or the jacket”. He agrees that stereotypes need to go so that they “don’t influence the way that people think about others.”

Society needs to reject their reliance on using typical stereotypes to judge others’ personal qualities. If we continue to treat people better or worse because of what we imagine them like, then stereotypes will live on and grow stronger.

Our beliefs will not change, and we will never prove ourselves wrong. Ending the reign of stereotypes will make our community stronger. We will no longer judge people because of

the clothes they like to wear. We will no longer think of negative thoughts about someone because of previous stereotypical qualities. We will no longer be so disconnected as a community because of what we think sets us apart from others.

A genre applies to movies, books, albums, and TV. It is judged by its qualities, and those qualities put it into a genre. Most subjects in a genre will contain many similar qualities. The genre doesn’t matter though, the qualities aren’t important until you see the movie or hear the album for yourself. Just because you usu-

“Stereotypes don’t matter

ally don’t like horror movies or rap music doesn’t mean that you won’t like any, but refusing to try leads you to continue saying you don’t like those things. Stereotypes are common qualities seen in different types of people. Even though prior prejudices make a claim, we don’t need to agree with it, refusing to give a person a chance to defy the limits of that claim. At the end of the day, we are all human. Stereotypes don’t matter. We are better than to separate ourselves because of the differences we assume are there.

Let’s stop stereotyping. Let’s change the way that we think about others. Let’s stop spreading stereotypes from one generation to the next. Instead, let’s spread kindness.

I See You Bulldog

Samantha Kaltenbach Energizing a Conversation

Samantha is on the GCHS Varsity Cheerleading team,a team that has allowed her to build up many amazing traits. Cheer has built up her sense of community and the importance of being there for your friends, along with being inviting to new ones. She has built skills that allow her to know when her friends aren’t acting right and can be there for them to help them out. She knows how to use her energy to change a person’s mood and lighten up many situations. She will turn many bad situations into positive ones and keep her friends happy throughout the day.

Samantha demonstrates each day that she will do what’s necessary to keep her friends happy and loved.

Alyssa Manthi Listening to a Friend

Alyssa is a very supportive friend who is happy to be there for anyone who needs her. She goes out of her way to make kids feel welcome in this community. She participates in FBLA(Future Buisness Leaders of America), helping her build up great leadership skills. Her friends admire her outgoing personality and her want to help others. She is really funny and can easily pick up someone elses mood with her comedy. Her friends appreciate that she’s such a good listener and really cares about what you have to say. Her friends know that her caring personality will allow her to always be there for them and have someone to rely on. Alyssa continues to better the GCHS community.

Abby Allen Helping a Peer with their Essay

Abby is always there to help other people and make decisions that can better the community. She is a member of NHS(National Honors Society), a group dedicated to volunteer service. Additionaly, she is on student council, a group making decisions to better the school and community within. Abby reaches out to all of her friends when they need help academically or personally. She is an intelligent individual who is willing to teach her peers when they have trouble understanding a concept of a class. Abby is a very open person who happily invites people to be her friend.

Abby has easily earned her way to be acknolweged for all of the time she dedicates to helping others.

Photography and Artwork: Seager Johnson

The Bulldog Battle

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8/28/19: Chase Martin Putting the golf ball into the hole.

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8/27/19: Jazzlyn Limbo Slamming the volleyball onto the enemies’ court.

9/07/19: Drue Polka Carrying ahead of the competition.

3 9/07/19: Justin Split Running towards the victory line.

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5 9/10/19: Hunter Parkman Heading the ball towards the goal.

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9/10/19: Adryan Gonzalez Moving Forward to put pressure on Wauconda.

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9/30/19: Lauren Lee Putting the ball with elegant grace.

9/13/19: Ben Torbik Rushing forward to put a touchdown on the scoreboard.

7 9/13/19: Kyle Rainey Tackling the Wide-Receiver to prevent a touchdown.

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9 9/16/19: Arielle Colombrus Returning the ball to her opponent.

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3 Most Valuable Players Jacob Lokietko Senior - Soccer

In his final year of high school, senior and varsity athlete Jacob Lokietko never fails to impress anyone watching him as he plays soccer. He is a devoted soccer player and is very helpful to his team. He is a dedicated athlete who has been playing soccer since he was 4 years old. He started at a very young age and he has grown very much as a player.

Jacob portrays good leadership and has a good mindset about soccer and his team. According to him his favorite part of his team is “hanging out with them and just having a team to be apart of.” He continues to be a great player and teammate and will continue to finish off his final year at Grant with an astounding reputation of being one of the best players on the Grant soccer team.

