Inklings Sept. 2020

IN K [ ] LI N

Crown Point High School Crown Point, IN @InklingsCPHS October 2, 2020 Vol. 85 Issue 1

New Year, G S New Normal

Due to COVID-19 concerns, students have been eating lunch socially distanced in the gym. Seats are marked six feet apart for students to sit and enjoy their lunch.

PHOTO BY EMILY HELMUTH

TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS

04 HYBRID SCHEDULE 06 NEW SUPERINTENDENT 08 COVID INFOGRAPH

OPINION

10 EDITORIAL 12 PRO/CON 13 COLUMNS

FEATURE

14 NEW TEACHERS 15 CP TIKOKERS 16 HOMECOMING 18 MENTAL HEALTH

SPORTS

& 20 VOLLEYBALL BOYS CROSS COUNTRY 22 FOOTBALL & GIRLS GOLF 24 BULLDOG BREAKDOWN

ENTERTAINMENT

ACADEMY & 26 UMBRELLA PHINEAS AND FERB KING & 28 SMOOTHIE FOLKLORE

PEOPLE

30 MRS. COSME 31 RILEY MACDONALD

Editor’s Note This is clearly not the usual Inklings publication.

Typically, Inklings is passed out the last Friday of the month at the end of the school day.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and operating on the hybrid schedule, Inklings is publishing this electronic

edition as well as posting to our website. Inklings has also opted to publish a news magazine instead of the tabloid size, so you may notice some changes in our usual format.

Thank you readers for sticking with us in these difficult times, and we are looking forward to another year of news sharing.

[INK] L I N G S

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

Crown Point High School, IN

Vol. 85 Issue 1 - October 2, 2020

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

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

Advertising is subject to applicable rates available by contacting Inklings.

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

Reese Turpin (9) cheers on the sidelines of the homecoming football game. “I love cheering,” Turpin said, “I’ve done it my whole life. Cheering at the Friday night lights is a dream I thought could never happen. Doing it is something I’ll never forget.”

PHOTO BY GILLIAN GATLEY

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

THINK AHEAD

Oct. 3

Oktoberfest

Despite the cancellation of the real Oktoberfest held annually in Munich, Germany, Crown Point’s will still be happening.

Crown Point’s 13th annual Oktoberfest will be held 3-10 at Bulldog park.

Oct. 12

End of 1 hour delay

As Crown Point prepares to go back to green, the start time of school will return to 7:35 a.m. Classes will also go back to being roughly 50 minutes long instead of 38.

Oct. 13 Orchestra Fall Concert All levels of CPHS Orchestra will perform with free admissions to the public.

Oct. 15-19 Fall Break Fall Break will be a time to relax, as students will have no virtual or in person school on these dates.

Oct. 22-23 Picture Retakes

staff Aubrey Banks Emily Briseno Trevor Frahm Gillian Gatley Olivia Helmuth Mary Marcinek Andrew Poeschl adviser Julie Elston

Oct. 31

Halloween

This year’s Students who did not like Halloween is the how their school pictures first one since turned out will have the 2015 to happen chance to retake their on a Saturday.

There will also Oct. 29 be a full moon on Green Schedule Halloween, which This day marks the first has not happened in person green day for students, as instead of going since 2001 and will not happen to school two days a week again until 2039. students will now go four.

4 NEWS

PANDEMIC PLANNING School year begins on hybrid schedule; will transition to green at end of month for their students, their kids.

It’s very reasonable for people to have opinions on what they feel like they do because I think we’re very blessed to be in a community where we have outstanding community support, and I think as a school district we understand that this is a very big issue and people

students who chose in person learning. It’s split up and they go two days a week so that there can be more social distance created inside the buildWith the beginning of the ing. Red would be like what school year coming into fruiwe had back last spring where tion, students and staff are opall students are learning from erating on different schedules, home.” the hybrid schedule and the all In regards to a theoretical virtual schedules. Alongred schedule, Marcinek side these new schedules The hardest part is not explains that it wouldn’t students, parents and staff look like the end of being able to see the kids, school last year. are adjusting and reacting in various ways. like the students, every “We probably would On Oct. 28, all have a little more openday. With that being said, secondary schools in ness, I hope we don’t I only see them twice a have to do that and I Crown Point will go into green scheduling instrucweek so we have to slow don’t think we’ll do it tion. This involves four but even if we go to red down the curriculum. in-person full learning I do feel like our building days and remote learning Teacher Patricia Ventura would be open and acceson Wednesdays. Students sible for students to come will also still have the option should have the right to voice in and get help and talk to their to remain or switch to full time their opinions,” Marcinek said. teachers when they need to and remote learning. By Oct. 12, “I think that’s a normal piece of have some kind of connection all schools will no longer par- the democratic process to be in- to the faculty,” Marcinek said. ticipate in the one hour delay volved in your school.” “ I don’t think a red would look schedule as the statement by

As school has opened like what it looked like in the Superintendent Todd Terrill de- on a hybrid schedule, with an spring. I think it would be a litscribes. all virtual option, Marcinek de- tle different if we landed there Recently, petitions have tails the differences between a this year, which I hope we do surfaced online calling for red, yellow and green schedule. not.” different measures related to “The key difference is just Students and staff have opening schools full time and the time spent in the building handled these scheduling closing schools for distance so the green schedule would changes in new ways and are learning. Principal Russ Mar- be that we are here at least four adopting different strategies to cinek weighs in on how the to five days a week. A green take on the new learning forCrown Point population is get- schedule would be that every- mat. Economics teacher Jim ting involved in the community body is back who chooses to Ingelhart has started the year by with these petitions. be in person so everybody who teaching an all virtual econom “I think that certainly chose to be an in person learner ics class. Ingelhart describes this is something people are would be together in our build- his adjustment so far. passionate about. They’re pas- ing,” Marcinek said. “A yellow “As far as adjusting to onsionate about what they want schedule obviously is just the line I sort of have a little bit of

BY NOLAN CHASE ANDREW POESCHL co-editor-in-chief reporter

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an advantage to this in that I both built and teach an online economics class for close to a decade now so some of the things I did understand. You have to be much more explicit in your direction and at the same time you have to make sure you lead students to do things correctly whether that be answering things in a correct way or even submitting assignments just simply because it is an all virtual setting,” Ingelhart said. “The one thing I really tried taking advantage of is that virtual recording spot and I’ve now done a few of the Zoom meetings just so they see my face or hear me explain something. So far that seems to be going very well.”

During the start of the school year, Ingelhart noticed an increase in his class size.

Ingelhart also indicates that if Crown Point schools do go red students should expect to have the same teachers.

“I think if it goes totally red all teachers we would all have pretty much the same students.

I have seen a lot of students since this school year started.

My total number of students has gone up by about 30 or 40. A few have changed to in person that were all virtual because my students are all virtual,” Ingelhart said. “It has actually been increasing in numbers including students that are moving in from other districts to all virtual because maybe their school wasn’t offering that. That gives

INKLINGS

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Crown Point parents wait outside of the Crown Point Community School Corporation Central Office for the start of Monday’s school board meeting.

Details were shared about the district’s transition from a yellow hybrid schedule to a green in person schedule. This schedule will go into effect Oct. 12 for the elementary schools and Oct. 28 for the middle and high schools.

PHOTO BY NOLAN CHASE

the extra challenge because our Buzz system is kind of a unique system and they have to figure that out.”

As online students have been adjusting to their new schedules, sophomore Shallyn Copallelo-Stoke shares her reasoning to participate in virtual learning.

“Online learning just felt safer,” Stokes said. “We didn’t really know what we were getting into yet, and I wanted to make sure

that my family and myself were limiting our exposure to the coronavirus.”

Spanish teacher Patricia Ventura has also endured changes to her classroom schedule. Ventura comments on how hybrid learning has affected teaching a foreign language.

“I’m not able to teach the language like I normally do. The hardest part is not being able to see the kids like the students every

day. With that being said, I only see them twice a week so we have to slow down the curriculum,” Ventura said. “It’s really difficult in regard to teaching a language not being able to do all these fun and interactive speaking activities in the classroom. Due to the social distances and due to the fact that we don’t really have much time with them and we have to put a pause to that.”

6 NEWS

Crown Point School Board names Dr. Todd Terrill as new superintendent

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief After the unexpected dismissal of the district’s prior superintendent in February, the Crown Point Community School Corporation spent months searching for a new superintendent. At the end of July, the school board announced Dr. Todd Terrill as the corporation’s new superintendent.

Terrill, who previously served as superintendent of Richmond Community Schools prior to coming to Crown Point, was informed of the opening at Crown Point by someone at the state level.

“I was encouraged by an individual here at the state level who knew of the Crown Point opening, and they encouraged me to

really check it out and investigate Crown Point and do some research,” Terrill said.

“As I did this research, I was just more and more impressed and intrigued with Crown Point Community School Corporation.”

As superintendent, Terrill’s job comes with a variety of responsibilities.

“I’m responsible for all of our buildings, all of our principals and teachers and looking at how they meet the needs of our kids, especially right now as you can imagine with COVID, trying to figure out what’s the best approach that we can have kids in our buildings yet socially distanced and be there,” said Terrill.

With the Crown Point Community School Corporation employing over 1,000 people, Terrill’s position also includes

managing the financial aspect of that.

“Financial aspect is a really big aspect of it. We have almost 9,000 students and over 1,000 employees,” said Terrill. “With that goes a lot of responsibility, and you’re impacting a lot of people’s livelihoods as far as their employment goes.”

Terrill admits that he did not realize how big one of the aspects of his job would be when he was originally working towards becoming a superintendent.

