Inklings Feb.2020

IN K [ ] L I N G S

Crown Point High School Crown Point, IN @InklingsCPHS February 28, 2020 Vol. 84 Issue 6

Student journalists reflect on their experiences

Random Acts of Kindness week sees impacts in school

Read about CPHS sophomore’s fourth real birthday

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page 8

page 10

Superintendent Eineman on paid administrative leave; School Board releases public statement at meeting

BY MADELYN WHITAKER co-editor-in-chief

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fter almost 15 years, Superintendent Dr. Teresa A. Eineman’s contract with the Crown Point Community School Corporation is intended to be terminated by the Board of Trustees.

Eineman was notified of her placement on paid administrative leave on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Addressing her paid leave, the Crown Point Community School Board summarized the matter in a prepared public statement which was read by Board President David Warne at the Board meeting held Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. Eineman was not in attendance at the meeting.

“Last week, Board President David Warne and Board Vice President Scott Angel held an informal meeting with Dr. Eineman informing that the School Board wished to informally, and in a professional setting, provide notice to her that the School Board intended to begin taking steps to exercise its contractual right to terminate the contract, preferably under the buy-out provision,” Warne read.

The public statement detailed that the Superintendent’s contract included provisions permitting the Board to take action to terminate said contract with or without cause, and for the Superintendent herself to request its cancellation.

Terms of the contract were approved at a public meeting on June 25, 2019 after more than 12 months of negotiations, during which each party was represented by legal counsel of their choosing.

“Dr. Eineman was informed that she was being placed on paid administrative leave, effective immediately, and that she should have her legal counsel contact the School Board’s special legal counsel to discuss process as it relates to the Board’s intention of exercising its right to terminate the contract,” Warne read. “The School Board took these steps as a professional courtesy to Dr. Eineman, anticipated further transitional discussion and hoped to minimize disruption to Crown Point Community School Corporation’s employees, students and operations.”

A NWI Times article published online Sunday was the first time the public was made aware of Eineman’s placement on administrative leave. In the article, Eineman’s attorney, Joseph Curosh Jr., stated that they may look

PHOTO BY MADELYN WHITAKER

Photo above: From left: Board President David Warne, acting Superintendent and Director of Curriculum and Instruction James Hardman and Administrative Assistant Diana Green. Warne reads a prepared public statement on Superintendent Dr. Teresa A. Eineman’s placement on paid leave at a Board meeting on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.

Photo left: Superintendent Dr. Teresa A. Eineman speaks to the class of 2019 at their graduation ceremony. Eineman was hired by the school corporation in 2006.

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This evening the School Board will be asked to ratify and approve the giving of formal notice to place Dr. Eineman on paid administrative leave and the intention to exercise termination of the contract without cause.

Board of Trustees Statement to take legal action against the Board.

“The first response received by the Board from Dr. Eineman was the publication of the article online in the NWI Times on Sunday, Feb 23. 2020,” Warne said.

“With the publication, the School Board was put on notice that Dr. Eineman potentially intends to file legal action against the Crown Point Community School Corporation. For legal reasons, specific details or facts giving rise to the Board’s consideration of termination of the Superintendent’s contract will not be discussed here tonight.”

Acknowledging the publication of the NWI Times article and the possible effect it had on community members in attendance, the Board noted that public comment on the matter would not be appropriate at the meeting.

“Many of you may be present for tonight’s meeting to voice

EXCALIBUR PHOTO FILE

support or opposition on this issue based on the reporting by the NWI Times,” Warne said. “Consistent with the Board’s policies and bylaws, we remind the audience that concerns about school corporation personnel are not appropriate topics during the public participation portion of the meeting.”

As quoted in the NWI Times, Curosh Jr. stated that the superintendent was told to leave the school district property and cease communication with district employees. While no reason for intent to terminate her contract has been stated, the Board did note that she will be compensated on leave.

“This evening the School Board will be asked to ratify and approve the giving of formal notice to place Dr. Eineman on paid administrative leave and the intention to exercise termination of

the contract without cause. However, it should be made clear that the School Board is fully exploring all of its legal rights under the Superintendent’s contract with the potential to exercise any other provisions for termination within the contract,” Warne read from the statement. “Dr. Eineman will remain on paid administrative leave until further notice.”

“No formal action regarding the termination of Dr. Eineman’s contract will occur without compliance with notice, public meetings and in compliance with Indiana’s open-door laws,” as detailed by the statement.

To close their public statement, Warne read that the public will be given sufficient notice regarding any final action pertaining to the Superintendent’s contract and that the Board wished to thank all who have contributed to

the success of the school district.

“Proper and sufficient notice will be given to the public related to any final action to be taken by the School Board as it relates to the Superintendent’s contract at future meetings,” Warne said.

“The success of the school corporation is a result of the dedication of the teachers, parents, students and our stakeholders in the community who work diligently to make certain Crown Point schools remain a leader in the state with respect to quality education. The Board of Trustees is grateful for all the efforts of these individuals.”

During the meeting, the Board unanimously approved Eineman’s placement on paid leave and the naming of Director of Curriculum and Instruction James Hardman as an acting Superintendent until an interim Superintendent is hired.

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NEWS INKLINGS February 28, 2020

INTHEKNOW Student Council officers visit Lurie Children’s Hospital

Psychology club holds first meeting The psychology club started with a callout meeting on Feb. 3. The first full meeting was held on Feb. 12. The club is centered on expanding upon the already learned information from the AP psychology course. Therefore, a prerequisite for being in the club is that students must have either taken AP psychology or be currently enrolled in it.

For more information about the club, contact psychology teacher Matthew Barno in room C226.

Crown Point Alumni Foundation Scholarship deadline moves up Crown Point Alumni Foundation Scholarships will now be due on March 20 instead of the previously set deadline of April 1. Seniors looking to apply for these scholarships through the foundation should take note of the changed deadline. Crown Point Alumni Foundation scholarships can be viewed in Naviance, and they should be turned in to the guidance office on time to be in consideration for the various scholarships that are provided.

GEMS club collects old mascara wands for wildlife During the month of February, the GEMS club has been collecting old mascara wands. These wands will be used to help small animals to clean their fur and groom them. Any donations can be dropped off in the main office or science teacher Ashley Cosme’s room C222.

AP exam scholarships open Students who are currently enrolled in AP courses for social studies, world language and art classes can now apply for scholarships to pay for these exams. If earned, the scholarship will pay for the full $94 exam fee. Students have until Thursday March 12 to submit their scholarship applications.

BY EMILY BRISENO reporter Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago treats around 220,000 children every year. Student Council visited the hospital on Feb. 16.

They are raising money and donating all of the proceeds to the hospital.

The Dance Marathon gives Student Council the opportunity to reach their $10,000 goal.

They have been donating money to Lurie’s for five years. Student Council advisor Colleen Fano explains why visiting the hospital is beneficial.

“Every year we try to visit the hospital at least once because I want my Student Council officers to see where their money goes, where their effort goes,” Fano said.

Students that are in Student Council are not the only people that can participate in this event. Sophomore Curtis Hardin comments on his opinion of Dance Marathon.

“I think it is a very good idea for a fundraiser and it deserves all the money it will get,” Hardin said.

Student Council will be promoting Dance Marathon sign-ups through Twitter, Instagram and other social media.

“Student Council members can send it to their friends and put it on their social media,” Fano said. “Also any kid can come to (my) room and I’ll help them sign up.”

The trip to Lurie’s was an eye-opening experience to Student Council members. The fundraising process takes a few months and the motivation to keep raising money can be found by visiting the hospital. Student Council vice president Maria Jeffirs explains how visiting the hospital motivates the officers.

World Compliment Day Celebrate this day by spreading kindness and giving someone a compliment. An action that takes a few seconds can make someone's entire day.

“I believe visiting the hospital gives us all a clear mindset for the great things we are about to do. By visiting the hospital we can directly see where our money is going and we are able to see the kids we are helping. By seeing all these things, it will motivate us to want to raise more money than our individual goals,” Jeffirs said.

All of the money that is being fundraised is going to Lurie Children’s Hospital. Fano explains how the money will affect relationships between families with sick children.

“They still need lots of money when it comes to scientific research and when it comes to families. A lot of times they get displaced because they’re stuck with their child in the

hospital but they want to be closer to their kid, so it helps with lodging as well,” Fano said.

The process of raising money takes months to reach the amount that student council wants to raise. Jeffirs explains how visiting the hospital makes her more invested in student council and the fundraising process such as Dance Marathon.

“It brings everything we are trying to do to life. Visiting the hospital makes me want to try harder,” Jeffirs said. “People take their health for granted, so when visiting Lurie’s it really brings the patient’s reality to the officers’ eyes.

We want to help. We want to do everything we can to make the lives of those patients even a little bit better.”

Symposium provides students collegiate level experiences

BY HOLLY JORDEN reporter A research symposium is being held at CPHS for the first time ever this year, giving students interested in pursuing research a chance to share their findings with professionals. English teacher Alexandrea Horton is working to help pull the event together on March 11.

“We’re getting students prepared to present the work that they’re doing in their classes, as well as getting their student bios prepared. (We’re also) making sure that all of their posters are starting to get finalized and sent in. That way we can get them printed,” Horton said. “There is a lot that’s going on.”

Inspiration recently sparked with Horton to create it because of one of the students in her class.

“A student that I had in my class last year ended up writing a paper on the impact of postmodernism on the humanities. So we actually presented GSU with his research and they accepted him to go and present at their university,” Horton said. “I felt that this is something that I want to try to offer to all of our students.”

Giving students this opportunity to communicate with professionals in their field of

THINK AHEAD March 1

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIA GERONA Student Council officers pose with the Dance Marathon coordinator, Maci Hanson, at Lurie Children’s Hospital.

The officers were able to tour the hospital and visit the facilities the hospital provides to care for sick children.

March 13-14 Latin State Convention Latin club members will go down to Indiana University in Bloomington to compete in various contests from a talent show to academic testing. State officer elections will also take place.

interest can be beneficial to their futures.

“It’s a great opportunity to make these connections,” Horton said. “They (high school students) can put this in their resumes. They can put this in their written college applications. It’s an experience that’s going to be very valuable.”

Junior Connor McCloskey also recognizes the benefits of the upcoming symposium, stating they were the reason he chose to participate.

“It felt like a good opportunity, like a great way to talk to other professionals in areas I might be interested in,” McCloskey said.

These students in biomedical innovations have been working with the help of professionals in the area to explore their areas of interest. Although these students do present to other professionals normally, the research symposium gives them more practice.

“It falls between regionals and state. So they present at regionals at Valparaiso University. If they make it to state, they get one more practice before they go to state. So I think it just makes their projects even better,” science teacher Ashley Cosme said.

Presentation skills can be used all throughout life, according to McCloskey.

“Presenting things that you believe in is

March 14 National Pi Day This day calls for not only a celebration of math, but also provides an excuse to indulge in pie.

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day This holiday celebrates Irish heritage and brings many traditions to the Chicago area, such as the green river.

March 17

very important in any workplace. If you want to get promotions, if you want to get raises, you’re going to have to go to your boss and you’re going to have to present an argument.

If you’re already doing it now in high school it’ll be a lot easier to do when you get into the workplace,” McCloskey said.

Additionally, Cosme notes how the research done for the symposium is benefitting more than just Crown Point students, it may be benefiting the community as a whole.

“I think it’s important for our community to know that our students are doing so much more than just assignments and Buzz or practice projects in the classroom. They really are getting out into the community and looking at problems and trying to come up with solutions,” Cosme said. “One project was looking at the abundance of this invasive species and seeing if it’s actually changing the food web in Lake Michigan. That could cause a problem because that would make other species’ populations go up or down, depending on how much the lake trout is eating this new invasive species that it never used to eat in its diet.