Brooke Hurley

Senior-Soccer Senior-Cheerleading

Brooke Hurley is a four-year varsity athlete who has worked day in and day out because of her love for cheer.

She is a hard worker and values her team just as much as anything else. It is her last year on the team but according to her, “An experience she’ll never forget.” She uses her time at practice to connect with her teammates and work hard towards a good. She states that “It (cheer) is something I will love for the rest of my life and it will give me amazing memories that I’ll always look back on.” Brooke’s leadership and dedication makes her a great role model and athlete. She is a very upright athlete and will be remembered for her leadership and dedication to her team.

Audrey Mazur

Sophomore - Cross Country

Sophomore - Golf

Varsity golfer Audrey Mazur is an exceptional golfer. She is well rounded and ready to play whenever she gets to her match. Audrey is a very skilled and social player.

In an interview, she stated, “What brings me the most joy about golf is getting to know different people. Every match we get paired up with different people.” Her social outlook on the sport gives her a big advantage in her matches. She is a great example for many people who aspire to be social and hard working. Audrey always continues to be a hard-working and mindful athlete.

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Written by: Melanie Viscioni

Photo Cedits: VIP

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3 Players on the Rise Eli Rasborschek

Freshman - Tennis

Freshman Varsity athlete Eli Resborchek never fails to impress people who watch her. She is an astounding tennis player along with being a passionate teammate and student. She has many great qualities about her including her focus which helps her in tennis. In an interview, Rasborchek made a statement about this by stating “Through tennis, I have learned that you need to focus on one thing at a time.” She is a super great tennis player hence her making varsity freshman year and she has never let her team down. She continues to be a great tennis player and a role model for her peers. She has been playing tennis since she was 5 years old. Yet again, showing how she is dedicated to her sport. Eli will continue to be a great tennis player in hopes of being on varsity for her next 3 years at Grant.

Austin Fudala Junior - Football

For Austin, football is a main priority. Austin Fudala is a varsity football player and a good teammate. He believes the most rewarding part of football is “a win on a Friday night because we know that we are doing things right.” as he stated in an interview. He values his team because he is a dedicated athlete and states that his favorite part of his team is when “they can let go of all the bad things in their lives and focus on the game.” He is a dedicated athlete and he is a hardworking and noble player. He believes his team is closer than ever as they have won more games this year than in past years. He is very excited about the outcome of this year and hopes to remain on Varsity and pursue a leadership role in future years on the team.

Kyle Splitt

Sophomore- -Golf Golf Sophomore Sophomore Kyle Splitt is on the varsity golf team at Grant. He is patient, and an overall good teammate. He uses golf to disconnect himself from real-life events such as school. In an interview Splitt states “patience from golf allows me to deal with frustrating moments in life.” He is a good teammate and is good at working with his team in order to be able to build trust with them, as he states “we bond by trusting each other with real scores and not to cheat.”

Splitt takes on a leadership role in his team and never fails to let his team down.

Written by: Melanie Viscioni

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Shooting Down the Star A recap in Antonio Browns’ history and what led up to his freefall.

Written by: Ethan Dicken

Saying Antonio Brown’s last few months have been horrific would be an understatement. A man who was considered the best wide receiver in the NFL is now watching the 20192020 season from his couch like the rest of us. A man who led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2018, with 15 is now out of the league. A man who was signed a $50.1 million dollar contract with the Oakland Raiders, is now filing a grievance to get $40 million back.

The past 6 months for Antonio Brown could have been scripted for a movie. The problems started for the former wide receiver back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown was drafted in 2010, and spent 9 years with the Steelers. From 2011-2016 Brown delivered an eye-popping 8,210 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns,which landed him a hefty $68 million dollar deal for 4 years in 2017. The next year after his newly signed deal, Brown would go on to add another 1,533 receiving yards and nine touchdowns to his resume in 2017, but the honeymoon between Antonio Brown and the Steelers would soon start to come to an end.

The cracks started to form late January back in 2017 when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in a nailbiter, 18-16 in the AFC Divisional Round. The story wasn’t the Steelers beating the Chiefs it was what happened after the game that created headlines. Brown pulled out his phone and live-streamed the locker room celebration on Facebook which was a violation of league policy. This was also done in spite of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger asking Brown to lay low a bit on social media, and his decision to do the opposite shone a light on head coach Mike Tomlin yelling at least one sharp expletive around about the next opponent to come to be the New England Patriots

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in the AFC Conference Championship Brown then which issued a formal apology via press conference.

