May Issue

KANELAND

KR ER Volume 44 • Issue 5 • Kaneland High School •10 May 2018

Generation

of CHANGE

Gender-neutral bathrooms across local school districts

Gen Z leads in technology

Page 5

Page 7

Blast from the past: students’ memories from the year

Page 14

Index 10 May 2018

Table of Contents 4 5 6

Can you find the Knight?

If you find the Knight in this issue tweet us a picture @kanelandkrier to be entered in a drawing for a giftcard!

7 8 10

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Table of Contents

kanelandkrier.com

News Latin honors graduation system

Investigative Gender neutral bathrooms across local school districts

Entertainment Coming of age films: movies to take to college

Editorial Gen Z leads in technology

Opinion Summer, a waste of time or not?

Feature Unsung heroes of Kaneland High School Page design by Jessica Tiv

10 May 2018 Index

12 14 15 16 18 19

Centerspread A generation of change

Voices Blast from the past: students’ memories from the year

Lifestyle How to make a garden

Photo I spy with my little eye...

Activities Small club makes big difference at KHS

Sports Who run the track...Girls

Letter from the Executives With the end of the year fast approaching, Krier presents you with our final issue. We as a staff have themed this issue on looking back.

Take the time to reflect on how things have changed from the start of year and acknowledge the growth you have made as a person.

We have put everything we have into this last issue and thank our readers and faculty for reading and working with us.

We hope everyone continues to set goals and find their way wherever it may lead.

Remember that it all goes faster than we realize.

As an Executive Board we are excited for the changes that are to come to the Krier publication and wish best of luck to Mr. Bruno as the future advisor and his new staff.

Bella Vargas Editor-in-Chief

Bridget McCracken Editor-in-Chief

Annika Berger Matt Cushman Production Manager Ad/Business Manager Jessica Tiv Design/Visual Executive

Vanessa Pitts Webmaster

Karina Sanchez Social Media/Public Relations Executive

Page design by Jessica Tiv

kanelandkrier.com

Table of Contents

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News 10 May 2018

LATIN HONORS GRADUATION SYSTEM

T

he Graduation Committee will introduce a new Latin based honors system to be used in the future for graduation. The purpose of a new system is to honor the highest ranked students in their class, while still choosing a valedictorian. This is how Kaneland is making an effort to honor more students and to allow valedictorian candidates to take the classes they need to be college, career and community ready.

The new Latin system will put top students into three classes. Students with a 3.90 GPA through 4.0 would be in the top class, Summa Cum Laude, below them would be Magna Cum Laude, which includes students who have a GPA from 3.8 to 3.89, and 3.65 to 3.79 would receive Cum Laude honors, according to IllinoisState.edu.

BY CASEY SCHANKS, Reporter

In the past, students would have to brutally compete to become valedictorian, and could fall short and receive no honors at all for their hard work. The honors could’ve been given to someone who was only ahead by a hundredth of a percent.

“So, if I decide my freshman year to try to be valedictorian, the whole time I have to be aware of somebody else who’s out there and how many AP classes they’re taking,” Principal Jill Maras explained.

Maras says it was the graduation committee, made up of parents and administration alike, who felt it was time to change. The Latin system is the way most colleges honor students as well.

“The current system becomes kind of a moving target, where you’re competing against somebody else, the Latin system uses fixed points depending on your GPA and you either get into it or you don’t.

You’re competing against yourself instead of somebody else,” Maras said.

The graduation committee’s decision goes right along with Kaneland’s mission statement to graduate students college, career and community ready.

“We want students to take the classes they want for their career potential instead of competing against this moving target,” Maras said.

This gives more students an opportunity to be honored instead of just a valedictorian and a salutatorian.

“It will give them an extra thing they could put on their resume if they are in the top group,” Maras said.

GRADUATION INFORMATION Who: Graduation Class of 2018 When: May 20, 5 p.m.

Where: Northern Illinois University Convocation Center, 1525 W Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115.

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School and Community News

kanelandkrier.com

Page design by Madeline Hockey

10 May 2018 Feature

BY JESSICA TIV, Executive Editor

I

n 2014, students petitioned for gender neutral bathrooms at Kaneland.

As a response, the administration announced that the bathrooms by the English department office would be gender neutral bathrooms.

These bathrooms were advocated for by the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club as a response to the growing number of trans students.

Landon Mosley, a graduate of Kaneland in 2016, was one member who championed for these bathrooms in order to create a safe environment.

“As a transman, I felt extreme discomfort while using the men’s bathroom due to a fear of my safety. When I realized how many other trans kids were at Kaneland, I imagine they felt the same way and I wanted to ease their fears and make them feel safe in an environment where they should feel safe. After bringing the issue to GSA, we decided to try to make the change,” Mosley said.

Like Kaneland, Dekalb High School also uses their staff bathrooms as gender neutral bathrooms.

“The gender neutral bathrooms that we have are actually staff bathrooms. They are single-stalled bathrooms. Currently we have four gender neutral bathrooms that people are able to access,” DeKalb Principal James Horne said.

St. Charles East has six gender neutral bathrooms, and Sycamore has four gender neutral bathrooms that are single stalled.

These bathrooms were not only created for trans students, but also for all students regardless of their gender identity.

