V5, I3 - December 20, 2019

The Student Newspaper of Jones College Preparatory High School

Friday, December 20, 2019

Anti-vaping legislation introduced at Jones IL-8), and Rep. Peter King (R-NY-2) are currently sponsoring the legislation.

“If you can hook a teen on a nicotine addiction, [e-cigarette and tobacco companies] learned that you could have a customer for life, even if that customer’s life is shortened,” said Durbin.

Data shows that in 2017, twelve percent of high school students and three percent of middle schoolers used e-cigarettes with those numbers now at 28 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

“The meteoric rise in youth vaping has become a national public health crisis,” said Krishnamoorthi. “Exposure

“As a result of our investigation, the FDA cited our findings in determining that JUUL’s marketing and advertising was illegal,” said Krishnamoorthi. “This prompted the FDA to send a warning letter to JUUL, which then caused them In the wake of five vaping-re[JUUL] to halt all of their domestic marlated deaths in Illinois and even more keting and advertising: that’s a big win.” cases of lung disease around the country, Krishnamoorthi has also leaders of the bipartisan Congressional worked with Illinois mom Ruby JohnCaucus to End the Youth Vaping Epison, who leads the Illinois PAVe (Pardemic introduced the PREVENT Act at ents Against Vaping e-cigarettes), afJones on Friday, Dec. 13. This legislation ter her daughter Nicole almost died would provide federal grant programs from a vaping-related lung disease. for educational resources to protect “Adolescence is also a develagainst misinformation regarding vapopmental periing and help od of increased prevent nicovulnerability to tine addiction substances such among youth. as nicotine, it’s The terrifying that PREVENT there is an inAct (Providdustry of largeing Resources ly unregulated to End the Vaproducts that are ping Epidemnot only accessiic Now for ble to youth, but Te e n a g e r s ) , are so desirable will target due in part to the vaping comunbelievable arpanies, such ray of flavors,” as JUUL, by said Johnson. assessing an Rep. Daniel annual $200 Davis (D-IL-7), million tax ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL U.S Sen. Dick Durbin emphasizes the danger of fruit who represents on industries and dessert flavored vape pods. and include a quarterly user fee. to nicotine stunts brain development, it Jones’ district, and Chicago Public “These products are hook- also affects their self control, attention, Schools CEO JanIce Jackson were also ing an entirely new generation of chil- and mood, and it adversely affects their present at the event. Jackson spoke to dren on a terrible addictive drug called memory, concentration, and learning.” how information about the negative efKrishnamoorthi is the fects of vaping have already been addnicotine,” said U.S Sen. Dick Durbin.

“Make no mistake, e-cigarette compa- chairman of the House Sub-Com- ed to the health curriculum, but that nies like JUUL target children. These mittee on Economic and Con- education must address the ingredients companies need to be held accountable.” sumer Policy, which has recently and materials involved with vaping.

Durbin), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D- launched an investigation into JUUL. JACK O’LEARY ‘20 Managing Editor SAM TEDROWE ‘21 Lead Reporter

Photo by Amara Alexander ‘21

Introducing Tortilla

Baby stingray makes his debut in library tank EMMA CASILLAS ‘20 School Staff As students walk in and out of the library, many have noticed a large fish living in the tank behind Librarian Francis Feeley’s desk.

The unusual fish is a freshwater stingray, originating from the Amazon in South America and was rescued by fish sanctuary owner Manuel Oñate Jr. ‘76. “ A l l of these are rescued fish.

I have a nonfor-profit aquarium fish sanctuary. I set up aquariums in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and libraries,” said Oñate.

The fish located in tanks around Jones are rescued from multiples places all around the world.

Onate is heavily involved in the process of getting new sea creatures to Jones and taking care of all Jones fish tanks.

“This summer I was told ‘Hey, I got this stingray. My aquarium is too small for my stingray. Can you help me find a home for him?’ and I said yeah, [Jones],” said Oñate.

D e spite being the person who placed the stingray in the tanks himself, Oñate does not know which species of stingray this is.

“I have to identify which one this is because there are difo f ferent varieties Oñate stingrays,” “Some said. don’t grow that big some do grow bigger.”

Many claim that the stingray is a girl, but Oñate disagrees.

“I believe it to be a boy [because] the boys have what’s called claspers.

They’re like two little fingers that hang out back there. Females don’t have any,” Oñate said.

After Aquarium Club sponsor and science teacher Ray Lesniewski announced a plan to have Jones students vote on the name, over 200 submissions came flooding in. The winning name was Tortilla.

“We actually are going to have a naming contest for a number of the fish in a lot of the other tanks, not just the stingray,” said Lesniewski.

Volume 5, Issue 3

Running through resistance Senior recognized by Pepsi MADELINE FITZGERALD ‘22 Lifestyles Staff CARRIGAN GARRITY ‘22 Lifestyles Staff While many Jones students were lounging at home during the strike, cross country runner Ian Bacon ‘20 was tirelessly fighting for his team’s right to compete in the regional championship and the remainder of the postseason, in the midst of a court battle between the Jones Boys Cross Country Team and IHSA. Four years ago, Bacon started running as a freshman, immediately finding it something he loved and was passionate about.

Bacon started running because a friend told him that he should try it out, and he continues running because of the people he has met and the sense of community it brings.

“You’re with 50 other guys, day in and day out, and you’re pushing yourselves and each other every single day,” said Bacon.

“We see each other at our highs and lows, so it really builds community within the guys on the team. I feel like that’s why I kept running.”

When he and his team realized that they might be unable to compete due to the strike, they felt the loss, especially because the seniors on the team, including Bacon, would not be able to run as Jones students again.

“It was heartbreaking to see how much work they had put in as a team since the beginning of June going to waste,” said cross country coach Andrew Adelmann, “For seniors these are goals they had been working towards since freshman year.”

Rather than accepting defeat, the team rallied behind team parent Kevin Sterling, who found a loophole in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) policy prohibiting the team from competing. “Sterling decided to lobby against the court decision, which kicked off the cause,” Bacon said. Eventually, the lawsuit began to gain media attention. “[Sterling] organized the first media appearance. It was at the Jones field, and it was just in front of CBS. They had videos of us running, and that caught the attention of a guy named Joe Trost, who works for the Pepsi Co. Showdown and who had connections in the Sun Times,” Bacon said.

The senior soon became the face of the cross country issue, speaking at press conferences and other public appearances.

“He was very comfortable, more than anyone else, in front of the camera. I think the biggest thing was his confidence and how naturally he was able to speak,” Adelmann said.

After the fight in court, Bacon and the rest of the team were granted the right to compete in the State championship, and many succeeded despite their previous setbacks.

“17 CPS athletes qualified for state meets, and they all had personal bests,” said Bacon. “A Jones runner was two spots out of being All State.”

Because of his work and dedication over the strike, Pepsi Co. rewarded Bacon with an $100 check to donate to a charity of his choice and tickets to the Pepsi Jingle Bash.

“I thought it was cool [that] they gave me a certain amount of money to donate to another organization,” said Bacon. “But getting to run my last championship race was the best because, throughout this entire process, all we wanted was to compete in the postseason.”

Graphic by Enzo Zerillo ‘20

PAGE 2 Start Studying Finals testing is from Jan. 28-Jan. 30.

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Take it seriously

Casual discussion surrounding mental health harmful to many ALISON MCLEOD ‘20 Stigma surrounding mental health has decreased in the past decade due to the brave openness of those afflicted. People are speaking out daily about their personal issues regarding mental health and it has allowed more people to connect by sharing their struggles as well as made many aware that it is okay to ask for help.

Though I support the communication that is ending the stigma, I can’t help but notice how the normalization of having mental health issues has led to too casual of an approach to these topics. These days, it seems that everyone I’ve met is open to talking about their mental health issues, which is great. Bravo to us all, really. Except, I can’t help but wonder about what this normalization is doing to the seriousness we attribute to mental health.

It is not uncommon to hear phrases like “I get anxiety when I have to talk to people I don’t know” or “I got so depressed when I got a B on that quiz.” Both of those instances are valid reasons for feeling anxious or sad, but the use of serious disorders to describe something temporary is unfair to those who need those words to define a long-lasting illness.

