Huntley HS Voice Oct. 15, 2021

V the O I C E

October 15 Volume 25 Issue 2 Huntley High School

Discrimination against minorities Consequence changes to the handbook Makenna Jacobs: cancer survivor

CONTENTS

table of

NEWS first show at Black Box 04 FEATURE bending over barriers 19 if these halls could talk SPECIAL 26 OPINION absent activity fair 29 A&E ariana’s new beauty line 39 deblieck to play at Miami SPORTS 43 minority mistreatment EDITORIAL 51 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, Jay 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.

Senior Kimberlynn Bjurstrom played the lead role of Jean in the Thespian play “Dead Man’s Cell Phone.”

Courtesy of Atlas Thivierge

NEWS | black box

First show in the Centennial Theater makes history at Huntley

Courtesy of A. Thivierge Kat Kamala and Kimberlynn Bjurstrom share one of their first scenes together in the new Black Box Theater.

O

n Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., the first public show was performed in the Huntley High School’s Centennial

Theater.

This show was performed again on Friday, Sept. 24 at the same time and twice on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Above the doors in shining letters it said “Centennial Black Box Theater” beckoning people inside. Stepping into the room for the first public performance, the room buzzed with energy.

Above are four blue lights that pour down to illuminate the stage. Alone on the stage are two chairs with complementary desks, sitting back to back.

Thespian Troupe 6147 presented “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Christine DeFrancesco.

Practicing for this play came with many difficulties, one of the most pressing issues being that the cast

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

was required to wear masks during their rehearsals and performances.

Because of this, the cast was forced to enhance their body skills to portray the emotions and scenes better; all in all improving their acting skills.

“We developed a sort of scheduling process during hybrid-learning so certain people wouldn’t have to show up if they weren’t needed at that time.

We kind of carried that on this year so we had less bodies in one vicinity,” said Andrew Faber, senior lead.

According to Faber he has been participating in plays and musicals since sicth grade. He started with Janet Burkhalter in middle school and Andrew was hesitant at first about getting involved, but once he got his first role he fell in love.

“There were moments during performance readings in seventh grade where it just snapped for me, this is

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Black box theater hosts Thespian show “Dead Man’s Cellphone”

By Nikki Darnall Courtesy of A. Thivierge

Makenzie Blake caresses Kimberlynn Bjurstrom’s face what I want to do,” Faber said.

Like Faber, Kimberlynn Bjurstrom has been a part of theater since sixth grade, when she performed in the play “Macbeth” as the role Lady Macbeth.

Since then the pieces began to fall into place and she pursued her love for acting throughout middle school and continues to do so.

Her freshman year she was inducted into Huntley’s Thespian troupe, containing the school’s most talented actors.

“The Thespian Show is always like the varsity squad of my acting kids.

These are the kids that are in it to win it,” Defrancesco said. “They have been with me for the most part throughout their entire high school career, and many of them are members of the Fine Arts Academy; so they get that extra-focused attention from me because of what work goes into that academy.”

According to DeFrancesco, she had been waiting for the opportunity to HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

NEWS | black box

Courtesy of A. Thivierge

Kimberlynn Bjurstrom and Nathan Connelly have a moment during their first and last main stage show in black box. perform this show in the black box due to the intimacy a smaller space offered.

“In rehearsals we made it very clear that we needed to portray both sides of the audience. We were always talking about being on a pivot, looking at our perspectives to make sure that one side of the audience was never blocked and everyone could see what was going on for the most part,” Bjurstrom said The black box’s small stage space that promoted a closer connection with the audience also limited the amount of scene changes and set design they could use, leading to the installation of two TVs. “In a space like this you really can’t do scene changes and it is a play that has very specific locales: a coffee shop, a church, a park, a living room. So we got a little creative with our design team,” Defrancesco said.

At the end of the day, even with mask requirements, learning to maneuver through a new performing space and OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

dabbling with technology, the Thespians felt successful in their work besides last-minute jitters.

“With every show I have done you can always mentally prepare yourself as much as you can, but five minutes before you are about to go on you are like ‘I can’t do this. Then you have to

Rehearsing this script, becoming this role, this charater.

Kimberlynn Bjurstrom almost battle yourself and say that ‘you got this and you have been preparing for this for a long time - just breathe,’” Faber said.

“As you approach the final performance you do not think that it is going to be over because of all the hard work

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you put into it. I spent every day after school rehearsing for hours; rehearsing this show, rehearsing this script, becoming this role, this character,” Bjurstrom said. “Then you play the final performance and it is over; which is a difficult thing in the aspect that you get so invested and then suddenly it’s the end and you are forced to move on.”

As Bjurstrom and Faber performed their last Thespian show and eagerly move on with their lives to pursue theater, Defrancesco leaves them with one message.

“I want them to look back and think, ‘we did something hard, this was a difficult show.’ I want them to remember how long it took to get that table off the stage, and truly time that so it worked exactly,” Defrancesco said.

All of the cast’s hard work and dedication despite their restrictions and new territory lead them to create a masterpiece starting off the black box’s history with a bang.

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NEWS | FBLA

Changes happening in FBLA The possible extinction of a program led to its rebirth

By Maria Loiseau

T

he potential loss of the largest student-business organization at Huntley High School was a possibility at the beginning of this school year.

Through their academic competitions, encouragement of leadership development, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities, FBLA draws in many students who want to become more desirable on college applications.

For the past three years, Schaschwary has been the beloved advisor of FBLA. Originally, it was in her plan to take a break from the club this year due to personal reasons.

“Work-life balance. I felt like my life was really really out of balance the last couple of years,” Schashwary said, “I also teach at MCC, so I felt like all I was doing was work,

club, work, club, and I wasn’t having enough time for my family.”

Recently she has decided to continue with FBLA this year, because she did not want to let the students down.

When Schaschwary had planned to not continue, Associate Principal Tom Kempf had to find a way to obtain a new club sponsor. With COVID-19, it made a fairly simple process much more complicated.

When finding a teacher to sponsor a club, it is normally the students who come to Kempf with the ideas, but this year he found a lack of interested teachers.

He also explained that it was especially difficult to find teachers for FBLA. “You have to have a decent knowledge of [FBLA’s] content that you’re gonna have to go to conferences on, and be tested on, and compete on,” Kempf said.

FBLA is also a club that takes up a lot of time on the part of both teachers and students. “With already kind of a crazy pandemic upon us it’s really easy to be like, listen I’ve got enough on my plate,

Banas (left) and Schaschwary (right) pictured in their classrooms.

M. Vazquez OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

M. Vazquez

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maybe next year,” said Kempf.

Fortunately, Schashwary will not be working alone this coming year as Banas, who’s been teaching social studies at Huntley for the past 13 years, will be a co-sponsor to the club.

Though he teaches no business classes, Banas was very enthusiastic to take part in this program. “I expressed my interest to Mr. Kempf, and he told me who I needed to talk to, and [I] spoke with [Mrs. Schaschwary],” said Banas, co-sponsor of FBLA. He has only been to a few meetings throughout the start of this school year, and his goal is to learn as much as possible before the heavy work gets started. Not only is he trying to absorb everything thrown at him, but he also has a lot of enthusiasm for this club.

“I’m a very motivated person and I want my kids to be successful, and I consider Huntley kids to be my kids. That is something I want to continue on, I think that’s important to have,” said Banas, “They looked very engaged, enthusiastic, happy, and satisfied, and then being able to compete at the same time, which I think is awesome.”

With one new, and one returning FBLA sponsor, and a year back in-person after remote learning, there are lots of new goals set in place.

Schaschwary has mentioned that she would like to rebuild the club.

To her this means increasing the number of members and their participation, increasing officer involvement, building a mentor network, and doing more community service.

“I was really energized last year by the sophomore FBLA class. It was so strong, and the students in that particular class were so interested in FBLA that that was exciting to me and I’m hoping to carry that momentum into this year because I think last year’s sophomore class, this year’s juniors, to be our future leaders of FBLA,” Schashwary said.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

NEWS |Traffic

Huntley struggles with traffic issues

The details behind the school’s traffic woes

By Owen Zimmerman

S

teering wheels are gripped with tight knuckles and rural roads become a battlefield as students leave the comfort of their beds to enter the race to the high school.

The past few weeks of Huntley High School’s commute have seen an absurd amount of traffic, causing countless tardies and accidents.

Officer Ryan Gregorio, the high school’s resource officer, has been managing and searching for solutions to the troublesome commute and this year’s frustrations did not come as a surprise.

“We forecasted this year’s traffic, with COVID-19 and the increased number of parents driving their kids it was inevitable,” Gregorio said.

These issues began on Aug. 18.

Route 47 was swamped with cars, traffic was backed up from the 47 conjunction with Main Street to Reed Road just after 7 a.m.

Senior Nathan White has been driving himself to school for two years.

Throughout his entire high school experience, White rarely differed from his Main Street route to school; however, this year’s traffic forced him to make other plans.

“Main Street is horrible this year, 47 as well. I took it once and I was in traffic for 35 minutes,” White said.

Route 47 is not most student’s biggest worry when it comes to their drive to school, according to Gregorio.

The true issue presents itself when they reach the stop lights at Harmony Road and Hemmer Road.

“The entrance to the campus manages traffic flow very well, the lights at Harmony and Hemmer are what cause most congestion,” Gregorio said.

The conjunction at Harmony and Hemmer is not designed to handle the hundreds of cars that come

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

through within 20 minutes every morning.

Students find themselves waiting upwards of 20 minutes to pass through a 400 meter stretch of road.

The high school has enacted many regulations in attempts to ease traffic buildup, each having their own levels of effectiveness.

One of the first efforts was the enlistment of Huntley police officers to direct traffic at Hemmer and Harmony road. This was efficient in the few days it was active, however it was not a sustainable solution.

“It is a manpower issue to maintain that solution. The school would have to go and hire another officer to direct traffic daily and it just is not feasible or cost effective,” Gregorio said.

After a few days, methods transitioned from assistance from the police to directed traffic within the campus entrance.

Cars would enter from the staff and parent drop off entrance, students and parents would then be separated and find their spots.

It is a manpower issue to maintain that solution. The school would have to go and hire another officer to direct traffic daily and it just is not feasible or cost effective.

Ryan Gregorio Many students dreaded these new regulations however upon their introduction they showed a great level of effectiveness.

The solution only lasted a few days and the one entrance method was abandoned after a week.

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School officials now stand and manage the parking lots in the morning in efforts to make traffic flow more smoothly.

For students, congestion has not seen major improvements but it has also not gotten any worse.

“It’s not great right now but the administration is trying,” White said.

Many issues have contributed to the rise in traffic congestion, the increased number of parents driving their children being a major factor.

Some students have grown wary of parents slowing down the commute, feeling as if they are not seen as a priority. Senior Lily Fleming holds these sentiments.

