December 2015 Spectator

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S P E C TAT O R

VOLUME 94 NUMBER 3

1500 WEST KENNEDY ROAD, LAKE FOREST, IL 60045

Featured Stories NEWS

Student Union’s primary construction continues

page 2 NEWS

Is LFA next for pushed back start time? page 3 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Dorm hacks to make your life easier page 9 OP-ED

ACT vs. Finals: Pro and Cons page 11 SPORTS

Lake Forest Academy attempts to make the football program safer

page 16 SPORTS

Girl swimmers dive into boys swimming team page 15

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DECEMBER 4, 2015

Students choose between ACT or Language Final for December 12th

By Peter Corsiglia News Editor A normal Fall semester at LFA provides enough stress for college-bound seniors, but this year, the Fall semester finals have a direct conflict with the December ACT exam. The ACT will take place on the morning of December 12th, the same time the Language exams take place on campus.

According to a recent survey by The Spectator, about 25% of the student body feels added stress because of the simultaneous occurrence of finals and the December ACT. And although there have been conflicts between the December ACT and finals in the past, Tennyson said that it usually only affects a couple of students. Dean of College Counseling Andrew Poska also agreed that it probably only affected a couple of students, a very small percentage of the LFA student population. Poska said this was partially because seniors usually have final projects instead of final exams.

For the students who do have a c onflict, Tennyson said students can come make up their finals the next week or when they get back from Winter Break. It is also a fairly early date for juniors to take the ACT, and they have multiple dates before and after the December 12th testing date to take it.

“Any students who are registered to take [the ACT] that day can come in next week and take their final exam then,” said Tennyson regarding accommodations for students with a direct conflict.

According to Poska, the majority of people who take the ACT in December are juniors who feel very prepared. This means that students will most likely have time to study for both final exams and the ACT despite their close proximity.

“I don’t think it will impact student performance,” said Poska. “I think that students have plenty of opportunities to test.”

The school is considering different formations for finals to help make students and teachers happy and avoid conflict. One option would be to move one or two finals to Monday, leaving the weekend free to study and take the ACT. Tennyson believes it does not make sense to have only one final exam after the weekend; he believes it is not worth it for the students.

According to Poska, as a private school, LFA is one of the few schools in the area that has finals before Winter Break.

“In an ideal world, we would have zero conflicts,” said Tennyson.

Photo by Bill Murphy

Junior Peter Corsiglia does practice problems in his ACT and Spanish booklets to prepare.

Symposium speaker discusses terrorism and immigration

Photo courtesy of LFA Communications

Dr. Thomas Mockaitis of DePaul University (center) spoke to the LFA community about the current Syrian refugee crisis and the Paris attacks that occurred recently.

THE SPECTATOR

News

2

World News Roundup Compiled by Nithin Reddy Sports Editor The Spectator compiles a monthly summary of world news events. Below are the msot pressing issues this month.

Paris Attacks Throughout the last few months recent terrorist attacks shocked the world and force everyone to think more closely about their safety. With the most famous terrorist attack being in Paris, many have come out and supported the people of Paris, and France as a nation. These attacks started at the beginning of this year when Charlie Hebdo was attacked and killed because of differing opinions on religious topics.

Sources: CNN, The Guardian

Photo courtesy of Politico

Parisian police officers aid victims of the terrorist attack on the Bataclan.

Syrian Refugee Crisis Other events led by extremists have caused fear throughout the world, most notably in Syria. Over 12 million Syrians have fled the country because they are scared of ISIS and other extremist groups.

Majority of them are going to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, while nearly a million refugees are fleeing all the way to Europe.

Only 10,000 Syrian refugees have been allowed into the U.S. even though many important governmental figures have been in support of helping these poor, hungry, and defenseless people. It is believed that the U.S. government is not allowing Syrians to come in to America for selfish reasons. The U.S. government has been in fear that ISIS will attack tim if these refugees are kept in America. Many events have headlined the recent news, but they have all led back to these terrorist attacks.

Sources: BBC

Photo courtesy of BBC

Syrian refugees gather in Turkey.