And that’s important. It’s important because their research may have found something that a scientist didn’t know already, and could possibly add to a solution.”

March 18

March Madness Begins

Cum Laude Banquet

Basketball fans will watch their favorite teams compete to win the championship.

Games will continue throughout the end of the month until the last game on April 6.

Cum Laude students will be honored for their achievements during this ceremony. Different levels of Cum Laude will receive their graduation stoles.

March 20

End of 3rd grading period

Rounding out the third grading period, only a few months remain in the school year.

March 23-27

Spring Break

Students will get a nice break off from school for a week.

This is the perfect time to plan a relaxing vacation.

NEWS INKLINGS February 28, 2020

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VEX Robotics team looks to compete in state competition sophomore Trevor Frahm said. “The main difficult task of the programmer is the autonomous part. At the start of each match is the autonomous round where the robot just runs on its own.”

Besides the programmer there are two other major roles a member of the team can fill the builder and the notebooker each serving their own specialized role.

“The team dynamic works pretty well.

Crown Point has multiple different teams, so we’re all off in about teams of six, since there are only four to six people in a team everyone has their own role,” senior Jordan Williams said. “There is a builder, programmer, notebooker and a few other smaller roles that aren’t as big as those three. There are usually two of each of those roles if you have enough members of course and people can take on multiple roles to support their team.”

The roles of the builder and programmer are important but the notebooker is essential to the team.

“They take everything that you do during the robotics season and document it. So all your brainstorming and building and competitions goes into your notebook and that’s the best real world experience in robotics because in the real world you will be documenting everything you do so you can always go back and look at what you did wrong compared to what you did right and other people can also look at what you

BY ANDREW POESCHL co-online editor The rise of technology has opened up many careers paths, such as those in engineering and computer science. One entry path into these careers is through VEX robotics. The VEX teams focus on building and programming their own robots and competing against other teams across Indiana until they qualify for the state competition.

VEX teams build and program a robot to compete in small local competitions to help qualify for the state competition in Indianapolis. Every year, there is a new task where all the teams make a robot to complete. These challenges can range anywhere from being able to accurately pick up and throw a ball to being able to climb up different surfaces. Teams compete to earn as many points as possible to win the competition.

Before each match there is also an autonomous round where the robot is left to run on pre-written code alone made by the programmer.

“The programmer is tasked to first program the drive control of the robot. The way we control the robot is through a remote, and the first half of a programmer is to make each button and joystick and button correlate to an action the robot does.

This is the most basic task the robot does,”

PHOTO BY MADELYN WHITAKER

Senior Jordan Williams adjusts a part on his team’s robot. Williams is a member of the VEX Robotics team, and he and his team are preparing to compete in the state competition in Indianapolis with his robot.

not just if you can build it,” Frahm said.

VEX also prepares students for jobs outside of those in STEM with the wide arrangement of the skills that can be taught there.

“They learn things like science, math, programming, engineering the scientific process, how gears work, communication, motors, computer science, working in groups, talking to people in positions of authority, so overall I just think there’s a lot to be gained in VEX,” sponsor Matthew LeBlanc said.

did right,” Williams said.

All these roles help prepare participants for different STEM careers as well as the future in general.

“It really teaches us how to work in a team environment and how to work with others to accomplish a goal especially the notebooker, where you have to record the process which is very applicable to engineering where the process you take in making something can be more important than the actual thing because in industry you’re looking if you can mass produce the thing

Biomedical innovations students present research projects at Valpo science fair

BY ALEXANDRA SULEWSKI co-editor-in-chief This past weekend, four students in the biomedical innovations class competed at Valparaiso University in a science fair. They each presented a research project that they had been working on since the school year started.

Cash prizes were awarded according to presentation performance.

Science teacher Ashley Cosme, who teaches the biomedical innovations class, comments on the results of the competition.

“The science fair was very successful,” Cosme said.

“We had two groups qualify for state and altogether the students won about $600 in cash prizes.”

Senior Bree Mild won four different awards from the science fair and also qualified for the state-level science fair in Indianapolis. Mild completed a project about the presence of a toxin in Northwest Indiana watersheds. Prior to presenting, she worked with Cosme to collect data.

“We had to go out into the field on a specific day and spent numerous hours going to different points in Northwest Indiana, all the way to Portage, Winfield, (places) like that,” Mild said. “Having determined what

was present in the water, (we took) further tests from the collection samples at school to determine why these occurred and the correlation between them.”

Cosme helped her students with their projects by connecting them with various resources.

“My role is connecting them with professional agencies in our area that they can use as a resource. I kind of just get the ball rolling and then they collect their own data from there,” Cosme said. “For Bree Mild’s project, I was in contact with the Environmental Protection Agency and they let us use a piece of equipment that normally costs about $5,000 brand new.”

Prior to presenting their projects, the participants left their posters to be viewed by the judges. After a first viewing, students came back to discuss their research process and findings.

“It started with an hour of just the judges judging the projects, so the students actually weren’t even allowed in the ballroom. The judges walked around,” Cosme said. “(Then) the students had to stand by their projects for two hours and were interviewed and questioned by several judges.”

Despite her success, Mild says that she will continue working to improve her project for the upcoming state

science fair.

“I’m going to analyze a different site that was not previously mentioned just because it didn’t have the microcystin toxin but it had qualifications for it and why the toxin or algae did not occur there,” Mild said.

Junior Rebecca Parks says that she also has some corrections to make before the next competition. Rather than collecting more data, she wants to continue researching the topic. Parks’ project focused on dissecting the stomachs of lake trout to analyze their diet, and how this was affected by the introduction of an invasive species.

“I think it’s more what we said because a lot of the judges asked some stuff that we didn’t know or think about so it’s more of learning more about stuff that we didn’t think of,” Parks said.

Cosme says that she is pleased with the results of the science fair, and attributes it to the hard work that the students put in throughout the year.

“I’m just really proud of all of them because it really took a lot of time,” Cosme said. “It took a lot of extra time because they do this in addition to the curriculum in my class. So I think that the time that they put in is definitely paying off.”

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

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I don’t think that could have purposely happened. It is a good thing the school is under investigation. How could someone have accidentally spent that much money?

Brooke Ferkull junior

An 88 year-old crossing guard died saving the lives of two boys by protecting them from a speeding car, as reported by USA Today. The crossing guard, nicknamed “Mr. Bob,” has been hailed as a hero by the community of Kansas City, Kansas.

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Germany passed a bill in February 2020 requiring all social media sites to report all incidents of hate speech to the police, as reported by the San Antonio Express News. Companies are now required to delete the post and give the police the user’s IP address.

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World

Two Indiana online schools allegedly misspent nearly $86 million and are now under federal investigation, as reported by News Sentinel. The $86 million went to the companies connected to the schools’ founder.

Nation

Area

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I think it’s a smart idea to help kids learn how to cook, as it can help them understand what they are putting in their body and have the ability to make healthier meals than fast food options.

Calvin Pawlowski senior

State

According to the NWI Times, a new culinary school has opened to the public in Crown Point for people over the age of 3. The school offers a variety of classes for cooks of all skill levels, ranging from knife skills to father and son grilling classes.

Obviously it’s terrible what happened, but I think it’s sweet to hear stories like this, even though it is sad. He’s a hero.

Ashley Milner sophomore

I believe the bill that Germany passed is very good in its intentions, but it all comes down to the way they word what hate speech is nowadays.

Ray Filter

freshman

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OPINION INKLINGS February 28, 2020

COLUMN

COLUMN

Student standards must not jeopardize health

Scholarship decisions should be released sooner

BY OLIVIA BUDZEVSKI co-editor-in-chief

BY ALEXANDRA SULEWSKI co-editor-in-chief

I have lost track of the amount of times a student has come to school while sick in order to avoid missing assignments or a test. I am guilty of doing the same thing. It is universally known that when you are ill, you must take time to recover; however, students are overlooking this due to the pressures of performing well academically.

That is just one example of how this overachieving perspective can result in some form of damage. For some, it can be traced back to the expectations established by parents. While this can be beneficial in pushing a student to reach their full potential, it can also be harmful. There comes this added stress that only promotes an unhealthy overexertion. Individuals may push their own needs to the side in an attempt to meet their parents’ standards.

As much as this mindset can be the result of parental influence, a lot of students have constructed these conditions for themselves. Honors courses are offered to highly achieving students at a young age. From there, they typically continue on the honors path throughout their educational career. This can lead to the personal motivation to constantly exceed and improve.

The path to self-paved success doesn’t come in one particular shape though. There can be many reasons why a student feels the need to accomplish above and beyond.

The part of it that strikes the most concerning note is when it becomes too excessive.

This is where it becomes the defining priority in a person’s life. It gets to the point where they may risk their own wellbeing if it means that their grade won’t suffer. This is something that should be more closely monitored and regulated.

I am all for the idea of scholarly young people who strive to meet high goals. That being said, it should not get out of hand. Much like anything else that can be potentially hazardous, these standards should be set in moderation.

Students need to work toward a more balanced routine of hard work and relaxation.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to do well, but it should not come at the expense of jeopardizing your physical or mental health.

CARTOON BY HALEY THORNBERRY

Verifying information ensures accuracy; citizens should place trust in reliable media sources EDITORIAL

Access to widespread media poses several benefits in the exchange of information around the globe. Even still, there comes the possibility of miscommunication and the falsification of content. This can come directly from the news sources or the readers themselves misconstruing information that they may read.

Notable press outlets like CNN have been dubbed “fake news” by politicians such as President Donald Trump for printing adverse news stories in attempts to discredit their stories. However, they are just doing their jobs as reporters. Hearing politicians accuse people of printing fake news inevitably infects the minds of readers. This may lead them to question and accuse reporters of what they are covering.

The concern regarding the “fake news” epidemic is valid. Tabloids and embellished social media posts saying that there is a cure for the coronavirus, as seen in a Facebook ad, should be put into question more so than notable news outlets because the reputation of a source may matter. Readers should be wary of all incoming stories as they appear on social media feeds or the internet.

Vetting information before believing and spreading it is essential in an information-receiving age plagued with glamorized coverage and contradictory news stories. Fact-checking is a necessity before spreading false information as if it was unquestionably true. Tabloid news outlets and fake social media pages prey on gullible readers who trust and disperse anything that they read, so readers must avoid falling into that category in order to break the trend.

Individuals should place some trust in the news they receive, but tread with caution. News literacy is an important skill to hone and expand upon in today’s society. There is no need to automatically assume fabrication, but a second glance is worth it. Check the reputability of the websites that are giving information and seek out notable fact-checking resources such as Factcheck.org and the Washington Post Fact Checker.

In a world that puts their news in question for what is being spread, be vigilant and examine every piece of information that is presented.

Be wary of scams and false stories, but also trust that many reliable reporters do their best to abide by the truth and only report factual information.

SPEAKUP UP

Enrique Fraticelli freshman

“It can make a person seem like someone they’re not. It’s just pointless and causes a lot of problems.”

How does the spread of false information affect people, if at all?

Ally Bates

sophomore

“It hurts people’s feelings and people end up getting a bad reputation that they didn’t want.”

Brayden Stiener junior

“The spreading of false information can really skew people’s opinions on someone or something. It can really snowball and make the problem worse than it is.”

Allison Betts senior

“It can make them really upset and mad if it’s something about them or one of their friends, and it can make them feel like they can’t trust people.”

With college and scholarship deadlines approaching for high school seniors, there is one question that is prevalent on the minds of many students: how much is college going to cost? It is no secret the price of college has increased at an insane rate over the past few decades. In some cases, the amount spent on college could be equivalent to buying a house.

For some, cost can be a make-or-break factor when it comes to either choosing a college, or even if they can afford to go at all. Yet, recipients of scholarships from sources outside of colleges are often not announced until late May. Most colleges require incoming freshman to reserve a seat on May 1. Because of this, the timeline on which scholarship applications are opened and determined is not conducive to a college-bound student’s schedule.