“The main people we were aiming to help with these bathrooms were trans kids, but GSA also tried to encourage students that are not trans to use these bathrooms as a way to include the whole student body in this movement. We were not at all, in any way, trying to exclude our straight, cisgender counterparts from

On February 14, the signs were taken down by GSA and replaced with new signs that state “restroom.”

“It took one email to the principal and within 15 minutes of response I witnessed the sign being taken down,” Huffnus said.

“Our hope is that all feel comfortable at KHS, and if these bathrooms make anyone feel more comfortable for any reason then it is worth having,” Principal Jill Maras said.

Currently Kaneland does not have any plans to add additional gender neutral bathrooms, but they are considering implementing a locker room for transgender students.

“We are currently not looking for new places for gender neutral bathrooms. But it has been brought up that the bathroom in the nurse’s office could possibly be used as a changing room for people who don’t feel comfortable changing in the locker room because of gender identity. We are working on pushing that,” Huffnus said.

St. Charles East is also looking to add additional gender neutral bathrooms to their school.

“The GSA club has made suggestions for another 1-2 places in the building that would be good for another bathroom,” said Assistant Principal for Student Life Lisa Dandre.

DeKalb High School, ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY JANECEK like Kaneland, thinks that these bathrooms help to play a very important role in the buildings.

“Really what we are doing is meeting tral bathrooms and no longer the staff the needs of our students. We are a very bathrooms. It also took a while for the diverse building and you have to think school to put gender neutral signs in front differently to meet the needs of different students walking into your doors. So, of the bathrooms,” Mosley said.

These issues still persist today, espe- this is something that we are able to do to meet students needs that are not able cially when it came to the signage.

“Technically the gender neutral bath- to use a gender specific restroom,” Horne room’s signs have been up for more than a said.

“One of the core values in the Kaneland year now, the problem was that the staff 2020 Strategic plan is respect. We want restroom signs were still up, so it caused confusion for students. They didn’t know to create an environment that demonwhether or not they were allowed to ac- strates respect for all students and havtually use that restroom.,” junior Kaleb ing gender neutral restrooms is part of that climate of respect,” Faber said.

Huffnus said.

this change. We wanted to include everybody,” Mosley said.

Transgender students and students who want to use the bathrooms must first seek student services.

“Typically, a member of student services shares the information with students,” Assistant Principal for Student Services Kristin Faber said.

However, there were slight issues in the creation of these bathrooms.

“As far as issues with administration, issues were little to none. An issue we faced was the lack of communication that the bathrooms are now the gender neu-

GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS ACROSS LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Page design by Emily Janecek

kanelandkrier.com

Investigative

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Entertainment 10 May 2018

COMING OF AGE FILMS: MOVIES TO TAKE TO COLLEGE

BY SHELBY HARPER, Editor

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All ratings from IMDB

s famously stated in “The Breakfast Club,” “you see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal.”

Cliques, parties, homecoming, prom and finally graduation are all key events often portrayed in coming of age films. The real world is often different than portrayed on screen, but there are still films to watch before growing up and going to college.

“Call Me By Your Name” 8.0/10

In the summer of 1983, 17-year-old Elio Perlman, played by Timothée Chalamet, goes to spend his days in northern Italy with his parents. There, he meets his father’s doctoral intern Oliver, played

by Armie Hammer. They develop a relationship and soon have a summer that will change their lives. I thought this was an interesting movie, as there were some events that I wasn’t expecting to happen.

Directed by: Luca Guadagnino

“The Spectacular Now” 7.1/10

Sutter Keely, played by Miles Teller, is a high school senior who thinks he has the perfect life until his girlfriend dumps him one night. He spends his nights getting drunk to escape depression and wakes up one morning passed out on someone’s lawn. Sutter and the paper girl, Aimee, don’t really know each other at first, but then start hanging out. The two then begin a relationship all throughout their senior year, dealing with prom, jobs, family and graduation. I liked this movie because I thought the plot was interesting, and it gives you a glimpse of what senior year could look like.

Directed by: James Ponsoldt

“Boyhood” 7.9/10

Directed by: Gus Van Sant

“Good Will Hunting” 8.3/10

Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon, has a brilliant IQ but works as a janitor at MIT. A series of events leads to him being sent to therapist Sean Maguire, played by Robin Williams, in order to get help from him on what to do with his life.

While going through therapy he deals with both love and events from his life in the past that he will never forget. I cried throughout the movie because there were some scenes where I couldn’t hold back my tears. I loved the plot line of the movie, and it kept me interested the whole time.

Filmed over a period of 12 years (20022013) the film depicts Mason Jr., played

by Ellar Coltrane, growing up through the eyes of his parents, Olivia (Patricia Arquette) and Mason (Ethan Hawke). and sister Samantha (Lorelei Linklater).

Mason in the film, and Ellar Coltrane in real life, grow throughout the movie. He deals with high school, family, baseball games, birthdays and all the important keys in growing up. I thought it was very intriguing about how they filmed a movie for 12 years and it showed them growing up outside of the movie and in the movie too.