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Future construction plans at the school could include a field house and dorms

By Nithin Reddy Sports Editor

Lake Forest Academy has had seemingly endless construction work recently.

As a constantly evolving school, whether it’s the Science Center or the new Student Union, LFA has embraced the change to its facilities. And the administration may not be finished with construction projects yet.

While no school spokesperson has come out saying there will be more renovations on campus, there are some ideas on what could happen in the future. Every eightto-ten years Lake Forest Academy submits a master plan to the City of Lake Forest on how the administration sees the future of LFA. One of the biggest aspects of this plan is a possible field house being built.

“LFA has been limited in how our athletics can be run, but we hope this problem will be resolved if we build a new field house.” said CFO Mike Reidy. “The field house would cost between $10-15 million and would not be built until after the funds are raised. This could take a few years.”

A field house would allow for more opportunities to play certain sports or practice at certain times of the year. LFA basketball has five basketball teams, three boys and two girls, and practice time is hard to come by. Almost every day there will be a team that has to practice, but with more courts teams can practice early and everyday.

Additional space in a field house will also allow for Lake Forest Academy to have a winter track team. This gives LFA one more team where students can engage in students life. And in the Spring, when bad weather stops LFA teams from practicing outside, a field house could help create in-

door practice space.

With a new field house built, LFA would also be looking to add turf fields. LFA currently has multiple fall sports teams that play on outdoor grass fields. In adverse conditions teams often have to delay practice or even cancel practice. For sports such as football and field hockey, turf fields are better suited for players.

Lake Forest Academy will also look to renovate the dorms. Atlas is a fairly new dorm, but Warner is an old dorm.

“We want to eventually create a new boy’s dorm. Warner is still a very good

dorm, but because it is old we will need to build a new [dorm],” said Reidy. “We have thought that maybe it could be near Atlas where the tennis courts are.”

At the end of every year all LFA deans come together and decide what needs to be renovated. These renovations will not be decided upon until next May. LFA also will have some small renovations they make every year like faculty housing. What is clear is that administrators have multiple ideas for other construction projects that could make the school even higher quality and better functioning.

Photo courtesy of LFA lakeforestacademy.smugmug.com

Construction continues on LFA’s campus as a bulldozer clears the way for the foundation.

LFA discusses possible open grade book

By Lucas Jacob Sports Editor

Lake Forest Academy has always been known for being different, from great academics, beautiful buildings, to a diverse student body. Another attribute that sticks out at LFA is its closed grade book system.

Many high schools use a system called “Powerschool,” an online, open grade book system that is updated daily by teachers so students have full access to view their grades. LFA uses a system known as “My Backpack”, an online, closed grade book, where students can only view their grades during grade interims that occur three to four times a semester.

“Switching over to Powerschool is a conversation that is on-going and I think it’s a conversation that will always come back

to review, even if we decide not to move ahead and pursue it,” said LFA’s Dean of Students Chris Tennyson.

A very common question amongst LFA students is, “Why don’t we use an open grade book system?”

While an open grade book does give students immediate feedback regarding their grades, that doesn’t mean it’s a necessity for all schools to utilize. In fact, said Tennyson, an open grade book may not exactly be the perfect fit for all schools.

“Although there’s a greater transparency (with the grade book) and quicker sharing of knowledge, we have a number of parents who sometimes place tough expectations on their students, and I think that constant sharing and constant knowing of where the student is in that particular class could become a real burden for some of the

students,” said Tennyson.

According to Tennyson, LFA may not have Powerschool, but the school’s structure, including small class sizes and a successful advisory system, is invaluable with helping students stay in touch with grades.

Due to the small classrooms students are enabled to frequently and freely meet with their teachers regarding their grades. Every student at LFA is also assigned an advisor, in order to prevent academic slumps. Advisors frequently meet with their students individually to check in on them and see how their classes are going.

“An open grade book may seem to have a lot of benefits, but it may not be the answer LFA is looking for right now,” said Tennyson. “For the present time we will stick with our current system of reporting grades.”

