Inklings nov 2013

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During the 2012-13 school year, over 5,000 college credits were earned by students through dual-enrollment courses.

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Crown Point High School 1500 S. Main St.

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Nov. 25, 2013 Vol. 78 Issue 3

Crown Point, IN 46307

inklings@cps.k12.in.us

Indiana official talks finance MAGGIE GELON

editor-in-chief

PHOTO BY AMY SCHUCH

Junior Gianna Kujawski and senior Gabryelle Solverud participate in an experiment in their Advanced Placement biology class by measuring the rate of photosynthesis. Last year, over 25 percent of the graduating class earned a three or higher on an AP exam.

Racing to the top

CPHS ranks one of top high schools in state

BY KATIE SHERMAN TINA WINFREY

editor-at-large associate editor

Some students spent countless hours studying to get the ‘A’ on the AP calculus midterm. Some spent countless hours at home practicing their instrument to get first chair in the school’s orchestra or running for hours after school trying to break the school record in the 200 meter dash.

Just as students are constantly competing to be the best in the classroom and extracurricular activities, the schools they attend constantly compete to be the best in the state.

Crown Point High School has earned recognition as one of the top high schools in the state, a “Spotlight High School” by the Indiana Department of Education and one of Newsweek’s “Top American High Schools.”

Those results have students like senior Aleks Kajmakoski, who believes that the recognitions push students toward postsecondary success, pleased with the school’s performance.

“I think that by CPHS doing so well students should care to an extent because it puts a healthy amount of pressure on students,” Kajmakoski said. “Because there is added

Feature Black Friday guide Tips and tricks for getting deals all day and night

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pressure, we (students) are more expected to perform well. I believe, because of the pressure, I am college ready.”

Part of the recognition CPHS has earned stems from this college readiness. The school has placed extra emphasis on preparing students to attend a traditional four year college by offering courses that double as both high school and college credit.

During the 2012-13 school year, students earned over 5,000 college credits because of these dual-enrollment courses.

Crown Point Community School Corporation superintendent Dr. Teresa Eineman is confident that these courses prepare students for whatever college experience they may be interested in.

“We are adamant that whichever career or college you choose, that every (CPHS student) will be ready for the rigors of that university whether it be Ivy League or Ivy Tech,” Eineman said.

The extra pressure on students to decide to attend a college is evident in the numbers of those choosing to participate in courses that offer college credit. 69.8 percent of 2012 seniors graduated having achieved a score of three or better on an AP test or earned at See Racing to the Top on page 3

“Don’t spend more than you earn” may seem like common sense to some, but to those unfamiliar with the concept of financial literacy, or the ability to use what one knows to manage financial resources, the advice might just save one from years of paying off racked up debt.

Indiana Secretary of State, Connie Lawson, visited Crown Point last Wednesday to talk about financial literacy with the senior class. As Secretary of State, Lawson’s department oversees security divisions that license and regulate securities professionals including people who sell stocks or advise what might be a good investment.

With the money made from fines paid as consequence for violating the securities laws of the state, the state government created and funded this Indiana Investment Watch program to educate Hoosiers on financial topics.

“Forty percent of Americans today say they live beyond their means, which means they spend more than they take in; and, 50 percent say they live beyond their paycheck which means they don’t have an opportunity to save, and they don’t have an opportunity to think about what they want to do when they retire,” Lawson said. “We need to think about those things even though we are young now. The reason we are talking about them is because youth is on your side.”

One of the many financial habits Lawson suggests to learn at a young age is budgeting, or spending less than one makes and planning for the long and short term.

“There’s a reason people try to budget but it doesn’t work out for them. The most common reason is that as they prioritize their expenses they forget about normal out-of-pocket expenses like gasoline and groceries. They forget to plan for unexpected events like emergencies, medical emergencies, the car breaking down, and they just simply spend more money than they make,” Lawson said.

Sitting down and making a list of all See Financial Literacy on page 3

Sports

A&E

Club, activity or sport?

Athletic director explains the difference

Take a burger break Stray from festive foods and try one of these burger joints

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news november 25, 2013

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Blood Drive

intheknow

by the numbers

Valparaiso hosts annual Turkey Trot

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pints of blood can be needed by a single car accident victim

The Turkey Trot is a really good way to run up a big appetite for Thanksgiving. It involves either a Golden Cup 10K or one can even have the choice to run, walk or skip a 5K. This 5K is on the morning of Thanksgiving or Nov. 28 at Valparaiso High School or 2727 Campbell Street.

Although the race is in Valparaiso, it is very popular throughout Crown Point and pretty much all of Chicagoland.

Most of the Crown Point Cross Country team runs it and a lot of runners at Crown Point High School favor this race. This race is 5,000 meters of foot after foot fun and is very family friendly. The early bird registration has been long gone but you can purchase a packet the day of for $35 at Valparaiso High School but your shirt

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pint of blood can save up to three lives

41,000 blood donations are needed every day

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million blood donations are collected in the U.S. every year

Publication staffs earn state and national recognition Inklings and Excalibur staffs were both recognized at the National Scholastic Press Association/Journalism Education Association (NSPA/JEA) convention in Boston.

In the write-off competitions senior Maggie Gelon received superior award and seniors Dylan Taylor and Sophie Reiners both received excellent. Seniors Yazzmyne Lopez, Ellie Burrell, Kara Biernat, Katie Sherman, Nick Cain and junior Christina Winfrey were presented with honorable mention.

At the Indiana High School Press Association (IHSPA) convention, both staffs won the Hoosier Star. The Hoosier Star is awarded to the top newspapers and yearbooks in the state.

In on-site competitions for newspaper, seniors Ellie Burrell, Dylan Taylor, Maggie Gelon and junior Maddie Adducci earned first places; junior Olivia Elston earned second; and junior Verda Mirza earned third for Inklings newspaper. Inklings Online also earned first.

In on-site competitions for the Excalibur yearbook, junior Evi Lovin earned first; senior Dionna Casillas earned second; and junior Shelby McCuan earned third.

Harvey Awards were also awarded at state convention. The Inklings Staff and Burrell earned third; the staff and Taylor earned honorable mention.

The Excalibur Staff placed second; Staff and Lovin both received third; and the staff earned an honorable mention for Harvey Awards.

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of people have the universal donor blood type O-negative

PHOTO BY BRITTANY PEDERSEN

Senior Ashlyn Stiener donates blood to the American Red Cross. “I was nervous, but I was thinking more about saving people than being nervous, because you are going to be fine,” Stiener said.

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every two seconds someone in the U.S. is in need of blood

All facts attributed to redcrossblood.org

Student council hosts annual blood drive

BY BRITTANY PEDERSEN

reporter

Senior Ashlyn Stiener stared straight ahead at the person reclining on the cot in front of her. Alcohol had been rubbed into her skin and there was nothing left to do but anxiously wait for the needle to be inserted into the vein.

“I was nervous, but I was thinking more about saving people than being nervous because you’re going to be fine,” Stiener said.

While jitters about giving blood are not uncommon, about 150 students gave blood at the annual drive held by student council and the American Red Cross.

To raise interest in the event, student council president Madi McGuckin dressed up as a blood drop during lunch. Student Council members employed other strategies as well.

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Band Concert Christmas is in the air as the band department hosts their holiday concert. The concert includes perBye Bye Birdie formances from all Auditions levels of band classes The theater departat the high school. ment will hold auditions for the spring musical Bye Bye Birdie.

“There was CPTV coverage and each student council member was challenged to see who could get the most people to sign up,” senior Griffin Rushton said.

The publicity of the event may have been a main factor in the large turnout.

“200 people signed up and came down and 150 units were collected,” Rushton said. “It’s been the best year for sign-ups since the high school has been doing it.”

To meet the primary requirements to be a blood donor, students had to be healthy and weigh at least 110 pounds. Students had to be at least 16 years old with parental consent or 18 years or older.

“I think student involvement is so high because it’s a way to give back to the community without spending money or a lot of time. It’s literally giving back a piece of yourself. (Students) are more open to that because it’s not a huge money or time com-

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Orchestra Concert The orchestra performs their annual Holiday Pops concert with holiday classics.

mitment,” student council sponsor Collette Nicolini said.

To others, the appeal of giving blood simply came from the opportunity to be a lifesaver.

“I donated blood because I like to help people and you save three lives every time you give a pint,” Stiener said.

Although a number of student council members did not give blood themselves, they were still able to make a direct contribution to the event.

“A lot of (student council members) did signups during lunch. They did registration, ran all of the refreshment tables, ran all the passes, worked computer stations and did everything but draw the blood. I was impressed with the number of students who volunteered so there was a lot of involvement,” Nicolini said.

18 Choir Concert The choir department continues the tradition of their annual holiday concert. There will be performances from all choirs, including Show Choir, Bella Voce and QYP.

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Winter break Winter break begins Dec. 23 and goes through Jan. 5. Students receive two full school weeks off.

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news november 25, 2013

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would you

Financial Literacy continued from page 1 annual, monthly, weekly and discretionary expenses is a recommended strategy to budgeting, paying special attention to the discretionary costs which Lawson describes as often times the “budget busters.”

“We need to go to McDonalds once in a while; we need to go to the football games; we need to do those things, but we have to be practical about them as well. We need to prioritize; obviously the necessities go first,” Lawson said.