Directed by: Richard Linklater

“Lady Bird” 7.5/10

“The Outsiders” 7.2/10

Set in the 1960’s, two gangs, the Socials and the Greasers dislike each other. They have their own side of the town and do whatever they want. Until one night when Greasers Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell) and Johnny Cade (Ralph Macchio) get into a brawl with one of the Socials and someone dies. They go into hiding and soon come face to face with sudden events. I think it’s a meaningful movie about friendship and family, I loved how each character had different qualities.

Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, played

by Saoirse Ronan, is a senior at a Catholic private high school in Sacramento in 2002. Her dream of going to an east coast school conflicts with her poor mother’s inability to send her away. The two have a loving but difficult relationship, while Lady Bird also tackles, boys, graduation and friendship. I loved how it told a story about senior year and included some things that were the same but also different from other movies.

Directed by: Greta Gerwig

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

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Pulse

kanelandkrier.com

Page design by Evangelos Lekkas

GEN Z LEADS IN TECHNOLOGY

10 May 2018 Editorial

Kaneland High School 47W326 Keslinger Rd. Maple Park, IL 60151 (630) 365-5100 ext. 71236 www.kanelandkrier.com Member of IJEA, Quill & Scroll, NSPA, NISPA IHSA State Finalists 2013-2017 IWPA Silver Pen 2017 NISPA Golden Eagle 2017 IJEA First Place for Krier Online 2017 IJEA Second Place for Krier Print 2017 Subscription rates: Five issues, three supplements School-delivered, $15; Home-delivered, $25 EXECUTIVE STAFF Bella Vargas Editor-in-Chief of Print

Bridget McCracken Editor-in-Chief of Web Karina Sanchez PR/Social Media Executive

Annika Berger Production Manager Amanda Malawski Executive Editorial Editor

Jessica Tiv Design/Visual Executive Matt Cushman Executive Ad & Business Manager

Vanessa Pitts Webmaster

EDITORIAL STAFF

CARTOON BY REAGHAN MALONEY Our generation has unlimited access to internet and technology and we should appreciate the times that we live in because we’re better off than previous generations.

W

e’ve all heard the testimony that “nostalgic” students blindly shout.

“I was born in the wrong generation!” they cry. “I would’ve fit in much more in (enter decade of your choice)!” they howl.

They proclaim aimlessly in fits of rage at how bad things are today. However, this is a downright wrong way to view the world as the times we are living in are the best they’ve ever been.

Try to listen to any classic rock song on Youtube and look at the comments. A quick glance at most songs of the genre, for example, The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” will show angry comments saying how music in the past was way better than it is today.

This is the epitome of the angry, nostalgic music fan of our generation. That song came out in 1968. According to Billboard, while the top 10 songs of that year did include classic songs by The Beatles, Cream and Simon & Garfunkel, there were also some awfully bad and dated songs by now-irrelevant artists such as Bobby Goldsboro, Herb Alpert and Hugo Montero.

Only the best of each decade gets remembered in the future. That’s why, if the trend continues, our generation will not be remembered for the awful music of today that somehow makes it to popularity and fans of older music despise. We will be remembered for important and game-changing albums such as Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” Adele’s “21” and Arctic Monkeys’ “AM.”

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Now, and only now, can we have access to the best music of today and yesterday through streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube.

Falsely glorifying the past does not stop at art. It applies to how we see people viewing today’s society.

With more focus recently on issues such as police brutality, violent crimes and racism and sexism, people think that now is a very dangerous time to be alive. People believe that in the past people were nicer and people were safer.

According to FBI Annual Crime Reports, rates of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and vehicle theft are all down significantly from where they were in decades past. In fact, besides a couple bumps, the statistics for all those categories have been on a steady downhill over time.

While, according to the United States Department of Labor, women’s median annual earnings of this country are at the highest that they’ve ever been. The same can mostly be said for minorities in this country as well.

Sure, there is problems with racism and sexism, but we’re much better off now than in the previous decades.

Overall, we are in the information age.

Virtually all knowledge we will ever need is at our fingertips. Although there are obvious problems with our generation and today’s society, overall we are currently living in the best times that America has ever seen. So, please, stop complaining that you were born in the wrong generation.

Page design by Amanda Malawski

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kanelandkrier.com

Feature Madeline Hockey

Opinion Abril Salinas

Table of Contents Jessica Tiv

School/Community News Emma Glennon

Interactive Alex Malawski

Photo Page Dylan Calabrese

Pulse Evangelos Lekkas Feature Gabrielle Faletto Editorial Amanda Malawski

Sports Ashley Edwards

Activities KT Mattern

Centerspread Richies Tiv

Voices Shelby Harper

Cover Richies Tiv

Lifestyle Priscilla Purnell

Investigative Emily Janecek

STAFF

Sarah Baerenklau, Jacob Booten, Samantha Callaghan, Corinne Condos, Allison Doherty, Benjamin Durbala, Elizabeth Elliott, Ivy Ewane-Ewang, Samuel Gomes, Olivia Hazen, Sarah Kantola, Nehemiah Lee, Reaghan Maloney, Ashley Manzo, Ella Miller, Bailey Prichard, Gianna Provenzano, Sarah Prunty, Caitlyn Rawers, Casey Schanks and Brett Wallner

Print Production Adrian Almaraz Josh May

Jack Lasater Ashley Painer

Nick Lederman Lindsay Penkala

ADVISERS Nicole Larsen Print adviser

Kimberly Reese Krier adviser

EDITORIAL POLICY

Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board and are not necessarily the opinion of Kaneland administration, staff, students or parents. The Krier Editorial Board consists of designated Advanced Journalism students: Annika Berger, Dylan Calabrese, Matt Cushman, Ashley Edwards, Gabrielle Faletto, Emma Glennon, Shelby Harper, Madeline Hockey, Emily Janecek, Evangelos Lekkas, Amanda Malawski, Alex Malawski, KT Mattern, Bridget McCracken, Vanessa Pitts, Priscilla Purnell, Abril Salinas, Karina Sanchez, Jessica Tiv, Richies Tiv, and Bella Vargas. Students make all publication decisions.