“I feel like the main issue is that kids who don’t need a ride are getting one from their parents,” Fleming said.

Many families are concerned about COVID-19 and its continued effect on communities, feeling as if their children are at a higher risk if they were to take a bus. These concerns have transformed parents driving their children into a normalcy, frustrating some students.

“I understand the situations of some families. I truly support their decision to drive their children but there are families who are driving their children just to do it and it’s very frustrating as a student and for parents who actually need to commute to school,” Fleming said.

The absence of blended courses has also taken a hit on daily traffic to the school. Huntley’s administration chose to delay blended classes until late October.

In prior years hundreds of upperclassmen would not have a first hour, removing dozens of cars from the daily commute. This year that is not the case.

“Having blended would benefit the commute so much. Dozens of students wouldn’t have to come in first hour, parents could drive their kids later as well. It would stagger the start,” White said.

With blended not being an option for a few more weeks and 1200 cars coming into the school daily there is not much students can do but leave 15 minutes earlier than they usually would and hope they make it in time.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

Huntley officials manage the lines of parent traffic.

G. Watt

NEWS | health

Making a difference in the prevention of suicide Students lead Hope Squad to raise awareness about mental health at HHS By: Megan McCoy

J. Waters The Hope Squad is HHS’s new program to continue the conversaton of suicide prevention awareness.

H

untley High School is working on developing a suicide prevention program to better assist their students. After endless hours of preparation, several conversations and much waiting, Principal Marcus Belin gave his approval. He said that they were able to construct this program called the Hope Squad.

The main goal of this new program is to provide the students with the assistance they need and a safe place to share their feelings. Administration created the Hope Squad program to encourage kids to open up and talk about how they feel and what their struggles are. They felt that instead of talking to administrators immediately, students would feel more comfortable talking to other kids their own age and who can relate to them in some manner.

"After Shannon Daly’s passing last year, there were students who knew Shannon,” said Belin, “[They said] I could help be that person [students] could talk to.”

Belin wants the Hope Squad operating before it is too late, and he does not want to take chances with something with so much meaning to it. Belin also expressed his condolences for

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

Shannon. It pushed him to think about how he could help his students in the fastest and most comfortable way possible.

Tami Broskow, a Huntley High School counselor, learned about the Hope Squad from the McHenry County Prevention Task Force which she volunteered for. She said that she was really interested in knowing more about it.

The more she studied, the more she realized that it would be a great addition to assisting Huntley High School promote suicide prevention awareness.

Broskow also mentioned that the peer-to-peer method would be beneficial because people prefer to communicate with other students before approaching adults.

Broskow recalled how, six years ago, a student presented her with a ribbon.

He created his own campaign to raise awareness about mental health by purchasing his own ribbons, distributing them, and explaining his cause.

As a result, the conversation of mental health has grown amongst students.

The Hope Squad program will have roughly four dozen students involved and they met for the first time on Sept.

29. The discussion went over how to handle and recognize signs of suicide,

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and what the steps to take after.

Teachers nominated all of the students that are involved in this program.

It is important to Belin that he instructs the students and administration on how to react to situations, and what he requires of them in order to maintain a healthy, safe, and steady program. He hopes for as much publicity as possible.

This month the Hope Squad administrators will use Raider Nation News to spread the word and also put it on different types of social media platforms. Students in the Hope Squad program will also spread the cause of their program, hoping to reach anyone in need.

Belin expressed how this is exactly what he thinks the student body needs right now. Belin and Broskow both know how important it is having someone to talk to, even if students do not want to talk all the time. The counselors came up with this idea, not just because it was an inspiration, but also because it can cause a safe zone in school. The Hope Squad is a new step in the right direction to continuing the conversation of suicide prevention awareness.

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NEWS | health

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NEWS | campus rules

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NEWS | campus rules

Off campus confusion causes tension within the building Glitch with HERO program interferes with leaving procedures

By Kate Alvarado

T

he typically calm and orderly lobby of Huntley High School became frantic as a mass of students attempted to leave campus.

Tensions ran high as staff explained that students, like senior Jayden Smith, were not verified to leave, despite previously having the ability to do so.

A large line streamed outside of Door 1 as Smith was sent to resolve the issue with her dean. Students were dumbfounded, unaware of the cause behind this conflict.

According to Associate Principal Tom Kempf, there were technology issues resolved behind closed doors.

HERO, the program that handles attendance, did not correctly process which students had the parent consent form signed.

For the first week of school, anyone who scanned out was given the green light to leave even if they did not meet all of the off-campus requirements.

“We had to resubmit the list [and update who could leave campus,]” Kempf said. “That was

when everybody got confused because many [were able to] leave the other day but suddenly [couldn’t any more.]”

In order to resolve this issue, HERO had to revert to a past working list.

Anyone who had filled out the form after the roster was made could no longer be identified and could not leave.

“By going to your dean, they’re [able to search] through the hard data and find who filled out the permission [form] and get them back into the system,” Kempf said.

As this was handled discreetly, students were left in the dark throughout this process. Many went days wondering whether they had done something wrong or were just being sent across the building for no reason.

“I ended up having to go to my dean three times,” Smith said. “I think it’s finally fixed, but every time I [scanned] out, [I was] unsure if I’d be able to leave.”

According to Smith, her dean explained the glitch that caused these inconsistencies after her second visit and was apologetic about the inconvenience.

“It wasn’t widely communicated because it didn’t affect [enough people,]” Principal Marcus Belin said. “The last thing I want to do is raise a red flag and have people

Staff implements off campus rules, managing the stampede of students leaving campus by directing them to scanners.

J. Habel OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

get super bent out of shape when [the issue] doesn’t affect them.”

Unfortunately, this did not ease the frustration amongst students.

With no answers, many jumped to their own conclusions, feeling it was unfair to lose their right to leave campus as upperclassmen.

“I was obviously frustrated with the whole situation,” Smith said.

“I knew that the staff was not at fault, but it definitely was not fun when your friends [leave] for lunch without you.”

Even so, Smith was understanding of the staff and their situation.

Unfortunately, this was not the case with all students, and many took their frustrations out on their deans.

“Getting angry or mad [about not being able to leave campus] isn’t going to change anything,” Kempf said.

“Be nice about it. If you come in swinging for the fences, we’re going to be a bit resistant to helping you, [and] you’ll move to the bottom of our priority list. Just come in and understand that technology glitches occur.”

In the future, both students and administrators hope to avoid these instances of miscommunication.

While social media is often used to spread information, the best way to receive community and schoolrelated updates is to check your inbox.

“We try to post everywhere, but if we have a specific message for a student we’ll reach out by email, text, or [automated phone calls,]” Belin said.

With blended classes starting up again in October, administrators would like to remind all students of the expectation while at school: to learn.

“You don’t have to leave campus in order to be a student,” Belin said. “It’s a privilege, not a right.”

J. Habel 13

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | contortion

Twist of fate

By Ruhi Gulati

F

illed with twinkling lights dancing in every direction, festive melodies drifting in and out of people’s ears, and the aroma of freshly-baked cookies wafting from the oven, Christmas is generally the most wonderful time of the year but not for Jacob Kaszuba.

In 2019, the day before Christmas, Kazuba sat in a wheelchair under bright, flickering lights in an eerie hospital room awaiting surgery to repair his shoulder labrum tear. According to Johns Hopkins, a shoulder labrum is a thick tissue attached to the rim of the shoulder socket, helping to keep the ball of the joint in place. When this tissue tears, it often causes a dislocation, which is exactly what Kaszuba- who was 16 at the time of the surgery- experienced one year prior.

Four years prior, Kaszuba, a perfectly healthy 12 year old, sat on his couch watching in awe as contortionist Sofie Dossi on “America’s Got Talent” shot an

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

arrow from her recurve bow in an upside-down handstand position, lighting her target on fire, ultimately winning a golden buzzer in the process.

Inspired by Dossi, Kaszuba began stretching every day for two to three hours in hopes of becoming a contortionist. Along with his friend Haley Szramek, who was also a dancer, Kaszuba trained strenuously, improving his flexibility at a rapid speed. Szramek always knew he was a natural dancer; after only a couple of weeks of stretching, Kaszuba managed to perform the oversplits, which is when the legs pass the hips and the body is over an angle of 180 degrees.

Kasuzba quickly surpassed Szramek in flexibility and progressed to more challenging contortion poses through excessive stretching and YouTube tutorials, constantly sharing his progress with his mother and Szramek.

“She has been my main supporter from the start. She would Facetime me

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and ask me for videos and pictures of my progress,” Kaszuba said.

Eventually, he also began to share his progress on Instagram. Scrolling through his page, his followers can observe photographs of his contortion

It was so hard for him when he was injured.

All he wanted to do was go back to contortion.

Haley Szramek poses scattered across his page among photos of his friends and his pets.

Some of his most daring poses include “the twist” in which he twists himself face-front after bending over his back;

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | contortion

Contortionist Jacob Kaszuba bends over mental barriers and breaks his bone in the process

“the human belt,” in which he wraps himself around his sister’s waist; and “the scorpion,” in which he brings his legs to his face in a downward position.

“He is very passionate about it. It makes him unique. Not many people can do even close to some of the things he can do. However, I definitely think that it’s caused him to push himself harder than what his body can handle,” Szramek said.

Unfortunately, Kaszuba did in fact push himself too hard and tore his labrum in his shoulder. He disregarded his pain, continuing his contortion for a whole year.

After severely dislocating his shoulder, he visited the doctor, who scheduled the labrum repair surgery on Christmas Eve. “I was petrified. I was scared I would lose everything,” Kaszuba said.

As he was wheeled to the operating room, lights blinded his vision and fear slowly began to creep in. Loopy on

anesthesia, three specialists hovering above him were the last faces he remembers before losing consciousness.

The following months were difficult for Kaszuba. For a while, he remained bedbound or stuck in his wheelchair, yearning to perform the splits or simply move his body again.

“It was so hard for him when he was injured. All he wanted to do was go back to contortion,” Szramek said.

Leaning on the support of his family and friends, Kaszuba eventually changed his mind set and focused on healing. For six months, he retrained his body during physical therapy and iced his shoulder.

“I realized it was just a minor setback.

I told myself I would get back there as soon as I could, and I did,” Kaszuba said.

The day the doctor cleared him, Kaszuba was back on the grind. Within two and a half weeks, he pushed himself to the same level of flexibility he

carried the months before his surgery.

Although contortion took a toll on his physical well-being, it greatly improved his mental health according to his twin brother Chris Kaszuba.

“It’s made him a lot more happy as a person doing what he loves. I definitely noticed a shift in his mental health. He found what he needed in his life and just ran with it. He truly is an amazing person now,” his brother said.

From watching famed contortionist Dossi on television to becoming a locally renowned contortionist himself, Kaszuba’s mentality has drastically changed over the past five years.

