Inklings

2020 IN K [ ]

Crown Point High School Crown Point, IN @InklingsCPHS December 18, 2020 Vol. 85 Issue 4

LI N GS

YEAR page IN 14REVIEW

Crown Point plans to return to yellow Jan. 7

“The Mandalorian” returns with a second season

Girls basketball ranked No. 1 in the state

page 4

page 23

page 17

2020 was marked by the outbreak of COVID-19, which originated out of Wuhan, China. The virus was first spotted in Dec. 2019.

GRAPHIC BY EMILY HELMUTH

TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS

04 JANUARY SCHOOL PLANS 05 NEWS BRIEFS

OPINION

06 EDITORIAL 08 PRO/CON 09 COLUMNS

FEATURE

10 ALTERNATE GATHERINGS 12 2020: A YEAR IN REVIEW

SPORTS

BASKETBALL & 16 BOYS BOYS SWIM 17 GIRLS BASKETBALL 18 GIRLS SWIM & 19 WRESTLING GYMNASTICS

ENTERTAINMENT

20 21 HOLIDAY DESSERT RECIPES 22 BEST HOLIDAY MOVIES MANDALORIAN: 23 THE SEASON 2 REVIEW BEST HOLIDAY SONGS

Senior Hayley Brownd poses for a photographer after an interview with ABC 7. Brownd, an NHS director, emphasized the importance of the NHS food drive. “Right now, hunger is a serious issue due to the pandemic,” Brownd said. “(The food drive) will help (give) those in need peace of mind that they have a place to go to get food for their families, especially now that the holidays are here.” NHS raised over $5,000 for the NWI food bank, resulting in 15,000 meals for families in need.

PHOTO BY LISA KEENE

THINK AHEAD Editor’s note Information is accurate at the time of publication.

Should any event cancellations occur or dates change due to COVID-19, updates will be posted on the website and Twitter.

Dec. 19Jan. 3

Winter Break After a far from normal school year, students and teachers will have two weeks to relax and reboot their minds before 2021 (and final exams) comes along.

Dec. 25

Christmas Day Following Christmas Eve, Christmas Day gives people a chance to be appreciative of those around them.

Jan. 1

New Year’s Day This day marks the start of resolutions and goals made for the new year. This year should be celebrated safely due to COVID-19.

[INK] L I N G S

1500 S. Main St. Crown Point, IN 46307 219-663-4885 ex. 11349 fax 219-662-5663 inklings@cps.k12.in.us online: www2.cps.k12.in.us/

Crown Point High School, IN

Vol. 85 Issue 4 - December 18, 2020

Inklings is a student publication created by the newspaper and advanced journalism students and distributed monthly to students, faculty and staff of Crown Point High School. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of CPHS faculty, staff or administration.

Letters-to-the-editor are welcomed provided they are signed and submitted one week prior to publication and do not contain personal attacks. Inklings reserves the right to edit for space, clarity and legal and ethical concerns.

Advertising is subject to applicable rates available by contacting Inklings.

Inklings has been recognized as an Indiana High School Press Association Hoosier Star, National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker, Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown, and Quill and Scroll George H. Gallup publication.

co-editors-in-chief Nolan Chase Emily Helmuth Noah Thomas assistant editors Rosalie Degenhart Abigail Godsen sports editors Keeley Bernard Samuel Brewer photographer Gillian Gatley

Jan. 4

School Resumes

Students and teachers return from winter break.

This time is allotted for any finals yet to be taken until the end of the semester.

Jan. 13

NHS Fundraiser NHS will be hosting its first fundraiser of the second semester at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Crown Point on Summit St. Happening all day, proceeds from dining and phoning in will be going to the NICK foundation.

Jan. 15

Jan. 18

Teacher Work Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

No students will be attending school as teachers finalize grades from first semester.

Students can use this Friday to unwind after their first semester finals.

On the third Monday of each January, this federal holiday celebrates and honors the inspiring work and accomplishments of the minister and African American rights advocate.

artist Molly Helsel staff Aubrey Banks Emily Briseno Trevor Frahm Olivia Helmuth Mary Marcinek Andrew Poeschl adviser Julie Elston

Jan. 20

Inauguration Day

Joe Biden will officially become the president of the U.S. His VP, Kamala Harris, will be the first female, Black and Asian VP.

Jan. 29

National Puzzle Day In the freezing days of January, sometimes it can just be too cold to go outside. Cold days like this are perfect for starting a giant, time consuming jigsaw puzzle.

4 NEWS

Desks are currently empty in English teacher Rachele Raloff’s room. Learning is virtual under the red status, leaving teachers alone with empty classrooms during the school day.

PHOTO BY ROSALIE DEGENHART

Planned shift to yellow status on Jan. 7; no change in safety protocols

BY ROSALIE DEGENHART EMILY BRISENO assistant editor reporter The Crown Point Community School Corporation has undergone three types of schedules in just one semester: yellow, then green, and now red. On Nov. 12, the high school began its first day with all students at home under the red schedule and will be in the red schedule until Jan. 6. On Jan. 7, CPHS is planning on switching to a yellow schedule, where students attend on alternating days with only half in the building at a time. Principal Russ Marcinek said that the yellow schedule will be the same as it

was at the beginning of the year.

“We are going to keep all of the same protocols that we had starting in August.

Nothing is going to be changed as far as what our expectations will be for students,” Marcinek said. “(Students) will still be required to wear masks. We’re going to be practicing social distancing whenever possible, and we are going to rely on the same sanitizing processes that we used starting in August.”

Recent statistics have shown that schools are the “safest place” for students to be, concerning COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield. Redfield

believes that students are not contracting COVID-19 at school, but rather, and more likely, in their household and community.

Therefore, Redfield states that schools are not the problem when it comes to spreading COVID-19. While this news is known to Marcinek, precautions and sanitation protocols will still be the same as they were at the beginning of the semester in yellow.

“Our feeling is that we want to make sure that we’re protecting the safety and security of our students and their families first and foremost,” Marcinek said. “Our goal is to stay in school. We want kids to be here, in person, and we feel like that’s the best way to proceed until cases around the

country and in the state and in There isn’t an exact time we want to stay in school. I our county start to go down.” frame that the corporation don’t think any of us, at least The CDC has also re- expects to be in yellow; it all staff members, for sure me leased more news regarding depends on the COVID statis- as a principle, I don’t like it the quarantining period. The tics of our zip code. Despite when kids aren’t here,” MarCDC still recommends 14 this, Marcinek is hopeful to cinek said. “It’s much better days to quarantine, but other return to the yellow schedule. when kids are here, and the alternatives are acceptable “I think that we were school’s alive, and there’s acbased on local circumstances. successful in yellow when tion going on. We just want to According to the CDC, we did it earlier in the year. I protect that as much as possi“Quarantine can end after day feel like it’s a good start to get ble and make sure we’re doten without testing and if no back to that process of getting ing our part.” symptoms have been report- everybody back in the buildMarcinek encourages stued during daily monitoring,” ing,” Marcinek said. “Those dents in these changing times and “when diagnostic testing statistics are given to us by to have a “positive outlook.”. resources are sufficient and the Lake County Health De“I think that it’s realavailable, then quarantine can partment and analyzed by our ly easy to get down, or get end after day seven if a diag- school district leadership, and discouraged, or to feel like nostic specimen tests negative then that is what makes the ‘when is this going to end,’” and if no symptoms were re- determination on what status Marcinek said. ported during daily moniMarcinek correlates toring.” these feelings with a term It’s much better called “COVID fatigue,” The CPCSC is still when kids are here, and and he urges students to waiting on information from the Lake County the school’s alive and reach out for help if they Health Department to see there’s action going on. feel this way. if this quarantine alterna“There is no shame tive will be put in place Principal Russ Marcinek in asking for help, there when students return in is no shame in saying, person. we are going to be in.”