“Do you need to text a thousand times per month if you pay per text? Do you need that magazine subscription? How many times a week do you need to go to Starbucks?”

Responsibly managing and developing good credit is also a key component to financial wellbeing.

“If you develop good credit, it does a lot of things for you.

It shows you are trustworthy; it shows you are responsible, and it does save you money,” Lawson said.

Senior Nick Ormes has been employed at Sherwin-Williams for the past five months, and in that time has learned to manage owning and spending with a credit card.

“I really only use it if I need to buy something expensive.

When I bought my guitar I used a credit card, I didn’t use money.

I use it to buy gas, because its inconvenient to use money if nothing else, and it makes no sense not to use a credit card,” Ormes said.

“When it comes to little things, like going out to eat, I’m going to

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RATHER? a look at compound interest

If

given the choice between

$1,000,000 today or a penny

that was to be every

doubled day for PHOTO BY EVI LOVIN

Stressing financial responsibility, Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson speaks to the senior class.

Lawson’s presentation, held in the auditorium, discussed student debt and warned against scams.

use cash not my credit card. That’s not going to help my credit score that much; it’s just one meal.”

Determining what purchases to make with a credit card is an important part of handling credit, but paying off credit card debt in a timely manner is crucial.

“You want to pay off the actual debt you incur. So you pay it off when they give you the bill.

I always pay the minimum every month,” Ormes said.

Lawson agrees and recommends being proactive about protecting the credit that may help one get approved for loans and lower interest rates.

“Know what (credit accounts) are open in your name. We live in a society where we do a lot of things on the internet, so you have to protect your credit online as well. Make sure you are on a computer that has a good anti-

Racing to the Top continued from page 1 least three hours of college credit.

According to Principal Chip Pettit, CPHS will compare their yearly results to demographically comparable schools to determine how the school is doing.

“We review all of our Advanced Placement student achievement data, including enrollment trends, exam participation trends and student success rates (3+ on exams). We compare that data with our previous years’ performance as well as comparable school performance at the local, state and national level,” Pettit said. “We also go through a similar process with our dual credit courses, subject areas in which we are

views on news

virus and spyware on it, and that’s not necessarily to protect the computer so it doesn’t crash if somebody sends out a spam message, it’s also to protect the information about you that is on the computer,” Lawson said. “Use a secure connection. It’s not really a good idea at all to go to McDonalds, or Burger King, or Starbucks to get on the WiFi to make Internet purchases.”

Additionally, considering finances in the long term is beneficial. Fewer than 50 percent of Americans have thought about what they want or need to do in order to retire, and as life longevity continues to grow, many teens could potentially be retired for more than 20 years. Investing early is one way to take advantage of compound interest to prepare for the future. However, there are concerns to be cautious of while

required to give End of Course Assessments (English 10, Algebra I and Biology), as well as evaluating other performance measures like graduation rate, diploma tracks and college and career readiness growth.”

Based on the results the administration gathers, they will then make decisions in an attempt to move forward and improve the learning environment for students next year.

Last year, CPHS was awarded its first ever ‘A’ rating by the Indiana Department of Education.

Assistant Principal Robert McDermott said that a school earns the notation of ‘A’ if they record a graduation rate of at least 90 percent, have 90 percent or more students pass both ECA tests and have a col-

investing.

“No investing is risk free. You have to determine what is best for you; how much risk can you tolerate? 85 million Americans invest in the stock market on an annual basis, but they lose $40 billion to fraud, and that’s not because a company didn’t do well; they lose it to fraud because someone is taking their money,” Lawson said.

Ponzi schemes are one form of financial fraud where initial investors make large sums of money because rather than all the investors’ money going towards the company or product for the benefit of the whole, those initial investors simply divide and keep all the investments collected for themselves.

“If it sounds too good to be true it probably is, and you are your own best line of defense,” Lawson said.

lege and career rate of over 25 percent.

Eineman believes that receiving that type of notation is important because it can attract more students and families to Crown Point for the school system.

“You can’t take that for granted,” Eineman said. “It is very important that we perform well but that we share the data so that parents and students move here and stay here.”

This year an extra incentive was added to being a high achieving school and they will in turn be rewarded more funding.

“We can give (that money) back to the school for opportunities for our students,” Eineman said.

Regardless of what funding comes from these achievements, the high school

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days with compound

interest

which would you

choose?

By the principal of compound interest the penny, or original principal amount, will accumulate interest not only on the worth of the penny itself, but also on the increasing value as the worth doubles each day.

By day 30, the penny will have become ....

$5,368,709.12

and school corporation are still proud of the awards the school continues to receive.

“We do not reach out and try to win awards because these aren’t really awards that one can put their name in for,” McDermott said. “It’s just trying to do the best that we can do, and ultimately it is the students that succeed and do great things that give credit and honor to the school.”

Kajmakoski stressed that although the awards and recognition that the school has earned is worth something, the students should be the top priority.

“I do not think that our goal should be, ‘be the top’,” he said. “I think that we should help our students first succeed, and then I think that our class rankings and awards should come after that.”

Student reaction to events in our world

Area La Carreta restaurants raided by police

State Richard Lugar granted Medal of Freedom

Nation Obamacare sign-up deadline delayed

World Over 5000 perish in Typhoon Haiyan

La Carreta restaurants in Merrillville and Schererville were temporarily closed after being raided by the Indiana State Police and Indiana Excise Police on Monday, Nov. 18. The raids were part of a larger investigation that targeted a handful of Mexican restaurants in Indiana.

President Obama bestowed former senator Richard Lugar with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his pragmatism in a time of “unrelenting partisanship.” Lugar, a Republican, has been widely celebrated for his bipartisanship and efforts to improve public safety after the Cold War.

The Obama administration hopes to accommodate consumers frustrated by the glitch-heavy healthcare.gov by allowing an extra week to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Healthcare Act, often shortened Obamacare. Consumers will now have until December 23 to select a plan.

Typhoon Haiyan has reportedly killed 5235 people in the Philippines, injured over 23 thousand and left over one thousand missing. The storm made a landfall on six Philippine islands on November 8, leaving many without food or access to medical care and destroying homes and infrastructure across the nation.

It’s terrible because (La Carreta) has really good food. I used to go there almost every week.

It’s kind of interesting considering Obama has such different views. The parties are different, but it’s good that they’re getting along.

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Christian Rak junior

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Morgan Stofko senior

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Haley Arguelles sophomore

(Obamacare is) good for the people who need the money; for those who can’t make ends meet but need to.

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Nicholas Garcia freshman

It makes me sad for the people in the Philippines. I wish we could relieve them of their pain and suffering.

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opinion november 25, 2013

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speakup

“Pro-anorexia” websites are causing harm

How early is too early for Christmas music?

BY DYLAN TAYLOR

editor-in-chief

Beyond the social network fluff and daily rush of news, Tumblr, Instagram and the blogosphere alike can all be hotbeds for confusing or even dangerous material. Still, few things prepared me for the accidental encounter I had with a particular Instagram post a few weeks ago.

The post was an image of an emaciated woman with the tagline “the more likes this gets, the more hours I fast.” The photograph, hashtagged “thinspiration,” already had over 20 likes.

The Instagram user that posted it, it came to be, was a pro-ana, or pro-anorexia, blogger.

Many pro-ana websites, 84 percent of them in fact according to a 2010 survey for the American Journal of Public Health, promote anorexia nervosa’s status as a desireable “lifestyle choice.”

To many pro-ana bloggers, self-starvation is the ultimate embodiment of ascetic discipline, and thinness is glamorized as the epitome of feminine beauty. Proana websites and blogs often feature “thinspiration”—images and videos of extremely thin women intended to provide inspiration when pursuing thinness. While some thinspiration on the web consists of encouragement to pursue physical fitness, the thinspiration found on pro-anorexia websites glorifies thinness, fasting and, ultimately, ill health.

Even “Ana Boot Camp,” a pro-ana website that claims to exist for the “support for those with an eating disorder who feel alone and by themself with this issue,” features sub-500 calorie diets and triggering images of emaciated women.

The existence of these blogs facilitates anorexic behavior, encourages it and creates communities organized solely around being anorexic and losing weight, not recovering from anorexia.

Furthermore, pro-ana websites often initially attract non-anorexics looking to lose weight who, after exposure to pro-ana communities, diets and so forth, may develop anorexia themselves.

The growing prevalence of eating disorders over the last few decades is a complex problem, but the glorification of being extremely thin, crash dieting and fasting as a desireable choice is not helping. Not only are these sites incredibly misled and harmful, they are offensive and negatively affirming to those struggling with body image issues.

Women do not have to be thin to be beautiful, and perpetuating that they do could cause harm to all, anorexic or not.

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Cartoon By ellie burrell

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“I do not think it matters when they play Christmas music.

People should listen to it when they want to.”

Students should try to be mindful of finances

Most students have likely, at one time or another, spent too much money on a given occasion. Whether it involves spending too much of one’s gas allowance on snacks at the gas station or blowing one’s paycheck during a spontaneous online shopping spree, financial irresponsibility unfortunately often correlates with inexperienced youth.

Still, a little knowledge now can keep many from paying off expensive mistakes later.

Finances, from mortgages to lunch money, will be managed throughout one’s whole life. As, according to Secretary of State Connie Lawson’s presentation to the senior class last week, 50 percent of Americans have currently described themselves as living beyond their means, it is critical that students are perceptive of the impact that their spending has on their wallets as well as their futures.