“When I first started, I was not in the best mental state. I used to be so enclosed, but now I have that inner confidence in myself where I don’t feel like I have to shield myself from everyone else,” Kaszuba said.

J. Habel OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

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Facing the odds for his students

FEATURE | mr sturm

Steven Sturm faces life-threatening scenarios in his everyday routine

By Bailey Lim

W

alking into the high school, teacher Steven Sturm faces the risk of death on a normal day.

After teaching for 14 years, Sturm has never faced such a high risk.

Currently, he teaches Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Economics at the high school.

Sturm faces danger head on during the pandemic with a condition known as Chronic Obstructive

To maintain the in-class education we currently have, everyone needs to play their part in protecting each other.

Serene Gonzales Pulmonary Disease. COPD is a condition that closes a person’s airways and makes it increasingly difficult to breathe.

“My colleagues did a really good job keeping me actively involved while teaching remotely for much longer than the others,” Sturm said.

The school year of 2020-21 was more difficult for Sturm because his condition held him back from OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

J. Waters Steven Sturm teaches his classroom of student despite his health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. returning to hybrid learning with students and other teachers. Sturm was delayed up until the last few weeks of the year to return to a normal classroom to teach his students in person.

Sturm was not always a teacher, leading students toward bright futures. He has been through experiences most adults cannot relate to such as working in a stressful, maximum security prison in order to save money for law school. After building enough money and going

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to law school for three years, Sturm became a lawyer before he decided to teach for Huntley High School.

In the present, Sturm takes all necessary precautions to prevent himself from catching COVID-19.

Not only is it him that faces immediate danger, but his family too. While teaching in a crowded environment, Sturm has to be cautious before going home to his family.

Sturm is not at risk on his own in his family. In the household, Sturm has a son with down syndrome and HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | mr sturm

it is Sturm’s responsibility to do the most he can to support him. On top of his own risk, Sturm has additional reasons why these safety precautions are a necessity.

“Being developmentally delayed, I need to be around as long as possible to help take care of him,” Sturm said.

The district has respected Sturm and has worked a compromise with him to fulfill his needs during the school day.

His classrooms were moved into the high school’s Raider Aid room and Incubator room during his teaching hours.

It was crucial for him to be in a more spacious environment to prevent the spread of the virus, benefitting both him and his students.

“I was recommended by my doctor to continue teaching at home but we made a compromise to move my classrooms,” Sturm said.

As time goes by, students seem to be less aware and cautious of the danger that is COVID-19.

From the start of the pandemic to the present day, more people in the community overall are ignoring safety precautions and putting others at risk.

There are plenty of people concerned about the virus today, taking all of the suggested and necessary precautions to keep themselves and others at the minimum risk.

Some students take the regulations into account when there can be such danger to immediate family or themselves.

“To maintain the in-class education we currently have, everyone needs to play their part in protecting each other,” senior Serene Gonzales said.

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FEATURE | marriage

Marriage brings positivity Newlyweds Amanda & Bryan Hacker celebrate a new beginning

By Austin Zenaty

I

n Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on July 18, there is a pleasant breeze and abundant sunshine.

People are trying to stay as safe as possible during the pandemic, and do not want to expose their loved ones to the virus.

However, many still choose to have huge weddings as a celebration of their marriage.

“We had a large wedding of about 200 guests,” HHS social worker Amanda Hacker said. “I have

They did a fantastic job of keeping the ceremony serious but also light-hearted.

Amanda Hacker a very large family.”

In her family, there are 18 aunts and uncles, and 24 cousins.

COVID-19 did not stop their wedding as they surrounded themselves with family and friends. The virus has some people worrying because of their health, and they do not want to get exposed.

“We were lucky and did not have any COVID-19 restrictions,” Amanda said. “Our wedding was in the middle of the summer and during the break in mask mandates.”

The Hackers wanted to have their weddings outside in the nice weather and constant breeze.

“The wedding ceremony was outdoors at a pavilion at the hotel we were staying at,” Amanda said.

Generally, many people get nervous before the wedding ceremony, but it did not affect the Hackers OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

The bride and groom lovingly pose for pictures before their ceremony. at all.

“Everyone says you’re supposed to feel nervous. I wasn’t nervous at all. I speak in front of large groups all the time, and I knew everyone there,” Bryan said.

“Plus, there was no question whether I was doing the right thing.

I’ve never been more confident in

18

a decision that day. I was excited to get the process started and enjoy a fun night with family and friends,” Bryan said.

Traditionally, the bride and groom do not see each other until the ceremony actually starts, which can be quite emotional.

“Luckily, we did a first reveal so HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | marriage I was able to get the sobbing and emotions out of the way before [walking down] the aisle,” Bryan said.

“It was still hard to hold everything back. It’s the best day of your life,” Amanda said.

In the beginning, they got ready with the bridal party in the bridal suite and the groomsmen in another suite.

After their pictures, their guests started to arrive for the ceremony, and the procession started around 6 p.m. Her two older brothers were the ministers and married them.

“They did a fantastic job of keeping the ceremony serious but also light-hearted,” Amanda said.

After the ceremony, a cocktail hour was provided while the wedding party took more photos. The reception started around 7:30 p.m.

The Hackers had carving stations of prime rib and chicken, a baked potato bar, a pasta bar, and choices of vegtables.

After traditional father-daughter and mother-son dances, the night was followed by the speeches.

“The best part about her wedding was how both families were hilarious and how her brothers officiated the wedding,” said Jennifer Sanchez, Amanda’s coworker.

After that, the dance floor was open.

“I loved the Hackers’ wedding. It was so much fun. Everything was absolutely beautiful,” Sanchez said.

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FEATURE | moran family

Junior finds solace through family’s difficult times Maddie Moran and others share the story of mom Lisa Moran’s cancer

By Avery Robertson

M. Moran Allison (left), Lisa (middle), and Maddie (right). This photo was taken in 2019 during the holiday before Lisa’s diagnosis

I

n June 2020, Maddie and her sister Allison woke up around 7 p.m. on a summer night to a blaring ambulance taking her mom out of the chaos-filled home to the hospital. Pain, sadness, and concern filled the air.

Later that night around 3 a.m.

Moran felt a repeated nudge from her father. He had just gotten the test results from the hospital. It turned out Maddie’s mom, Lisa,had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Junior Alex Strzelecki was the first person Maddie told about her mom’s diagnosis.

“Maddie told me [her mom had cancer] over text because I was at work. That broke me because the Morans are like a second family to me and have always been like that since the day I met them. The news made me feel sick to my stomach,” Strzelecki said.

Strzelecki is also related to someone who is suffering from an illness and talks to Moran about her feelings. Everyone that knows

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

someone who has an illness relates to each other like one big family.

Moran, a student athlete, uses volleyball as a release, but also as a way to maintain normalcy in her family’s lives during times of hardship.

Some families watch football, baseball, basketball games together, but the Moran family loves going to the Nebraska vs Northwestern game at Northwestern University.

“There’s no feeling like watching a game in person,” Moran said.

Moran was struggling with the concepts of her mother’s illness and has information that has helped her come to terms with the diagnosis and could help others.

“I would spend as much time as you can with them. Because no one is promised tomorrow. Also, I recommend talking to a sibling about your feelings and having long talks with your loved one that is diagnosed with an illness,” Moran said.

Everyone that knows someone

20

who has an illness relates to each other like one big family.

The diagnosis not only affected Moran but her mom, Lisa.

“She wasn’t able to do the things she loved when first diagnosed, it took a long time for her to be able to do “normal” things, for example going to work,” Moran said.

Moran’s close friends and family had a fundraiser at Mission Volleyball for people to do activities, raffles, and so much more to help raise money for those families with diagnosed illnesses.

Moran is a part of the JV volleyball team.

She spends all the time she can with her family and friends, and continues to have a positive attitude.

She does struggle at times when her mom is having a bad day, but she knows who she can talk to and what she can do to release her thoughts and feelings.

“I immediately thought how our lives would change forever,” Moran said.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

FEATURE | moran family

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G. Watt

One strong soul's fight against leukemia

By Kate Pozniak ArmstrongMari se publis videatiam. Also another sentence would improve the horizontalness of it all.

S. Laput

FEATURE | makenna jacobs

Sophomore Makenna Jacobs' cancer journey

By Rae Habel

M

akenna Jacobs wakes up after a long nap in the hospital after an aggressive first-round of chemo. She slowly sits up and her sister and brother- in-law greet and comfort her.

She turns around and is shocked by what she sees: her pillow covered with hair.

Disbelief floods through her body and tears rush down her face.

When she arrives home from the hospital, the first thing Jacobs does is shave her head with her family.

“I think that was when it became very real for not only me, but for her dad, brother, and sister,” Makenna’s mom Kris Jacobs said.

Her story all began with a small lump on her upper thigh that went unnoticed for far too long.

Jacobs and her family just assumed that it was a muscle. It is when she stopped growing and the lump got progressively larger and caused confusion and suspicion among her and

This was definitely the hardest part for me as a mother. To see your child suffer so much and not be able to help was heart wrenching

Kris Jacobs her family.

“When it started getting bigger and bigger more rapidly I thought to myself, this isn’t normal,” Jacobs said.

When she went in for her first MRI, the doctors found Hodgkin's lymphoma in her leg, chest, and liver.

“It was such a foreign concept to me in general but I just kept thinking ‘my best friend? Why her?’ It was defiOCTOBER 15 ISSUE

nitely a scary time,” close friend, Zoe Bishop said.

They chose the chemotherapy treatment option and hope for a quick path to recovery.

“I was so worried that even if she made it through all of her treatments, the cancer would not go away. I worried that the chemotherapy treatments could have other devastating effects on her health later in life, but we were left with no other choice,” Kris said.

Jacobs followed her treatment plan with four rounds of chemotherapy.

Every round she received an IV in her arm.

“By the end, she barely had any veins left to use. They would have to poke her so many times just to get one line in, but she toughed it out,” Kris said.

Normally, each round of treatment was three days of chemo back to back.

The first three days consisted of eight long hours of constant medications. Then she got a four day break until she had to return for tests and treatment.

According to Kris, she would be so weak by the end of the day, she could not even walk to the car.

On top of that, she was also taking medications at home. In between treatments she had 10 recovery days until she had to start again.

“After that very first day of treatment, I was afraid we would never be able to get her back to the hospital, she was so sick and drained,” Kris said.

During her journey, Jacobs was brought to the hospital twice.

The first time was during her last round of therapy. She got an infection in her intestines because all her white blood cells vanished from the chemotherapy.

She was experiencing very intense pain and was restricted from eating or drinking so her intestines could breathe.

“This was definitely the hardest part for me as a mother. To see your child suffer so much and not be able to help was heart wrenching,” Kris said.

This trip was very bittersweet because the PET scans came back cancer-free.

An unimaginable joy lifted the spir-

23

its of Jacobs and her family.