This is not to say that people who speak in this way do not experience these disorders, I only

mean to say that they are using them in a detrimental way. Employing terms like ‘depression’ and ‘anxiety’ casually is dangerous as it diminishes the significance of the word by using it as an adjective, taking those words away from those who need to use them.

“

I do not want the voice of the seriously struggling to be drowned out by those who use disorders as a joke.

Joking about mental health is also a problem our generation has, as opposed to my previous example where the person is voicing actual concerns. Humor being used as a coping mechanism is common and valid. But I wish that people who use these phrases would think about how this may affect others. Saying something like “Crazy how a second ago I was so angry, being bipolar sure has its ups and downs.” Or “My depression took over this playlist,” is problematic.

Even if the person speaking has a mental illness, it makes the problem seem meaningless enough to just mention offhand. If someone overheard this who struggles deeply with a disorder, they may take offense as it makes a joke out of a serious problem that humor may not help them cope with. Humor as a coping mechanism can be a useful tool to those who find it helpful, but it should never have the potential to harm someone else.

If everyone would stop discussing mental health so casually, this would not be an issue. I love the open discussion that is welcomed at school, with friends, and on many online platforms, but all I want is for these discussions to be serious, and led by those who have actual experience with mental health problems.

I do not want the voice of the seriously struggling to be drowned out by those who use disorders as a joke, even though they may have them.

I do not want to be the person who says that a mental health disorder is not real unless it is diagnosed, nor do I want to completely deny the use of humor as a coping mechanism. I do not want anyone who has mental health issues to ever feel that they cannot speak up in fear of not being considered valid. So my final message is this: If your mental health is an issue, take it seriously. Take it seriously for the sake of yourself and for the sake of others.

Pushed out

Lack of plans causes schoolwide congestion SCOTT GIN ‘20 From the east side of State Street, Jones architecture never fails to invite glances. The large south campus windows provide a magnificent view into the lobby while the sparse, tall pillars divide the exterior into neat quadrilaterals.

Of greater concern though, the school interior presents numerous dilemmas, including congestion as a result of limited building space.

The issue of space at Jones has been a problem in the making for years. Ever since the construction of the new building in 2013, the Jones population has exponentially expanded — and is showing no signs of stopping. As lockers become increasingly scarce and Jones in its entirety feels more cramped, how will this affect student life and our ability to utilize space?

Furthermore, there always seems to be a lack of development being adequately done to simultaneously fix these problems as they arise. One slew of areas affected is the communal spaces at Jones.

Chock-full of resources to assist with schoolwork and usually a relatively calm setting, communal locations provide a vastly different atmosphere from the classroom environment. Most importantly, though, some students depend on these areas because their domestic space lacks a similar counterpart.

Despite their necessity, communal areas lack a significant presence within Jones, especially within the old building which causes the 3rd-floor library to be vastly overcrowded during Aclab.

Regularly, students waste their time waiting in the never-ending lines just to find out space is at overcapacity. Furthermore, Jones has unoccupied space at hand that is unusable during Aclab, including the south

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campus lunchroom and both auditoriums. On top of that, the SLC was shut off from the public to accommodate the expanding Best Buddies program, causing students to lose a valuable, quiet study space in the old building. The inability to use this crucial space crowds the students and does not encourage efficient dispersion between the buildings.

Due to the unalluring atmosphere and ancient infrastructure in the old building, it is a no-brainer for many students to want to associate where the atmosphere feels more new, clean, and important. The way to solve this is simple: renovation.

Nevertheless, recent purchases and plans to update the old building have fallen short. Even with the goodwill decision to add new benches, adding more infrastructure in the new building is a missed opportunity to update the old building. Small projects, although somewhat beneficial, drain money from funds that could be used to invest in more impactful long-term projects, which are especially needed in the old building.

Currently, Jones’s long-term investments are focused on renovating the old auditorium. But like the short-term fixes, this has also missed its mark. The mass-scale plan for the auditorium to be in usable condi-

tion for renting and recreational purposes has not reached crucial checkpoints, nor is it beneficial for students. This is due to the old auditorium’s ancient design and the unawareness of how to update it. Instead, long-term investments should prioritize transforming the empty space that is still available into more communal spaces to reduce congestion and likewise develop the old building.

As administration lacks funding, time, and also must address a variety of other dilemmas issues, the topic of renewing school architecture is in a stalemate.

The administration needs to start making decisions, which while potentially could mean scrapping their current plans, would target the larger and glaring issue of capacity. By targeting the dispersion issue between the old and new while also redesigning communal areas to balance out the blockage, students will be able to have more freedom and possibilities at school.

Jones has plenty of potential with great ideas in the works, but the problem is ranking urgent priorities for the school, while also balancing how to correctly implement changes with varied resources.

Graphic by Enzo Zerillo ‘20

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PAGE 3 Game On Girls basketball CPS playoffs begin on Jan. 28.

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Disliking the likes

Senior argues likes create negative culture ROSIE NEWMARK ‘20 As Instagram users scrolled through the social media app throughout the past few weeks, they most likely have noticed a major change. Instagram has gotten rid of the feature where the amount of likes on a picture is displayed.

Instead of saying a picture got “100 likes,” Instagram now says this picture was “liked by @username and others.”

It has been rumored for a long time that Instagram would eliminate the like feature in some capacity, but this was their first real step toward doing so.

Likes are a huge measure of wealth and success for celebrities, influencers, advertisements, politicians, and even everyday users.

Although the owner of the account can still see the number of likes they receive on a picture, the viewer cannot.

Despite this move receiving a lot of negative feedback, I believe Instagram’s decision is going to have an overall positive effect.

Whether they realize it or not, teenagers place a great amount of value in the amount of Instagram likes they receive.

It is not uncommon for teenagers to see Instagram or Snapchat story posts saying “Like my recent on Instagram!” These types of posts only encourage an environment where social status is heavily based on likes.

Unfortunately, many teenagers measure their relevance based on the number of likes they get, which can cause huge self-esteem and body image issues.

“

Especially among the competitiveness of Jones students, it is second nature for Jones students to compare themselves to others, whether it regards ACT scores, test grades, or Instagram likes. The removal of the likes display will hopefully have positive consequences in which teenage users will not even, at least in one aspect, have the ability to compare themselves to others.

What is so detrimental to the mental health of young adults is the seemingly constant flow of perfect images with hundreds of likes. It is only inevitable that users will compare themselves to the number of likes a n d picture quality of their peers.

However, the removal of the likes display f e a ture is only a small step in the attempt to root out all of the issues that Instagram and social media in general present.

Still, many feel less interesting than others based on the quality of the content others post and the feedback they receive in the comments. Additionally, cyberbullying still persists as a major issue among Instagram users, especially younger ones.

This decision from Istagram is a small step in the progress they will make to become an app that only provides happiness and connections for people. Instagram is heading in the right direction by eliminating the problems that cause so much anxiety among teenagers and those born in the social media generation.

Many teenagers measure their relevance based on the number of likes they get, which can cause huge self-esteem and body image issues.

Brokenhearted

Sophomore distraught over elimination of likes CARRIGAN GARRITY‘22 Instagram is starting to hide likes in the United States, and the effects are horrendous. Hiding likes is a harmful in-between of eradicating all toxic parts of the app and keeping it as is. If Instagram is going to hide the likes, why not get rid of follower count, comments, and likes overall?

First of all, hiding likes is almost worse than abolishing likes. If the issue of mental health in social media is important enough to conceal likes, then maybe likes should be removed overall. Insecure users can still gauge the general number of people who like others’ posts and can spend hours reading the username of every person who liked the post, an action that can be extremely detrimental to their mental health.

Moreover, it does not improve the problem of toxic comments, which can be even more harmful than likes. Rapper Cardi B said, “What makes you feel insecure, getting no likes or people constantly giving opinions about you, your life and topics?” and I think that generally, the answer is people constantly giving their opinions on you and your life. Comments have people questioning themselves, and that can sometimes be more detrimental than likes.

The amount of followers you have is also perceived to be an indicator of popularity. People are striving to maintain and increase their amount of follow-

ers, even if they are not actually friends.