Just one week later, the Steelers took action. Brown was reportedly fined $10,000 by the team for streaming Pittsburgh’s locker room celebration. Mike Tomlin who was the Head Coach of the Steelers, informed his players during a team meeting this week that he was fining Brown. Tomlin disciplined Brown, but the matter was made worse when it was discovered that Facebook had paid Brown $244,000 at the start of the 2017 season to create content for them. And so, his fall in Pittsburgh began.

Fast-forwarding 2 years later Brown took to his beloved social media accounts to both thank the Steelers’ fandom and proclaimed it was time to “move on”. It’s a decision the organization itself agreed with, but still had enough motivation to attempt a repair in the relationship. After all, Brown was still under contract for three more years and coming off of a 1,297-yard season. The damage was already done and the organization finally agreed that it was time to move on. After Antonio Brown and others questioned his commitment to football he was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a 3rd and a 5th round pick.

The Oakland Raiders knew trading for Brown meant they had to restructure his contract and added more money to his contract. Shortly after being trade, Oakland and Brown agreed to a contract that would pay him just over $50 million,for the next 3 seasons. The deal also included $30.13 million in guaranteed money. With OTAs starting the franchise couldn’t wait to see their new star wide receiver out there. But Brown wasn’t as ready as the team was. The reason he wasn’t ready...his helmet. He was so irritated with the NFL’s new policy that wouldn’t allow him to wear his long time helmet due to the helmet not

meeting the policy’s new standards.

This forced Brown to wear a helmet that he showed displeasure to his OTA coaches. Brown reportedly stormed out of practice attempting to sneak his old helmet onto the field. As OTAs came to an end the team felt that this helmet issue would soon be past them but that was far from the truth.

Late July and early August Brown was placed on the non-football injury list, with undisclosed injury at the start of training camp. The truth would soon come out about Browns’ injury and it was due to the bottom of his feet having severe frostbite due to a cryotherapy machine wearing improper footwear. With conflicting reports now swirling about that claim he’s ghosted the Raiders and their attempts to communicate with him, with a different report claiming there have been discussions and he’s expected to return “soon”. He took to Instagram to post an image of the soles of his feet, revealing just how bad they looked.It didn’t actually matter how bad his feet were because Brown was threatening to never play again if he couldn’t wear his old helmet.

As the regular season approached, Antonio finally found a helmet that he could work with. After all these problems the team thought these issues were over and it was time for some football. Again they were sadly wrong, reports came out that Brown “got into it” with the General Manager of the Raiders Mike Mayock, in a disagreement that could lead to the team suspending the All-Pro wideout for conduct detrimental to the team.

With $30 million in guaranteed money Browns’ time with the Raiders was looking to come to an end. 24 hours later after the rumored suspension.

The Raiders head coach Jon Gruden still confirmed Brown would play week 1 against the Denver Broncos after Brown gave an apology.

The dust finally settled, but

cal trainer Britney Taylor who claimed that Brown sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions over the last three years. Since the lawsuit was filed, Brown has released his own statement via his lawyer, denying “each and every allegation in the lawsuit.” The Patriots also released a statement, saying that the team “takes these allegations very seriously”. The NFL then conducted their own investigation into the case. Despite the ongoing investigation, Brown made his debut with the Patriots,week two against the Miami Dolphins where Brown caught his first touchdown. Brown also had four receptions for fifty four yards. Just when you thought things

were looking up for the star wideout, the Patriots decided to release the Pro Bowler due to the growing distraction and allegations against him.

Antonio Brown is a man without football now. A man who is watching football every Sunday from his couch like the rest of us. The only bright side into this saga, is that Brown has the opportunity to rewrite history about him. The man is 31 years old and is on the back side of his prime,but is still arguably the best wide receiver in football. Only Antonio Brown could accomplish that goal.

For now that man is like the rest of us,watching football like a fan.

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not even twenty-four hours later Antonio Brown posted a nearly two-minute video to his YouTube feed that appeared to feature a private phone call with Gruden where the Raiders coach appears to tell the receiver to “Please stop this (explicit) and just play football,” and other things. Saturday the team fined Brown more than $200,000 and voided $29.125 million of his guarantees. Later that same day the team released Brown.Just after 5pm Brown announced on Instagram that he signed with the New England Patriots.