When her family heard the news, they set up a parade of cars to drive

by Jacobs’ house with balloons and signs. The Huntley Police Department and fire department came to the parade too.

“All the support definitely helped me get through it. Without it, I feel like my mindset would have been a lot worse. I never felt that I was alone because of all the love and support from everyone,” Jacobs said.

It definitely gives you a reality check. You don't realize how valuable life is so you have to spend it wisely.

Makenna Jacobs Having cancer has changed Jacobs’ outlook on life. She says that life is too short to be moping around and you have to live in the moment.

“It definitely gives you a reality check. You don't realize how valuable life is, so you have to spend it wisely,” Jacobs said.

Now, she is getting a trip to Hawaii sponsored by Make A Wish.

Through it all, Jacobs remains her positive self.

Tell the locals in Hawaii to watch out because one strong young woman is coming your way.

G. Watt

S. Laput

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

M. Vazquez

This girl is on fire

FEATURE | EMT

Senior Anna Brown faces new challenges in cadet program

By Megan Pawlak

T

h e heat radiated through her thick, heavy coat, but she could not let that distract her as her surroundings were devoured by the black smoke. A victim over here, and a door to force open over there. Oxygen tanks pulled on her shoulders, but there was no time to slow down. The future of the fire service was in this burning room, and Anna Brown was ready to tackle any obstacle the department threw her way.

Anna Brown is a Huntley High School senior during the day, but at the sound of the last bell, she is ready to latch the buttons of her 30-pound firefighter gear.

Brown joined the cadet program at the Huntley Fire Department almost 2 years ago. During her interview for the Medical Academy, firefighter David Floyel told her of his cadet program that introduces high schoolers to the fire service, exposing them to the dayto-day challenges of a firefighter.

“I was interested in being an [emergency medical technician],” said Brown, “He said that you should try [this program] out if you’re interested in this.” Since then, Brown has attended many trainings and has become not only a Cadet, but also a certified emergency medical responder.

Floyel created this program nearly four years ago after being surrounded by firefighters since he was a child.

“I don’t want to say it was like a boys’ club, but they were having a good time, joking around. Then, the phones would go off, and out they would go,” said Floyel. He wanted to bring this sense of family into Huntley’s department. His goal with the Cadet program was to find the kids within Huntley’s large community who wanted to experience the fire service. “That way they are invested in the community; their families are here,” said Floyel.

Although Cadets can be as young as 14 years old, that does not keep the program from training future firefighters, like Brown, to understand the true grit required for the fire service.

During training, “one team would force

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

the doors, finish putting on their gear, and also go in and search for victims.” said Brown, “The other team would go in with the hose and they would be spraying the water and putting out the fire.” However, Brown’s demanding training could not have happened without some help behind-the-scenes.

Brown’s parents, Jason and Lisa Brown, have always supported their daughter in order to reach her dreams.

To Jason Brown, scheduling training days along with the typical events of a high schooler is a difficult, but crucial step to supporting his daughter. In the summer, Brown could be found at the fire department from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on some days. She had her parents right at her side, but she also had another group of people to fall back on.

Community is a major part of the fire department, expressed by both Brown and Floyel. Despite her younger age, the firefighters immediately welcomed Brown into the family. Brown described how her worlds collide when the firefighters help her with homework before the phones ring to rush to an emergency.

From school work to her personal life, Anna has always been able to rely on her department. “The biggest thing is she went through a hard time, and the fire department actually came around her during that tough time,” said Lisa Brown.

Although Brown’s initial goal was not to be a firefighter, but an EMT, she has always found the fire service fascinating. She always liked the idea of rushing to help people. She wanted to be in the action. However, the rush was not the main reason Brown became a Cadet. “I always kind of knew that the medical service would be good for me,” said Brown. “I’ve always liked caring and helping people” Her interest in supporting others has been prominent her whole life. “She does have such a caring heart. We are really proud of the way she puts other people before herself,” said Lisa Brown.

Brown has a passion for helping others, and she has found her home at the fire department. From being a student by day and firefighter by night, she has still found a way to keep her kind heart at the center of her work.

“Anna has really answered the call every time I have thrown a challenge in front of her,” said Floyel.

26

Brown suits up for cadet training. she trains reguarly and up to 12 hours a day.

M. Vazquez

We are really proud of the way she puts other people before herself.

Jason Brown

M. Vazquez Brown is pictured in the Huntley Fire Department, which she considers a second home.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

halls

if these They would say...

Grade Junior

Activities Theater and Science Olympiad

Favorite TV Show “Shameless”

Star Sign Sagittarius

But they would not know...

During Dec. 2020, Price had her eyes set on the lead role, Reno Sweeney, in HHS’s musical, “Anything Goes.” On the day of her audition, she walked into the choir room with no expectations for her first audition. Before going to bed that night, she received an email for a callback.

Four days after callbacks, the cast list was decided, but she could not make herself look at it. So, she made her friends read it first.

When she finally saw the list, the top read: Hannah Price as Reno Sweeney. Her hard work had finally paid off, even though she was just a freshman.

- Hannah Price OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

photo by jake habel interviewed by Gabby Whitfield

26

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

talk

could

They would say...

Grade Junior

Activities Football and working out

Favorite TV Show

“Barbie”

Star Sign Leo

But they would not know...

During June 2019, Griskey started playing football, his escape from reality. Many people see him as a starter on the field Friday nights, but what they do not see is the work done off the field to achieve his dream.

His goal was to become a varsity starter by the 2020 season. Therefore, Luke was in the gym four hours a day, seven days a week.

After the long wait, Luke was put in his first game as a varsity level athlete. The challenges were unbearable, but it was all worth it in the end.

As of now, Luke is visiting D1 colleges looking into committing.

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

27

- Luke Griskey HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | ASL

Sign language classes benefit everyone

By Sam Webb

D

eaf and hard of hearing children have difficult times in social settings. Opportunities for connection are slim without the fluidity of communication, especially when in able-hearing communities. So, if these students are able to talk and make connections with hearing students here at school, they will have a more positive experience at Huntley.

Huntley High School needs to offer American Sign Language classes. They are inclusive towards students of different learning needs and abilities, and can be beneficial for job opportunities later in life. Assiocate Principal Shelly Kish is encouraging electives that satisfy the kids’ job interests.

“We have those elective spots and that’s where we definitely want to make sure that we’re filling those with classes that students are interested in.

That can help support career pathways and career goals,” Kish said.

Generating a positive environment for learning is one of the main goals of HHS and adding sign language is a way for us to get there. ASL is also a beautiful language.

Many students want to be taught different languages like sign language.

The administration has thought about introducing this kind of class, and they are all happy to introduce these classes and present new kinds of curriculums. In Illinois, ASL can be taught for four years for high school or college credit.

Having credits like this could be quite useful for students interested in jobs prevalent to helping children.

Many students have expressed that they would like to join classes like this, including freshman Jessica Holtz.

“I think [ASL] is very unique and I

Sam Webb

ASL classes should be offered at HHS N. Darnall

find sign language very interesting, I’ve always wanted to learn it,” Holtz said.

Several teachers are overjoyed that kids at Huntley are starting and continuing to advocate for the kinds of classes they want as well as what they believe would benefit them. Students who struggle with learning other languages like Spanish, French, or Chinese, can flourish in a sign language class.

On the other hand, creating a class from the ground up is very difficult and time consuming. Administration would love to offer this class, but it is difficult.

Leah Novak is a big advocate for new ways of learning.

“I wish I had a magic wand to just make this class work,” Novak said.

She believes we should have classes like these, but she knows it’s quite difficult.

Finding a teacher credible in sign language is very difficult because most of the people who went to school for ASL/ESL want to teach deaf or hard of hearing students. At Waukegan High School, they had a significant number of deaf students and a teacher who was

Myers Brigg: INTP-A | One Word: intriguing

Samantha Webb is a writer for The Voice, she is a sophomore. Her hobbies include dancing, which she’s been doing for 13 years, painting, reading, hanging out with friends, and trying her hardest to make a difference in the world. Samantha hopes to become a lawyer someday

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

28

fluent in sign language to teach.

As these students started leaving or graduating, this teacher had no one to teach. Then, they started teaching ASL to able-hearing Waukegan students as well. This happened to be one of the perfect situations Novak explains; finding a teacher is only half the battle.

The high school needs to find around 150 students who are interested and will take the class.

Everything has to line up flawlessly for something like this to happen, while it is not impossible, it will most likely take until most of the students here have graduated. Another step that would have to be taken would be creating an ASL curriculum, and many explain it as one of the fun aspects of creating a class.

Exploring other options has been on the mind of many students and teachers. At the high school, there are dual credit options available for some classes, which can help make introducing an ASL class much less difficult for the administration.

Options like these could decrease the amount of students we would require for a class like this to be presented, making it easier to build an ASL curriculum.

This class would be beneficial to many students and teachers. They would help eliminate the wall between the hearing students and our deaf, hard of hearing, and non-verbal community at our school.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | lunch

Cafeteria food shortage causes empty stomachs

By Jessica Smith

A

s senior Briana Pierri waits patiently in the commons area, the 6th hour bell rings and students begin to stampede into the cafeteria. Only after a few minutes, Pierri walks into the cafeteria to see a familiar sight: empty food racks, and barely any drinks. Yet again, she is left to eat a small meal.

Pierri is not the only student who has been struggling with proper nutrition in the high school. A lot of students have been walking into the cafeteria to be presented with the same sight. Leaving them to learn on an empty stomach for the rest of the day, and they are getting tired of it.

“Obviously I’m more hungry after school because I’m not getting a proper lunch,” Pierri said. “Even if I want to get a simple thing like water, sometimes they are sold out. I don’t think it’s safe to not sell water at a school where the water fountains are not on.”

The inconsistency of what is happening in the cafeteria is frustrating to all students. Some do not know if they will be able to have a proper lunch every day, or will end up, once again, sitting in class with no energy, creating bigger problems for themselves.

These standards are going against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which states that during the 2021-2022 school year, Type A standard lunches and breakfast meals are available for students under the age of 18, regardless of any modality. Yet, students cannot get the meals that are demanded from the government.

According to Richard Reed, Direc-

Jessica Smith

Huntley student body goes hungry

Courtesy of B. Burak tor of Food Services in District 158, the problem lies much deeper. Yes, students are not getting enough food to eat, but this is not because of staff-related issues.

“Unfortunate circumstances with the pandemic create problems with manufacturing, to trucking, to big frat liners that haul the food from company to company. It causes a ripple effect which did not happen before COVID-19,” Reed said.

Along with the manufacturing issues, there are bigger steps involved in distribution of the food.

“I have to make a menu a month before, but the problem is I have no clue if those items will continually be available for us," Reed said. "Food is constantly being substituted and changed because of the national shortage that is going around.”