‘I don’t understand this,’ or, “It looks like it’s a posLunches will continue ‘Can I have extra time,’” sibility that that’s going to to be eaten in the gym when Marcinek said. “It’s better to change, and we’re waiting on students return. No other in- ask for help than to ignore the official word from the Lake formation will be released problem altogether. TeachCounty Health Department about the yellow schedule, ers are always going to help for direction on that, but I for it is the same as it was at students if they need help, so know there’s been some talk the beginning of the semester, will administrators, so will recently on changing of pro- except for the start time being counselors, it’s just we don’t cedures and protocols for 7:35 a.m. this time around. know if you need help if you quarantining,” Marcinek said.

“The biggest thing is that don’t ask.”

INKLINGS

5

INTHEKNOW CPCSC announces expansion plans The Crown Point Community School Corporation recently put out plans to build a new middle school to replace Taft Middle School, as well as plans to expand CPHS, MacArthur Elementary and Timothy Ball Elementary. At CPHS, they are proposing a twostory classroom addition, expanded cafeteria, relocated child care center and an expanded STEM education space at the high school. For the construction of the middle school, it would bring new athletics facilities, academic space and technology advancements and would increase Taft’s enrollment to 1,400. There is currently no publicly set date for when these projects will begin.

‘‘

End of first semester approaching The end of first semester will be on Jan. 14. Students are expected to have all their assignments completed, as grades will be finalized for first semester. Finals will be given the week leading up to this date. Students should ask their teachers any questions they may have in order to get their grades up for the semester.

VIEWS on NEWS [Students’ reactions to events in our world

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Nation

State

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In all honesty, it comes as no surprise to me that our state had the highest per capita infection rate in the nation. It’s way too common to go somewhere and come across patrons who refuse to wear their mask correctly.

According to NBC News, Casey Goodson was a 23-year-old Black man who was shot multiple times by an Ohio sheriff’s deputy. It is now being ruled a homicide after a preliminary autopsy was conducted.

Gabrielle Hometorwu junior

I think that this case being ruled a homicide is the beginning of the path to provide justice to the unfortunately deceased Casey Goodson and his family.

91-year-old woman from the UK is the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Up to four million more are expected to be given by the end of the year.

‘‘

World

As reported by Fox 59, Indiana had the highest per-capita infection rate in the nation after the week of Thanksgiving. Some health professionals say this is as a result of “pandemic fatigue” and rates are likely to increase further.

Xavier Devany sophomore

It’s exciting to see that the vaccine is finally coming. Even if we won’t get it for a while, this news gives me hope that this pandemic will eventually end.

Aidan Gregg senior

6 OPINION

EDITORIAL 2020 has many lessons to take into 2021; pandemic brings these lessons to light 2020 was not an easy year to be on Earth. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we as a society relied on technology to keep us connected more than ever as schools and workplaces became remote. Although being remote is no one’s first choice, lessons can be learned from our time online, as remote learning will almost certainly continue in 2021.

Humans are social beings. We have a desire to connect to one another and form meaningful relationships with each other. The pandemic made this difficult because of the limitations to meeting in person. As a society, we can use this shared experience of being online to teach ourselves that the time we get together is precious.

In learning this, we also learned that humans are resilient. This pandemic has been more difficult for some in comparison to others, but we all have been impacted by it. Despite all the challenges that have been thrown at us by COVID-19, we have managed to stay strong and adapt, as shown by mask mandates and certain events being held socially distanced.

With staying strong, society has better acknowledged this year that it is okay to struggle. Mental health has been hit hard by the pandemic, as many of us have been isolated from our peers to protect our own health and communities.

As mentioned earlier, we thrive off of connecting with one another, and the pandemic halted this due to social distancing. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported an increase in the percentage of adults who reported that worry and stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted their mental health from 32% in March 2020 to 53% in July 2020.

The negative impact left on people’s mental health due to COVID-19 has helped highlight the importance of mental health.

Hopefully, when we return to whatever the new normal is, this emphasis on mental health will remain so more resources can be devoted to it.

Another unlikely lesson we can take from this pandemic is that we cannot control the uncontrollables. Life and its happenings can be unpredictable, as we had no control over the vast impact COVID-19 would have on our lives.

Now, all we can do as a society is reflect on these lessons we have learned during the pandemic. Although we cannot control everything, we can do our part to help others. By wearing masks, socially distancing ourselves and following COVID-19 guidelines, hopefully we can get back to some version of normal soon.

INKLINGS

7

GRAPHIC BY MOLLY HELSEL

SPEAKUP UP

Travis Router freshman

“I learned how to stay more connected with people despite not being able to see anyone at all.”

What lessons have you learned with society’s reliance on technology this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Mason Alm sophomore

“I’ve learned how to stay motivated and manage time.

It’s so easy to fall back and not do anything being at home and with no teacher you see every day.”

Chloe Fridrich

Allie Dockins

junior

senior

“I’ve most improved on time management. A lot of my teachers have the whole week on their agendas, so sometimes I try to work ahead at night.”

“I have learned that life is easier with technology in a time where everyone has to be socially distant.”

8 OPINION

PRO:

Pro/Con: “Should Lake County shut-down again to prevent the spread of COVID-19?”

Shut-down could be the best option moving forward

BY MARY MARCINEK reporter

CON:

Shutting down is not the necessary solution right now

BY NOLAN CHASE co-editor-in-chief

Even though a complete shut-down is difficult to manage, it may be our best option right now. Of course a shutdown won’t make COVID-19 cases completely go away, but it would be more beneficial than doing nothing at all.

If Lake County were to shut down, it would give a safer opportunity to have in-person school when the county opens back up.

This time, we could focus on school as a priority over restaurants, bars, etc. which we couldn’t do during the summer. Being in highly populated school buildings puts all students and staff members at risk for contraction, and a shut-down may be the only answer we currently have to give us an opportunity to return to school safely once again.

Logically, a complete shut-down is the best option we have to truly show improvements in Lake County cases. Yes, it may negatively affect businesses, but the public health should be the top priority right now. Restaurants and stores being open is unsafe to people, and will only make case numbers worse. A plan for shutdown has its flaws, but if we continue to sit around and “wait the virus out,” there will be little to no improvement shown in Lake County.

No option is completely COVID-proof right now, but a shutdown would significantly lower the case numbers in our county.

While new safety measures need to be mandated to prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19, a complete shutdown is not the best option. A shut-down would obviously help prevent the spread and that is what the nation needs to be aiming for, but the effects of a shut-down would be detrimental.

Many large and small businesses are struggling as it is and many have already closed down for good. Many restaurant and store owners and workers alike rely on their income from those businesses for their very livelihood. A shut-down would only continue to worsen these things.

Instead, more mandates need to be put in place so a shut-down doesn’t have to happen. Mandates need to be put on masks, social distancing, and public gatherings. Social distancing needs to be completely mandated in schools, stores and all public places. Limits need to be placed on all social gatherings. By doing all this, the virus can be handled without having to go into a shut-down.

No one solution is going to work perfectly, but if proper mandates are put in place and enforced, the virus spread can finally be slowed down without disrupting businesses and completely closing them down. While mandates could potentially slow businesses down, it’s a far better alternative than shutting them down completely.

IN THEIR VIEW: Should Lake County have stricter COVID restrictions?

PRO:

CON:

“I think that we should especially because Illinois is right over the border. A lot of people in Illinois are coming to Indiana because we’re open.”

Lyndsey Harris

“No, because I would still like things to be open and be able to do different things, but at the same time keep people safe.”

PRO:

CON:

Cole Rappold junior

teacher

“I think that we should be in full lock down again as a county, state and/or country. The cases aren’t going down, and it’s putting the rest of our school year and sports in jeopardy.”

