Bear Facts Student Media October 2015

bear facts LAKE ZURICH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MEDIA

COMING HOME expand the meaning of homecomings

OCTOBER 2015

TUTOR TALK

page 10

POLICE EXPLORERS page 12

COLLEGE ATHLETICS page 20

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BEAR FACTS STUDENT MEDIA IN THIS ISSUE

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2 // OCTOBER 2015

SPOTLIGHT

Fostering the Future

pg 26 Foster kids and families share their experiences and stories in the program and how LZ is a safe place for them to thrive

Back to the Bears

pg 24

New and Improved Homecoming

pg 27

A Hero’s Welcome pg 28

26

LZ LIFE Classmate Cops pg 12 Taking a look inside the Police Explorers Program

A&E No screams on screen pg 14 Poor characters lead to subpar horror movies

20

SPORTS Road to college athletics pg 20 Athletes prepare and look back on the journey to the NCAA

PERSPECTIVES Staff Editorial pg 30 Bear Facts looks into the complications of “home”

30

12

Trump’s Plan

Photo by: de.Wikipedia.org

Fox Lake Shooting

Lockdown procedures are important to ensure the safety of all students and faculty in schools, which is why the Illinois School Safety Drill Act requires a minimum of one law enforcement drill each year. When Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was fatally shot in Fox Lake in September, area schools such as Grant Community High School and Wauconda High School were put on lockdown, showing why the state requires schools to practice.

why

Syrian Refugees

it

matters compiled by JEMMA KIM // editor in chief

Planned Parenthood

When a video surfaced in July allegedly showing Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of fetal tissue for profit, Republicans began a renewed push to defund Planned Parenthood. The mission of Planned Parenthood is to both educate and provide services for the public. Only 22 states require sexual education, and only 19 states require medically accurate education, according to the National Conference of State Legislature.

Nationwide, the organization currently receives over $500 million in federal funding, according to STOPP.org; of that money, $44 million is spent on sexuality education. According to the same source, 3.2 million teenage girls from age 14 - 19 have one or more sexually transmitted diseases “despite millions of tax dollars given to comprehensive sex education by Planned Parenthood.”

4 News

Donald Trump, a potential Republican candidate for president, has “three core principals” of immigration: Mexico should be responsible for building a wall between our countries, Mexican CEOs and diplomats should pay increased fees until the border is built, and “criminal aliens” should be forced to return to their home country. Trump’s heated statements against immigration have resulted in angry protests against the candidate. Considering Mexican immigrants count for 77 percent of undocumented persons in Illinios, according to the February 2014 Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and 8 percent of Community Unit School District 95’s students are Hispanic, students should be paying attention to Trump’s plan to keep Mexican immigrants out of America.

Photo by Migrante21.com

President Barack Obama plans to grant over 10,000 Syrian refugees asylum in the United States, which is sparking debate, with some arguing that desperate immigrants will negatively impact the country, but others disagree.

“To be fair, immigrants are half of our entrepreneurs in the country. So it does actually improve our economy. You know, these are people who will become workers, who can gradually become part of the economy,” said Nomiki Konst, Co-founder and Executive Director of The Accountability Project.

Another concern is if the US military gets involved in the fighting in Syria. The war in Iraq cost the US an estimated $1 trillion, according to CNN, so any US involvement in Syria will cost us.

around the AREA SPRING GROVE

1

Located only half an hour away from Lake Zurich in Spring Grove, Richardson’s Farm offers the “World’s Largest Corn Maze” designed this year with the Chicago Blackhawks logo. Richardson’s Farm also offers orb rides, zip lines, along with pedal rides, slides, and jumping pillows located on the campground.Admission is $15 for 13 years and older. The farm is open from 10am-11pm on Saturdays and 12pm-10pm on Sundays with the exceptions of Full Moon Weekends (9/25-9/26 and 10/23-10/24) when the farm closes at midnight. There is also a separate farm that allows you to cut down your own Christmas trees open the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Statesville Haunted Prison

LOCKPORT

2

This haunted house is open to all above the age of 15, accompanied by a paid adult.

Complete with many rooms including but not limited to “The Warden’s Chamber,” “The Blood Room,” and “The Zombie Pit,” this house will provide scares for all. General admission is $30 with VIP tickets with no wait at $45. It is located about an hour away. Go to www.statesvillehauntedprison. com for more information.

Photo permission by: Richardson’s Farm

Turkey Trot SCHAUMBURG

3

Thanksgiving Day through Thanksgiving weekend, towns will be offering annual Turkey Trot 5K-10K/half marathon races. The Long Grove Turkey Trot will offer a 5K/8K race, complete with chip timing and event photography. All participants will also receive free hooded pullovers! If running isn’t for you, there are also volunteer sign ups available on the website. Long Grove and Grant Park also offer a Turkey Trot.

All Seasons Orchard

Halloween Festival

WOODSTOCK

CHICAGO

4

During fall All Seasons Orchard is open for all your fall fun needs. You can pick your own apples and pumpkins daily through October. Barnyard activities include the petting zoo and the pedal cart track, with pig races and magic shows featured on the weekends. There is also a shooting gallery with apple shooters and pumpkin cannons. Their Country Kitchen includes apple donuts and pumpkin pie.

5

Parks and businesses along the Chicago Cultural Mile will hold family friendly events including free performances and mask making workshops on October 24 from 2pm-5pm.

There will also be a children’s costume parade in Maggie Daley Park. Starting at 6pm, there will be a parade traveling north from Columbus Drive to Monroe Drive. All festival activies will move to the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue.

News 5

Women in

Blue

More to new security guards than the uniform CHLOE FARIS// staff writer MADI KLEIN// staff writer

This may be Val Redmond’s first year working at Lake Zurich, but not her first roaming the hallways.

After graduating in 2011, Redmond now works as the school security guard.

“This school had the most impact on me. The staff really cared about my growth and success here, rather than the two other [high schools] I went to,” Redmond said. “Gretta, [or Mama Love], was a huge inspiration to me when I was a kid. She was caring and pushed me through. I felt like I owed the school a bit to give back.”

Redmond’s arrives at the school at 6am, when she walk through the main doors to start her day.

6:00am - 6:35am

The first task of Redmond’s is to unlock the main doors and set up the computers in the front. When it gets lighter out and she knows cars can see her, Redmond then sets up the cones by the senior doors to block off the lane and block the crosswalk, she said.

7:55am - 10:22am

“I’m always walking,” Redmond said, explaining what she does after the bell rings in the morning. To Redmond, walkthroughs entail checking the bathrooms, hallways, any open doors, and making sure students have passes with them. Walkthroughs are also a time for Redmond to think about her life.

“I think about everything,” Redmond said. “I keep my focus on what I’m suppose to be focused on, but in between that I’m thinking about normal stuff.”

6 LZ Life

10:22am - 1:33pm

“There is always something going on and I get to interact with the students more,” said Redmond, who spends fourth through seventh period in the cafeteria to watch over the kids for duty.

Some students, like Elizabeth Crutchfield, freshman, talks to Redmond at least once a day.

At 12:00pm, Redmond breaks for her thirty minute lunch period. Redmond brings her lunch every time, unless she has her friends bring it.

“I just have caring friends,” Redmond said. “If you care a lot then they care about you and I care about food, so I’m easily pleased.”

The security guards are allowed to take their lunch breaks when they choose, as long as they communicate with one another. Redmond feels she has bonded closely with her coworkers, especially teachers who remember her as being a past student.

1:38pm - 2:30pm

Redmond completes another walkthrough during eighth period.