The inconveniences during manufacturing and distribution create larger problems here in the school. But despite all of the contributing factors and the frustration from the student body, Reed and the district assure that they are trying their hardest to

Myers Brigg: ENFJ-T | One Word: intriguing

Jessica Smith is a staff writer for The Voice, it's her 1st year on staff. During her free time, Jessica listens to music, goes to local trails, and spends all of her time outdoors. She loves being surrounded by nature, especially after being inside all day.

avoid these problems and to keep students properly nourished.

Even though there are bigger issues than expected, there must be a change in these matters. Students should be able to walk the halls fully energized, rather than waiting until they get home to get a proper meal.

The district is in charge of providing for its students, but by the looks of the current affairs, the job has gone undone.

These unfortunate circumstances seem to be affecting more of the 6th hour lunch periods rather than the 4th hour. Senior Michael Wright, who has 4th-hour lunch, does not have the issue that most students face.

“There’s definitely food leftover and if you ask for something they most likely will have it and they will give it to you. I most definitely get enough food for the whole day, every day,” Wright said.

Wright, unlike many other students, gets the privilege of having a proper lunch. But the sixth hour lunch envies students like Wright. Food should not be something to have jealousy over, especially when there should be an equal amount of food for all of the students and staff.

The district claims that its mission is to provide students and staff with meals that are nutritious and of high quality as required by the USDA, but it does not seem these guidelines are being followed correctly.

To solve the problem at hand, the

see LUNCH page 35 OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

29

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | masks

How the use of masks affects Huntley

By Luma Acevedo

H

untley High School may be at risk of being shut down. Chances are you have seen fellow students roaming the halls without proper mask coverings. Yet, nothing is being done to correct the matter. No one is stepping up.

We have all witnessed students walk past teachers with their masks under their noses. Some even go as far as to have their mask below their chins. Very few, if anyone, call out students for not properly wearing their masks.

Even members of the faculty are guilty of not wearing their masks correctly, wearing them under their noses or chins. Students will not feel the need to wear them if the faculty is not.

We all know that masks, and the idea of them, are a sensitive topic.

Our student body has a plethora of opinions on our school’s mask policy.

“Masks do nothing,” one student said.

“Masks make a huge difference.

People need to understand that they can be endangering others,” another said.

According to the Center for Disease Control, masks reduce the spread of COVID-19. Masks, regardless of our views on them, have allowed us to return to the classrooms, in-person. Moreover, masks have allowed society to get back to some sort of normalcy.

Some will argue that being vaccinated is enough, and that you should not have to wear a mask. However, being vaccinated does not make you 100% immune to the spread of

Luma Acevedo

Mask mandates make a difference

N. Darnall

COVID-19.

We have all heard of, or know people, who have tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.

The vaccine lowers your chances of contracting the virus. The vaccine does not completely prevent you from the virus. It only protects your chances for contracting the virus. This is common for all vaccines, e.g., flu, meningitis, chicken pox and polio.

While some school supervisors do nothing to help enforce these mask policies, that is not the case for Campus Supervisor, Kathleen Henn.

“Students are usually wearing their

Myers Brigg: INFJ-T | One Word: compassionate

Luma Acevedo is a second year staff writer. She is a member of the Huntley High School Varisty Volleyball program, as well as a club volleyball player. In her free time, Luma enjoys hanging out with friends and family, reading and working out.

Check out her vlog “Once Upon a Time” on huntleyvoice.com!

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

30

masks, but it is the issue of them not wearing the masks properly,” said Henn. “I have to mention it several times a day.”

Even though staff, like Henn, are constantly trying to get the student body to obey the policies, students are reluctant to listen.

For some students, it is the desire to appear “cool.” To others, it’s about not wanting their rights to be infringed upon. For some, it really is the fact that they believe masks are pointless and do nothing to stop the spread.

The bottom line is, whether masks make a difference or not, it’s a school rule. Students are expected to follow this rule just as they are any other rule. Our society was, and is, built on rules, i.e., laws.

What would happen if students dictated what rules they would follow?

Rules are primarily created for one reason: to keep the students and staff of Huntley High School safe.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

OPINION | clubs

Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Involved No activity fairs leaves the student body without the tools needed to be involved

By Gretchen Sweeney

I

t is the most nerve wracking year of high school. You are fresh bait in a school of hundreds of kids. Lost without a sense of self, you wander through your days trying to find where you belong. It is your freshman year, and you just want to be somebody in this brand new school. Joining a club can easily solve this, so you plan to attend the activity fair, but what happened to the yearly activity fair that gave all these opportunities to incoming freshmen?

Up until two years ago, there was an activity and sports fair for the incoming freshman during their trip to the high school. It allowed the freshmen to meet students from clubs and get fliers or more information on the club itself.

“The activity fair helps because it can be so overwhelming since there’s so much stuff that’s out there,” Scholastic Bowl advisor Anne Sharkey said. “[It’s a night] that you can just go and see what’s there or sign up and contact when interested. We typically would get a lot of freshmen to even get their name on a list.” Scholastic Bowl advisor Anne Sharkey said.

Although the fair is geared more towards student participation, the activities fair was cancelled due to parents complaints.

“The activities fair went away because of the feedback from parents.

They were done with the meetings,” said Tom Kempf, Associative Principal and Activities Director.

This fair helps students know what they want to be involved in before the school year even starts. With no fair, it has imposed obstacles for clubs to gain new recruits.

Clubs have attempted to put up fliers and announcements but are not getting the turnout they hoped for.

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

“Without the fair it is hard to tell how many kids are interested, and who is coming back,” said Tom Swartzloff, Model UN advisor.

Although COVID-19 could be blamed for the lack of the fair, it has not stopped clubs from happening. In times of the pandemic, it should be even more crucial to have activities so students can connect with one another and gain opportunities they missed during quarantine.

There is a domino effect in the involvement of students at Huntley.

“We were able to get a bunch of people in as freshmen, and they stayed and brought more friends in every year,” Sharkey said.

Being involved is a main point at Huntley, and is even stated in our motto: “Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Involved.” It is difficult to accomplish this task when students lack opportunities to flourish.

The fair also eased the anxiety of students wanting to be involved by giving opportunities to meet other students in the club instead of hunting down a teacher.

“I would like to be involved in the yearbook production but I was not sure because the idea of being in a new school is kind of scary with the upperclassmen. I wish we would have had the activity fair because you can ask questions instead of just going to the club and hoping for the best,” freshman Lily Cascone said.

Gretchen Sweeney

N. Darnall This year, freshmen are left without many opportunities or resources that the students had in the past. Fortunately, HHS will see the activities fair back and rebranded according to Kempf.

“I have every intention of doing that this year. It’s a need. I have many clubs reaching out and saying they need recruitment opportunities because they are struggling,” Kempf said.

This event should have been a priority from the start, but the student body and clubs will hold Kempf to his word and hope to see an activity fair as soon as possible.

In the next month, it is crucial to see an activity fair.

An easy solution would be through the course of a few lunches and a late start. This opens doors of opportunity to not only freshmen but to the entire student body.

Myers Brigg: ENFJ | One Word: outspoken

Gretchen Sweeney is a junior, a floating editor, and this is her second year on staff. Gretchen is an advent thrifter and reads in her free time. She also plays for the Huntley lacrosse team.

Check out her podcast “Gen Z in a nutshell” on huntleyvoice.com!

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Senior Jake Kaszuba makes it past a dark time by finding his passion and becoming empowered in his talents.

Now I have that inner confidence in myself where I don’t feel like I have to shield myself from everyone else

Jake Kaszuba Read more about Jake Kaszuba on Pages 14 and 15!

J. Habel

A&E | netflix

Netflix’s decline in a global streaming market

By Molly Balmes

I

t feels like we have all had that same experience: ready to settle down and watch a movie, clicking on the Netflix icon and typing in the title, only to find it has been removed from the service.

That frustrating experience paired with uninteresting originals, frequent removals, and a rising subscription cost has people making the switch to rival streaming services. Has the streaming titan lost its touch?

Netflix had humble origins in 1997, originally starting out as a DVD mailing subscription. For many years, this business model served them well with around 20 million subscribers at its peak in 2011.

However, the company decided to change the game forever in 2007 with the radical plan of adding an online streaming library directly to their site.

Many thought that Netflix was wasting time and money; the small amount of titles available for streaming and poor video quality prompted extreme amounts of skepticism. However, as we all know, Netflix’s gamble paid off and ushered in a new era of home entertainment.

Because of Netflix’s heavy involvement in the commercialization of streaming services, people look to the company for the best on the market; at one point, many would agree that Netflix was their go-to, but current issues with the service such as abrupt removals, decreasing quality of original programming, and other problems have many wondering if the king is about to be dethroned.

Netflix’s streaming library as of Aug. 2021 was roughly 60% licensed content and 40% Netflix original programming. Many subscribers stay with the company because of the award-winning originals like “Orange Is the New Black” and “House of Cards,” but for every great original, it seems that there are double the amount of ones that fall flat.

A recent release, “He’s All That,” received low ratings from both critics and audiences, scoring a meager 31% on Rotten Tomatoes. Poorly rated originals are a disappointing trend OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

What goes up must come down from Netflix with movies like “The Kissing Booth” and “Hubie Halloween” (both highly promoted movies by the service) receiving low ratings as well.

Another common grievance is the removal of fan-favorite movies and TV shows. With the loss of “Friends” at the end of 2019 and “The Office” exactly a year later in 2020, subscribers are frustrated. Why do these popular shows and movies get taken off of the site never to be seen again?

It comes down to licenses: Netflix has to obtain the rights to a certain title, and pay a hefty price for it based on its popularity. Once the contract runs out, Netflix has to decide if they will renew the license or let the title go.

While Netflix has a suggestion box on their website to request for a title to be renewed, it is clear that the subscribers have very little say in what the company will renew. The decision ultimately depends on the popularity and price of the title. Because these popular titles come with a high price tag, Netflix typically opts to let the license expire instead of renewing.

This pattern of removals combined with the addition of a rising sub-

scription price ($14) can deter many people from renewing their subscription.

The other major factor in Netflix’s lowering subscription rate is the sheer amount of competition on the market. It was easy to be on top when you were the only one, but now that the rivals have great selection and cheaper prices, it is even more difficult to keep the subscribers coming back.

The key to a great streaming service is not a low price but interesting content. Subscribers are influenced by the price, but the largest factor in their decision will always be if what the service has to offer is engaging and fresh.

With Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max all having different selections and lower subscription prices per month than Netflix, the company has seen 430,000 people cancel their subscription in the first six months of 2021.

It is hard to say what the future of Netflix will look like, but it is clear something needs to change. Hopefully, the company will continue to thrive in today’s competitive market, but for now we will just have to wait and see.