Additionally, many students will use a credit card sometime in the future, if they are not already, and an understanding of the implications of credit is important for using it properly. Credit is not a loophole to avoid paying for things, nor is it a virtual and endless wallet; it is a temporary replacement for money and must be paid back, with interest, over time. It would be tragic for the quality of life of a college and career-ready student to be derailed by the mismanagement of credit card debt or overspending.

In addition to credit, students of all ages should be mindful of scams and quick money schemes. Financial scams, whether encountered via internet pop-ups or advocated by an overenthusiastic and misled friend, are often easily disguised as efficient ways to make money or gain unrealistic monetary rewards. Every student should be aware of the potential outcomes of each financial decision—and accidentally buying into a Ponzi scheme would not be a good outcome.

While buying a house may be a financial investment far off for high school students, being financially responsible doesn’t have to be.

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Crown Point High School, IN

1500 S. Main St. Crown Point, IN 46307 219-663-4885 ex. 11349 fax 219-662-5663 inklings@cps.k12.in.us www.crownpoint.highschoolmedia.org

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.

Julia Howe sophomore “I think people should listen to Christmas music after Thanksgiving because you need to remember Thanksgiving. After it is when the holiday season starts.”

Brandon Doty junior “Christmas music should be played after Thanksgiving because it is still a holiday.”

Justin Ferrel senior “They should play Christmas music now because it’s the best.”

editorial Vol. 78 Issue 3 Nov. 25, 2013

Jenna Debartolo freshman

editors-in-chief Maggie Gelon Dylan Taylor editor-at-large Katie Sherman associate editors Olivia Elston Tina Winfrey managing editors Verda Mirza Shannon Rostin copy editor Maddie Adducci graphics editor Ellie Burrell

sports editors Alaa Abdeldaiem Kara Biernat a&e editor Emily Best advertising editor Yazzmyne Lopez advertising asst.

Becca Burke online editor Paige Buelow photo editor Amy Schuch chief photographer Brittany Pedersen

photographers Evi Lovin Jack Snedden staff Lexi Berdine Kate Franklin Nadia Giedemann Maisa Nour Collin Raiser Eli Udchitz Jackie VanDerWay Dylan Wallace adviser Julie Elston

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opinion november 25, 2013

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Should shopping season trump Thanksgiving?

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Super storms demand notice regardless of location

BY ELLIE BURRELL

graphics editor

Cartoon By collin raiser

Pro:

Con:

Thanksgiving sales are a harmless stimulus to the economy

Corporations should not mess with Thanksgiving traditions

BY DYLAN TAYLOR

BY JACK SNEDDEN

editor-in-chief

reporter

Yes, consumerism has poisoned the Christmas season. Yes, corporations have commoditized Halloween. Yes, Easter’s traditions have been transmuted into billions in pastel-colored candy profits, and yes, the spirit of love is trivialized and corporatized every Valentine’s Day. Why, then, should perceptive, moralistic civilians ever in their right minds stand for allowing Black Friday sales to extend into Thanksgiving, the last vestige of idyllic American values not being completely demolished by corporate greed?

First of all, Thanksgiving is, like nearly every other example of American culture, swathed in corporatism already. Between the millions of turkeys, turkey decorations, packs of red, brown and yellow construction paper and items of quasi-Native American paraphernalia sold on our beloved Thursday celebration, it is difficult to argue that Thanksgiving is a pure, earnest, greed-free holiday. It has roots in American history, of course, as a celebration of thanks amongst the English settlers—not as any sort of anti-corporate anachronism.

It should also be noted that the holiday’s message of togetherness and family fun does not have to be destroyed just because people have the opportunity to buy things. Whether or not sales commence, families can still have turkey dinners, make fires, go to parties and all else. Consumers are not as a rule helplessly suctioned to the sale market, and just because Walmart will open at 6 p.m. does not mean that people will be magnetically plucked from Thanksgiving events everywhere. Sales will simply not ruin the “spirit of the holiday” for consumers.

Yes, department store workers would have to work on Thanksgiving if their respective stores have sales. This is not a groundbreaking advance of corporate injustice; millions of workers already work every Thanksgiving Day, and for many young people or individuals in need of money, working an extra day at a sale could even be beneficial.

Thanksgiving is, and has been for some time, a corporate holiday.

If people are willing to buy, and companies are willing to operate, what’s the harm?

Thanksgiving is the celebration of being thankful for what people have and what they are provided on a daily basis. It is not supposed to mirror the savage screams and yells of “Black Friday.” This great celebration was never meant to mean standing in a line at as early as 5 a.m. waiting for sales at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Turkey Day is already commercialized enough with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, all the different food and car commercials and even the holiday savings at Target and JCPenney. The savagery of early bird sales makes Thanksgiving out to be a dinner followed by a night of standing and waiting for hours on end just to get an item that was mass produced so quickly for Black Friday that it came out as low quality, even broken. There is no history of Pilgrims and Native Americans running to nearby corn fields on Thanksgiving hoping to get the best corn so they did not have to wait and get over-priced corn, so why should people be taken away from their turkey feast to go to Target in fear of missing out on great deals?

Beyond this, it is not fair for corporations to make their workers work on Thanksgiving just so some people can get their savings a day beforehand. Corporations are desecrating our holidays. They already shoved Santa off the roof with consumerism by milking it for what it’s worth in profit. They even smashed our pumpkins by promoting risqué costumes and buckets of candies during Halloween. Thanksgiving is supposed to celebrate what we are thankful for, and it is not fair for corporations to intrude on family traditions and make employees work on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a day of appreciating what you have, not what you can buy for your living room next month. It is supposed to bring friends and family together so they can hold hands under the sweet autumn breeze and eat their turkey to the sound of children playing.

The ranting of elders fills the room with laughter as they speak of “good times” as the smell of corn bread and stuffing dances about the nose canal in joy - not a day of insane shop-a-holics trying to save some money.

7 Inklings staffers agree

19 Inklings staffers agree

Courtney Maluchnik

junior

Chloe Hoffman

“I feel like part of the fun of Black Friday is that people get up early and go out, and if (the sales) start on Thursday, you’re cutting out family time on Thanksgiving.

“It’s crazy as it is, and in the early morning no one wants to deal with it. It’s just easier to open up (Thanksgiving evening), and that means more time for shopping.”

Jesse Torres

science teacher

senior

“It gives people a head start on shopping, and they’re getting nice sales.”

Zachary Herbert

junior

“The point of Thanksgiving is to be with your family, to be together and to give thanks for what you have, and not running about in a consumeristic rush.”

Two children cower as lightning crashes overhead. Rain pounds on windows and walls and doors demanding entrance.

Trees thunder to the ground as the wind howls in laughter at their weakness. Both children are scared, but they are unable to comfort each other. They are on opposite sides of the world, in Indiana and in the Philippines.

Natural disasters are an inevitable part of life, but it is always a shock when a particularly bad storm turns normal life into a living nightmare. Twice this past month, two storms have made a terrifying impact in the world.

Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines early this month with a force that killed thousands of people and affected the lives of millions more. The storms that recently passed through the Midwest only carried a death toll of six but caused over $1 billion in damage and are being called some of the worst storms in local history by CNN. Both storms are tragic and impactful for different reasons, but with all of the publicity given to nearby tornado touchdowns, it is too easy to forget the storm that caused equal (if not more extensive) damage just a few weeks before.

It makes sense to care more about fallen branches and debris lying in one’s yard than a location halfway across the globe, but ignoring foreign affairs to focus on local issues is not the answer.

Publicity and disaster relief efforts should be partitioned to do the most good in both locations.

Midwest organizations such as “Indiana Cares,” formed by storm survivors from Henryville, Indiana, are already helping locally by assisting clean-up efforts in Illinois. Their work in the Midwest helps volunteers of larger relief organizations such as The American Red Cross, the International Medical Corps and UNICEF focus on helping storm victims in the Philippines.

Students have the opportunity to volunteer and donate to assist storm victims of Indiana and neighboring states. Countless organizations are also providing ways to donate money to the Philippines via text messaging and other means.

It may not seem like much, but making a small donation before assisting in local clean-up can make all the difference, especially if both can make a child smile again.

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feature november 25, 2013

i on life experiencing a different perspective

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I’m on a strict schedule; I have to be responsible for testing my blood sugar five to eight times a day, counting all my carbs. I would say my life revolves around it, but it doesn’t feel that way.

Morgan Stepnoski

senior

PHOTO BY EVI LOVIN Senior Morgan Stepnoski uses a glucose monitor to check her blood sugar before eating lunch. In addition to this, Stepnoski counts the carbs she will consume and adjusts the amount of insulin in her insulin pump to this.

Dealing with diabetes

Students adjust daily routines to live with diabetes

BY SHANNON ROSTIN

managing editior

For many students, consuming sugar and carbohydrates is something that is done multiple times a day without so much as a second thought.

However, for students with diabetes, for everything they consume, they must test their blood sugar and adjust insulin levels accordingly.

Juvenile diabetes, also known as type 1 diabetes, is a medical condition in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. This insulin is responsible for controlling the blood sugar levels in the body.