THE SPECTATOR

News

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Fundraisers everywhere: how LFA clubs raise money

By Andrew Hechtman and Andrew Ryder Staff writers

Every year LFA generates thousands of dollars for charities and organizations across the entire nation and globe. On an almost a daily basis, a group or an individual runs a fundraiser. These fundraisers help collect donations and create awareness for causes such as cancer or natural disasters, or a variety of other causes that students find important. There are so many at times that some people think there are too many fundraisers.

“Because we’re such a global community, different areas of the world are brought to our attention” Dean of Students Chris Tennyson said. “And that’s a really good thing.”

The large amount of fundraisers can be stressful for students who may feel pressured to donate to all of the causes. While Tennyson said this pressure does not exist at LFA, he is cognizant of how easily this pressure could develop if left unchecked.

To combat the threat of this pressure, Tennyson often agrees to subsidize the donation in order to make events free for the LFA community. It is very important for the school to allow for the events to be as open as possible to students, but the donation is still important to the group running the event.

So far this year, the most successful fundraisers have been the Light The Night cancer walk and the Harlow Society senior-faculty volleyball game.

Tennyson was impressed by the high par-

ticipation at the walk and said it reminded him how special of a community LFA is.

“As an adult in this community, it makes you really proud to be a part of that,” Tennyson said.

The Harlow Society volleyball game was also well attended, with the stands almost full at Glore Gymnasium. The event had free admissions, but asked for donations and featured a bake sale. Even with free admissions, the event was still extremely successful.

“Almost everyone who came made a donation,” Harlow Society leader Maggie Meyer said. “For which I was very thankful to the LFA community.”

Meyer felt incredible joy with the success of the funraiser game.

By Julia Mills Managing Editor of News Everyone knows that holiday shopping can be both difficult and time-consuming. Take the stress from studying for finals plus trying to find the perfect gifts for friends and family, and December can suddenly seem like the most daunting month of the year. This holiday season, however, The Spectator has got you covered with the perfect holiday gift guide. The staff has compiled a list of the best gifts for this time of year to make your life easier. The categories are $100 and less, $50 and less and $20 and less.

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Birch Box subscription- $20 for a one month subscription Latitude and Longitude bracelet- $20 Painted Pretzel- $15.95 for pretzel gift of 5 pretzel knots Rock-It 3.0 Speaker- $19.99 music speaker that can turn virtually anything into a speaker Wicked Good Cupcakes- $19.95 for a custom 2 pack of delicious cupcakes in a jar

Wicked Good Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of LFA Smugmug

LFA students gather at the Light The Night walk to support Team Jenny. Team Jenny is an effort to raise support for LFA student Jenny Levitt and money for Light the Night.

pushed back start times: First period can give shudders to students who immediately begin to anticipate how early they’ll have to wake up for school.

However, many schools across the nation are going to start later in the morning, and Adlai E. Stevenson High School will become one of them. Stevenson is going to have classes begin at 8:30, 25 minutes later than what it had been previously. The academic day will still end at 3:25, so classes will be reduced from the usual 50 minutes to 47 in order to accommodate the change.

This will be implemented in the fall of 2016 along with other changes but seems to have the biggest impact on both students and faculty who get the opportunity of getting more sleep and more time for meetings, respectively.

According to Mr. Jim Conrey, the public information coordinator at Stevenson,

Holiday Gift Guide

Photo courtesy of spoonuniversity.com

High schools implement

By Sandra Shaw Op-Ed Editor

“I’m thrilled, honestly it was amazing, at the end I was almost in tears I was so happy,” Meyer said.

Meyer noted that the addition of the event accompanying the fundraiser led to much more success than previous fundraisers that did not feature any type of event.

In the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris, a group of students has begun selling shirts to raise money to support the victims. LFA’s quick response to this attack shows the school’s dedication to helping those in need.

In the near future, fundraisers will come from the Sophomore Seminar projects, several winter and holiday related projects, and anything that becomes necessary based on global events.

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Will LFA?

this decision by the administration and school board has been researched for many years. The Start School Later foundation states that 44 schools across the nation are changing their schedules to help students get more sleep.

Students felt that squeezing in extra time for sleep was crucial, since almost 85% of students who took a Stevenson survey on its Facebook page endorsed the idea of a later start, according to Conrey. Sleepfoundation.org states that the average amount of sleep a teenager needs is 8-10 hours in order for him or her “to function best”.