Matthew Keys ND/CC BY 2.0

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A&E | social media trends

Devious licks sends Huntley scrambling for a solution New TikTok trend explains recent bathrooms thefts and closures

By Ally Panzloff

A. Panzloff

A

Freshman wing’s bathroom soap dispenser was stolen off the wall.

s sophomore Laura Boberg walks down the west wing hallway, she quite literally has one thing on her mind: her hair. But as she strolls into the bathroom to fix her bangs, she’s shocked by what she sees-- two soap dispensers when there should be three. Boberg sighs, knowing Huntley High School has fallen victim to another devious lick.

Hitting a lick is a known term; it means to make cash fast. But hitting a devious lick is something darker.

According to Urban Dictionary user @ Duvaldollar, a devious lick is “to steal something from someone. To hustle, or barter with stolen stuff.”

While the trend is less than a month old, originating on Sept.1, it has gone wildly viral. With a sped-up remix of Lil B’s “Ski Ski Based God” in the background, TikTok user @dtx.2cent posted a video of a hand sanitizer dispenser in his backpack, captioned, “only one month into school, and I just hit the most devious lick.” The video received over seven million views, but was taken down just a week later.

On TikTok, items stolen range from Expo markers to toilets and $50,000 microscopes. Within Huntley, most of OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

the stolen goods are from the bathroom; soap dispensers, sink knobs, toilet paper, stall trash cans etc. According to school administrator Associate Principa Tom Kempf, the missing bathroom doors were not stolen, but removed because of wear-and-tear.

One thing not mentioned on TikTok are the consequences of the trend.

Theft of items under $500 is considered a Level III Behavior in the HHS Student Handbook, and theft of property within the school can result in criminal charges, in addition to disciplinary measures. If a student were to steal over $500 within school, they can be charged with a felony.

With most items stolen being from student bathrooms, administration had been forced to shut down many West Wing and circle bathrooms during the school day. Many adults in the school feel little sympathy for students.

“The frustrating part is, it’s not hurting me. I have a staff bathroom. I don’t worry about the soap dispensers being ripped off the wall or toilet paper being stolen. The students are destroying their own space,” said Kempf.

So the big question remains: why hit a devious lick?

“I think people are doing it to amuse

34

other people. They just want something to brag about,” said Boberg.

While short-term internet clout may seem enticing, possible consequences and the current bathroom situation alone should be enough to deter students from petty theft.

“Some students can’t act like functioning people. They think oh, let’s be hilarious and do this trend because I think it’s funny, but it’s actual theft,” said Kempf.

More recently, a counter-trend has appeared called angelic yields. Angelic yields consist of people leaving new bottles of soap and other toiletries in school bathrooms. Set to an upbeat, jazzy stock song, angelic yields are the light to the devious licks’ dark.

Although this trend is fresh, it has already made its way to HHS. In the girl’s bathroom near the P-Z office, a kindhearted student left free hygiene products with a handwritten note telling students to take what they need.

Social media can bring out the best and the worst in people. It’s up to the students of HHS to take pride in the building, and decide if they choose to be devious or angelic.

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1 HUNTLEY

OPINION | lunch

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from LUNCH page 29 Food Services Department should focus on working with new food companies that can better suit the district’s needs. If there are so many inconveniences with food demand, there must be a service out there better suited for our population. A food service should be feeding students and staff equally, not making it a competitive race.

A lot of students rely on the lunches provided here at Huntley High School, but there is nothing to rely on when there are no changes occurring in the food department.

Students and staff are depending on a change, because without a change students will continue to struggle all year.

But when will that change happen?

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A&E | Twitter

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A&E | Twitter

Raider Nation Leaders Online

Raider Nation’s new social media boosts school spirit

By Natalie VonderHeide

F

rom information regarding sport games to entertaining content, Raider Nation’s social media pages have you covered. Raider Nation is a group of 11 student-leaders who lead the student section at many athletic events.

While in the past, the group’s social media pages have been used to post only game photos, this year’s group transitioned to event information, highlights, and “memes”.

“Instagram is where we post most of our information such as dates, themes, [and] times of different events,” said senior Maddie Meucci, Raider Nation leader. “Snapchat is more while we are at the event, [while] Twitter is usually posted once a week and we just post what the theme is for Friday’s football games.”

All leaders have access to the accounts, but roles in each application have been divided among the group to allow for a better post-upload frequency. For example, Genevieve Collatz runs Twitter, while Sam Cielak manages Snapchat and TikTok. “We all have the login to all social media accounts in case we want to post, but we divide the posts based on who has the time to post it,” said Ava Nielsen, Raider Nation leader.

While most of the posts gain an equal amount of attraction, edited videos created by Ethan Kornas seem to bring in the most views.

“Ethan Kornas came up with the idea of the memes as well as making all of them,” said Sam Cielak, Raider Nation Leader. “We pre-check them for errors before we post but overall I think they are something to look forward to when

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

Courtesty of N. VonderHeide The newly updated Instagram account run by Raider Nation leaders. Member Ethas Kornas creates entertaing promotional videos here.

Friday football rolls around. It’s always a surprise to see what he comes up with.”

The rise in social media presence has allowed students to feel more involved in school activities.

“They really do allow the common students to know what is happening,” said Brad Aney, Raider Nation sponsor.

By allowing students to be in-theknow of what is going on in the school, it tackles the group’s current cliche of only attending football games.

“I think the stereotype, if you will, of Raider Nation was a group of kids who showed up to football games to hype everyone up,” Cielak said. “Of course we do that, but we’d like to expand everyone’s point of view and make Raider Nation basically a support system to encourage our classmates in the activities they participate in.”

By being more inclusive, student turnout at events has increased.

“We definitely do see more people coming to sports,” Nielsen said, “For example, golf never attracted people but now that we post it, people started going. It’s nice to get people to come to sports that don’t get the same recognition as others.”

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The rise in student attendance has encouraged player performance and boosts morality.

“I feel like social media has been a great way to get everyone involved especially after COVID-19 and everything,” said Ishaan Thakar, varsity soccer player, “I think there’s been way more people showing up compared to two years ago when everyone was allowed to be back in the stadium.”

While Raider Nation currently only posts about athletic events, the group plans to expand to clubs and activities in the near future.

“We would love to extend our support to other activities,” Nielsen said.

“Once we get a feel for when the competitions are, we will definitely attend them.”

Even though students are mainly focused on learning, the ability to endure “normal” high school experiences are vital.

“School has to be about more than just learning,” Aney said. “It has to be about the experience and by providing opportunities for kids that they can’t get at home or get in the classroom, we are making an overall culture that is going to live on for a while.”

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

A&E | video games

NBA 2k22: well-needed change Sales skyrocket as the 2k franchise realeses a new game

By Brenden Boyle

N

BA 2K, initially released in 1999, and each year a new version comes out. People all over the country play this game and its popularity has increased ever since. NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17 sparked the ignition for the organization as it peaked at around 2019-2020 when NBA 2K20 came out. It had made over $1 billion in less than a year.

This year, the 2K franchise has released another game, but this time it is unique. NBA 2K22 was released on Sep. 10, 2021 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows. The new features include: - NBA 2K22 seasons will extend across MyCAREER, MyTEAM, and - The W Online.

- Revamped blocking/steal/bodyup/shot contest systems.

- New shot meter and dribbling.

- Dunk Meter.

- Overhauled fatigue system that will make you use your bench.

- The City (PS5/Xbox Series X only) will feature non-player characters, a quest system, and the game’s MyCAREER mode.

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

Lais Macaria/CC BY 4.0 - More tweaks and bug fixes.

Some players dislike some of the new features because of the new complications, difficulty to adapt, and a new AI system that increases the challenge for the player. However, 2K has since enhanced the game to a new level that has not been seen before in any other 2K version.

In the past, most players were upset that the 2K franchise had released NBA games year after year that were almost identical to each other. This year however, players are mostly happy due to the fact that 2K decided to add new animations, new players, seasons, as well as quests.

NBA 2K22 has added a new AI system for other player bots. This makes the bots harder to pass while they are on defense; they are able to get around screens faster, press you, as well as recover quicker.

They are also generally more effective while guarding the ball handler compared to past 2K versions.

A more popular game mode is MyPark, also known as Neighborhood. MyPark is what many people get 2K for, and this year, 2K devel-

38

opers have changed how MyPark will work. Instead of “ranks” in previous games, such as Rookie, AllStar, Superstar, etc.. NBA 2K22 will have levels 1-40, with 40 being the highest level. Each season the level will reset. Each level you progress, you will get a reward, such as VC, clothing, or even a go-kart. The rest of the 2K Neighborhood follows the same structure as previous versions.

The NBA 2K22 cover athletes include Luka Dončić and Candace Parker, who is the first female on any 2K game cover in history.

NBA 2K22 has been rated 4.5/5

by GameStop and 7/10 by IGN. These ratings were due to the players really enjoying graphics, animations, and the new MyCAREER. On the other hand, some players disliked the “grind” to obtain a good MyPLAYER and badges, as well as the AI players being extremely difficult. However, the good reviews far outweigh the bad.

The game costs $59.99 for current generation consoles (PS4, Xbox One, Steam, and Nintendo) or $69.99 for next generation consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X).

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

A&E | music

Ariana Grande’s makeup line proves “God Is A Woman”

By Serafina Druetta

V

ocal runs and agility are prominent in this artist’s very notable albums and songs. Ariana Grande is a well known sensation throughout the globe. Between her albums, and acting career, it is evident that Grande is very talented. There seems to be nothing that Grande cannot do.

Grande is a powerful celebrity, so it was not a shock when she put fans in awe by posting on Instagram about her newly released beauty line.

R.E.M. Beauty, named after her song “R.E.M” in her popular album “Sweetener,” is the title of her newly released beauty line. REM refers to rapid eye movement in sleep.

The correlation is well thought out, knowing that her fans are dreaming to see what Grande is going to produce and what products she will be coming out with.

Grande is taking a step back from recording for a short period of time in order to create this beauty line for her fans. Her line will consist of all different types of beauty products,

Fans await the release of R.E.M. ranging from makeup and skin care products, to shower gels, perfumes, and body mists.

Currently, there is no specific release date given for the products, but fans are eager to hear from her soon and are checking social media frequently. It was noted that Grande had been working on this line in secret for about two years and products will be released periodically.

When doing an interview with Allure, Grande mentioned who and what she would thank when launching this line.

Her mother was considered a big influence because she taught her how to wear and apply makeup. Another nfluence was the era of the 1960s.

She was inspired by the fashion and beauty associated with that time period.

While fans are still eagerly waiting for her line to officially launch, they are still continuing to purchase her perfume, “God Is A Woman”, and other products that can be found online and in stores.

Rumor says that Grande teamed up with the makeup brand Morphe, and that her first official launch is going to revolve around the eyes, including different eyeliners, eyeshadows, and at least one mascara.

Grande believes that a lot of emotion comes from the eyes, indicating that products relating to the eyes are going to be her first release of the brand.

To find more information about her future launches with R.E.M. Beauty, fans can go to rembeauty.com.