Affordability is such an important factor when deciding on colleges that it seems crazy to think that one only knows how much their education is going to cost only a few months before going to school. Scholarships are never a guarantee, but they could offer someone hope to be able to pay to go to their dream college.

Because of this, applications should be made visible and decided long before a final choice is made. Forcing students to wait in agony over what could provide them a great sense of relief is unnecessary.

Having the ability to pay for one’s education without considering money offers is a luxury that not everyone has.

Factors such as housing and meal plans are other decisions that are typically made months before scholarship determination. Some colleges even include extra costs for honors or other programs, with these offers also set to be accepted before scholarships are determined. The wide variety of prices that these things pose make them difficult decisions without having a realistic budget in mind.

The growing cost of college is by no means the fault of any group that helps students with their education. Entitlement over whether or not one deserves some scholarships should not be encouraged. However, it would benefit students if they had an accurate prediction of how much college will cost before they make their final decision.

OPINION

INTHEIR

V I EW

Should major television events be moved to Saturdays?

INKLINGS February 28, 2020

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Crown Point High School, IN

Vol. 84 Issue 6 - February 28, 2020 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/inklings

Alex Skrabala sophomore

PRO: “Yes, because

you can stay up later to watch a game, so you don’t have to worry about missing work or school on Mondays, and you can plan ahead and make a full day of watching these TV events.”

CARTOON BY ABIGAIL GODSEN

Mary Lux teacher

Sundays are followed by busy weeks, Saturday would be more beneficial for viewers

PRO:

PRO: “I just think

for family get togethers, it’s nicer to know that you don’t have to necessarily get up for work the next day, kids can sleep in, they don’t have school, so less obligations.”

Natalie Tul junior “More people

CON: have plans on

Saturdays and are already free on Sundays.”

BY NOLAN CHASE co-online editor With the Academy Awards this month, it begs the question of whether or not popular televised events should take place on Sundays. Besides tradition, these events don’t have any viable reasons to take place on Sundays. Instead, it would make more sense to break this tradition and move these events to Saturdays.

The convenience that would come from moving these popular events to Saturdays would be greatly beneficial. The Academy Awards, the Super Bowl and even the Golden Globes are all held on Sunday nights.

Some of these events go late into the night and people have obligations such as school or work the next day.

If moved to Saturday, people can stay up as late as they want without worrying about having school the next day.

Because people wouldn’t have to worry about obligations on Mondays, there would be more people willing to stay up late and watch the events through and increasing viewer count. As the night progresses more people will begin to stop watching the event because of how late into the night the events will go. If events such as the Super Bowl get moved to Saturday then the viewership of the Super Bowl will go along with it

CON: Michael Bazin teacher

CON: “I’m sure

there’s a reason, for people that are smarter than me in television and news, that know viewership, none of the prime time stuff is on Friday or Saturday nights, I would assume that’s when people get the opportunity to leave their house, so that’s probably why they include (prime time television) on the weekday nights and Sundays.”

WHATWE

THINK PRO: 10 Inklings Staffers CON: 17 Inklings Staffers

while newcomers will be pulled in as well because of the convenience factor.

This year’s Academy Awards didn’t end until 11 p.m. which can be late for those who want to watch and have to go to work or school the next day.

If more people are able to watch the events and the viewer count goes up, then more people will know about the event and spread its popularity. This impact on popularity would cause more people to be talking amongst themselves about the event, and the relevance of the event would become greater. If these televised events are to stay relevant for the years to come, they must retain their popularity amongst viewers. Corporations behind events like the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards have to move their events to Saturday to not only increase the amount of viewers, but also keep the event popular for the future.

Though the die hard fans of the Super Bowl would probably question a change in dates at first, it would be in the best interest of the viewership in the long run.

People who have Monday obligations will probably regret staying up late watching the Super Bowl or even going to a party to watch the event. The change to Saturday needs to happen sooner than later so that people can adjust to the change. As time goes on, the less likely it is for this change to happen.

Major television events should remain as they are, provide relaxation on Sunday

BY KEELEY BERNARD reporter From the Super Bowl to the Academy Awards, it is a tradition to have big TV events on Sundays. Although it is possible to break these traditions and move major TV events to Saturdays, there is no reason to do so.

Super Bowl Sunday has been an American tradition since 1967. However, since Super Bowl 54 on Feb. 2, a discussion has been going on as to whether major TV events should be moved to Saturdays. Although having these events on Saturdays sounds nice, it is just not plausible.

One common belief that poses to answer the question to why major TV events are on Saturday, is that it increases viewership; however, this is simply not true, for even Roger Goodell, current NFL commissioner, has acknowledged this. From a business standpoint, losing viewership is financially deadly and can result in a lack of ad revenue. Moving major TV events to Saturdays, as a matter of fact, will not increase viewership, showing that major TV events to stay on their scheduled Sunday.

Another reason for not moving major events to Saturday is due to how fast people will lose interest in the event over the weekend. For Sunday TV events, people host parties and get togethers, which can extend late into the night. The next day, people go back to

work or school and discuss the event the next day. The day after the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards, these TV events are a hot topic on everyone’s minds, and everyone is interested in giving their opinion. If these events were moved to Sundays, people would have lost interest in the event, and they wouldn’t feel the need to discuss their opinions because the initial shock after the results would have already disappeared through the weekend.

In correlation with the previous point, these events would also lose their relevance. If these events were to be held on a Saturday, they would be less significant in society. Society moves on from major events very quickly, so hosting them on Sundays helps maintain relevance throughout the week.

Keeping big TV occurrences on Sundays is not only beneficial to businesses but to people as well.

Weekends are typically busy and filled with homework, studying, jobs and other social responsibilities. Statistically, however, what is the least productive day of the week? Sunday. Instead of hosting events on Saturdays and causing people to have to reschedule their whole weekend, we could just host the events on Sundays.

Keeping important TV occasions on Sundays is also beneficial in distracting people from “Sunday Night Blues,” or the feeling of anxiousness people feel before returning to work or school.

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 Olivia Budzevski Alexandra Sulewski Madelyn Whitaker associate editor Emma Frank assistant editors Emily Helmuth Erin Muller sports editors Elizabeth Gonzalez Noah Thomas assistant sports editor Jackson Hillman online editors Nolan Chase Andrew Poeschl advertising editors Haley Thornberry Holly Wagner staff Aubrey Banks Keeley Bernard Samuel Brewer Emily Briseno Rosalie Degenhart Parker Gliem Abigail Godsen Holly Jorden John Jorden Miles Lubbers Kristian Maunes Avery O’Brien Cooper Vickers Allyson Zdanowicz adviser Julie Elston

6

experiencing life beyond the building

FEATURE INKLINGS February 28, 2020

iL ION FE PHOTO BY MADELYN WHITAKER

Senior Zach Jones works on a segment for The Dog Radio. Jones gets to school at 6:30 a.m. every morning to start his radio show. He hosts his show "The Morning Bark” from 6:50 to 7:30 with two other students.

Finding Meaning in Media

Student journalists discuss effect of reporting for media outlets on community

BY ALEXANDRA SULEWSKI co-editor-in-chief From school issues to global topics, student journalists cover a variety of issues that interest and affect their peers.

Outside of their high schools, some student journalists are adopting larger roles. According to Indiana High School Press Association Executive Director Ryan Gunterman, certain towns in Indiana have had their local news outlets shut down completely. In response, young journalists step up to fill these places in their communities.

“You will find a lot of towns where student journalists are the only ones covering the school board meetings. They are the only ones covering any type of educational topic whatsoever for the community,” Gunterman said. “There have been circumstances where, in this state alone, the local paper has shut down and the student journalists have actually taken it over and produced the town newspaper.”

Junior Sarah Frey, an anchor for CPTV, spends hours both after school and on the weekends covering topics for her segments. Frey says that reporting on topics from a student perspective helps address student issues and present information in a way that appeals to her audience.

“It’s a good way to connect all the students. A lot of our topics are student-based, and we ask students their specific beliefs on things we are talking about,” Frey said.

“I think it’s really important to have actual people who you surround yourself with

BY

# THE

talking about the same issues on a student wrong because they are wrong.” level. But we’re also talking about issues Reflecting on his experience as a high that are worldwide. I think it’s important to school journalist, senior Zach Jones says make a big issue smaller.” that being a part of media outlets has made Being a co-editor-in-chief of the In- a difference in the way that he talks to klings newspaper staff, senior Olivia other people. As Jones is actively involved Budzevski says that she has gotten to trav- in yearbook, CPTV and the radio station, el across the country for conventions and his frequent interviews have improved his meet other student journalists. communication skills.

“I have gotten the opportunity to at“For the radio show every morning, tend the national convention twice as well we’ve been doing that for three or four as the High School months. Doing that Journalism InstiI know my voice is I think it’s really tute workshop at IU out there and I’m not important to have over the summer,” nervous about sayBudzevski said. “For ing whatever is on actual people who the workshop at IU, I you surround yourself my mind. I feel like met a bunch of people I know how to strucwith talking about the ture what I want to from all over the counsame issues on a try and we also had say to get to different workshops to refine kinds of people when student level. our journalism skills.

I meet them,” Jones That was very benefisaid. “Even just junior Sarah Frey cial to me as editor-inmeeting strangers chief. All of the opportunities that I have that you’ve never known before, this has had have helped shape me as a person and helped me hold conversations with them.” as a journalist.”

One particular segment that Jones beHaving had previous experience as a lieves was impactful discussed student’s high school journalism advisor, Gunter- use of their First Amendment freedom of man explains that student journalists in speech rights. He says that serious pieces particular may face adversity due to age such as this one are important because they stereotypes. encourage conversation in an increasingly “I would always tell my student jour- digital society. nalists that you have to understand that “Freedom of the press was probably there is going to be a preconceived notion my deepest piece I would say because it of teenagers and young people in gener- challenged people’s beliefs, and I think al,” Gunterman said. “Whether it is high that in society right now people need to school or college, our job is to prove them challenge each other and their beliefs and

‘‘

2019 was the

year of the student journalist

have adult conversations because people with their phones now can avoid that easily. The more and more our technology evolves, more people are avoiding talking, which I think is a bad thing and that people need to use their freedom of speech in a way that is not attacking someone,” Jones said. “You can challenge beliefs without it getting violent or someone’s feelings getting hurt.”

Compared to other schools where high school press may be limited by stricter rules, Jones feels that Crown Point High School is supportive of student journalists covering serious topics.

“When I think about it, there are not as many schools that are as lucky as us and we are way more fortunate than those schools to put out stories like freedom of the press or serious issues,” Jones said. “I think that our advisors support us in a way where they let us put out the stories that we want to with their supervision and guidance so that we don’t make a mistake.”

While news coverage may face backlash, Gunterman says that it serves a purpose in challenging issues that may need to be fixed.

“The whole point of journalism is to make things better. People complain about the negativity of news, and there is some validity in that,” Gunterman said. “The whole ‘if it bleeds it leads’ cliché, but the purpose of pointing out these things that are not great is so that they can be fixed. If we are going to put our heads in the sand, how can things ever get better? And that’s (a high school journalist’s) job.”

14 out of 50 states have laws in place

to protect press freedom rights of student journalists

statistics by: https://splc.org/year-of-the-student-journalist/

FEATURE INKLINGS February 28, 2020

Changing the Stage

7

Theater department rents rotating stage for spring musical

BY EMILY HELMUTH assistant editor Organizing dozens of people is no easy task. Having these people sing, dance and act however; is another challenge. Theater director Kit Degenhart accomplishes this task every year and this year is no different, as he is currently in the process of preparing the Spring musical cast for their production of “Freaky Friday.” According to Degenhart, choosing “Freaky Friday” was an easy choice.