“Politically, there’s a lot more of it than I thought there would be when I became a superintendent, just trying to keep up on the legislation that’s coming or that is current, and how it impacts our schools, how it impacts funding, how it impacts our resources,” Terrill said. “The other part of

it is just really making those community re- one encouraging him to pursue becoming a lationships here in Crown Point, both at the building administrator and the second enlocal government level and also with many couraging him to move forward and look of our service organizations and different for more opportunities. According to Terrill, groups that provide resources to us that are a these two mentors were instrumental in gethuge help to our kids.” ting him to where he is today.

According to Terrill, being a superinten“In both situations, it was people that I redent during a global pandemic also brings ally looked up to that I felt like really helped new challenges to the table as he works to me get to where I needed to be,” Terrill said. balance the differing views of the commu- “Their encouragement, which is what I think nity. is really important in all of our lives is that “We’ve got people who think it’s ridicu- we have people who can influence us and lous that we’re only going half time, and that kind of look at things when we may not be everyone should be back in the building all able to see the bigger picture, and they enthe time, and we got other people who think couraged me to do that. That’s when I made that this is a real stretch to be in school at all,” that decision to go back to school and get Terrill said. “So trying to bring all of that to- another degree and keep moving forward.” gether where we can work together and offer Outside of the office, Terrill says the thing options for people who want to stay at home he enjoys most is spending time with his with the extended learning, that’s probably family. the biggest challenge right now.”

“We like to travel, actually I have a moAlthough Terrill may be new to Crown torcycle,” Terrill said. “My wife and I like to Point, he has been surrounded by education ride on the weekends and whenever we can his entire life. to get out and just get away from it all. Hang“My dad was a high school teacher, and ing out with family and friends is a big part then a principal, and then went on to be a col- of my life, and I love sports.” lege professor and Terrill and his wife coach,” Terrill said. visited Crown Point The biggest thing was numerous times be“I grew up around repeatedly every per- fore he officially took education, my mom was involved in edson that we talked to the position, and Terucation, so really noted that nearly talked about how great rill it just seemed like every local he talked the school system was. to during his visits all a natural fit. It was kind of a family busiThat’s why people moved had a similar reason ness, if you will.” here, was because of the for enjoying living in Prior to becomCrown Point. schools. That really made ing a superinten“The biggest thing me even more intrigued by was repeatedly every dent, Terrill, like his father, was also a person that we talked the opportunity. teacher. to talked about how “I started off great the school sysSuperintendent Todd Terrill teaching science, and tem was,” Terrill said. then moved into P.E..

“That’s why people and health,” Terrill moved here, was besaid. “I spent 12 years teaching everything cause of the schools. That really made me from elementary, kindergarten, all the way even more intrigued by the opportunity.” through 12th grade. I taught alternative edOverall, Terrill says he has been enjoying ucation, like GED dropout prevention, for a his time in Crown Point and notes how he while. I became a middle school assistant was impressed by the school board’s apprincipal, spent four years doing that, and proach. then I became a middle school principal, and “Once I applied and had an interview with did that for another five years, and then went the board, I was able to work with them a into the central office position as director of little bit,” Terrill said. “I was just really imsecondary education for another four years, pressed with them and how their approach and then became a superintendent. I’ve had was to education and what their priorities a little bit of everything, experiences across and goals were. It really ended up being the board.” something that felt like a really good fit, and Terrill was encouraged by two differ- so far it’s been great. It’s good to be here.” ent mentors to go back to school, the first

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INKLINGS

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INTHEKNOW ACT offered for seniors after spring cancellation With the in school April ACT for juniors being canceled due to COVID, many students in the class of 2021 were left wondering when they would take their ACT. As this test was already paid for, CPHS is hosting one for seniors during school on Oct. 6. Students taking the test were given tickets earlier this week telling them their testing location.

Although the test will be offered on a B day, A day students and virtual students will be allowed to come in the building to test.

Holcomb moves Indiana to stage 5 Governor Holcomb has officially moved Indiana to stage 5 as of Sept. 26. In stage 5, restaurants and bars are allowed to open at full capacity as long as distancing is continued and extra sanitation precautions. Gyms and fitness centers have capacities lifted and can operate fully with the continuation of distancing and sanitation. Face masks are still mandated. In three weeks, Indiana’s back-on-track plan will be reevaluated and adjusted as needed.

GEMS and Biomed clubs hosting callout meetings The GEMS and Biomed clubs will be hosting their callout meetings on Oct. 6 for A students and Oct. 8 for B students at 2:45 p.m. in room C237. The focus of GEMS is to provide a supportive community for girls empowered by math and science and who are looking to pursue a career in STEM. Biomed club supports students who have a passion for science and are looking to further that. GEMS is sponsored

by Mrs. Cosme and Biomed club is sponsored by Chevalier.

8 NEWS

MASK UP School implements sanitation protocols to keep students and staff safe amid COVID-19 concerns

BY AUBREY BANKS reporter With the coronavirus having altered, Crown Point High School’s changes to the school plan that has affected student’s way of learning in school. Even though the school is taking extreme measures to keep all staff and students safe, like wearing masks and enforcing students to be kept six feet apart, there may be a case where someone has gotten the coronavirus, and may not know what to do.

For students who have been in close contact with a student who contracted the coronavirus, it is mandatory to stay home for 14 days to reduce the risk of exposing other students. Although the quarantined student will be at home, it is important that they still do their school work. Luckily, all the teachers in the school have a plan for online work for students learning at home.

“If a student is home due to any kind of sickness, whether it’s the coronavirus or just a normal illness, they are expected to keep up with all their work. If a student is at home, and they have the ability to do their work, they have every opportunity to keep up with their work and maintain their

studies while at home,” Principal Russ Marcinek said.

The main goal of the school is to ensure that the students get to learn in a familiar classroom setting while also being safe and following the guidelines in school.

Guidelines such as putting on hand sanitizer, wearing a mask at all times, and limiting contact with other people can help reduce the chances of getting sick and getting a student sent home.

“The overall goal of the plan is to give students the ability to come to school and see their teachers while still practicing social distancing and limit the amount of exposure to others that could sometimes lead to positive cases,” Marcinek said. “It’s important to make sure everyone is safe, and the hybrid schedule helps with that a little bit. We want minimal exposure to the coronavirus as possible, and this plan and the hybrid schedule help achieve that goal.”

Marcinek also believes that because the students and staff are following the plans and guidelines, the school hasn’t been impacted much by the coronavirus.

“Our students have done a fantastic job of following the protocols that were inserted into our school plan. Students

are wearing their masks, they’re practicing social distancing, and they have done all the things that we have asked them to do,” Marcinek said. “Because of this, we haven’t been impacted negatively by this situation, other than switching our daily schedule and having students go two days a week. As far as the actual procedures and policies go, the plan has been going well, and that goes to the credit of our students and teachers.”

Even though new changes have made things in school difficult, both the students and staff have been adjusting well.

“I would just like to reiterate that our students have done a great job during this time. I feel like our students have taken this seriously, they have done a fantastic job of adjusting to the protocols that are in place, whether that is eating lunch in the Gym, wearing their masks, practicing social distancing, doing their work at home, or participating in their Zoom meetings,” Marcinek said. “The students are the ones that I’m the proudest of because I feel like they handled this really well. The one thing I would like to add is just a big thank you to our students and staff, who have done a great job adjusting.”

INKLINGS

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“What happens if someone tests positive?”

1 2 Step

Step

3 Step

Find out if the student has been in contact with anyone

Notify the Health Department

If the student has been tested, they have to isolate for 14 days

If a student is tested as positive, it is important to gather information about them. It’s crucial to know where the student has been, if they are in any sports teams, and where they are seated in class.

Once the Health department is talking to, the nurses and teachers ask the student if they are feeling or showing any symptoms. Symptoms can include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, loss of taste or smell, and muscle aches.

After the 14 days of isolation, if the student shows symptoms and is positive, It’s mandatory that they stay at home for ten more days. However, if the student shows no symptoms, they can come back to school after the 14 days.

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

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State

Area

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I am on the fence for that, I am thinking no since it increases the risk of people catching the virus and it spreading. But at the same time it would help with students who are struggling.

Indiana has announced guidance for Halloween and has asked people to not host parties. The state has also requested that children trick-or-treat in small groups and for adults to not hand out candy if feeling COVID 19 symptoms.

Carter Gannon junior

I think this is a great idea, as it shows that we are prioritizing the health and safety of the kids.

US President Donald Trump has said he will name his nominee for Supreme Court justice by the end of the week, and urged the Republicancontrolled Senate to confirm his choice before the presidential election.

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Nation

After starting the school year off on a hybrid schedule, the Crown Point Community School Cooperation will be transitioning to green, and high school and midle school students will now be going four days a week.

Phoenix Anderson senior

I think he should wait because in her last words, she said to wait for a new president to be elected.

Charlee Witham freshman

10 OPINION

EDITORIAL Schools should stay at yellow schedule, not transfer to green instruction As Crown Point schools are planning to transition to a green scheduling instruction, it is now more important than ever for students and staff to do their part in order to keep school open.

Masks, sanitation, and other safety habits can help students keep themselves safe while also keeping their teachers and fellow peers safe.

The yellow schedule is what students and staff were operating on now which includes two in-person learning times a week. With the shift to the green scheduling instruction, students will be in school four times a week while still getting Wednesday as an all virtual day.