Personally, I do not know half of the people that follow me, yet we still accept those follow requests or ask people to promote us on their stories, just so we can seem as if more people like us.

There is a never-ending goal of trying to get as many followers as another person has, even if it is hundreds more.

The fact that some people have hundreds to thousands of more followers than others makes people feel insecure.

Followers and comments make the issue much worse than only hiding the likes.

Also, even getting rid of all of these things would not necessarily help to decrease the insecurity of society. Hiding likes, and anything else, is merely putting a band-aid on the issue of self-confidence.

An entrepreneur and internet speaker Gary Vanerchuk said, “Just ‘cause they hid the likes, that doesn’t change you going out on Friday night and feeling insecure.”

Likes have always been there, so getting rid of them will likely not change the idea that one should only post pictures on Instagram if it will increase their social status. Likes may be hidden, but their impact is not.

Graphic by Emma Casillas ‘20

Strike but no days to spare Makeup days unfair to students As talk of the teacher strike fades in classrooms, students are still feeling the effects of its impact. When CPS and the CTU came to an agreement that CPS schools would make up 5 days lost due to the strike, students and parents were outraged.

The makeup days are scheduled for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the last Thursday and Friday of winter break, and two days following the former last day of school for non-seniors.

Not only do the makeup days interfere with vacation and holiday plans, but they undermine the purpose of a strike, which is to forfeit the benefits of having a job to create some type of change. The teachers’ demand for makeup days shows that they value their paycheck over the resources they were fighting for, causing the strike to lose some of its merit.

The teachers knowingly gave up their pay when they decided to strike, so it is unethical to demand payment after the matter.

Many Jones teachers have claimed that they are not making signif-

icant lesson plans for the makeup days because they are so close to holidays and not many students are planning on attending anyway. So, it seems as if teachers are being paid for doing less work than they would on a regularly scheduled school day.

Before a deal was reached, the teachers claimed to demand make up days for the sake of the students’ education.

However, if this was true, the teachers would have returned to work Thursday after the school-related issues were solved.

Instead, they continued the strike until Friday because they could not agree on the makeup days, meaning they clashed with Mayor Lightfoot on whether they would get paid for their lost time. If the teachers were truly fighting for the sake of the students, they would have returned to work once they had a contract in place, instead of holding out to make up backpay from the days lost.

Additionally, the two extra days added to the end of the school year do not have a significant effect on education.

For high school students, finals will be pushed back a couple of days and

students will have more time for review instead of learning new material. Also, those two days do not help high school students when it comes to lost time preparing for AP tests.

For elementary school students, the students are done learning new material that late in the year, so the days do not benefit them either. The CPS school year already runs so late that it is only shortening the summer.

The strike makeup days are interfering with the students’ traveling plans and not giving them back any of the education time they lost.

Ultimately, the strike make up days were planned for the benefit of the teachers, so they could receive some of their lost pay.

Graphic by Enzo Zerillo ‘20

PAGE 4 Strike Girls Bowling play Lane at Waveland Bowl on Jan. 21 at 4:20 p.m.

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The fresh chef

Freshman chef appears on “MasterChef Junior” JOSHUA BLUSTEIN ‘20 Lifestyles Staff

While many children dream about being on television, Evan Robinson ‘23 got this opportunity at age ten. He was on the competitive cooking show “MasterChef Junior,” hosted by chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay.

“I heard they were doing auditions somewhere downtown. So I went there and just tried out different rounds of auditions and then got on the show,” said Robinson.

Robinson’s passion for cooking started long before he auditioned for “MasterChef Junior.”

“Watching my parents cook made me want to start cooking,” said Robinson. “Whenever they have people over, they would always gravitate around the kitchen, and always have fun and laugh. I want to be able to [give] that same type of joy and energy to other people.”

This passion pushed him to join the show and to improve his cooking skills.

“‘[MasterChef Junior]’ was also just a great learning experience,” said Robinson. “Like how to take criticism, and also how to take what you learned and work together on a team. Just different good life skills.”

After Robinson left “MasterChef Ju-

Evan’s Lemon-Basil Ice Cream

nior,” he used his cooking abilities and newfound fame to support various charity efforts. He founded Pies for Puerto Rico, a charity for hurricane relief, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017.

DINNER PREP Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey

coaches 12-year-old Robinson as he prepares food.

“I would bake pies and sell them to people in Chicago and all the money would go to Puerto Rico hurricane relief,” said Robinson. “People out of the country could buy pies and the money would still go to hurricane relief, then the actual

pies themselves would go to homeless people in Chicago.”

Robinson also worked with chef Rick Bayless, known for his television show “Mexico: One Plate at a Time,” to hold a dinner that raised money to introduce gardens and beehives to schools.

“It was a four course dinner and we raised over sixty thousand dollars to put better gardens and beehives in schools,” said Robinson. “Bees are one big thing you need for plants to grow and that’s something we all need.”

In addition to helping start gardens at schools, Robinson started his own urban garden at home.

“I live in the city, and it’s not easy to garden in the city so I have taken advantage of wall space, and also during the winter I have indoor growing,” said Robinson.

Robinson uses the products of his gardening to support his cooking.

“As I started cooking, I wanted to have access to better fruits and vegetables,” said Robinson. “Gardening was a good way to do that.”

No matter what he is cooking, Robinson’s goal has always been to help others.

“I think I’ve been able to take my cooking and help other people with it,” said Robinson.

“Making eating good and doing good with others is one important thing I took away from [cooking].”

Photo courtesy of Evan Robinson ‘23

In a small pot, simmer cream, lemon basil sugar* and salt until sugar completely dissolves.

Remove pot from heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.

Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees).

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add in juice and zest of 1 lemon.

Cool mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Place in freezer until frozen (about 4-6 hours) or churn in an ice cream machine according to machine instructions.

Ingredients: - 1 cup Organic Heavy Cream - 1/2 cup Organic Whole Milk - Lemon Basil Sugar* - Sea salt

*Pulse together 1 lemon’s zest, 1/2 cup basil, and 2/3 cup granulated sugar until smooth.

Rage and resistance

Students create podcast for queer youth of color EMMA CASILLAS ’20 School Staff

An Instagram meme mocking the extraordinarily large presence of white males in the podcast community was all it took to spark an idea in three student’s minds.

Hoping to create a welcoming, educational platform for queer youth of color, students Sunny Eimer ‘20, Elisa Almanza ‘20, and Solorio High School Junior Argent

NY

M a r t i n e z came together to create the podcast “Project Rage.”

“There was a meme about white men making podcasts, and initially we just laughed it off - but then it became a real thing,” said Eimer. “[Project Rage] is a way of reclaiming podcasts from the demographic that usually produces them.”

Starting a podcast with

N

SU

Photo courtesy of evanated.com

such an ambitious goal was not an easy feat for the three teens.

“We did a lot of research looking into different podcasts hosted by queer hosts or queer podcasts that focus solely on queer issues,” said Almanza. “We wanted to make this space not only for us to discuss issues, but also have it be an open space for others to feel empowered as well.”

Originally, Almanza and Eimer

were within a reasonable price range.

“We used Elisa’s iPhone which has excellent audio quality and Elisa is also really good at editing audio [on Garageband],” said Eimer.

The group hopes to stick to a strict schedule in order to keep the podcast consistent and professional.

“We do plan on recording a bulk of our episodes over a long break, so that way

were the only two involved in the project, but Argent Martinez quickly became interested in joining them.

“Sunny was talking to me about their leading position at [racial justice nonprofit] the I Project and their site Generation Bossy,” said Martinez. “I said, ‘Hey Sunny, I want to work on this with you.’”

With all members together and their research in mind, the trio set forth to gather their materials. Being young, not many resources

they’ll be able to come out more on a more consistent basis,” said Almanz a .

Each member holds similar values about the future of Project Rage, hoping to continue using this platform seriously to inform the public about queer issues.

“We all agreed we would take this seriously and make this a job,” said Martinez. “The trajectory we are on is [it] being a serious career.”

They also plan to expand from the topic of their first episode, which focused

on queer history and the Stonewall riots.

“We have plans in the future [to interview] other queer youth of color [about] their experience coming out to immigrant parents or how they cope with anti-LGBT legislation and [we’re] thinking about not just the history but also [how] the legacy of queer resistance lives on today,” said Eimer.