It also states that a study once found that “only 15% [of students] reported sleeping 8 ½ hours on school nights”. At schools that have already switched, students have benefitted from extra minutes of sleeping and the faculties have gained time as well to meet with each other before class.

“We’re doing what we can to help because the American Academy of Pediatrics

has recommended that high schools and junior high schools should not start before 8:30,” said Conrey.

Overall, both students and faculty are showing positive responses to changes coming next year.

“I think everybody realizes that a later start to the school day makes sense,” Conrey said.

As for LFA, Dean of Students Chris Tennyson plans on observing the school to see how Stevenson’s change plays out in the next few years.

“Certainly it would be interesting to see what feedback they get from parent meetings and from the students themselves,” said Tennyson.

Although LFA is not planning on changes anytime soon, it’s always a good idea to keep an open mind.

“We’re constantly looking at what options that are out there, and how might they fit to our school culture,” said Tennyson.

Best less than $50

Small personalized monogram earrings$48 Baked by Melissa Cupcakes- $25 for a personalized pack Smartphone Movie Projector - $31.95 Hook up your iPhone (or any smartphone) to this mini projector and watch a movie on your wall or outside against a sheet during the summer.

Photo courtesy of williamsonsource.com

Smartphone Movie Projector

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Solio Sun- Powdered Charger- $70 solar powered charger for smart phones and tablets 1-year subscription to Netflix- $95.88 Kindle Reader- $79.99 Fitbit- $97.89 Apple TV- $69

THE SPECTATOR 4

Features

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Who is the “real” Santa Claus?

By Austin Clamage, Andrew Hechtman, and Hunter Wolff Staff Writers

Where did the idea of Santa Claus originate? Is he a creation of American advertising, of Hollywood movies, or of European immigrants coming to America? The Spectator set out this month to clarify all ideas about the jolly old elf.

Saint Nicholas was a monk born in 280 CE near modern day Turkey. He was admired for his kindness and compassion. During his life, he saved three young girls from being sold into slavery. For his kindness throughout his life he was canonized in the 10th century. In the early 1770s, the legend of St. Nicholas made its way to America when a New York newspaper observed Dutch-Americans celebrating the anniversary of his death. The name of “Santa Claus” came from the Dutch nickname of “Sinter Klaas.”

In 1822 Clement Clarke Moore published his poem “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” also known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” popularizing the idea of a jolly, elf-like Santa.

Political cartoonist Thomas Nast’s representation of this poem lead to the modern image of Santa. This cartoon was the first time Santa was depicted in his red coat. When the idea of a gift-centered Christmas became popular, the idea of Santa Claus followed closely. Coca-Cola took the idea of the jolly Santa in the red coat and used it in their 1930s ad campaigns, popularizing the look. Christmas figures, however, have been depicted in different ways around the world, evolving differently to fit the culture.

Photo courtesy of comingsoon.net

Krampus punishes bad kids instead of rewarding good ones in Bavarian culture.

Krampus: the Bavarian Anti-Santa The legend of Krampus originated in Bavarian culture, especially Austria and Germany. Krampus does the opposite job of Santa, punishing children who are bad.

Krampus is not human, but is a hairy beast, often depicted with hooves, horns, and a long tongue. Krampus sometime accompanies St. Nicholas and sometimes travels

on his own as he visits houses in search of bad children. Krampus travels with a sack in which he kidnaps the bad kids and drags them away. Krampus might also drown or eat the children he kidnaps. The horror film “Krampus” was released on December 4th and shows Krampus’s emergence in American pop-culture.

Photo courtesy of neweurasia.net

Grandfather Frost is very similar to the American Santa, but lives in Russia.

Grandfather Frost: Eastern La Befana: the friendly witch of Italy European Father Christmas Photo courtesy of Italianclubdallas.org

La Befana is known to fly around Italy giving candy to the good children of the region.

La Befana ,which translates to “the witch” in English, originated in Southern Italian folklore. La Befana is depicted as an old woman who flies around on her broom during the night before the Feast of Epiphany which commemorates the Magi’s meeting with baby Jesus on January 6th.