“I saw it in summer of 2018 and I liked the two guys who wrote the music,” Degenhart said. “They’ve written a couple Broadway shows that are exceptional and I like that Disney was smart enough to hire them to do the adaptation. I really like the music and I’ve always been a fan of the movie, specifically the Lindsay Lohan one.

I like how fun it is.”

Performing “Freaky Friday” comes with some unique challenges according to stage manager and senior Emma Beckman.

Beckman believes one of the biggest challenges with the show is the new stage.

“We have a rotating stage, and that is something that hasn’t been done in quite a few years, and it is something that nobody in my class has ever experienced before,” Beckman said. “It will make it much more complicated, so it just requires a lot more teamwork on both sides, with the actors and backstage running crew.”

Degenhart has experience with the rotating stage, as it was used in a past musical he directed.

“When we did ‘Les Miserables’ back in 2010, one of the biggest components of ‘Les Mis’, is this rotating stage that the Broadway original production used,” Degenhart said. “I wanted to use it so I searched high and low and I found a place to rent it so I rented it.”

After watching a production of “Freaky

PHOTO BY EMILY HELMUTH Stage manager senior Emma Beckman (right) and assistant stage manager junior Grace Price (left) look over the stage directions for “Freaky Friday” at an after school rehearsal. The stage managers are in charge of coordinating everything that happens on and offstage during the show, such as quick scene changes.

Friday,” Degenhart says he was inspired to incorporate the rotating stage again, as he noticed a problem with the transitions.

“Over the summer, I went to go see [‘Freaky Friday,’] because most of the shows that I’ve directed I’ve seen somewhere,” Degenhart said. “With ‘Freaky Friday,’ I’ve seen the Disney movie and the new Disney movie musical. I’ve never seen the live stage show and it’s a little different. It was a semi-professional production, but act one they go from the house to the school back and forth. It’s like seven times.

I’m sitting there watching it thinking, ‘This would be awesome if it just rotated in and rotated out.’ I contacted the same place we rented the one from 10 years ago and it’s still available and still works. It’s a pricey piece of equipment but I think it’s worth the money and the effect and we’ll get to do a lot of cool things with it.”

In the musical “Freaky Friday,” the main characters are the mother and the

daughter, who end up switching bodies with one another early on in the musical.

According to senior Mara Manoski, who is playing the mother, Katherine, the switch is one of the most fun and most difficult parts of the show.

“The most difficult part of the show is definitely the switch, and the fact that I am essentially playing two different roles,” Manoski said. “You have to have a good understanding of both of the roles at the same time.”

Senior Paige Lichnerowicz, who plays the daughter, Ellie, agrees with Manoski on the unique challenge the switch brings.

“I start as the daughter, and the initial switch into the mom is definitely the hardest part,” Lichnerowicz said. “I have to be a completely different character and just flip automatically to the opposite character.”

Lichnerowicz plans on continuing her musical theater in college. According to

Lichnerowicz, she discovered her passion for theater in elementary school.

“I started acting when I was 8, and I was doing theater during middle school and elementary school, and I auditioned for the musical here freshman year,” Lichnerowicz said. “I love it so much. It just makes me happy being on stage. I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t going into musical theater.”

Outside of the leads, the underclassmen involved in the show look forward to performing the play. Sophomore Leo Silberhorn, who plays Wells, sees this show as a learning opportunity.

“I’m learning a lot about my acting and just different ways to really personify the character that I have to play,” Silberhorn said. “This is only my second main role. I played a lost boy in “Peter Pan” and now I’m playing a regular teenager. It’s a huge difference between fantasy and reality.”

Junior Alan Mance, a member of the lights and sound crew, says he enjoys the responsibility of being on crew along with the family aspect of being involved in theater.

“It’s my job to hang lights and aim them to make sure everything is properly lit and looks as good as it can,” Mance said.

“All the technical stuff is really cool, but honestly my favorite part is working with all the people I’m in crew with. They’re all great people.”

“Freaky Friday” will be the last high school production for the seniors on cast and crew. Manoski believes she will look back positively on her high school theater career.

“I am going to miss the people around me,” Manoski said. “I’m excited to have my last bow on the stage with the people that I love. I’m excited to hold Paige’s hand and cry on the last night, and finish my high school theatre career with a bang.”

8

FEATURE INKLINGS February 28, 2020

Random Acts

of Kindness

PHOTOS BY MADELYN WHITAKER

Left: Senior NHS Vice President Erin Tien poses with the club-sponsored bulletin board which is themed “Sprinkle Kindness Like Confetti.” Tien noted that the sprinkles list kind traits that students possess. Right: Seniors Ava Hayse (left) and Morgan Sianta (right), who are members of GEMS pose with their decorated bulletin board which is heart-themed. Both bulletin boards supported Random Acts of Kindness week within the school.

Clubs, students adopt Random Acts of Kindness week

BY MADELYN WHITAKER AUBREY BANKS co-editor-in-chief reporter In a world that is bombarded with constant news updates reporting deaths and natural disasters, one way to counteract the negativity is with unexpected kindness.

To promote Random Acts of Kindness week, the CURE, a pro-kindness club at Crown Point High School, looked to promote the week and highlight the importance of kindness in the school. Junior and the CURE club member Connor Phutawon provides insight on the club’s plans throughout the week.

“The CURE sponsors random acts of kindness week, which is the week of Valentine’s Day. Every day we have a new activity plan that teaches everybody to be more kind in their life. On Sunday we decorated the whole school with sticky notes with kind messages on them,” Phutawon said.

To get the entire school involved, the CURE allowed clubs to sponsor a board around the school to decorate. Phutawon shares that the CURE hosts many different activities that show kindness and its benefits.

“We also have the club sponsor their own bulletin boards of kindness. Today (Tuesday), we gave out granola bars and fruit snacks to people. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we give out pens, Thursday we have an activity for our new students to meet each other and have fun, and Friday is Valentine’s Day, and we have something planned for that,” Phutawon said.

Utilizing the opportunity to partake in the week, National Honor Society (NHS) chose to decorate a pro-kindness board. NHS vice president Erin Tien shares the club’s theme and its basis.

“So our theme was the popular quote ‘sprinkle kindness like confetti,’” Tien said. “So we have our sprinkles as little kindness quotes and we have a cupcake so you’re sprinkling the sprinkles of kindness.”

Another club within the school that decorated a bulletin board was GEMS, who decorated their board with hearts to include the Valentine’s Day theme. Senior and GEMS member Ava Hayse comments on how she feels kindness doesn’t have to be extravagant.

“Even just smiling at people is easy,” Hayse said. “Definitely complimenting each other’s out-

fits is easy. You see a lot of people walking in the hallway… and you see them have that blank face.”

Similar to Hayse, Phutawon also notices the impact that simple acts of kindness have on others.

Phutawon comments on the importance of treating others as he would like to be treated.

“If you really want to be more kind, you just have to think about other people first. You have to think about how if I was in their shoes and if I was walking through the halls and I was having a bad day, how would I want someone to treat me,” Phutawon said. “You have to think of ways you can make them feel better, like a compliment.”

‘‘

I feel like to progress to this world, you just have to be kind to one another and work together. And to work together, we have to band together and we have to be nice and kind. I feel like the only way to do that is through kindness.

junior Connor Phutawon To highlight why she feels this week was important for faculty and students to participate in, Tien emphasizes the stress that accompanies a high school environment and how she feels kindness may not be prioritized in a busy school filled with stress.

“I think (kindness) is (important) because it reminds people to be considerate and to be nice because we get swept up a lot of the daily school being really stressful and so when you get stressed you’re obviously a lot less likely to be caring to others,” Tien said. “So this is a really important thing to make sure you do especially for a lot of high schoolers and adults to remind them.”

Phutawon explains the importance of kindness and why it should be shared in efforts to find common ground among everyone.

“I feel like to progress in this world, you just have to be kind to one another and work together,” Phutawon said. “And to work together, we have to band together and we have to be nice and kind. I feel like the only way to do that is through kindness.”

Our Experiences Embracing the Week Aubrey’s Experience To truly understand how impactful Random Acts of Kindness Week is, I went out to do little things that highlight the importance of being kind. Doing this immediately made me feel happier knowing I’ve made someone’s day.

At the beginning of the week, I decided to give my teachers cards saying how much I appreciated them and their work. My teachers enjoyed the nice surprise and seeing them read it put a smile on my face knowing I’ve made their day.

On Tuesday, I gave my classmates flowers. They were surprised at first when I offered it to them, but they gladly accepted it. Seeing my classmates enjoy the flowers made me realize how important kindness truly is.

At the end of the week, I wished everyone a good day and weekend. It was especially special because it was Valentine’s Day and I felt as though I was sending love to those who needed it.

To me, it was interesting to see how one act of kindness could change someone’s mood. Random Acts of Kindness showed me how important it was to be kind to anyone, even if it was to someone I didn’t know. Random Acts of Kindness should be displayed for more than just one week. It should be displayed so that everyone can feel kindness and love, no matter who it is.

Madelyn’s Experience Little things such as complimenting people’s appearances instantly brightened my friends’ days. I was often greeted with a smile, which in turn, made me feel happy as well. Recipients of warming texts were thankful that I had thought of them and wished them well.

One day, I brought a bag of Starburst to give out to strangers in the hallway and my friends. So many people were happy to receive a Starburst, and they were surprised when I offered to give it to them because they weren’t expecting it.

Towards the end of the week, I focused on services I could provide for others that would make their days less stressful. I offered to transport my younger brother places so that my parents wouldn’t have to and paid for the order behind me in the drivethru. My parents were thankful that I had helped them out because they are already busy enough as it is.

I found it funny that kindness impacts both the giver and the recipient. I found that I felt better about myself because I saw the impact that I could have on others and that it didn’t have to be elaborate. Random Acts of Kindness should be done as often as possible, not just for one week.

FEATURE INKLINGS February 28, 2020

Long Distance Love

9

Distance proves to be trying for students who date with miles in between

BY ERIN MULLER ROSALIE DEGENHART assistant editor reporter Despite the distance, some students here have withheld long distance relationships with their significant other. While it requires high efforts of communication and trust, sophomore Katie Chandler has been in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend, who lives almost three hours away, for seven months. Chandler comments on the commitment that has been needed to keep this relationship.

“What we both do to keep our relationship as strong as it is now is that we both give 100% effort for each other. Communication is also key to any relationship, even long distance relationship. We trust each other that no one will do the other harm, that’s important as well to have,” Chandler said.

Trust is also key to her long distance relationship, according to senior Mikayla Droste, who is dating someone from Kentucky.

“Knowing that it’s so built off of trust and just pure communication, you can’t lie to each other, you have to tell whatever is on your mind because they can’t see that. They can’t see if you’re upset, you have to tell them, and I feel like that just built so much more of a connection,” Droste said.

Having a base of trust and communication has been concurrent to keep a long distance relationship among both Chandler and Droste, and they also agree that one needs to treasure the moments with your partner when you see them in person. Droste has felt the struggle that comes along with a long distance relationship, but she finds a way to cope with the longings.

“You honestly have to think back to the good moments instead of like right now when you’re missing him so bad. It’s like just thinking next time when he comes up, it’s always as soon as he leaves, we’re planning the next trip, that’s just what keeps me

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going . . .,” Droste said.

Chandler tries to be in the moment when she sees her boyfriend and not let the thought of distance get between them.

“Cherish the time you guys have together, don’t dwell on the aftermath of them leaving and being upset on the days you don’t see each other. For one, that’s a crazy girlfriend/boyfriend talking and you will waste your tears on moments in life. While, you should think optimistically, how this is only a part time goodbye and you’ll see each other again soon,” Chandler said.

Senior Jon Anderson has been in a long distance relationship with his girlfriend, who is a sophomore at Butler University.