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Though two m e m b e r s o f the trio will be graduating this year, the group is prepared to stay adamant in their goals, and Martinez sees themself managing the podcast during periods when they are apart.

“For right now we’re just focusing on getting as many ideas out there and creating as much content as we can,” said Almanza.

Photos by Jack Burkhardt ‘20 Graphic by Enzo Zerillo ‘20

PAGE 5 Peace, love, and unity Kwanzaa is from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

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Fry-day

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For those who celebrate it, the Friday after Thanksgiving may be a time of cleaning dishes and sealing up leftovers.

At the household of Anneliese Haberkamp ‘21, though, the cooking is just getting started.

“On the Friday after Thanksgiving, I go to the store, buy a bunch of food, and deep-fry it all,” said Haberkamp. “We call it Fry-Day Friday.”

Every year, Haberkamp garners a selection of various festive foods, revs up her deep fryer, and sees what sorts of culinary advancements she can make. “[I’ve] done fish-and-chips, potato chips, pickles, cheese curds, and candies. We even tried Snickers one year, [but] that was… ‘eh.’” Fry-Day Friday has a rich backstory.

“My aunt gave me a belated birthday present right around Thanksgiving - a FryBaby [a small fryer]. I decided to deep-fry everything.” The rest is history.

For eleven years now, Jacob Underwood ‘22 and his family have been carrying out a tradition where they eat cereal for all meals on Christmas day.

“My dad got some sugary cereal one day on Christmas morning and then it just kind of turned into an every year thing,” said Underwood.

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Gr King’s Day

Jesus Christ’s birth is celebrated on Christmas, and the day he rose from the dead is celebrated on Easter Sunday. However, one holiday overlooked by those outside the Hispanic and Latin-American communities is the observation of Día de Reyes, King’s Day, on Jan. 6 of the new year.

King’s Day commemorates the arrival of the three wise men- the three kings- to the birth of Jesus Christ, who is represented by a baby figurine hidden in the Rosca de Reyes cake.

“The holiday is meant for family to come together,” said Anthony Flores ‘ 21.

Typically, the person that finds baby Christ in their slice of the wreathshaped pastry is blessed for the coming year.

“In the Mexican community, you usually make tamales for your family, but it also means that you have been chosen, which has sacricy to it.”

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As the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, Daniel Andrade ‘22 devours twelve grapes to ring in the new year.

“It’s a contest of who can eat [the] grapes fastest” said Andrade.

If one eats all twelve before 12:01, they will have a successful new year.

Pierogatory

While some families are sitting around watcing holiday movies, Allyson Dombrowski ‘21 and her family are making homemade pierogies.

“My family and I make pierogies whenever we all come together, it doesn’t really matter if it’s a holiday,” Dombrowski said.

Sometimes they like to put a spin on the pierogies.

“Last year we did blueberries which were kind of quirky, but they did turn out really good.”

Dombrowski appreciates the pierogies she makes with her family for more than just the taste.

“Knowing you made them and then eating them together is just a good experience.”

Briefs compiled by GRIFFIN BASSETT ‘20, SAVANNAH CLARK ‘20, CARRIGAN GARRITY ‘22, JACK O’LEARY ‘20, MAX WELDON ‘20

Graphic by Enzo Zerillo ‘20

PAGE 6 Online Access More Blueprint content is available at jonesblueprint.com

JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT DECEMBER 20, 2019

Latinx-ing out the norms Senior reveals Mexican culture’s effect on gender identity SAVANNAH CLARK ‘20 Lifestyles Editor As young people become more accepting of gender fluidity, it can often feel like society has made enormous strides of progress in the world of gender equality. But this acceptance doesn’t always take into account the interactions of gender and ethnicity, and for queer teens of color like Elisa Almanza ‘20, it can be difficult to grapple with those intersections.

With a family of Mexican background, coming out to their relatives meant confronting the ways that their Mexican culture impacts understandings of gender identity.

“There are very strict gender expectations and stereotypes,” Elisa said. “Women are supposed to be docile and in the house, or either very loud and bold, but still very feminine.

Men are seen as these hard workers who go out, make the money, and come back at the end of the day and are hard on their kids, in a loving way.”

Because of these cultural expectations

outlining the proper roles for men and women, coming out to their family wasn’t easy for Elisa. “[It] was sort of a culture shock for a lot of my family, especially the older ones,” Elisa said.”

However, their family has been generally supportive and, despite it being a learning process, try their best to use the right pronouns and respect Elisa’s identity.

“I was glad that she finally the nerve enough to express to me how she sees herself,” Griselda said. “I’m still confused with the ‘she’ and how Elisa wants to be called. For seventeen years, it was [just] boy or girl. And now that she doesn’t want to be labeled as female, it’s just Elisa. I told her, I don’t do it to hurt you, if anything I got to stop and correct myself.”

Griselda has been especially supportive, bridging the gap between Elisa and the rest of their extended family.

“Whatever choices Elisa makes in life, I’m there to back her up whether I agree with them or not,” she said. “I [ask] Elisa to educate me so

when I’m talking to my family, I understand and I’m saying the correct things.

W h e n people ask if my [children are] a boy or a girl, [I say], ‘I have two kids.’”

And even as Elisa navigates conflicting parts of their identity, they still acknowledge the unique ways that Mexican culture has allowed them to explore their identity “I encompass both masculine and feminine traits of my culture,” they said. “Without being exposed to these stereotypes, I think I would have been a lot more lost with who I was.

I would have just been labeling myself as something I didn’t feel completely comfortable with.”

Elisa is taking on a newly-coined identity, therefore, hoping to create space for their identities to coexist.

“I’ve strayed from my culture because of not fitting in to this typical Latina wouldbe,” Elisa said. “I’m not as close or as dedicated to my culture as I thought I would be.”

On being nijaki

Science teacher opens up about living outside gender binary SAMUEL TEDROWE ‘21 Lead Reporter While reconciling both their gender and their Polish-American culture, science teacher Peter Podlipni (they/them/theirs) defines their gender identity as a concept unknown to many Americans: a Polish word that means “neither this nor that,” or “nijaki.” This is a label most Americans call non-binary.

Growing up, Podlipni lived with a family that did not define concrete labels about gender and how one should express oneself, as well as faced comments from family members, despite their openness, about how they were not “a good enough man,” which led them to explore the connection between expression and identity as a young person.

“I always was wondering, ‘Why am I not a good enough male,’ and ‘Why would I be a better female,’” said Podlipni. “‘Why do people have a need to describe that about me to other adults, as if I was not even in the room?’”

Despite this original discomfort, Podlipni noted that they grew up in a house where there were little to no traditional gendered roles. This shook up their perception when an outside adult entered their space.

“I never saw my parents assert roles at each other. When we were doing construction work around the building, everyone was working,” said Podlipni. “If it was dinnertime, everyone was working. If we were doing laundry, everyone was doing laundry. No one was saying ‘These people do these activities, and these activities are for the other people. I never lived that growing up.”

Podlipni grew up in a part of Chicago that was predominantly Polish-American.

Throughout their adult experience, leading up to their time at Jones, they have had to determine which spaces they can harmonize their different identities in.

“Two worlds, in one city, with two very different cultures. Every different culture has a different way of un-

derstanding gender, with understanding the rules around it. For my own culture, it really depends on who you talk to,” said Podlipni. “Just like how there’s anti-queerness and heterosexism in [Polish] culture, it’s everywhere, and because of foundations of people’s beliefs.”

On “coming out,” Podlipni noted that although they had known from a young age that they “didn’t fit into the mold” they were given, they did not have the terminology to express their identity and expression as a queer person.

“I think that in general it manifests in people differently--I didn’t have the language to express it until I met other queer people,” said Podlipni. “Maybe in the last couple of years I decided ‘Yeah, that’s where my spirit sits.’”

Although Podlipni does talk about their gender identity with a chosen few close people, they choose not to with most cisgender people, because they do not believe it will be effective. As for educating cisgender people, they recommend they use other resources that are already published, or trans people who are willing to talk about gender.

“It’s going to be two different conversations.