As she flies, La Befana leaves either candy and small toys, or coal in children’s shoes, or stockings depending if they’re good or not. In addition, families often leave her a glass of wine and a plate of sausage and broccoli. La Befana is adored in Italy and is a central part of the holidays.

Originating from Slavic fictional literature in the 19th century, Grandfather Frost is similar to “Father Christmas,” also commonly known as “Santa Claus.” According to Eastern European legend, Grandfather Frost’s residence is in modern day Russia. Similar to Santa Claus, he brings the children presents, however, he is unique in

that he brings the presents on New Year’s Eve and makes the delivery in person.

Also, Grandfather Frost wears a long fur coat, a semi-round fur hat, and valenki (or felt boots) on his feet. Traditionally he has a long white beard, carries a long magic staff, and sometimes rides a troika (or a sleigh).

THE SPECTATOR

Features

DECEMBER 4, 2015

5

Found: the ideal winter weather accessories

By Hunter Wolff Features Editor

With temperatures dropping and the holiday season coming, it is time to start thinking about staying warm for the brutal Chicago winter that may/or/may not be just around the corner. Here is a list of winter weather essentials every LFA student needs to survive when the temperature dips below 0° F and the snow piles up over a foot. Good luck staying warm!

1. Coat -Columbia Women’s Grandeur Peak Jacket: $120 This jacket features a blend between minimal design and incredible function. The Grandeur Peak is a parka style jacket; with faux fur lining the hood and Sherpa infused throughout the inside of the jacket you won’t have to worry about being cold this winter.

For a more high fashion route, look to Crowncap to supply you with a fur lined aviator hat. The upper is composed of high quality cowhide leather, leather ties, and quilted stitching.

3. Gloves Keeping your hands warm can be one of the most difficult aspects of winter weather; therefore it is crucial to have a solid pair of gloves in your pockets. Keep it simple and value function over form. North Face’s Etip Glove (available for men and women) offer warmth, flexibility, and grip. No need to take off your gloves and expose your hands to use your phone either, this pair is touch-screen compatible.

-Men’s North Face Etip Glove: $45 -Women’s North Face Etip Glove: $45

-Columbia Men’s Loma Vista Down Jacket: $100

4. Boots

Columbia’s Loma Vista jacket is a jacket that combines a classic style with modern technologies to keep you warm. Lined with fleece on the inside and waterproofing canvas on the outside this jacket will keep you dry, warm, and looking classy.

While you might think of Nike as being the best at making athletic shoes, you might also want to consider Nike for their boots. Nike has been quietly known for their Field Boots for years. Despite the rather low price tag for the boot market, the Nike Special Field Boot combines performance, durability, comfort, and style is one of the best boots in the world.

2. Hat -Under Armour Tactical Stealth Beanie: $21.99 Under Armour make great clothing for performance wear, however, this basic beanie can also look great as well. With a simple design, comfort, and performance capabilities Under Armour face no competition in keeping your head warm.

-Paul Leinburd Natural Muskrat Aviator: $150.60

Photo courtesy of Columbia

-Nike Men’s Special Field Boot: $140

-Timberland Women’s 6-inch Premium Waterproof Boots: $160 You can never go wrong with a Timberland boot. For years, Timberland has been highly regarded as one of the best boots on the market. The 6-inch boot is very functional; providing great support, traction, and durability. A timeless boot, they also look great with almost any outfit.

Photo courtesy of Crowncap

The Columbia Loma Vista jacket is the per-

This hat, designed by Paul Lenburd is the

fect addition to your winter wardrobe.

ideal hat for anyone preparng for winter.

Photo courtesy of pinterest.com

Previous Chicago winters have seen multiple feet of snow and temperatures well below freezing. This year will hopefully be slightly milder than in the past. Stay warm Chicago!

Chicago winter could be milder than it has been in the past

By Hong Joo Kwon Features Editor People in Chicago have long worried about the coming of winter. There have been many brutal winters in Chicago throughout history, and fatalities from the harsh weather are not uncommon.