She is currently studying abroad in Australia for three months. One of the biggest struggles for him is simply not seeing her often. Communication is a huge aspect for their current relationship, and Anderson is committed to keeping a strong communication base with his girlfriend.

“We text whenever we can, we Skype whenever we can, we set up Skype dates where we’ll watch a show at the same time and just talk and stuff, and, because of the time difference, we have to plan when we’re going to talk to each other,” Anderson said.

Anderson encourages potential long distance couples to have a strong foundation before making the decision to be in a relationship.

“You should definitely have a base, you should be together for some time, talk it out, make sure it’s going to work out. Like, if you’re together for like a week, and she’s like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be gone for months,’ maybe that’s not the best idea because you don’t have that established base,” Anderson said.

While in a relationship, one has to know who they are dating, and this is crucial in a relationship that is centered around not frequently seeing them. Like Anderson, Chandler agrees that one should know the person they are in a relationship with and build up that base of trust and communication before adding the distance into the equation.

PHOTO BY ROSALIE DEGENHART Senior Mikayla Droste FaceTimes with her boyfriend, Brandon, who lives in Kentucky. Droste notes that a key factor in making her long distance relationship work is trusting her boyfriend and communicating.

“My tips for keeping a long-distance relationship healthy and strong is mainly to know who you are talking to,” Chandler said.

‘‘

What we both do to keep our relationship as strong as it is now is that we both give 100% effort for each other.

Communication is also key to any relationship, even long distance relationship.

sophomore Katie Chandler After building that base of trust and communication, one in a long distance relationship must follow through and be honest with their partner.

“To build up our trust with each other, we just be honest with each other all the time. If we say we are annoyed with the other, we tell the other that’s how we’re

feeling. Also, building trust does take time,” Chandler said.

Through television and society’s pessimism, long distance relationships have developed a stereotype that deems them as impossible and exhausting to uphold; however, Chandler believes that she has overcome this stereotype with her boyfriend.

“I overcame that stereotype because of how my boyfriend and I act, we actually want the relationship. The main key pointer for a long-distance relationship if you want it to last is that you two both have to want this to work; not just one person in the relationship,” Chandler said.

Droste also believes that in order to keep a long distance relationship strong, both partners have to work for it. She believes that having to work hard to keep a relationship can also strengthen the trust between the couple.

“It works better for me than it does here, I’ve never met anyone here that I’ve worked as well with. It’s just that sense of trust that you gotta keep going instead of just like ‘I’ll see you this weekend,’” Droste said.

10

ADVERTISING INKLINGS February 28, 2020

Finally Four Years Old

When one’s birthday lands on leap day, confusion can occur on when to celebrate probably my favorite.”

With the small number of people in America that have a Feb. 29 birthday, the odds of having that birthday are one in 1,461. It is a very rare occasion and many people aren’t Turning 4 years old as a sophomore in high school able to experience such an unusual occurrence. For Polmay sound unusual, but it is possible. For sophomore lachek however, he isn’t the only person he knows with Noah Pollachek, having a leap year birthday is typical. the same birthday as him.

“It’s a cool extra something and it’s a little more “My best friend’s mom was born on a leap year too unique because not many people have that birthday and it so we sometimes go out to eat with them,” Pollachek said. happens once every four years,” Pollachek said.

Because of how rare an occurrence like a leap year A leap year occurs once every four years, which acbirthday is, unique traditions have been created by other cording to National Geographic, dates back to 46 B.C. In leap year babies to celebrate. One specific tradition entails a leap year, an extra day is added to February, leaving 29 that during a leap year, when the leapling’s birthday falls days rather than its usual 28. 2020 is the newest addition on their actual Feb. 29 birth date, the leap year baby will to the collection of leap years, meaning that Pollachek can throw a party based on their leap year age, not their actual finally celebrate his proper birthday on the 29. Pollachek one. As Pollachek is set to turn 16 this year, his leap year was only 14 minutes away from being able to celebrate a age will only amount to 4. typical birthday, but a close call in the delivery room left “I have never done that (theme a birthday party by him with a birthday he appreciates more. the leap year age), but it sounds cool,” Pollachek said. “I “It’s pretty cool,” Pollachek said. “It feels special would theme it Thomas the Train. I was obsessed with because I was born at around 12:14 a.m., just after midthat a lot.” night.”

Despite not hearing of the tradition, Pollachek still According to DailyMail, there are currently only appreciates the concept. In fact, Pollachek has used the 187,000 leaplings in the United States, and Pollachek hapconcept to his advantage during Christmas celebrations pens to be the only student in the entirety of Crown Point and gatherings where many children were present.

High School to have his birthday on Feb. 29.

“When people say youngest to oldest, I am the young “It was unique because a lot of people don’t really one when opening gifts on Christmas,” Pollachek said. have a leap year birthday. I only know one person that has “The youngest would go first when we would have a it,” Pollachek said. group of children to do an activity.”

A typical problem with celebrating leap year birthPollachek’s family has also joined the leap year tradidays is deciding which day the birthday should be recPHOTO PROVIDED BY NOAH POLLACHEK tions, buying him birthday gifts based off of his leap year ognized during a normal year. Leap year babies are often Pollachek eating a birthday dessert while at a restaurant with his family. age. faced with the decision of whether to celebrate their birthAlthough Pollachek has a unique birthday, he doesn’t “One time for my birthday I got a bib as a gift from my days during Feb., their birth month, or in March, where part away from normal traditions. Pollachek often finds uncle,” Pollachek said. their technical birthday lies. himself celebrating his leap year birthday in ordinary fashPollachek is fond of his peculiar birthday and would “When I was younger I would celebrate on the 28, but ion, where his family will eat out for dinner. rather keep his leap year birthday than receive an annual now I just do it on March 1. It makes more sense to cel“I usually just go out to eat at La Quesadilla or some- birth date. ebrate it on March 1 because it is technically that day,” Pol- thing and maybe sometimes get something extra like extra “I don’t think I would ever change my birthday because lachek said. clothes or a gift card,” Pollachek said. “Mexican food is it is a little extra thing for me personally,” Pollachek said.

BY PARKER GLIEM MILES LUBBERS reporters

1 ⁄ 1,461

chance of being

born on

statistics from: https://www.livethejourney.co.za/blog/20-fun-facts-about-leap-years/

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Astrologers believe leaplings are born with unusual talents

SPORTS INKLINGS February 28, 2020

11

My moment of the month...

“I was not expecting to win state at all. All season my goal was to just make my team and myself proud and hopefully I did that.

It feels great to leave this legacy since this is the first year we’ve competed with solos.” senior Emma Frank Dance

REVIEWING THE PLAY

Staff’s Take on Sports Issues

Should the Houston Astros have their World Series Championship revoked after their signstealing scandal?

6 Pro 1 Con TWITTER POLL Should the Houston Astros have their World Series Championship revoked after their signstealing scandal?

11%

89% Yes No

OUT OF 19 STUDENTS POLLED

Geno Christofanelli

Pro:

senior

“In baseball not knowing the pitch and guessing what it could be is part of the game and using cameras to know the pitch ruins the game. They cheated creating an uneven playing field and should be punished.”

Emily Gibson

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRANDON LOREK The wrestling team poses on the IHSAA mat after placing second place at the IHSAA State Finals in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday Feb. 22. This is the first time the team has placed second at the State meet in eight years. Sophomore Jesse Mendez won the 132 pound weight class, earning him his second consectutive state title.

Wrestling finishes second at State meet

Mendez and Hollendonner lead team with their respective weight classes finishes

BY NOAH THOMAS KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor reporter There aren’t that many teams that are more prolific than the Crown Point wrestling team. The team boasts a rich history of winning and placing in the top spots at competitions. Their history includes a 17 year-long winning streak at sectionals, 29 sectionals titles in total, 16 regional championships, six semi-state championships, one state championship and one second-place finish at state.

This season, the team added another runner up finish at the state meet.

After being victorious at sectionals, the pressure for the wrestling team was on. The team was expected to do well at state, and the expectations for the group were high. But according to coach Branden Lorek, he wanted his squad to go into IHSAA state without an added worry because of the big occasion.

“We remind the wrestlers not to make the postseason a big event,” Lorek said. “Making it a big event puts a lot of undue pressure on the wrestlers. We want them to realize the opportunities they have and recognize the opportunities they have earned.”

The pressure of state can come from anywhere, whether it be people at school talking about what they expect from the team at state, or to the media talking about their expectations.

“Zoning out the media, especially social media is a challenge, but the guys on the team know, that the only rankings that matter, are the rankings on the state

sophomore

Con: “There are scandals

all over the world, so I don’t think something like that means that they would or should take their rings.”

Wrestling State Qualifiers

podium,” Lorek said. “I’m sure the guys check out the team and individual rankings, but we don’t talk too much about them in the practice room.”

The sentiment of not making state a big event and ignoring the stresses of the media has clearly reached the team.

“We’ve kind of zoned the media out by acknowledging the media but not being too hung up about what the media says,” senior Nicholas Tatinni said. “Coach Lorek told us to try to avoid as much unnecessary stress as possible and to believe in your training and conditioning.”

‘‘

I definitely owe a lot of props to my coaches and my family. They are always there for me, helping me get to where I need to be.

sophomore Jesse Mendez The belief in their training and conditioning paid off, as the team ended the season with a second place finish at state.

“The team was extremely excited and proud of their accomplishment,” Lorek said. “The underclassmen did a phenomenal job, and they had a great learning experience this weekend.”

One of the underclassmen at the heart of that second place team finish was sophomore Jesse Mendez. Mendez went to state as a one-time state champion and left as a two-time state champion. For Mendez, winning state was not only important to him, but to the school as a whole.

“Getting the school name out there, my team being successful at the level we are at, looks really good on our school, and makes our program look good,” Mendez said.

Although Mendez likes to reflect on how the program has made him better and affected him positively, he also is happy about all of the opportunities and other programs that he has taken part in.

“It does a lot for me, travelling around the world to many countries looks really good on our program,” Mendez said. “It just shows the coaches we have are going to make you at the level you need to be. I’m just blessed to be given the opportunities, and I’ve been working since I’ve been seven. I feel like it’s well deserved but I’m blessed.”

Though Mendez works hard, he also respects the people who work behind the scenes to help him become better.

“I definitely owe a lot of props to my coaches and my family,” Mendez said. “They are always there for me, helping me get to where I need to be. My mom always food preps and my family drives me 45 minutes to and from practice in the off-season.”

Lorek takes pride in coaching and challenging Mendez. Lorek knows what this gives to the team.

“Jesse provides our team with lots of unique opportunities. Jesse is able to produce bonus points for the team, which at times his bonus points equal out to having an extra wrestler in the tournament,” Lorek said. “My job as Jesse’s coach is to provide opportunities for him to be successful and to be challenged. Just as we challenge students in the classroom, my

Jesse Mendez

Noah Hollendonner

Logan Frazier

Riley Bettich

132 Ibs Weight Class State Champion

160 Ibs Weight Class Second Place

113 Ibs Weight Class Third Place

120 Ibs Weight Class Fourth Place

Stephen Roberson

coaching staff are always looking to challenge Jesse in the wrestling room and during the regular season.”

Although Lorek believes that challenging his team is important, he also maintains the belief that he needs to be careful to not overwork his team. Injuries can make or break a team, no matter the success rate.

“We practice at shorter times, so we avoid injury to our wrestlers,” Lorek said. “Preventing injuries is difficult late in the season, but with proper preparation, planning, support from our training staff and strength training with Coach Garrett, I believe we have been able to reduce injuries.”

Tatinni also noted the importance of Lorek and his staff keeping the team healthy.

“Coach Lorek has prevented injuries by telling the team to get as much rest as they can and by going to the athletic trainer when something has pain,” Tatinni said.