They’re not going to understand the social, emotional, spiritual underpinnings of my personality, of my being. And so, I don’t find it valuable to tell people all the time, because it’s not going to be a productive conversation for me, and that’s what matters most to me.”

Although Podlipni describes Jones as “natural,” or feeling generally positive about the community, they noticed that some students do not fully seem to understand their gender, and they recognize that as normal.

“I’ve never encountered anyone coming at me for any reason for my queerness,” said Podlipni. “And I’m really grateful for that, because I know that isn’t everyone’s experience. In terms of students, I’ve wondered, because I’m a visibly queer person, if they’re confused, or uncomfortable,

or if it’s new to them. But in general, they’ve never expressed anything.”

Podlipni described gender as “a big soup,” and they understood that people are going to experience it differently, but it is also understood that they are not going to interact with those who do not respect their identity.

“If people ask me questions, I will answer them,” said Podlipni. “But people want things to be neat, and tidy, and I’m not going to offer them that.”

PAGE 7 Happy Holidays School is out for winter break from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1

JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT DECEMBER 20, 2019

Staying in the closet

gender glossary

SAMUEL TEDROWE ‘21 Lead Reporter

AFAB: Assigned Female at Birth

Junior on not being out as transgender *indicates that a name has been changed.

Coming out is a spectrum: one can be fully out to everyone in their life, or some specific people, such as close friends or adults they trust, or not out to anyone but one’s self. For Sara Doe*’21 (she/her/ hers), she is only out to her closest friends.

“Right now, it feels like being trans is seen how being gay was ten years ago,” she said. “You won’t necessarily be ostracized for it, but it’s not like something I’m super comfortable being open about to everyone.”

Despite the “left-leaning” status of Jones, Doe does not want to have to “deal with” the numerous challenges of being out as a transgender girl at a majority cisgender school.

“Part of the question is not really ‘is this something that would be safe for me,’ because it probably would be, and I have multiple friends here who are out about being transgender,” said Doe. “But is it something that I would want to deal with, because I doubt I’ll ever come out to more than a few close friends in high school, because people already know me here, and there would be so much that would have to go into reforming people’s perception of

me. People would see me a lot differently.”

Despite Doe being out as bisexual, and feeling safe and comfortable expressing herself as that identity to her classmates, she feels differently about her identity as female. Doe considers being transgender as on “a whole different level” than having attraction to the same gender.

While not having thought too much about coming out after high school, she is still open to the idea.

“At this point. I have no idea, honestly,” she said. “The dream is to just be able to fully transition, but I think that it won’t be achievable without talking to the people around me about it, and I’m not even out to my parents about it, so that would be a first step.”

Even though Doe is not fully out, she expresses her feminine side through her gender expression and through her art.

“Before I fully realized I was trans, I’ve always been a fairly feminine person,” said Doe. “I guess part of that just made the whole thing come naturally to me. Along with that, being someone who, even without being out, is fairly feminine-presenting, makes it a bit easier for me in the way I’m able to express that side of me without fully coming out to people.”

Going with the flow Genderfluid senior tells their story SAVANNAH CLARK ‘20 Lifestyles Editor SAMUEL TEDROWE ‘21 Lead Reporter Most people wake up in the morning just to be the same person they were the day before.

Jay Davis ‘20 (they/them/theirs), however, fluctuates their gender over time, whether they may be more like a girl, a boy, or somewhere in the middle.

Davis realized their gender-fluid identity in sophomore year, and now has become much more comfortable in their own skin.

Davis first told their counselor at their old school about their gender fluidity in May 2017, and then went on to tell their mother. They described the anticipation of the coming out to be “terrifying.”

“I come from a Christian family,” said Davis. “So, I hear them talk a lot about it and I try to say something to see how they would react. But eventually, I said ‘Mom, I need to tell you something,’ and she was honestly way more supportive of me than I thought.”

Last year, Davis described their gender as not fitting one category, and while they attended their Catholic school before transferring to Jones, they found out that

they did not fit the categorized version of a female person that they set in front of Davis.

“It was me being forced to fit the perfect view of what a girl was, and I didn’t like that,” Davis said. “It was like, alright, I kind of don’t fit this all the time.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.”

Currently, Davis is out to their current friend group, and they describe the transition from their old school to Jones as a “shift.” Davis has made the deliberate choice to not tell their teachers.

“At Jones, I haven’t told my teachers, because it’s weird for me to tell them,” said Davis. “I think one teacher knows, because they gave us a little note card and I said ‘they/them.’”

Although Davis uses they/them pronouns, that was a shift from the year before, when they used their assigned pronouns instead. They described last year’s choice as one based out of constant misgendering at their old school.

“When I came to Jones, I was still frustrated with how I was treated at my old school,” said Davis. “Dealing with people calling me [my old pronouns], and I was used to it. And it’s kind of sad, because I didn’t care what people called me, I got used to the feeling of hurt. But now, I’m openly saying ‘Hey, can you call me they/them.’”

Davis rejected the traditional stereotype of gender fluidity--that one day, they wake up as a girl, and another day they wake up as a boy. Instead, they noted that the identity was more complex than that perception, although everyone has a different experience.

“The way it works is not like I wake up every day and feel like a guy, like a girl, in between, or both,” said Davis. “For me, it’s like as I go throughout the year, I might notice it shift.”

Graphic by Emma Casillas ‘20

AMAB: Assigned Male at Birth Agender: When a person identifies as having no gender. This can fall under the nonbinary umbrella, but not all agender people may identify as nonbinary, or not all nonbinary people may identify as agender.

Cisgender: Someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth.

Deadname: A transgender/nonbinary person’s name assigned at birth, if they choose not to use the name.

Gender Dysphoria: Tension between one’s AGAB and their gender identity. This can manifest as dissatisfaction with one’s body, name, or expression. Can vary greatly from person to person.

Gender Expression: How one chooses to present themself -- this can be more feminine, more masculine, or more androgynous. It does not have to correlate directly with one’s gender identity.

Non Binary (NB): When a person identifies as a gender outside of male or female. They may use singular they pronouns, and there are many identities within the nonbinary umbrella.

Passing: How people (who do not know the person) perceive the person’s gender.

Singular They Pronouns: Some people who identify as nonbinary or agender use singular they/ them pronouns. These act as a gender neutral option for those who do not choose to use she/her or he/ him. Singular they, while widely criticized for being “grammatically incorrect,” is likely to have origins in the late fourteenth century and is linguistically correct.

Transgender: Someone who identifies as a gender outside of the gender they were assigned at birth.

Transphobia: Prejudice or hatred directed towards transgender individuals. This can manifest itself as harassment, bullying, or microaggressions.

PAGE 8 Follow Us Check us out on our Instagram @ jonesblueprint

JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT DECEMBER 20, 2019

The first iPad is released

Beyonce performs at the Super Bowl

Kate and William’s Royal wedding

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

First Women’s March

#MeToo movement begins

Obama is re-elected

Gay marriage is legalized

Cubs win the World series

TikTok takes over

Graphic by Sisley Mark ‘20 and Myles Cole ‘20

PAGE 9 I Have a Dream School closed Jan. 20 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT DECEMBER 20, 2019

BLUEPRINT STAFF: MOST ICONIC MOMENTS OF THE DECADE “Is it blue and black or white and gold?

How grossly incompetent must you be to see anything except blue and black?

I mean c’mon, it’s obvious. The brightness, the angle, or the illumination of the photo doesn’t matter — the dress is not white and gold.”

-Nate Wilson ‘20 “‘Well, I never thought that it’d be so simple, but I found a way, I found a way.’ If you remember Josh hitting Oprah with a car, Drake jumping into a pool of chocolate milk, or when the two got trapped in their neighbor’s treehouse, then Drake & Josh was a big part of your childhood.”

-Max Weldon ‘20 “Everyone’s an influencer in our Instagram economy. At first, it was the good old days of Instagrammable lattes and orange-tinted filters. But the 2010s showed us that the ways we use social media — the constant performance, monetization, comparison — has permeated our everyday life. In the 2010s, there became nothing more powerful than social media.”

-Katherine Williams ‘20 “The first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views — the never ending outbursts in class of this trendy song and dance.

Gangnam Style defined a generation and paved the way for K-Pop in the United States. Whoopa gangnam style!”