After work Redmond enjoys helping her dad coach soccer in Schwaben, Buffalo Grove or work on her main focus - settling into her new apartment.

Redmond credits LaGretta Robertson-Haynes as her inspiration to become a security guard.

Q: How do you feel about being Redmond’s inspiration to become a security guard?

A: Honored and scared at the same time. Only because like what did I do to make be a security guard? That’s the scary part, but honored because I helped her graduate school and she became a great person.

Carrie Bach

Can be found: in the cafeteria and doing walkthroughs throughout the school

Laurie Lawrijan

Can be found: at the main security desk

“What I like is that there is diversity in what I’m doing. Part of it is here [at the security desk] and part of it is patrolling. There’s just a number of different things that you don’t get bored with.”

Q: Is there anything specific that you look forward doing at home?

A: Sleep. Actually, I love movies, and I love to visit with friends. And I love music.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to? Do you

have any favorite artists?

A: Some you’ve never heard of: like Velvet Underground, and Eco, Cat Power, and Lorde, so maybe some you know. I like individual performers.

Q: Do you have any other interests outside of school?

A: I really like nature and animals. There’s a nature center by my house so I really like going there.

Q: Is there any reason why you like nature so much?

A: No, I really like other sciences too, like physics. It’s really interesting to me. We always had cats and dogs when I was younger, but besides that, nothing really made me like animals like I do.

Q: If you were to describe yourself to a complete stranger, what would you say and why?

A: I think I’m special and ordinary at the same time, like most people. I’m special in my own ways.

Q: Do you have any passions or interests?

A: I’m a big football fan so I’ve been to a lot of games for free. Last year, we did two Saint Louis Rams games and we were down on the ground for that. It’s really cool because we’re [security guards] are getting paid to see things that other people have to pay to see.

Q: What about outside of security?

A: I like to ride my motorcycle. I have a 2014 Fat Boy that I hooked up myself. My mom calls it the ‘bumble bee’ because it’s yellow and you can hear [its engine] going down the road.

LZ Life 7

a night to remember...

r o r r o h g n i m o c Home KIANNA NOVAK // staff writer

School dances could be summed up in one word: awkward. These evenings are full sweaty people in close proximity dancing to whatever pop music is popular at the time, and is accompanied by decorations to make the gym look like something along the lines of underwater, the 20s, a night to remeber, or etcetera. With Homecoming right around the corner, some of your teachers have great stories to tell about their own dance history...

English teacher, Kim Philipp and her date posing for pictures before prom.

By the looks of it, her and her date seemed to have had a lovely time and luckily no one got hit by a football. (Photo used with the permission of: Kim Philipp)

8 LZ Life

Kim Philipp, English teacher ~ freshman year at Stevenson High School Where I went to school,�Stevenson [we had] around 4,500 students in the school and about 1,200 in my class, but before school everyone hangs out in the commons area waiting for class to start. There was this sophomore football player, at the time I’m a freshman, that I wanted to ask to Turnabout. I had this plan that I was going to write Turnabout on a football and throw it over to him. Finally the day came that I was going to ask him, so the deal was my friend was going to call his name, then I would throw it. But before he got a chance to say his name, I just threw the ball, really hard. He tried to grab it but it ended up bouncing and hitting some other girl.

However my friends and I dropped to floor the second the ball passed him and we were mortified. By that point everyone in the commons was looking at me and him, so it became this big thing and then he said yes to the dance!�

Leah Enright, Spanish teacher ~ senior at Libertyville High School “So it’s senior year, Prom night and everything at the dance was wonderful. This is at the Lincolnshire Marriott, so we are pulling out after, everyone’s pretty tired and there’s this long line of cars headed toward Milwaukee Avenue. My date isn’t paying much attention to his driving, we were following friends and he just plowed into the car in front of us, rear-ending our friends. It was a disaster. Luckily, it could’ve been worse. The police show up, we explained what happened, then they call our parents with the whole ‘your daughter’s been in an accident but everyone’s okay’. Of course when my parents show up, I’m in an ambulance because I had some burns from the seat belt, which freaked my mom out even more. Once both our parents realized we were both okay, my date’s father was more sad about his car, the whole front end was busted up. That put a bit of a damper on our Prom plans for the following weekend.”

Leah Enright, Spanish teacher (on the far right), and her date, smile for pictures with their friends, prior to the fiasco with the car accident. (Photo used with the permission of: Leah Enright)

Josh Thompson, band director ~ freshman at Westerville South HS in Ohio “I was at a band dance (yes, our band did it’s own dances). The dance was held in the cafeteria and group of students were jumping off of chairs like idiots, pretending to smack our heads on an under-hanging section of the ceiling, and falling back like we were hurt. Like a fool, I made it look so real because when I jumped to hit the ceiling I actually hit my head. I was bleeding all over the place and ending up in the emergency room with stitches in my head to this day I still have a scar. Fun times at a high school dance, I hurt a lot but I absolutely do not regret it though I do not recommend it.”

What are your horrific school dance stories?

Abby Bond, freshman “Once at my eighth grade dance, I was walking up the bleachers and my feet got caught on something so I tripped and slid down practically on my face.

Luckily, not everyone in my grade saw, but my friends did and were dying laughing, they still bring it up today.”

While this photo may not be of Josh Thompson, band director, at the dance, it was one taken from his time in high school. (Photo used with the permission of: Josh Thompson)

Natalie Cartwright, sophomore “My friends and I were having a fun time at the dance, we went behind a food table to walk out for a bit and ended up knocking something off the table.

So of course we sped out of the gym as fast a possible laughing!”

Sarah Shapero, junior “For homecoming I decided to do my own hair and while blow drying it, I was reaching for a comb causing my hair to get caught up in the dryer. It wasn’t that big of a deal but it definitely delayed my prep for the dance.”

Rachel Tournier, senior “One year for homecoming, my friends and I were posing for photos on this brick ledge. While trying to change my position [for the photo], I got caught in my dress and fell back.

I eventually got my balance, but even if I did fall it would’ve been onto flowers.”

LZ Life 9

Let’s Talk

Tutoring

Visit our website for access to the full interview!

DOMINIQUE GERTIE // staff writer

National Honors Society (NHS) wants its members to live up to the reputation of being students that excel in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. If you are a senior, and are part of the organization, you have already met all the requirements of being an NHS tutor.

“You’re required to get ten hours of tutoring and forty hours of volunteering for NHS in order to put it on any college applications or anything like that. But there’s a couple options for tutoring. You can get

10 LZ Life

thirty minutes for working in the [math resource center], so I usually do that it’s actually really fun in there everyone is super nice. You also have to individually tutor someone at least one time. I’ve tutored someone in math and in science we’ll study for a test for a period or work on the homework otherwise when you’re tutoring one person they’ll just text you when they want to meet” Sydney Mathis, NHS senior, said.

The recently revised organization utilizes its 76 students to operate a peer tutoring

program through the school. In addition to tutoring, this year the tutors have publicized their peer editing program which allows students to get feedback on essays and writing pieces.

“You always learn your subject matter better when you teach it to someone else, so I think it strengthens their skills,” Carl Krause, college counselor, said. “Also giving back to the school is a big aspect as well as explaining those skills simple enough for someone else to understand.”

Sydney Mathis

Scott Shadrick

NHS senior enjoys tutoring in math

NHS senior enjoys tutoring in math and science

Q: What was your most rewarding moment as a tutor?

A: I like it when I’ll ask a kid a question, because you can’t really tell if you’re a good tutor or not in the MRC, and then they’ll come back over to you and say, ‘can you explain this next one because it actually made sense last time’ or they’ll say something like, ‘oh my gosh that made it so much easier,’ something like that.