This website allows fans to write down their email address in a response box which then gives the company the ability to send updates and announcements regarding her different releases.

This website can be found in her biography portion on her Instagram page which is hyperlinked. No new announcements have been given about the different launch dates or releases at this time, but fans are hoping to hear more from Grande in the near future.

Emma/CC BY-SA 2.0 S. Laput

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | soccer

Porsche has one goal in mind Hayes Porsche puts his training to the test during his senior year

By Emmalyn McCoy

B

efore Hayes Porsche steps on the field, he begins to warm up on the sidelines in preparation for the game. When he receives the ball, he dribbles up the field and executes what he has been training his whole life to do.

Senior Hayes Porsche has spent all of high school training in Huntley’s soccer program. As his final season of high school soccer comes to an end, Porsche has certainly left a great mark on the program. As an individual, Porsche has scored 14 goals as of Thursday, Sept. 30 with games left in store.

He had a four game scoring streak against the high schools: Larkin, Crystal Lake Central, McHenry, and South Elgin.

Growing up, Porsche started soccer around the age of four; he has been playing for the last 13 years of his life. The last few years of soccer have meant the most to this dedicated athlete. “ Playing as a senior sucks because I really want to play a lot more here, to get more of the experience,” said Porsche.

As his high school soccer career winds down, he continues to make great strides and impresses everyone watching.

On Aug. 23, Porsche played in the HHS Red Raider stadium for the first game of the 2021-2022 season against Boylan High School.

This season opener ended with a thrilling victory with a score of 2-1 to kick off the start of the season.

Regardless of the impact COVID-19 has had on the varsity team, they currently stand 6-0 in the Fox Valley Conference.

Along with many other wins out of conference, they also qualify for regionals and will compete at other

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

J. Habel Porsche pushes his skills to compete against rival schools. upcoming games.

This season has been fantastic so far and the boys have been working hard together with Porsche’s leadership.

Since the first game of the season to their most recent, Porsche has put on a stellar performance being the leading goal scorer on the team.

His teammates are a huge part of how he performs and they all motivate him greatly.

“I really want to be the best teammate I can be for Hayes, and we

40

know he really gives that for us in return,” said senior TJ Gerst, “He really looks out for all of us and really motivates us to be the best that we can as a team.”

Head coach Matthew Lewandowski encourages the team to work hard and motivate each other every day.

“My teammates and coaches support and inspire me a lot which is important. We all work together, better ourselves and motivate each other every practice,” said Porsche.

The varsity soccer team has HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | soccer trained every day for this season; most players practice towards games for the final time in their high school careers. Because this season is huge for most of the players, they all want to work together to have the greatest outcome possible.

A large portion of the team this year includes seniors; their whole childhoods have led up to playing on the varsity team and possibly moving forward into college. ”I hope he continues to be the top scorer in the conference. It will be a huge accolade for him going into college because I know he is trying to play in college,” Coach Lewandowski said.

Porsche has left a tremendous impact on the soccer team.

“Hayes stands out because he sees the game differently than most people and that includes myself,” said Coach Lewandowski, “Most players at their top levels see one or two steps ahead of the game, Hayes is like three or four steps ahead.”

He impresses everyone inside and out.

“It is almost like he is in a different reality while playing the game and it’s uncanny, incredible, and fun to watch. He seems to get in places that are like how did that even happen, it’s like four or five times a game, it is crazy,” Coach Lewandowski said.

The varsity team as a whole is beyond thankful to have Porsche, “He is a true student of the game, like you never have to worry about him, he always makes heads up plays that you see in professional level games,” Coach Lewandowski said.

Porsche is a hard worker and everything he has trained for the last 13 years has really reflected the type of athlete he is when playing on the field.

“I can safely say that we are all grateful to have Hayes on our team.

He is always leading by example and really brings out the best in all of us when we are on the field playing together,” said TJ Gerst.

Though this is his last season, Porsche still has a lot to show everyone watching.

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Courtesy of J. DeBlieck

DeBlieck strikes college deal Junior verbally commits to University of Miami

By Maggie Kirwin

A

s she lines up facing the net, junior middle blocker Avary DeBlieck looks to her teammate to the left.

DeBlieck gets into her stance, ready to block the ball. The ball is served and flies past her head and DeBlieck crouches down. As the ball is hit by the opposing team, she shuffles to OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

the left to follow it until it is almost infront of her. The ball is hurtling towards her when she winds up to jump and spike the ball down. The whistle blows and the crowd cheers; DeBlieck is in her element.

Soon, the cheers of family and friends from Huntley will be traded for the thousands of students and fans from Miami. In the fall of 2023 Deblieck will be playing for the University of Miami Hurricanes.

While volleyball is an important part of her life now, it had not al-

43

ways been. She did poms when she was younger, pomerettes in seventh grade, and even musicals. However, one day on her way to her dance studio, Center Stage, her mom suggested another idea: volleyball.

“I had done [volleyball] through the park district and I loved it, but I was still new to it. I didn’t know all of the parts to it. We found a club- Sky Highand I started my 12s year and I made the highest team, which was crazy, and I grew from there. I began to love it so much,” DeBlieck said.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | volleyball DeBlieck has grown to love the sport more and more. Even her current coach, girls varsity coach Karen Naymola has seen first hand how much DeBlieck has developed on the court.

“Between club and high school, and doing so much extra on her own, she really, really developed. She’s athletic and I don’t know if I would’ve used the word athletic to describe her when she was [a] young kid,” Naymola said.

As she has grown, volleyball has become more serious for her, so much so that she decided to think about playing in college.

DeBlieck was able to start her college search. She started to send emails and get in contact with teams through Sports Recruiter, a website made to assist high school athletes with finding a college to continue their athletic career. Although unable to talk to DII and DI schools until June 15, she was able to test the waters with DIII schools.

“We were able to send [the schools] messages, but they weren’t allowed to respond to us. One way we could tell if they were interested in us is if

She has always been so positive and uplifting that it makes me want to be positive with her.

Maggie Duyos they went through our recruiting coordinators and talked to them, but we didn’t know if they were interested in us,” DeBlieck said.

DeBlieck had been talking to other DI and DII schools such as Arizona State, Rutgers University, and Florida Gulf Coast, but there was something about the University of Miami that felt right. After visiting the school in the beginning of August with her family, she knew she was home.

“It was nice to see the campus and tour around even if it was partially on our own. I fell in love with the campus. It’s beautiful and seeing the facilities was really nice,” DeBlieck said.

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

Courtesy of J. DeBlieck All eyes were on DeBlieck as she focused on hitting the perfect serve.

Because of NCAA guidelines, she was unable to meet with the coaches or players. However, DeBlieck decided to make a verbal commitment to the University of Miami on Aug. 13, about a week before her official visit.

While it was an exciting moment for her, she was dreading having to say no to all the other schools.

“That was a week of telling people no and it was really hard. You feel like you get to know multiple schools, not just the one you’re committing to.

You’ve built connections with them too so it’s really difficult to tell them no because they have a lot to offer too,” DeBlieck said.

Her kindness and compassion for other people goes into her playing as well. According to Naymola, she’s

44

always the first person to congratulate a teammate. DeBlieck’s teammates as well have seen just how good of a player and friend she is.

“She has always been so positive and uplifting that it makes me want to be positive with her,” teammate Maggie Duyos said.

As DeBlieck finishes up her junior season, she has her signing day where she officially commits to look forward to. However, with the excitement of playing at a DI school, Nayomla wants DeBlieck to make sure she savors every moment.

“Work hard every chance you get because especially with athletics, you don’t know if you ever get an injury, your season can be over. Practice and play like every day will be your last,” HUNTLEYVOICE.COM

SPORTS | wrestling

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Born to run

J. Habel

SPORTS | pride

Senior Evan Gronewold gives 120%, places second at state

By Ty Goodrich

B

efore the gunshot to signal the start of the state meet and before the 7 a.m. wake up, there were hours of practice that Huntley High School track runner Evan Gronewold had to put in to become the best 400m dash runner Huntley has ever seen.

From winning conference and sectionals in the 100m, 400m, 4x100m, and 4x400m dash, placing second in the state championship in the 400m dash, and to breaking the school record for the 400m not only once but twice, Gronewold’s success last year was nothing short of remarkable.

“There is no taking off, doing anything wrong, or doing anything half effort. You have to give everything [you got] so when you run at these events, you are at 120%,” Gronewold said.

Throughout the year, Gronewold’s drive and determination was unmatched.

“As a junior, Gronewold’s work ethic was by far the best on the team. He became a leader verbally and that is why he saw the success he did because of how hard he worked,” boys track head coach Maxedon said.

The track team saw Gronewold’s work ethic, and it motivated them to become better runners.

“Evan was always pushing us to keep going. Whenever we were tired and did not want to run, Evan would be the one to pick us up,” Luke Martell, one of Gronewold’s teammates said.

Throughout the season, Gronewold remembered the runners across the state of Illinois who beat him and strived to be better than them.

Losing in races pushed Gronewold to work even harder, so the next time he lined up with those runners, he would be the one who wins.

“When Evan would lose a race, his eyes would get big. He had to find a way to beat that kid,” Maxedon said.

“The coolest thing about him finishing second at the state track meet is OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

the guys who finished third and fourth were guys that he had lost to during what you would consider our regular season.”

Gronewold’s success is not coming to an end anytime soon. He is setting the bar extremely high for his senior year.

“I see myself as the state champ for the 400m dash next year. I think between what I am doing right now and the plans I have, I easily see myself winning state,” Gronewold said.

His achievements are just the start of how he has impacted Huntley High School’s track team.

The influence that Gronewold has made on this track program will not come to an end when he goes off to college.

“He will continue to be a great leader for our program and be able to pass it off to our underclassmen that are coming up. They can see his work ethic and his leadership abilities and just continue this track program,” Maxedon said.

“Over the last 10 to 15 years, our program has evolved into one of the best programs in this part of the state, and I would love to see that continue.”

The type of team that Huntley High School’s track program has built is a large reason for the success they have seen.

“The community we have is amazing. Everyone on the team knows each other. Everybody hangs outside of track,” Gronewold said. “There is nothing stopping us from achieving our maximum potential.”

It takes dedication and hard work to accomplish what Gronewold has, but he is not done yet.

With track season coming around in the spring, he has a lot on his bucket list. with winning state at the top of the list.

With the work ethic Gronewold has and his off season training, everything is achievable this upcoming year.

No matter what happens, he keeps it all in perspective.

“I know I put in the effort, and I know I did my best,” Gronewold said.

“When you get to the end of the race there is really nothing you can do, you did everything you can.”

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Gronewold radiates confidence at the place he feels the most at home: Huntley’s fieldhouse track.

J. Habel

Whenever we were tired and didn’t want to run, Evan would be the one to pick us up.

