Huntley HS Voice November 2021 Issue

V the O I C E

November 19, Volume 25, Issue 4 Huntley High School

Tribute to Heuck Morgan Bach’s tattoo passion Bathrooms shut down

CONTENTS

table of

NEWS fall fest at Willow Creek 04 if these halls could talk SPECIAL 10 FEATURE painting calculators 22 OPINION finals are worthless 29 A&E logo girl on TikTok 42 Hibbeler’s tennis success SPORTS 54 Jennifer Heuck’s tribute TRIBUTE 56 Editor in Chief Kate Alvarado Managing Editor Nikki Darnall Floating Editors Ruhi Gulati, Maria Loiseau, Ally Panzloff, Megan Pawlak, Gretchen Sweeney Photo Editor Jake Habel Marketing Editor Natalie VonderHeide Social Media Manager Maggie Kirwin

EDITORIAL POLICY

EDITORIAL BOARD

STAFF

Staff Writers Luma Acevedo, Molly Balmes, Brenden Boyle, Brittney Burak, Serafina Druetta, Ty Goodrich, Rae Habel, Bailey Lim, Megan McCoy, Emma McCoy, Hailee McQueen, Emilia Shwartz, Jess Smith, Jasmine Thompson, Samantha Webb, Gabby Whitfield, Austin Zenaty, Owen Zimmerman Photographers Matthew Margetson, Martiza Vazquez, Josh Waters, Grace Watt Adviser Dennis Brown

THE VOICE is an official student-produced medium of news and information published and produced by Huntley High School News Media Production students (ADDRESS: 13719 Harmony Rd. Huntley, IL 60142). The Voice has been established as a designated public forum for student writers and editors to inform and educate their readers and to discuss issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of The Voice is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself; its student editorial board and staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.

Little boy dressed in a Harry Potter costume playing dodgeball at Fall Fest.

J. Habel

The “Holy Grail” of fall fun Willow Creek Church unites community with a new fall fest

By Jay Thompson

I

t is a chilly day on Oct. 31 at South Barringotn Willow Creek Church as they take their own spin on the holiday and start the spooky anniversary with a huge outdoor Fall Fest open to the public.

Fall Fest was a huge success with hundreds of people taking part in the event. The event had fun inflatables for the kids to delicious homemade apple cider donuts that had people constantly jumping back into line for NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

more.

Fall Fest was an event that you did not want to miss.

“Fall Fest is no particular celebration for anything but a chance for families and the community to have fun with our church and all the festival activities we have out here. So it’s no surprise that this many people turned out,” said David Dummitt, senior pastor of Willow Creek Church.

Willow Creek is known for holding many events open to the public such as Dad Fest, Winter Wonderland, Summer Fest and so much more.

“A lot of people don’t normally know that our church is here and the activities are for families not just during service time but also during the week and so when we do these kind of events, it’s just a

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way to partner with the communities and to do something fun and to get people to know our organization,” Leslie Shogren, organizer of Fall Fest and operations director said. Willow Creek Community Church is an organization that evangelizes Christianity to its communities.

This was the very first Fall Fest that the church has ever done. According to Shogren, the start of fall fest did not go according to plan.

“The corn maze was the original idea for the event but that was dismissed because we realized how hard it was to pull it off, so instead we used the hay bales to do pumpkin bowling and then filled in from there,” Shogren said.

Fall fest had many activities for people of all ages.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

NEWS | fall fest They had a dodgeball tournament for high schoolers and inflatables for kids in elementary school. It also had a pumpkin picasso contest for the adults and pumpkin painting that all ages could participate in.

The event even had different fall themed pumpkin bowling alleys where people would take their chances at rolling their pumpkins into a bunch of bowling pins and try to earn themselves a strike.

“We actually ended up buying over a thousand pumpkins just for this project alone because of the pumpkins always breaking when being used to roll,” Shogren said.

“But people seemed to enjoy it more when the pumpkins were broken after being rolled because it made it more entertaining.”

They also had food trucks that sold different types of cuisines such as Indian, Jamaican, and Mexican.

“The variety of food was intentional because we wanted none of our guests to feel left out or become upset because there was nothing for them to eat here,” said Shawn William, campus pastor of Willow Creek

in South Barrington. “It also gives culture to our event to show that there is a place for everyone at Willow.”

Other organizations utilized the event as well to promote themselves.

There was a haunted bus that individuals were allowed to walk in and get a spooky experience.

It can be seen as more of a blessing that it took place on Halloween day because folks can start off their Sunday with a good church service and then go out to Fall Fest.

Shawn Williams

Campus pastor Shawn William taking part in pumpkin bowling.

J. Habel Little boy tramples through a bouncy house inflatable.

“We come around here to all these events looking for drivers,” said Linda Garland, a school bus driver for Prairie View First Student Bus Service.

“We do all different districts and we drive all over Illinois, we do charters, weddings, everything.”

Fall Fest was originally supposed to take place the Sunday before Halloween on Oct. 24 but it was canceled due to inclement weather.

It is a way to partner with the community and do something fun while getting the people to know our organization.

Leslie Shogren

J. Habel NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

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“It can be seen as a blessing that it took place on Halloween day because folks can start off their Sunday with a good church service then go out to the fall fest and have fun with their kids with all the activities we have here today. Then afterwards end their day with trick-or -treating with their loved ones,” Williams said.

The event lasted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and ended with free pumpkins and apple cider donuts for families and creating a great lead into the Halloween night.

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NEWS | fall fest

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NEWS | vanguard

Vanguard marks four years Looking back on the program with the first senior class graduating

By Hailee McQueen

I

n the upstairs west wing and circle is where you will find Huntley’s competency-based program, Vanguard Vision. As one of the 10 schools chosen to start this pilot program Huntley welcomed freshmen, from the Class of 2022, to be the first group of students to go through Vanguard for the next 4 years. Since then, Vanguard has dealt with challenges, successful moments, and new incoming students.

There was not a specific program for staff to model from, so Vanguard’s pilot year came with unknowns. Students were allowed to learn at a different pace than they would in a traditional class, choose what classes they would attend that day, and had to create what a competency gradebook would look like.

The program started out with multiple companies and relied on them to solve the unknowns, but had to change a few things due to some issues in the first month.

“It’s almost like starting a business. It’s starting a program within a school where you have real life students, real life situations, and we have four years, 720 days, to be able to get this right for students who are graduating,” principal Marcus Belin said.

“With that comes some challenges, things that we didn’t think of.”

After Vanguard’s pilot year, going into its second year, some changes were made. Four new core classes for sophomores, along with 4 new teachers, and a new grading system called TeacherEase, were all introduced.

The program also introduced HOWLS; the habits of work, life, and social emotional learning.

According to Belin, students are about to understand themselves as the type of student and individual they are, what they want to do,

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

H. McQueen Seniors Paige Olzewski, Katrina Bredlau, and Ashley Tomlinson work on their action research. what their strengths and weaknesses are, and grow from it.

“They learn a lot more about themselves and not just the content,” Belin said.

When it came time for the COVID shutdown, Vanguard Vision was more than prepared for students to do E-Learning compared to traditional classes. Vanguard teachers and students were able to do quick check-ins and ask for help, whereas traditional classes were teaching full lessons in order to do the work.

“Vanguard ultimately has been created, where all of the content is there, and you’re moving at a pace,” Belin said. “I think that flexi-

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bility of the program and flexibility of what students are able to do, and it worked to the benefit of students.”

At the start of the program’s third year, four more core classes were added for the juniors to take. TeacherEase and the HOWLS stayed in place, but flex scheduler was removed temporarily. This was also the first year Vanguard students would be taking the SAT test.

“Based on our data management system that we have here called EKRA, students performed better than students in traditional and

see VANGUARD page 9 HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

NEWS | SAT

The final shot at more success

Huntley High School juniors and seniors get another chance to retake the SAT

By Brenden Boyle

J. Waters

W

On Saturday, Oct. 2, HHS juniors and seniors were able to pay to redo portions of the SAT.

i th college applications around the corner, juniors and seniors are starting to get very serious about their test scores. As a result, many students are deciding to retake the SAT, either one, two, or three times.

The SAT is an exam used by the majority of colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. The SAT is a multiple-choice test created and administered by College Board. It is an extra $52 to take the test a second time without the essay section, or $68 with the essay section.

There are 2 parts of the test: Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (also known as EBRW or Verbal), as well as an optional essay portion. The test is scored from 400-1600, with each section being scored out of 800. The average SAT score is a 1060.

The total length of the test is three hours, plus an additional 50 minutes if the student chose to take the essay portion. Statistics show that around two out of three students do better their second time taking the SAT. “I push myself to do as best as

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

possible when it comes to my academics,” senior Ryan Considine said, “I felt there was no harm in retaking the test, so I decided to go for it.”

Most SAT retakes are held throughout the fall, with the last one at Huntley High School being on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 a.m.

Upon entering the building, students were required to show some form of identification, whether it be a student ID, driver’s license, or state ID. They were then led to their appropriate rooms with their proctors. After reading a lengthy instruction manual, proctors passed out a test answer sheet. Students were then instructed to fill out all of their information on the sheet, which included their name, student ID number, address, and much more.

Overall, it was an easy process for most of the students and proctors.

“I think it went as smoothly as it could have,” senior Dylan Lyon said, “The first time there were some bumps as we were in e-learning all year and it was one of the first times going back into the school, but this time it was a lot more organized and smooth.”

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After the test was completed and the time limit was up, students were released. They were able to check their scores through CollegeBoard, which were released around two to four weeks after the test.

Most students felt positively about having an opportunity to retake the test, mostly because school was back in session and COVID-19 was just sprouting, so students were still trying to get used to online learning. However, since school is back in person and things are mostly going back to normal, students feel better prepared for the test.

“The first time around, I procrastinated to study for the SAT due to COVID-19,” senior Dylan Soriano said, “But now that I have the chance to retake it, I feel more prepared.”

Overall, the SAT retakes provided another chance for students to achieve a stepping stone of success into their college application journey.

All though the first test was during harsh conditions, the retake provided a sense of relief and normality to a lot of students.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

NEWS | vanguard

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from VANGUARD page 7 blended classes,” Belin said. “I felt even still, there was more support that we actually put in place as well.

Vanguard is currently in the fourth year. Students are now allowed to start taking Honors classes within the program. With the original students in their senior year, instead of four new core classes, they are allowed to take the program’s first elective class, Vanguard Seminar.

“Vanguard seminar was created as a capstone, a finished product, the final step,” English teacher Lana Johnson said. Seniors research a topic about their own interest.

“The goal of the capstone is to really see all of your work that you’ve put into the last four years, not just in Vanguard, but your education, to be able to see all of your hard work as you graduate.”

Throughout these years, there have been many negative assumptions about Vanguard, but being in the program does not allow the students to settle or fail. Instead, it aims to maximize their education, while setting a higher expectation for students.

The lowest grade students can receive to pass an assignment is a B-. Students would have to redo their work as many times as they need to reach the passing grade. They could continue working for a grade higher than a B-.

“Grades are not a punishment, but a stepladder. A stepping stone to how far you can take your own education,” Johnson said.

Vanguard seniors, get to know each other better each year. This allowed students to find common interest and connect, collaborate, but also learn how to support one another.

“We all know exactly what everyone is going through,” senior Paige Olszewski said. “We’re all there for each other, helping each other through everything.”

As Vanguard seniors begin to close this chapter, they are able to look back at what has changed since day one.

“You had the ability to create so much. You helped create a program that is only going to get better. It can only get better because we know now a whole bunch than what we did before,” Belin said.

“And then just having the opportunity to leave here knowing that you have a better understanding of the content, you know more about yourself.”

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IF THESE They would say...

Grade Junior

Activities

halls

Soccer

Favorite TV Show Outer anks

Star Sign Scorpio

But they would not know...

One unique thing that I have been able to do is go kayaking and paddleboarding on vacation with my family in Fort Myers, Florida. We traveled there by car which took us 20 hours, and the excitement was building up the whole time. In the morning, we got a free breakfast and buffet which was really nice. We got to paddle along the ocean for nearly an hour, and I had a really great time with my family. Since we went at the end of the day, I got to see the sunset as we were paddling which was beautiful.

- Katie Donovan NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

by Jake Habel ewed by Brittney Burak

photo by Jake Habel interviewed by Brittney Burak

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

COULD

talk

They would say...

Grade Junior

Activities Math Team

Favorite TV Show Mandalorian

Star Sign Aries

But they would not know...

I am originally from Cincinnati. When I came here to Huntley, I was welcomed by everyone in the community. I never felt like an outsider, and it felt like I had always been a part of the community. Whenever I spoke to somebody, it was as if we had known each other our entire lives. I met a lot of people that were encouraging and I met teachers that pushed me to be the best I can. Now that I can say I am a part of the Huntley community, I feel it is my obligation to extend that welcome to other newcomers because it is a part of the cycle that makes our community so great.