Q: What do you think is the biggest fear that students have about getting help from a tutor?

A: I’m not bad at math, but I’m in [calculus] so people think I’m good at math, but I would love to have a tutor just to help me with something. You can be in harder math classes and need help, you can be in easier math classes and need help.

Q: Do you think tutoring other students helps you as a student?

A: Yeah, I see other people tutoring and I think, ‘they’re really not good at tutoring,’ but it’s cool when you actually feel like you’re good at tutoring and you can figure something out or explain something. Sometimes I feel like ‘I just butchered that, and I cannot explain it,’ but I like it and I think it’s easier for me to ask questions.

Q: What’s your most embarrassing moment tutoring?

A: Last year I spent a whole period trying to help this student answer one question for geometry and I couldn’t figure it out. I asked a bunch of teachers and found out that there was a typo so it was impossible. It took almost the whole period to find out, I was pretty flustered about that.

Q: What do you think is the biggest fear that students have about getting help from a tutor?

A: I think some kids think it’s only for if they’re stupid or if they’re dumb and that’s not true whatsoever. Everyone needs helps with something at one point in time and you’re not always going to understand it on the first run through. Some classes just move faster than you’re ready for, so it doesn’t mean anything against how smart you are if you go see a tutor to get some help.

Q: If you could tutor any of your teachers in one thing, what would you choose to tutor them in?

A: I would tutor Mr. Sipiera in math, he made some funny math mistakes last year and I just want to make sure that kids don’t make fun of him for it.

Olivia Pura NHS senior enjoys tutoring in math Q: What’s your most embarrassing moment tutoring?

A: Oh my gosh, I had to explain what symmetry was, and you’d think it’s so simple to explain that, but when you have to explain something that makes sense to you, like symmetry, it was impossible. I was trying to explain it and draw pictures, but it was just impossible.

Q: What do you think is the biggest fear that students have about getting help from a tutor?

A: I guess that they think it means that they’re not smart or that you’re stupid which is really not true. Not everyone is good at every subject, it’s not a matter of being smart, smart is just being better at one subject than another.

Q: If you could tutor any of your teachers in one thing, what would you choose to tutor them in?

A: I would have to tutor my English teacher in drawing. Is that even possible? Can you tutor someone in drawing? All my teachers need art tutoring. They always draw these things on the board and you just can’t even tell what they are.

LZ Life 11

Police Books and badges

JULIA KETCHAM // editor

At the age of 15, he doesn’t have his license yet but he is already on the streets of Lake Zurich directing traffic, working with police, and learning to write police reports.

Stephen Sopek, sophomore, discovered his passion for working in the law enforcement field last year when he joined the Lake Zurich Police Explorers. He has been working with other officers in training classes and has had first hand experience on the road.

“I’m actually thinking about being in the FBI like a field agent,” Sopek said smiling. “Ever since I was nine, I felt like this would be something I would really enjoy doing. My dad is a police officer in Elgin so he is my inspiration.”

Sopek and other members of the group have the opportunity to work with officers like Sgt. Robert Johnson with the Lake Zurich Police.

“While I have not known Stephen long,” Johnson said, “his focus and dedication makes me believe he is likely to be successful with anything he may choose to do. I certainly believe he is capable of assuming a leadership role in Post 2 in the future, if he so desires. He shows a strong willingness to learn and to participate in Post activities.”

Sopek is in the Explorers group, where he attends classes every Tuesday to work with police officers and gain experience and learn from them. There are around 15-30 stu-

dents involved and they learn about different topics like CPR, how to work with traffic, leadership skills, and how to write police reports.

“We work with officers and you to get a lot of experience to see if you want to be in the law enforcement,” Sopek said. “Also we learn about different topics and get to know about what the officers do.”

Sopek and the other members in the program can be found at the local farmers markets, car shows in downtown, and at other major events around the town like the Fourth of July fireworks.

“My favorite part of being in this program is that I get to learn skills that are helpful to know if you want to be in law enforcement,” Sopek said. “You also get to talk to the officers and get to know them.”

Sopek plans to stay in the program as long as he can to learn as much as he can so he can continue his dream to be in law enforcement.

“I have seen him find something that allows him to channel his focus and his willingness to serve his community. I believe, over time, this will strengthen him as a person,” Johnson said.

“I want to follow him [his father] because he is a police officer,” Sopek said. “I think this job interests me also because it’s an active job and not a job, for example, where you’re sitting behind a desktop the whole day.”

Explorers Training

for the

Future

JIM WEIMER // staff writer

While most people are afraid of the dangers of becoming a cop, the Police Explorers train to take on the responsibility of protecting the community.

“I’ve wanted to be a policeman since about 4th grade,” Jacob Hernandez, junior and Police Explorer, said. “I want to be an Illinois State Trooper, but [right now] I just like helping out the community at events and other things.”

The Police Explorer post in Lake Zurich, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last April, teaches kids about police work, according to Collin Gaffney, Lake Zurich Police Department detective. “[The explorer post] will help kids learn what being a police officer is all about,” Gaffney said. “The explorers learn about building searches, prisoner searches, and physical defense.”

The explorers meet every other Tuesday in a classroom to study scenarios like traffic stops and building searches, according to Kyle Oleksy, a 2013 graduate who has been a Police Explorer for six years. During the next meeting they go out and practice the scenarios first hand.

“It puts you in a whole different world,” Oleksy said. “It’s a chance for people [14-21 years old] to get a taste of what it’s like to be a cop.”

Explorers learn everything they need to know for a career in law enforcement. They also help the police by attending festivals, helping with traffic control, and getting first

]

]

“People don’t understand that we just want to help you. It’s something we strive to do all the time.”

-Kyle Oleksy, 2013 Graduate

hand experience in ride-alongs with patrol officers.

“My favorite part is coming out to help with community events,” Oleksy said. “I get to interact with the public and help make a positive impact in the community.”

Recently, police have been getting a bad rap, but all they want to do is help people, Oleksy said. Oleksy likes to help people, which he says is a lot more fun than yelling at people.

“People don’t understand that we just want to help you,” Oleksy said. “I enjoy helping as much as anyone else here, and that’s something we strive to do all the time.”

Top: The Police Explorers meet up before going out to show civilians how to properly set up car seats. Bottom: Kyle Olesky talks to a civilian about the proper setup for his child’s car seat.

LZ Life 13

No Screams on the Screen DANNA TABACHNIK // digital director

movies with the creepy ghosts, or yet another paranormal/satanic/ ghosts are real movie, there’s always that one character that you know is going to die. Maybe it was justified because they’re a bad person, or maybe it’s because they are just so stupid it hurts, but no matter what horror movie

“A parody of Friday the 13th-type movies, the characters in “Splatter Theatre” include such archetypes as the nun, the school jock, and of course the bumbling old man. Laugh and watch them all die in different ways: Tongue pulled out, drill in the head, evisceration, slashed throat, and many other hilariously appalling ways! With freshly painted white walls on the stage before each performance, the audience will be horrified and delighted by the end, when the walls are covered in blood!” ~TheAnnoyance.com.

851 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657, United States

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Show times October 31 @ 8:00 October 31 @10:00

Prices Regular- $20 Students-$15

is playing, that one dumb character is always there.

“Yet while [the characters] know the rules for surviving a horror movie, this awareness can’t save them,” Manohla Dargis, writer for the New York Times, wrote. “They’re wellschooled dead meat.”

Photo from: Annoyance Theater Facebook page

It’s that time of the year again.