“What I have is type 1 diabetes, which is basically an autoimmune disease where my pancreas no longer produces insulin, opposed to type 2 diabetes, where your body just doesn’t take the insulin that your pancreas is giving; my pancreas just doesn’t have any insulin to give,” senior Alexis Fitzsimmons said.

There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. These have similarities but are different types of the condition and the ways of treatment differ.

“It depends if someone is either type 1 diabetic or type 2 diabetic. They may need insulin, take their pills; watch their calories in what they eat,” Dr. Arshad P. Malik, M.D. said.

To control her diabetes, Fitzsimmons, diagnosed in May, takes insulin injections every time she eats, in addition to 24 hour injections.

Having been diagnosed at three, senior Morgan Stepnoski is accustomed to the daily management of her diabetes.

“I’m on a strict schedule; I have to be responsible for testing my blood sugar five to eight times

a day, counting all my carbs. I would say my life revolves around it, but it doesn’t feel that way,” Stepnoski said.

In addition to checking and managing blood sugar levels, having diabetes requires daily routines involving meal planning. This is done using a glucose monitor, which uses a small sample of blood to test the level of sugar in the body.

“I have to use my glucose monitor; I call it a test kit. I have to check my blood sugar before school; at lunch I have to go to the nurse’s office and get tested because they consider a centimeter long needle to be a legal weapon, so I get tested and when I get out of school I get tested before I go home,” Stepnoski said.

In order to monitor this, diabetics must closely follow such routines.

“During the school day, I always test when I wake up in the morning, and I test before I eat anything,” Fitzsimmons said. “I can’t just sit down or have a snack on the go; I have to always know exactly what I’m eating so I know how much insulin to take.”

Another aspect of managing diabetes is knowing exactly how to get blood sugar under control if it is too high or low, as well as the signs of out of control blood sugar. “(If my blood sugar is too high) I just don’t pay attention to anything, or I won’t absorb anything anyone’s telling me. Or when my blood sugar is low, I’ll start to get sweaty or shaky,” Fitzsimmons said.

This can be difficult during the school day, specifically in terms of focusing.

“Being in school when your blood sugar is really high is one of the hardest parts, because

when your sugar is high you’re really irritable and you’re exhausted because your body is trying so hard to fight it,” Fitzsimmons said.

While a real diagnosis must be done by a doctor, recognizing the symptoms of diabetes may be helpful in bringing attention to it.

“It is a serious health concern, and people need to be aware of the symptoms. If they’re not feeling well go see a doctor, just so that if that could be diabetes then they could be treated right away. But the symptoms don’t necessarily mean you have it either,” school nurse Carrie Ready, Rn, said.

Being familiar with diabetes in general and what it does to the body can also be helpful in seeking medical treatment.

“I didn’t know a lot (about diabetes), but I took Mr. Loving’s anatomy class last year and I really learned about it then and that’s how I kind of figured out that I (might have) had diabetes was through that class,” Fitzsimmons said.

Though the effects of having diabetes affect her daily life, Stepnoski has a positive attitude towards it.

“As a person it has made me more responsible than I probably otherwise would be, I don’t think I would have been in such a good daily routine. I also think it made me grow up really fast because I was diagnosed at three years old, and by the time I was seven I could give myself a shot,” Stepnoski said.

Fitzsimmons also has had a positive outlook on her journey with diabetes.

“The way I looked at it was I’m not a different person. It’s not like my life is different I just have a new way of doing everything,” Fitzsimmons said.

Fast

Facts 25. 8 million children and adults have diabetes in the U.S.

November is national diabetes month

5% of those

with diabetes have type 1 Facts collected from diabetes.org

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feature november 25, 2013

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the

Blogosphere

Students branch out from traditional social media sites, shift to online blogging forums

BY MADDIE ADDUCCI

copy editor

There are multiple ways for students to express themselves through social media in the age of the internet. Some enjoy the instant communication between followers of Twitter, Facebook or Instagram while others find internet blogging more fitting to their taste in social media.

Senior Madi McGuckin has been interested in developing her blog since a young age.

“I watched a movie called “Julie & Julia” which is about Julie making a blog as she is cooking through Julia Child’s cookbook,” said McGuckin. “I watched that in the eighth grade and have been blogging ever since.”

McGuckin has recently recreated her blog with one main purpose in mind- her family.

“My grandma, mom and dad love reading my blog. They ask me why I haven’t updated it if I didn’t get a chance to for a while,” Mcguckin said. “It is a good way for them to see what’s going on in my life.”

Whenever she gets a chance to sit down and write, McGuckin blogs about whatever comes to her mind or what is going on in her daily life.

“My regular blog has a lot about my life. I call it my ‘life blog’ because it is similar to a diary,” McGuckin said. “Obviously, I don’t put everything on there because it’s on the internet, but it is fun to use.”

McGuckin may not update her traditional blog regularly, however, she has

three Tumblr blogs that she updates daily.

Tumblr allows users to share photos with their viewers. The pictures vary in subject and are special to those who upload them.

“I love Tumblr. I update it pretty much every day because it’s a lot of fun,” McGuckin said. “One is dedicated to Disney because I love all Disney stuff. Another one of my Tumblrs has theatre related pictures and my last one is random for anything I like.”

Also a regular user, junior Alyssa Setlak enjoys expressing her thoughts and opinions through her Tumblr account.

“People categorize my blog as a ‘personal blog’ because it has a lot of stuff that I like on it. There are pieces of random things, but I would consider my style a little more alternative,” Setlak said.

“You have to make it your own, though, because every blog has to have a unique URL.” Setlak carefully decided on her URL and has been adding to her blog daily.

She enjoys adding personal touches to make the page fit her style.

“The URL for my Tumblr is ‘partof-the-tribe,’” Setlak said. “I searched for a good couple of hours for URLs and found this one and really liked it. Now I have just about 50 URLs to pick from, so I would gladly help someone decide on one if they needed one.”

Finding a controlled way of sharing what is going on in her life with her peers has been comforting to Setlak. She has the ability to control who knows it is her behind the screen posting on the blog.

“It is really nice because you can go

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there and just rant about your day and just escape for a while,” Setlka said. “It helps you focus on what you like.”

Blogs serve the same purpose in all forms. As technology evolves, the amount of student blogs on a typical webpage has dwindled, however, social media sites such as Instagram and Tumblr have filled the role of a more traditional blog.

“Tumblr is really convenient. With my life blog it takes more time. I enjoy that, but it makes it harder to work on,” McGuckin said. “I have also enjoyed making videos on my Youtube blog.”

Her account on Youtube has allowed her to make new videos with unique themes and expand on her blogging interests through moving pictures.

“Before my camera broke I would try to do music Mondays where I would sing a song every Monday and upload it,” McGuckin said. “When I get my camera fixed I want to do different, fun challenges with my friends and put those up.”

The different formats of blogging have allowed users to find what fits them best. There are several different venues for students to start a blog for free, such as like Word Press, Blogger, Weebly and Square Space.

These various blog hosts are the most popular on the web and are growing at a constant rate. Although they are not as popular as Tumblr among student bloggers, they are still prevalent in the blogosphere.

“Tumblr is really convenient. I enjoy seeing what other people are putting up, and it is fun to post new things,” Setlak said.

search: making a blog

Ideas: Have a theme Whether it’s your day-to-day life or discussing your fantasy baseball team, all are popular topics for a blog.

Forum: Pick a site With the array of blogging hosts available, there is one for internet users of all types.

Likes: Get followers Tweet, text or post about the blog on social media to get the word out about your blog.

Post: Keep it fresh As the blog gains loyal followers, make sure to keep the content and format ever changing. Always have new ideas ready to go.

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Students and community members donate food and clothing to organizations

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BY OLIVIA ELSTON VERDA MIRZA associate editor managing editor

ith the holiday season approaching, opportunities to give back to others are made available for students.

Many clubs volunteer this season to help local pantries and organizations.

Lead Council is one of these clubs.

Every December, the members of the council collect clothes for the Salvation Army in an annual clothing drive.

“Lead Council sort of took it (clothing donation) on. We felt that because it was a holiday season it was a good idea to pair with the Salvation Army and donate clothes,” Lead Council sponsor Russ Marcinek said.

All students are welcomed to volunteer and donate clothes to the clothing drive.

Community members can also donate.

“Anyone who really wants to help can donate. We won’t say no to volunteers,” senior Lead Council member Hannah Maxwell said.

Other clubs like Word of Life and FCCLA also participated in giving back to others this holiday season by helping out and donating food to different organizations.

“Our group helped with advertising ,and we took the food to three different food pantries after school, the Bethel Harvest Market, St. Matthias’ food pantry, and the First Christian Church’s food pantry,” Word of Life sponsor Kathryn Huls said.

Teachers had the opportunity to raise money or collect food for the food drive during their first hour classes. English teacher John Lambersie assisted in raising money for the food drive.

“Every year I have been here I’ve been

trying to get food for the food drive. In years past, we have raised as much as $800 between all the classes. We average around $700,” Lambersie said. “This year I did not raise as much as usual because I also did the peanut butter drive and that might have took a little bit (from the food drive).”

Along with teachers, junior Justin VanDrunen also contributed in helping Word of Life with the food drive.

“I’ve been in the club for three years, and I helped out with the food drive last year. (This year) I’m driving the food over to the different pantries at the churches,” VanDrunen said.