However, experts are predicting different things about the approaching winter.

One source suggests it will be an El Niño Winter that could lead to a milder season than last year. The oldest weather source in the United States is calling for colder temperatures, but both say that there will not be significant snowfall. This is welcome news to long-suffering Chicagoans.

El Niño, as Chicago television meteorologist Dr. Tom Skilling explained to his viewers, “usually bring above normal temperatures, below normal precipitation, and less snow than normal to Chicago and the northern United States during the winter.”

El Niño winters occurs when sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean is warmer than average. This causes the polar jet stream to reach farther north than usual, which brings warmer winter weather to Chicago.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the temperature for Chicago could be up to 40% warmer than normal. In addition, NOAA also predicts significantly drier conditions in the Great Lakes region. Some experts are saying that this El Niño could be

the strongest El Niño recorded in 50 years.

One document on the NOAA website explained, “El Niño will continue to strengthen, with 96% of models agreeing that it will be a strong event in winter 2015-16 (December- February).”

On the other hand, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which has been predicting weather since 1792 said in its prediction that winter of 2015/2016 will be colder than usual. The Almanac does agree with NOAA that we will have below normal precipitation and also below normal snowfall. Early-to-mid December, late December, and early-to-mid and late January and February will be the coldest periods of winter 2015. The almanac also predicts that late November, December, and mid- January will be the snowiest periods.

During the winter of 2013/2014, 82.0 inches of snow fell on Chicago. This was the third highest snowfall since record keeping began in 1884. Last year, Chicago got another 50.7 inches dumped on it.

The accumulative effect of the last two winters has Chicagoans eager for a milder winter. As both The Old Farmer’s Almanac and NOAA predict less precipitation, Chicagoans hope it will be true.

If the NOAA models turn out to be accurate, Chicagoans may be dancing in the streets in short sleeves come January. If it turns out that the Almanac is right, Chicago will face a typical frigid winter. Which one will be correct?

THE SPECTATOR 6

Features

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Sugar and Butter: Need we say more?

The Sugar Cookie

Difficulty Level: 5 out of 10 Time it takes: 1.5 hours

Photo by Catherine Kvam

We reccomend placing the spritzes to cool on paper towels so they can soak up the butter.

By Julia Mills and Catherine Kvam Staff Writers With the holiday season coming up shortly, I went back to my Scandinavian roots for this month’s Foodies and decided to try my luck on a spritz, the lesser-known cousin of the sugar cookie.

My dad suggested I use the family recipe, which probably traveled from Kvam, Norway, but I knew there was zero percent chance of finding it in the basement. I instead turned to the next best option, allrecipes.com, specifically Great-Grandma’s Swedish Spritz Recipe. This seemed to be the best option mostly because it was the only one that yielded fewer than 30 cookies.

I did find some things askew from Great-Grandma’s recipe. First of all, it

says you need a cookie press, but my cookies turned out just fine; so don’t bother unless you are trying to be authentic. Secondly, the time suggested 8-10 minutes, and I ended up needing closer to 14 minutes just to cook them to a bare minimum, which I think is actually the best method.

The only recommendation I would make would be to keep your cookies flatter so that they bake more easily. Overall, the journalism staff really enjoyed them, and they are great treat to give to a friend, family member, or classmate. In the season of giving, here is hoping that teachers take this to heart.

Julia chose a classic: the all-American sugar cookie. I knew that sugar cookies are always a crowd favorite and incredibly easy to make. Growing up, I loved this time of year because it meant baking and

Ingredients -3 cups all-purpose flour -3/4 teaspoon baking powder -1/4 teaspoon salt -1 cup unsalted butter, softened -1 cup sugar -1 egg, beaten -1 tablespoon milk -Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough Icing Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 2) Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3) In a separate bowl mix butter and sugar until light in color. Beat in egg and milk.

4) Put mixer on low speed and slowly add flour and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.

5) Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

6) Sprinkle surface with powdered sugar and remove 1 wrapped pack of dough at a time. Sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut to desired shape.