Nori Gubbins sophomore

“I believe that the COVID-19 restrictions are adequate given the circumstances, and greater regulations in this stage is most likely unnecessary.”

Justine Olson freshman

COLUMNS

IN-

9

Mask wearing is still important even with new vaccine

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief

Going into December, the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for more than nine months.

Despite this, people still are not properly wearing masks, or even wearing one at all. This is ridiculous, especially considering that we are experiencing record high cases of COVID-19, as the U.S. recently reached 300,000 COVID-related deaths.

The COVID-19 vaccine coming out is great news, as we can now almost see a light at the end of the tunnel. Even with this news, it is still important for us to continue wearing masks and social distancing. This pandemic is still far from over, as the average American will not be able to get the vaccine until late spring or early summer.

Not wearing a mask is simply just unpatriotic. It is disrespectful to essential workers who are putting their lives on the line, as well as to those around you who are wearing masks.

Psychology Today wrote an article discussing the term “COVID fatigue.” The article defines it as “a complex of emotions that include boredom, loneliness, sadness, frustration, anxiety, fear, anger, and resentment, all brought on by the loss of activities and social relations produced by pandemic

restrictions.”

So yes, we all are tired of COVID. However; this does not give us a pass to just pretend the pandemic does not exist or has ended. It is really not that difficult to wear a mask. Nurses and doctors wear masks for nearly 12 hours at a time.

We also need to remember there are a lot worse things than wearing a mask. Wearing a mask for a short trip to the grocery store is worth keeping yourself or someone else from getting sick. The fact that you “do not like” how wearing a mask feels is not a solid enough reason to not wear a mask. Your comfort could potentially lead to you or someone else dying from COVID-19.

Especially during the holiday season, it is important to be cognizant of COVID-19. The fact that people are still gathering with elderly relatives in a non socially distant setting blows my mind, as you are putting yourself and them at risk. By doing this, you are only prolonging this pandemic by further spreading the virus.

As a society, if we want this pandemic to end sooner rather than later, there are two simple things we can do: social distance and wear a mask.

Distancing from hate needed for our country to heal

BY NOLAN CHASE co-editor-in-chief

As Joe Biden officially wins the presidency with 270 electoral votes, it is time for the country to move on and transition into the next phase and let the healing start and the political unrest die out. While these things can’t happen over night, it is something that needs and can be worked on.

While I know it is disappointing for those who wanted the election to go the other way, it is time to let it go and accept the fact that there is no basis for the claims of fraud to overturn election results. It is unacceptable for a nation to be torn down the middle over these political reasonings.

Too many times on social media and on the news I have seen political arguments turning hateful and acts that show a very disturbing side of our country.

People are stealing and taking down Black Lives Matter flags, campaign signs, American flags and spewing hate over their political beliefs. Acts like these bring down the image of our country, and the hostility of these acts damage the lives of everyday citizens that actually behave as decent human beings.

It’s not about agreeing on political ideals, but

being respectful of everyone’s beliefs and what they have to say. The beauty of the United States is that people can challenge each other’s ideas and words but it has to happen respectfully.

If our country and society is to heal, we have to try to distance ourselves from the hate and use it as a reminder of the way things need to change moving forward. As we move away from these dark times, I hope we as a society can begin to change for the better.

At least with COVID-19, the end seems to be in sight which is not something we could say a few months ago. Vaccines are developed and being rolled out to the public. It is the start to returning to our normal lives before this year’s awful event happened.

COVID-19 has shed plenty of light onto the many things that we take for granted in life, and I know once this is over and things begin to be normalized, people will take these things for granted again. But I hope this time is remembered and reflected on to change for the better as people.

10 FEATURE

Senior Lucas Bartochowski and his family pose for a photo taken by his Grandparents at their social distanced Thanksgiving gathering. Even though the system wasn’t perfect and had some flaws, they were still able to remain more or less socially distances from one another keeping themselves and their family safe.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LUCAS BARTOCHOWSKI

INKLINGS

11

CELEBRATING IN TIMES OF COVID tudents find alternative ways to celebrate with S extended family during the 2020 holiday season

BY NOAH THOMAS ABBY GODSEN co-editor-in-chief assistant editor The holiday season is a time for gathering with friends and family for many across the United States. Due to COVID-19, some families are now keeping in mind COVID-19 restrictions while planning how to celebrate this year.

This has led to families coming up with creative ways to see friends and family over the holidays while keeping everyone safe.

Sophomore Andrew Goldthorpe is one of those whose family noted the risk of COVID-19.

“There was just too much risk to gather in-person,” Goldthorpe said. “I have a lot of older and atrisk people in my extended family, so we opted to simply skip our traditional gatherings this year over potentially killing them.”

To protect themselves and their extended family, Goldthorpe chose to use Zoom as an alternative to meeting in person.

“Nothing is ever the same online as it is in-person. We do a craft together at every gathering, but, unfortunately, we were not exactly able to coordinate the craft session how we would have liked. Similar to e-learning, online gatherings have a different feeling to them.

It’s not optimal, but it’s a necessary sacrifice,” Goldthorpe said.

Other students at Crown Point High School also chose to have alternative holiday gatherings so they would still be able to celebrate instead of doing nothing at all.

“We did a social distanced gathering because it is way better than nothing. We even did a zoom call

with our aunt who lives in Chicago,” senior Lucas Bartochowski said. “It is very tough having to stay apart from my family, but we make do with what we can.”

Freshman Logan Schumacher also did a social distanced holiday and was able to celebrate without COVID restrictions interfering too much.

“Well, I convinced my family to stay home this holiday because seeing people wasn’t worth the risk of harming us and others in my eyes,” Schumacher said. “The holidays this year weren’t as good as usual, but they were fine. I mean, one of my moms being sick made things pretty uneventful, so there wasn’t really much that it took away from the experience.”

Junior Quinn Carter chose to have an alternative gathering this year for many reasons because, most notably, she wanted to protect both sides of her family.

“We chose a social distancing gathering this year because of a lot of reasons. My grandparents still work, as do my parents, so we had to protect each side,” Carter said.

Though Carter’s family socially distanced, there were still risks involved with this type of gathering.

“Well, there’s always a flaw, isn’t there? Holidays are about passing around food or drinks or gifts and with possible COVID everywhere, there is a high probability that one person will get it and then spread it to coworkers or friends or family,” Carter said.

Fortunately for Bartochowski, his holiday gathering was successful and allowed some peace of mind while celebrating.

“It’s not a perfect system. We eventually had to come close to

each other, but we stayed as far apart as we could. It was very odd, as usually we would play games together and not have to eat at separate tables but hey, it’s better than nothing,” Bartochowski said.

Unless COVID restrictions lift, Goldthorpe will be using alternative meeting methods through the December holiday season.

“We will be doing this for the upcoming holidays, for it is far better than the possible alternative,” Goldthorpe said. “We will have in-person gatherings if and only if it is safe to do so. One would think this pandemic will have calmed down by this time next year, but there is no way to tell for sure. We will almost definitely wear masks the next few times we gather. If there is another danger like this one, then we will once again take the necessary sacrifice.”

Schumacher and his family will also be doing alternative holiday plans for the December holidays because it will be an easy transition from what they have done in previous years.

“I celebrate Christmas, and my family could easily comply with health and safety guidelines this year because we never spend Christmas with more than four people in total, so I see no reason why it wouldn’t be possible,” Schumacher said.

Though the pandemic is causing many to quarantine and social distance from families, holiday meetings/gatherings are one way Carter says her family is coping.

“Everyone has their own way of getting through this pandemic.

Ours is just coming together in small groups and socially,” Carter said.

2020 12 FEATURE

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief

To say that 2020 was a year like no other is an understatement. 2020 tested the human spirit in unforeseen ways, as the COVID-19 pandemic completely altered the way the world functioned. Schools and businesses were closed, vacations were canceled, and masks were mandated.