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- Nick Bom HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

News | UNICEF

Donations through volleyball games

HHS hosts the UNICEF Volleyball tournament

By Serafina Druetta

D

im lights shine within the field house while players await the excitement of the games to start. The loud noises of people calling out the ball and practicing with other players fill the room with eagerness. Everyone is dressed in their best and favorite Halloween costumes. The Halloween UNICEF Volleyball Tournament was hosted for the fourth year in the field house on Wednesday, Oct. 27.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund which helps provide different types of aid for children throughout the nation. They ensure that children’s lives are safe and protected, and that children have access to multiple opportunities within their country or area.

In this tournament, volunteers formed a team of their own to play in a volleyball tournament. This event collected money from either players, or other students that will all be donated to the UNICEF foundation.

HHS’s Student Council helped out including, English teacher and Student Council advisor Kaleigh Patinella was in charge of running the event.

“I think there were just a lot of moving pieces,” Patinella said. “But it totally sorted itself out as we worked through it.”.

There were 18 teams, consisting of students who have been playing volleyball for years, and others who have no experience playing the sport whatsoever. There were two brackets being played, a winners bracket and an alternative bracket. The team that won the winners bracket were “HDGA”, while the team that won the alternative bracket were “The Blow Ties”.

Seniors Sameer Anber and Tyler Killian played on HHS’s boys volleyball team in previous years.

“We hadn’t been able to get on a court in a while, so it was nice to have

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

us back on that,” Anber said.

Due to COVID-19 and their season ending last year, boys were not able to get back onto the court often to practice. Players enjoyed being able to gain that sense of athleticism once more.

“Especially us choosing our teammates with half or at least half of the team playing on the boys volleyball team last season, so it was pretty enjoyable,” Killian said.

This was Patinella’s first year running the event, so there were some challenges that occurred.

“I think if I were to do it again, I would have front loaded way more stuff in the beginning,” Patinella said.

“I feel like I did a decent amount of it, so I would’ve had the Student Council and our actual committee set up way earlier than when it was set so we could have them do more of it.”

Most players were very satisfied and had fun participating.

“It was a 10/10 experience I gotta say,” Anber said. “It was good to get

G. Watt

Senior Sameer Anber is excited to play his last round of volleyball. back during the off season of boys volleyball.”

It was a highly enjoyed event, due to the players getting to be with their friends playing a sport they love.

“I really just came here to enjoy playing volleyball with my friends and I had a great time,” Killian said.

The tournament contributed to a good cause and brightened many players’ nights, because they got to get back on the court again and play a sport they love.

Students come dressed in their best Halloween costumes, bowties included.

G. Watt

G. W

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G. Watt

Watt

Teams bring the competition for the winner’s bracket.

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NEWS | restrooms

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NEWS | restrooms

Every HHS restroom but two are now closed

By Luma Acevedo

W

hen we were kids, we all knew the obvious rules: no talking when the teacher was talking, no phones out during class, and no cheating.

We never thought that one day our bathroom privileges would be taken away. This is none other than the fault of the student body. Students have vandalized the restrooms since returning back to in-person learning.

“At the beginning of the year, I would see soap dispensers gone. I think that is one of the many reasons why some bathrooms are closed,” junior Ella Boeke said.

The soap dispensers being stolen was part of a Tik Tok trend called “devious licks.” The trend was

M. Vazquez

Restrooms are a privilege, not a right

encouraging students to steal items from their schools, and soap dispensers are the HHS students’ go to. This has been a factor in the bathrooms being shut down.

Due to the shutting down of the bathrooms, there have been some major changes. Aside from the fact that sometimes it is near impossible to find a restroom in dire situations, it is also taking away from class time.

“When students have to go to the bathroom during passing periods, and there aren’t any open bathrooms on their way to class, they have to walk around looking for one, making them late to class,” freshman Georgia Watson said. “Then, when they are late to class, they have to go get a tardy pass, making them miss even more time in class.”

The bathroom situation was not addressed to the students of HHS until recently.

“The bathrooms being closed all the time is something that needs to be changed and addressed,” junior Michael Dabe said.

Students have spent nearly 15 minutes out of class because they are searching all over the school for an open restroom. Some never even end

up finding a bathroom in the end.

“I know people [who] have to drive home to use the bathroom,” Dabe said.

As of Nov. 11, all restrooms in the school will be closed until further notice with exception to the two bathrooms near the main stairwell on both floors and the Freshman Academy.

While people do completely understand the reasoning behind the bathrooms being closed, there are downsides and upsides.

The downsides are that there will be significantly longer lines. Students may miss the beginning of their classes and may miss more time in class because the nearest restroom to them is no longer open if they are on either ends of the school.

The upsides are that there is less room for the bathrooms to be vandalized and less room for the bathrooms to be destroyed.

The fact is, yes, the bathrooms being shut down is an inconvenience to everyone in the building including teachers. However, this is a problem that only the student body can have a solution to.

Huntley High School students wait in line during class to use a restroom.

M. Vazquez

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Courtesy of Zach Leitske

FEATURE | positivity

A light of Huntley Senior Zach Leitzke’s leaves a positive impact on everyone in Huntley

By Maria Loiseau

W

J. Waters

Zach Leitske radiates positive energy to the entire community.

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

h en Zachary Leitske walks into a room all eyes are on him. He could be singing or talking, but he always finds a way to light up the room through his cheerful contagious energy.

Senior Zach Leitske is known for his roles in musical theater and his involvement in Buddies Club. As the social chair of Buddies Club, Leitzke has set up numerous events for the group. However, he was not always involved in Buddies Club. He did not learn about it until he was in the school musical freshman year when the club partnered with the musical.

“I knew what the club stood for, and what its values were, and I thought it was something that I needed to support, and that deserved support from other people in the school community,” Leitske said.

His passion for Buddies Clubis evident as he spends a lot of times trying to promote the club. An example of this passion is in the work he put in for this year’s Spooky Buddies event.

“He helped with the coordination of our Spooky Buddies. This year he did phenomenal, and he brought in like three food trucks. One of them was Blessed Little Kitchen, and he did such a great job of marketing what Best Buddies was, and looking for donations,” Buddies Club advisor Shannon Vanek said.

Leitzke is a nonstop machine. He will work harder than the average student in order to achieve what it is he has set his mind to.

“At one point, he had two jobs, and then he was working all day, and then would go work in a bakery at night.

Then on top of it, school. He's in AP classes this year,” senior Jordyn Trullinger said.

This effort shines through in any-

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thing that Leitzke sets his mind to.

“He is passionate about his passions, which is an odd way to put it but when he's passionate about something, he goes all in. He's very determined,” senior Marissa Mikutis said.

Leitzke is an overall kind and welcoming person.

He always accepts people with open arms because he believes in treating everyone with kindness.

Although he is one of the most charismatic people, he has not always been so outspoken.

“Growing up in the closet was hiding who I was from a lot of people. So all though I was friendly with a lot of people, I never built strong connections with people because I didn't have a strong connections with myself,” Leitzke said. “I didn't put myself out there for other people. Ever since I came out I’ve been unapologetically myself.”

The confidence that he has gained for himself has also spread to many others whom he is close with. He understands the feeling of being alone that many others can relate to.

“When you're with him it's so easy to say whatever you want to say and know, he's not gonna judge you,” Trullinger said.

He gives everyone he meets the comfort to be unapologetically themselves. In a society where there is not always 100% acceptance among everyone, people like Leitzke make others feel like they are accepted and loved.

Because society did not always welcome Leitzke, he decided that he was going to do to others what had not always been done to him. He was going to accept people for being themselves.

“I just think he's a really good human and that most people should know him. And I think once he leaves Huntley he's going to continue to kind of carry that, and I think he'll make some big waves somewhere,” Vanek said.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | positivity

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FEATURE | tattoo

Inked out: Morgan Bach pours

G. Watt Morgan Bach sits in front of her art displayed in showcase at school.

Senior’s passion for art fuels her dream to be a tattoo artist

By Nikki Darnall

S

he takes a deep breath in, feeling her lungs expand with air that gently lifts her torso up. She breathes out as she finishes the stroke on her signature, smiling in relief. She glances down at her finished piece that had taken her around seven hours to complete and she was overwhelmed with pride.

Her piece, titled “Beauty Within,” is a stunning watercolor painting of a Japanese girl whose face is split down the middle to divide into a bright red Hannya mask. Hannya masks represent someone who was hurt in life deeply, and this pain causNOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

es them to turn into a demon filled with anger and sadness.

Morgan Bach, a senior currently enrolled in AP Art, takes her love for pieces like the Hannya to further inspire her career as a tattoo artist.

Bach is currently in the process of completing her portfolio transcriptions to become a tattoo apprentice.

She plans to graduate early, and start her apprenticeship at the end of the upcoming summer.

She has learned a lot about what to expect from the process from thorough research, personable YouTube videos, and conversations with real apprentices and tattoo artists.

“While making my portfolio I have definitely seen a lot of improvement in my art because I’ve been consistently making it. Maybe not every day because I have school and I go to work; I like to give myself some breaks. At least a small sketchbook piece almost every day,” Bach said.

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Bach has been surrounded by art her whole life. According to Dawn Bach, Morgan’s mother, it had been apparent to her that Morgan was talented in the area when Morgan’s skills were even better than her own mother’s.

“Art has always been a big thing in my life because it has helped me a lot with my anxiety. I went through a lot of hard times in my early childhood and it definitely helped me cope,” Morgan said. “I didn’t know it was helping me cope back then, I was just drawing for fun. Later I realized that it’s really helped me ground myself throughout those experiences.”

One person who has seen her talent blossom as she grew up is Bach’s elementary art teacher Cindy Rick.

Bach was not only her student when she was in elementary school, but she often came back in highschool to help out around the classroom.

“She would help unclog glue HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | tattoo

creativity into future career

G. Watt Morgan Bach’s piece “Beauty Within.” bottles, which are my nemesis. She would help mount student artwork to construction paper and make sure they were labeled correctly. She would help me organize things for the art show. She was just incredibly helpful, and willing to just jump in wherever I needed her,” Rick said.

When she got into highschool, all of this passion and talent bottled up from her childhood exploded and was channeled into classes. Throughout the years she has taken Basic 2D Art, 2D Mixed Media, Basic 3D Art, Ceramics, Graphic design I, Photography I, Photography II, Advanced Art, and currently is taking AP Art. Jillian Corapi, who is currently Bach’s teacher for AP Art, has seen so much growth in the three years she has known her as a student.

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

“She’s definitely grown. But she also started with skill under her belt. You know, she’s, she was good to begin with,” Corapi said. “So she’s taken that attention to detail, and just a really strong work ethic, and put it into her own personal interests.”

Bach has taken opportunities like AP Art, which serves as a more lenient class in that the students, with guidance from Corapi, get to decide what they work on.

She has chosen to utilize this class as a window to spend time finding and practicing specific styles of tattoo art. Some of her favorite styles include American Traditional, Neo Traditional, and Irezumi.

The Neo-Traditional tattoo art style consists of bold lines and highly saturated colors to accentuate the

19

illustrative piece. There is often a feeling of dimension without being too exaggerated or 3D. This is the style she gravitates toward the most.

American Traditional, often referred to as ‘old school’, uses heavy shading, bold lines, and a limited amount of color. Irezumi is a Japanese-style of tattoo art that often depicts Japanese mythical creatures such as dragons and legends.

Bach has taken these fascinating styles and her creative eye, and now learns how to work with tattoo art as if they will be displayed on the human body.

“I need to learn more towards the anatomy composition, like on somebody’s arm or leg or stomach or back.

It can’t just be a plain sheet of paper, it needs to be able to mold with the body,” Bach said.

Studying the best placement for different tattoos on the body, she has further thought about the location for her own tattoos.

“I definitely want tattoos. My whole left arm is going to be a sleeve tattoo with lots of floral accents, moths, fairies, and lots of mushrooms: basically a mystical fairy forest. My right arm is going to be my sketchbook arm per say - it will be random doodles that I want on my body but don’t necessarily have any meaning. I want a full back tattoo down my spine probably of a snake,” Bach said.

Bach also wants a tarot card above each knee: she knows one of them will be ‘the lovers’. She wants a big hip tattoo, but she is unsure about the design. To finish it off she wants vines on her collarbone.

Bach has developed a deep love of art that has whisked her through her childhood years and helped calm her when she is anxious.

Art is here with her now in highschool when she fills her schedule with art classes, challenging herself to improve her skills. Art will be with her in the future as she approaches her dream of becoming a tattoo artist.