Letters can be sent to the address above or e-mailed to krier@kaneland.org. Letters must be signed (names may be withheld under extraordinary circumstances as deemed by the editorial staff), and must be under 300 words. The editorial board has the right to work with writers to edit for clarity and length. Any material that is potentially libelous, obscene or disruptive will not be published, at the discretion of the editorial board. All decisions to publish or not publish letters are made by executive editors. The Krier has been an open forum since 1974. As an open forum, we restrict editing to staff members only; prior review and editing are prohibited by people outside the staff.

Editorial

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Opinion 10 May 2018

BY AMANDA MALAWSKI, Editor

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ver the years, my summers have included going to summer camps, sporting events and sometimes going on vacation. I hate not having anything to do over the summer, so I make sure that I’m always busy and enjoying myself. Productive summers are the best summers, and teens don’t waste their summer if they keep busy.

Summer camps are a good way to spend your summer.

According to the American Camp Association, 96 percent of campers surveyed say that they gained new friends and 92 percent of them felt better about themselves after attending the camp.

Although some people may think that they’re too old to attend camps, being a camp counselor is different. You’re spending a few days or week with a group of kids that all have different Summer is also a good opportunity to get ahead in school. According to ABC News, 46 percent of kids attended summer school in Chicago over the summer. Although it might not seem ideal to some people, summer school is a way to prevent learning loss while remaining busy at the same time.

Instead of spending your summer on the couch, you could spend it making money picking up a summer job at a local place like Geneva Commons or Raging Waves. 20 percent of teenagers have summer jobs according to the Washington Post and having a job gives you a sense of responsibility for handling your own money.

Having a job also teaches you how to interact with other people that you may not like and multitask when it comes to handling customers. Summer jobs can prepare students for the future and how to problem solve when something comes up.

Although mental breaks are important when it comes to having a summer, it’s also important to have a memorable summer where you can look back on it fondly.

When the next school year hits and you ask yourself “What did I do last summer?” without coming up with an answer that doesn’t include binging watching TV shows and sleeping in all summer, than you didn’t waste your summer.

SUMMER,

A WASTE

OF TIME

OR NOT?

BY KT MATTERN, Editor

A

s students stretch for the finish line on the school year, plans are being made on what to do this summer.

Ranging from road trips to attending sports camps, there are all sorts of ways to make the most out of your summer.

Instead of using that time to break from the hectic cycle during the school year, school ends up spilling over into your precious summer break.

Some students enroll in summer school, either to get ahead, free up their schedule or to get out of taking a class that would’ve been worse during the school year.

Since classes that would’ve taken half of a year are crammed into a few weeks, students miss out on summer.

Sitting in a classroom when you could be hanging out with your friends wastes the few summer memories that we have left as high schoolers.

Along with more school, work also monopolizes summer.

According to the Labor Law Center, kids as young as 14 can work up to 48 hours a week when school is off. If students this young are working nearly as many hours as someone with a full time job, that limits them to use their summer break.

Laziness is also a common case during summer. I remember making all these plans and goals, but by July, I’d be too tired after working all the time and end up cycling between napping and snacking.

While taking a break can be beneficial, too much of a break can lead to laziness that affects not only your summer time, but your health.

According to the Sleep Foundation, catching up on sleep in the summertime can be beneficial for your body, but within range. Going to bed at 3 a.m. and sleeping until noon the next day is not a healthy way to live. Instead of abusing extra time for sleep, students should make the most out of the time they have for activities.

There’s a reason people are always so sad when summer ends, if teens used their summer for reasons other than working, school or sleeping, we wouldn’t be saying, “I feel like this summer went by too fast.”

ILLUSTRATION BY NINA PIAZZA

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Opinion

kanelandkrier.com

Page design by Abril Salinas

10 May 2018 Opinion

ILLUSTRATIONS BY NEHEMIAH LEE AND NINA PIAZZA

BY ASHLEY MANZO, Reporter

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ooking around my STEP class, the majority of students are on their phones or staring at the clock. Most of these classes are required to be silent, and the STEP teachers I have had do not even let me eat in the classroom.

During this time, I am supposed to work on any school work I may have and remain focused. But let’s face it, STEP is not helping me work, it is just wasting the precious time I have to eat my lunch.