CPHS was among these schools, as the district shifted to online learning in midMarch. With the closure of schools, many other cancellations soon followed. Spring sports, prom, school sponsored spring break trips among others fell into this category. Graduation was postponed to July to accommodate social distancing and end of the year banquets were moved to online.

COVID-19 was a defining moment in 2020, and will probably be one for 2021 as well.

After students were sent home for the year, another defining moment of 2020 occurred only two months later. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota led to nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. These protesters demanded justice for Floyd as well as other Black people who had been killed due to police brutality.

COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter were in the national spotlight, and even more so due to the 2020 presidential election. A rift had appeared between Americans, and this rift became more and more apparent as the year progressed. This rift peaked the first week of November, as election day became election week due to COVID-19 causing a mass use of mail-in ballots and early voting.

Despite all of the challenges 2020 has brought, this year has made us stronger. The resilience of the human spirit was clear to see. Even with communities being separated physically, they have never been emotionally closer, as the internet brought people together. Although the pre 2020 version of normal is gone, this year has prepared us for whatever the new normal is.

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Newsworthy Moments

January: U.S. strike in Iraq kills Qassim Suleimani, commander of Iranian forces.

January: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle step down from”senior” royal roles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

January: WHO announces emergence

May: George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths in May and March respectively spark national Black Lives Matter protests.

July: Ghislaine Maxwell arrested and charged in federal court for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse minors.

of dangerous Coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Calls it a global health emergency.

August: More Black Lives Matter protests

January/February: President Donald

October: President Donald Trump and

Trump is impeached by the House of Representatives, acquitted by the Senate.

after killing of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. others in White House test positive for COVID-19 after Rose Garden event.

March: Stock market crashes as

October: First Murder Hornet nest found

COVID-19 grows.

in Washington state.

March: WHO declares COVID-19 a glob-

November: Amy Coney Barrett is sworn into Supreme Court.

November: Joe Biden is elected President of the United States.

al pandemic.

March: Tokyo Summer Olympics are canceled due to COVID-19.

April: Rumors spread of Kim Jong Un’s death after he missed event, later debunked.

Disasters January: Bush fires in Australia burn over 12 million acres.

August: Beirut port explosion in Lebanon kills at least 190 people.

August: Wildfires on U.S.’s west Coast burn 4.2 million acres.

December: 70+ million COVID cases and 1+ million deaths worldwide.

December: The first commercial COVID vaccine is given to 91-year-old in U.K.

Important Losses Kobe Bryant (1978-2020) Mickey Wright (1935-2020) Kenny Rogers (1938-2020) Bennie Adkins (1934-2020) Naya Rivera (1978-2020) John Lewis (1940-2020) Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) Gale Sayers (1943-2020) Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020) Sean Connery (1930-2020) Alex Trebek (1940-2020) King Von

(Dayvon Bennett)

(1940-2020)

*photos from Creative Commons

INKLINGS

CPHS Sports Moments

Girls Basketball: second undefeated regular season in a row; sectional champions Wrestling: Jesse Mendez becomes two-time state champion in weight class Wrestling: second place team at state Dance: Emma Frank becomes senior solo state champion Dance: fourth place team finish in Varsity High Kick at NDA nationals in Orlando Boys Cross Country: team finishes first place at sectionals and regionals Girls Golf: team finishes first place at sectionals Girls Volleyball: team finishes first place at sectionals Girls Soccer: team finishes first place at sectionals

Girls golf team celebrates first place finish at 2020 sectionals.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BELLA WEISS

2020 NATIONAL SPORTS CHAMPIONS Super Bowl LIV

Stanley Cup

NBA Finals

World Series

Kansas City Chiefs

Tampa Bay Lightening

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Dodgers

ENTERTAINMENT Video Games Animal Crossing: New Horizons NBA 2K21 Among Us Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Movies To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You Hamilton The Invisible Man Onward Phineas & Ferb: Candace Against the Universe

Albums “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent” Lewis Capaldi “Fine Line” Harry Styles “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” Billie Eilish “Future Nostalgia” Dua Lipa

TV Shows The Queen’s Gambit Outer Banks Cheer Tiger King The Last Dance The Good Place: Season 4 Schitt’s Creek: Season 6 The Mandalorian: Season 2 Brooklyn 99: Season 7

Most Streamed Songs “Blinding Lights” The Weeknd “Circles” Post Malone “The Box” Roddy Ricch “Don’t Start Now” Dua Lipa “Rockstar” DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch “Adore You” Harry Styles “Life Is Good” Future ft. Drake “Memories” Maroon 5 “The Bones” Maren Morris “Someone You Loved” Lewis Capaldi

“Say So” Dua Lipa “I Hope” Gabby Barrett ft. Charlie Puth “Whats Poppin” Jack Harlow ft. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, & Lil Wayne “Dance Monkey” Tones and I “Savage” Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé “Roxanne” Arizona Zervas “Intentions” Justin Bieber ft. Quavo “Everything I Wanted” Billie Eilish

13

14 FEATURE

THE 2020 ELECTION

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief

In sync with the year, the 2020 presidential election was one like no other. The two candidates were very stark contrasts of one another, with two very divided groups of supporters. To add to the anticipation, a president-elect was not projected until the Saturday after election day. Former Vice President Joe Biden won the election with

306 electoral college votes and over 81 million votes, making Biden the most voted for presidential candidate in U.S. history, as well as the oldest president-elect in U.S. history.

Biden’s win made history in other ways as well, as his running mate, Kamala Harris, is the first female vice president-elect in U.S. history as well as the first Black and first Indian-American vice president-elect.

Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, will be the

country’s first Second Gentleman.

The election results were met with mixed reactions, as Biden supporters celebrated while Biden’s opponent, incumbent President Donald Trump has refused to concede. More than 50 legal challenges to results in swing states were lost, including at the Supreme Court. On Monday members of the Electoral College cast their ballots which will be counted formally by Congress on Jan. 6.

RACE FOR THE PRESIDENCY

REPUBLICAN DONALD TRUMP

46.9%

of popular vote

2020

ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Cynthia Lummis Wyoming’s first female Senator

Religion Mauree Turner, Madinah Wilson-Anton, Iman Jodeh, Samba Baldeh and Christopher Benjamin first Muslim legistlators in Oklahoma, Delaware, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Florida respectively.

51.4%

232 - 306

POLITICAL FIRSTS

of popular vote

Age Joe Biden oldest President (78) at time of inauguration

Madison Cawthron youngest republican elected to the House (25)

LGBTQ+/Race/Ethnicity

Gender Kamala Harris first female Vice President

DEMOCRAT JOE BIDEN

Sarah McBride first openly transgender state senator (Delaware) Ana Irma Rivera Lassén first openly lesbian elected to Puerto Rico’s senate and first Puerto Rico’s first Black state senator Shevrin Jones first openly LGBTQ+ member of Florida state senate Mauree Turner first openly non-binary state legislator Taylor Small first openly trans person in Vermont state legislature

Kamala Harris first Black and Indian-Amercan woman Vice President Cori Bush first Black woman elected to Congress in Mississippi Ritchie Torres & Mondaire Jones first openly gay Black men elected to Congress; Torres is first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to Congress Stephanie Byers first openly trans person of color in state legislature Deb Haaland first republican Native American in Congress

Deb Haaland, Teresa Leger Fernandez, and Yvette Herrell New Mexico’s first all women of color House delegation Jenifer Rajkumar & Zohran Mamdani first South Asians in New York’s state assembly Michele Rayner first openly LGBTQ+ Black woman of Florida state legislature Marilyn Strickland & Michelle Steel first Korean-American women elected to Congress

COVID-19 IN 2020

INKLINGS

15

Timeline of how virus from Wuhan, China shaped 2020 December 2019

January 2020

Earliest symptoms onset in early December.