7) Place at least 1- inch apart on greased baking sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes.

recipe/9840/sugar-cookie-frosting/

The Spritz Cookie Difficulty Level: 5 out of 10 Time it takes: 50 minutes Ingredients -1 cup white sugar -2 cups butter -2 tablespoons almond extract -2 egg yolks -1 egg white -4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Instructions 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2) Beat butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

3) Slowly add sugar while beating until the mixture is lighter in color.

4) Add the egg yolks one at a time, allowing the first to blend into the butter mixture before adding the other. Beat egg white and almond extract into the mixture. Pour the flour in small amounts into the mixture while beating; continue beating until fully incorporated.

5) Using a cookie press, press dough onto prepared baking sheet.

6) Bake in oven until the edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Photo by Julia Mills

This sugar cookie recipe produces a delicious batch of holiday treats. For decorations you can use holiday themed sprinkles, cookie cutters and icing dyed using food coloring.

decorating sugar cookies with my grandmother.

When I decided on sugar cookies I quickly went to the place everyone goes when they are looking for something: the Internet. After briefly skimming through some recipe options, I eventually decided on one from foodnetwork.com. If you follow the recipe exactly, there is virtually no room for error. A good note to remember is to place your dough in the refrigerator for a few hours to help the dough harden before putting the cookies in the oven.

Since these cookies were baked in the

spirit of the holidays, what would a cookie be without decorations? The decorating process was my favorite part of the sugar cookies process, so with this recipe I couldn’t leave out a frosting recipe to go along with the cookies.

I found my recipe from allrecipes.com. It was super simple and quick, and most importantly produced a super yummy frosting that was the perfect companion to the cookies. If you want even more festive cookies, you can use food coloring to dye the frosting. Top it off with sprinkles and you are good to go.

THE SPECTATOR DECEMBER 4, 2015

Features

7

Harlow Society makes new gains in the community and for the future

By Catherine Kvam Editor-in-Chief Harlow Society has long been a part of LFA, and this year, the group i stepping it up with new and community-engaging fundraisers to affect change. Their kickoff fundraising event, the Student vs. Faculty Volleyball Game to benefit the Maggie Daley Center for Women’s Cancer Care, was widely successful, but they are not about to disappear into the back drop.

“We had bake sales, t-shirts, pizza, a donation box...it was a really successful event. Thanks LFA community!” said club President and senior Maggie Meyer. In addition, there was a table under the bridge so that passersby could spray paint their hair pink in support Breast Cancer Awareness.

“I think one of the biggest goals I have for Harlow Society is just awareness on campus about what feminism is,” said Meyer. “It is just equal opportunity; it’s just equality.”

Part of this mission includes bringing speakers to campus and hosting discussions about feminism during their E-Day break meetings, specifically about how gender roles are perceived in the media.

Most Harlow Society members have agreed that there is unfair judgment of Harlow Society mostly because people do not understand it. A common response is that people will say they are not feminists but egalitarians.

“I’m an egalitarian, but I also call myself a feminist. Having that is empowering because it gives a name to something that

deserves it,” said club participant Brandt Dudziak. “Just saying you are egalitarian is so broad that feminism brings it to a more focused scope.”

Later on in the year, the Harlow Society will be hosting movie screenings, such as of the film MissRepresentation, and a plethora of discussions to follow it.

“I would recommend going to a movie screening or something like that and just being open to learning new things. If you believe men and women should be equal then join Harlow,” said Dudziak. Another effort they have in place on campus is to end jokes that could be offensive and contribute to microaggressions, a community dialogue topic from this year.

“Whether the person knows it or not, they are holding back Harlow Society,”

said Meyer. “They are taking a step backwards.”

Despite some of these setbacks, Harlow Society has been making new gains in the community, specifically with the fact that more boys and underclassmen are joining, affirming the future of the club once senior leaders move onto college or their future endeavors. The club is looking to recruit even more members, doing so at the Annual Club Fair.

“I would say that you should join because sometimes taking a leap of faith into joining a club or organization you haven’t thought to try before will result in a new found passion,” said club member and senior Ella Ekstrom. “My motto has always been to assume the best and try new things!”

Caxy Match

Photo by Peter Corsiglia

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org

MissRepresentation is one of the movies that is commonly shown by Harlow Society.