After a successful season, senior Noah Hollendonner notes that although he will be leaving, he is optimistic with the team’s bright future.

“It’s sad to see the season go away and be done with high school sports forever, but there’s a lot of potential for the next few years,” Hollendonner said. “It’s great. Six out of the seven that made it to state are all freshman, sophomores and one junior.”

Mendez also shares the same attitude towards the future of the team.

“It’s good to see my team develop,” Mendez said. “With all the freshman coming in hopefully we win the state title next year.

That’s the goal.”

Orlando Cruz

Nick Tattini

145 Ibs Weight 138 Ibs Weight 126 Ibs Weight Class Class Class Fifth Place State Competitor State Competitor

12

SPORTS INKLINGS February 28, 2020

Boys basketball gears up for postseason

BY JACKSON HILLMAN assistant sports editor With the basketball season ending, it is time for the Bulldogs to battle for postseason titles. The boys will play their last regular season game tonight, Feb. 28, at Lowell.

After that, they will travel to Valparaiso and compete for the sectional title.

The boys have not won sectionals since the 20152016 season but will look to change this in March. One of the players hoping to change this is senior guard Dylan Matusak. He is averaging 2.4 points per game on about 36 percent shooting. At the beginning of the season, he felt that the team may be lost due to the seniors departure but throughout the season gained confidence in their play and their chances this season.

“We are on the right path to reach goals we set back in summer and we are working harder than most teams out there,” Matusak said. “I feel like we replaced those seniors well. It was tough at the beginning but I feel with the leadership of the seniors last year it paved the right path for us this year and we were ready. I have adjusted well to my new position this year and I’m loving every second of it. We love the support and seeing everyone at the games. Makes everyone play a little harder.”

Heading into postseason matchups, Coach Swan doesn’t believe they need to change their gameplan. Currently the team has a higher shooting percentage in every area compared to their opponents. The team’s lead scorer is Ty Smith with about 17 points per game, followed by David Brown (7.4 points per game) and Drew Adzia (6.89 points per game). With these shooting numbers, Swan feels confident in their game plan for the postseason.

“I feel like we are getting better with each passing practice and game. We’ve won our last couple and have played pretty well as we head down the stretch here. Our game plan tends to stay pretty consistent from week to week. As usual, our goal is to just keep getting better each day. The one adjustment that we have made, though, has been in regards to our depth. Our bench play has been really good as of late and has enabled us to play more guys than we’re used to.

Right now we have to keep getting better and finish out the regular season on a high note,” Swan said.

The boys will compete against the winner of Chesterton and Lowell match in their first game of sectionals.

The match will take place on March 6.

“A” and “B” team challenge each other to improve

BY KRISTIAN MAUNES reporter The ability to sub in someone’s place and compete at a moment’s notice allows for a strong dynamic for the gymnastics team. Gymnastics has an “A” and “B” team that is always changing based on the team’s performances at meets and practices. Although there are two teams, being prepared to compete at any time allows the team to do well under any team affecting circumstances.

Gymnasts like freshman Sydney Reisman train hard in hopes of competing for the “A” team, but aren’t discouraged if competing for “B.” Both teams equally represent the integrity of the gymnastics team, showcasing each gymnasts’ talents.

“Events and teams are assigned based on how well you perform them. Some come easier than others because some could have better balance than others or some could have more power,” Reisman said.

Reisman believes injuries are one of the reasons why there are two teams, both of which train hard. If a gymnast were injured, another could compete in place of the other.

“Injuries really affect us because sometimes the best girl at the beam is hurt and that could hurt us as a team," Reisman said.

Injuries this season have given some of the underclassmen an opportunity to step up and compete for the "A" team. Coach Ami Pysh sees great promise for the underclassmen gymnasts, like freshman Ysabel Maunes and sophomore Gianna Witte, seeing as six seniors will be leaving at the end of the season.

“Ysabel Maunes is already stepping up as a freshman and I see her getting a lot better for next year. Gianna Witte was on a three-

PHOTO BY ALLYSON ZDANOWICZ Senior Katy Smith practices her beam routine. Smith previously competed at the state meet on beam her sophomore year, and hopes to return this year with the whole team.

year semi-retirement break and focusing on soccer. She decided to come back to gymnastics this year. I know that she’s a gamer so I know that she’ll work hard and be even better next year,” Pysh said.

Pysh is proud of both teams and she believes they both represent and exhibit the meaning and goals of Crown Point gymnastics.

Senior Paige Hein can attest to that

seeing this as the most successful season in comparison to her previous years.

“The season is going well so far," Hein said. "This season has definitely been the most successful compared to past seasons because I have gotten more skills and higher scores.”

Hein believes that one of the main reasons she has been so suc-

cessful this season is because she is always training, working hard, and is ready to perform when it’s time to compete. Being prepared, no matter the situation that might occur for the team, is what Hein believes, is allowing this year’s team to be more successful than previous years.

“It is always important for everyone to be ready in case someone gets hurt. If one girl is injured it really hurts the team because every score counts towards the team score,” Hein said.

Hein sees great success for this year’s team and hopes they maintain this determined preparedness even after the seniors leave.

“I hope new girls and girls already on the team live up to us and be better so they can do good postseason as I hope we do too,” Hein said.

Pysh has confidence in her gymnasts’ perseverance and believes the team will achieve great things as the post season starts “My athletes have the fortitude it takes though, to be really competitive in such a difficult area in gymnastics. I am so hoping that we will compete the best we have all season at sectionals. There, we have to finish in the top three to move on to regionals. We will have to go against the state’s best to advance. I truly believe that with the depth and talent we have, we can accomplish this goal,” Pysh said.

The gymnasts will travel to Chesterton this Saturday to compete against 11 local teams, including the top three ranked teams in the state. Crown Point is currently ranked fourth by the NWI Times.

If the team places in the top three at sectionals, they will advance to the regionals meet which is Saturday March 7 in Portage.

Girls swim looks to incoming group as seniors leave team

BY KEELEY BERNARD reporter The end of the season provides time for a team to reflect on their achievements, areas they need to improve in, the loss of seniors and the gain of new members in the future. One achievement that girls swim can reflect on is their second place finish at sectionals.

“The girls had a solid meet,” coach Blake Yeager said. “We had a couple of off swims on Thursday night for the prelims but brought it back strong on Saturday to really finish up the meet well. Overall as a team I thought we swam well, and the girls did what was expected of them to do, which was come out and race.”

Yeager highlighted top performers at the meet such as senior Jordan Artim and sophomores Emma Bahr and Abbie Werner.

“Jordan Artim won the 100 breast and got 2nd in the 50 free, and later in the meet set the 50 free pool record on a relay,” Yeager said.

“Abbie Werner had an amazing 200 free after having knee surgery just 6 months ago. Emma Bahr dropped time in both the 200 IM and 100 back.”

Bahr reflected on her personal achievements this season.

“I definitely did not expect to make my senior state cut in my 200 IM,” Bahr said.

“When I looked at the time and saw I made it, the shock on my face was so funny. I was so happy because at the beginning of the season I had no idea I would train to become an IM swimmer, but it all paid off and I dropped over 10 seconds from my best time throughout the entire season, but I never would have thought I would get my cut.”

Making senior state was especially important to Bahr due to some of her struggles throughout the season.

“Probably the biggest struggle throughout the season was my back injury and changing from being a freestyler and backstroker to swimming all four strokes,” Bahr said. “I had injured my back during my freshman year and it has become a huge struggle because I had almost torn a few tendons in my lower back, so I have to be careful and not push too hard because it could happen again.”

Not only did Bahr have to overcome the struggle of an injury, but she also had to overcome the struggle of relearning to do different swimming techniques and performing in new events.

“It was also a big struggle to push my

body to become comfortable with swimming all four strokes again,” Bahr said. “Due to my injury it took a lot longer and was painful and I wanted to give up at times, but I’m so glad I didn’t because all the work had paid off, and I am excited about next season.”

Although Bahr is a sophomore and is able to return next season, other members of the team are seniors and will be graduating this year. Another item to reflect on for the team is the loss of seniors for next season.

“We lose four seniors from the girls side,” Yeager said. “Jordan Artim is one of the most decorated girl swimmers to ever go through Crown Point so she will be missed. Kaitlin Gardner is also a girl that has always been someone we could rely on in tough situations.”

Even though the loss of seniors can seem very damaging for a team and their future performances, Yeager believes this will not affect the team’s chances at winning big events, such as sectionals.

“We have a solid group of girls coming in from eighth grade,” Yeager said. “With the new group coming in and what we have returning, we fully expect to be in a position to be competing for a sectional championship next year.”

SPORTS INKLINGS

13

February 28, 2020

COLUMN

XFL offers new experience for football fans

BY NOAH THOMAS co-sports editor

PHOTO BY ALLYSON ZDANOWICZ Senior swimmer Alex McCormick begins practicing for state competitions at IUPUI. McCormick swam all 16 events on senior night against Michigan City high school.

Boys swim prepares for state meet with traditions

BY SAMUEL BREWER reporter As they prepare for the biggest meets of their season, the boys swim team finds many ways to prepare for state. During the start of February, the boys bleach and shave their heads as they prepare for sectionals and beyond. Swim coach Blake Yeager remembers his experience with bleaching his hair.

“The hair thing has been going on since the late ’70s. When I swam here back in 2008, one of my coaches was on the state runner-up team that won in 1979, and they were doing it back then,” Yeager said.

As big meets like state come up, the swimmers shave all their newly dyed hair off. This leads to swimmers making fun designs in their hair for a couple of days. Senior captain Nate Tufts only shaved off one half of his head, along with the opposite side of his beard. Tufts has mixed feelings about his final year of hair treatment.

“I mean, it’s senior year and I’m ready to be out. At the same time there is a sense of nostalgia, you do it and you’re thinking back.

You’ve done it for three years and every time you bleach it you get memories from the last year or the year before, so it’s a little bit sad knowing I won’t be doing that again,” Tufts said.

Tufts has been shaving his head long before he started swimming. He began shaving his head in kindergarten for St. Baldricks.

These traditions are not limited to bleaching the swimmers’ hair. On senior night Yeager also allows the seniors to compete in any event they want. Senior Alex McCormick decided he would compete in every event. Although odd to Yeager, he thought it would be a good experiment for the team’s success.

“Alex came to me and said that he wanted to swim all of them. At the time of the meet, the boys are still in really hard training, so I’m all for the more yards they can do at the meet the better,” Yeager said. “He actually had some really good swims which actually led us to do some different changes in the lineup because of that specific meet. We made some changes that really benefited us for DAC. It’s something he wanted to do and it’s something that hadn’t been done in a while. It was kind of his

senior night, it was his deal so if he wanted to do it go right ahead.”

According to Yeager, these kinds of traditions do not only give the swimmer the chance to joke around, it also builds unity between the team at a crucial point in the season.

“As a team, it doesn’t really do much,” Yeager said. “Obviously your first day when you come back to school everyone identifies you as a swimmer, it doesn’t matter if you’re good, it doesn’t matter if you’re bad, you are a swimmer if you have the hair. It’s a big deal for the freshmen because they’ve never seen it.”

Andrew Dyba is one of those freshmen, who had to face his classmates the day after he was identified as a swimmer, but he was not embarrassed.

“I saw the team bleach their hair last year and I wasn’t scared by it. I thought it was a cool thing to do as a team. A lot of people looked at me at school but I didn’t really care.

My friends thought it was funny,” Dyba said.

All these fun and games are a part of preparation for the biggest meet all year. Boys who qualify will compete in state prelims tonight at IUPUI, finals will be held tomorrow, Feb. 29.

Girls basketball's undefeated season ends; players believe future is bright

BY ELIZABETH GONZALEZ EMILY HELMUTH co-sports editor assistant editor After an undefeated regular season, the stakes were high for the girls basketball team as they traveled to Regionals against Penn on Saturday Feb. 15. The teams were neck and neck throughout the game, but the girls were edged out by a layup from Penn in the last ten seconds.