“Tattoos have evolved as an art form and turned from something that was a symbol of gangs, to something that is literally art,” Bach said. “your body is a canvas that is blank.”

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | traveling

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Traveling is her perfect chemistry Leah Drennan’s life journey with travel

By Molly Balmes

L

eah Drennan finds herself walking down an uneven cobbled road after stopping at a pasticceria for a delicious pastry. Old Italian men and women dot the sidewalk tables, sipping their espresso and reading the day’s newspaper. Italy’s beautiful sights welcome her as she makes her way to the Italian immersion classroom, tucked into a house in historic Florence.

Drennan spent a month in Florence taking an Italian immersion class, but that’s not the only place she’s been.

The 26-year-old has been to 14 different countries, and is not planning on stopping.

Drennan started travelling when she was very young, taking family vacations to tropical locations like the Caribbean and Mexico. It was then that she discovered her love for exploring new countries and cultures.

“My favorite thing about travelling is walking around and taking in the sights,” said Drennan. “[My friend and I] would just walk around the historic downtown of all of these cities and it was just so cool, all the shopping and trying lots of food, it’s a lot of fun.”

Travelling to such unique places creates unique stories, and Drennan knows that well. Once, while on a train going from Bulgaria to Romania, she was woken from a nap by friends telling her to translate for a Russian man who was trying to speak to them in French. She was hesitant at first because her French knowledge was limited to a high school level, but eventually agreed.

“I got there and he was trying to talk to them about conquistadors and Ernest Hemingway,” Drennan said. “The

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

FEATURE | traveling

Courtesy of L. Drennan

S. Laput

Drennan sits at the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

Courtesy of L. Drennan Drennan next to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. only French word [the man] really knew was ‘grand-pere’, which means grandpa, and that was about it.”

Another special experience that Drennan had was her month-long immersion class in Italy. She lived with a host family and spent her days learning the Italian language and culture.

“For the immersion classes, it was just in the morning, and it was us gathering around a conference table, and just going over how to speak Italian,” Drennan said. “It was interesting.”

Despite growing up in the US, Drennan is the first in her family to have been born in the country. She also has dual citizenship in the United Kingdom.

Drennan translates all of these lessons gained from her life and travelling in her teaching. “I think that

21

because I have all of these experiences with travelling, I can reach out to a lot of students, and make connections with them,” Drennan said.

Her students feel the impact that travelling has had on her teaching outlook. “She’s relatable, open, and honest. Not a lot of teachers are,” junior Maribel Hernandez said. “She takes the time to interact with us and talk to us. She is nice and laid back and I just love her.”

“I like her humor,” junior Sam Fox said. “I have fun in here, and she makes it fun.”

Students in Drennan’s classes can feel that she truly cares about her students and wants to help them grow as people and students.

Drennan admits that she loves to make connections with students. She feels that her knowledge on different cultures and places allows her to make meaningful connections with students.

Teaching means a lot to Drennan, but so does travelling. In fact, Drennan chose the teaching profession partly because she has her summers free to travel.

“That was one of my things, when I was wondering if I should get into teaching, my mom said ‘Well, you could travel if you are a teacher, you have summers off,’ and it was settled then,” Drennan said.

While Drennan isn’t travelling, you can count on her teaching Chemistry and having fun with her students. But when summer comes, she’ll be off on her next big adventure abroad.

“I just have to make sure I have somebody to watch my cat,” Drennan said.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | artist

Vanek poses with one of her most recent art pieces, a decorated notebook cover.

J. Habel

From the backs of calculators to an eminent Esty shop Callie Vanek paints her way to a brighter future through independent buisness

By Natalie VonderHeide NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

I

t all started with the back of a calculator. High school junior Callie Vanek always had a passion for art; everything around her became a canvas.

From a father who sketches, to an uncle who is a painter, Callie’s life has always been filled with creativity.

“I guess it’s more of a genetic thing,” Callie said. “I was always the one person in my family who loved creating, who loved drawing, just like the creative aspect of it. I’ve sort of been paved into a life path of painting and drawing.”

During her freshman year, a request for the back of a friend’s calculator to be painted established the start of a business.

Eventually, the trend of students painting calculators captured the attention of Callie’s math teacher, Kris Grabner.

“I’m a firm believer in that if we find passions, we can turn it into income,” Grabner said. “I told her, don’t just do it to do it. Set up prices and charge people.”

Since it was Callie’s first time customizing objects for people, she only charged $3, which would soon become a minor regret.

“If I could change something from my business, it would be how little I charged in the beginning,” Callie said. “Some designs took longer than others and were worth more than what I charged.”

Now with more experience and a better understanding of the business world, the artist has developed a method on properly pricing her products.

“I charge depending on design as well as time,” Callie said, “If it was a [phone case] with just flowers on it, it would be $15 because that’s not going to take me long. I probably used to charge $5-$10 an hour but it depends more on the design itself.”

Even though the first of Callie’s sales emerged in her math class, painting her brother’s Vans with a Rick and Morty, and Pink Floyd theme immediately attracted more customers.

With the increase in sales, Callie and her boyfriend set up an Etsy and Instagram page named CalliesArtShopStudio where future customers can view her work and potentially order through her.

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

FEATURE | artist Family has always been in support of Callie’s passion for art, however she did not realize how passionate she truly was about it until her business began.

“I think when I realized it was more of an interest than a hobby was freshmen year when she started painting the backs of calculators,” Callie’s mom Shannon Vanek said.

“Every time I came home, she was busy with another one and it’s kind of cool to see that evolve.”

“I’m a firm believer in that if we find passions, we can turn it into income.”

Kris Grabner

While Callie’s business has been running since her freshman year, she continues to work a part time job at a local craft store.

“Business is hard to keep consistent and the same amount of pay weekly,” Callie said. “The fact that COVID-19 also impacted my business and people wanting orders from me, I [applied] to Micheal’s.”

Even though maintaining a business and working a part time job is

not most teenager’s dream, Callie views it as an opportunity.

“When I think about applying to jobs, I think about all the other stores and [they] all seem boring to me,” Callie said. “It’s Micheal’s.

I work at the register all the time, sometimes on the sales floor. But it’s still a possibility of me working in the art industry.”

All though, this success comes with a challenge. For Callie, mental illness impacts her work ethic with a lack of motivation.

“I struggle with depression so the motivation to keep up with the other things going on in my life and also with the business can get mentally draining on me,” Callie said, “It’s not that I hate [my business], it’s just that my brain dreads getting up knowing I have to do a bunch of things on top of it.”

In order to get through these difficult times, the artist pushes herself to maintain her business.

“I just push myself through it,” Callie said, “Normally to motivate myself, I just push myself no matter how many times I get exhausted from doing it, I just do it.”

The young artist continues to build her business as well as encouraging others to do the same.

“Once you find a solution to a problem, start finding the cost and time to fix it,” Callie said. “If you don’t prioritize your time wisely, you could prevent something from being as successful as it could possibly be.”

Vanek’s shop, @CalliesArtShopStudeio on Etsy, sells items like custom shoes, phone cases, notebooks, and prints.

J. Habel

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | nails

Transforming dust into diamonds

M. Vasquez

A passion for nails lets senior Yesbel Itzel Miranda uplift other small businesses in her community

By Kate Alvarado

The nail polish and dipping powders that line the walls transform this ex-bedroom into a studio-salon.

A

low buzz fills the baby pink painted room as small puffs of dust rise from the center of the desk. The LED lights lining the walls set the mood as reggaeton music plays softly in the background. Senior Yesbel Itzel Miranda hums to herself as she focuses on the nail between her blue-latex-covered fingers.

“Where are your parents from again?”

Customer comfort and satisfaction are a priority to this 18-year-old nail technician in training. Despite only starting her small business a year ago, Miranda strives for a personal connection with each of her clients.

“Oh yeah, I remember. You haven’t visited since, right?”

With butterfly wall art, a small candy bowl, and little nick nacks placed about, the room just downstairs of where Miranda sleeps is an easy place for anyone to unwind. Senior Marlen Rodriguez, a friend of Miranda, has seen this transformation from start to finish. Whether clients need to gossip, vent, or relax, Rodriguez knows this is the perfect place to be.

“The whole environment in her studio is a very calming and peaceful place to let things out and be comfortable outside of school,” Rodriguez said.

This easy flow of conversation would have been impossible for the once-shy Miranda only years prior. Before, when she scrolled through Instagram liking pictures of different nail designs, it only seemed like a pastime.

That is until her mother, Yesbel Ruiz, spontaneously brought home a nail kit from Mexico. Miranda found herself trying to learn different techniques from YouTube videos alone in her room.

“The first couple of months I think she got a hold of everyone’s hands, even NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

M. Vasquez

By Kate Pozniak ArmstrongMari se publis videatiam. Also another sentence wo Senior Yesbel Miranda and prepares the nails foracrylic the acrylic Senior Yesbel ItzelItzel Miranda files files and prepares the nails for the applicaapplication process.

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | nails

Courtesy of @itzelxnails Featured on Miranda’s Instagram, @itzelxnails, her 3-D art, freehand drawing, and marbling techniques are on full display and available to clients. her boyfriend,” Ruiz said.

Being self-taught, nothing came naturally to Miranda. According to Ruiz, she consistently poured hours of work into her craft; even practicing past 9 p.m. on school nights.

“I was pretty passionate about it so I gave it my all while trying to learn,” Miranda said. “It did take time to get the basics down but what took longer was learning how to do [3-D art] and all of the new trends.”

Fortunately for Miranda, she is no stranger to art. Even in 8th grade, she won a contest for free-hand drawing an anti-bullying poster.

“It’s harder on a nail because it’s such a small canvas,” Miranda said. “It’s hard to keep a steady hand with a small brush to get the details right.

And yet, this does not faze her. With practice, Miranda now regularly incorporates different aspects of art into each nail set she produces. Not only is this an outlet for creative expression, but it works as a display of her talent.

“Her art has definitely improved over time. She’ll just look at a picture, envision it, and know how to do it,” Rodriguez said.

After hitting her one-year anniversary back in September, Miranda’s nail account on Instagram, @itzelxnails, has grown to have over 1,920 followers.

Even with all of the success Miranda has now, it was hard for her to imagine anything close to this. She entered this NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

field alone, knowing nothing and hoping to earn the support of others.

“Sentí que no iba hacer lo de ella,” Ruiz said. “I thought she was going to start, leave it halfway, and never continue with it.”

As she was starting out, it was difficult for Miranda to find clients who trusted her enough with their nails. Even when offering free acrylic sets, she was met with no after no.

“The hardest part was having family and close friends turn you down and go to other places without [even giving you a chance],” Miranda said. “Seeing close family members not support you, share your content, or promote you was devastating to me.

This only pushed Miranda to work harder and prove herself. Soon enough, she earned the respect of others through sheer will and determination.

“As a friend, I wanted to support her.

I saw her passion in it and I didn’t like [how my nails were done] anywhere else,” said Rodriguez. “I like her style, how she applies it, and how long they last you. You definitely get your money’s worth with those nails.”

Steadily, her prices rose and clients became regulars. Her social media gained traction and the days of struggling to find people were long over.

“I was wrong,” Ruiz said. “Estoy super orgullosa de ella. I’m proud of seeing how much of a hard worker she is for the age that she has.”

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After finding success, Miranda aims to give back by helping out other nail technicians just starting out. Unlike some small business owners, Miranda celebrates the success of others within her community.

“I don’t feel like there is any competition with other nail techs,” Miranda said.

“Not every client is your client. They have to find the specific person they match with. If they’re not comfortable with you or if they don’t like your work, they’re going to look for another technician. So why not share and support other people?”

After the last client leaves, Miranda tugs her gloves off, picks up her supplies, and turns off the lights. The

Why not share and support other people?

Itzel Miranda

door closes and suddenly she is back at home. In only a year, this passion project has become her livelihood. While Miranda is unsure of what the future holds, she intends to make the most of what she has today.

“From not having support to giving support, it really means a lot,” Miranda said. “If you can spread positivity and encouragement, why not?”

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | teacher

Merrick Ramza’s past, present, and future in education Teacher begins his career during the return to in-person learning

By Megan McCoy

E

veryone has a unique narrative to tell; it does not define them, but it does shape who they become.

Some life events can help you see the actual world, pay attention to what is going on around you, and see the big picture.

During his junior year in college, English teacher Merrick Ramza lost his best friend. His reality had broken, leaving him like a ghost. He had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Every day was a struggle for him. He felt as if no one was there for him besides his English professors.

They were the only people in school who treated him like a human being, allowing him to express himself via storytelling to help him explore his questions. He eventual-

ly rediscovered himself and realized what he wanted and how he was going to do it. He had this idea of becoming a teacher to tell his stories to young individuals.