Skulls on the walls, costumes in stores, and pumpkin flavored everything. And although it’s not Christmas music blasting through the speakers, the horror movies that come with October are almost unavoidable.

Whether it’s the slasher

The cast of Splatter Theater pose after performing their 2010 annual parody performance. Splatter Theater is an annual performance put on by Annoyance Productions, located at 851 W Belmont Ave in Chicago, that spoofs Friday the 13th-type movies.

Photo from: Annoyance Theater Facebook page

The House Of The Devil Plot: Samantha Hughes saw a “Baby $itter Needed” sign and decided to go to the house. She showed up at the house, located in the middle of nowhere, and a creepy looking man with a cane answered the door. He then proceeded to tell her that it was a caretaker, not a babysitting, gig.

Sam is then left alone in the house, when she wanders upstairs and realizes that something’s off (finally). Then the rest of the movie is basically just her getting scared and trying to escape for the claws of whatever satanic ritual the sketchy dude was trying to perform.

The Good: If you’re not into the really scary stuff, this movie is for you.

This movie is predictable and not scary enough to cause more than a yelp here and there.

The Bad: Although this movie is characterized as horror, it was only scary in the last 30 minutes. The movie moves slowly, and is predictable. There aren’t any “pop out scary” moments, which make the movie boring and almost unwatchable.

Pet Sematary Plot: A dying patient told Louis Creed to stay away from a creepy pet cemetery behind his house, and he didn’t listen. Not only did he bury his daughter’s cat in it, he also buried his son and wife there. Then they all came back to life as scary undead versions of themselves. With knives.

And it was all his fault. So his death was kind of justified.

The Good: Not much. Not even the acting and stage direction is good, considering the movie was made in the 80s. Some of the situations are predictable, which is good if you enjoy those kind of movies. The baby is pretty cute though.

The Bad: This movie is a mess.

Death is around every corner, people are creepy, and apparently everything comes back from the dead. It’s not even scary; everything that was meant to scare you was predictable.

Plus the main character was so stupid that you immediately knew he was going to end up dead at the end.

Melodramatic acting just makes this movie worse.

The Ruins Plot: A group of college kids went on a vacation to Mexico and decided to go on an adventure in the Mayan ruins. While they were in the ruins, however, things didn’t go so smoothly. They are shot at, fall down holes, break various bones, and are infected with some weird predatory vine that eats them inside out. The group of vacationers were also forced to amputate someone’s legs so he wouldn’t die from an infection. He still died though, they all did, except for one that ran away from a swarm of shooting Mayans.

The Good: The storyline. Although all of the deaths were predictable, the storyline and the idea of the movie was not only interesting, but innovative and enticing.

The Bad: The storyline was introduced in a way that was predictable in the sense that the group would die, although how they died was nowhere near predictable. Although somewhat supernatural, the movie gave a little insight on how to survive in the middle of nowhere.

A&E

15

books make you

BRAINY

Reading may be part of the curriculum, but research shows reading benefits readers’ minds well beyond the walls of any classroom.

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

suggested by Katherine Koebel

Even from 238,900 miles away, the moon controls Earth’s tides, weather, volcanic activity, and a whole host of other integral processes. It also controls every aspect of Miranda’s life in Susan Pfeffer’s novel Life As We Knew It. All it takes is one asteroid to knock the moon off its axis by the smallest modicum, drastically changing Earth’s climate worldwide. In a matter of weeks, the power is gone, stores have been raided, thousands are dead, and 16-year-old Miranda’s family is trapped in their house with precious little food. Miranda details the entire chain of events in her diary as the planet’s basic institutions, resources, and stability begin to disintegrate. The book itself is her journal and we, as readers, get to look through Miranda’s eyes as she watches the world we often take for granted fall apart. While this isn’t exactly a pulse-pounding, zombie-shooting kind of apocalypse, it will certainly keep you up at night, either reading “just one more chapter” or coming up with your own survival plan. For those interested in a realistic take on the apocalypse, read it now before it happens.

I, ROBOT

by Isaac Asimov Worried robots will take over the world? Isaac Asimov’s book reveals glimpses into a world where intelligent robots and humans coexist. Under the laws of robotics, highly advanced robots are incorporated into society as workers, planners, and leaders; but the transition from simple machines to intelligent automatons was not easy. Asimov gives the reader short stories about scientists trying to unravel the reasoning behind unexpected behavior in the robots. The plot lines are very light-hearted, from suggested by the robot who was unintentionally Aaron Michael psychic, to the secular robotic zealot.

Although Asimov does not present robots in the traditional sense, the human element of the robots makes the stories seem not only applicable to the machines, but also to the humanity of the reader. This book will interest all readers, not just fans of science fiction.

16 A&E

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN

by Betty Smith In the slums of Brooklyn, a young girl struggles to survive. Her name is Francie Nolan, and at the age of eleven, she has already experienced more hardship than most will in their lifetime.

As she wades through the plights of a poor family at the turn of the century, she deals with traumatic events that make growing up even harder. Although Francie’s story is set in the 1900’s, suggested by Sarah Kehnnemuyi it has a point of view that every kid of any era can relate to. I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age novel and appreciated the parallels I was able to draw from one century to the next.

RESEARCH REVEALS: adults who spend just 30 minutes a week reading are 20 percent more likely to be satisfied with their lives regular readers have higher self-esteem and greater self-acceptance because reading helps us feel less isolated with just 30 minutes of reading a week, two thirds of readers report a better understanding of other people’s feelings readers were less likely to experience low moods or feelings of depression if they read for 30 minutes a week readers find it easier to make decisions and are 10 percent more capable of planning and prioritizing reading fiction “temporarily enhance’s one’s ability to understand others’ mental states and deepens empathy,” according to an October 2013 study published in the journal Science http://www.express.co.uk

Rookies take on

Varsity

Photo permission by Danielle Sieb

JANIE HUELS // staff writer

Photo by Madison Hart

Above: Danielle Sieb, freshman, performing a stunt during one of the practices to get ready for upcoming competitions.

Right: Jocelyn Leng, freshman, spiking a volleyball during a game against Vernon Hills. Sieb and Leng are two of the many freshmen who are moved up to the varsity level.

Athletes who play on a varsity sport as freshmen are players who are committed, enjoy the game and have the potential to be great players, according to Rolly Vazquez, athletic director.

“Freshmen on varsity have to have a higher maturity level because the game is faster and they have to be able to have an attitude that won’t hurt the team,” Vazquez said.

The freshmen who have been moved up to varsity are only on the team to help it and to learn, so all the freshmen on varsity have to be a good example for everyone on the lower levels of what a varsity sport is like, Vazquez said.

“Being a freshman on a varsity sport is very intimidating at first, but all your teammates are very supportive of you. Overall, it’s one of the best opportunities I’ve gotten, and it’s been a great privilege so far,” Danielle Sieb, freshman cheerleader, said.

Even though being on varsity is tough, the upperclassmen are nice and supportive of the freshmen for the most part, Vazquez said. This helps the team become more like a family, which is what all teams should be like, no matter who is on the team, Vazquez said.

“You have to be really committed. We have practice after school everyday and sometimes games too, and you have to be with your team a lot and have team dinners,” Jocelyn Leng, freshman volleyball player, said.

Even though it is a lot of commitment, Sieb and Leng say varsity sports are worth it.

“Freshmen are not just put on varsity to sit on the bench and watch,” Vazquez said. “The freshman has to be very talented and the coach thinks he/she will get playing time. It also depends on how many spots are open, because if there are a lot of good seniors on the team, they won’t need too many freshmen players.”