Patient in Wuhan, China reports pneumonia-like symptoms, more patients report similar symptoms.

China notifies WHO of the outbreak.

Virus begins to spread to other countries.

U.S. reports first case in Washington state.

First medical professional treating virus dies.

China bans trade of wild animals.

Airlines begin to stop flights to Wuhan, China.

March 2020 U.S. passes $8.3 billion COVID-19 emergency bill.

U.S. mortgage rate falls to record low of 3.29%.

Number of cases in U.S. passes over 500.

WHO declares COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

WHO declares Europe new epicenter of outbreak.

Trump declares state of national emergency.

NBA season and Coachella are canceled.

August 2020 Trump Administration announces vaccine to be done by next spring.

FDA issues an emergency authorization for convalescent plasma treatment.

New COVID cases decreasing in half of U.S. states.

September 2020 International flights from Beijing, China resume.

CDC announces cruise ship “No Sail Order” til Oct. 31.

October 2020 President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump test positive for COVID-19.

Outbreak of COVID-19 among White House officials.

Countries surrounding China close borders.

China admits WHO experts to stop virus.

WHO declares virus a global health emergency.

February 2020

WHO declares Europe new epicenter of outbreak.

Schools around world and U.S. begin to go online.

Trump signs Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Italy surpasses China with the most COVID-19 cases; U.S. passes Italy later in the month.

California issues first stayat-home order.

European and Asian countries issue lock downs.

Philippines reports first death outside of mainland China.

U.S. FDA issues emergency use authorization for CDC’s diagnostic test.

April 2020 Japan postpones summer Olympics to 2021.

America records over 1 million COVID-19 cases.

July 2020

June 2020

U.S. release mask mandates.

U.S. notifies U.N. of withdrawal from WHO.

Some countries begin to reopen.

More than 20 U.S. public health officials leave or resign from positions.

Second wave of COVID reported in South Korea.

Trials begin for a COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa.

White House orders hospitals to bypass CDC and send data to Washington.

Phase III clinical trials for a vaccine, developed by Morderna, begin in U.S.

AS OF DEC. 18, THERE HAVE BEEN OVER

75 1.7 MILLION CASES WORLDWIDE

&

MILLION DEATHS WORLDWIDE

November 2020 One in four deaths in France are due to COVID. Texas is the first U.S. state to report 1 million cases.

Virus death toll surpasses SARS epidemic death toll.

WHO names disease “COVID-19.”

U.S. Senators briefed on Trump’s COVID response.

Pfizer and BioNTech request emergency authorization from FDA for COVID-19 vaccine.

5.2 million Americans file for unemployment.

American conservatives protest lock downs.

May 2020 Two White House staff members test positive.

Hydroxylchloroquine proven as ineffective treatment.

China reports no new domestic cases.

COVID-19 deaths in U.S. pass 100,000.

House democrats vote remotely for the first time.

December 2020 Japan announces plan to give free COVID vaccine to residents as cases surge.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden says he will instate 100 day mask mandate.

The first commercial COVID vaccine is given to 90-year-old in U.K.

information provided by www. thinkglobalhealth.org and cnn.com

16 SPORTS

Boys basketball looks to extend win streak

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor The boys’ basketball team started their season with wins against Illiana Christian, Penn, East Chicago Central and Warsaw. Coach Clint Swan believes that this is a good start to the season.

“Thus far, the season has gone well during these unprecedented times,” Swan said.

“The players are practicing hard and minding the protocols.

Our first two games (vs. Illiana Christian and Penn) went well, and, hopefully, we can continue successfully. But as with any other season, we don’t pin our successes and failures on wins and losses. We just hope to continue to improve each day and play our best basketball at the end of the year.”

One group of players on the team that Swan has noticed

improvements from are the underclassmen.

“The underclassmen have been working hard and have provided much needed depth,” Swan said. “Some of them are playing their first varsity minutes this season, so the learning curve is sharp for them. Hopefully, they learn quickly.”

Swan believes that this year’s group of seniors will be able to help the underclassmen learn and give them guidance.

“Just like with last year’s seniors, David Brown, Felix Meeks, Jake Oostman and Ty Smith will provide tremendous guidance to our younger guys, not only by example, but vocally as well. All four are good players who have been through the battles, so that experience will be huge for us especially in the early stages of the season,” Swan said.

Oostman notes the importance of team chemistry in basketball and believes it is an advantage when playing.

“Some goals we have for the team are to keep working together and advancing our chemistry when we are playing together. We all know each other so well, and we have really good team chemistry,” Oostman said.

Junior Matt Zdanowicz also believes that one of the team’s best attributes is their chemistry with one another.

“The strongest part of this team is that we know how to play together and we all know we have the potential to have a great year,” Zdanowicz said.

“We have a lot of talent this year, and I think we can be pretty successful.”

Swan notes that outside of team chemistry, team depth will be important as well in order

for this season to be a success.

“I think our depth will be a vital part of our team as the year progresses,” Swan said.

“We will have a lot of interchangeable parts to put in and take out of games.”

These interchangeable parts will be crucial to the team as they face their conference teams. Zdanowicz believes the boys will continue to do well this season if they stick to what they know.

“We are part of a very talented conference, so we will have plenty of tough opponents. But we like our odds against them as long as we play our brand of basketball,” Zdanowicz said.

The team play away against Munster tonight with JV at 5:30 p.m. and varsity at 7 p.m. The boys’ record is currently 4-0 and they will be looking to extend their win streak.

Boys swim upsets Munster despite COVID-19 setbacks

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor On Dec. 11, the boys swim team took down one of the top swim teams in the region, Munster. Senior Pablo Nieto says he was ecstatic after the win and that this was one of the biggest goals that the team had set out before the season had started.

“It was absolutely insane. We started our season super early and earlier than the rest of the schools with one goal: ‘beat Munster.’ It just means a lot that we’ve been endlessly swimming miles on top of miles for five months for that day,” Nieto said.

Munster is known to be one of the top swimming programs in the region at the moment, as last year the Mustangs placed 2nd at the State competition, falling only behind Carmel. This major achievement was not a cake walk, according to Nieto, COVID-19 related quarantines have at times shrunken the swim team to almost half what it normally is.

Quarantines were not the only problem, according to junior Colin Gingerich, the safety precautions have also hindered the ability for the team to build chemistry.

“The team bonding has been limited to nonexistent, which really sucks. I love hanging out with everyone, but COVID-19 has put a hold on any large gatherings for us. The quarantines definitely stress us out,” Gingerich said.

Head coach Blake Yeager believes one of the main factors to the team’s success is the number of upperclassmen on the team.

“The strongest part of this team is the upperclassman. I have 12 juniors and seniors this year out of only 19 total boys.

We have a big group of upperclassmen,” Yeager said.

Being one of those upperclassmen, Nieto wants to make it a priority that his final season at Crown Point isn’t cut short.

“I’ve been swimming for Crown Point for four years. This is my last year and as the last three I got to witness the leaders of the team experience their senior year. This

year is my turn, and it really sucks that I have this curtain over my senior season.

It means so much more to me and the rest of the seniors than the freshman. We’ve been working nonstop for this moment. It’s heartbreaking,” Nieto said.

Yeager notes that the team takes these issues very seriously, as the swimmers are required to have their masks on at all times except when in the pool. He states that he is not willing to take chances on the season ending prematurely.

“It’s a major concern and something that I think about every day. We have a big senior class this year, and they have a chance to leave a real legacy here at CPHS. And I am hoping they get the opportunity,” Yeager said.

Nieto is confident in the team’s ability to compete at the highest level in the state for the rest of the year.