The Brown saga took a darker turn when a lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Florida by physi-

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The Duel Of Rackets

Competition is a noticeable factor inside the game of tennis, becoming a leading character trait on the court.

Lucy Lee () and ... () on the Tennis Court Preparing to play versus one another..

Two Tennis Players preparing to play against one another using determination and competition to take a win versus each other.

Photo Credit to Adil Siraj Inside the expanding world of tennis, competitiveness is a developing common trait amongst players. It is often seen left and right from wherever you look at an match. It influences a player’s behavior during the game, often inspiring what moves they perform and how they play against their opponents. Being competitive can change a player’s behavior in the right way; helping them play better, understand a player’s strategy, or form their own game plan more easily.

Although sometimes it can change you into the wrong light. You could begin to have a winner-takes-all mentality, always wanting to do the most when it is not required. The pressure could affect you immensely, causing you to possibly break down. People could start resenting you for your actions. When you push a friendly activity too far, you could lead to a downward spiral of relationships ending with others, but sports players actively use this correctly to benefit them in the long run.

Mr. Wintersteen is a coach for the girls’ tennis team and has seen tennis players use their competitiveness in games

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across multiple seasons. Mr. Wintersteen says “that the competition is something that’s more of a team versus an individual aspect.” Tennis players should and are able to play alongside their partners while being competitive and using teamwork together, but sometimes you require a responsible figure to help guide you and make sure that you play correctly.

Lucy Lee is a freshman tennis player and is new to the sport. She believes that being competitive can help push you to play better, but she also thinks that you could get too into the sport and emotional. Being emotional isn’t common but still could occur, though tennis is a sport that pushes through and manages to play past any obstacle that comes in the way of them.

Alongside, being competitive can really help you, it is often seen in pro athletes in various sports, all using the trait to push ahead and beat their opponents.

Natalie Hernandez is a varsity tennis player and has played through the pressure and heat from various tennis games, she has used competitiveness to play harder and benefit in the classroom, earning top grades while still playing on the court.

Along with helping her tiptoe around tiny mistakes, helping her notice what things can be simply avoided and improved onto, but being competitive has turned easy and family activities into competitions for her. Natalie has played sports as long as she can remember and has coped with the pressure that comes from activities that she has played.

Being competitive is a trait that is often used in tennis and other sports to receive better results. More often than not, you can usually see knowledgeable and professional players using it to their advantage and winning their matches.

Why Football Players Wear Pink in October Written by: Maiah Ona

In the month of October, you may notice football players playing as usual but in pink. This does not happen just in our home fields at Grant but it is national awareness for cancer. Originally just for Breast Cancer awareness, the NFL has worn pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. It is called a crucial catch and the goal is to spot Cancer is at an early stage and create a risk reduction.

The NFL sells pink football gear to places such as schools for money to be used for breast cancer awareness. “100% of proceeds from pink products auctioned on NFL Auction go directly to the American Cancer Society.

The NFL does not profit from the sale or auction of pink merchandise.”

For the eighth year straight the NFL has continued to support and gather proceeds for cancer awareness. Most proceeds are gained from school football teams such as our own.

“They wear it to bring awareness for breast cancer… The NFL sells that stuff so they get part of the money from selling that gear (which) goes to breast cancer research,” said teacher Ross Purchatske.

It is important to be cautious and another one of the NFL’s goals is to find cancer early on so it becomes easier to treat.

Crucial Catch, however, is not the only organization the NFL supports. Supporting 32 clubs, the NFL donates $120 million to over 642 different charities, raising over $19 million for crucial catch.

“For a long time, we have been supporting causes close to the heads of the NFL. To find out they are really following through with this, it makes me feel like the players are gaining more of a voice,” says Devon Still from the Cincinnati Bengals.

At the moment football players will be fined for wearing pink in any month other than October which makes pink on the field exclusively to promote cancer research.

The idea of early screenings and funding for research might just save someone close to you their life.

A study in 2018 conducted by Cancer.gov estimates that 609,640 would die of cancer in the U.S. One of the most common forms being breast cancer.

SPORTS

Crucial Catch

The importance of the crucial catch is obvious. Killing 8.2 million people worldwide isn’t something overlooked, making cancer the 2nd most common disease in the U.S. Most people have known someone with cancer which makes it much more real.

When asked why varsity football player Dylan Hernandez believes Crucial Catch is important he answered, “To show support and spread the awareness... a lot of people suffer from that kind of stuff.”

.Image of Football Player Ramon Guzman wrapping his wrist taken by Mariah Ona

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