Last year the Dogs faced the Penn Kingsman and came out on top, and they also defeated Penn 49-37 in this year's regular season.

“It was reassuring at the time to know that we had beaten Penn in the past. Looking back, I realize that when we faced Penn, two of their starters were out due to injury, which made a difference for this game,” sophomore Jessica Carrothers said.

To the Dog’s disadvantage, rather than players coming back from injury, they lost junior Lyna Santiago. Santiago tore her ACL halfway through the season, and has been out since then.

Santiago says she is looking forward to return-

BULLDOG breakdown

ing to basketball next season.

“My main goal for next season is to be healthy so I can play at 100% and contribute to the team as much as I possibly can,” Santiago said. “I hope that as a team we can improve on the mistakes we made this year and have another successful year.”

Senior Dash Shaw, who transferred from Gary West Side earlier this school year, has proven throughout this season to be an asset to this team.

“Overall, I feel like it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life,” Shaw said. “If I could’ve come sooner, I would’ve.”

With 23 seconds left on the clock, Shaw successfully drove to the basket and was fouled.

The Kingsmen fan section made all the noise they could to deter Shaw from making the free throw that would give Crown Point the lead, but that did not stop her.

Unfortunately, the excitement of the one point lead was short-lived when the Kingsmen made a layup with ten seconds left. There was not enough time for the Dogs to regain their lead leaving the Kingsman with the Regional title.

“The last seconds of the game was a blur.

We had just gone from being the happiest to losing within seconds. I couldn’t hear anything around me. I was just so focused on what had happened. Even though we lost it was a great game and I know we have a bright future,” Carrothers said.

In the last two years, the team has only suffered two losses, both in the postseason. Coach Chris Seibert believes that despite the loss of the seniors to graduation, the girls will continue to train hard to achieve the same feats next year, and more.

“As a team, our goals remain the same: win the DAC, win our Holiday Tournament and advance in postseason play. Our ultimate goal is to win a state championship,” Seibert said. “Overall, I will remember what an enjoyable group of players this team was made up of. They worked hard every single day and enjoyed being around each other. They are tremendous individuals who represent the Lady Bulldog Basketball program in an exemplary manner both on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.”

Wrestling

Boys Basketball

Girls Swimming

132 lb weight class State champion

4-5 Conference Record

IHSAA STATE FINALS

sophomore Jesse Mendez junior Noah Hollendonner 160 lb weight class runner up

freshman Logan Frazier 113 lb weight class 3rd place

11-11 Overall Record

senior Jordan Artim

Highest Scoring Games of the Season (vs.)

Fourth in 50-yard freestyle (23.30 seconds)

Dec. 7 Penn (71-67) Jan. 3 Kankakee Valley (88-45) Feb. 11 Andrean (72-56)

Eighth in 100 breaststroke (1:04.72 seconds)

*stats per MaxPreps

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions, and without the introduction of the XFL, the football season would have been over.

The XFL hype is real and is giving fans a chance to watch more football. I crave football all the time, and this is an exciting new spring league. The league has innovative games, and on-field access.

The league had intentions for a faster-paced game with a group of NFL players who didn’t make it in the league or even college players who weren’t academically capable. The goal for commissioner Oliver Luck is to give fans an experience the NFL can’t deliver on for “the love of football.”

This isn't just a new run-of-the-mill league.

New rules like the kickoff being on the 35 gives players a safer kickoff; the extra point isn't a kick, rather a one, two or three-point attempt from the two, five and ten yard lines respectively. Overtime has a new rule where both teams get the ball rather than one like the NFL. The league has two divisions, the East and West with four teams in each, St. Louis, New York, Tampa Bay and D.C. make up the East while Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas and Seattle are in the West. The difference between the AAF and the XFL is that owner Vince McMahon has money and can keep the league running, unlike the AAF. The new league has been doing surprisingly well from ticket sales to viewership, drawing four million viewers to the first game of the season according to ABC. While this number has decreased, the XFL still retains strong enough ratings to be sustainable.

The first few weeks have been incredible although the quarterback play could be better. I´d say my favorite part is the access to the players with on-field interviews and being able to hear coaches call plays. It's an awesome experience the NFL doesn't give. It’ll be great to watch football for two more months.

14

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT INKLINGS February 28, 2020

Hearing the Rhythm of Love

INREVIEW

BY ABBY GODSEN reporter

BY COOPER VICKERS reporter

It is not uncommon for brands to follow certain popular trends or fads. Most notably the popularity of Baby Yoda, the first company to ride the coattails is Kraft Heinz with the Super Bowl Commercial debuting the infamous Baby Nut. After the death of Mr. Peanut, everybody was wondering what the next step of the publicity stunt would be. Baby Nut is an unoriginal stunt showing the shallowness of American consumerism.

Why would they get rid of an iconic character and give him a pointless replacement?

There are songs for just about every event in life, but some of the most popular are love songs and breakup songs. Many artists have released songs that touch on the idea of romance and also the lack of. Though most of the interpretation is up to the listener

Catching feels

Baby Nut

Converse Run Star Hike

Paper straws at Dunkin Donuts Dunkin Donuts has been the latest company to join the paper straw bandwagon. Although this is a better alternative to plastic straws these are very unstable and start to fall apart as soon as you put them in the drink. Not only do paper straws fall apart in the drink, they also leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Enjoying any beverage from Dunkin Donuts is ruined by the soggy straw that occurs by the time the drink is half-way finished.

With keeping the environment in mind, there could be better ways for the brand to help without causing a hindrance.

After looking through some of my personal favorites and different playlists, I have compiled a list of songs I would consider the best. These are my top love and breakup songs from a variety of backgrounds such as pop, alternative and musical theatre for all those heart wrenching and heartwarming moments in life.

Fire on Fire

All of Me

Unconditionally

by Sam Smith

by John Legend

by Katy Perry

“Fire on Fire” is a song released in 2018 by Sam Smith. It is a metaphorical love song that depicts the artist’s own relationship with their partner and how, ordinarily, strong amounts of emotional energy can become volatile, but they make it work.

Citing lyrics such as, “Fire on fire would normally kill us but this much desire, together, we’re winners.” This is the perfect love song to listen to with a significant other to empower your relationship.

Burn

Singing the blues

A new, bold design of shoe made by Converse has recently been released and has caught the attention of many. The new Converse Run Star Hike running shoes showcase the Iconic Chuck Taylor design with a boosted sole and more grip. Sold out, these platform Converse are an innovative and fresh take on the classic shoe.

The running shoes are available in four different colors: black, white, red and blue.

and their experiences, some common themes can be brought to light through moving lyrics and emotional acoustics.

Frank Sinatra, John Legend and Lady Gaga are among the most notable artists when it comes to this specific genre of music.

Many popular hits have also come from Musicals like Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Mean Girls.

from Hamilton “Burn” is a powerhouse in the musical Hamilton, setting a turning point for the relationship between Eliza and Alexander Hamilton. It is incredibly emotional and depicts her blindness to his flaws and betrayal. Featuring descriptive lyrics like, “Do you know what Angelica said, when she read what you’d done,” and “You have torn it all apart I’m watching it burn.” It is an intense, evergreen song that transcends time in the way it depicts love, betrayal, and overcoming heartbreak.

This is a classic love song that gets you right in the feels.

With the well crafted lyrics and subtle piano that envelop you in the music it’s no wonder that it is such a popular love song.

Legend’s smooth and timeless voice comforts listeners. With lyrics like, “Love your curves and all your edges all your perfect imperfections,” it makes you feel loved and appreciated even with all your natural flaws that make you who you are.

Cry Me a River

by Postmodern Jukebox The blues style twist on this Justin Timberlake song brings a whole new depth to an already amazing and empowering breakup song. With lyrics like, “So you took a chance, made some other plans but I bet you didn’t think that they would come crashing down, no no no,” and “The bridges were burned now it’s your turn, to cry,” it gives a sense of redemption for those who were crushed by being cheated on or left for someone else.

This Katy Perry song is a true love ballad. It is relatable to everyone no matter who they are or where they are from with universal lyrics like, “Unconditional, unconditionally I will love you unconditionally.” It is a raw depiction of the fear of being judged in a relationship and accepting someone for who they are no matter what because they are worthy of love. A really great example of this are the lyrics, “Acceptance is the key to be, to be truly free will you do the same for me?”

Rankings from modern twist to classic hits

Me 1) Cry a River

2) Tears on 3) Fire Fire

Tears

by Clean Bandit This is an upbeat breakup song about getting over a relationship that didn’t work out. It features heart wrenching, relatable lyrics like, “I tried hard to make you want me but we’re not supposed to be and the truth will always haunt me even though it set me free,” and empowering lyrics like, “I’ll get over you these tears will get me through and I’ll get over you,” it showcased the process of getting through a massive break up and the emotions involved.

4) Burn 5) Unconditionally

6) AllMeof

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” sequel filled with plot holes

BY ALEXANDRA SULEWSKI co-editor-in-chief Netflix released the long-awaited sequel, “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” on Feb. 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The movie followed up the cliffhanger of the previous movie, with main character Lara Jean Covey reuniting with her past love interest, John Ambrose McClaren.

The beginning of the movie focuses on Covey and her new relationship with Peter Kavinsky. Unlike the first movie, the sequel seemed to focus heavily on Kavinsky’s character flaws. Rather than the cute romance that I expected, I was left disappointed in the portrayal of a jealous Kavinsky who did not seem to have the same caring attitude that had made his character so likeable in the original.

Another disappointing factor of the movie was a lack of interaction between Covey and her sister, Kitty. The relatable and hilarious dynamic between them from the first movie fizzled down to only a few short interactions. While there are still some heart-warming family moments, Covey spends more time debating between love interests.

It seemed as though many new characters were shoved into the movie. While none were particularly poorly represented,

they took up space that would have allowed further character development of the pre-existing characters. Covey’s seemingly poor judgment reduces her to a shallow, love-struck teen rather than a thoughtful, complex character.

One of the highlights was the introduction of Stormy, who lives at the nursing home that Covey and McClaren volunteer at. Stormy’s sassiness and interesting advice make her one of the best parts of the movie. She helped bring back some of the heart-warming elements that Covey lacks with her family throughout the movie.

Likewise, McClaren was another factor that helped save the otherwise lacking plot. His backstory shed more light on not only himself, but provided a new perspective on some of the pre-existing characters. He also helps bring back some of the missed opportunities for cute romantic moments between Covey and Kavinsky.

Many complaints about the movie suggested that the book had a better explanation regarding the questionable actions of some of the characters. While this may be true, there were obvious holes in the logic of certain characters that left me wondering why the movie ended the way it did.

For someone that had not read the book before watching, some choices and events did not seem to make sense in comparison to the way that things were built up.

While the movie was overall worth watching, I was left hoping that a potential third part to the series would resolve some of my complaints from this one.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT INKLINGS February 28, 2020

COLUMN

Homemade drink recipes tested against store-bought

BY AVERY O’BRIEN reporter

Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of milk - 1 cup of crushed ice - 1/2 cup of coffee - 5 tablespoons of caramel syrup - brown sugar - whipped cream

- 8 ounces of coffee - 2 tablespoons of hot cocoa mix - 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract - 2 teaspoons of sugar - brown sugar - 2 ounces of milk

- 1 cup of milk - 2 tablespoons of sugar - 1/3 cup of chocolate chips - 2 cups of ice - 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Mix milk, ice, coffee and two tablespoons of caramel syrup in blender until smooth. Layer top of the drink with three tablespoons of caramel syrup. Top drink with whipped cream and brown sugar.

Combine the ingredients in a mug and then stir the ingredients together.

Mix ingredients together in blender.