Based on the conference, most freshmen move up to varsity in more of the individual sports like swimming, golf, bowling, gymnastics, track, and cross country.

Overall, freshmen are moved up to varsity because of talent and attitude, but, according to Vazquez, as long as they are committed and give something back to the team, they will be just fine.

Andrew Pytlak, sophomore soccer player “It’s really cool playing with people three or four years older. Now I’m a starting player, so it feels a lot easier.”

Jake Stevens, junior football player “I thought it was a great experience to play on varsity as a freshman because it helped me get to know the coaches and put me ahead for sophomore year.”

Kristie Houghton, senior cross country runner “I definitely think it was a really good opportunity [to be on varsity as a freshman] because it gives you that confidence to help develop leadership skills.”

Sports 19

3 Sports 12 Seasons

ONE

PLAYER MEGGIE FURLONG // staff writer

Marin Allgood, senior, is a rarity. In the past four years, Allgood has spent approximately 9 months or 940 days or 1,880 hours playing either volleyball, basketball, or softball, since her freshman year.

“I can’t pick a favorite. Whatever sport I’m in, I focus on [only that sport]. Sometimes volleyball season goes into basketball season, and I neglect [basketball] a little bit. Not because I want to,” Allgood said.

Even though Allgood cannot pick a favorite sport, she does have a favorite moment from being on a team.

“It would have to be freshman year basketball. We were at Maine West [and the gym] had dividers that split the courts. Coach Profitt says ‘girls, be careful that you don’t trip over the ledge’ and I say ‘thank god someone told me, I would have tripped!’,” Allgood said. “Then my friend Melissa tripped and fell in front of the whole boys varsity team!”

While it can be fun having the different teams, experiences, and friends made from sports, being a three sport athlete does come without its set of challenges, according to Tom Reagan, assistant athletic director. Student be a lot of organization and time management skills.

“I think it’s hard because there are a lot more stu-

18 Sports

R dents that are playing club sports,” Reagan said. “[There are] a lot more students specializing, and there’s a lot of pressure on them to succeed, and to play at the next level, and they feel that it is in their best interest to specialize in one sport.”

Allgood’s time is spread thin during every season, between sports and her school assignments.

“I just try to focus my time. I don’t have enough time for [clubs or other extracurricular activities],” Allgood said. “Every single minute counts. I use my study hall to catch up from the homework I didn’t get to the night before. Sometimes I skip lunch or get up early to finish my homework.”

Keeping up with schoolwork is not the only challenge these unique athletes face. Having no off-season can poorly affect the body physically, according to Reagan.

Comparatively, Reagan also adds that there are benefits of being a three sport athlete.

“We want to see kids doing multiple sports. It’s not good to do the same thing all year round,” Regan said. “It’s not good for the body. It is good to do other types of exercises. Every sport does different movements, and I think it makes for a better, well rounded athlete.”

Hear from other three sport athletes:

Why are people focusing one sport?

Patrick Burns, soph XC, Swimming, Track

“People want to be the best they can be at the one sport they love the most. For me, my sports are all intertwined with running and each one helps the other.”

What’s the hardest part of your sport?

Anegla Chairez, jr.

XC, Basketball, Soccer “Getting homework done is definitely the hardest part.

Especially [group] projects.

I really have to make sure that I do my part and make sure I’m not slacking in the group.”

Why do you love what you do?

Erin Bajor, freshman

Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer “I think I’ll continue playing [all four years]. like being busy and I love playing sports. It’s definitely a main focus in my life.”

Sports 19

Get Your Head Game: The Road to College Athletics in the

JEMMA KIM // editor in chief

Amanda Guercio, junior

Photo permission with Amanda Guercio

Amanda Guercio, junior softball player, is someone who has started early on her college career. She plays on a recruitment team off season. “[The college coaches] just watch you play, and you can go to their camps without the pressure of games. You can email them and send them videos, and you can call them if you want, but they can’t call you until after September first of your junior year. I would definitely

email the coaches,” Guercio said.

Guercio has gotten offers by various coaches to come visit what their campus has to offer.

“I’ve gone to a couple camps at Bradley University and University of Wisconsin Green Bay and Miami of Ohio and University of Green Bay,” Guerico said. “They invite you so you can meet their staff, the team, check out the campus and everything.”

As Chervets enters his senior year, he is starting to finalize the recruitment process and learning how to deal with the pressures of college athletics. Many seniors like Chervets have coaches starting to visit them at games and recruit them for their teams. “[College recruitment] a great experience because you feel like someone wants you to be part of their school.

You feel like you can make a difference at their school and help their team. It’s

20 Sports

a really good feeling,” Chervets said.

However, the recruitment experience comes with the pressures of being a goalkeeper. Chervets has to work extra hard to keep his team on top. “[The pressure] is pretty tough. A lot of people don’t expect much from a younger person, but when you get into college you are kinda put with a lot of pressure, especially being a goalkeeper; you’re the playmaker of the game, so it’s a lot harder,” Chervets said.

Photo by Dayna Morga

Shawn Chervets, senior

Photo permission with Colton Moskal

Colton Moskal, college sophomore Colton Moskal, a 2013 LZHS graduate is a college athlete who got recruited freshmen year by Syracuse University. He decided to switch to playing at University of Pennsylvania his sophomore year.

“I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to play college football by multiple schools,” Moskal said. “Of course, my friends and family helped to get me grounded and focused during [the recruitment process]. I wouldn’t be in the position that I am today without them.”

Athletes need to consider lots of factors when deciding to continue athletics in college. Athletes may even decide to participate in club or intramural sports rather than competing on the official college team.

“My college career has been a little bit of a whirlwind. My freshman year at Syracuse I redshirted to put on weight and gain an extra year of eligibility. [But this year,] me and my family decided it was in my best interest to transfer to the University of Pennsylvania. I committed to Syracuse because I loved the way that the coaches coached, the vision that they had for the future, and the family atmosphere around the program,” Moskal said. “Also, I had already built a friendship with some of the other commits via text and social media. I made

the decision to transfer to Penn because being able to attend a world-renowned university like that is a once in a lifetime opportunity. A degree from there would open doors for me and my family later in life. While at Syracuse, I realized that football wasn’t going to last forever.

I needed the best education that I could possibly get to back me up when I’m done on the field.”

One should consider their academic goals as well. While sports may be a big part of life now, they may not be four years later.

“If I could go back and offer advice to athletes who are going through the recruiting process, I would tell them to be selfish. I would tell them to do what’s best for them and not to listen to where the media and other people want them to go. I would also push the importance of academics,” Moskal said. “This is not just a 4 year decision, it is a 40 year decision. So, do what’s best for you and find the school that fits you best, both academically and athletically. Playing a sport in college is a fun and exciting time. For [students] looking to go down this path, don’t get caught up in the lights. Being a student athlete takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication. Most of all, never forget where you come from and never forget the people who have helped you along the way.”

Sports 21

“We have a board in the back of our dance room and each name on the board has a goal on the back of it. We all have separate goals like to get our splits, jumps, or turns.”

- Jc Kelly, freshman

3W-0L

Sports

“I am enjoying playing with my teammates and being outside every day after school.”

- Tyler Gillen, junior

5W-7L-1T “Our golf season has been great- we have four new players and everyone’s’ scores have been improving. We could focus some more on putting and chipping to decrease our score even more.”

- Ally Tucker, junior

22 Sports

of the

(Scores current as of

S

O

“My goal for this season [is] coming really close together as a team, working together, obviously everyone wants to p[lace at state. I want to be close with everyone on the team and not just a couple of my friends that I’ve always been friends with and then just always working hard and not being lazy.”