Ramza tried his best to express his feelings to his students, letting them know he was there for them.

He likes to remind students that they are never alone. He wanted to be the person that his students, staff, and family can go to, and he wanted to put a mark on people’s lives.

Ramza tried to incorporate social-emotional learning in his lessons by actually engaging with his students as fellow human beings.

He feels that if he did not create a relationship with his students, they would not understand more who they are, including their culture and interests. He tried to make sure that each lesson connects back to students in some way to give them something meaningful to reflect on, apply, or resonate for their lives.

“If we’re not connecting our lessons back to the real world, then there’s no point, and students

HHS teacher Merrick Ramza leads a demonstration for his English classes.

G. Watt

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

G. Watt

26

know that too,” Ramza said. “We are teaching the future of the world everyday and if we are not incorporating lessons, morals, ideas and questions about the real world and how we deal with it, then we’re not teaching our students anything valuable.”

Former student Gabriella Romano expressed how class is from a student’s perspective. Romano likes what Ramza is doing in class.

“He has a great class management structure, he adds fun to the classroom, and makes it interactive,” Romano said.

He also took time out of his day to encourage them to be social at the right times. It is a good feeling to know a teacher cares so much about their students.

“This class comes with a lot of work, but Ramza allows much time in class for us to work and he helps us out when he can,” Romano said.

Although it was hard adjusting to such a massive school, his experience at Huntley made him break out of his comfort zone - as an educator and as a person. He feels as if it gave him an opportunity to teach in an environment and use methods he has never done before. He expressed that working at Huntley was daunting but also rewarding.

Ramza teaches with a co-taught teacher Craig Jahnke. They both stress communication as the key to working through stress.

“Although at times it gets stressful, I feel like Merrick and I communicate well at getting stuff done on deadlines and working together to make class enjoyable for everyone,” Jahnke said.

During Ramza’s first year of teaching, he has had to maintain the stress of all of his students along with his own. However, through values from his past, lessons learned from his present, and his hope in future, he continues to be the best HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | teacher

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OPINION | finals

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OPINIONS | finals

Finals leave a lot of anxiety for students

By Ty Goodrich

Not a final hurrah

T

h e school year is reaching the end of the first semester, which means students are less than a month away from taking finals: An unnecessary stress provider for students.

Finals asks students to repeat work they have all ready learned, mastered, and tested on. This one, 85 minute test will go down in the gradebook as a majority of the students grade.

Students take numerous tests and exams throughout the year to see their level of understanding on each subject. Taking another test to cover the same material is unnecessarily redundant.

“We should not take finals because we have already demonstrated our understanding of the topics through homework, assignments, and tests,” junior Carter Coss said. “It brings back topics we learned months ago so it is unfair that a majority of our grade will be based on our memory.”

A final does not tell the teacher anything they do not already know about a student.

If a student has been getting an A all year, they have shown time and time again that they understand the material.

Likewise, if a student has been getting a D in a class, they are likely to do poorly on the final.

Many students understand the material, but are not good test takers.

When it comes to large tests, their anxiety gets the best of them.

“The thought of a test just overwhelms me and it is hard for me to sleep the night before,” junior Jack Gardner said. “Throughout the unit, I complete all the homework and understand what we are doing in class, but my tests get the best of me.”

It is unfair for a very intelligent student and a hard worker to do badly on one test and have that score reflect a large portion of their grade.

Finals do not accurately portray a student’s full abilities.

On the other hand, finals are used to show students what they have learned. It gives students a reason to

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

B. Burak

invest in their daily work and practice the skills they need to learn and understand.

“Students should be required to take finals because it encourages students to invest in long term rather than short term learning,” math teacher Laura Jenkins said.

At the end of the semester, all a student can see is their final grade in every class. They never get the opportunity to see what they did wrong on the final exam. One of the biggest ways to learn is by learning from your mistakes. If you do not get to see where you could have improved on your final, is there really any long term learning involved?

When students study for finals, they cram in everything they can to just get their wanted grade. Students only focus on passing their final, not fully trying to learn the material which defeats the purpose of finals and its goal of long term learning.

Another supposed positive of finals is that it can give students one final

Ty Goodrich

chance to raise their grade before the end of the semester. However, it is unlikely for a student to raise their grade because their score on the final will likely not exceed their grade in the class.

We have already demonstrated our understanding of the topics through homework and tests.

Carter Coss

Students cannot learn, study, and improve upon a semester’s worth of material in just a couple of days. If they did not understand what they were doing in class two months ago, they will now be able to magically understand it for finals.

Myers Brigg: ESFJ-A | One Word: Charismatic

Ty Goodrich is a staff writer for the voice, it is his first year. In his free time, Ty likes to play basketball with his friends, go fishing, and travel to sporting events. He loves to watch and play just about any sport.

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | football

Internal scars create a mental hell Brain trauma and its effects on high school football players

By Owen Zimmerman

H

igh speed collisions and violent battles in the trenches; this is what the game of football is built upon. To many it seems like pointless brutality or something to leave on the TV while they go about their Sunday business, but to a select few football is beautiful.

Whether it be the swift toe drag of a receiver in the back of the endzone, or the spiral of a last second Hail Mary on a crisp fall night, the game of football is as poetic as it is violent.

Unfortunately, for its players, the beauty has a price. Its name is CTE. CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head and chronic concussions. The ailment produces several serious symptoms, including

Owen Zimmerman

N. Darnall suicidal tendencies and dementia.

It can only be diagnosed in deceased individuals.

Since its discovery in 2002, in the brain of a former NFL player, CTE and football have been tethered together in the media and in medical research. The game presents the highest risk of developing CTE out of any contact sport.

The potential deadly consequences of the brain trauma sustained by athletes has put the future of football in jeopardy, as parents and legislators understandably debate whether the game is worth the risk it presents

Myers Brigg: INFJ | One Word: Comical

Owen is a second year staff writer. He runs track for the high school, and he used to run cross country. He adores Kanye West and Jimi Hendrix. He enjoys watching sports the sopranos and movies in his free time. Check out his podcast “The Hungry Kanye Podcast” on huntleyvoice.com!

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

30

to the youth.

The effects of football-related head trauma have been incredibly prevalent in senior Josh Nosek’s life. Nosek, who has been playing tackle football since he was 9 years old, has suffered from at least two concussions in his lifetime.

Nosek received his first con-

After the season the headaches continued and I visited a neurologist. They realized that I likely had brain damage.

Josh Nosek

cussion during his freshman year while playing against Hampshire.

Throughout the year Nosek struggled to wake up in the morning, could not keep his eyes open, and HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | football

described technology as being unbearable to look at.

Despite these symptoms, he hid them from his coaches and managed to play through his injury the entire season.

“Looking back playing was a mistake, it was a stupid move on my part. After the season the headaches continued and I visited a neurologist. They realized that I likely had brain damage,” Nosek said.

During a scrimmage earlier this year Nosek suffered from a second concussion. Following this, he decided it would be best to remove himself from the field for good.

“I had a wake up call recently. I want to go into the Navy after high school, and with my concussions I have some major concerns. Obviously I could get in with some brain trauma but it is going to be a factor,” Nosek said.

Although football has caused him immense amounts of pain and may have closed doors in his future, Nosek has no regrets playing the game.

Nosek went on to say that Huntley football does everything in their power to protect athletes from the dangers and long-lasting effects of concussions.

The claim was supported by athletic director Glen Wilson, as he explained the typical procedure to having an athlete return to play following a concussion.

“There’s two prongs a student follows while returning to play set by the IHSA and our partnership with Northwestern. One we ensure that the student recovers physically and secondly we assist them in recovering from the concussion educationally, through extended time for work and summatives,” Wilson said.

Huntley football also invests great amounts of effort into supplying their athletes with the top rated

I want to go into the Navy after high school, and with my concussions I have some major concerns.

Josh Nosek

equipment in concussion prevention.

“We purchase as many Vicis helmets as we can afford every year, they’re a brand that consistently is the highest rated as far as injury prevention goes,” Matthew Zimolzak, head coach of Huntley football said.

Although football is adapting for the safety of its players, a study

by Boston University revealed

terrifying statistics. The University received the brains of 202 former football players,14 of which ended their careers in high school. Of the 202 total brains a mind-blowing 177 has developed some form of CTE. Three of the 14 high school players, roughly 21%, had developed CTE. The possibility of 1 in 5 high school football players developing a potentially fatal disease is an unacceptable risk.

In efforts to combat the dangers presented to athletes the Illinois House of Representatives presented the Dave Duerson Act to Prevent CTE, named after the former Chicago Bears safety who comitted suicide while struggling with the disease.

The act states that a child under the age of 12 may not participate in tackle football offered by a sports program.

Placing a legal age on tackle football would be an effective solution, as Boston University’s study showed that athletes who participated in the sport before the age of 10 are at a much higher risk of CTE than other athletes.

It’s important to remember that recent debates on the safety of football are not meant to destroy the sport, they are outcries for the protection of children who are in some cases digging their graves before their lives have even begun.

Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy/CC-BY-SA-4.0

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | college

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OPINION | college

Where do I start?

Why advertising college resources for students is beneficial

By Maggie Kirwin

A

s seniors enter the heart of the college application season, they are met with the stress and anxiety that comes with deciding their future.

With so much pressure being put on students since elementary school to go to college, it is important for Huntley High School to provide resources for students through their admissions process.

Seniors at Huntley have countless resources available to them online and in-person, they just are not made aware.

The college and career website is the best place for all college application and other life-after-highschool information. The website is not advertised to a large number of students, though, and most students only know about it if they visited their individual counselors regularly or were visited by college and career counselor Laura Martens in their classes.

This semester, students taking Dual-Credit English 151 were visited in person by Martens to learn more about the website, as well as other necessary information for the college admissions process.

“We [start] talking about letters of recommendation, a little bit about FAFSA, definitely about the website, and put some slide presentations that are in there that kind of walk you through the timeline

Maggie Kirwin

because that’s the part that gets so overwhelming, ” Martens said.

The students taking Dual Credit English have this advantage because the Common Application essay is an assignment in the course.

Martens visits them to introduce the topic and then gives insight on the other places they can get help if they get stuck on their application.

This information would be incredibly helpful for Dual Credit English students and also other seniors.

Seniors taking other English

Seniors at Huntley have countless resources available.

N. Darnall classes, like Emily Domek who is in AP Literature and Composition, would have an easier time applying if they had a counselor come talk to their class.

“When the Common Application opened on Aug. 1, I think it would’ve been reassuring that we were doing the right things and would have helped clarify what needs to be done and what we need to make sure has to be submitted for each school’s deadlines,” Domek said.

Myers-Briggs personality type: INTJ-T

Maggie Kirwin is a social media editor and it is her third year on staff. Fun fact, in 2019 she met Tom Holland at a comic con. In her free time, she loves to read, watch Marvel movies, and play lacrosse.

Some of her favorite movies include, "Little Women (2019)," "La La Land," and "Spider-Man: Far From Home."

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

It is not that the counselors do not want to come into all the classes, it is that there are many scheduling conflicts that come with trying to visit classes with such tight agendas.

“The problem is that when we try to do it all across the board, it’s really difficult for teachers who have such a tight curriculum and [have] got to get so much done, to give me some time [to come in]. If an English teacher- especially a senior English teacher-asked me to come in and speak to their class, I absolutely would,” Martens said.

Despite the scheduling conflicts

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in person visits may cause, they are extremely helpful for students. If a class is not visited by a counselor, however, all they need to do is listen to the daily announcements. “[I listen] to the announcements and see if there are any colleges I’m interested in going down to college and careers so I can talk with the college admissions [representatives] themselves,” senior Alyssa Tramuta said.

If students do not hear the announcements, they receive emails every day recapping them and at the bottom there is a link to the college and careers website.

Additionally, Martens sends emails to students about certain events or help the counseling department is offering so students can keep in touch.

“That’s the other thing that not only gets the word out about what’s available as far as resources, but also we do care about you and we will connect you to the right people no matter what your choices are after high school,” Martens said.

While the school does provide a number of resources such as the college and career website and counselors, most students do not know about the helpful resources.

Students should be made more aware of the college help at school.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | fans

Bleacher bummer

Many fall sports have suffered from a lack of HHS student support this season B. Burak

By Emma McCoy

A

t the beginning of the school year, most students around Huntley High School talk about what excites them most: Friday night lights, an event most students join in and support. The students of Huntley should go out and cheer on other events too. HHS is known for its large student population and their student section, Raider Nation.

The 2021-2022 school year so far has had some great successes throughout the athletic department.

Support from fellow classmates and athletes creates a great environment for the high school community.