Students who participate in the National Honor Society are also provided with opportunities to volunteer this holiday season. One of the society’s main projects is bell ringing at Strack and Van Til. “We work with Salvation Army, and we do either two or three Saturdays. Right now it’s just two Saturdays and they sign up for slots,” NHS sponsor Amanda Campos said. “Then they go out to Strack’s and they ring the bells; some years they’ve sang Christmas carols and brought their instruments. They really get into it.”

While many students volunteer during the holiday season, they do it for the purpose of giving back to their community.

“We (Word of Life) are Christians, and part of being a Christian is wanting to show an overflow of love that God has for us to show to others and our community,” Huls said. “The desire to give back to the community is the main purpose.”

PHOTO BY AMY SCHUCH

Senior Hannah Maxwell helps pack cans of nonperishable food items in paper bags for three different local food pantries. Word of Life paired with FCCLA to raise food and monetary donations.

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PHOTO BY EVI LOVIN

surviving the CROWDS Shoppers share tips on participating in Black Friday

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BY AMY SCHUCH

reporter

Waiting outside the glass, peering into the store, the wind picks up and chills run through the turkey-filled and anxious shoppers. As the clock strikes midnight, the doors open and the battle begins.

The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, is the national day of discounts and sales. Many participants start their shopping in the early morning hours, while some begin during the day.

“I go Black Friday shopping because everything is cheaper and there are a lot of (products),” junior Sara Gensaw said. “I like getting new things and spending time with my family.”

Gensaw shares the night with her aunt and mom as a tradition for the past three years. Going with others is important to avoid danger and also helps with snagging deals. Junior Kurt Brey has been enjoying the night with friends since he began shopping on Black Friday.

“I go with friends to have a good time and to make sure I don’t get bored,” Brey said. “They can have my back in case

...I go Black Friday shopping because everything is cheaper and there are a lot of (products). I like getting new things and spending time with my family.

Sara Gensaw

junior

anything goes wrong like someone gets mad at me for grabbing something that they want.”

Along with bringing friends, going to stores as early as possible can provide ease for the night. Many stores can only sell what is in stock and items may go quickly.

“Try to get there as fast as you can,” sophomore Caleb Smoot said. “You can get the best deals because everything goes fast.”

Finding items on one’s wish list before the store overcrowds is essential to some. Knowing what to look for

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provides structure to the day’s routine and allows quick entry and exit from the bustling shops.

“I basically make a list of all the family that I have and everyone who’s related to me to make sure I don’t forget anybody.” English teacher Rachele Raloff said. “It’s usually kids because there’s a lot of kids in our family, so I just get what I feel they can use at the time.”

If, unlike Raloff, one does not have an idea of what they are looking to buy or for whom, the back of the store would be the first place to explore. Most stores keep their clearance in the rear, allowing for even bigger of a price deduction on top of already set sales.

“In the back, people haven’t pawed all over everything and messed stuff up,” Gensaw said. “Sometimes when (people) try stuff on they might leave it back there.”

Sifting through items anywhere in the store may get exhausting after a while. If one cannot handle the crowded areas, some stores provide their sales also on the internet.

“I’ve actually been doing a lot of online shopping,” Raloff said. “I’ll sit down at my computer on Black Friday and go through the sales that way and take advantage of it.”

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feature november 25, 2013

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Artists make “First Impressions”

BY MAGGIE GELON

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editor-in-chief

he “First Impressions” art exhibit, currently featured in the Crown Point Community Library, does indeed live up to its name. The showcase marks the first exhibit to be displayed at the library, which just recently celebrated its first year in the new building on Main Street. The display is also the first time Crown Point High School students have had their artwork publically displayed this year. “(The exhibit) is basically just to show off the work of artists at Crown Point High School and show it to the community,” senior Colin Stein said.

Over 40 students from AP studio art, ceramics 1, drawing 1, painting, printmaking, 3-D art and visual communications 1 had the opportunity to have their art displayed.

Many even had the chance to discuss their artwork during a reception held in October.

“It’s really kind of cool because (students) say ‘oh, I’m just going to come for a minute’ and then end up staying longer because then they realize this is pretty cool because you have all these people coming and saying ‘can I take a picture of your artwork’ and all these strange people are taking their pictures, and you kind of feel like a rock star,” visual arts department chair Karen Cox said.

Stein displayed a piece that consisted of two tempura paintings. The first of which was created by zooming in on a small portion of a bigger picture; then the magnified portion was used as inspiration for the second segment.

Stein’s artist statement explaining his piece is displayed beneath his work.

Cox believes the artist statement is an important marketing tool to advertise both the displayed piece and the artist, as the statement communicates to the viewer the artist’s influences, sources and techniques. The work displayed in the exhibit will also add to students’ portfolios in preparation for college and potential careers.

“We try to get the kids exposure because we try to teach them you almost have to be self-employed like you’re advertising yourself; so you almost have to kind of learn how to play the game,” Cox said.

The exhibit will run through the month of November and is open during all normal library hours. Stein encourages people to take a look.

“It’s a really well put together exhibit, and there’s a lot of really good artwork in there. Just to see all the different artists, and all the ways people do things differently is cool,” Stein said.

‘‘

I want to be a children’s book author. Most of the (artwork) I do people don’t see, and when I see it hanging and people looking at it I know I’m doing the work I’m supposed to be doing with my life.

- Senior Sarah Demars

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Looking up at her model, senior Sarah Demars sketches out an outline for her latest project in AP Studio Art. Demars and several of her peers have their artwork featured in the “First Impressions” art exhibit at the Crown Point Community Library. The exhibit will run through the end of November.

Art design leads to winning of contest for CPHS student

BY AMY SCHUCH

reporter

After eleven hours of sketching, tracing and drawing, sophomore Alexandra Baloski produced an award winning Red Ribbon contest poster. A design with initially no inspiration, turned into one of great meaning to Baloski over time.

“I tried to portray a women showing that she has freedom where she’s flying through the sky,” said Baloski. “It shows (that) you really do have a choice whether or not you do drugs.”

Baloski began getting interested in art

when she was younger. In her youth, she had been taken to many art museums and galleries by her parents.

“I remember I looked at things in general that I thought were pretty and that I liked. Art is supposed to make you feel something,” Baloski said. ”I saw things that made me feel emotional, happy or sad, so I tried to imitate what I saw based on the shows I watched and the art I saw.”

Baloski is currently enrolled in drawing 1, where she continues to advance her skills and become a better artist. Baloski’s art teacher, Dorothy Duffala, was the one

to tell Baloski about the competition.

“I’m happy that she got it,” Duffala said. “she’s a good student, and she deserved it.”

With the winning of the competition, Baloski was awarded a certificate of achievement, a meeting with the Lake County substance abuse council, a mini iPad and a billboard dedicated to her poster.

“They only had half the billboard with my art (the other half with a congratulations), and I wish they had the whole thing,” Baloski said. “I don’t care if people can see my name; I just want people to see

it (the art) better because I put a lot of work into it.”

Since Baloski’s first competition went well, she plans to continue competing to benefit her future art career with publicity.

“I hope (viewers) understand the message “don’t do drugs” first of all, but then I hope they see it and kind of appreciate just art in general too,” Baloski said. “I wanted to make something that was of course very pretty and artistic so people would look at it not only just for the message of “don’t do drugs”, but that you can do art instead of drugs.”

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sports november 25, 2013

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We have started off our season strong. I think we’re going to surprise some people this year.

in the

huddle

- Sophomore Anna Eksten

‘‘

Hockey eyes redemption Bulldogs look to bounce back after title game loss

BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM

sports editor

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PHOTO BY NADIA GIEDEMANN

Senior Spencer Pilarski plays for the Bulldogs in their 0-6 loss to Brebeuf on Nov. 10. The team faces Munster Saturday at Midwest Training and Ice in St. John.

pencer Pilarski will never forget the silence that ensued the Bulldog’s 1-3 loss in the state title game last year.

It was the second consecutive year the Bulldogs lost in the finals. For the seniors on the team, it was the last chance they had at winning a title.

“Last year was a real chance for the seniors who have been playing for five years or more with the team,” the senior forward said. “I will never forget how quiet our side of the rink got and the looks on the seniors’ faces when they realized they were going out without a championship.”

With his final season as a Bulldog underway, Pilarski hopes his outcome is different.

“We did not execute like we were playing in a championship game last year,” Pilarski said. “If we stay focused and play our game I think this year will have a different result.”

The Bulldogs’ road to the final includes three more match ups against rival Lake Central, a team the boys have fallen short against in their previous two meetings.

Poor execution led to a 0-11 loss earlier this month.

As the team looks ahead to their next meeting, Pilarski understands the tough task that lies ahead.

“Lake Central is a really good team, and nothing less than our best

will give us a win,” Pilarski said. “We know it is going to be a brawl, but we always have to not let them get in our heads when we go up against them.”

Head coach Bill Rankin believes that defeating strong opponents such as Lake Central requires each individual player’s improvement and dedication to the team’s preparation.

“As a coaching staff, we want to make each individual player better,” Rankin said. “Making each player better individually is going to cause the team itself to be better.

They all understand the system. Now it is a matter of developing their skills in order to follow through with what we are trying to do.”

Pilarski’s experience and junior Tyler Hansen’s versatility are two components Rankin believes will be an advantage for the team moving forward.