With that being said, it would have been best if it was decided that schools will remain on the current yellow schedule. Included in the statement about schools going into green instruction, Superintendent Todd Terril stated that due to the amount of students in the building at once, Crown Point schools will not be able to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Social distancing is key for a low risk environment given the fact we are in the middle of a pandemic. Even with masks, the CDC still recommends that people use social distancing. By eliminating this aspect seen on yellow scheduling, students and staff are being put at an irresponsibly higher risk.

While the yellow scheduling comes with its own set of hurdles, it is much safer due to the lower number of students in the building at any given time. Because of this pandemic which has claimed the lives of 204,000 Americans, schools need to proceed with extreme caution.. This number is expected to rise significantly.

Switching to the green scheduling is a needless risk. As this switch happens, COVID-19 cases will have a greater chance to start showing up in the building. Cases have already shown up despite being on a yellow schedule. Even so, the yellow schedule allows for that easier and more isolated contact tracing due to less students in the building.

If a case arises during the green scheduling, which it most likely will, even more students will need to be quarantined and contact tracing will become more complex. Alongside this, jeopardizing the health of the student body and staff in this way comes off as irresponsible.

Instead of pushing schools into green scheduling, schools should remain in yellow scheduling until this pandemic dies down. Hurdles such as shorter class periods and less interaction between students and teachers that the yellow schedule brings is more than worth having if it means a safer and healthier environment for those involved.

INKLINGS

Ready

Stop! We’re not ready yet!

Stay yellow

Set GO!

SPEAKUP UP How do you feel about school

shifting into green instruction?

Sage O’Brien freshman

“I think that going green will help everyone learn more and become more acclimated to the new rules that were enforced because of COVID.”

Holden Paskis sophomore

“I don’t think it’s a good idea because I feel like there will be more cases and more people will have to go online.”

Jordan Posluszny

Erica Packwood

junior

senior

“I think it’s a decent idea but I’m scared of what could happen with students being forced all together before a vaccine is released.”

“For me going green would be fine because I think if we wear the masks and keep distance everything will be okay.”

11

12 OPINION

Pro/Con: Should a dress code be required for Zoom meetings?

PRO: Dress codes should be required CON: Students should have the but not restrictive

freedom of choice and self

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief With several students being completely online, Zoom meetings have become a new normal for us. Even for the hybrid students, these zoom meetings (along with two short class periods) are the only time they are seeing their teachers. School is a professional setting, and our teachers are expected to dress appropriately, thus the students should be as well.

If a dress code over Zoom was implemented, it should not be too overbearing. A Zoom dress code would not be asking students to dress in an overbearingly formal outfit, like a suit and tie, it would just be asking for students to dress modestly in typical school clothes instead of pajamas.

Wearing regular school clothes instead of pajamas over Zoom would also promote learning. Changing clothes might help change students’ mindsets’ and make them more likely to take school over Zoom more seriously, as they will not be sleeping and learning in the same clothes.

Personally, I feel more prepared and alert when I am learning in different clothes than the clothes I slept in. I have noticed that I learn better when I put time into dressing decently, even if it is a simple outfit such as a t-shirt and running shorts.

Thus, implementing a Zoom dress code is not demanding, it is just setting the stage for students to take learning seriously.

BY AUBREY BANKS reporter Freedom should be granted to everyone, especially in the sense of their clothing. Of course, there are some restrictions, such as offensive sayings, revealing clothing, etc. But overall, freedom of speech should be shown. It’s important that students express themselves so that they can have a creative outlet, and the only way to do that is to wear clothes in a Zoom meeting just because of COVID-19.

Zoom meetings prevent this by telling students to put on appropriate clothing, even though they are just in their pajamas. It shouldn’t matter what the students are wearing as long as they are paying attention to the meeting and doing their assignments. It’s an unnecessary rule that students should wear day clothing.

What’s even more demanding is that there is already a dress code at school, which makes the dress code for Zoom meetings redundant. The students are already following rules at school, it would be absurd to make them follow the same rules at home.

At home, students have the freedom to wear their own choice of clothing without being told to cover or remove it.

Students should be able to relax at home without having to deal with the stress for normal school days and strict dress codes.

Making the students wear day clothes only makes them feel more stressed, and therefore they aren’t being able to focus on their daily school activities.

IN THEIR VIEW: Should a Dress Code be Required on Zoom?

PRO:

CON:

I think students should have a dress code because if not people will just look crazy.

I don’t care that much about what people wear, as long as it’s appropriate and non-revealing.

Eliana Malkimos freshman

Ali Florek teacher

PRO: “I believe that a dress code is important in maintaining a casual professional appearance.

The zoom dress code should be consistent with the high school’s dress code.”

Jennifer Bianchi teacher

CON: I don’t think so as long as you don’t show any-

thing inappropriate. Like at school we have the shoulder thing but on zoom that doesn’t have any effect on anyone.

Antonio Wireman sophomore

COLUMNS

INKLINGS

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Sports season should wait until later in the year

BY NOLAN CHASE co-editor-in-chief

As COVID-19 cases show up within our school, it has become apparent that most of the school sports should not have begun this early in the school year. When it comes to sports, specifically soccer and football, it would have been better to wait until later in the school year to make that decision based on the current COVID-19 situation at that time.

By starting and also participating in school sports this year is an unnecessary and frankly irresponsible risk being taken by the schools, the IHSAA and parents. At what point is a sporting event more important than the health and livelihood of the students?

Though sports have started by the will of the schools and IHSAA, parents and students can still decide to partake in winter sports later in the year and can make that judgment for themselves when the time comes. Right now, it is important to keep everyone safe and healthy. It is more than worth it for the sake of those playing sports and their families to not partake in sports for the time being because of the overwhelming health and safety concerns.

In regards to football, it is a full contact sport where mask and social distance guidelines can’t exist while playing the game. If these two things can’t be taken into consideration in our current situation, then sports should not have started.

I understand that families just want what is best for their kids, but I think it would have been best to wait. I hope going forward that sports remains largely interrupted but those involved need to understand the health risks involved. This just becomes an even greater hassle when they then have to go into quarantine. After it is found out that an infection has occurred, that student has probably interacted with their team, the other team they are facing, and other students in the building.

At that point the damage has already been done. Though contract tracing helps, it is not a definitive solution. Those infected could have interacted with other students that weren’t taken into account when contact tracing was initiated.

At the end of the day, it would be much less of a barrier to just abstain from these sports until we are sure it can be done in a safe way. Doing so amidst a pandemic that is bound to get worse just

COVID should prompt us to appreciate the little things

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief

Saying that this school year is extremely different is an understatement. If you asked me a year ago what I thought senior year would look like, I guarantee I would have been wrong. As it did with virtually everything, COVID changed senior year drastically. Junior year me probably would have laughed if you had told her that face masks were the new normal and that I would not be getting my senior nationals trip.

Back in March, I was preparing to retake the ACT and excitedly getting ready for Spring Break.

The last thing on my mind was COVID, as back then it seemed to be a tiny thing happening on the other side of the globe. Suddenly, this “tiny thing” appeared right in my backyard, as schools shut down and my work followed soon after.

Like many students, I went from having a chaotic, busy schedule to spending hours on end at home doing nothing from March to May. Now, in September, it’s weird to think about how much “normal” has changed, as even though we have returned to school and work, it is not the same as it

was at the beginning of this year.

As we ease back into this strange new normal, it is important that we remember to not take things for granted. COVID showed us how easily things can change. Personally, I feel like this pandemic has made me appreciate the little things in life more, from seeing my teachers and friends in person to going out to eat.

It will probably be a long time before things go completely back to normal. Keeping this in mind, it is important that everyone does their part to get us back to normal. Mask wearing and social distancing are our strongest weapons against COVID, and everyone needs to be practicing this.

Overall, this was not the senior year I expected, but I am thankful to be getting one.

Like myself, none of us expected 2020 to turn out this way. Making the return to normal has been a difficult road for us all, but I believe if we appreciate the little things and continue to practice social distancing and mask wearing, normal will be a little closer.

14 FEATURE

New Teachers Four new arrivals to CPHS staff this year and in-person classes this year.

“It’s really great to see the kids, whether in person or virtually, it’s Four new teachers have start- really great being in this environed their year at Crown Point High ment again,” Knazur said.

School. With the hybrid schedule Poponas, who had previously and online classes, all of the teachers taught for six years at Portage High new and old are adapting to the new School before coming to Crown way of teaching. One of these teach- Point, says she has known that she ers is new Spanish teacher Mary Po- wanted to be a teacher from a young ponas. age.

“The best part of my job is being “Ever since I was a little girl I able to see my students, even though knew I wanted to be a teacher and it’s two days a week,” Poponas said. I always loved languages and I was R o n d a always good at Waters teachthem so I just comes upperclassIt’s really great to bined the two,” Pomen chemistry see the kids, wheth- ponas said. and chemical Steven Bonner er in person or virtu- currently teaches physics. This is her ninth ally, it’s really great introduction to cuyear teaching, being in this envi- linary, college and but her first careers and interronment again. year teaching personal relationaway from ships.

However, Teacher Ashley Knazur Merrillville he has not always High School. taught these classes Waters notes some small differenc- in the past. es between her experiences at both “I was an English teacher for schools. seven years, but I always enjoyed “My colleagues are great and working in a restaurant. When there the kids are great. I have not been as was an opening here, I definitely stressed as maybe some of the other wanted to be in Crown Point,” Bonteachers are because I always had ner said. to create (lesson plans) myself and Bonner previously taught at here we share, so it’s been a lot bet- Hammond and Griffith High School ter,” Waters said. before coming to teach at Crown Due to the extreme increase in Point. Bonner believes that his fainterest in Spanish, CPHS has add- vorite part about teaching in Crown ed two more Spanish teachers to the Point is the locational closeness to staff, Ashley Knazur and Poponas. his family.