-Rosie Newmark ‘20 “Niantic’s ‘Pokemon Go’ was a craze that faded as quickly as it flared. For a few months our phones were in our faces and our heads were up somewhere else as we scourged our map for Pidgeys and Rattatas. None of us ever beat a gym or understood what the different colored teams meant, but oh did we have fun flicking pokeballs at every creature we saw.”

-Enzo Zerillo ‘20

“What does the fox say?

‘Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!

Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding! Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!’ What the fox say?

‘Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow! Wa-pa-papa-pa-pa-pow! Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-papow!’ What the fox say? ‘Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho! Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho!

Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho!’ What the fox say?”

-Jack Burkhardt ‘20

“The only choices for who should rule the Iron Throne were either House Stark or House Targaryen.

Never the lannisters.

“Game of Thrones” was full of heart wrenching and angst ridden scenes that kept us watching till the very end. Even with the disappointing, facepalm that was season eight.”

-Jack O’Leary ‘20

“From cold brew to beard oil, hipster culture has risen to the top (even though hipsters hate to admit their look is popular) during the 2010s.”

-Sam Tedrowe ‘21

“Rest in peace to the greatest legend to ever live on this Earth. He never tried to hurt anyone, but couldn’t protect himself when it came down to business.

You’ll be in our hearts and thoughts forever, RIP Harambe.”

-Myles Cole ‘20 “Swag alert! It’s you in 6th grade, wearing a mustache shirt and being so TOTALLY random. “Like a boss,” you say as you Harlem Shake your problems away. No ratchet haters can get you when you’re on fleek with the squad.”

-Savannah Clark ‘20

“If I hear Billy Ray Cyrus yodel “Yeahhhh” one more time, I think my ears might burst. Old Town Road started as a catchy song that I discovered on Tiktok, but soon spiraled into a song played at least five times an hour. This zesty blend of country and hip hop will definitely stay on my playlist for 2020.”

-Amara Alexander ‘21

“It’s been a long decade, and we’ve seen a whole lot.

Ultimately, though, nothing could possibly compare in scale, scope, or global influence than the construction of the architectural marvel that is Jones’ New Building.

Those eight or so floors shook society to its core, and truly, the world has never been the same.”

-Griffin Bassett ‘20

When I heard that some internet person decided to raid Area 51, I was very excited. While I expected it to not be very big, I remained hopeful that it would be funny to watch. It ended up being a little disappointing, but my friends and I still made jokes about it for weeks.

-Josh Blustein ‘20 Graphic by Myles Cole ‘20

PAGE 10 Splash Boys Swimming competes against Taft on Jan. 17. at home at 5 p.m.

JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT DECEMBER 20, 2019

$20 in my pocket

New club helps students find top fashion for a low price AMARA ALEXANDER ‘21 Sports Staff As one walks through the halls of Jones, they can see students strutting vintage clothes such as mom jeans, oversized jackets, and patterned shirts. Fashion-forward students Cynthia Martinez ‘21 and Zipporah Auta ‘21 bonded over their passion for thrifting.

They decided to share their love for affordable fashion with their peers and created the Thrift Fashion Club.

“The main reason we started the club was that we see a lot of people who love to thrift and love to put outfits together. So it was easier to find people to join because it is a common similarity people have,” Martinez said.

The club meets every Tuesday after school. Once a month, the club travels to a thrift store around the city. So far, they have visited Family

Thrift Store Outlet in Bridgeport and Goodwill in the West Loop. When thrifting, the club members challenge themselves. During their November thrift session, the members attempted to create an outfit that costs between $5-10. The meetings that they don’t go thrifting, the members discuss fashion trends at Jones and how they express themselves through their clothing.

“Last meeting, we did an art collage. We also talked about some stuff that people wear. We always ‘define and compliment.’ We always talk about other people that are not in our grade or people that we don’t know,” Martinez said.

Members of the club have embraced this space where they can share their style. Diana Diosdado ‘21 joined the club to try and find a new, more inexpensive style for herself.

“I feel like the trend of thrifting has gotten so huge, especially now. A lot of people are ‘hypebeasts’ and can get popular brands at thrift shops for cheaper,” said Diosdado.

Club sponsor, Jennifer Harned, took

an immediate interest in the club.

She admired the club’s mission of helping students find clothes at an economical price and also appreciating the different ways students approach to fashion. “ [The club] did resonate with me because I did wear a lot of thrift clothes when I was in high school. As we see more and more how fast fashion is bad for the environment and how thrift store fashion is very equalizing, in that everyone can access it, I really liked the message of the club,” Harned said.

The club is currently planning future events for further outreach within the Jones community. A few events they have planned is a pop-up thrift store at Jones, as well as a fashion show.

“We think that the fashion show is our goal, that’s the big goal that we’re going for,” Auta said.

The club is also planning collaborations with different cultural clubs at Jones, as well as local thrift stores.

Needle and thread

Senior alters jeans, other denim materials FIONA KOGAN ’22 School Staff

In this era of fast fashion, Ingrid Brast ’20 has learned to sew, alter, and decorate her own jeans. In the past two years, she has focused her skills on creating unique pairs of jeans for herself, family and friends.

“I do just about everything I can do, from taking in the waist a little bit, to adjusting the size, all the way to creating a patchwork of denim or painting and embroidering,” said Brast.

Brast was initially inspired by the clothes she saw in stores, and the high prices they were being sold for.

Since she taught herself to sew at an early age, she thought she could do better.

“I noticed that in some stores jeans were being sold for about $300,” she said. “Then I noticed that some nice denim was being sold in fabric stores, I thought that I could make [jeans] pretty easily at home, for a lot less money.

I’ve always been good at sewing and painting, so I figured I’d try it out.”

Brast has spent nearly two years trying to perfect the sewing work on her one-of-a kind pairs of jeans.

When she is painting the jeans, it takes her a day. When she is embroidering, it takes her a week. Embroidering is the hard-

est for her. If it’s simply cutting and sewing, it can take a weekend.

“I don’t really have any patterns, they’re all different, I don’t have anything I prefer. I like using different shades and washes of denim, instead of just straight painting on denim.”

Brast’s favorite pairs of pants to use are ones that are challenging. Her favorite pair to date has been one where she had to do some particularly tricky embroidering.

“I have one (pair of jeans) with a bunch of holes in it that I embroidered.

I embroidered the edge of the jeans, and it took me a lot of time and effort.

Of all my jeans, it was my favorite.”

In addition to adjusting already made jeans, Brast is able to create different kinds of jeans for friends, family, and herself.

“I give them as gifts and favors to other people, but I’ve never sold any,” said Brast.

“People have tried to pay me, but it’s mostly just my friends, so I insist on them being free.”

Isabel Sices ‘20, a friend of Brast’s, has received two pairs of altered jeans. The two met last year, and though they have no classes together this year, they continue to stay in touch, helping each other with the occasional project.

Brast was able to add a personal touch to the jeans she created for Sices, using techniques that the girls had talked about together.

“I had a pair of jeans that I thrifted where the waistband was too big, and I knew she was really good at sewing, so I asked her to fix them,” said Sices.

“I wound up wearing them to my TED talk, which was really cool.

Then I had another pair where the back pockets were starting to rip, so she did really cool embroidery to alter the pockets.”

Sices admires Brast for her hobby, and how she is able to balance it along with school and her extracurriculars.

“I think her hobby is really cool. She’s a great person.

She’s athletic, she’s on the rowing team, but she’s also really artistic. I feel like you don’t often find those two qualities in the same people. I like the arts, but I’m not in any sports, so I think it’s really cool that she can do both.”

Graphics by Enzo Zerillo ’20

Commit to knit

CARRIGAN GARRITY ‘22 Lifestyles Staff

Knitting was once thought of as a “grandma hobby”, but classmates at Jones are now finding it beneficial.

“It’s grown a lot bigger than it was last year,” Abigail Karstrand ‘21, president of the knitting club, said. “Last year it fizzled out until there were only six of us who usually showed up, but the group is consistently big this year so we’re really happy with that, and not all of the new kids are freshmen. That’s not the case. We’re getting a lot more different age groups.”