“Spencer’s experience being on varsity for the past three years has really helped the team in big games,” Rankin said. “Tyler is still a young player learning the game of hockey, but his versatility allows us to use him on both offense and defense. He is one of our go-to players that we can count on to be at either end of the ice and make the right decisions.”

Rankin said that he will change Hansen’s position based on the Bulldogs’ matchup. The versatility of the team allows Rankin to adjust formations based on opponents.

“Our lineups change on the fly,” Rankin said. “We change our lines quite a bit throughout the game until we find a line that works. We are playing different teams every week, so it is a matter of finding the right line against the right matchup.”

Hansen attributes their 2-8-2 season start to poor team chemistry. Working together is an aspect he views to be fundamental to the team’s success.

“To win games, we have to be well-rounded as a team,” Hansen said. “Hopefully as the season goes on we can improve and learn to work together and tally up more victories.”

After losing seven players in the offseason, the Bulldogs look to rebuild the team’s structure with the additions of sophomore Brandon Dill and junior Brad Marker.

The Bulldogs hope individual and team improvements increase their chances of redeeming their past two championship losses.

“There is some redemption to our mindset,” Rankin said. “We are in a rebuilding phase, but there is still no reason that we could not make it to the show. Once we get there, we know how to win.”

Dorulla clarifies differences in club, school sports

BY NADIA GIEDEMANN

reporter

While students may be familiar with the school’s football, basketball and soccer teams, sports not associated with the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) are not as recognizable.

Sports such as hockey, lacrosse and bowling are not sponsored by the IHSAA and, therefore, not avaliable at CPHS. “The IHSAA sponsors 20 sports: ten for girls and ten for boys,” athletic director Bill Dorulla said. “We have all 20 of those sports here at the high school. Our policy here is that we sponsor sports associated with the IHSAA and not any that fall outside of that.”

The IHSAA deals with the various aspects of a sponsored team’s schedule. Tournaments and state meets are sponsored by the association.

Because they are not affiliated with the IHSAA, Crown Point’s hockey, lacrosse and bowling teams have a different

set of rules to follow.

“Club sports are not education-based sports since they are not associated with the school,” Dorulla said. “They do not follow the same set of rules that the students here have to follow, such as passing five classes and following the athletic code. That is one big difference between a club sport and a school sport.”

Sponsoring various club sports comes with its difficulties. Finances related to adding sports outside of the IHSAA make it difficult for CPHS to expand their athletic department.

Dorulla believes such components are the reason CPHS has not sponsored club sports in Crown Point.

“Naturally, there are a lot of things involved with a sports team,” Dorulla said. “You have to have a coaching staff, a facility and equipment. In Indiana now, because of the financial situation, you do not see schools adding sports outside of the IHSAA.” Though their additions are unlikely, Dorulla still rec-

ognizes the benefits that would come by sponsoring various club sports.

“If we were to add club sports here, I think it would make the sports better,” Dorulla said. “It just gives athletes more opportunities to learn different life lessons and sportsmanship through these sports.”

Sports such as dance and cheer are an exception to the policy. The teams are sponsored by the school though they are not associated with the IHSAA. While she does not view it as an inconvenience, junior Valerie Jones does believe their inclusion to the IHSAA would have its benefits.

“It’s not a bad thing not being in the IHSAA,” Jones said. “It would be nice to be in it, though, because then we would get more recognition as a sport than what we get now. We do not get as much attention as IHSAA sports do.”

Although CPHS does not offer every sport possible, students still have a variety of IHSAA sports available for

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In the huddle, the girls basketball team regroups during last week’s 55-31 win against Andrean. The team looks to continue their recent success with a win against East Chicago Central tomorrow at 6 p.m. at home.

Lady Dogs look to expand on undefeated start

BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM DYLAN WALLACE

sports editor reporter

There was a moment during Friday’s game against Hanover Central when it looked as if the team had lost a step from their 2-0 start to the season. Fouls were charged early on and the girls barely held a two-point lead.

That is, until senior forward Abby Kvachkoff shot up the first three-pointer of the game.

Everything fell into place for the Lady Dogs after that. Kvachkoff’s three-pointer would prove to be the first of ten throughout the course of the game, five from Kvachkoff herself and six from sophomore Katie Pawlowski.

The girls’ strong offensive performance lead to their 68-28 rout of the Wildcats.

“We are getting better at communicating with each other and knowing where everyone is at,” Kvachkoff said. “That helped us to get the open shooter and made scoring easier tonight.”

Pawlowski’s efficiency from behind the arc led to a career-high 28 points for the young guard.

While the performance gives her confidence, Pawlowski is making sure not to lose her focus.

“Scoring as much as I did is nice, but it also puts a target on my back,” Pawlowski said. “I just have to keep going strong and make sure I come out every game with the same intensity.”

Pawlowski’s ability to score

is a strength head coach Anne Equihua believes will work to the team’s advantage.

“Her ability to shoot from the three-point line forces teams not to just key on Abby,” Equihua said. “That opens it up a little bit now and makes it easier for our team to score.”

The Lady Dogs went 6-9 from the three-point line in the first half.

Equihua added that it was the team’s defense that created opportunities for the offense to excel.

The team held the Wildcats to only ten points in the first half.

Despite the defensive pressure, the girls sent Hanover to the free-throw line 35 times. The team’s excessive fouling is a problem Equihua aims to solve.

“Defense is always the key to our game,” Equihua said. “It generates our offense. We fouled way too much (against Hanover Central), though. We were not moving our feet and just making poor mistakes. That is something we need to get better at.”

Despite the win, the team lost senior Katija Tarailo after the forward left the game with an apparent knee injury. Tarailo’s absence from the line-up is a loss Equihua believes will impact the team moving forward.

“Her absence will be huge.

She was our leading rebounder and scorer from last year so it’s going to put a big void in our line-up,” Equihua said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

With or without Tarailo, the

Lady Dogs look to extend the undefeated start to their season with a win in against East Chicago. The team’s approach and preparation for the game will be no different for tomorrow’s match-up.

“We’ve been working on our defense all week,” Pawlowski said.

“We were all working really hard, playing against the boys and making sure we are amped up because regardless of what team we play, we want to come out strong.”

Equihua views the strong start as momentum going into tomorrow’s game.

“We needed the 3-0 start after last year’s season. It’s making the kids play a little looser and not so tense,” Equihua said. “We’re going to ride it out for as long as it goes and see what happens.”

Boys basketball season comes with change

BY KARA BIERNAT ELI UDCHITZ

sports editor reporter

A new schedule and a newlook boys basketball team will get their first test this Wednesday against Andrean at home at 6 p.m.

The Dogs team lacks experience, only having two seniors on the team. Junior Nick Jeffirs said the success of this year’s team could rely on building chemistry

within the team.

“I think we’ll have a successful year as long as we build our team chemistry,” Jeffirs said. “A lot of us haven’t played together before, which makes it a little rough around the edges. We just need to keep working hard and keep up our chemistry.”

Surrounding the excitement is new changes to the season schedule. New IHSAA rules have limited conference opponents to

only single game matchups, eliminating the former double round robin format.

The change opens up teams’ schedules, allowing Crown Point to schedule more non-conference opponents like Andrean.

“We like it more because it not only gives top players exposure, but it’s hard to beat a team twice, and face them a third time in sectionals,” assistant coach Mike Holobawski said.

This change benefits the players and their ability to seek out a bigger variety of competition.

Players like senior Bret Barclay have welcomed the change.

“I like the new rule because it allows us to play other good competition,” Barclay said.

Andrean enters the season without former head coach Carson Cunningham who took a job at Carroll College in Montana.

The 59ers graduated most of

their scoring last season and will be overshadowed by the Dogs’ height—not one Andrean player is over 6-foot-3.

Despite being surrounded with questions in terms of depth, Jeffirs believes the Dogs will at the very least go down fighting.

“I don’t doubt that we will be successful this year,” Jeffirs said.

“If we don’t, we will know we left it all on the floor and there was nothing else we could have done.”

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KARA’s COLUMN

BY KARA BIERNAT

sports editor

Stress takes over coaching staffs Professional sports have made their mark throughout American culture. Although they may seem like blown out additions to the entertainment field, it’s more stressful than one might think.

The depth and the details behind working for a professional organization puts stress on the coaches. Whether it’s harassment from fans or anger of athletes, the coaches have become the target of a team’s failure.

In professional sports, stress is a huge problem.

Often triggered by events making one feel threatened or upset, stress can cause damage to one’s mood and physical health.

In the NFL, for example, stress has overtaken the outlook of playing a game, and even resulted in one of the leading effects of stress—stroke.

Head coach of the Houston Texans, Gary Kubiak, collapsed at half time in Reliant Stadium while hosting the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 3. Kubiak was taken off the field and immediately hospitalized. He was diagnosed with a minor stroke.

It’s obvious that the stress and anxiety that is now customary with sports is affecting the people behind the success in very real ways.

If we could realize how much the coaches do for their team, we wouldn’t be so quick to blame failure on them. On average, coaches work a total of seven days a week, for twelve to fourteen hours a day. They are also in charge of lineups, positioning players and any trades made along with the overall responsibility of carrying a team.

When coaches are portrayed like this through professional sports, it has the ability to influence fans at the collegiate and high school level. Therefore, all types of coaches continue to take a beating.

Having enough on their plate already, the added stress from fans and players needs to end.