- Paige Kuklinski, sophomore “Everyone on the team has a certain time they’d like to get to or even beat.

The team is a great support system in helping you accomplish your goals.”

- Kailee Remez, junior

s

e

of

SEASON October 1, our upload night.)

10W-10L

2W-3L

3W-8L-1T

Sports 23

Back MEGAN MONOSON // staff writer

Homes Away From Home Returning to one’s high school can be thought of as a reunion or a terrible nightmare. To some graduates, returning to the high school has been both an enjoyable and “intimidating experience.”

“It was actually really nerve-wracking because I studenttaught with a former teacher that I had. I felt like the expectations and the pressure were higher,” Laura Fonte, social studies teacher, said. “I felt like I was being watched with more intensity than maybe I would’ve before.”

To most, receiving one’s high school diploma means off to college and putting the last four years behind. But to others high school is the place they feel most at home.

According to Fonte and other graduates, they all have or plan on returning to their high school Alma Mater.

Home for a Decade Four years in high school may feel like eternity, but Fonte says she finally felt a sense of community after beginning to teach in the same district she graduated from.

Fonte “had a mixup and was not supposed to do her student teaching [here],” she said. She wanted little to do with the high school following her graduation in 1998, but over time things had changed.

“I didn’t re-develop my love and passion for the community until I came back here to teach. I think that when you’re in college, you’re very much in ‘college-mode’ and that’s where you want to be kind of a thing. It’s fun coming back home like on breaks, but then everyone gets re-excited about going back to Daniela Crocco says she feels at home when perform- their dorms and apartments,” Fonte said. ing (Top). Conor Jordan enjoys acting on the PAC stage Although people wonder about her choice to return, Fonte (Second). Laura Fonte shares a laugh with a friend from doesn’t regret her decision and would do it over again. the class of 1998 (Third). Katie Kiehn, a graduate from “I think it’s a good district. I mean, we’re nationally ranked.

1997, center of picture, has moved back to Lake Zurich I also think, kind of why I chose ISU [was because] we’re a defor her kid’s education (Bottom) Graduates continue to cent-sized school. We’re not huge like Stevenson and we’re not return to their Alma Mater at the high school throughout the past two centuries. Photo credits to Daniela Crocco, tiny like a little farm town. Also, what’s great about Lake Zurich is the community,” Fonte said. “The community rallies. For Conor Jordan, Laura Fonte, and Katie Kiehn.

24 Spotlight

-for-the-

Bears

homecoming they write and draw on the businesses.

I think it’s really important to know that the community is behind your school.”

Gone for a Year Going from being center stage and looking into the PAC crowd to living in the heart of the city, two 2015 graduates plan on visiting their homes in Lake Zurich and the stage this summer.

Conor Jordan and Daniela Crocco attend Roosevelt University in Chicago and both consider it their new homes-away-from-home.

“My favorite part of high school would definitely have to be senior year. So many things happened.

[For example,] getting a lead in the All-State Show and the amazing experience I had with the arts department. It was a good year getting Fiona in Shrek and then Anything Goes, getting Reno,” said Crocco.

She may not have felt at home in Lake Zurich for as long as Jordan has but both graduates now feel equally comfortable at their new home on Michigan Avenue as they did in LZ and at the high school.

“I came into a school where everyone had already established their friend groups; in college I was able to start fresh,” Crocco said. “Also, being able to go to school for what I love to do where everyone is just as passionate about their craft is nice to be around.”

Although Crocco “just loves the vibe she gets when she’s there,” everyone can yearn for home no matter the distance they are away.

“Actually, I just went home over the weekend for the first time and it was really nice being able to have a home cooked meal from by mom, because, I mean the cafeteria food is not exactly the best,” Crocco said.

However, Jordan hasn’t felt this way and says only “some people get homesick,” but he agrees with the

statement that it’s bound to happen to everyone.

“Sometimes that happens way further in the school year, but I have yet to get that. I think, for me at least, I am in ‘college mode.’ There’s so much already that I’m having to deal with, even though classes [are just starting],” Jordan said.

Being able to attend a college so close, Jordan and Crocco don’t have problems getting home, and do plan on returning some time soon.

“I think grads have problems coming back home because money is definitely a key factor. Everyone feels homesick after time. It may not hit you right away, like your first couple weeks of college, but after a month or two you might just feel [it],” Crocco said.

Jordan and Crocco plan on pursuing their careers, but not without coming back to the high school to see choir concerts, musicals, and plays.

“I definitely will come back for the shows, I would love to keep coming to see what they have to put on because I know people still in it. I am lucky enough to be that close to be able to do that,” Jordan said.

Both graduates enjoy living close to home and only needing to drive or take a train back, but both also plan to travel for their professions after college.

“Obviously after college my life will basically be an audition, that’s the saying, because in order for me to get jobs I have to audition for everything,” Crocco said. “Performing-wise, something that I’m really interested in doing when I graduate is becoming a cruise ship performer for a little bit because that’s something that has always interested me” For Crocco and Jordan what makes them feel at home is being on stage; however everyone has their own definition of “home,” and will always remember the place where they first knew as “home”.

Spotlight 25

FOSTERING THE FUTURE

MELANIE VILLARMARZO // staff writer

Junior Tatiana Garcia and senior Thomas Miller know the power of home. Garcia is a foster child and Miller’s family hosts foster children.

LZHS tries to create community regardless of students’ unique family situations, says Melissa Pikul, assistant principal of student services.

“I remember the day that I left my mom, which at three years old, you don’t really remember much; but that day, I really remember,” said Tatiana Garcia, junior, who is in the foster program.

Foster care is a program designed to provide substitute housing and family structure for children with unstable homes. There are approximately 400,000 foster children in the United States, according to www.childrensrights.org.

“It was weird to try to get used to living with strangers, but my second foster family, which is now my god family, have become my support system. I no longer live with them, but their advice has really helped me take a stand for myself,” Garcia said.

At LZHS, faculty and staff try to make the high school a safe and predictable place for students, Melissa Pikul, assistant principal for student services, said.

“Our social workers and counselors play a great role in helping our students to feel

26 Spotlight

at home. Hopefully, [the students] feel that there are multiple adults in the building, every single day, that care about them and about their development socially, emotionally, and academically,” Pikul explained.

School is one of the most predictable places for a student, according to Pikul; if the student is struggling through the family dynamic or is in a chaotic situation, school can be very helpful. Pikul explained that, although kids will claim to not really enjoy their time at school, it is an environment that is very well organized, and they know what to expect.

A child’s safety is most important when trying to provide the opportunities for children to have the brightest future possible, according to Children’s Rights, a non profitable organization.

Senior, Thomas Miller and his family understand that better than most. Miller’s family has been hosting foster children for over 5 years, and he feels that there may

have been times he did not enjoy coming home to encounter other children occupying his parent’s time, complaining, screaming, and crying. But overtime, his attitude has changed.

“I think that it may have separated us a little bit as a family. It’s a lot of time and energy, but in the end, it all comes down to [knowing] you’re changing someone’s life, [and knowing] they are at a way better place. You just keep that in the back of your mind because you are going to change this kid’s life, and one day they are gonna be something great,” Miller said.

Such realizations took time, but Miller knows the difficulties are worth it.

“Sometimes, it’s really hard to bond with them, especially when some of them have really bad past or detachment issues,” Miller said. “Some of them really don’t want to be your friend, but you do have to live with them, so you have to create a bond, so you’re close enough to be a family.”

&

NEW

IMPROVED DAYNA MORGA // staff writer

New school year improves underclassmen status Underclassmen used to sit and wait for their turn to be active in the student body, while juniors and seniors ran the show.