Out of all the drinks I recreated, this one was by far my favorite. It tasted just like a big chocolate chip, but it didn’t come across as too overwhelmingly chocolatey or rich. This drink was the one I made with no actual coffee in it, so it’d be perfect for noncoffee drinkers. The one problem I had with this drink was when I put the chocolate chips in the blender whole with the other ingredients, they got blended up but not enough to not get stuck in the straw. I would definitely make this drink again.

Late night show hosts should avoid political humor

Instructions:

Instructions:

Instructions:

15

Although half a teaspoon of pure peppermint extract seemed like a lot, I wanted to follow the recipe exactly. Therefore, when I took a sip of this drink and felt as though I had just swallowed a pack of gum, I was not surprised. The only time I could tell there was coffee in the drink was when the mint wore off and the aftertaste tasted like I had just drank straight up black coffee.

After the few initial first sips of the drink, I was able to pick up on the fact that there was hot chocolate in there, although it was masked by the peppermint extract most of the rest of the time.

BY EMMA FRANK associate editor

At the end of the day many may search their television guide looking for a show to complete their day with.

An option that has been around since the 1950s is a late night talk show.

Today there is a wide variety of difThis drink wasn’t necessarily bad, but it ferent styles and personalities that hit wasn’t good either. If I hadn’t known what the screen after 11. While I enjoy the I was drinking, I would not have been able shows for entertainment, there is one to pick up on the huge amount of caramel thing that ruins many of them for me. that was used in the drink. The idea for Politics. the drink was there, but I don’t think it I fully understand that the host of came across very well. I had to add more a show has the freedom to say whatice to the recipe because the hot coffee I ever they want to, or whatever the used in the blender had melted it, so that producers tell them to. However most could have been a factor. I would recomhosts are comedians and they should mend this drink to a person who likes be able to make jokes on things other regular iced coffee because that is basithan the government, which I personcally all it tasted like. ally find a lot more entertaining.

To me I see talk shows as a fun, genuine way to get to know celebrities and be caught up on pop culture.

This is why I prefer “The Late Late Show with James Corden” over “The as though they work together, others seem as Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” I though they are just acting like they are more am not saying that the segments need to be completely cut from the show involved than they really are for the sake of because sometimes they have a point being on the show. and comedic value, but it does not Since the episodes have been released a need to overtake the show and make it few at a time, they do a good job at ending fully political. on cliffhangers that leave watchers anticipatLately politics have also been a ing the next episodes to come out. While the popular topic at award shows. Over the past year or so the host would filming took place towards the end of 2018, have comments to make on politics, the experimenters do a good job at leaving but what happened to the moments watchers unknown to what the outcomes of where Ellen would take selfies or have these relationships were, by a lack of Instapizza delivered? Replacing political gram posts, especially ones capturing their portions with moments that give the left hand, making the audience curious as to audience joy seems much more beneficial to me. People who watch from if they are, or were ever married. home do not necessarily remember the While the show provides entertainment punchline about our government, but to any audience watching, it still seems as they remember Beyoncé announcing though this process would be unlikely for her pregnancy during her performance most people. Along with this, the contestants of “Love on Top” at the VMAs. from the beginning weren’t as diverse as they Rather than having the punchline should’ve been, undermining the concept of be political, I wish they could be more finding someone and loving them regardless lighthearted. Not only that but keeping of race or ethnicity. Although there is even a the ratings of the show in mind they saying that “looks don’t matter,” it seems as will be more likely to get more viewthough a majority of people have a certain ers if politics are for the most part left type and do, in fact, care about appearances. out of conversations.

Dating show succeeds at creating suspense; fails to capture targeted diversity

BY HALEY THORNBERRY advertising editor As there have already been plenty of dating shows, including “The Bachelor” and “Love Island,” Netflix’s new 3-week event introduces a new outlook on dating with the series “Love is Blind.” The concept of this exciting new show allows for an improved definition on blind dating.

The approach of this “experiment” is to see if love truly is blind, or not, and if things like race, ethnicity and physical appearance truly matters when falling in love. The process is that these singles find out who they are most compatible with and when they feel as though they have solidified their relationship, they get engaged and married.

Since everybody was once dating around with each other, as soon as these couples get to meet the other couples, there are some uncomfortable situations that occur when past conversations are brought up. The show seems to over-dramatize these interactions, making tensions seem more severe than in actuality.

While the show is trying to prove

P L AYI N G FAVORITES

WE’RE SO

OVER

Inconsistent weather

Solid Ear Muffs With the ever persistent cold winds of winter blowing it can seem hard to find a solution that will help keep the head warm. Solid ear muffs are the perfect product for any one that needs to stay comfortable but not mess up their hair.

Walmart $6.90

Shamrock Shake The seasonal shake is back at McDonald’s and yet again it continues to be as great as every other year. The green dyed mint flavored shake is something to be looked forward to all year and enjoyed while it lasts.

whether love is truly based off of personality, rather than looks, some of the experimenters cheat this by asking certain questions in the pods, such as looks, height and other dead giveaways to get a good idea what the others might look like. This proves that although it would be nice to get into a relationship without worrying about physical characteristics, most people do still care about outside appearance.

While the show is based around finding love in a short amount of time, it seems as though other processes that normal couples would go through are also being incredibly sped up. As they only have 10 days before they are supposed to be engaged, the first couple who got engaged only did so within the first five days. Along with this, things like saying “I love you” are thrown around early on in the show, while a lot of couples wait for when they truly are ready.

Since it documents each couple and their experience with first meeting and then eventually living together, it leaves watchers with a vision of how that relationship will turn up.

While some of the couples genuinely seem

McDonald’s $3

Lately it has not been uncommon to experience all four seasons in a matter of days. The constant change in the weather is causing slush and puddles everywhere.

Making plans has never been harder because the weather can change too fast. Just cold weather would be better than this inconsistent mess.

BEST TWEETS

BEST APP Family Express The Family Express app is helpful for managing a rewards system that you can use at the various gas station locations. The app offers deals on items, making it a great way to both save money and try new snacks.

“Do.. do you think my Webkinz miss me?” senior Adena Daniels

“That awko taco moment when you’re eating Panda Express in the parking lot by yourself.”

@raeneedstostop junior Connor Phutawon @phutawon

BEST FOLLOW @threatningauras Cats with threatening auras on Twitter is an amazing account to follow because they post hilarious cat videos and pictures daily. It is always nice to be able to relax and watch cats do funny things after a long day.

“when y’all said bring the roaring 20’s back i did not know this is what y’all meant #wwlll” sophomore Gabby Perez @_perezgab

“i just need somebody who likes the office as much as i do” junior Sergio Sanchez @sergio66168017

16

PEOPLE INKLINGS February 28, 2020

A Future in Medicine

Student accepted into selective research program; expresses passion for medical research

BY NOLAN CHASE co-online editor The medical field offers many career pathways that entice students into pursuing a career within the field. Pharmacists, physicians, therapists and nurses are some of the possible career choices that people have when looking into the medical field.

Senior Logan Clark has expressed his interest in the medical field which has granted him opportunities that will help him on his career path.

Recently, Clark was selected to attend a symposium called Molecular Medicine In Action. The symposium is being held on March 1 at IUPUI. At this symposium, students will be able to observe the way scientists handle situations and procedures such as diabetes, cancer, stem cells and angiogenesis.

“The first thing I heard about it was that it was an application for IUPUI,” Clark said. “It was basically a research lab kind of thing and 50 students from Indiana could do it so I figured this would be a good thing to do because I’m going to college next year and I could get a little bit of research in. I thought it would be interesting to do.”

Due to the selective nature of the symposium, only 50 of the 200 applicants were selected to attend. Clark was the only student from Crown Point High School to be selected even though other students did apply. Clark explains the reasons that could have aided him in being selected and given him the edge over other students that applied.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of leadership activities like Chick-Fil-A Leadership Club, Slice and NHS. I think that being a part of those clubs has given me the edge,” Clark said.

These clubs that Clark is a part of have taught him communication skills that will be useful to him in the medical field.

“Communication is really important and especially in the medical field,” Clark said. “You have to be able to communicate to others and say what you’re going to say

and things like that. You can’t be shy to speak up.”

Because the symposium includes hands-on research, it will help Clark on his career pathway. Clark explains the importance of hands-on research when it comes to studying in the medical field. Clark also exemplifies the opportunities that the medical field provides and his excitement for the symposium.

“I feel like the medical field has opportunities that are endless. There’s always something new you can do. There’s always something new you can study. I was obviously pretty excited that I got accepted because it would be a great opportunity for me. Hands-on research is very important in the medical field,” Clark said. “You can be booksmart but you have to know what you’re doing with things like that. It’s something that will increase my knowledge in that area.”

While Clark says that hands-on research is important, he also emphasizes the importance of applying knowledge learned in school.

“School is like I said, it’s the booksmarts. So I get all the background knowledge and then I can apply it using things I’ve learned,” Clark said. “You can read about everything but if you haven’t done it then you don’t have a complete understanding of it.”

Though Clark mentions that he has enjoyed his anatomy class, his interest in the medical field started before high school.

When Clark was younger, he mentions that he was interested in the field. Clark details the impact that his high school classes have had on his interests.

“I’ve always been interested in the medical field. Even when I was young I thought the human body was cool. I love anatomy and how everything works together and the psychology of it and everything,” Clark said. “So, I think it’s just very interesting how everything like that works so I figured I wanted to go into the medical field and help people. Taking AP bio and anatomy has really opened up my eyes.”

While Clark expresses his interest in the medical field because of his enjoyment in his classes, he makes it clear that his pri-

What Do You

THINK?

PHOTO BY NOLAN CHASE Senior Logan Clark handles a piece of lab equiment called an SDS-PAGE. Clark’s interest in the medical field has led him to apply and be accepted to the Molecular Medicine In Action symposium held at IUPUI.

mary motivation to be a part of the medical field is to help others.

“First and foremost I want to help other people. I want to put other people’s needs in front of mine because that’s something I’m passionate about,” Clark said.

While moving forward, Clark explains the necessity of adapting alongside medical research and understanding new ideas that present themselves within the medical field.

If you could travel anywhere over spring break, where would you go and why?

“I would travel to Cancun probably because of the beach and the look of everything is cool.” freshman Donnie Casillas

“I would travel to New Orleans, because I really love jazz, and I feel like I could really just learn a lot from being in New Orleans for a week.” senior Adam Lindemer

“I would want to go to Jamaica, because it would be very fun. I really like the ocean and snorkeling.”

“I would go to Canada, because I feel like it would be nice, with moose and stuff.”

sophomore Molly Kubal

junior Lauren Whetstone

“I would want to go to Disney World in Florida because I feel like it would be very nice weather.”

“I would go to Hawaii to get a nice tan and to relax on the beach.”

sophomore Matthew Kaufman

senior Emily Rhee

“I think that medicine is always our future. There is always something new to be unlocked in that field so I think that doing research in these areas is very important because there is something always new we can find,” Clark said. “There’s always something new we can try. The world is changing and people are changing so if we don’t change too then that’s kind of on us and we have to adapt to our situations.”

Student

SPOTLIGHT Yami Humphrey sophomore Q: What are your hobbies outside of school?

A: “I really like to draw, I do a little archery and I like to bake for fun on the side. I also like to work on my business.”

Q: What does managing your business involve?

A: “What I do is sell commissioned art for people. They will pay me. I decide the price. (It) depends on how hard the art is or if they want it on clothing or accessories.”

Q: How did you get into archery?

A: “Most of my family are into something like that, and I just happened to pick archery. It just intrigued me. It seemed to have a lot of traditional old fashioned stuff which is really interesting.”

Q: What professions are interesting to you?

A: “A profession I’m looking at right now is graphic design. I want to advance my skills in art to see where it takes me. I could possibly even work at Disney some day.”