With STEP sucking up all of my lunchtime, I am given a ridiculously short amount of time to finish my lunch. In just 25 minutes, I am expected to rush to the cafeteria from STEP class, which has sometimes been from the opposite end of the school, go through the lunch line and scarf down my entire lunch. Reasonably, I should be given an entire 50 minutes to eat. In fact,

Page design by Abril Salinas

a study by the Harvard Gazette concludes that students with around 20 minutes to eat lunch eat significantly less nutritional food, such as milk and vegetables, than those who have more eating time.

With longer lunches, I

would have more time to finish a wider variety of nutritional foods.

kanelandkrier.com

Lunch should be a time to decompress from my hectic school day. In reality, rushing to finish all of my food only creates more stress. According to an NBC News survey, 30 percent of surveyed high school students report feeling stressed and overwhelmed from schoolwork. Allowing a full 50 minute lunch period would get rid of some stress and allow myself to relax and socialize with my friends.

STEP is meant to split up my lunch and let me work on schoolwork, but I actually struggle with concentrating the most when I am hungry. Education Notes found that students who have short lunch periods tend to zone out in class. Full period lunches would keep myself more engaged in school and able to concentrate on my school work more.

For times when I do need to work during lunch, I could still leave the period early. Written passes could let me go and talk to teachers, leave for the library or go to the testing center.

Overall, STEP is wasting my valuable lunch time. Full period lunches provide better opportunities for healthier meals, more time to socialize with my friends and better focus in class. It is time for my school to recognize how big of a problem this is, and switch to full period lunches.

Opinion

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Feature 10 May 2018

IMPORTANT PEOPLE HISTORY HAS FORGOTT

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BY ABRIL SALINAS, Editor

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hroughout history there have been people who have done extraordinary things. With about 7.5 billion people alive today, it can be easy to forget people who have made changes that have helped us or others.

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n September 5, 1986, the Pan-Am Flight-73, which was heading from Mumbai to New York, was overtaken by four armed men in airport security clothes. According to timesofindia.indiatimes.com, these four men were members of a terrorist group. Neerja Bhanot, the senior flight attendant, informed the captain and the other crew members in the cockpit so they could flee, according to thebetterindia.com. Bhanot stayed on the plane to help passengers escape, even though she could have been the first to leave. After the four terrorists started to get impatient when their demand for a new pilot wasn’t met, they started looking for American passengers to kill. Bhanot, who had collected the passports earlier and realized what the terrorist were trying to do, hid the American passports under the seats and even threw some in the garbage chute. She died shielding three children from the bullets being fired by the terrorists.

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Neerja Bhanot

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orn as the daughter of a petty criminal and an illiterate mother, Victoria Claflin Woodhull was the first woman to run for president, in 1872, before women even had the right to vote. Woodhull was a leader of the women’s suffrage movement and spent Election Day in jail. According to politico.com, she ran under the banner of the Equal Rights Party, a party which supported women’s rights and the women’s suffrage movement. Throughout her life, Woodhull thought that the world and its rules were rigged against women. She sought out to change the way the world saw women.

Woodhull was also the first woman to address a Congressional Committee, where she argued that women are citizens, and as citizens who have to pay taxes, they should have a voice in taxation laws, according to history. com. After a long life of fighting for women’s rights, Woodhull died in England in 1927 at the age of 88.

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Victoria Claflin Woodhull

ecoming a chemist is hard in itself, but when you’re born into a time where the color of your skin decides how life will turn out for you, it can be even harder. Born in 1899, Percy Lavon Julian is regarded as one of the most prominent chemists in history. Julian’s research led to the chemical making of drugs to treat glaucoma and arthritis.

According to biography.com, in 1954, despite facing rejection after rejection because of his race, Julian made his own laboratory, Julian Laboratories. Julian didn’t let the discrimination he faced stop him from doing great things as a chemist, civil rights activist and a businessman. Julian graduated from an all-black school at the age of 17.

He went to DePauw University in Indiana where, in addition to his regular college classes, he took classes at a nearby high school. Julian graduated in 1920 as Valedictorian of his class, according to sciencehistory.org. At age 76, Julian died of liver cancer on April 19, 1975.

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Percy Lavon Julian

Page design by Gabrielle Faletto

10 May 2018 Feature

UNSUNG HEROES OF KANELAND HIGH SCHOOL

BY ASHLEY EDWARDS, Editor

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n the hallways of Kaneland there are many unacknowledged heroes who do their job and earn little to no recognition. Many shower their teachers with compliments throughout the day but what about those that go above and beyond to make Kaneland the way it is today?

endy Plach helps those who are feeling ill. Taking temperatures and caring for our student body is one thing that many individuals forget is crucial to our school. Plach is one our nurses and she switches between the middle school and high school.

“I love that I am fortunate enough to have a unique job in the district. I work half the week at the middle school and half at the high school. I am able to get to know my students over time and love watching how they grow and change between 6th grade and graduation,” Plach said.

When Plach isn’t covering scrapes with bandages she’s normally doing paperwork for those who have illnesses.

“I assist students and staff with their medical needs such as illnesses, medical emergencies, administering medication, diabetic management and mental health concerns. I communicate daily with parents, counselors, social workers and teachers to assure students needs are being met. From a medical perspective I try to set students up for success in school.

Reviewing and entering student immunizations is another part of my daily job,” Plach said.

Plach spends most of her days helping students but she’s also learning new things everyday regarding her interest in biology.