Both teachers teach Spanish one “For me, it’s working with my and Spanish two. Knazur previous- wife who’s next door and being at ly taught at Bishop Noll and Marion the same school corporation that my Catholic and is teaching both online kids are at,” Bonner said.

Steven Bonner FACS

BY EMILY BRISENO reporter

‘‘

Ashley Knazur Spanish

Mary Poponas Spanish

Ronda Waters Chemistry

INKLINGS

TikTok Fame

CPHS students gain large social media followings through TikTok

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief TikTok has slowly become one of the most-used social media apps in the world. The app is known for its unique videos on various topics such as dancing or a comedic video. There are a few Crown Point High School students who are “TikTok famous.” Many students scroll TikTok everyday to keep up with others. One of those students is junior Cristina Doty who has over 51 thousand followers.

“I first started posting videos in May of 2019, but I didn’t start gaining a lot until July of 2019. The video that ‘blew up’ you would say is of me and my friend trying to make desert food video and a lot of people ended up interacting with it and tried it themselves,” Doty said.

“During quarantine I had a lot of free time on my hands, I think I posted a fair amount of videos when I had nothing else to do, but on average my views were probably in 6,000 to 7,000. But the most viewed video I posted during quarantine was 1.5 million.”

Junior Seth VanDeel says he decided to begin his TikTok career after his sister Ellie Van Deel became very popular on the app. Van Deel, who has over 16 thousand followers, enjoys making videos with his friends.

“Most of my videos I have my friends and in some of them I have family in them. I don’t really like making them by myself,” VanDeel said. “It’s not really a huge deal to mean because I worry about school and working more. In my free time I try to make them. I haven’t thought much about what led me to it other than my sister Ellie VanDeel getting popular.”

Freshman Aleena Habib also has a fan base on TikTok and even has a video with over 3.1 million views.

Before TikTok, Habib says she started on the app Music. ly.

“I’ve been on TikTok long before it was even made.

I had it when it was called ‘Music.ly.’ I was only a 5th grader and I saw my friends doing it so I begged my mom to get it and I’ve had it since then. I started my platform in 2016 and in early 2019 I had around 2,700 followers. During February, one of my posts went viral and it gave me around 20,000 more followers,” Habib said.

Such an online presence does have its drawbacks

Junior Cristina Doty boasts a following of over 51 thousand on TikTok. Her posts mainly include dancing videos and comedy lip syncing.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CRISTINA DOTY

and can often be dangerous. Some parents may not feel comfortable with their children having such a huge following. Doty, Van Deel and Habib all said they feel safe and have boundaries between their personal and online life.

“My parents think it is actually really cool that I have such a big following, but to keep me safe they do watch and go over the things I post,” Doty said.

15

16 FEATURE

CPHS continues to host annual homecoming activities after canceling dance

BY OLIVIA HELMUTH MARY MARCINEK reporters Due to conflicts with social distancing guidelines, this year’s homecoming dance was canceled. However other homecoming festivities were still able to occur, with adjustments made to fit social distancing guidelines. One of these activities was the pep rally.

“The loss of an in person pep rally was huge,” said homecoming planner Colleen Fano, “it was very entertaining and a good way to get the whole school together. So, we made a video for the pep rally instead this year.”

The student council still continued the tradition of decorating the hallways, matching each class’s unique theme. To accommodate with social distancing guidelines, each class decorated individually throughout the day.

“Even though we only had an hour, the hallways were a success,” student body president Matt Gerona said. “I was impressed by how active everyone was. Everyone from the teacher sponsors to my fellow classmates were able to adapt pretty quickly, and the hallway decorating and parade went smoothly.”

Another annual tradition that still occurred was the parade. Multiple modifications were made, and some customs were removed.

“I definitely thought it was fun, but it was strange not walking with

a vehicle or being able to toss candy,” junior Mikenzie Lilley said, “I honestly loved walking in the parade because it made this year feel more normal, even if it was with masks and without floats.”

Along with the modification of traditional homecoming festivities, a new one was added. A tailgate was held before the game behind the fieldhouse.

“I thought the tailgate was lots of fun,” freshman Ethan Ogrentz said.

“The ice cream and hotdogs were great, and I got to catch up with some old friends that were there.”

The homecoming dance was cancelled entirely, meaning that the freshman class missed their first high school dance and the seniors

Princesses & Princes Freshmen Sage O’Brien Jack Svetich

Sophomores Ashlynn Yates Carlos Strong

lost their last homecoming. Freshman Ava Ziolkowski commented about her homecoming experience.

“Even though there was no dance, homecoming was still fun,” Ziolkowski said. “I think all the restrictions were necessary.”

Although 2020 Homecoming looked a lot different, CPHS students and staff had an overall positive and understanding outlook to the school’s resolutions.

“Homecoming is about school spirit, and we are an exceptional school,” Fano said.” We have the best students, the best teachers, and such a great community. The one thing that still holds true is that we still have school spirit and we are proud of who we are.”

Sophomore class student council members decorate a poster for their hallway decorations.

“We picked the (1920s) theme,’ sophomore class secretary Marianne Gerona said. “Most sophomores read the Great Gatsby, which takes place in the 1920s we thought we could implement that to our homecoming PHOTO PROVIDED

BY MATT GERONA

Senior Court * signifies winners

Juniors

Queen Nominees

King Nominees

Morgan Hawkins Jack Darlington

Taylor Gearheart Kylie Gurgevich Elise Hochbaum Isabella Mehok Grace Price*

Jared Hecimovich Felix Meeks* Connor Phutawon Jeremy Quasney Colin Ridgeway

INKLINGS

Q&A

17

with Homecoming Queen Grace Price and Homecoming King Felix Meeks

Q: A:

How did you feel the day of the homecoming game, and what were you the most anxious about?

“The day of the homecoming game I was so excited. Just knowing that we don’t have a dance yet I still get up to dress up. I really wasn’t nervous until I was walking onto the field and then I saw that so many people were staring at me.”

Grace Price (12)

“The day of homecoming I woke up and the first thing that was on my mind was the football game I had to play. My mindset was getting ready to play my last Homecoming game and to just go have fun. Once I got to school I realized that I was running for Homecoming king. I got even more excited but I knew what my main focus was.”

Senior Grace Price, accompanied by her parents, accepts the title of Homecoming Queen during halftime.

PHOTO BY GILLIAN GATLEY

Q: A:

Felix Meeks (12)

How did you feel after winning the title?

“Shocked. After they said my name, I heard nothing, everything went silent and it felt like a scene from a movie. I then felt really honored. Honored to see just how much I’ve grown and to feel liked.”

Grace Price (12)

“After winning the title, I was excited to get it but it also was halftime of the football game.

I couldn’t get carried away with being homecoming king just yet. There was still a lot to be done in that game.”

Q: A: Senior Felix Meeks and Senior Kelle Rirordan celebrate Meeks’ Homecoming King win after the game PHOTO PROVIDED BY GIANNA FANTIN

Felix Meeks (12)

How did you feel after winning the title?

“It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had.

Getting to be in the parade and hearing kids say I look like a princess. Having people come up to me after the game congratulating me was all just so nice and such a good experience.”

Grace Price (12)

“I just want to thank everyone for an amazing 4 years. I have had the best high school experience thus far. I could not have had a better way to end my high school career. Thank you CPHS.”

Felix Meeks (12)

18 FEATURE

MENTAL HEALTH the Silent PANDEMIC

Mental health, self-care resources available COVID-19 has produced unforeseeable consequences that have affected the world on a physical and mental scale. Mental health has been one of the aspects most affected this year by this global pandemic.

Mental health might be difficult for some to discuss because it is a personal topic, but, by talking about it, awareness can be raised.

Tina Fairbanks, a therapist at Crown Counseling, comments on the changes due to the coronavirus.

“The pandemic has created new daily operations for households. Changes with work, changes with school, heightened health concerns, social distancing, etc. have been disruptive to previous routines,” Fairbanks said. “Another impact I have seen is the overall sense of uncertainty and lack of control around the pandemic, which can be nerve-wrecking and challenging to accept.

I try to remind myself and others that we are all trying to figure this out together.”

Senior Heaven Plunkett is one of many who experienced the mental toll that isolation had on those in quarantine, which increased her worries an anxiety of contracting the virus in open places.

“At the beginning of the quarantine, I had a period of stress from all of the uncertainty and panic in the world. It was hard to manage the sudden changes of no longer being able to go to school, or even the grocery store. I was extremely concerned about my family contracting the virus,” Plunkett said.

Jamie Monday, Crown Point High School’s LMHC Social/Emotional Counselor, believes that isolation is one of the biggest factors that can affect students’ mental health.

“I think the isolation, not being able to connect with their friends and see their friends, I think the lack of routine also was hard for some students. As much as

BY ROSALIE DEGENHART ABBY GODSEN assisstant editors we don’t like to come to school and do the same thing each day, it is healthy for us to have some consistency, so I think that really threw people off,” Monday said.

Throughout Fairbanks’ practice, she

Senior Matt Gerona destresses by riding his bike, he takes various routes when riding.

PHOTO BY ROSALIE DEGENHART

has seen a few common mental health struggles among teens, but they can be hard to identify.

“Some common mental health struggles in high school students may include anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression can be tricky because sometimes they disguise themselves in less familiar or obvious symptoms/behaviors,” Fairbanks said.