Over the last year, sporting events have been lacking attendance from high school students. Due to COVID-19, events have been limited, but not stopped.

“I get that people have challenging schedules at times, I’m grateful for the students we have supporting and pleased when students do

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arrive. As well as always seeing if we can take it another step forward with more students next time,” athletic director Glen Wilson said.

Attending sports is a huge part of the high school experience. As you grow up, your family talks about why it is important to go to games and participate in as much as you can. Making time to show up at games is not just about the team winning but it is about supporting your community and the students you are growing up with.

The lack of support from students this year has been upsetting to say the least. High school is a time to have fun and be involved. Showing school spirit and supporting all sports is a great way to gain experience and have fun in your high school years.

This year specifically had many great accomplishments from programs all throughout Huntley’s athletic department. Boys varsity soccer for example has done extremely well all throughout the season.

As the season was winding down,

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Huntley hosted two home games at the Red Raider Stadium bringing lots of home fans to the games.

“Last week HHS hosted the soccer sectional finals. I think our guys felt a lot of support and maybe some have seen the video when they ran to our student section after the incredible victory to celebrate with them. It is one of the great ways that students can get involved and build that positive culture in school,” Wilson said.

This season the boys varsity soccer team won the Fox Valley Conference, regional, and sectional titles.

All with Huntley High School’s support and all of the athletes’ efforts this fall season.

“This season was the best in school history for Huntley’s boys soccer. I played here back when I graduated in 2007, being this far, looking back at the records seeing we went from a season only ever winning a few games to our most recent with a season of 20 wins. I’ve seen the teams become more consistent. It has been incredible see-

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OPINION | fans

S. Hashmi ing all of the growth,” head coach Matthew Lewandowski said.

Aside from the incredible soccer season, there has been a lack of attendance at these soccer games.

With all of their successes they deserve to be recognized and supported just as much as football does on a Friday night.

There is so much to gain from attending and showing care to these teams and their hard work.

Towards the end of the season, more support was being shown and the attendance of Raider Nation had improved.

“You can always tell when Raider Nation is there at any sporting event. Even though they might not know much about soccer, just having them there and having their support means a lot. Sometimes their cheers have no importance to soccer but the fact that the other teams hear that and wonder why they’re cheering like that changes everything because of the amount of support,” Lewandowki said.

The ongoing support from Raider Nation and its leaders has had a huge impact on HHS as a whole community and most definitely

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throughout the athletics through the fall season so far. The boys soccer team 100% feeds off of what the crowd has to offer. You can just tell the difference in the atmosphere and the boys take that energy and bring it to the field, it is very noticeable.

“Having Raider Nation supporting us at soccer games is just an unreal feeling and motivates the boys and I up so much more. They just always have a great impact on our attitudes towards the game and having their support motivates and encourages us to put 110% effort out on the field,” senior Tj Gerst said.

Every person who shows up at the games makes a positive impact on the soccer team and any sport for

Emma McCoy

that matter. The more people who show up at games the better in every case. Make an effort in your high school years to attend.

“If it is a big crowd I love it especially when it’s a big crowd in our favor. You can just feel all of the energy and it is easier to get motivated and have more people behind you. The more the merrier as some say,” Lewandowski said.

Attending home games for any sport is something that brings everyone together. Celebrating and supporting one another as a school and community brings great memories and fun experiences.

Come out and support more sports at Huntley High School.

Myers Brigg: ISFJ-T | One Word: sporty

Emma McCoy is a staff writer of the Voice, she is a junior and it’s her first year on staff. In her free time, Emma likes to hang out with her friends, eat Chipotle, and is a part of Huntley High school’s Cheer team. She really enjoys shopping and clothing.

Check out her vlog “Practice as an HHS athlete”

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | AP classes

Is AP the right choice for me?

The debate over Huntley High school students taking AP classes

By Ally Panzloff

I

t is 1:30 p.m. on a Friday, but I am not thinking about my weekend plans. Rather, I am frantically studying for my AP US History test next hour.

When I walk into class, there is a tense silence throughout the room.

Some students have already started their test while others stare at the page in shock, unable to produce an answer to the very first question.

As I scan the room and look at my stressed peers, I wonder if taking AP US History, or any AP class, is worth it?

AP, or Advanced Placement classes, are standardized college level courses available to high schoolers across the country. HHS offers over 15 AP courses ranging from AP Music Theory to AP Biology.

Students take one or more AP classes for a wide variety of reasons. One reason is the broad range of courses.

Classes like AP Psychology and AP Environmental Science are electives but still attract dozens of curious students every year. With AP classes, students can explore their interest at a more in depth level than with a regular course.

“Taking [AP Physics C and AP Calculus] is really beneficial to me because I want to be a math major. Taking APs let me get certain classes out of the way before college,” junior Molly Allen said.

Another popular reason is the GPA boost. At Huntley High School, regular classes are weighted on a 4.0 scale while AP classes are weighted on a 5.0. This means a B in an AP class may contribute to your GPA like an A in a regular class.

As many teachers will say, the biggest factor is earning college credit. In May, the College Board offers exams that are scored 1-5. Those who score a 3 or higher are considered to have “passed.”

Universities have different requirements; some may require a 4 or a 5, while others do not take AP credit at all. The College and Career Success for All Students Act is a law that requires all public colleges in Illinois to take AP credit, but many out-of-state schools NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

N. Darnall do not.

However, AP classes come with a cost time. Huntley students surveyed said they spend anywhere from 3-15 hours a week doing homework for their AP classes. With difficult content and lots of it to cover, the class moves quicker than some students prefer.

My mental health has definitely deteriorated a bit, but I’m working on it.

Kadence Preston

“We’re learning similar content as regular US history students, but it’s just unit after unit. There’s no stopping,” said Kadence Preston, a junior AP US History student.

It is also a common complaint that AP courses have negative effects on mental health. Although there are no studies proving a correlation between

Ally Panzloff

the two, most AP students will tell you that it is not always easy to manage stress.

“My mental health has definitely deteriorated a bit, but I’m working on it.

There are always some good and bad days,” Preston said.

So considering all factors, is it worth it to take an AP class? Ultimately, it depends on the person and their reason.

People who take AP classes just to say they are in one are usually doomed to fail. With the rigor of the courses, students need to have some interest in subjects they are taking.

The HHS Course Catalog says that AP classes will improve writing skills, sharpen critical-thinking abilities, develop time-management skills, and increase self-discipline. Students in all different AP courses have found they learn more than just the in-class content. Developing these skills before college or a career is worth more than any GPA boost or credit.

“Taking [AP classes] helped me learn how to study for tests and manage my time better,” said senior Katie Stiff, who has taken over 10 AP classes.

Myers Brigg: ENTJ | One Word: energetic

Ally Panzloff is a veteran floating editor on the Voice, and it’s her second year on staff. In her free time, she plays volleyball, reads mysteries, and likes to try new foods. She likes brown sugar bubble tea and the color green.

Check out her vlog “Thrifting 101” on huntleyvoice. com!

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OPINION | AP classes

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A&E | music

Empty mind, empty music Ivan Seal’s “Everywhere At The End of Time” explores Alzhiemer’s through music and art

By Emilia Schwartz

T

h e Shining is one of the most famous horror movies of all time. However, it was not only the story that took people’s interest, but also the music.

Leyland Kirby was inspired by this music to make his own under the name The Caretaker. “An Empty Bliss Beyond This World” was the first album Kirby made about Alhziemer’s dementia, and the most liked among all of his works.

Because of the positive feedback, Kirby began to work on his final album as The Caretaker, “Everywhere At The End Of Time.”

The first stage released on Sept. 22, 2016. This stage represents nostalgia, with Kirby describing it as “the end of the great days,” in his descriptions .

The music in this stage is relatively calm, and sampled from 1920s ballroom music.

The song “It’s Just A Burning Memory” was sampled from Al Bowley’s “Heartaches” is the first song on the album, and repeating in a more distorted form in the rest of the stages.

Stage two starts off with a noise that sounds like walking on wet grass. This stage is more somber than stage one, both with the titles and sounds of the songs. Stage two represents denial, the patient is aware that something is wrong but refuses to accept that.

Stage three, starts off with a song titled “Back There Benjamin.” It is loud, and represents the anxiety of the patient before suddenly cutting off.

This stage is more chaotic than the first two, and represents the patient and their family noticing that something is clearly wrong. Certain songs are very loud, notes clanging together.

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The Caretaker/CC BY-SA 4.0

While other songs are quiet, almost to the point you cannot hear them. “Heartaches” played three times on this stage. It ends with the song “Mournful Comeradarie” a somber song in which it is difficult to point out the notes and rhythm to it.

Post Awareness stage four is the first of the post awareness stages. These stages play differently than other stages, because instead of having individual songs, they have four 20 minute segments.

In these segments, you can hear parts of different songs, as well as completely new noises. In this stage, there is a small part referred to as “Hell Sirens” which represents the patient’s PTSD from World War II. After that, there is a segment titled “Temporary Bliss State” which sounds like a repeated yet distorted lullaby.

Post Awareness stage five is the only stage you can hear voices. In the first segment, you can hear a voice but cannot hear what it is saying. Later in the segment, there is a small bliss state, sampled by ”Was It A Dream”

by Dick Powell. The stage starts to get calmer by each segment, going from a chaotic mess of noises to just a long droning sound.

Post Awareness stage six is the final stage. It continues with droning, however individual piano notes can be heard. It continues like this for over an hour, before a song starts playing in the last six minutes.

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This represents Terminal Lucidity in Alzheimer’s, a symptom in which before death a patient starts to remember and return to their old self.

This does not last long however, and after the song there are a few seconds of silence. The patient is dead.

Nostalgia, fear, and confusion are all prevalent themes of this album.

The full album has 763,000 likes on YouTube. It resonates with people, even those who have not experienced Alzheimer’s.

The comments on the album give insight on people’s experiences with the album.

From shorts jokes, to long essays of personal experiences with Alzhiemer’s, it also has many fan projects, totable ones being “Nowhere At The Millenium Of Space’’ and an album about depression, “Nowhere But The Center Of Your Mind.”

This album will forever remain in the hearts of those who listened.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

A&E | video games

Reimagined zombie thriller game surpasses expectations Turtle Rock Studio’s “Back 4 Blood” is the newest undead first-person shooter

By Bailey Lim

Turtle Rock Studios WBG/(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

T

he launch of “Back 4 Blood” gives the gaming community excitement with the release of a non-competitive game that can be enjoyed with friends all around. “Back 4 Blood” is a person vs entity, first person shooter video game that allows players and friends team up during a zombie apocalypse.

The rising in popularity game was released on Oct. 13 by Turtle Rock Studio and Warner Brothers. The design of the game was made after ”Left 4 Dead,” an older version of a similar concept. The angle that Turtle Rock Studio wanted to take while developing this new hit was a nostalgic feeling of being back in that world.

Inside the game, the player is a zombie hunter, and mercenary, whose sole purpose is to survive.

The basic card system initiated in the game is well developed by Turtle Rock Studio, overall nailing a system made to help the player make their way through the game without making it too complicated for people to understand.

Throughout the years, there have been many games where the NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

playstyle or the feel of the game just did not sit right with the playerbase. “Back 4 Blood” overall hits home with some fans with just the right amount of gore, multiplayer, and accessibility.

The optional multiplayer allows players to queue with friends allowing them to compete with each other or help each other with challenges and surviving. The overall style of the multiplayer system benefits the people who decide to play together, making it more enjoyable and easier because there are limits to what a solo player can do.

Accessibility used to be a problem for the past year when it came to finding hard copies of games. It was harder for someone to find an available copy of a specific game for a specific console in stores.

With the rising popularity, stores have stocked up on copies including ones with exclusive bundles that give players in game benefits.

The game can be bought in hard copies and online for a starting price of $60. It is available for mainstream consoles such as Playstation, Xbox, and PC. When it comes to disk space, the initial amount

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required to download the game is 40 gigabytes, overall being on the smaller side of mainstream games made by Unreal Engine 4.

On top of the game seeming to be in high demand, it is more than just plain survival. The story in the game takes place during the Iraq War in 2003. The backstory of a shocking discovery of a species gone wrong creates suspense in players as they long for a solution to this infectious problem.

“Back 4 Blood” is mainly a Co-Op and campaign game, avoiding the player versus player franchise. Players get bonuses and benefits from playing with their friends, including being able to share resources such as ammunition. Doing challenges with friends makes the game increasingly more difficult as players progress.

The zombie survival aspect within the game gave the gaming community a spark of hope in terms of long lasting, quality games.

Turtle Rock Studio made a huge impact toward placing more variety between the genres of new generation games being released.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

A&E | comedy

Comedy or tragedy?