“This season we are capable and have the chance to win sectionals and make it far into state. We could go all the way,” Nieto said.

INKLINGS

Indiana’s top team

17

New coaches poll ranks girls basketball team as number one in the state

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor The girls basketball season is underway, but this didn’t always seem like it was going to be the case. On Nov. 9 the team’s season opener against Bishop Noll was postponed along with other games.

Head coach Chris Seibert was disappointed that the beginning of the season was delayed.

“Everyone was disappointed about being quarantined and having to miss a part of the season,” Seibert said. “We also knew that it was a very real possibility of happening at some point due to COVID and hope that this will be the only time we have to experience a shut down. The girls were very excited and enthusiastic about getting back on the court.”

While disappointed, senior Mia Depta was okay with the timing of the quarantine, noting that it could have been much worse timing than what it was. She believes the experience they had being quarantined has improved the team’s overall commitment to health and safety.

“I feel like we all take it much more seriously now. It all happened so fast and it felt like it took forever to get back in the gym, so I think we all are

even more careful than before,” Depta said.

The setback of quarantine did not stop the team from working. According to Depta, the team had Zoom meetings to practice. Seibert hopes that the effects of the team’s quarantine will remain minimal.

“It remains to be seen what the effects of the quarantine will be. We hope it ends up being a minor setback and there are no long term effects,” Seibert said.

According to the team, at the moment it seems to have been only that, a setback. Currently, the team is 7-0, and the latest Indiana Coaches Association Poll ranks the girls at first in the state following a win against currently number two Penn. This could make players feel like there is a lot of pressure to perform, but junior Alyvia Santiago isn’t fazed by the ranking.

“The team is happy because this is an accomplishment and a goal that has finally been reached. I think the ranking could put a target on the team’s back, but it doesn’t matter. Just as long as we play as a team and play the game how we know we can, we’ll be just fine,” Santiago said.

Seibert states that he is careful to not let the number one ranking get to the team’s head.

Junior Lily Stoddard guards a player from Penn on Dec. 5. Crown point went on to win the game 44-42.

PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY

“We only worry about the actual results on the court and most importantly how we finish the season. We normally talk about long-term goals of winning the conference, sectional, etc. but because this season is taking place during a pandemic our goals are much more focused on the short term. We can only worry about the next game and next opponent and that will be our focus throughout the year,” Seibert said.

Being a senior, this will be Depta’s last year on the team.

Depta says she is determined to make the most out of her season.

“My personal goals include making it through the season and playing every game like it’s my last. It’s my senior year, so that’s especially important for me. I also hope that once we

make it to the postseason, we can go farther than we did last year and maybe even make it to state,” Depta said.

Last year, the girls were knocked out in the regional semifinals against no other than Penn, many of whom were caught by surprise. Santiago remembers the reaction and is determined to go far this postseason.

“Just like when any game is won or lost, we go back and watch film and see what we could improve upon. We win as a team and lose as a team. Our goals for this postseason are to make it to the very end,” Santiago said.

The girls hope to continue their top tier performances as they play their next game against Bishop Noll at home on Dec. 21.

18 SPORTS

Junior Aliya Dejesus sets up in the blocks before a race during a meet held at Merrillville.

PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY

Girls swimming sets goal of winning sectionals

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor The girls swim season began with most of the girls being quarantined due to contract tracing. In order to prevent the possibility of another quarantine, coach Blake Yeager and the team have created some safety procedures.

“Swimmers have masks on until they enter the water and wear masks while lifting and in the locker room as well,” Yeager said. “Many of the swimmers are club swimmers who train with me during the fall, so they were able to have an understanding on how everything would work before the official season started which helped.”

Although these procedures may lower the chances of the season being halted due to a quarantine situation, senior Alyssa Hoover is still concerned about the safety of the season.

“I’m not going to lie, I would be heartbroken if our season got cut short due to COVID,” Hoover said. “It’s my senior season, and I would love for some part of it to be normal.”

Even with the uncertainty of the season, Hoover states that her overall goals for her senior year have remained unchanged.

“The biggest goal I have for this team is to win Sectionals. We had such a good chance last year, but it slipped through our fingers. This is our redemption year,” Hoover said.

Hoover’s goal of winning Sectionals is also one of Yeager’s goals.

“The goals for the season are to finish second in the DAC and to win Sectionals,” Yeager said.

In order to achieve these goals, the team will need to find strong leaders, and according to

Yeager, that characteristic can be found in the senior class.

“Our seniors this year come with great leadership,” Yeager said. “Aly Hoover is a two time captain for the team now and someone we really rely on to help. Emma Smith is vocal and one that is always helpful in tough times.”

While Yeager highlights the leadership of the seniors, Hoover believes that being a leader is something that she had to learn how to do.

“I think I have improved on my ability to be a leader. I am not a very outspoken person, but I am constantly learning about how to use my voice to help motivate the team,” Hoover said.

According to Hoover, the motivation and support that the team gives each other is the strongest part of the team.

“The strongest part of the team is the support we con-

stantly give to each other,” Hoover said. “We have done a really good job of being there for each other and staying positive.”

Junior Emma Bahr also highlights the support the team gives each other.

“The strongest part of the team is how much we support each other and how hard we cheer during the meets,” Bahr said.

Such a positive environment only helps motivation, according to sophomore Maggie Cicero.

“I feel motivated to come to practice and work hard, just like my teammates,” Cicero said. “The strongest part of the team is how we all push each other at practice, at meets, and just all the time we swim in general.”

The team will next compete against Portage at home on Jan. 7 at 5:30 p.m.

INKLINGS

Wrestling season begins with success

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief The wrestling team just came off a 71 to four victory yesterday against Lake Central High School. Before that, Crown Point fell to the defending state champion, Cathedral, based on criteria. They tied 28-28 thanks to the Crown Point wrestlers who won got extra points in their respected matches.

Criteria is used to determine who wins in a tie, and Crown Point lost because they won six matches and Cathedral won eight.

Veteran head coach Brandon Lorek was happy with their effort but knows more points should have been earned.

“Our wrestlers who won in matches won more points and that made a big difference. For them to have more wins then us and for us to tie them is amazing. It’s a credit to our guys who won their matches and we left some points out there. There were some points we could’ve picked up and there were extra points we gave them and we came up on the short end of the stick,” Lorek said.

Freshman Paul Clark also knows they left more points out there, but remains confident in the team.

“We’re trying to win a blue ring at the end of the year and try to get better during the season,” Clark said. “A close match against Cathedral, we probably should’ve won but we’ll get them eventually. We gotta beat Cathedral, we had a few matches we should’ve got some extra points in and a few matches we shouldn’t have given up points in.”

Lorek said one of the team’s most impressive wins so far this season was a win against Chesterton, the second-ranked team in the state.

“We’ve won some huge matches, we’ve had a lot of success. We beat Chesterton who was ranked second in state last Wednesday. The kids have been working really hard, getting to the weight room, working on technique, so it’s been good,”Lorek said.

Lorek cited senior Javen Estrada as one of the heroes of the Chesterton meet.

Estrada’s overall goal for his senior season is simple.

19

“My goal is to win a state title,” Estrada said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many winter sports in the Region, with many teams canceling practice because of exposure. Just like other teams, wrestling has been affected by the pandemic as well in efforts to keep the coaches and athletes safe.

“We’ve had to split our team up. Our freshmen team is practicing, and some of our JV team is practicing in the field house or in the cafeteria, that’s a first. We have divided our mats up into sections so who will only work with two or three kids and normally they stay in their section and practice,” Lorek said. “We’re not using the locker room as much because we are trying to minimize contact in the locker room.

The Athletic Department has provided us with two fans to keep the air moving and mats get washed multiple times a day.”

Coming up, the Bulldogs look forward to The Carl Carnahan Wrestling Invitational, named after the founder of Crown Point Wrestling. The Invitational will be tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. at home.