These mental struggles have most likely increased during quarantine, as well as with the new hybrid school schedule this

first quarter. Senior Anthony Saberniak comments on how these factors have affected his mental health.

“I think a lot of what I’ve been feeling lately is a mixture of boredom, not being able to see my friends as much, and fear of the virus. A lot of what we are all currently dealing with is unknown, and unknown things are scary to deal with.

Adding schoolwork online instead of real, in-person learning definitely worsened my mood,” Saberniak said.

Plunkett has also noticed how e-learning has affected her mental health..

“Going back to school has been the hardest thing to re-adjust to. I feel like I’m not really connecting with my teachers and classmates like I once did. I’ve had small depressive episodes over the weeks, and it seems as though I won’t be able to fully adjust until we, maybe, go back to school full time. I also think my sleep schedule could be affecting my mood, as I go from sleeping at 5 a.m. when not at school to waking up at 5 a.m. on school days. My brain just feels burned out,” Plunkett said.

When it comes to feeling depleted of motivation of lack of productivity, Monday agrees that teenagers must take breaks when feeling unmotivated.

“I know that can be really hard for kids to just feel motivated or wanting to be productive when you’re at home or you’ve been doing it for so long that your brain starts to lose focus or concentration, so I think taking breaks, allowing yourself to take these breaks, and I also think there is a huge importance in getting outside and experiencing fresh air and just nature,” Monday said.

Taking such breaks and focusing on one’s mental health is always important, especially in a time of social distancing and decreased motivation.

“Self-care is so important. With the

INKLINGS

chaos life brings it’s easy to put ourselves and our mental health last. Selfcare can look different for everyone but the most important and universal factor about it is intentionality. You have to make it a priority as you would homework, going to practice, or going to work,” Fairbanks said.

Saberniak takes time for himself through meditation, which helps him destress.

“I’ve started meditating for 15 minutes a day. I know it sounds strange at first, but after a couple of weeks of doing it daily, I feel a lot more relaxed and less stressed out about my schoolwork,” Saberniak said.

Monday urges students to always find time to focus on their mental health.

“You really have to put some responsibility on teenagers to be more intentional and responsible about taking care of themselves . . . . when you’re home more often you kind of have to be the one to initiate that,” Monday said.

Now, in this uncertain yet evolving time, discussing mental health may be a sensitive subject, but it is first step in helping those who struggle with feelings such as depression, anxiety, and isolation.

19

Junior Sarah Gardiner practices skin as a part of her self-care routine.

PHOTO BY ROSALIE DEGENHART

What factors, if any, have affected your mental health in the past six months?

Social restrictions

What are some common feelings you have felt in the past six months?

Other 2.5% Depression Stress 13.2% 19.9%

120

Masks 28 Anxiety 18.9%

120

School Worries of getting sick 37 Boredom

104 Other 35

Hopeless 10.1%

Out of 178 students polled.

Students were eligible to select mulitiple responses.

Anger 11.2%

Isolation 18.9%

Fear 9.7%

20 SPORTS

Volleyball looks forward to postseason

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief

Junior Kendall Schara serves during the Sept. 24 match against Lake Central. The Lady Bulldogs won the match 3-0.

PHOTO BY GILLIAN GATLEY

Volleyball Statistics:

24 3 -

ranked

4

record th

in state*

Ranked 17th nationally* *rankings/stats per Maxpreps

After reaching the semistate against Hamilton Southeastern and losing a year ago, the Bulldogs volleyball team has played three quarters of their matches in the regular season reaching a 24-3 record.

According to Maxpreps they are a top five team in Indiana and a top twenty team in the nation. Junior Kendall Schara says that coach Alison Duncan tells them to focus on the game, not the rankings.

“Coach Duncan really makes sure to keep us in check.

When we are not as focused at practice or while we lift, she makes sure to get us in line so we can get the most out of practice. In the beginning of the season, she would tell us to think of Hamilton Southeastern and what we needed to do to beat them. Now, since we fell short to Laporte the first time we played them, she reminds us about what we can do to beat them,” Schara said.

Coach Duncan believes her team is special and works on the little things at practice everyday.

“We just try to focus on the little things. I also tell them to be humble and kind on a daily basis. Any team can lose on any day. We work to make sure that it isn’t us that takes the loss,” Duncan said.

Senior Erica Packwood

Total

Rest of team 34%

says practices are intense and she would follow Duncan’s workouts over the summer.

“We are focused at the task at hand and it helps that we get along. Practices are pretty intense and we are held to a pretty high standard,” Packwood said. “Over the summer I ran a lot and I did my club workouts that my coach set up for us. We would have zoom meetings and Duncan gave us workouts to do over COVID and we all came into the first day of practice ready to go.”

Duncan’s team has state aspirations and only has three total seniors. But, the team is on the way to a better winning percentage than last year.

“We are actually a very young team. We only have 3 seniors. The majority of our team consists of juniors. Sometimes this leads to inconsistency, however we have worked through those issues,” Duncan said. “It makes me feel great, but our program is always about the postseason. Wins help build confidence, but you never know what will happen at the end of a season. We are working really hard to keep playing volleyball.”

The volleyball team has only three matches until postseason play. They play Portage and Michigan City next week.

They look to get back to the semistate or even the state finals during the postseason.

Kendall Schara 27%

team

kills

Lily Stoddard 16%

Erica Packwood 24%

INKLINGS

21

Seniors Bock, Simmons, and Saberniak lead the way for new cross country coach Erik Forehand

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor There has been a big transition for the boys cross country team, both coaching wise and runner wise. The name Geno Christifonelli has dominated the high school cross country world for the past four years, but his graduation left a void as the star on the team. Senior Quinton Bock stepped up. The captain of the team has a lot on his plate, but is ready to lead the team.

“It feels different (without Geno) but it’s not a bad thing.

My goal is to help lead the team as our number one runner, not only as our top guy but as a captain,” said Bock.

Bock isn’t the only one stepping up to a leadership role. The retirement of former head coach Keith Iddings left another piece of the cross country team that needed to be worked on. The person to take the wheel was Erik Forehand, who is interested in taking the team in a new direction, and while his approach is different, he doesn’t want to take all the credit of the team’s success.

“A tremendous amount of credit goes to Coach Iddings for having the program in such a great spot when retiring,” Forehand said. “Coach Iddings and I collaborated really well together over the last few years and thankfully, even though he retired, he still continues to follow the team closely. I am never hesitant to get his thoughts as he is one of the best coaches the state has ever had and will certainly end up in the Hall of Fame.”

Athletes are often times hesitant to buy into a new coach’s plan, but there is no lack of trust in this new sys-

Senior Cole Simmons runs the La Porte Invitational at Kessling Park on August 22. Simmons looks to be a big contributor in the postseason.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JANIS NUNEZ

tem. Forehand used to be the head coach of Wheeler middle schools cross country team, so some of these athletes have been working with the coach for over six years.

“I have been working with Cole, Quinton, Matt, and Sebastian since 6th Grade,” Forehand said. “I am very fortunate to have those guys leading our team. It’s a rare opportunity for a coach to work with athletes for seven straight years and see them mature and improve in everything they do.”

Bock is one of the athletes who has already been coached

by Forehand, and he sees the relationship he has built with Forehand to be very valuable.

“It’s been really helpful to know the main coach just because we work pretty well together and he knows us really well. The trust really comes in handy when you get to the race because he knows what we can handle at certain parts of the race and we know that he knows how hard we can go,” said Bock.

Even the underclassmen seem to appreciate the new approach that Forehand has brought to the table.

“Forehand definitely doesn’t do speeches for an hour like coach Iddings did, not that it was a bad thing, but we’ve been doing the same practices and training, although speed workouts are now on a more hilly course and we focus more on paces then we did before,” said sophomore Nathan Murphy.

Even with these changes, the team has faired well, and Forehand is cautiously optimistic toward the possibility of success in the postseason.

“Our team is working towards winning the DAC championship, sectionals, regionals, and semi-state. We do not want to lose the rest of the season, but also understand the top teams in the state are also the top teams in the country and will be tough to beat if we advance to the state meet. Many in the area may consider us the team to beat, however, we will need to stay very focused and healthy in order for these things to happen,” Forehand said.

Bock is also excited and hopeful to win a title his final year running for the high school.

“I have enjoyed being a leader of the team and having the guys look up to not only me but the other seniors. It’s just fun because we know that it is all our last season and we know it’s going to be a good one,” Bock said.

The boys’ next meet will be the Duneland Athletic Conference meet and will be held in La Porte. After the DAC meet, they will go into the postseason with sectionals at Hebron High School.

22 SPORTS

The Bulldogs defense lines up for a play against the Portage Indians on homecoming night, the bulldogs won the game 24-21 PHOTO BY GILLIAN GATLEY

Football team prepares for game against La Porte

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief The Bulldogs football team has opened up a 3-2 record through five games. They opened up the season where they were shut out against Lowell 6-0. Since then, the offense has scored a touchdown in every single game.

Starting quarterback Will Pettit has worked on his training and consistency in the offseason with coach Kevin Enright had nothing but praise for the senior quarterback.

“The quarterback position is the most complex position in all of sports. There is a reason successful quarterbacks are the highest paid in professional football and I’m not sure if there is another position in sports where the psychological demands are greater,” Enright said. “Will has accepted the challenges the position demands and will continue to grow. He has a strong understanding of what we’re trying

to do and with the help of his teammates, we will be successful as we move through the heart of our tough Duneland Conference schedule.”

Pettit says he worked on his throwing technique in the offseason and that Enright during the week helps break the film down to draw up a game plan during the week.