Dave Chapelle’s transphobic Netflix special incites protest

By Sam Webb

S

ensitivity is a word with many meanings, especially in the genre of comedy. The wind of a walkout over alleged transphobia triggered one of the many controversies over sensitivity. David Chapelle, a well-known comedian, is yet another who has fallen victim to the reality of taking responsibility.

“The Closer,” is Chapelle’s most recent comedy special. In this special, he continuously made fun of transgender people’s bodies and genitals. He claimed to be a TERF, or a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, siding with transphobic author J.K Rowling.

Rowling’s twitter consists of multiple blows to trans people, such as, “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.

I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”

In which, sex has been clarified different from gender, no one can switch their sex, hence transgender; switching genders.

Playing it off as a joke in his special, Chapelle says, “-she said gender was a fact, the trans community got mad as f***, they started calling her a TERF… I’m Team TERF. I agree. I agree, man. Gender is a fact.”

Again, gender is not a fact.

According to Planned Parenthood, a clinic that offers free services and reproductive education, “sex is a label — male or female — that you’re assigned by a doctor at birth based NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

J. Bauld/CCby2.0 on the genitals you’re born with and the chromosomes you have. Gender is much more complex: Its a social and legal status, and set of expectations from society, about behaviors, characteristics, and thoughts.”

This means that Chapelle is spreading misinformation about gender and sex. Correct vs. incorrect information could determine how kids and teenagers think. Social media and real world harm interconnect in many different ways. Netflix claimed that Chapelle’s hurtful words would not translate to people getting hurt in the real world, which is entirely not true.

Studies have shown when children hear or see harmful shows or video games, they will become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, desensitizing them, causing the anxious arousal correlated with seeing such imagery to disappear in these children.

Netflix has refused to take David’s special off. Why? They believe that interest in “The Closer” will increase interest in his other specials: giving more money to Netflix.

They will let people experience hurt at the expense of gaining more money. Netflix workers, many of which were trans, then planned a walkout outside of headquarters.

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Before this walkout, 3 employees were suspended, one of which was trans, and had expressed her opinion on the special. People were outraged.

On Oct. 20, approximately 65 demonstrators, with Netflix workers, walked out. Signs were held up by many saying, “Trans is NOT Funny,” and “Trans lives matter.”

Following the event, Ted Sarandos, Netflix CEO, has still been set in his ways, claiming that he still does not believe it is inappropriate, ultimately firing the employee who organized this walkout. They have not taken down “The Closer” and from the looks of it, they will not.

Trigger warnings on harmful shows, video games, and specials are what many are advocating for. Having everything at teenagers’ fingertips is causing horrid, harmful behavior.

Considering this, trigger warnings will make teenagers and even adults think twice, saving one more person from hurtful thoughts.

Teenagers today are becoming less empathetic, joking about situations like rape and abuse. They will then claim that others who are offended, are weak. There is a line. A line where jokes just become plain insulting. So, are they sensitive?

No, they are human.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

A&E | album

Singer James Arthur helps it make sense for his fans An in-depth look into Arthur’s newest album, released on Nov. 5

By Jessica Smith

I

t has been five years since wedding venues and couples have claimed the song “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur as their own. Young romance blossomed under Arthur’s emotion-filled piece, bringing people together even in the darkest corners of the world.

Arthur was living out his dreams, but in the middle of his European tour in 2020, he was blinded by health-related issues. He grabbed his guitar and stepped off the stage for a while.

He took a reflection period to heal, process, and reassess his career. His music was missed around the world as his lyrics brought truth to many listeners.

Courtesy of Columbia Records

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He struck gold in the creation of his two songs, “Medicine” and “September,” on his newest released album “It’ll All Make Sense In The End.” In an interview with Jayson Scott from American, Arthur stated how he has become motivated to make music as it is his form of therapy.

Listeners instantly fell in love with the piece “September.” Arthur found this recognition rewarding and explains how he delivers an acidic wit and charm in the song to match the energy of his beloved melody, “Say You Won’t Let Go.” With only four months following the song’s release, it has already hit over 5 million views on YouTube.

The lyrics demonstrate the truth behind love unlike basic love songs.

“You smile when I’m angry and I hate it. But I’ll still love you for the rest of my life.” Young love once again has a new anthem.

His song “Medicine” was the first socially distanced record on the album. He was in rehab during this time, and the song brings to life the struggle he faced. He mentions suicide awareness in this piece as he struggled to keep his head above the water since 2018.

Despite the heart-wrenching melody, there is also a mysterious love interest in the song, “makes my heart beat faster than adrenaline. You kiss away the pain of all the hell I’m in.”

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Arthur’s music is a pure demonstration of the theme of hopelessness; he said in the interview that one particular attribute that came naturally to him as a songwriter is the storytelling element. He likes to make music that sparks an image or thought to the listener.

That is exactly what he does in the song “Emily.” He desires to have a little girl, but his song talks about his priorities changing once he has a child. This song is dedicated to his future daughter, and with every chord, the song pulls at the heartstrings of many listeners.

“SOS” brings awareness to the idea of comfort of help while he is caught up in self-destructive behavior. He compares his mental health issues with the collapse of an avalanche.

The amount of suicidal and mental health awareness brings hope to many listeners. He uses his music to help provide ease to many fans who are struggling with mental health-related difficulties.

From the start to the end of the album, Arthur’s songs have an uplifting message with their somber tune. After the final chord is struck in the song “SOS,” there is a sense of awe as the album reflects life so purely.

The album ranges from messages of mental awareness to love songs, and it is a refreshing album to have after many hardships throughout the last year.

Through his hope-filled lyrics, Arthur lets his listeners know that he understands the struggle that life can bring on. He shines a light on the importance of love and dedication in life. As listeners sway to the music, they are reassured that life will go on.

Let young love and mindfulness once again be spotlighted by Arthur after being silenced for so long.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

A&E | TikTok

Bad logo girl sweeps the “For you” page Emily Zugay proves that Gen Z is changing the marketing game for big brands

By Rae Habel

B

elieve it or not, logos are a huge part of attraction and sales of a product. They can suck you in and make you take a second look at the product, or they can make you completely repulsed. Emily Zugay took this concept and brought it to TikTok. TikTok is a heavily conversed topic in the world of Gen Z. Especially here at high school, people are always talking about the trends they have recently viewed. One of the many discussed topics is about a young woman named Emily Zugay or also commonly known as the “bad logo girl.” She went viral for her video that involves the logo redesigns of NFL, Amazon, Doritos, and McDonald’s with about 29.7 million views.

In Zugay’s TikTok, she redesigns logos of big brands that, in her opinion, “need some help.” It is actually quite hilarious; she purposely makes these logos look extremely unprofessional and “bad” and then posts them to her page.

Zugay is super monotone and sarcastic, some may even believe she is being serious. Gen Z loved this; they loved her humor and how she was brutally honest. This made her gain a lot of publicity and recognition among our generation.

Big brands recognised how this NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

Courtesy of Mike Mozart young influencer was gaining likes and popularity and wanted to use it for their own benefit. Brands flooded her comments with things such as, “recreate us next bestie” or “we might need a revamp” to get Zugay to redesign their logos in her next video.

Many of the companies that were lucky enough to get a redesign from her took the “new” logo and set it as their profile picture; this was practically free advertisement and publicity for them.

It is very unexpected for big companies to beg for someone to make their own logo cringeworthy. That is just how the marketing is now; the marketing game has changed drastically thanks to Gen Z. What our gen-

Gen Z is tired of companies that only want their money.

Instead, they want more and more in return.

Alexa D’agostino

eration demands and puts out to be funny and worthy is going to be how companies try and get our attention.

“Gen Z is tired of companies that only want their money. Instead, they want more and more in return. They expect you to communicate in a per-

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Courtesy of @ emilyzugay sonal and relatable way that speaks directly to them,” Alexa D’agostino, Forbes Councils Member said.

Zugay is on to something; she has created a ripple effect in the world of business.. It is now common in commercials or advertisements to find that they have used a popular sound on TikTok. Many businesses have even created their own TikTok account. They do this to catch the eyes and ears of younger audiences.

“Many brands advertise on TikTok since the platform provides unique exposure, especially among younger audiences. As a rule, their ads are accompanied by catchy and modern soundtracks to magnify the impact” TunePocket said.

Overall, Zugay has created a much larger impact than some may believe.

She opened the eyes of many brands and showed that you can get a large audience’s attention by being real.

She gave everyone a taste of our future. This young lady has changed the marketing world forever by simply HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

J. Habel HHS athletes Dyllan Cash, Hallie Holmes, Madison Grubbs, and Jackson Bauer finish off their senior season strong.

Bittersweet final farewells Four senior athletes say their goodbyes to the sport they have dedicated their lives to

By Ruhi Gulati

F

rom afar, the stories of a tennis player swinging her way to success, a golfer hitting above par, a soccer player shooting for the stars, and a cross country runner racing against time may seem strikingly different.

Yet, with a closer look, their paths seem to align at their hardest challenge yet: saying their final farewells.

Dyllan Cash,tennis

After a last glance at the livid sky, she scoops up her bag and slowly steps off the court, her IHSA State Finals pin in one hand and her water in the other. Glowing with pride, her family wraps her in a giant bear hug, leaving her covered in a fuzzy blanket to shield her from the freezing wind.

Exhaling, she releases all of the stress, tears, and joy she has been holding in for the past four years of her tennis career.

Senior Dyllan Cash joined high school tennis with only one year of experience under her belt. Playing NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

on exhibition her freshman year was fun but not fulfilling, so she joined a singles league and began taking private lessons. Her dedication off-season transformed her from a girl who could barely hit a volley to an absolute beast at the net, and she became two doubles on varsity her sophomore year.

We wanted to just have fun at state, so we weren’t putting any pressure on ourselves.

because it was our last high school game.”

Hallie Holmes,golf

A slight breeze whispered in her ear, undoing the strands of hair from her braid. The dewey scent of grass still wet from the night prior sprouted a sense of tranquillity that flowed throughout her body. She inhaled deeply, counting one, two, three, and then she swung her golf club, placing the ball in the hole for the last time ever.

Senior Hallie Holmes joined golf

Courtesy of H. Holmes

Dyllan Cash

Along with her hard work, she credits a majority of her success to her tennis family. With her parents applauding from the sidelines, her teammates shouting from the courts across from her, and her partner cheering her every point of the way, Cash dominated on the tennis court and qualified for state her senior year.

“We wanted to just have fun at state, so we weren’t putting any pressure on ourselves,” Cash said. “Afterwards, we were both pretty emotional

43

Hallie Holmes positions her golf club during a meet.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | seniors her freshman year after she suffered an injury in soccer. In contrast to soccer’s wild energy, golf produced silence, and Holmes instantly was hooked.

The next summer, she signed up for lessons at Pinecrest and ended up playing JV 1 and varsity 7 her sophomore and junior year.

“Knowing I could get better and be at the top of varsity kept me going,” Holmes said.

My biggest takeaway is to do something you think you like.

Dyllan Cash

Not only did she achieve this goal her senior year, but she also excelled at her role as varsity 2, helping her team win conference and finish eighth at the Belvidere Sectional.

As a freshman, Holmes never could have imagined that she would win these accomplishments in a sport she had no prior experience in.

“My biggest takeaway is to do something you think you like,” Holmes said. “You don’t have to have

that much experience in a sport or activity. Go do it because you’ll never know if you’ll be good at it or if you’ll love it.”

Jackson Bauer,soccer

The second the game began, the roaring crowd and flashing lights faded into the distance, and only the steady rhythm of his heartbeat remained. His limbs tingled with anticipation as every bone in his body was alert and ready for what was to come. Here he was, making history with his team- the first-ever Huntley boys soccer team to play in super sectionals.

Senior Jackson Bauer started playing soccer in kindergarten out of habit of copying his older brother. He soon began playing for a club team and would practice up to five hours a day in the summer. His determination to improve led him to start on varsity his junior year. However, his faith in God led him to succeed.

“I would say God was the biggest help because He gave me my talent and blessed me by giving me the opportunities I needed to be successful,” Bauer said.

One of the opportunities God provided him was the best coaches and teammates. For his senior year, he

was blessed with a team built on talent and community that allowed him to accomplish his number one goal.

“I wanted to be one of the best teams Huntley has,” Bauer said. “We did that this year.”

Madison Grubbs, cross country

Wind swirling through the branches of autumn trees and bright rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds lit up the track, creating the perfect weather for the IHSA Girls Cross Country State Meet. With adoring fans and family cheering her on from the sidelines, she finished her senior season with a 19 minute, 33 second 3-mile, her personal best.