“I was drawn to nursing by the desire to help people combined with enjoying biology, psychology and physiology. It’s fascinating to put the pieces together to understand how human bodies work,” Plach said.

Page design by Madeline Hockey

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he responsibilities that come with being a custodian are extensive and hard hours are worked. Starting before the sun rises to sometimes past 11 p.m. the custodians are the ones to thank.

They stock bathrooms with amenities, make sure every classroom temperature is comfortable and sweep the halls of any debris. During the day custodian Maria Ramirez is always on her feet making sure that any problem is solved.

“Communication between everybody is my favorite, when people need my help I’m there,” Ramirez said. Winding up their day they could clean anything from cobwebs in the corner of the choir room to vacuuming the spacious library. Then they’re on the move to prepare for the next day.

orna Code doesn’t study how the human body works, she studies how a book conveys it story. Code is the librarian and she spends her day working to help find books that interest people. Whether its purchasing books for reports or helping students with finding resources, Code doesn’t get the hype she deserves.

“I see myself as a teacher. Instead of teaching math, science or English, I teach Information Literacy. That means teaching students how to find resources, how to evaluate those resources and how to apply the resources. These could include print media like books, magazines and newspapers or non-print media like databases and websites. One of my biggest responsibilities is purchasing materials that will be helpful to students when they do research. This requires me to stay current on new products and resources that will supplement the curriculum,” Code said.

Being a librarian for 27 years, Code finds her joy in working and connecting with the students.

“Everyday I’m reminded that they are what matters. After they graduate, I love staying in touch with them through social media to see what direction their lives have headed,” Code said.

Code grew into this position in her college years, she worked at her college library and soon realized that’s where she wanted to be.

“When I was in college I worked at the college library to get some spending cash and I fell in love with the idea of being a teacher/librarian.

I have never regretted it,” Code said.

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY EDWARDS

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Feature

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Feature 10 May 2018

A

GENERATION OF

CHANGE 12

Centerspread

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10 May 2018

BY RICHIES TIV, Editor EMMA GLENNON, Editor

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verything changes. It’s a hallmark of progress. From when you first set foot on this world to this point in time, you have changed...and so has the world.

Whether it’s technology or societal expectations, the world has progressed and changed within a high schooler’s life—for better or for worse. Regardless, experts from Business Insider and BBC say that now is the best time to be alive.

“I think being alive right now is probably the best thing. There’s a lot of things in life that we can all do. There’s opportunities that we enjoy in school, with our friends and family,” senior Ulysses Frias said.

And now, Americans are beginning to experience more leisure time. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people ages 15 and older spend about five hours a day on leisure and sports time.

“I think there are so many opportunities, so many beautiful places that our kids travel to, compared to when I got to go on vacation,” health teacher Cindy Miller said.

Teens these days also benefit from the advancement in technology. Seventy-three percent of teens have access to a smart phone and 15 percent have a basic phone according to Pew Research Center.

More technology, however, doesn’t always correlate to more success.

“The internet makes things a lot easier, both good and bad. A lot easier to get in trouble. A lot easier to find information.

A lot easier to communicate and connect.

It’s also a lot easier to disconnect, so easier is, all again, a matter of perspective,” Spanish teacher Faye Licari said.

Junior Rachael Lutter agrees with the ambivalence of technology.

“When we’re supposed to be listening and we’re choosing to be on our phones and not engaged, then it’s not good. But things like classwork and Kahoot or using the computer to write papers. That stuff is beneficial,” Lutter said.

Societal expectations have also changed with time. Although studies show that now is the best time to be alive, Licari still would rather be born when she was as opposed to now.

“When you’re young it’s your turn to try out life and try out different things and learn from your mistakes, and now I feel like every mistake a kid ever makes is with them always, somehow, someway.

Whereas when I was growing up when I made a mistake, we learned as friends.

My parents coached me. My family coached me,” Licari said.

These days, teens continually face pressure on how to act and how to look, especially with the increased way that celebrities have been viewed as role models.

“Humans and people nowadays are, I feel like, trying to fit into a mold. There’s a way you’re supposed to be and the way you’re supposed to look,” junior Joie Obrock said.

According to Elements of Behavioral Health, anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses and affect 25 percent of all teens and 30 percent of all teen girls. In fact, many experts are seeing a rise in the level of anxiety and the incidence of anxiety disorders in both adults and teenagers, and there are many possible explanations. Miller agrees that children these days face this pressure.

“Kids are harder on each other than they used to be. We lost that feeling of compassion. I think they [students] put a lot of stress on themselves and parents can be very stressful on kids by putting expectations on kids that they may not be able to meet,” Miller said.

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Even here at Kaneland, Licari notices the change in stress through the years.

“Anxiety. It existed and it’s always been around. When I first started teaching I think I had one or two students a year with some serious anxiety issues.

Now I think I have at least two or three students every period of the day that have that,” Licari said.

People have also become more vocal in expressing their thoughts for change nowadays as opposed to 20 years ago.

Technology and societal expectations have both played a big role.

“I think that based off social media, the government hears people more than they used to. Whether the changes are what people want of what they don’t, the government is listening to people more because of social media,” Lutter said.