“Over the offseason I went to work on my throwing motion in trying to make it more fluent without a hitch. This has allowed me to get more carry on my ball,” Pettit said. “When watching film with Coach Enright on the opposing team we first identify the opposing defense’s tendencies. We look at what coverage they play against different formations and in different down and distances.

Coach builds the game plan for the week off of that. When and where they like to blitz from is included in that. We also like to look at the other team’s personnel and see if we can find any weak links to take advantage of

on their defense.”

The term “defense wins championships” is a term widely used in the sport of football.

The Bulldogs have allowed only 15.2 points per game according to Maxpreps; the Bulldogs have allowed the fourth fewest points in the Duneland Athletic Conference, behind Merrillville, Valparaiso and Michigan City. Senior linebacker Reilly Granger has taken a leadership role on the defense and loves to help the younger guys learn.

“It’s been really tough to get a good grip on a lot of the younger guys with the shortened season and summer practices but by leading by example and going one hundred percent every practice I feel like the other seniors and I have gotten our message across,” Granger said. “Our defense is consistent every year, we always do a phenomenal job playing the run which leaves many teams unable to move the ball well on us. We are in a lot of different zones throughout each game

but we love to send blitzes to apply pressure on their quarterback.”

Senior Matthew Walters leads the way for running backs with 646 yards, 6.6 yards per carry and five touchdowns.

Most of his production came against Highland where he had 321 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

The Bulldogs did not play last week on the road in Valparaiso due to coronavirus concerns. They play the 1-5 Slicers this Friday in Laporte. Coach Enright believes the team needs to come together before their next road matchup.

“No question, they’re an experienced and formidable opponent, especially on the road. We’ll need to come together as a group, display incredible focus, play with great emotion, and most importantly, trust each other through the difficult times. If we accomplish these things, we’ll be extremely pleased with the outcomes,” Enright said.

INKLINGS

23

Delaney Adams leads team to state meet

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor After rolling past sectionals and placing third in their regionals, the girls golf team is preparing themselves for State.

Leading the team is senior Delaney Adams, who has been playing varsity golf her entire high school career. She is prepared to use her experience to help lead her team to success in her final high school golf tournament.

“As a senior, I am just trying to show the team everything I have learned. I have played all the courses we have played this year plenty of times. So, I am able to give them tips on where to land their ball. Also, since I have two state appearances under my belt I am able to show them how to handle the pressure,” Adams said.

Adams has not always been a golfer, in fact, she was an avid softball player until around six years ago, when she began to transition to golf. According to her, she worked hard over the offseason to improve her game.

“I have been playing golf for about six years now. I played softball all my life and then just slowly transitioned into golf.

I started taking it seriously freshman year.

Becoming a successful golfer isn’t something that just happens overnight. It takes a lot of practice physically and mentally.

You have to know your game to post a low score,” Adams said.

Even with all the experience she has gained, Adams still finds things that she needs to work on. This year she made it a point to make sure that she was in the right headspace to compete at a high level.

“This year I have improved my mental game a lot. I know what I want to do with each shot I hit, and where I want to go with it. Also, I have gained a lot of experience over the years, and that really allows me to have an advantage over some of the other players,” Adams said.

But Adams doesn’t stop there, according to assistant coach Johanna Hess, her leadership qualities are also a great asset to the team.

“Delaney is a great leader. She is very positive with her teammates and she’s very supportive of her teammates and that’s all you can ask for in a senior,” Hess said.

The girls golf team poses with the sectional trophy, the girls won their sectionals with a team score of 347 on Sept. 18 PHOTO PROVIDED BY BELLA WEISS

Junior Valentina Gozo is another varsity golfer, and according to her, Adams has helped her adopt a great mental state during games.

“I have learned from Delaney how to not put too much pressure on myself during a match and how to make our season more enjoyable,” Gozo said.

Adams also values her leadership skills on the team. According to her, one of the biggest goals she set out was to lead her team.

“My personal goals heading into this season was to be a good leader for my team and to share my experience with the younger players. I really just wanted the best for my team so I tried to be the best version of me for the team,” Adams said.

This determined work ethic helped lead the team to their second sectional title in the last two years. According to Hess, even though the gap in the score between first place Crown point and second place Lake Central was over 20 strokes, there was never room to doubt the opposition.

“After sectionals yeah we were really excited to win the sectional we have some

tough competition with Lake Central and Munster for sure so nothing is ever a given in golf but we were really happy with how we played that day and it was great to go back to back with sectional wins,” Hess said.

Even with the success that the team has had so far, Adams has made a point to work on things as they come.

“Our team’s goals heading into this season were to work as hard as we can and win tournaments. We really never thought too far ahead, and just took it one tournament at a time,” Adams said.

With this mentality, Adams helped bring her team to state. As the team gears up for the state tournament, Hess is optimistic, but not ready to let off of the gas just because they reached state.

“In golf I think there is always something that could be better, but I think cohesively we did what we needed to get to state and we are excited to be going for the third year in a row,” Hess said.

The girls compete in the state tournament on Oct. 2 and 3 at Prairie View Golf Club.

24 SPORTS

Top scorers Kristian Simakoski and Hayden Eaton aim to continue scoring heading into sectional tournament

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor The Crown Point boy’s soccer team has scored 41 goals so far this season, averaging 3.7 goals per game according to MaxPreps.

This goal-scoring record can be attributed to the top goalscorers: senior Hayden Eaton and senior Kristian Simakoski.

For Simakoski, scoring was always his goal for this season.

“My personal goal was to score double digits goals this year,” Simakoski said. “I did it last year and I wanted to do it again. It means so much to me that I helped the team out a tremendous amount by scoring

goals.”

Simakoski’s prolific goal-scoring currently places him as the fifth highest goal scorer in the Duneland Athletic Conference. Just above him in fourth place is Eaton, who currently has twelve goals in eleven games.

“I like having chances to score and get us a goal,” Eaton said. “I know what I want to do with the ball when I get it. That’s the best quality of my game: thinking on the ball.”

While Eaton identifies thinking as his best quality, Simakoski chooses his 6’5’ stature.

“My best quality is definitely my height ad-

vantage because it makes it easier to score headers and I’m a very big threat

Team Stats: Record 10-3-2

Goals per game 3.7 Goals against average 1.00 when we have set pieces or corners,” Simakoski said. “But I’m a versatile player. It’s not all about

my hold up play and getting crosses, I feel like this year my passing has gotten better and I am helping other players get more involved.”

Getting all of the players involved is important to coach Michael Bazin, who highlights the competitiveness of the team.

“We have a lot of competitive players on the team,” Bazin said.

“Those that usually start know there is another player that can take their spot. We have a lot of talent on our team. There is not a position on the field that I don’t believe we have one of the best players in the area playing there.”

The high praise from Bazin equates to high expectations.

“The team’s goals for the season are to go into every game with the expectation to win and to build consistency with our effort throughout the season,” Bazin said.

“We are the only ones that knock ourselves out of the postseason.”

These goals are echoed by Eaton.

“I see this team going far in the postseason if we work hard together as a team,” Eaton said.

The team will have a chance to showcase their hard work in their upcoming game at home against Culver Academies on Oct. 3.

Jaelyn Burgos enters final year of high school cross country; aims to break personal record and reach state

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor While the end of the girl’s cross country season approaches, so does the end of some high school careers.

This is true for senior Jaelyn Burgos, a threetime state-qualifier who is just a few meets away from running her last high school race. However, Burgos is not focused on the end, she is focused on her goals.

“I want to break my personal record again and make all-state,” Burgos said. “I also want to go to state as a team

and have fun doing it.”

Fun is something that Burgos wants to put extreme emphasis on this season. According to her, having too much

because all the pressure would not let me have fun with it anymore like I used to. It made me lose sight of how much I love the sport,” Burgos

Team Results

SECOND

Fourth at Crown Fourth at Laporte Invite

Point Invite

pressure and not enough fun in past seasons is one of her regrets.

“I regret putting too much pressure on myself

at Rudy Skorupa Invite

said. “Pressure motivates me to do better but in the right amount. My coaches only put pressure on me just because

they know what I can do. So it’s kind of like I have confidence youknow-what-you-can-do kind of pressure. If I put too much pressure on myself I overthink and I race horribly.”

Overthinking and self-doubt are common challenges that cross country athletes face, but coach Allison Florek hopes she can teach her team to overcome those challenges.

“Running is a team sport, but it is also very personal,” Florek said.

“Each athlete has to continuously challenge herself to be better for

herself and for her teammates. As a team, we need to believe in ourselves and constantly be willing to challenge our limitations. We need to be confident in our abilities. It is so easy to let self-doubt creep in while running. It is a mental and physical struggle, and I hope our athletes end the season feeling proud of their accomplishments.”

The girl’s cross country team will be able to test their confidence in their upcoming DAC championships meet at LaPorte High School on Oct. 3.

INKLINGS

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Girls soccer uses innovative training methods to prepare for upcoming Sectional game against Lake Central

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor With the regular season coming to a close, the girls soccer team has been working hard to get ready to compete for a sectional championship. While the players are working hard, head coach Chris Mikrut is becoming creative in his approach with training. Instead of having a normal training session, Mikrut set up what he calls a “boot camp” full of obstacle courses to push the girls to work together and work hard.

“The game against Kankakee Valley got canceled, so we had like three days and the choice to give the kids a day off or change it up and do something fun,” Mikrut said. “They met up at the school, ran over

to my house and I had a whole course set up there for them.

It was awesome because I live off a big road and people are driving by and wondering what these kids are doing carrying medicine balls over their head.”