Now, dressing up on theme days and sitting in the student section has become something all classes can join in, instead of upperclassmen asserting all their power.

Senior Jesse Dever remembers a time when freshmen were not involved in the school, especially when it came to functions like school dances, and he wonders if it’s because of fear.

“Not many people went [to Homecoming] and Prom was the main dance,” Dever said.

“From my own experiences, I’ve never had a bad time at Homecoming. I’ve gone every year since I was a freshman and every year, I’ve had a blast. I’ve always personally loved Homecoming and the school dances. ” According to Dever, he has already noticed changes this year between the improving relationships of the underclassmen and upperclassmen.

“During my earlier years, I would really worry about what other people thought,” Dever said. “As I became more of an upperclassman, I really didn’t care and it was actually a lot more fun that way.”

This year, Student Council

has been unifying the school and encouraging more underclassmen to become more involved within the school in events, which is something that is completely new, according to Dever.

Underclassmen like, Jillian Baffa, freshman, feel a lot more comfortable knowing that they will become more accepted within the school and other events.

“There’s going to be so many more people getting involved with the dance. At the middle school, people were just really awkward.

The students here really know what’s going on,” Baffa said. “Everyone is more comfortable and I think that’s going to be good for everyone, including the [underclassmen].”

As the times are changing, freshmen like Baffa are able to go to events like Homecoming comfortably, without feeling criticized, she said.

Dever still advises underclassmen to “not worry about people around you. Don’t sit and worry about other people around you judging you or

judging your dance moves. Just remember to have fun with it.”

Spotlight 27

A HERO’S

welcome

As the beginning of the fall semester kicks off, colleges all over the country fill up with students preparing for the year ahead. But a select handful of the young adults will not be going to dorm rooms, but instead basic training for the U.S. military as they prepare to serve the country.

Some grads struggle with the idea of leaving home and going off to the military for as long as they are needed. Others, have known all along that this is what they were meant to do and look forward to returning home.

“There really isn’t anything like walking in the front door of your childhood home,” Cameron Schaffer, Second Lieutenant Aviation Officer and 2010 grad, said. “It is always a great experience. I get to see all my old friends and family and eat great home cooked meals.”

The uncertainty of being able to come home can be intimidating according to Bob Knuth, social studies teacher, but despite being thousands of miles away his family still managed to boost his spirits.

“Most people leave home to go to school or college, but they aren’t really leaving. They can always come back. This was ‘gone’ gone,” Knuth said.

“When I went to Germany, my family was really supportive because they knew there was a history and that this is what I wanted. I called home about once every two weeks and wrote letters back and forth.”

While modern technology has made it easier to communicate with family back home, there are still certain obstacles around communication.

“I had no contact during SERE school. SERE (Survive Evade Resist Escape) is a 21 day long course designed to prepare an aviator in the event he is shot down behind enemy lines. During this time I had no contact with the outside world and indeed did get homesick,” Schaffer said. “The training was rigorous but I never wished to be anywhere else. I knew I had to get past it and that my family was cheering for me.”

A combination of family support as well as communication being made easier helps take away parts of the homesickness, according to Knuth.

“It was different in Iraq [than Germany] because we had cell phones and email and internet so it was better,” Knuth said. “Now, technology has made it so everyone can be in contact. Even if you are in Afghanistan you can Skype home or send an email.”

While being able to email and send messages home is helpful, one of the best cures to homesickness is not technology, but the people experiencing the same situation according to Knuth.

“I got home sick a lot. When I first went in, I was young and tough.

But then what happens is you become friends with people around you, and they become like your family,” Knuth said. “A year and a half ago on facebook a guy got in contact with me that I hadn’t talked to in thirty eight years, and I still remembered him. It was a very cool experience.”

Overall, Chase Donaldson, Military Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Physician and 2003 LZHS grad, believes that even though being away from home can be hard, keeping a positive outlook allows for an opportunity for amazing experiences.

“The Army does not have any bases near Illinois and very few bases in the Midwest which makes it hard to come back home and be stationed around my family and friends,” Donaldson said. “Moving around in the military and never really feeling like you have a stable ‘home’ can be tough for some people, but I am continuing to view it as an adventure.”

MADISON HART // print director

Spotlight 29

“What is your personal idea of home and of family?”

Home is where the Heart is The Bear Facts Staff believes....

Home is where the heart is, the old cliche goes. But what really makes a home? In this day and age, there are so many complications in what would otherwise seem like an easy concept. A home should be where one feels safe and loved, and anyone who has that home should consider themselves lucky. But divorce, homelessness, and immigration are personal trials that can affect each person’s definition of home.

30 Perspectives

Divorce What’s the Problem?

It is easy for children to feel overwhelmed when their parents split up, but it is the parents’ job to make the process as easy on the child as possible. Spending time together is important so the sense of home continues, since families can lack unity after divorce.

Home is a place where one feels appreciated and secure, so when kids are in a stressful situation where the family knew is dissolving, it can be incredibly hard for it to feel like it was before.

Why it matters: Since 1980, the yearly number of divorces has been going down, according to Divorce Source, Inc. However, many students still must navigate arrangements between parents, if both are still in the picture.

13.3 percent of LZHS students have divorced parents, according to a Bear Facts survey. Moreover, 96.7 percent of students reported knowing others whose parents are divorced. Almost everyone knows a divorced couple; it is truly quite prevalent.

What you can do: Barrington Behavioral Health and Wellness has many therapists who specialize in dealing with adolescents and divorce. Family counseling is a good avenue to make sure the children in a family are coping well with the splitting of their home.

All photo responses used with permission of owners

BEAR FACTS STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

jemma kim

PRINT DIRECTOR

madison hart

DIGITAL DIRECTOR

danna tabachnik SECRETARY

brianne saab

BUSINESS MANAGER

julia ketcham

STAFF WRITERS

Homelessness

Immigration

What’s the problem?

Many people take their houses for granted, but even within Lake Zurich, there are homeless families.

It is not a subject people often think about in suburban areas, yet anyone can lose a home.

Homeless people may think they have a home, though not a house. If children feel safe and loved with their family, that may be their home. But without permanent lodgings, it can be difficult to feel safe.

Why it matters: A house is a privilege, not a right, and many families find themselves without one. Moving wherever they can find temporary shelter, these families do not have a place to call their home.

1.4 percent of LZHS students have found themselves homeless at some point in their lives, according to the survey. 24.3 percent of students have known someone who lived without a home.

What you can do: Congress is currently working on a bill to redefine homelessness, called The Homeless Children and Youth Act, according to helphomelesskidsnow. org. The current definition excludes many at-risk youths, who move around a lot and are particularly vulnerable to abuse and trafficking. Writing to a congressman is a good way to help change.

What’s the problem?

Traditions tend to carry over, and people like to have things to remind them of where they came from.

Adults are more likely to think of their old home as the true Home, but kids may grow up in an ethnic environment while being exposed to American culture elsewhere, leading to a feeling of limbo. In 2013, over 990 thousand people immigrated to the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Why it matters: The United States was founded by immigrants seeking a new life. Immigration is an American tradition. It is good to be grateful for all the opportunities this land allows while making room for more. Compassion is incredibly important.

22.3 percent of students come from immigrant families, according to the survey. 67.7 percent know others whose families have immigrated. Many LZHS students are the first to grow up in the U.S. What you can do: If children remember their previous country, they may not even consider the United States to be home.