Gymnastics team practices COVID-19 precautions with hopes of successful and healthy season

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor

After graduating six seniors, including top scorers Paige Hein and Madison Rolle, the girls gymnastics team is preparing for another successful season. Even without these seniors, head coach Amy Pysh is confident in her team to compete at a very high level.

“I’m expecting it to be a great year for us competitively.

We have 17 gymnasts this year who will all contribute nicely.

I’m really thinking we can contend in the top three in the DAC with this team,” Pysh said.

Other gymnasts like sophomore Ysabel Maunes are fully confident in the new senior class to perform and lead.

“I would say this year’s se-

nior class is just as strong. Only having two seniors has been a little different, considering we had six last year, but Megan (Pappenheim) and Leah (Dexter) are both amazing gymnasts and leaders. They never fail to make people laugh, but also are good at reminding us when it’s time to be serious and stay focused,” Maunes said.

As the gymnastics team prepares, they face the problem of keeping themselves and their season safe. According to Maunes, all possible measures are being taken to keep the preparation going.

“At our first practice we were split into groups of about four to five people. We stay with those same people every practice and rotate to each event with them, limiting the

amount of interaction between everyone on the team as a whole. We also make sure to wash our hands after every event,” Maunes said.

These precautions are likely most important to the seniors on the team, if the season ends, their high school careers go with it. Senior Leah Dexter has already come to terms with the possibility, but chooses to look on the bright side instead of being cynical.

“If my final season gets cut short, I am still grateful for what we still had. We got to practice together and create a team bond. This year I’ve just been trying to enjoy every moment and have fun. You never know when it can be cut short so making the most out of it is what counts,” Leah Dexter.

While she still has her season, Dexter, who was voted a team captain, is making it a priority that everyone on the team enjoys the season while they can.

“It’s definitely different leading the team this year, I try to make it lighthearted and fun for everyone because there’s been a lot of change due to COVID. I try to make sure everyone is doing okay and try to be there as much as I can.

There’s a little pressure of being a leader on the team but it’s definitely fun to be a role model and be able to help the other girls with whatever they need,” Dexter said.

Dexter and the team will travel to La Porte tomorrow for the LaPorte Pairs Invitational at 11 a.m.

20 ENTERTAINMENT

INREVIEW

BY EMILY BRISENO reporter

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions Available on Disney+, Taylor Swift has given fans a behind the album documentary as well as a mini concert. Swift and two of her co-collaborators played every song from the album. The documentary shows how isolation impacted Swift’s songwriting and recording experiences, making it a must watch for her fans.

Seasonal songs that help to embody the holiday season

BY MARY MARCINEK reporter That time of year is back again, and we’re already surrounded by Christmas music on the radio, in public and on social media. Hearing the same songs every year, we all get very attached to our favorite holiday tunes, and it’s difficult to pick out one that outshines all the others.

The reason it’s difficult to rank holiday songs is because they each are special in their own way and all hold sentimental value to listeners. These five songs truly embody the Christmas spirit, but the holidays wouldn’t be the same without every holiday song out there.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

BY WALTER KENT “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is about a soldier desiring to be with his loved ones during the holidays. My favorite part about this song is the perspective it is sung from.

After learning the true perspective, the ballad becomes much more touching and special.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

BY HUGH MARTIN “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is a classic, sweet, and sincere timeless ballad from the 1940a.

The song is soft and audibly pleasing, with beautiful instrumentals. This song highlights the true meaning of Christmas.

Dairy Queen Frozen Hot Chocolate DQ brought back its frozen hot chocolate and it is perfect for the season. With the weather getting colder, most places are coming out with new hot drinks. DQ adding this new menu item makes it something new to try and compare to other fast food chains.

“All I Want For Christmas is You”

BY MARIAH CAREY

What’s Christmas without Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You?” This song tops the charts of the most popular Christmas songs every year, and never fails to wrangle in holiday spirit. This song has gained so much success due to it’s fun, lighthearted melody and familiar cheeriness.

“This Christmas”

BY DONNY HATHAWAY “This Christmas” is a fun and timeless R&B/ soul song from 1971. What I like about this particular Christmas song is that it is extremely upbeat, and has been covered by more current artists throughout the years without having to be modernized. This song sets the scene of a classic holiday.

“Baby, Its Cold Outside”

BY FRANK LOESSER

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” conveys a playful banter between lovers before parting for the night. The best part about the various renditions of the song is that there are so many voices that can be blended together to make a beautiful but also completely different, sound than before.

Do-it-yourself holiday dessert recipes

21

Chocolate Fudge

BY OLIVIA HELMUTH reporter There are many holiday traditions that cannot safely continue this year due to COVID-19.

However, one tradition that is entirely safe is staying home and baking seasonal desserts.

By baking and enjoying seasonal desserts with those special to you, you can recreate the magical holiday feeling of a better year.

There are many different recipes to try on the internet, so I took it upon myself to try out a few of them, and I was not disappointed. All of these recipes can also be adjusted to suit your personal preference.

The dessert recipes that are mentioned in this review can be found on the Inklings website.

INKLINGS

Difficulty: Very Easy

5/5

I was shocked by how simple it was to make this recipe, and how I was able to make it in under 20 minutes. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to add anything to spice it up from the original recipe because I was afraid that I would somehow ruin the recipe.

But even as just plain chocolate fudge, the flavor of the fudge brought me back to spending the holidays at my grandparents’ house and eating my grandmother’s delicious homemade holiday treats.

My only complaint with this particular recipe was that the recipe didn’t specify the exact consistency of the fudge.

Peanut Butter Cookies Difficulty: Easy

4/5

This cookie recipe was an old Tik Tok trend from March that I had completely forgotten about until I started searching for cookie recipes.

There are only five ingredients; brown sugar, peanut butter, an egg, baking soda and chocolate chips and yet somehow these cookies are amazing.

Christmas Trifle Difficulty: Medium-Hard

3.5/5

This Christmas trifle is delicious and a joy to create. This trifle combines the seasonal flavors of gingerbread and cranberries together, and although this isn’t a very simple recipe, it is worth the time.

I am not a fan of gingerbread cake, and so I decided to stray from the original recipe and used Tasty’s yellow cake recipe instead of the gingerbread box cake mix. However, don’t feel obligated to make your own cake mix if you prefer the box kinds. I didn’t alter the filling recipe at all, but if you have a dislike for cranberries, I would recommend substituting them for another berry.

Mugs with Funny Comments

P L AYI N G FAVORITES

There is something about tasteful, dry humor that pairs well with a cup of coffee.

Mugs are a blank canvas and allow for a lot of creativity when choosing what to write on it, the color, and the style of mug making it the perfect vessel to express oneself.

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WE’RE SO

O V E R

Online School Even though the thought of being home all day with the freedom of being outside a classroom sounded great at first, many people are starting to really resent online learning. Days are becoming repetitive. It’s difficult and stressful to learn and stay focused.

22 ENTERTAINMENT

Movies to watch this holiday season

BY AUBREY BANKS reporter

There are many ways to celebrate the holidays, but movies are the quickest and

easiest way to get into the holiday spirit. These three movies are my personal favorites

because of the comedy and Christmas references each movie holds.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a retelling of the classic book written by Dr. Seuss.

The Grinch, who is played by Jim Carrey, plans to steal Christmas from the Whos by stealing their presents and Christmas decorations. If you liked both the animated film and the book, then you will surely love this film.

Jim Carrey as the Grinch was perfect casting in my opinion. He made this live-action film come to life with his craziness and weird outbursts. The Grinch is known as a hateful person, which is something Jim Carrey portrayed perfectly in his acting. From acting crazy to eating garbage and glass, Jim Carrey did a wonderful job showing the Grinch’s craziness and odd be-

“Elf” is about Buddy, played by Will Ferrell, who is accidentally transported to the North Pole as a baby and raised to adulthood among Santa and his elves. As a grown-up, Buddy travels to New York where he meets his biological father.