Even in, high school students become increasingly vocal. According to the Human Rights Watch, when high school students planned a school walkout to protest gun violence, their school principal threatened them with three-day suspensions. In response, college admissions officers from MIT, Caltech, Smith, UMass and other schools tweeted in support of peaceful protest and to make clear that disciplinary actions resulting from peaceful demonstrations would not hurt the students’ chances of admission.

We are living in a world where student protests are encouraged and acknowledged worldwide.

“I do see students standing up a lot more and voicing their opinion, whereas when I was growing up you didn’t find your voice until you left college or high school. Sometimes you were just kind of told to ‘sit down, shut up and listen.’

Whereas I think now students are able to take a stand, see where it goes, if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay to fail and make a mistake,” Licari said.

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Centerspread

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Senior Sandra Gale Sophomore Logan Murray “Sporting events because there’s a lot of good energy.”

Senior Peyton Heiser “Going to state for Cross Country because I got to go with my friends and stay in a hotel and have a good time.”

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“Probably the first day of school because it was going to be my last, first day of high school.”

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Freshman Naomi Lesniak

“Making new friends and getting to know new people.”

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BLAST FROM THE PAST STUDENTS’ MEMORIES FROM THE YEAR

Junior Peyton Giffney

BY BAILEY PRICHARD, Reporter

Junior Julianna Vassallo “Volleyball season and being hype for the games gets me excited”

Freshman Francesca Dutton “Going through the hall and doing the walk of champions.”

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“Basketball season because first year being on varsity and playing with the girls.”

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Sophomore Maddie Croft “Football season because we can get rowdie and have a good time and I like watching football.”

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10 May 2018 Feature

HOW TO MAKE A GARDEN

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uilding a garden can enhance your ability to appreciate nature and the community around you. Growing local plants is important to the future of Kane County by supporting local business and strengthens the community.

Fresh vegetables from your own garden are more beneficial to your health and

less expensive, than store bought. Not to mention flower gardens are aesthetically pleasing, and also helps save the bees.

Both vegetable and flower gardens help teach kids about nature and health living.

According to CMAP.illinois.org, across the Chicago region, there is increasing demand for fresh, locally grown food.

BY PRISCILLA PURNELL, Editor PHOTOS BY PRISCILLA PURNELL

Step 1: Decide what type of garden to grow. Then find the purpose of your garden. Some gardeners grow vegetables to sell at a local farmer market or plant a flower garden to enhance the beauty of their home. Choose what type of specific plants to include in your garden. Next collect research on specific types of local plants that grow best in your region.

Make a list of potential plants, where to buy them, and best time to plant. Try to find plants that have similar growing conditions, such as amount of sun needed or soil type.

Step 2: Choose a spot for your garden. Look around your yard, choose a location that will revive sun and have plenty of accesses to water. Also avoid spots where water doesn’t drain properly to prevent plants from drowning.

Flowers can be planted in a spot with partial shade on the side of your house.

Building a raise bed can help growth if regular soil isn’t high quality.

Step 3: Stay ahead of the season. Map out your garden location, add what types of plants are growing in the shade, or full sun. Think about the space each plant will need and the how long until harvest. If you plant a vegetable garden, add a walkway for easy access and availability to harvest vegetables.

For flowers keep in mind what look pleasing together.

Step 4: Pick out seeds, or young plants to transplant. Buy gardening supplies at local garden shop. Compost to improve pH levels, mulch for temperature, soil, fertilizer, topsoil for protection shovel, spade, and garden hose. Think about buying fencing material around your garden if wildlife or children are present.

Step 5: To start making your garden, add soil and rake the area. Plant seeds according to your design, and use a spade to dig up small holes. Make sure to cover the whole plant, then add compost, mulch, topsoil or fertilize, as needed.

Step 6: Water your garden with a sprinkler hose, every day for the first couple weeks. After a couple of weeks, reduce the amount of water. Don’t forget to weed your garden, since weeds take nutrients away from flowers.

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Lifestyle

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10 May 2018 Feature

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE...

Can you guess where these letters are from? Check out the answers at kanelandkrier.com.

Page design by Dylan Calabrese

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Activities 10 May 2018

TIME TO HIT THE ROAD WITH THESE DAY TRIPS

BY EMILY JANECEK, Editor

LAKE GENEVA

STARVED ROCK

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edicated enough to go a little bit across the border of Wisconsin?

Then Lake Geneva in Walworth County is the perfect day trip.

Besides the fact that there’s a freshwater lake located in the town, there are tons of activities to do in Lake Geneva.

The historic town welcomes everyone in with its local restaurants, clothing stores and delicious candy store fronts.

One of the best places to go for food is Joni’s Diner. Given the 1960s vibe, Joni’s is fairly priced and has amazing classic American food like the iconic burger, fry and shake meal.

Another place to go is the gorgeous Big Foot Beach State Park by the lake which is a popular picnic spot, with a hiking area and a swimming beach with 900 feet of shoreline.

The lake, being the number one attraction there, offers many opportunities to have some fun.

There are numerous beaches for jet skiing, boat rentals, tours and many other water sport choices.

Lake Geneva is a great place to visit on a warm weekend or even for just a day.