As fans and innocent bystanders, we need to evaluate sports from the coach’s standpoint. Next time a sporting event goes bad, consider the player and circumstance before pointing fingers at the coach.

extra

points

PHOTO BY BRITTANY PEDERSEN

Preparing for the start of the season, senior Nick Morin focuses on improving his breaststroke at practice. The boys face defending champion Chesterton Trojans Dec. 2 at home to kick off the season.

Lady Dogs add new potential, boys swimming rebuilds team

BY ALEXIS BERDINE JACKIE VAN DER WEY

reporters

“We have a nice diversity as far as ages go, and we have really good seniors to lead the way,” Trippeer said.

The Lady Dogs are not the only Crown Point swim team that has been preparing for the start of their season.

With their first meet a week away, the boys have utilized the offseason with various workouts and training.

An active offseason has helped contribute to senior Andrew Kvachkoff’s excitement on the start of the season.

With a promising freshman class, hours of offseason training, and an emphasis on work ethic, the Bulldog swim teams look to kick off the season strong and continue their past season’s success.

The Lady Dogs start the season off with a meet against rival Munster. After losing to the Mustangs in last year’s dual and sectional meets, the team hopes their offseason training will pay off.

“Weight training is definitely the biggest difference from this season and last,” assistant Tappers do not work for coach Bryan Trippeer said. “We swimmers. Swimmers have put in a lot of extra time work for tappers. so we are expecting good results.

Our meet with Munster will be Doug Norris head coach a good test to see where we are this season.”

With the addition of fresh“We have been doing a lot men Hannah Kukurugya and of work in the offseason, and I Kelsi Artim, the team is filled am excited to see what we can acwith potential heading into the complish as a team,” Kvachkoff new season. said. “Workouts in the weight “We are pretty strong this room with Coach Garrett really year and have a big freshmen help with pushing off the blocks class,” junior Aly Tetzloff said. and walls.”

“It definitely adds depth to our Their first meet of the seateam.” son is against the defending state Despite the numerous fresh- champions, the Chesterton Tromen on varsity, there are also jans. Though the Bulldogs beupperclassman leaders that have lieve their chances of a win are taken on the leadership role this slim, the team still hopes to deseason. crease their times.

‘‘

5% 23%

A. Baylor B. Ohio State C. Texas A&M

61%

D. Oregon State

Correct Answer: A

PHOTOS BY BRITTANY PEDERSEN

As the team gets ready for their season, junior Aly Tetzloff pushes off the board and dives in. The girls face the Mustangs tonight.

Games to watch vs.

Wrestling Dec. 19

NHL

Dec. 15

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out of 123 students polled

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Oregon’s offense is explosive once again, but the Duck’s 56.8 points per game average is second in the country. Which team leads the nation in scoring?

“Even though our team does not have the depth to beat Chesterton, we are going to try our hardest to put some good times on the board,” Kvachkoff said.

With losses in the team’s depth, the Bulldogs are viewing this season as a rebuilding year.

“Last year we lost five seniors who were very important to our team,” senior captain Nick Morin said. “We are hoping to rebuild the team this season and do the best we can.”

While the team and coaching staff are hopeful for a good season, head coach Doug Norris believes that the only way to attain this is through hard work.

“Tappers don’t work for swimmers, swimmers work for tappers,” Norris said. “It is all about work ethic. If we do not apply ourselves, we will never reach our full potential.”

The boys are eyeing their meets against Lake Central, Highland, Michigan City and Valparaiso. Each team graduated a strong senior class.

Such a lack of depth gives the Bulldogs a chance to compete. “(The four teams) will be the closest meets of the season,” Norris said. “Their losses in depth gives us a chance.”

The Lady Dogs face Munster today while the boys season begins next Tuesday at home.

Blackhawks vs. Kings

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arts & entertainment november 25, 2013

inreview iTunes Radio The IOS7 update on the iPhone introduced iTunes Radio, a free radio based on personal music tastes. It is much like Pandora internet radio, where the listener is able to add stations based on musical genre and preference. However with the Pandora app receiving negative reactions to the song selections, ITunes Radio is a quality music alternative to listen to one’s favorite music selections.

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A person can only take so much leftover turkey. After the holiday, take a break from the festive food and feast on a delicious burger.

BY EMILY BEST

BY PAIGE BUELOW

a&e editor design editor

MMLP2

By Eminem The compelling wordplay exhibited by Eminem in “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” only expands the Detroit emcee’s legacy.

Eminem displays his rediscovered confidence through polarizing singles such as “Rap Gold” and “Survival,” capturing listeners with his cunning wit and style.

“The Voice” The original judges reunite for the fifth season of NBC’s “The Voice.” Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green bring back the competitiveness to the show, and Adam Levine and Blake Shelton’s bromance is stronger than ever. With the teams more talented than ever before, the fifth season of “The Voice” is a show to watch.

PHOTO BY EVI LOVIN

Best places in the area to grab a burger Schoop’s 1124 N Main St. Crown Point

Justin Bieber’s Music Mondays With titles such as “Heartbreaker” and “All Bad,” Justin Bieber’s Midnight Music Monday’s lay the grounds for a “Bad Day.” The sad tone really shows Bieber’s emotions post breakup with Selena Gomez.

Hopefully next Monday Bieber can finally make a “Recovery” from this failed relationship and these depressing songs.

What’s your favorite burger?

“A cheeseburger from Pop’s.”

Abby Duvall | junior

Dairy Queen 1318 N Main St. Crown Point

“Reflektor”

by Arcade Fire Arcade Fire’s interesting new music trades their trademarked anthemic, chugging alt rock for murky atmospherics and grooves inspired by Haitian dance music. At over 75 minutes, the album is a bit long, but James Murphy’s discoedge production adds an undeniable freshness (and epicness) to each track.

Schoop’s is not only known for having old-style shakes, but also for their Schoop’s Burgers. While they are a bit more pricey than a fast-food burger, the fresh, not frozen, beef makes all the difference.

Schoop’s also allows for customers to add any toppings they want such as jalapenos or extra cheese to their classic cheeseburger, making for a totally customizable burger experience, without having to pay for the upcharges. Not to be forgotten, the 1950s dinner atmosphere makes any burger-run all the more enjoyable .

Burger King 1137 N Main St. Crown Point

Applebee’s 8425 Broadway Merrillville

life social

A section devoted to social media

Dairy Queen now offers a “$5 lunch box” guaranteed to satisfy any customer’s lunch needs. Customers have the option of a chili cheese dog, chicken tenders and/or a hamburger as an entree. The hamburger is the best option. The burger is cooked just right and seasoned to perfection. Toppings include the usual cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.

Then there is always the option to add ketchup and mustard for flavor.

Besides the yummy burger, the lunch includes fries, a soft drink and a sundae or a small blizzard for $1.

Burger King’s infamous Whopper is a tasty treat for anytime. It probably isn’t the healthiest thing to eat, but Burger Kings are everywhere and easy to find, making the Whopper a rather convenient choice of food. They are currently two for $5, making the stop for the Whopper much more enticing. They are also yummy and fattening and everything a great burger should be. Since Burger King’s logo is “have it your way,” customers are able to custom order their burger for maximum satisfaction.

Applebee’s bacon and cheese burger is worth every penny. It costs more than the average fast food burger, but for good reason. The burger is smothered in cheese and topped with perfectly cooked bacon. Finish the meal off with delicious French fries and a crisp, cold beverage. While there, also check out the wide range of appetizers.

From cheese sticks to chicken wings, there is something for everybody.

best tweets

best apps

“In high school I didn’t go to parties, I baked pies.”

- Mrs. Collins Sophomore Brandy James

@brandyjam

Why do you never see hippopotamuses hiding in trees? Because they’re really good at it. #ClassicJokeWednesday Ellen DeGeneres

Sleep Time

@TheEllenShow

What you think of yourself is much more important than what other people think of you.

Junior Jordyn Banskee

@jordyn_tayler

I hate it when I’m yawning in the hallway and I’m just walking around with my mouth open.

Junior Jen Tsouklis

@jenlikesboys

Sound Cloud

The Sleep Time app is useful for monitoring the length and quality of sleep. It can be used as an alarm clock and will display the efficiency and time spent asleep.

This app could be considered the twitter for the music world, the user can choose to follow favorite music artists, listen to singles released and can even post homemade music to share and listen with others.

“A veggie burger from Burger King.”

Skylar Delgado | freshman

“A cheeseburger from Five Guys.”

Matt Mosak | sophomore

“A quarter pounder from McDonald’s.”

Jimmy Correa | senior

“A BigMac from McDonald’s.”

Taylor Beckman | junior

best follows @RegionRatRants Satirical and extremely humorous page, with posts that really hit home. This account highlights all aspects of the NWI “region” life.

@OMGFacts This follow is an interesting, exciting and fun site to follow on twitter.

It involves crazy facts that one probably has never even heard of.

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arts & entertainment november 25, 2013

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How to enjoy, not engorge, during the holiday season

Catching Fire

“Hunger Games” film series hits bull’s-eye with second installment

BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM

reporter

The girl on fire hits the big screen for the second time in “Catching Fire,” the second installment of the film series based on Suzanne Collin’s trilogy, “The Hunger Games.”