Luke Martell

J. Habel Gronewold exemplfiies leadership and brings a positive energy to every meet and across the finish line.

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SPORTS | gymnastics

Flipping between school and the gym Student competes as a level 10 gymnast

By Hailee McQueen

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efore starting her tumbling pass, junior Molly Vaught looks across the floor. She begins to break down each step to complete the skill in her head, from the run to the landing.

With determination, Vaught takes off and performs her round-off flipflop double back and lands it.

Gymnastics is considered to be one of the most challenging sports.

Gymnasts’ regularly put stress on their bodies, train hours on end, and put themselves in dangerous situations where they can easily become injured.

“I love being able to do things that barely anyone can do,” Vaught said.

At 18 months old, Vaught started her gymnastics journey in parent-tot classes but now trains 30 hours a week to compete as a level 10 this season.

Vaught currently trains at Elite Core Gymnastics, located in West Dundee.

“The best part of being on the team is definitely my teammates. I love my friends. The coaches. It’s such positive energy coming from a different gym,” Vaught said.

For two years, coaches have seenVaught grow in countless ways.

“Every event, I’ve seen Molly improve on. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth. Molly wants to do it, where some people don’t have the drive to do it, she really tries,” Lindsay Berdelle, one of Molly’s coaches said.

As the oldest on the team, Vaught has stepped up and taken the position of role model for the group.

When feeling negativity, she reminds herself that her younger teammates are watching her and needs to focus on being positive.

“She inspires me since she is older.

You see someone doing it, you think ‘Oh! They can do it, so I can too!’ With

OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

college gymnastics, the steps she’s taking, that’s what I want to do,” teammate Kate Sharkey said.

Vaught did not always enjoy gymnastics, and in 2015, she decided to take a year long break from the sport.

Vaught describes her career as a love/hate relationship. As a gymnast, you get used to good days and bad ones, days where you love the sport, and days when you can not wait for practice to be over.

Being a student-athlete is not easy.

They are constantly trying to balance their time between schoolwork, practice, spending time with family, and taking care of themselves.

Vaught feels like she is missing out on things because she is constantly busy.

She is always driving to school, to gymnastics, and back home, just to repeat it the next day.

Some view gymnastics as just a sport: however, those involved view it as more. Gymnasts are taught life skills such as respect, toughness, ambition, management, dedication, and more.

Coach Berdelle wants to see Vaught accomplish her dream goal of going to do college gymnastics, but first, she has to overcome fear.

“If you’re afraid, you’re not going to be able to attack it. You’re going to do things that you’re scared of,

Vaught does a split jump on the beam.

G. Watt

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Courtesy of Molly Vaught

Throwback to 2014 of Vaught’s level 4 beam routine. that she’ll have to push herself to do. That’s all I’m trying to teach her.

Not just gymnastics, but life skills,” Berdelle said.

Vaught has overcome countless obstacles throughout her career.

From injuries to mental blocks to the shutdown due to COVID-19.

Vaught explained it was hard going from training 30 hours a week to nothing.

During her time at home, she forced herself to eat a little healthier and did two hours of conditioning each day, telling herself she would not come back and be in pain.

When it comes to gymnastics, coach Berdelle describes her as unique.

“She’s one of the prettiest gymnasts. She stands out because she has the most beautiful lines. The way she moves is different from most people,” Berdelle said.

Teammates would describe her to be one who will make you laugh.

“I feel like she makes everything better and she doesn’t take things too seriously. She brightens practice.

I look forward to practicing because you know you’ll have fun with her,” Sharkey said.

Vaught is currently preparing for her upperclassmen years and for college gymnastics.

She hopes to leave an impact when she leaves ECG to begin a new chapter in her career.

“I think when I leave here and go to college gymnastics, I believe I’ll be the first person from our gym to have gone and done that.I hope other people are inspired and will try to work towards that,” Vaught said.

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Vaught hits a split handstand during her mount for her new beam routine.

G. Watt

SPORTS | football

Track athlete Hayden Swim plays football for the first time

By Brittany Burak

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or senior Hayden Swim, a typical fall afternoon began with a ride home after the 2:26 p.m. bell. But this year, this is not the case. Instead, his fall afternoons are spent on the football field.

Ever since he was a freshman, Swim has participated in track and field during the spring, as a discus and shot put thrower. Wanting to take his abilities to another level, he decided to give the high school football team a try.

“I wanted to get better at a track, like faster and stronger, and football

Swim readies himself on the field.

M. Vazquez

Never too late for success would help with that” Swim said.

His track coach, Chris Maxedon, also agrees that football will help him with track.

“I think it will help him be more successful because I think he’ll have a better understanding of everything that goes into throwing,” Maxedon said.

He also believes that it will benefit him outside of track as well.

“I think it will also give him a sense of confidence and I think that that’s going to be as beneficial as anything that he does through the process,” Maxedon said.

He thinks that football is a great opportunity for him to improve more than just his throwing.

Having experience with flag football through the park district, Swim thought playing football would be a great addition to his senior year. He always thought it would be interesting and he met a lot of people through football. Even though he has had past experience with the sport, this is Swim’s first time playing tackle football.

“It’s really hard to do... you kind of discover new challenges every single week that you maybe didn’t know you’re going to run into,” said football coach Micheal Naymola.

Joining a sport for the first time can

be challenging, but he is making the most of his experience while helping the team out. Swim is doing his part while rotating on Friday night games and he is currently playing at the varsity reserve level.

“He’s finding his way,” Naymola said.

According to Naymola, he is a hard working, coachable athlete, and he is a great teammate. Swim has had a great summer and earned a starting spot in the first week of the season.

His contributions as a lineman have had a considerable impact on the football program.

“Hayden gave us depth that we didn’t know we would have,” Naymola said Swim has shown his success in football, and not just in his performances alone.

“You also define [success] as doing something courageous and trying something you’ve never done,” Naymola said.

Swim’s first football season shows there are many ways to achieve success in sports. His goal for improvement in his track performances has led him to find achievement in football.

“I think that he’s been a great kid, I think he’s put himself into an uncomfortable situation and made the most of it,” Naymola said.

Hayden Swim gathers in a huddle with his teammates during an after school football practice.

M. Vazquez OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

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A

EDITORIAL

midst the commotion of the Commons, you enjoy lunch with friends when you hear the group next to you erupt in shouts. The N, R, and F slurs are used again and again. It is 2021, but some students at Huntley use historical insults as the punchline to their jokes.

We all see it. We all hear it. And yet, nothing is done.

It does not matter whether your demographic is targeted by these terms; nobody should have to hear obscenities shouted in the halls or see them written on desks and scratched into bathroom stalls. The mistreatment of minority populations has gotten out of hand.

“People would use the n-word around me, and when I told them to stop they [ just laughed],” said alumna Donna Fonjdo, advocate for Black youth and co-creator of @youthagainstinequality. “I love [the Huntley] community so much, but the ignorance is crazy. People don’t care about others, [they] use derogatory terms in their everyday vocabulary, and don’t seem to understand how hurtful it is.”

Despite occuring regularly, these situations rarely escalate to the proper authorities. Hearing and seeing slurs has become so normalized in this building, reporting it to the deans seems like an exaggerated response to students.

“A challenge that we have now in the hallways is that you have a mask on,” Principal Marcus Belin said. “The mask does a lot in terms of hiding some of what people are able to say, [but] if a student came forward to let us know who it is, we would definitely take action.”

While hiding behind a mask is a cowardly way to express derogatory views, those

standing by in silence as peers are targeted cannot claim to be any better. As a student body, we must hold each other accountable to create an equally safe environment for all students.

Call out your friends, get educated, and be a voice for those afraid to speak out.

The HHS faculty has put in the effort to promote inclusivity this year with the creation of Recognizing American Diversity. By celebrating different minorities monthly, RAD educates the community to be more accepting.

“In Huntley, we are more diverse

they will not go hungry at school, just like the rest of their peers.

Additionally, transgender, nonbinary, and gender fluid students have to choose between using their birth-assigned bathroom or the gender-neutral teacher’s bathroom.

Not only is this inconvenient, but it also outs students as non-cisgendered any time they are seen there.

“I think there is some taboo against us using them because [cisgendered people] don’t use that bathroom,” said Angel Wiley, senior and former member of the disbanded Gay-Staight Alliance.

This could be avoided by converting one of the student bathrooms into a gender-neutral one, making it available to all. LGBTQ+ students would no longer have to feel like a nuisance administration needs to find space for.

“One way or another, we have students in this building who feel that they are less than [equal] or not welcome,” Associate Principal Danyce Letkewicz said. “Every single student is equally as important. We just need them to find somebody they trust.”

This seems to be the main issue.

With the majority of faculty being straight, white, and cisgender, many minorites are at a loss when wanting to talk with someone who may share their experiences. Typically, affinity groups, such as the Asian-American Club, are where students connect with peers, create a community, and discuss these issues in a safe space.

Unfortunately, many were disbanded due to lack of student interest and struggles to find a sponsor, including the previously mentioned MSA and GSA. A Black Student Union and Latinx Student Association have not existed at HHS within the past five years.

This responsibility does not lie with admin; it is up to us. In order to create institutional change, we must make room for ourselves at the table and demand it. Students: call out discriminatory behavior, organize, and advocate. Administration: be even more inclusive.

In a school that advocates “You Matter,” we need to work together to make sure no one feels otherwise.

Hey Huntley: respect minorities Racism, homophobia swept under the rug than we have ever been. We’ve got to acknowledge it, celebrate it, and teach people about each other,” said Shannon Phillips, Psychology teacher and RAD organizer.

However, this spirit of diversity is only effective if administration ensures the school’s foundations are inclusive. For some minorities, not all basic needs are met. Currently, there are no kosher or halal food options for Muslim students.

“It’s a shame that lunch often includes beef, pork, [and] pepperoni, stuff we’re not allowed to eat,” said Yousuf Khan, senior and former member of the disbanded Muslim Student Association. “Some Muslim [students] can’t afford other food on certain days since the cafeteria doesn’t have [anything they can eat].”

The solution is simple: offer more options. Muslim students should have the privilege of knowing that

S.. Gebka OCTOBER 15 ISSUE 2021

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one last VOICE

Math Teacher Geometry, Geocon Algebra 2 Honors

What adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

Loud, enthusiastic, positive, energetic, ‘merica, exclusive Costco member #membersonly

What is the meaning of life?

I feel like a lot of us are trying to chase goals and find the next best thing that we think will bring us happiness. But then we’re never really happy with where we are currently at in life. It’s incredibly important to find happiness in your daily life, be grateful for what you have and what you have accomplished thus far, while still aspiring to do better and achieve your future goals.

What is your favorite place to travel to?

A cabin up north in Wisconsin. It has been in my family my entire life. I go at least once a year.

What is your favorite animal? @ RiverDogJenny

What is a fact we should know about you?

In 2012 my cover band opened for Vanilla Ice. photo by Jake Habel interviewed by Gabriella Whitfield

- James Allen