Senior Madison Grubbs decided to try cross country in sixth grade after one of her soccer friends mentioned she would be amazing. All though she now balanced two strenuous sports, Grubbs still worked hard out on the track.

“I was always on the top of Frosh and [Coach Kaplan] saw how much I wanted it. Every day at practice, he continued to push me. The whole atmosphere made it really easy to want to keep improving,” Grubbs said.

Just as her friend mentioned, she was extraordinary, and she qualified for state her junior and senior year.

“The only reason we were able to go to state was because of our team,” Grubbs said. “Usually, there is a big divide between JV and the varsity team, but this year all of us became really close.”

Final farewells

Courtesy of M. Grubbs

Madison Grubbs beats her personal record by 40 seconds at her last meet.

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

44

For these four seniors, not only did they leave behind the sport they had grown up with, but they also left a community of teammates and lessons that changed their life. Cash learned the power of teamwork, and Holmes learned the power of positivity. Bauer learned hard work is necessary, but failure drives people forward. And Grubbs learned to never give up and that personal records can always be broken even on the last day of her career.

All though all four seniors may no longer represent their high school again, the memories will always remain. In the end, they are not sad to say goodbye but glad to have such a great experience that makes it so difficult to say farwell.

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SPORTS | track

The race is only beginning Sophomore Vicky Evtimov reflects on her five years as a sprinter and relay runner

By Megan Pawlak She strategically places her feet on the metal blocks, adjusting to the perfect angle for the perfect launch. The white lines beside her look brighter, the reddish hue beneath her more vivid. She must have been too focused during her months of training to notice the details of her second home. At the curve of the track, she sees a swarm of red and black uniforms waiting for her gust of wind as she runs past them. No more time to think.

On your marks. Set. Go! Sophomore Vicky Evtimov prepares for her fifth year of track, and nothing is slowing her down.

Evtimov started her track career way back in sixth grade. At the time, she ran the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes. Now, she not only does those two events, but also does the 400 meter dash and relay races.

Competing in four events requires intense training; Evtimov devotes her weeks to practicing with HHS and an outside facility, Mt. Prospect.

“I go to Mt. Prospect every single day, and I did it all through the summer,” Evtimov said. “I am just looking forward to improving.”

During the season, Evtimov can be found in the field house or weights room every day; she may be running sprint drills or participating in the team’s notorious ‘lactic acid days’. These days may demand challenging conditioning, but Evtimov is willing to fight for improvement.

Coach Jason Monson has noted her striking determination since her freshman year. “[Vicky] was one of the few athletes who came to all of our fall NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

contact days. Even as a freshman, [she had] that dedication to say ‘this is something I want to do and be good at,’” Monson said.

Although track has been a major part of Evtimov’s life since 6th grade, she continues to break the boundaries of her comfort zone by trying new events. “[Last season] was my first year ever running a 400. At first, I was like ‘wow this is horrible.’ Now, it’s one of my best events,” Evtimov said.

The triumphs of winning events and practicing hard is always on Evtimov’s mind when she walks into the field house. Through her five year career, though, she has run into plenty of challenges and mental blocks.

“I would have issues where I was like ‘I’m not getting better’. I really dwelled on that,” Evtimov said. “You will get better over time, you just have to wait.”

She knew, though, that she did not have to wait alone. Coach Monson, Coach Gallagher, and her team

Vicky and her relay team smile through their demanding training together.

Courtesy of B. Gallagher

46

have been running in the lanes alongside her during her whole time on the team.

Sophomore Sophie Amin met Evtimov through track last year, and they have grown close with their shared love of running. During the state competition last year, Amin recalls her and her team supporting Evtimov from the stands.

“We were cheering for her, and it was so cool to see her there. It was like “I actually know her!” and she was up there,” Amin said.

The girls track team are almost as tightly bonded as Evtmov’s running shoes. She knows that when the season starts, she has a family to welcome her into their home of the field house. This sense of community is not new to the track team; in fact, coach Monson has been encouraging close relationships throughout his 20 years of coaching.

“One of the things that I really focus on with the girls track and field team is embracing that team concept. Everybody runs for each other,” Monson said.

Evtimov describes how her team stands at the last curve of her 400meter races and ‘wooshes’ her to keep up the speed.

“It kind of gets me going like I’m going to finish the race. They do it every time and it just makes me happy,” Evtimov said.

Evtimov hopes to continue her training through high school and college. During her time at HHS, she hopes for a state champion title, and is willing to put in vigorous work for it. As she gets closer to college, her mind is set on one goal: improve, improve, improve.

The combination of running shoes, determination, and Vicky Evtimov is one that could leave smoke on the track. When she was in sixth grade, Evtimov could have never seen herself with the passion she has today.

“It’s motivation to get fast, work harder, and get better,” Evtimov said.

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SPORTS | track

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SPORTS | lacrosse

Nothing but net Senior Caysie Vargas had a dominant first season with Huntley lacrosse

By Austin Zenaty

C

aysie Vargas is a senior at Huntley High School, and she is a lacrosse player.

Vargas joined the team to try out something new.

“I started playing in January back in 2019,” Vargas said.

When COVID-19 came along, sports stopped for a bit. When they finally did open back up it was a great thing for her.

“It was a good distraction during COVID-19,” Vargas said. “I grew to really love lacrosse.”

Lacrosse was a different opportunity for her.

“I chose to do lacrosse because my friend told me I would be a good fit for the team.”

Even so, Caysie has experience in other sports that have carried into being on the lacrosse team.

She had previously played basketball, which she also loved.

“Caysie adapted to lacrosse very well,” Coach Joseph Domka said.

“Her previous sport of basketball has given her a great understanding of where to be and how to read the field. A lot of basketball skills transfer over to lacrosse as well.”

Vargas is an overall athletic person who knows how to interact with the others on her team very well.

“Caysie has outstanding sportsmanship. She is always there cheering on the team and lending a helping hand to anyone who needs it,” senior Paige Olszewski said.

Vargas plays the goalie position on the Huntley lacrosse team.

“I love playing goalie everytime because it is so much fun,” Vargas said.

Despite it only being her second NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

season, Vargas has been a great goalie, and never lets her team down.

“Caysie has grown to be a great voice on the field from being very vocal to letting her teammates know where to be. She is a great presence on the field,” Domka said.

Vargas is such a great athlete, and puts so much effort on the field for her team.

She usually trains with the lacrosse team every day after school during the season.

During pre-season the team trains two days a week.

Caysie’s performance on the field is just outstanding. On the field she is absolutely amazing, saving goals left and right.

Joseph Domka

While Vargas has a consistanlty great performance, her best asset is the passion she has for her team.

“Caysie’s performance on the field is just outstanding. On the field she is absolutely amazing, saving goals left and right. But even off the field Caysie is always there for the team,” Olszewski said.

While Vargas has grown immensly, much of her talents shined through early on during her first season.

“I saw great success from Caysie last year as she was first in the conference for save percentages on shots taken at her,” Domka said.

Caysie started loving lacrosse, and there is so much left for her to do.

“Caysie has been a pleasure to coach,” Domka said. “She is a driven athlete, and always gives her 100% during practice, and games.”

49

Senior Caysie Vargas after a lacrosse game. Vargas led the conference in J. Waters save percentage on shots taken.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | softball

Four bases, three outs, two teams, only one division

Junior Katie Mitchell commits to Division I softball at Loyola University of Chicago

By Gabby Whitfield M. Vasquez

M. Vasquez

Mitchell trains with a batting coach in order to execute the perfect swing in her games.

Mitchell practices with both Huntley High School and the Wasco Diamonds travel teams to pursue her passion for softball. Now, Mitchell has commited to Loyola University of Chicago to play Division I.

A

s she steps up to the plate with her bat twirling in her hand, she eyes down the pitcher. Adrenaline pumps through her as she puts everything on the line for this game.

Junior Katie Mitchell has committed to play Division I softball at Loyola University of Chicago.

Mitchell focuses on outfield and slapping. Outside of high school she plays for the Wasco Diamonds NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

in Elburn.

Not only does she have practice every day for Huntley during the season, but she also practices at Wasco on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, along with hitting lessons.

Travelling for softball is quite normal for Mitchell and her Wasco team.

For Mitchell, playing Division I softball was the end goal from the start. The discipline and growth came from the years of hitting les-

50

sons, nightly practices, and almost every weekend tournaments “[It] definitely taught me discipline and [how to perfect] my skills,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell works very well both independently and as a teammate which makes her so successful.

“I especially love the fact that while we all have to contribute with our individual skills and talent, it is also critical to work together as a team to be successful,” Mitchell said.

Clara Hudgens, a fellow varsity softball player, has worked with Mitchell as a teammate since freshman year but also as a friend.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

N

SPORTS | softball

M. Vasquez

Mitchell is motivated by both the individual aspect and team effort that surrounds the softball community.

There was nothing negative that Hudgens could comment about Mitchell because of her drive and determination.

“Katie is not only a great teammate, but a great player. She knows how to start the game off right, and keep her energy up,” Hudgens said.

The talents that Mitchell has worked to perfect is one of the many reasons she is a Division I athlete.

This dedication does not just stemn from Mitchell’s willpower, in fact, she was practically raised with the sport.

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

“I literally have been watching the game from the moment I was born. My parents played co-ed softball here in Huntley when I was a kid, and all three of my sisters played as well,” Mitchell said.

Her family plays a huge role in why she has dedicated so much of her life to softball and saw a successful outcome. Two of Mitchell’s sisters were also a part of the Huntley varsity softball team.

“I watched my sister fall in love with the sport, which encouraged me to start and fall in love with the game myself,” Mitchell said.

The Mitchell family is well known

51

throughout the softball community for their hard work and dedication, not only to the sport but to their team.

Mitchell’s mentality allows her to grow to the expectations of a Division I athlete. For her, the hours of travelling and practice was all worth it for the end goal of getting the opportunity to play college softball.

The hardwork and dedication have definitely paid off. Just by talking to her, her community can see the love for her teammates and sport radiating off her.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | tennis

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G. Watt

Check out the article on Elaina Hibbeler on page 54!

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

53

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | tennis

You have been served Junior Elaina Hibbeler is a two-time state tennis qualifier

By Gretchen Sweeney

S

printing from side to side of the court, with her black and blue racket in hand, sweat tumbles down junior Elaina Hibbeler’s face.

“Just go point by point” is the only thing going through her mind as she swings her racket with an overpowering force.

Hibbeler’s teammates and family are on the sidelines watching, but they are silent in anticipation as she finishes her second set.

The only thing she can hear is the ball being wacked from court to court. She is focused and does not let the ball slip out of her sight.

This is her state qualifying game, and it has dragged on tediously for three long hours, but Hibbeler is unphased. The adrenaline keeps her blood pumping and the sweat coming.

After the end of the second set,

her opponent takes a 20-minute break due to exhaustion. Hibbeler waits in anticipation and watches the clock to start her third set. If the break is longer than 20 minutes, the opponent has to forfeit, but Hibbeler was hoping she would not win so easily.

As the clock approaches 20 minutes, her opponent walks back onto the court, and it is go time.

This set is a breeze, and her opponent is exhausted because they have been going for three hours now.

When her opponent goes to make one of her last serves, Hibbeler holds her breath and waits, but her opponent swings and misses.

“Oh no,” her opponent said.

She looks at her coach with puppy dog eyes, pleading to go again, but he ignores her. Hibbeler stares with concern but concludes her opponent must just be exhausted.

Hibbeler gets the last point and suddenly a weight is lifted off of her shoulder. She walks off with a grin on her face and is met with hugs from her teammates and family.

Elaina Hibbeler watches the ball, preparing for the point in “ready position.”

G. Watt

G. Watt

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

54

Hibbeler is now a state qualifier.

“She doesn’t let her opponent see that weakness [and] she doesn’t give them anything to work with,” Coach Barry Wells, Elaina’s coach, said.

After 17 years of coaching varsity girls tennis, Wells has seen many players come and go but not many like Hibbeler.

“She’s a machine on the court.

She’s just relentless out there. She works hard. She doesn’t get down on herself. She plays hard every time. She’s in good condition to where she can play long matches, and she’s very smart out there too,” Wells said.

Hibbeler is a determined player and a leader.

“She is probably one of the most consistent players. She’s one of the team moms as she always makes sure that everyone’s getting cheered on and as soon as you walk off court,” teammate Sunni Kwon said.

Hibbeler has been playing tennis since she was just 7 years old. Her grandpa got her into it by taking her to her first lesson, and they still play together today.

In fact, her family plays a big role in her tennis career as some of her biggest cheerleaders.

“My family keeps me motivated because my grandparents came to so many of my matches this year. I love my family so much. They’re so supportive. And I think that’s just what keeps me going [since] I just know that they’re cheering me on,” Hibbeler said.