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PHOTO BY ANNIKA BERGER

PHOTO BY EMILY JANECEK

oted the number one attraction in Illinois by a panel of travel experts, Starved Rock State Park, located in Oglesby, is one of the best places to go when thinking of a day vacation.

Unlike most outdoor activities in the summer, hiking at the park is free of admission so you can feel free to pack the car with as many people as you want.

With 13 miles of trails that run through the whole park, you’re unlikely to get bored when exploring the terrain.

The trails range in easy hikes to increasingly challenging ones that can test your endurance. So, there’s something for everyone at the park.

Along with their countless trails, Starved Rock also has beautiful waterfalls in 14 out of their 18 canyons.

Whether you want a photo op or a quick way to cool off, the waterfalls are ready to oblige any hikers.

There are strict hours that run from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the safety of the hikers.

However, this should not be a problem because of daylight.

The drive to Central Illinois will definitely be worth your time.

SMALL CLUB MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE AT KHS

BY SAMANTHA CALLAGHAN, Reporter

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small club at Kaneland is making a tremendous difference. Brighter Futures club is kicking their upcoming projects into gear to make Kaneland more environmentally friendly.

The idea of the Brighter Futures club started in fall 2016 after Katelyn Huber and Michael Petrik approached Andrew Franklin, a counselor at Kaneland, and asked for his support with the club.

In the two years since they started they have fixed how Kaneland recycles and still have future goals.

“Eventually maybe have a garden or have some sort of local food source around to get some of the food for the cafeteria,” president of Brighter Futures, Erika Leeper said.

Future projects include continuing to update Kaneland’s recycling system along with trying to receive a grant to install a wind turbine that would be used as

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a source of energy for the school.

“The goal was to make us the greenest school in the state,” the current adviser of the club, Laura McPhee said.

They have made some major changes to the school, and are definitely on their way to that title.

“The biggest accomplishment of this school year was getting the building to recycle again. For years, both the garbage cans and recycling bins went to the same place. We helped get the recyclable items where they belong,” vice president, Blake Feiza said.

This year during the week of Valentines day, the club sold light up roses in the cafeteria in hopes to raise money so they can eventually host a beehive on campus.

“Honey bees are making a comeback thankfully, but their hives are still at risk. We would like to host one, so we are

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working with a student in horticulture with the hopes that he can supply the hive, then we can buy bees and have a hive on the school campus,” McPhee said.

Another project that they hope to start in the future is teaming up with Shedd Aquarium in their ‘Shedd the straws’ campaign.

Many people mistake straws to be recyclable because they are plastic, the ‘Shedd the straws’ campaign was made to spread awareness about these non-recyclable items.

If you want to participate and make our school greener, it’s simple to join.

They meet two times a month, every other Tuesday. All they ask is that you provide an email and sign up for their GroupMe, so you can be informed when your green thumb is needed.

“Students are welcomed to join at anytime,” McPhee said.

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10 May 2018 Sports

WHO RUN THE TRACK... GIRLS

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KERRIE BROLLEY

BY DYLAN CALABRESE, Editor ALL PHOTOS BY ASHLEY EDWARDS

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ophomore Kerrie Brolley participates in triple jump, 100 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, 4x200 and the 4x100 meter relays. In triple jump Brolley finds that taking off consistently every time not crossing the final line to create a fault are some of the hardest parts about triple jump.

She also believes that competing in this event is difficult because the slightest wrong movement can mess up the whole jump.

Brolley chose to compete in triple jump in triple jump because it is more fun than just jumping.

izzie Laudont runs hurdles, the 400 meter dash and throws shot put and discus. Running the 400 meter dash is very difficult mentally and physically, and a lot of form goes into running the hurdles and throwing shot put. Laudont enjoys running and chose to run the 400 meter dash because her mom ran it in high school. She was asked to throw shot put last season and decided to give it a go.

LIZZIE LAUDONT Kerrie Brolley

Cassidy Motyka Lizzie Laudont

CASSIDY MOTYKA

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ophomore Cassidy Motyka runs in the 4x100, 4x200 and the 4x400 meter relays. She also runs in the 200 meter dash and jumps in the high jump event. Motyka chose these events because she does not enjoy running long distances and she runs better in short distances. The events are very difficult and Motyka says the most difficult part about the events are finishing up the race when you hit the wall.

Haley Goodine

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HALEY GOODINE

enior Haley Goodine runs the 100 meter high hurdles and the 300 meter low hurdles.

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“These events are more fun because it is not just running, it more mentally demanding and you have to go through more than just running a 400,” Goodine said.

unning in the 4x100, 4x200 and in the 200 meter dash Sophomore Emma Stoker enjoys the adrenaline rush during the race and winning the races. Stoker believes the hardest part about the race is before for the actual race while preparing for each and every race. Stoker chose these events because of how fast and high speed each of the events are.

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Goodine believes that maintaining speed throughout the hurdles is the hardest part about the two events.

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Emma Stoker

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EMMA STOKER Sports

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Interactive 10 May 2018

CAN YOU FIND THE HEADLINES? Directions: Using each clue match them to the headlines in the issue.

Think you got them all correct? Check your answers at kanelandkrier.com Crossword made at www.education.com

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10 May 2018 Ads

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Ads 10 May 2018

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10 May 2018 Ads

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