Record

9-

4-

1

laughing, and cheering for each other and it was just to do something that’s different. I mean five years from now they aren’t gonna remember the practice where they’re out there kicking a ball around, they’re gon-

Team Stats:

Top scorers and top assisters

9

8

Zoey Wells: goals assists Emma Adams: goals assists

According to Mikrut, this wasn’t just about physical conditioning, he wanted to give the girls something to remember, and ultimately help build friendships.

“It was just to change it up and I thought the girls took it seriously, they were having fun,

8

5

na remember running around and doing fun stuff like this,” Mikrut said.

Junior Emma Adams has seen the team miss out on chances before and is working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“We are definitely wanting

to secure the title of sectional champions since we’ve fallen short in the years prior. I hope we can make it happen. We practice five days a week and some girls are there both before and after to get more touches on the ball and sharpen up the little things,” Adams said.

Mikrut is confident in the teams ability to compete for the sectional title.

“My hopes for the team is to win a Sectional title, and hopefully even a Regional title,” Mikrut said. “We have been cut short of sectionals the past few years, and I believe it is well within our grasp this year. I even have faith to be able to do well in regionals.”

In order to progress in sectionals, the girls have to beat Lake Central on Oct. 6.

New coach Davis happy with how team is competing

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor As the boys tennis team inches closer to sectionals every day, the team is excited and ready to work and overcome the challenge of postseason play.

“Our goal for this year is to first win sectionals, and then to win regionals this year. We are going to get there by working hard and playing as a team because we will need everyone to

BULLDOG breakdown

contribute to win,” junior Joseph Phillips said.

Senior captain Imran Mihas is determined to win regionals, and plans to get there by leading his team work hard every single practice.

“Our main goal as a team is to deliver a sectional title, and then continue to compete at a high level. We make it a point to push each in practice to improve by inches each day so that we are better by miles than our opponents on game day,”

Boys soccer

TOP

goal scorers Hayden Eaton

12 10

goals

Kristian Simakoski goals

Mihas said.

This year the team got a new head coach, Carl Davis.

Davis was a coach for Hobart’s tennis team before the move.

Last year the team won sectionals, but ended up losing to Munster in the regional finals, the two teams have become a regularity in the regional competition, and this year Davis is hopeful that his team will come out on top.

“We are extremely strong at one and two doubles, this is

Girl’s Golf

Regional

performance

team 347 overall score 3rd place overall

83

best individual score

where we can definitely make some inroads. Munster is definitely strong at one and two singles, and they are a good team without question, but if we are gonna have a shot our doubles are probably where we get something done,” Davis said.

Sectionals are being held at Crown Point this year. The boys had a bye in the first round of sectionals. In the second round of sectionals they will play the Lake Central Indians on today, Oct. 2.

Football

Offensive Performance

per 15.6 points game yards 243.8 offensive per game

26 ENTERTAINMENT

INREVIEW

BY AUBREY BANKS reporter

Locke & Key Season One This Netflix series, which stars the Locke family and their creepy mansion, is perfect for whoever loves fantasy and mystery. The Locke family move into their mansion after their father was murdered, not knowing about the magical keys that are hidden inside the house. This show is planned to have two seasons so far and is great for anyone who enjoys the intense feeling of wondering what’s going to happen next.

Unsolved Mysteries Season One This mysteries series goes into detail of the many confusing and unsolved mysteries. The directors do a great job covering the mystery and go into detail about what might have happened.

This is perfect for anyone who doesn’t mind a bit of graphic content and loves mysteries.

Smoothie King opens new establishment in Crown Point

BY MARY MARCINEK reporter After many envious years of watching neighboring cities enjoy Smoothie King, Crown Point has finally gained one of its own. I had to visit and see if the excitement was well-deserved.

Of course, Smoothie King is known for its variety of delicious smoothies, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how wide the variety was. There’s a whopping total of eightyeight blends, consisting of twenty-eight fitness blends, twenty slim blends, seventeen wellness blends, seventeen break-time blends, and six kids blends, all with options of including additional nutrition enhancers. Though the menu was overwhelming, I decided on trying two different smoothies: the “Slim-N-Trim Chocolate” and “Pure Recharge Pineapple.”

Each 20 oz smoothie was $5.29, which is a little pricey. The expense is likely due to the price of ingredients used in each blend, such as proteins, vitamins, and tea. Despite the

cost, I did like both smoothies. I personally enjoyed the “Pure Recharge Pineapple” more than the “Slim-N-Trim Chocolate” because I could really taste the authenticity of the blended fruit, whereas the chocolate smoothie tasted slightly more artificial. Although, I would definitely get either of these smoothies again. The uniqueness in the blend of ingredients for each smoothie was very interesting, for each flavor had a specific combination of ingredients for not only flavor, but nutritional enhancement.

In terms of recommendation, Smoothie King should definitely be given a try. I’m sure anyone who is a fan of Key Nutrition or Generation Nutrition would also enjoy Smoothie King, as the prices of protein shakes at these locations are around the same price as Smoothie King’s smoothies. Personally, I wouldn’t routinely go to Smoothie King because of its high prices, but it is a great option for the occasional treat. The diverse menu has something for everyone, and it’s absolutely worth a visit.

Taylor Swift surprises fans with unexpected release of “Folklore”

INKLINGS

27

BY OLIVIA HELMUTH reporter The release of “folklore” was a shock to many, with no advertising or promotional material. The album debuted July 24, selling 1.3 million copies on the first day. All of the album’s songs are in a lyrical/ country style reminiscent of Swift’s older music but with mature lyrics and depth. And every song has its own unique story to tell, some of Swift’s childhood memories and others of her current struggles as an artist.

The most popular songs from folklore are “cardigan,” “exile,”,and “the 1,”all three are about relationships. “Cardigan” is about looking back at the comfort and pain in a lost relationship. “Exile,” featuring Bon Iver, is about miscommunication in relationships.“The 1” tells the story of how a relationship could’ve been. Many of Swift’s most popular songs have been about relationships, such as “Love Story” from Fearless and “Blank Space” from 1989. However, this album has much more to offer than just love songs.

Many of the songs in “folklore” are conceptual, however songs like “the last great American dynasty,” “mirrorball,” and “seven” deal with Swift’s personal life struggles. “The last great American dynasty” tells the story of Swift’s holiday

home in Rhode Island and it’s previous owner, Rebekah.

“Mirrorball” exhibits Swift’s frustration with constantly having to reinvent herself as a female artist. “Seven” tells the story of Swift’s long forgotten childhood friend. All three songs are incredibly underrated compared to bigger hits on the album like “cardigan” and “the 1.”

Some of the more conceptual pieces from the album

include “this is me trying” and “hoax”. Both songs cover depression, something that has gained more relevance over the past few months. “This is me trying” is about accepting fault for relationship issues and making an effort to repair them. “Hoax,” the final song in “folklore,” is about clinging onto a hopeless situation. Both songs are very calming but sad to listen to, which is most likely why they aren’t the most

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This new update on Apple phones gives the option of changing app backgrounds and home screen design. Being able to redesign the way certain things look is a main part of the fun.

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popular of the album.

“Folklore” has a unique philosophical and nostalgic feel to it, and Swift’s amazing storytelling ability contributes to its complexity. Her relatability humanizes her, and “folklore” is great to listen to in any mood at any time.

There is a sense of mystical vulnerability to this album, and it’s a beautiful display of how much Swift has grown as both a writer and a person.

Difficulty Falling Asleep It is the most horrible feeling when you are in bed and just can’t sleep.

The worst part is you have school tomorrow morning, and your brain just doesn’t want to relax.

28 ENTERTAINMENT

Umbrella Academy’s second season retelling of show’s first season

BY TREVOR FRAHM reporter Amongst the seemingly endless stream of Netflix originals, The Umbrella Academy has cemented itself as a fan favorite. Taking a more pessimistic approach to the premise of children superheroes, the first season of the show focused on a dysfunctional family all broken by the pressure of being a hero and the effects of their powers.

With an engaging plot and interesting character dynamic, the first season laid good groundwork for the second season, as it left viewers with a cliffhanger ending.

Umbrella Academy’s second season is undeniably a well crafted story that maintains the original draw of the show. It continues to expand upon the complex character dynamics set in its first season. In addition, it introduces new complex characters while also tying up loose plot threads from the first season in a satisfying way. Along with answering questions from the first season it also creates mysteries to be solved in later seasons.

Season two also featured a slight shift in tone from the first season leaving some of the more darker and pessimistic aspects behind for a lot more comedy and a much more lighthearted conclusion.

Though plenty of praise can be said about the second season, there

were some obvious problems. The season began with a time skip that served as a narrative reset and then continued to remake the first season.

Which leads to the main problem of season two: it retreads the exact plot of season one. It keeps the premise of The Umbrella Academy being split up and having to reunite to save the world within a strict time frame while being hunted by time traveling assassins even though they just tied up most of these plot threads at the end of season one.

Even individual character arcs stay the same.

Diego is still playing superhero, Klaus is still avoiding responsibilities, is still pining over Alison and Alison still is struggling with the terrifying moral implications of her powers. This creates a sense that the entire first season was pointless plot wise because nothing was really resolved.

Although it does have its flaws, season two was still fun to watch. It might not have been as ground breaking or intense as it’s predecessor but it was enjoyable and attention grabbing throughout and ended on a note a lot less depressing than the end of the world but possibly just as interesting. Season two might have had it’s narrative shortcomings but still holds the charm of the first season and is a must-see for fans of The Umbrella Academy.

Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe revives fan base

BY EMILY BRISENO reporter

Phineas and Ferb have always been the main characters of their show while Candace has gotten less of the spotlight. In Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe it shows a place of family togetherness, but not just blood related family.