Now in her off-season, she is resting her body for her training season which will consist of lessons, tournaments, and matchplay competitions along with playing against different people.

Hibbeler is an inspiration for so many aspiring tennis players or athletes. We could all learn to live more by following her “just go point by point” mindset.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | tennis

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SPECIAL | tribute

Interviews by Kate Alvarado, Ellie Armstrong, Alexis Cobb, Nikki Darnall, Grace Helzer, Abby Panier, and Amelia Pozniak Photos provided by Kristine DeBolt, Erin Henricksen, Paula Los, Sam Sherwin

a tribute to

Physical education teacher and department chair Jennifer Heuck passed away on Oct. 25 from breast cancer. She will be greatly missed by her community here at Huntley High School. We at The Voice want to honor her legacy with a tribute including interviews from some of those who knew and loved her best.

Jamie Kruse

coworker and friend

I

am incredibly fortunate to have had Mrs. Heuck in my life. She loved teaching and her enthusiasm for it was awe inspiring, even on the toughest days. My first year teaching at HHS I was observing Mrs. Heuck teaching a PE class and she jokingly yelled at a student ‘MINUS 10!’ and the class erupted in laughter, a clear indication of the fun environment she created within her classes. I remember being jealous that I didn’t have her as a PE teacher when I was in high school! She had confidence in me to teach PE, even though she knew how bad at sports I was! She made time for everyone and each relationship she had was unique. She was such a genuine person with a huge heart, the best boss I could have ever wished for.

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

Megha Patel

senior, gym leader

M

rs. Heuck was my teacher for leaders prep [my junior year]. She was the one who oversaw the leader’s program. It was a class that prepared you to lead one of the gym classes your senior year. Mrs. Heuck was so relaxed. She just wanted to make sure that you had a good grade and was doing well, she was never hard on you, she understood. I really liked her class. She opened every class with a question of the day. It showed how much she really cared, she didn’t want her class to be a “boring Zoom class.”

She wanted to get to know us [individually] and get to know us as a class, and I think that was nice because most teachers didn’t do that over Zoom. Even during hybrid learning, you could just tell that she was a very caring teacher.

Around the second time she got

56

diagnosed with cancer, I remember she tried her best to just get on Zoom with us and give us updates. She made it her goal to give us updates on how she was doing, and she was always so optimistic about it. She would ask us how we were doing, and we’d ask the same, and in response she'd be like, “I beat it once, I can beat it again.” It made everyone really look up to her. It gave her students a sense of hope- her mindset gave everyone a sense of hope. She was a role model, it showed how much of a good person she was. She was going through hell and back and all she cared about was how her students were doing without her in class.

These PE teachers were not just co-workers: they were the [physical education] department, they were genuinely a family. This was not just the passing of a coworker, this was a passing of a member of a family. Her hopeful and optimistic mindset rubbed off on her students and her coworkers, and I admire that about Mrs. Heuck.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

Jennifer "Jeffi" Heuck SPECIAL | tribute

Collin Kalamatas former student, coworker, and friend

I

actually had her for class, my junior year, and I vividly remember constantly pissing her off, getting kicked out of floor hockey and all this stuff. Then in the spring of my junior year, I [got denied] for Leader’s Prep. I was bummed, but at the same time, my dad was like, “What do you expect? You were a jerk to her.” I kind of realized that's a little more on me.

Then my wife, who I was actually dating in high school at that time, got into Leader’s Prep, and Heuck loved her.

She was always [joking] like, “What are you doing dating that Kalamatas boy?

He's trouble, watch out for him.”

Then the first year I was teaching at Marlowe in 2010, we had an in-service with all the PE staff together from all the buildings, and I ran into Heuck and I just remember being like, oh crap, this is not going to go over [well]. And then she gave me this big hug and was like, “I'm so happy to see you. Welcome to the district.” It was something that blew my mind because I was like, “Do you remember how much of an idiot I was six years ago?” It just showed how she would do anything for anybody. She's just a super, super awesome person.

Once I was at Marlowe, the end goal for me was always to be at the high school. [After six years] she's like, “ Collin, I think we got one here. I'm going to do everything I can.” A couple weeks later, Dr. Rowe, who was the principal at the time, called me and offered me the position. She looked out for me before I was even in this building. This is where I always wanted to end up teaching, and I wouldn’t be able to have that without her.

Right away, she took me under her wing. She kind of started molding me into the ideal teacher for [the junior/ senior level], because you have to be able to relate to the older kids a little

NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

bit more. She would not be afraid to tell me something that she thought I wasn't doing right. She just knew how to say it too. She always knew how to help you develop, help you grow. Firm but fair is the absolute best way to describe her.

These last couple of weeks have just been throwing me back because [my favorite moments were] as simple as setting up in the fieldhouse with her [and] just chopping it up with her in the morning when we're setting up volleyball, basketball, and badminton. I've just been thinking a lot more [about] the little stuff. The interactions we'd have in the hallway.

I'm going to miss that the most.

To me, she was more like a work mom. She had that personality where you could talk to her about family stuff, you could talk to her about your job, and she would just always have the right set of ears. She listened. She was just the best. Everything that we do is a product of her mind and her willingness to try things, watch it fail, try something else, watch it fail until it fits.

Sam Sherwin

former student and athlete, Class of 2001

I

met Mrs. Heuck when she was a long-term substitute for my eighth grade class. My freshman year of high school was her first full year at HHS. She was my PE teacher and track coach, and quickly became one of my favorites. I didn't think I was cut out for long distance running, but she continuously encouraged me to give cross country a shot. It took a couple years, but I eventually joined the team as a junior. I was surprised that I

57

actually enjoyed it, and she was my biggest advocate and cheerleader.

It's been 20+ years, and long distance running is still something I continue to do. I never would have given it a chance if it wasn't for her persistence and support. Mrs. Heuck was a positive role model and was such a kind person too. She gave me her new running shoes when mine didn't work out. I'll never forget that generosity. RIP, Mrs. Heuck. Your big heart and infectious energy will be missed by so many.

Paige DeSimone senior, gym leader

M

rs. Heuck was my junior year second semester PE gym leader teacher and I was hybrid halfway during second semester. Because gym was pretty loose, not everyone showed up and there were only five kids hybrid, so we just played games most of the time. During second semester, we found out about her cancer because she told us as she was discovering it herself. After that, we were all pretty close with her in class.

She would talk to us about what she was going through and how she just wanted everyone to be happy and positive. It was more than a studentHUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPECIAL | tribute teacher relationship, she was just someone who cared about us. She was always interested in how our days were going and how we were handling school in different classes. It was more like she wanted to connect, talk, and have a real conversation because she was at home and sick.

Especially with COVID-19, they were just looking at us through a screen so she really wanted to get to know us when she had the chance. There was one point in class where three of the girls were looking for a job opportunity.

It was nothing relating to gym, but she was just talking to us about possibly being servers for her. It didn’t even feel like we were at school, we were just talking to her.

Anyone who has ever talked to her knows that she was just so positive and bright. As a person, she genuinely cared about her students and wanted to make sure everyone was doing okay, despite the fact that she wasn’t. No matter how bad she was doing, she just wanted to be positive for her students.

We wanted to show up to class in her honor because she was just so excited to teach us. She suffered through so much but that didn’t stop her from caring for other people. In a way, that makes us want to do the same thing.

Despite the fact that some people didn’t know her, she really did leave a big impact with the program that she built, especially on the students she had. I don’t want that to go unnoticed.

Cindy Fuhrer

coworker and friend

J

en, I always called her Jen. I know a lot of the people call her Jenny but I would always call Jen, but we started together 25 years ago, so. Our careers sort of matched up with each other. We’re both teachers first, and then we both became what was called team leaders together. So what we would do is go to meetings with the principal, and they would basically give us information to take back to our departments.

And then I became a chair just shortly before she did, but then she became department chair. We were always together and so I remember there were lots of times that we would just call NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

upon each other and be like, you know how it is, we have been around forever, right?

Because for a long time there would not be that many people that were here for numerous years. Now we actually have a lot of people that have been here for a good number of years. But as we were growing so fast, there was not the staff that was here for a long time. We would just always talk about how things were done, and we just relied on each other.

When we were department chairs [there was this chicken]. This was when Dr. Rowe was the principal and we used to always bring a rubber squeaky chicken that she used to bring to our meetings. And she actually did this in her department meetings where she was with her PE teachers. And like, if you got off topic or were joking or messing around she would throw the chicken at you, and make you get back on topic. We used to get off topic all the time and just joke around in our meetings and have fun too. But like we needed to really get things done. So she would throw the chicken at you and then people would throw it at somebody else.

So one day she came in and she had bought all of us our own chicken to use in our own department meetings so that was pretty cool that she bought us our own.

She knew how to have fun both in school and out of school.

She loved the White Sox [and golf].

Farlik can tell you a lot about golf. He would remember she loved the White Sox. I learned to golf later on, [though] my golfing at the time wasn’t as good so I didn’t go with them. I felt like I had to learn how so I can go out with them.

It was just a lot of small things here and relying on each other.

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Paula Los

I

lifelong friend

called her Jeffi. She was quite a force at the high school. She was a favorite teacher for many people. We have two oldest kids of the same age. They were raised together when they were little. We would spend a couple of weeks at the Wisconsin house during the summers together with the kids. I was fortunate enough to move halfway between her house and the high school so she would often stop by my house after school. She loved her girls and husband very much [and was] very proud of all their accomplishments.

I can’t tell you how much she loved working in District 158. We used to go walking in the morning so I heard all about everybody there and how much she really truly did love her job. She was very proud of what she did and very proud of the kids she interacted with. [At] graduation every year she was nominated by students to be there every year. She loved everything about her job and the people that she worked

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SPECIAL | tribute with. She often mentioned how it never felt like work for her.

She has always been that person who has always been a leader. She was the person who got things done [and] always wanted to do things together. She was the biggest cheerleader of everybody. Students would say that “She still made me feel included and made me feel like I was a part of the team.” She didn’t mind that people didn’t fit the mold, and she took in everyone and saw only the best in everyone’s soul.

I’ve known Jeffi since we were 15. Jeffi and I ran track together, went to high school together, and stayed friendly and close ever since. When you have a person in your life that has always been

qualities she embodied and pay them forward, say it’s from Jeffi because that’s what she would do.

As cliche as it sounds, never take anything no matter how small for granted because it is true, in my 38 years of knowing Jeffi, the small moments, the random times we got together to do nothing, the funny text just when you needed it, those meant more than any big party or gathering.

It was those simple moments, when it was just the two of us friends. Now those are the times I miss the most.

Erin Henricksen coworker and friend

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a constant for you, even if you don’t speak to them every day, you know they’re there for you and you are there for them and one day the person can’t speak back to you so you have to fill in her words. You have to talk for her and I feel ill equipped to be her voice right now, but here it goes.

I’m sure she would tell all of you to go out and live life, don’t wait for life to happen to you, go out and take chances, make plans, make friends with people you never thought you would be friends with, find out what makes people happy and surprise them with those things as simple and tiny as they might be. Be kind, go out of your way to make people feel good.

Whatever it was that you loved about Jeffi as a teacher or a friend, emulate those qualities and put that out into the world. That’s what would make her proud.

People are put into our lives for a reason, to learn from, to grow from, to change from. Take all of those positive NOVEMBER ISSUE 2021

o words will ever really be able to describe the amazing woman Mrs. Heuck was and what she meant to me, but I will try my best. Mrs. Heuck was like a mom to me. She always knew what to say, and how to make me feel better if I was having a day. She always knew how to joke with me. She always knew how to make me laugh. She would listen to me, give me advice and truly meant the world to me. She was my teacher in high school and although I hate to admit this ;).... I would stand around and talk when I was in her leader’s class and she would always holler over to me and my friends, “GIRLS, CUT THE CORD!” and most definitely, “MINUS 10!” Although I may have slacked at times in PE class in high school, I feel like she was willing to give me a chance

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and trusted in me even at such a young age when she hired me and welcomed me into the PE family.

After Mrs. Heuck passed, people and friends naturally asked, “How’re you doing?” or “How’re you feeling?” Anyone who has lost someone so close I’m sure can relate when I say it’s hard to describe. The day I came back from my maternity leave is the day Mrs. Heuck passed. Coming back without her here just doesn’t seem real. It’s hard to be here without her. I feel like a piece of me is missing.

She ran a tight ship, led the PE department better than anyone, and kept us close. Her daughter Hannah described her as “firm but fair” and that is exactly what she was. She is someone I admired so much not only as a teacher and leader, but as a mother and as a friend. She taught me everything I know and I will continue to do good by her and teach in her honor.

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in loving memory of

Jennifer Heuck