While this movie is a comedy, it surely doesn’t miss out on the heart-warming moments.

This Christmas movie is great if you are in a good mood and want to laugh. Will Ferrell is a genius at comedy, and he really shows that talent in “Elf.” From Buddy being overly excited at things to him being awkward at normal activities and events, “Elf” does a great job at making the smallest and most genuine things funny.

While comedy is the main attraction in this

havior.

Another great thing about this film is the special effects. The artists and directors of this film did a great job of showing Whoville with the snowy mountains and the cave that the Grinch lives in. They show Whoville as exactly like how I would have imagined it, with the Whos getting ready for Christmas in a rush.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a movie I watch every year during the holiday season.

This film has a lot of laughs and the Grinch’s unexpected actions and behaviors is really the icing on the cake. I highly recommended this movie because of all the laughs and fun things that are a reference to the original book.

“Elf” (2003)

movie, it has its touching moments. The actors in this movie did well in motivating the viewers to keep in touch with their families. How specific scenes are acted makes the movie a lot better because those scenes show a lot of emotion and heart. The ending of the movie is one of the more emotional scenes, and it ties the whole movie up perfectly.

“Elf” is one of the best Christmas movies for when you want to laugh with your family.

This movie is also great for getting into the holiday season, no matter when you are watching it. I highly recommend this movie because of all the funny and heartwarming scenes that play through most of it.

“The Polar Express” (2004)

“The Polar Express” is an animated film based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg. The movie is about a young boy who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, where he meets new friends and discovers the wonders of life. This movie is great to bring back memories of being a child and getting excited for Christmas.

Throughout this film, there are many touching moments with the main character. The main character is doubtful of Santa at first, but, when he meets him, he changes his mind completely and starts to celebrate Christmas with his family and new friends. The touching moments of this film show how easy being a child was during

Christmas.

The main attraction of this film was the train. The directors and special effects artists did a great job with showing and making a realistic train in an animation film. The train is one of the most important aspects of this film because it gives the main character a quality reason to believe in Santa. The train also gives the watchers hope in the sense that they will never be alone.

“The Polar Express” shows the importance of both childhood and hope. The film is a great Christmas movie if you want to relive it again with your family. I highly recommend this movie because of the special effects and memories that I had as a child watching it.

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“The Mandalorian” returns to Disney+ with second season

BY NOLAN CHASE co-editor-in-chief “The Mandalorian” season two is the highly anticipated follow up to the first season of the show that was very popular amongst “Star Wars” fans. The show initially launched with the hit streaming service Disney Plus.

The first episode of the season starts off strong by bringing the Mandalorian back to a familiar and fan favorite desert planet. Here, the audience is introduced to interesting new and returning characters. Just like the end of last season, Mando is still looking for other Mandalorians so that he can deliver the child to a Jedi. The great thing about this episode is that it mixes the fun adventure style storytelling of “The Mandalorian” with plenty of “Star Wars” fan service.

The next episode furthers Mando’s quest to find other Mandalorians. The highlight of this episode is the humor involved with the child, also known as baby Yoda. Throughout the episode, the Mandalorian takes a passenger on board who has a set of eggs that the child is constantly trying to eat. The episode

doesn’t have the big and well known characters that the other episodes have, but I like that the main focus is on Mando and the child. It is also about the quest they are on, so there are plenty of good character moments between the child and Mando.

Episode three starts off where episode two ended. The quest to deliver the child continues in this episode, and, once again, the episode stars a returning character from another part of the “Star Wars” universe. In this episode, Mando is joined by more Mandalorians; he has to help with their problems before they agree to help with his.

This makes for a very exciting episode with plenty of action, but it lacks great character moments. The action more than makes up for it, but it is something that is noticeable.

This episode returns to the planet Nevarro from season one.

Carl Weathers reprises his role in this episode, while also being credited as the episode’s director. This is one of the highlights of the season because the group from season one is back together, and they all have great scenes together. In this episode, the audience also learns more about what the Empire is up

to and what their plans are for the child. Not all of this is explicitly explained, for it is up to the viewers to analyze the ambiguous storytelling in those scenes.

While all of the episodes this season have been great, episode five has been my personal favorite.

It draws inspiration from old black and white samurai films, while also having the spaghetti western vibes that the series is known for. The episode also has the live action debut of a fan favorite Jedi previously only seen in “Star Wars” animation. The child also receives a proper name and has some great scenes with Mando and the Jedi.

As the name of episode six suggests, bad things do happen. The quest directly following episode five continues, and Mando is set on a different path with the child.

When they arrive at their destination, things begin to escalate for the worse. On the bright side, another surprise character returns that is the true highlight of the episode. With these well known characters coming into the show, I was worried they would take the focus off the main story, but, in the end, they are great additions to it.

BEST FOLLOW @ramboof Ramboof frequently posts videos of him screaming about topics that upset him.

From complaining about being single to yelling about awkward moments, his over exaggerated reactions are sure to make his viewers cry with laughter.

BEST TWEETS “DON’T BE AFRAID TO POST YOUR SPOTIFY WRAPPED!!!!!!

DON’T LISTEN TO ANYBODY ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM!!!!!!!!!”

junior Charlie Hagerman @cjh52704

“There is always a good twin and an evil twin and if you don’t know which one you are you’re the good twin, because the evil one has been aware since birth.”

senior Anne Gregg @ witches_bathtub

STUDENT

SPOTLIGHT PHOENIX ANDERSON SENIOR Q. How did you initially become involved in cheerleading?

A. I first got involved with cheerlead-

ing when I was roughly five years old.

I used to live in Chicago and found out my elementary school had a cheerleading team for a football team in the area. Then, I moved to Indiana when I was nine and found out about allstar cheerleading. I also tried middle school cheerleading for a year at Taft Middle School, and now I am a senior on the varsity cheer team here at CPHS.

Q. What is one of your favorite things about cheerleading for the high school?

A. My favorite thing about cheerleading is that it makes me feel like I’m a part of a team. Cheerleading is never an individual sport and always requires team efforts, so we work together through all our strengths and weaknesses.

Q. What are some of your interests outside of cheerleading?

A. One of my interests outside of cheerleading is also running. I am involved in track once cheer season is over. I also help with the Unified Track team at the high school and that is also one of the sports that makes me the happiest, as I get to help others who may not be able to help themselves.

Q. What are your post high school plans?

A. My post high school plan is to attend college at either Purdue Lafayette or Indiana University Bloomington and I plan on majoring in nursing.

Q. Why do you want to major in nursing?

A. I want to major in nursing due to the fact that I have always enjoyed helping others and I have just always heard good things about the programs and I just can’t wait to learn everything about how to deal with traumatic situations.

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What Do You

THINK?

What will you miss about 2020?

“I’ll miss spending all this time with my family. It’s not that I’m not ready to hang out with friends all the time again, I just liked spending more time with my family this year than in past years.” junior Carissa Mollet

“I will miss being able to have free time when everything was canceled.” sophomore Chris Gloff

“I don’t think I’m going to miss much about 2020. I’ll admit that it will be quite an unforgettable year with all the events that have happened but most were pretty negative and depressing.”

junior Kristian Maunes

“I missed not being able to go to prom. I was going to go with my best friend and I was really excited to go since I have never been to a dance, but it got canceled like everything else.” senior Ryan Costello

“I’ll miss having an excuse to stay inside and watch Netflix.” sophomore Kaleigh Ciesielski

“I will miss all the extra time I got from e-learning and being in lock down. However, I will not miss having to be home all the time and not being able to hang out with my friends.”

freshman Milly Olenik