Candace was taken by aliens back to their planet where she felt like the “chosen one” and was treated like the planet’s queen until she realized the aliens’ motive. The movie dedicated tiny parts to their fans by adding things from the show. The song “Chop Away at my Heart” is from the Phineas and Ferb spin-off show and was briefly heard in the movie.

The Phineas and Ferb fan base has mostly grown up watching all of the previous TV show episodes.

Including the same characters as the show, such as Phineas and Ferb’s friends Baljeet, Isabella and Buford helped to give the nostalgic feeling of watching the TV show. Other characters such as Candace’s boyfriend Jeremy and her friend Stacy also give the audience a better look at Candace’s everyday life. The movie was made to feel like a longer version of a TV episode rather than a completely new concept.

Perry the Platypus always has a mission to complete in the TV show, and he was not forgotten in the movie. Perry had to remain unseen due to Phineas and Ferb’s involvement, but still managed to help the main characters in any way possible. Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his daughter Vanessa both made an appearance in the movie. Unlike in the show, Doofenshmirtz doesn’t spend any time fighting against Perry or showing his new inventions, as instead the movie mentioned prior inventions Doofenshmirtz made in the TV show.

An interesting part of the movie is when the creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh pause to

INKLINGS

29

INSIDER PICKS BEST APP Flora app It sets a timer for an amount of time to stay off of your phone.

This is a good app to have to help with time management and taking time away from social media.

BEST FOLLOW @BobbyDukeArts He is an artist who also makes primarily sculptures on YouTube.

On his Twitter as well as on his YouTube he has a very quirky sense of humor. .

BEST TWEETS “Rick Riordan could write the Odyssey and the Iliad but Homer could not write the Percy Jackson series”

senior Aiden Gregg @ aidanjgregg

show their thinking process behind how they decided on what to put into the film.

With lots of songs and small musical numbers, this movie is perfect for any age. The movie is a Disney original that can only be watched on Disney+ and is rated G. It is around an hour and a half long, so it’s a great movie to watch in a short amount of time.

The movie is both equally fun and quirky. Candace is constantly trying to find her purpose throughout the movie. Once she realizes that her brothers are always on her side, she decides to not bust them and ends up having fun with them.

The movie is overall an excellent example of how friends and family can band together to take on anything the universe throws at them.

“listening to hamilton on shuffle is such a gamble. was just enjoying guns and ships for its quiet uptown to come on and ruin the whole vibe”

junior Rachel Florkiewicz @ rachelflorkie

30 PEOPLE

Secondary teacher of the year Ashley Cosme, stands in front of Isla del Espiritu Santo, the island in which stayed with the 10 other teachers.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ASHLEY COSME

Secondary Teacher of the Year travels to Mexico for teacher workshop, makes connections with other U.S

BY ROSALIE DEGENHART assisstant editor Amidst the chaos and uncertainty that was brought with the quarantine last spring, Crown Point Community School Corporation was still able to select their teachers of the year. Science teacher Ashley Cosme was named Crown Point’s secondary teacher of the year this past August.

“I felt very honored because there’s so many amazing teachers at the high school,” Cosme said when asked what the award meant to her. “I felt very grateful that the administration and my fellow teachers and my students felt that I was that caliber of a teacher. So, it was an amazing feeling knowing that I am making a difference and that somebody noticed. It’s almost reassurance that what I’m doing in the classroom is changing student’s lives and they’re leaving my classroom with either lab skills, life skills; they’re leaving my classroom a better person, whether it’s academically, mentally.”

Beyond earning the honorable award of secondary teacher of the year, Cosme attended a teacher workshop this summer.

“I went to a teacher workshop where they chose ten teachers in the United States.

We all came from different backgrounds, different subjects; it wasn’t just science teachers, and we were put on an island in

Mexico. No one knew each other before this, we hadn’t even spoken, and, like I said, it was very diverse, from elementary to high school to a college professor,” Cosme said.

PHOTO PROVIDED

BY ASHLEY COSME

All the participants, including Cosme, were put on Isla del Espiritu Santo with no electricity or running water. They learned about different ways to help their students cope when they are in stressful circumstances. Everyday involved two “energizers.” “(An energizer) was just an activity that would bring all of us together,” Cosme said. “Some of the activities were physical activities, some of them there were people crying at the end because it would really pull out not even just your passion for teaching, but we just got to know each

other so well and all of our life struggles.”

Cosme is hoping to implement “energizers” with her students this year. Especially this year with everyone wearing a mask, “no one talks, and I just need more energy in the classroom and I want them to feel comfortable,” Cosme said.

Through her experiences from the workshop, Cosme said that she learned many skills.

“I took so many amazing things away from that workshop because sometimes our kids come into our classrooms, even in my classroom, and they feel like they’re on an island,” Cosme said.

Along with the classroom workshopping, Cosme swam with wild sea lions and whale sharks. However, the connections she made with people is what she will remember the most.

“I always thought I was made for nature, but when you have two little ones that are thousands of miles away, and you have no cell phone, you have no electricity, there was a lot of anxiety, but the connections I made with people, we were just uplifting each other,” Cosme said. “Everyone had their own struggles, but everyone also brought something amazing to the workshop. The best takeaway was the relationships that I made and the connections that I made with other teachers around the United States.”

INKLINGS

CRAZY about CROCS Senior Riley MacDonald obsessed with crocs, owns 21 pairs

BY ABBY GODSEN assisstant editor There has been an abundance of different fashion trends that have resurfaced and come into popularity.

Some of these trends being scrunchies, hydroflasks and crocs which have made a resurgence. Senior, Riley MacDonald has been collecting crocs for the past few years.

“I got my first pair of white crocs when they became ‘popular’ again a couple years ago. Ever since my first pair I always wanted more colors. In my opinion crocs are so comfortable and easy to just slip on and go,” MacDonald said, “currently I own 21 pairs of crocs.”

The quantity of crocs MacDonald owns often sparks curiosity in her peers.

“Everytime I have a friend over they see my crocs and they always say something about how many pairs I have. My family always jokes and says that I should become a croc ambassador because of my obsession,” MacDonald said.

One would think it would be difficult for Macdonald to pick a favorite pair of crocs, but MacDonald admits that among her extensive collection there is one pair that stands out to her.

“My favorite pair of crocs are my blue glitter crocs.

Every time I wear them someone has something good to say about them. I’ve never seen anyone wearing them before so they are definitely my most unique pair,” MacDonald said.

Crocs are not only a fashion trend for MacDonald but also functional because of her second year at her summer job as a lifeguard, “They are also great for my job. I work as a lifeguard at a Deep River Waterpark during the summer, and most of the lifeguards that work there wear crocs.

They are great shoes to wear around water. [They are] Easy to take on and off for our rotations and can easily put them into ‘sports mode’ if needed at work,” MacDon ald said.

Crocs are something MacDonald has no intention to stop collecting anytime soon, and still loves the variety.

“Yes I will continue to collect crocs. I just love the different styles of crocs and how comfortable they are as well as easy to get on my feet. I definitely can see myself purchasing more crocs,” MacDonald said.

Senior Riley MacDonald (left) poses with seniors Hannah Watson (middle) and Kate Michaels (left), showing off their crocs before the tournabout 2020.

Macdonald currently owns 21 pairs of crocs, her blue glitter crocs being her favorite

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY RILEY MACDONALD

31

Student SPOTLIGHT FRESHMAN

Zoe Slavena Q. What were you most looking forward to starting school?

A. This is a hard question, I think I was looking forward to my new electives and new opportunities. I chose journalism and French as my electives.

Q. What are some hobbies you have gotten into since the spring?

A. I haven’t really started any new hobbies I have stuck to old ones like reading, I write, and I also do softball. I play pretty much anywhere but currently I am a catcher. I haven’t been a catcher in a long time so this is kind of like a new experience.

Q. What have you missed or been unable to do?

A. I have to say I miss my friends. Being in yellow I don’t get to see them as much And with my softball team we started late due to COVID. In March, I was not able to go back to my old team that was Crown Point Crush. I now play for Instant Karma.

Q. What is something you have been doing now that many places are open to the public?

A. I haven’t been doing much. I am not allowed to leave much due to COVID. My mom prefers to have me in the house. If I could leave the house I would probably be meeting up with my friends from softball. I have a lot of old teammates I am still friends with.

Q. What are you hoping will change or go back to normal when the virus calms down and/or stage five goes into full effect?

A. A lot of things are closed down like the museums. There were a lot of things we couldn’t really do. I am looking forward to going out of state and going fishing with my stepdad. I really like being outdoors.

INKLINGS

32

What Do You

THINK?

What was your favorite TV that show you binged over quarantine?

“I binge watched Avatar: The Last Airbender over quarantine. I love how the show acknowledges the fact that the main characters are kids and it doesn’t try to make them anything more.” sophomore Trey McKinney

“My guilty pleasure was Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I’ve watched 13 seasons worth and don’t regret any of it.” freshman Landon Steiner

“I binged Dead to Me. It was so funny and has such a good concept behind it. It kept me on my toes, and I can’t wait for season 3.” senior Caitlin Ashby

“My favorite show to binge over quarantine was Once Upon a Time. I love this show because it is about old princesses and fairy tales wit ha more realistic twist. Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney princess stories and movies, but this show gives you a more emotional appeal than most movies.”

junior Kirsten Farley

“I watched Supernatural. A couple of my friends told me that they had watched it and liked it, so I started watching it, too.” sophomore Shallyn Copalello-Stoke