But a home does not always have to be where one was born and raised. It can be anywhere one feels safe and loved, where one has a family and friends. It is important for everyone to be as accepting as possible.

rachel brauer chloe faris meggie furlong dominique gertie janie huels madi klein megan monoson dayna morga kianna novak melanie villarmarzo jim weimer ADVISER

carolyn wagner BEAR FACTS STUDENT MEDIA

Lake Zurich High School 300 Church Street Lake Zurich, IL 60047 (847) 540-4642

AMERICAN LITHO PRINTING

530 North 22nd St. Milwaukee, WI 53233

Perspectives 31

Dances should be fearless: BRIANNE SAAB // secretary

Fear and worry run rampant around this time of year. Preparations are made, hopeful plans, yet the outcome always remains uncertain.

It is homecoming season. Though afraid of rejection, many guys try to come up with big productions, hoping to get the best answer from their chosen girls: “Yes!” However, the opposite is uncommon. Unless there is a special occasion like Turnabout, girls do not usually take initiative and ask boys out. It is an unwritten rule of society, but it really should not be the case. There should not be any emphasis on gender when asking people to dances.

“I think they’re scared, like anyone is,” Alyssa Davis, junior, said. “They’re scared of rejection. And it’s expected that the guys will take charge with that kind of thing. But to be honest, times are changing. I think even with the social norm, people should take a chance. I’m sure guys feel a lot of stress from having to do this all the time; why can’t girls do it too?”

That fear, however, does not usually stop boys, because ultimately they are expected to ‘man up’ and be the ones to ask, which boils down to gender norms, or rules society is expected to follow based upon each individual’s gender. Even if some girls still want a boy to ask them, it is less of an option and more of an expectation that the boy will ask. However, it should be the former: a choice to ask or be asked.

“It’s become such a stringent set of rules,” Erica Stewart, social studies teacher, said. “To step out of those rules [one] can be ostracized by society. The

32 Perspectives

way we maintain these roles is people in a position of power use social [conditioning].”

The sole reason it is a male-dominated pursuit of inviting to dances is that it is tradition, but “that’s how it’s always been” is not a good enough reason to continue something so based in the past. The idea should be to even the field, and to eliminate emphasis on the gender dynamic.

However, many people are so used to gender norms that they choose to conform to them, willingly or reluctantly They are unaware of the reasons and cite vague ideas of traditional and “how things should be.” There is an idea of chivalry, of course, but also a taboo. Many boys think it is simply their job to ask.

“I would feel actually kind of awkward about it, because I believe in more traditional ‘guy asking girl’,” James Beaudoin, sophomore, said. “I guess there would be less pressure, but I would rather have the guy ask. I feel like it’s more of a gentleman’s way of doing stuff.”

But high school students are a young generation far removed from the origin of that tradition that it should be easier to see that it is not the best way. Beaudoin even went so far as to say that if a girl he liked asked him to a dance, he would agree but then do the proposal over in a more traditional way, attempting to outdo the girl’s previous effort.

“I guess I would say yes, probably,” he said. “But I would say, I’ll ask you in a better way. Like, re-ask.”

Still, a girl should be able to ask whoever she

Ask anyone! wants to a dance, just like any boy can, without fear that the boy will not like the idea. It is simply ridiculous for a boy to reject a girl and ask her again because of the idea that it should be a guy’s job. It is an unnecessary amount of avoidable effort, all for the sake of an old-fashioned, outdated tradition.

The pressure should not always be on the guy, nor should there be pressure on a girl not to ask. Instead, gender should be taken out of the equation.

“If it makes girls feel inferior that they’re too intimidated to ask, then absolutely [it needs to be changed],” Stuart said. “Women are just as necessary and at this point contributors to the success of the whole, and if they aren’t asking because they feel inferior, that’s a problem, and absolutely there should be a push to [change].”

It boils down to equality. Do not judge the girls who are brave enough to ask, and do not mock the boys they ask. It should become the new normal.

“I think that if you wanna go with someone, you just need to take the leap,” Davis said. “Sometimes girls just need to take charge and say, I want to go to this dance; will you come with me?”

Taking the leap can be beneficial to both parties, especially if the boy is too shy. But ultimately, asking people to dances is a project that should be open to anyone who wishes to ask, regardless of gender.

“I like it. I feel like most girls think it’s the guys’ job,” Davis said. “But it’s actually kind of fun to do what the boys do.”

Out of a poll of 50 random girls:

72% of girls polled say they would ask a boy to homecoming...

... but only 10% of girls polled have actually asked a boy.

“If you both want to go together, it’s good if the girl asks the guy. There should be no pressure either way.”

-Elizabeth Ossmann, jr

Out of a poll of 50 random boys:

76% of boys polled say they would say yes to a girl...

...but only 10% of boys polled have actually been asked.

“It’s not supposed to be that way. It’s a gentleman thing, not meant for ladies.”

-Joel Perez, soph.

Perspectives 33

Required reading can be harmful for teens RACHEL BRAUER // staff writer

Required reading is triggering to teens Katsigiannis said. “External and internal with depression and could cause harmful triggers can cause depression.” thoughts. Students should be informed on Teachers should at least give trigger reasonable alternatives. warnings in order for students to try to “If you are reading about something work around the possible trouble. stressful or someone going through a tough “Reading another text could definitely time, you can get triggered even if it’s not be an option,” Eichwald said. “[The student something that and I would] just is happenhave to work oneing to you,” on-one. I think A trigger in psychology is a Joanna Katsiwe would have stimulus such as a smell, giannis, a local to make sure we sound, or sight that triggers clinical psychose a very comchologist, said. parable book and feelings of trauma.

“Especially if I would want to -goodtherapy.org it’s something make sure that we you’ve gone through or something similar.” are working in tangent with their counselor By assigning reading without consider- so we could find something that would be ing the audience, teachers risk stirring up helpful to everyone.” topics that can trigger unhealthy and pos- Students should be able to voice consibly dangerous thoughts. cerns, but the current system does not allow “I don’t think teachers know the in- an alternative reading material no matter if tensity and how much [certain subject the current book is triggering. It is imposmatter] could affect some students,” Dani- sible to know someone’s mental health, and elle Vezensky, sophomore, said. “I feel like accommodating those who need it is imit would help if [teachers] were told.” portant. People like Vezensky would like to Many teachers do not know about pos- point out that certain triggering topics are sible triggers. Shannon Eichwald, English not one-size-fits-all scenario’s. teacher, said she never really considered if “People can be as mature as they posstudents would benefit from less trigger- sibly can,” Vezensky said. “But with things ing books or creating a warning about the like depression, which doesn’t really go intense subjects. It is possible that other away, there’s no easy way to talk about it.

English teachers have not either.

When you’re experiencing depression, it “I think that if a required reading book takes many years to heal and even when has material that can be considered trigger- you do heal, you’re still not completely ing, students should have the option to read fine.” a different book,” Vezensky said. “Especial- No matter how much a teacher wants ly because different mental [illnesses] and to take students into consideration, the depression is so common in high school.” curriculum have books that teachers have About 20 percent of teens will experi- to teach in their classes. Even with this ence some form of depression before they regulation in place, teachers want to work reach adulthood, according to teenhelp. with students if they feel triggered by specom. That amounts to approximately four cific content, Eichwald said. hundred students in LZHS who are suffer- “You never know what a student is going, and could be having trouble. ing through or has gone through,” Eichwald “Teenagers are especially prone to de- said. “I think it is important if students feel pression because of hormones and puberty,” either uncomfortable or that the the mate-

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34 Perspectives

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]P.O.V.] Why I believe in...

composing my own music

!

Photos by Brianne Saab, Samhita Tammana, and Kelly Beigl

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