The knitting club is not the only place that people have time to knit; however, English teacher, Amy Fritsch has her students knit in her classes.

“It is actually probable that repetitive bilateral activity can soothe the sympathetic nervous system and calm anxiety. Multiple students have commented that they’re able to pay better attention in classes where they’re allowed to knit, including mine, but also in others,” said Fritsch. “They remember more of what is said, they are less anxious, more calm, which, again, improves their ability to process the information.”

Fritsch said knitting helps students maintain focus and calm themselves, and aids in students relating to novels read for class. In these novels, women knit, sew, crochet, and more. The women did not go to school or work and they could not own land. In order to keep them from rebelling against this, males had them craft because it took their time and effort.

“When I had students do presentations on ninetenth-century British novels, I would embroider during them.” Fritsch said, “They would give the presentations, and I would embroider, and before I started, I said ‘Look! Look! Look! This is where I’m starting,’ and then when we get done I said ‘Look! I did half the leaf.’ I said, ‘Why am I doing this? What are all the women in your novels doing? Look how long it takes. Why were middle-class women knitting constantly in novels written in and set the 1800s? And they start thinking.”

In fact, a novel inspired Fritsch’s love for knitting, along with anything else that would help her survive on a “Little House on the Prairie”.

“I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder when I was little and so I needed to learn all the things that you would need to learn to survive on the prairie. By the time I was six I was determined to be able to do all the things one needed to be a good frontiers’ woman. The knitting I wanted to learn, and my mom didn’t knit, so I couldn’t get it from her. When I was 16 a classmate knitted. I was like, ‘You have to teach me’ and so she taught me enough that I could then get going from there, and I picked up stuff from anybody I met that could give me enough to give me a little more information. I’ve been knitting for 35 years.”

As she grew up, she had other reasons for knitting and having others knit.

Fritsch said, “I can give stuff away, and that makes people happy. I don’t need any of this stuff, I just want to be knitting. It serves a dual purpose; it’s really exciting to give gifts to people, and it’s nice to have something to keep my cool.” She also said, “They’re [her students] incredibly proud of what they’ve done. They are much more focused in class.

They’re less likely to chat with each other in class.”

PAGE 11 Dreidel Dreidel Hanukkah is from Dec. 22 to Dec. 30

JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT December 20, 2019

Icing on the cake

Hockey player from Jones competes at high levels on and off the ice LEO NECHELES ‘22 Sports Staff Managing the heavy workload of a selective enrollment high school, travel hockey, and travel baseball is no easy task. Yet somehow, Grayson Mandl ‘22 manages all three of these tasks daily. As a sophomore, Mandl maintains excellent grades in school (4.0 GPA) while also playing on one of the top-ranked hockey teams in the nation. Additionally, Mandl finds time for a well-known travel baseball program in Illinois.

“Sometimes I have to do my homework in the car and my loving parents work their hardest to get me where I need to be,” said Mandl. “I make every practice and game I possibly can just in case there’s a future conflict. Sometimes it gets difficult, but with effective communication with my parents, coaches, and teammates, I am able to complete what is necessary in order to advance my athletic career.”

Mandl’s hockey career kicked off at the age of seven when he attended one of his close friend’s games. With zero history of hockey in the family, no one expected Mandl to be as engaged as he immediately was.

“I was inspired by one of my first childhood friends to play hockey. I enjoyed the experience and the environment of the game so much that day,” Mandl said.

Unable to put down the hockey stick after that,

Mandl’s hockey career began quickly and has continued to advance. Now playing on Team Illinois, one of only four Triple-A hockey teams in Illinois, Mandl works to keep improving on his game. His work ethic and determined personality have led to nothing but praise from his coaches.

“Grayson is one of the most humble and hardest working players I have ever had,” said Team Illinois 15U coach Steve Shulman. “He is a player that plays with grit, wins battles, and leads by example. We are very grateful that he chose to play for Team Illinois this year.”

On his baseball team, Windy City Baseball Club, coaches constantly speak highly of him. In his first few months with the program, coaches have already begun to notice his work ethic and accountability.

“He’s a hard-working, well-rounded athlete,” said Windy City coach and owner Bobby Stevens. “He consistently shows up to every practice to put in work and get better.”

Mandl’s accountability on each of his sports teams is something he carries with him to school every day. Even with little time to do homework after school each day, Mandl ceases to miss an assignment for class and does well in all his classes.

“I try to take advantage of every single second I have to complete work in a successful manner,” said Mandl. “All of my teachers are extremely helpful, especially when I have to miss school for games.”

However, missing school for games poses no significant

issues for Mandl. His evident maturity at such a young age has allowed him to stay on top of his schoolwork, even when he can’t be there for hockey. Like Mandl’s coaches, his parents were also very quick to offer words of praise about their son’s determination and good habits.

“Grayson has always given one hundred percent to whatever he is doing. He has always prepared schoolwork first and never squanders practice or playing opportunities; habits that are often acknowledged by his coaches and teachers,” said his dad, Jim Mandl. “His work ethic serves him well now and will only improve as he prepares for college.”

As a global sport, there are an unlimited number of ways to draw inspiration from hockey. Instead, Mandl chooses to keep it simple and draw his inspiration to keep playing from only the best of the best.

Accordingly, Mandl often refers to hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s famous “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” when he talks about his game. He also manages to find inspiration from many of the little things in his life.

“I gain inspiration from my friends and family and the opportunities that I have to become better,” said Mandl. “[My friends and family] come support me at my games and are happy to do what I aspire.”

Always grateful for the opportunities granted to him, Mandl never passes up a chance to get better.

Looking into his future, he hopes to just take it one step at a time as he improves his game in a variety of aspects.

“I just hope to keep making it to the next level and reach my full potential,” Mandl said.

Photo courtesy of Grayson Mandl ‘22

Just keep swimming

Senior swims for the Philippines national team MAX WELDON ‘20 Sports Editor

thirteen years old, as Anderson was the coach of his club team, Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club (CWAC). “[Jaden] is up there at the top,” said Anderson. “When he has something to prove, it’s kind of like ‘watch out, because this could be something to see.’”

Olson credits a significant portion of his national reputation and success to Anderson, as he played a very large role in the recruiting process. “[Anderson] has been super supportive,”

“A lot of [the success] has to do with time management and keeping priorities straight,” said Olson.

“Sometimes that comes with sacrificing time I get to At age eleven, Jaden Olson ‘20 was just a norhang out with friends. It’s really hard with the discipline. mal athlete, enrolled in Chicago Park District swimSwimming demands so much time; it’s six days a week.” ming programs. In their learn to swim program, he Even though Olson is in a brand new enpracticed basic swimming mechanics and the four main vironment, he is ecstatic for what is to come. strokes. Fast forward six years, Olson is now committed “Being in an atmosphere that’s so scary and to the University of Pennsylvania to compete for their exciting and fun, it’s probably one of the best feelings swim team and just returned from comever,” said Olson. “In the Philippines, peting for the Philippines national team. being able to represent my country, “I never really anticipated perit’s something that’s bigger than me. forming at this level,” said Olson. “But It’s for my heritage and my family.” it wasn’t like it hit me all of a sudden. I Olson’s decision to swim have been building momentum getting at the University of Pennsylvato bigger and bigger meets, going from nia was prompted by a mix of acastate championships to junior nationals demic and athletic considerations. for America and [then] world juniors.”

“I really like [the] Wharton On Nov. 27, Olson traveled to the [School of Business]. I was very inPhilippines for the 2019 Southeast Asian terested in business, so there’s the acGames, a multi-sport competition between ademic side,” said Olson. “On my visthe eleven countries in Southeast Asia. it to Penn, I loved the team and their He competed in the 200-meteam culture, so being able to be a part ter backstroke, 100-meter backof something like that is exciting.” stroke, and 50-meter backstroke.

Anderson is looking forward Prior to meets, Olson trained to a great final year for Olson. for about two hours per day, which is not “My goal for Jaden this year even as strenuous as his current training. is for him to go out on his terms, In the 50-meter backstroke, Olson’s time and if that means going out as a state was 25.99 seconds, which broke his Philchampion, that’s great. If that means ippines national record. On top of this, he getting the best time in the 100-meplaced fifth in the 50-meter backstroke. ter backstroke then that’s great too,” Paul Anderson, the said Anderson. “I would put him JET LAG Olson trains with the Jones-Payton team the day after his return from Jones-Payton boys swim coach, against anybody in the state and I the Philippines. saw immediate talent from Olson. said Olson. “Recruiting is a very hard process, espe- think he has the potential to be a state champion.”