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) return to tour the Districts after being crowned victors of the 74th Hunger Games. However, the home they left behind is no longer how it used to be. Riots are breaking out throughout Panem. As a sign that no victor is above the system, President Snow introduces the 75th annual Hunger Games with a twist. Two victors from each District are to be represented in the third Quarter Quell, sending Katniss and Peeta back into the arena for the second time.

Lawrence’s embodiment of Katniss is at its best in the film.

The Oscar-winning actress convincingly portrays both the fiery attitude and traumatized emotions of the heroine. Johanna Mason’s (Jena Malone) screw-it-all assertiveness and Finnick Odair’s (Sam Claflin) cunning smarts only enhance the movie’s quality.

The sequel charges full-on into the flames with its fast and dynamic pace. Directed by Francis Lawrence, “Catching Fire” is action-packed and filled with special effects, compelling its viewers and leaving them wanting more.

“Catching Fire” is a fan must-see. The odds for this movie were definitely in its favor.

BY MAGGIE GELON

editor-in-chief

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth Rating: PG-13

artpop

BY EMILY BEST

a&e editor

With previous albums such as “Born This Way” and “The Fame” being huge successes, Lady Gaga’s new album “Artpop” had high expectations. So, when “Artpop” came out and was a total flop, fans were disappointed.

The album as a whole is not worth buying. A majority of the songs focus on sex in a highly inappropriate manner. While many of her past songs have included sexual references, “Artpop” has crossed a line.

The actual music, without the lyrics, is amazing. Mostly every song is upbeat and great for dancing. Lady Gaga has a beautiful voice and knows how to use it. If she were to censor her lyrics and tone it down a notch, “Artpop” would be a hit.

THOR

BY MAISA NOUR

reporter

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman Rating: PG-13

“Thor: The Dark World,” was directed by mastermind Alan Taylor. With big shoes to fill from former director Kenneth Branagh, Taylor definitely steps up to the plate. The movie started out with the classic Marvel movie introduction.

Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, comes back from the last movie stronger and braver and continues the unsatisfied love story between her and Thor.

The characters bring life into the movie with their amazing acting. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) stayed true to the Thor look by bringing back his long hair. All of the characters were the same, just new and improved.

The action was not disappointing at all. Thor comes in at the end of the first fight to set things straight. With the help of his handy hammer, Thor shows us the strength he had in the previous movie is still very much alive.

Given that the movie has earned over 200

million dollars so far, it is definitely a must see.

The movie appeals to many ages and is a great movie to see with the family. All of these factors make it, without a doubt, a marvelous and worthseeing movie.

Take some time during this Thanksgiving break and treat yourself to a great movie and go see “Thor: The Dark World.”

favorite things

Vaseline Lip Therapy The soothing relief of Vaseline in a convenient size heals and protects lips from the winter conditions. It can be found at various convenience stores and is essential for healthy lips.

•

Neff Beanies Stay warm this winter with a fashionable neff beanies. They are great for both genders and can be found at Zumiez.

Covergirl Catching Fire Makeup The nail and makeup line by Covergirl inspired by “Catching Fire,” the second of the Hunger Games series is perfect to add to the Christmas list.

Available at Covergirl.com

we’re so over the word “basic” At first a funny term, the use of the word “basic” has gotten out of control to a point of annoyance. Let people drink their Starbucks and wear things such as Ugg boots, without getting a #basic review. A person, even if by urban definition is indeed basic, should not be criticized by material things. The term is over used and annoying to see plaguing social media. People don’t want another “hipster” situation happening where suddenly all of America becomes this and it is widely overused. Unless their pH level is above 7, one should think before succumbing by calling someone basic.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year; and I love jingle bells, Santa and snow just as much as the next person, but food deserves 97 percent of the credit for the label of the season.

Turkey, pie, casseroles, butter in general and mashed potatoes are all obvious reasons Thanksgiving should be celebrated once a month. To follow it up, the entirety of December is a glorified bake sale: and a blink later, resolutions are being made at New Year’s Eve and suddenly the most wonderful time of the year is the most regretted time.

Reality sets in as the magic of the holidays fades away. Some even choose to be proactive and set pre-holiday parameters for themselves in hopes to avoid a January full of stair stepping and avoiding sugar like the plague.

I’m not about to avoid any sugar, but I also don’t really want to find out what a stair-stepper actually is. So this year I’m taking the advice of the parameter people and preserving my right to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year by simply not confusing it with the most engorging time of the year, so I’ve set some boundaries.

For example, enjoyment would constitute as gravy on turkey. Engorgement would qualify as drinking gravy from the ladle.

I can do that.

Sprinkling brown sugar on sweet potatoes is pure enjoyment. Eating spoonfuls of brown sugar while no one is looking may fall into the engorgement category.

Check.

Everyone enjoys the occasional Christmas cookie, but blaming the dog for eating the cookies laid out for Santa is just low.

Uh. Enjoyment is a slice of pie.

Taking an entire pie, scooping the center out as a place to hold the ice-cream, covering the rest of the visible pie with whipped cream, sitting on the couch committed to only eating half, getting off the couch with an empty tin, and placing the empty tin back in the fridge in a state of denial, might be considered engorgement.

Son of a nutcracker. This is going to be tough.

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people november 25, 2013

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Sophomore

Danniale Wolfe

Carts and Kids

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On a mission trip with her church, sophomore Savannah Schuljak and mother Lori Schuljak traveled to Haiti for a week to help with the building process of a new orphanage. In their spare time, they had the opportunity to bond with the children by holding them, or playing with them.

Helping out Haiti

BY EVI LOVIN

reporter

After the earthquake, the buildings were in ruins but were still inhabited by the Haitian people. Roofs and windows were long gone and the absence of paved roads made for a bumpy ride. Along the way, makeshift market stands did not only give shelter form the rain outside, but also a chance for the residents to make a few extra dollars by selling produce to the passerby.

The two-hour drive from the airport in the city to the orphanage in the mountains was routed through the back roads where houses are small shacks or brick buildings in terrible condition.

Sophomore Savannah Schuljak heard of this destruction and knew she had to help.

“I remember all these Haitian men. We had one guide and he said ‘follow me, because everyone else will try to help you so (they could charge) you money.’ (The

Q What are your Black Friday traditions?

men) would be throwing themselves at (us) and (we) would just have to say no (to their requests),” Schuljak said.

She left on Nov. 4 for a missionary trip with 11 other people from her church, including her mother and sister. She described some of the scenes to be like a prison.

“Outside of the airport, there were gates and barbed wire on top of the fences,” she said.

Upon arrival, it was hot and rainy and Schuljak was being driven from the airport to the guest house where she and her team would stay, located ten minutes from the orphanage they were helping. She saw kids and parents holding out gallon buckets trying to catch the rain.

Whenever the vehicle stopped, she would notice children along the side of the road.

“They looked so serious, but as soon as you’d wave at them their faces would light up and

“I usually go shopping with my dad. We go after the meal and go shopping and hang out.”

they’d say ‘hi,’” Schuljak said.

“There were a lot of people… a lot of people running up and down the streets, living in the same house.”

She saw a family and about five kids living in a building that didn’t have a roof. She felt for the people and was excited to help.

On the missionary trip, she and her team of fellow church members helped an orphanage called God’s Littlest Angels (GLA) on getting together the toddler houses at the new building site.

“GLA was actually the best orphanage in Haiti. We were very lucky to have that,” Schuljak said.

Other local orphanages, such as Brothers, send their children to GLA to get well when they are sick or malnourished.

At GLA, she helped lay tiles for the floors and helped with the installation process of windows, doors and various other projects, such as building new beds.

“I was really lucky with my

“Staying home and eating leftovers.”

“We leave at midnight and the goal is to be back before 5 a.m.”

Bethany Borrmann

Zach Pierce

Hayden Tenzera

freshman

junior

sophomore

Sophomore takes mission trip to help build orphanages team because they were all very skilled workers,” she said.

Schuljak’s team was also designated to help with Christmas gifts.

“Before the trip, we collected presents and donations. We had about seventeen extra suitcases packed with presents,” she said.

Throughout her time in Haiti, not only was she able to help the orphaned children, but also got to take home the experience of doing so with her mother and sister.

“They were all so amazed that my mom, sister and I went together. None of them really have family there,” Schuljak said.

Visiting Haiti and seeing the way the people lived helped her appreciate the little things in life.

“It definitely made me realize how fortunate we are to have what we have compared to what they (do)” she said. “I just hope others are aware that what we live (like) isn’t normal.”

When we meet up at my uncle’s house for Thanksgiving, I take all the little kids in my family around the neighborhood in a golf cart. I find it very adorable.

New talents I like ice-skating around this time of the year. I don’t fall as much as I used to. Now I can skate backwards and do some tricks.

Rock out I’m going to my favorite band’s (Paramore) concert over the weekend. I think that will be the highlight of my year.

Thoughts written When I have a song stuck in my head I have to write it down on a piece of paper.

The weird thing about it is I have to write it in cursive.

Holy Mishap I tried to go swimming in my church’s holy water tub when I was little, but it didn’t work out as I hoped.

“I usually camp out late at night with my family at places like Best Buy.”

“I spend my Black Friday usually putting up my Christmas decorations.”

Ethan Baker

Miranda Seibel

junior

junior

“I go with a group of friends to Walmart and ride around on the scooters and bikes.”

Sydney Ellingsen senior

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