“He was always an incredibly tal- e n t e d cially if you aren’t a top twenty recruit. If I was ever When it comes to Olson’s future plans, he swimmer and really gifted,” said Anderson. “He was a stressed about anything, he would always be there.” hopes to continue his international career past the dedicated, hardworking kid. There was never really a reaOlson’s accomplishments are also part- 2019 Southeast Asian Games. Throughout his time son to doubt it. I always knew he had this in him, it was ly due to his sacrifice and deterrence from out- at the University of Pennsylvania, Olson will be just a matter of if he would put in the work and he has.” side distractions. He attributes a lot of his suc- working towards his next goal: the 2024 Olympics.

Olson has been with Anderson since he was cess to his high level of focus and persistence.

Photo by Max Weldon ‘20

PAGE 12 Winter or Spring?

Groundhog Day is on Feb. 2.

JONESBLUEPRINT.COM @JONESBLUEPRINT DECEMBER 20, 2019

Port-side pirouettes

Junior sails and dences at an elite level JOSHUA LAZAR ‘21 Sports Staff Most people do not consider sailing when trying sports, but since he was about six years old, Emmett Nevel ‘21 has been out on the water and is now one of the best sailors in the country for his age.

Nevel sails for two teams, including the Chicago Yacht Club and the Jones team, which is considered a club at Jones. He qualified for nationals on the Jones team by placing top four in his region.

“There was a qualifier in Wayzata in Minnesota, and the top four kids from MISSA (Midwest Interscholastic Sailing Association) qualify,” said Nevel. “I got fourth in that event which qualified me for nationals at Santa Barbara [California].”

Qualifying for nationals was one of Nevel’s goals in high school.

“I was very happy to qualify for nationals,” said Nevel. “It has been one of my goals throughout high school, and to compete in it was very satisfying.”

Nevel placed tenth at nationals but believes that he has not hit his full potential yet.

“I know I could have done better [at nationals] and it showed me I still have room to improve,” said Nevel. “I also learned a lot because the competition was so good.”

Nevel qualified for nationals in a laser boat, which means that he was in the boat by himself.

At other events however the team sails together, and scores points as a team.

“Since it was just me in the boat there was not much with the team,” said Nevel. “All the other events are on an A-B, so they are in a 422 which is a double handed boat.”

Over the summer with his club team, Nevel also qualified for youth nationals in the triple handed boat.

“We went to Milwalkee for a week this summer and did the area K qualifier… so that qualifies you for US sailing youth nationals,” said Nevel. “I qualified for that in the triple handed, so there were three people on that boat.”

An experienced sailor, Nevel helps other newer sailors on the team get better.

“Emmett brings a lot of experience and a lot of know how,” said teammate Michael Stewart ‘21. “He is very helpful, if you do something wrong he offers a lot of positive feedback.”

Nevel is known as a leader on the team and helps teach everyone how to prepare outside of races and helps the team when they make a mistake during the race.

“If we are loading boats onto a trailer for a race out of town and someone does not know how to do it he will show them how to do it or if we are in the middle of a race and we mess up we will come over and he will talk to us and talk through what went wrong, and give us some advice on what to do better,” said Stewart.

Nevel, along with teammate Molly Sheridan ‘21, help coordinate all of the races and orders gear to help out the team.

“He and Molly really help us with the networking of the team, they sign us up for all of the races, they recruit people, and they order gear,” said Stewart. “He does a good job making sure we have everything that we need to do well.”

Nevel restarted the club freshman year

after start

he found out that any student could any club at freshman orientation.

“During freshman orientation where they said they could pretty much start any club and the school would be supportive, Emmett decided that he definitely wanted to restart the club at Jones” said Emmett’s, father Chuck Nevel, who is the Jones, University of Chicago Laboratory, Lane Tech, Lyons Township, and Trinity high school coach.

“I think it was simple at first but now it has become a more complex process with the amount of people that are there.”

Emmet has sailed for a long time so he helps out the sailors who are less experienced on the team.

“Most of the kids have had little to no sailing experience,” said Chuck.

Even though Emmett has sailed for a long time he is still willing to learn more in order to get better.

“He’s an easy kid to coach,” said Chuck. “He seems to ask the right questions if he does not understand the complexity of the maneuver or the complexity of the situation strategically or tactically.”

However, because Chuck is Emmett’s dad, he tries to not coach him much at all, and allows Nevel to be coached by the other coaches.

“He doesn’t usually coach me very much,” said Emmett. “It’s just easier that way, he does not get too emotional, I do not get too emotional, and we just kind of stay out of each other’s way, [because] I have other coaches.”

As Emmett has gotten older Chuck has started to coach him more.

“He started to help me more as we are older now,” said Emmett. “Also, my parents never forced me to do it [sail], they just introduced me to it and I enjoyed it so I kept up with it.”

Even though he has had a lot of success in high school, sailing in college is not a priority.

“It’s not a main goal for me, because I am definitely looking at schools, before I look at schools with teams,” said Emmett. “I feel like that would limit my school choice, but I definitely would enjoy sailing in college.”

Not only does Nevel sail but he is also a top dancer at his dance school, which he was introduced to by his friend.

“A while ago my friend was going to try it [dancing], so I was like why not I do not have anything else to do, and I tried it out and I enjoyed it” said Nevel.

Nevel started dancing in fifth grade, and has balanced school, sailing and

dancing since then.

“In the summer and the fall I sail, so that takes up all of my time pretty much, and I will dance a little bit when I can in the summer,” said Nevel. “In the winter and spring I dance and then I get my school work done when I can.”

Nevel dances at the Gus Giordano Dance School, where he learns dances for performances.

“We do more performances, but we do one competition a year for the experience,” said Nevel. “We are not a competition school.”

Nevel’s school starts practice in September; however, he does not begin until December which causes him to fall behind.

“I have to catch up as usual and if they start pieces at the beginning of the year I am not put in them because I missed all of the learning which is fine with me,” said Nevel.

Even though Nevel misses a lot of practice in the beginning of the season, he is still fit through sailing.

“Many of the stamina and training exercises Emmett does for Sailing we also do for dance so his body is physically ready to jump back into dance when Sailing ends,” said dance teacher Nicole Belanger.

Even though Nevel starts training late, he still dances in the school’s highest pre-professional dance company, and it requires many hours of time during the week.

“Emmett has been training at Gus Giordano Dance School for over eight years and has been a GUS Company Member in our highest pre-professional dance company for the last three years,” said Belanger. “Gus Company Members take classes a minimum of 18 hours per week, attend weekly rehearsals and have numerous performance opportunities throughout Chicago and across the US.” Nevel has grown significantly as a dancer, which is in part due to his mindset.

“Emmett is one of the most genuine and hardworking students I know,” said Belanger. He applies himself 100 percent to every task presented to him whether it be at dance, sailing or academically in school.”

Just like he does in sailing, Nevel is a very encouraging and positive dancer when working with dancers who are younger or of less skill than him.

“Emmett has been an incredible role model in our Gus Company Mentor Program,” said Belanger. “He is constantly supporting all dancers both younger and older with words of encouragement, setting a good example and mentoring younger dancers.”

Nevel is very open to learning new skills to improve in dancing.

“Emmett is a joy to teach; he is determined to succeed and eager to master new skills,” said Belanger.

Nevel also brings his positive energy to dancing, just as he does with sailing.

“Emmett is a team player,” said Belanger. “He is always making new friends and is always making everyone laugh.”

Nevel enjoys dancing and sailing equally, however if he were to stick with only one it would be sailing.

“It is hard to choose, I really like them both, but I probably would stick with sailing longer than I would with dance because to me sailing comes easier,” said Nevel. “But I do not really prefer one over the other; dance is like my winter sport or activity and sailing is my summer/fall [activity].”

Photo courtesy of Emmett Nevel ‘21 Graphic by Enzo Zerillo ‘20