Photo courtesy of www.disney.wikia.com

This month, the staff of The Spectator agreed that junior Ryan Nolan bears a striking resemblance to Kristoff from Disney’s hit movie, Frozen.

THE SPECTATOR 8

Centerfold

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Mark Dryfoos: 35 years of ser

Dryfoos’s long history at LFA

By Arthur He Managing Editor of Photography Holding second place of all faculty who worked here the longest, Director of Performing Arts Mark Dryfoos will retire from Lake Forest Academy after 35 years of dedication to Caxy thespians.

Dryfoos first came to LFA in 1981 along with seven other new teachers after he graduated from Southern Oregon University with an MFA. However, he and Languages Instructor David Wick are the only two that still work at LFA today.

“My wife was pregnant with our daughter, and our son was four,” Dryfoos recalled. “We came here and we liked the environment. It was our first time in Illinois so that was exciting.”

During his many years at LFA, “Foos” has held an impressive number of roles “When we first came to Lake Forest Academy I was a History teacher, and I was helping with the Fine Arts. Then I went

to half and half with each,” said Dryfoos. “I was the Activity Coordinator for five years here in the early 80s (Mr. Jonathon Freeman’s job now). It was a different program then. I was the girls soccer coach and the boys hockey coach.”

“This is also the fifth or sixth time I’ve been a class advisor, and you are a class advisor for 4 years,” he added. “I did a lot of stuff.”

Many may not know that the Vietnam War almost stopped “Foos” from performing all these roles at LFA. Dryfoos was eligible to be called for service in the war when he was 19. In 1969, the government lottery determined that only the first 150 birthdays would be called up but Dryfoos was 173.

“I had what was called the ‘one H’ on my (draft) card, which is one hole punched on the card. It means I was not drafted but if I failed college I would have been drafted,” Dryfoos explained.

After retirement, Dryfoos will be moving to Gurnee, where he will be working part time after enjoying some time off.

Godspell to be Dryfoos’s last musical

By Arthur He Managing Editor of Photography

This year’s musical, the last Lake Forest Academy musical Mark Dryfoos will direct, is going to be Godspell.

Godspell is a musical written by Stephen Schwartz, and was first performed off-Broadway in 1971. The story is a series of parables mostly based on the Gospel of Matthew with modern music and setting.

Dryfoos chose this show for his last musical at LFA because it is one of his favorites.

“I really like the music and I like the message it sends, whether it’s Christian or Jewish or Buddhist, about caring for others and the community.” said Dryfoos.

He has done the show several times before at LFA. One difference this year is that all the people who auditioned for the show have been cast in the show. Dryfoos explained this decision by stating that Godspell serves as a great opportunity for all of the cast members of the show.

“Godspell is a big ensemble show. There are no stars, everybody on stage is important to the whole show, everyone adds to the greater totality.” explained Dryfoos.

He hopes that everyone in the cast will take away something from the message of the show and learn something while working in a big group.

“It’s going to be an uplifting experience for the cast for sure.” said Dryfoos.

THE SPECTATOR DECEMBER 4, 2015

Centerfold

9

rvice to Lake Forest Academy Fast Facts with Mr. Dryfoos

By Tori Koontz Editor-in-chief The Spectator sat down with Mr. Mark Dryfoos to get answers to some quick questions about his life and his time at Lake Forest Academy. His answers, reprinted here, tell readers more about the LFA teacher fondly known as “Foos”.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: New York City.

Q: What was your major in college?

A: History, Film, and then Theater. I have an FFA and an MED from Oregon.

Q: How many children and grandchildren do you have?

A: I have two children, and both were LFA graduates. I also have three grandchildren, with another on the way.

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: I’ve always had a pet. Currently I have two cats, Ronnie and Blitzen, and a dog named Abby. She is our fourth Golden Retriever.

Q: Have you been a dorm parent? What dorms?

A: Yes, I’ve been a dorm parent in Field, New Hall, Bates, Durrand, Warner, and Ferry Hall.

Q: How many shows have you directed?

A: I don’t know, 250? A lot...

Q: What has been your favorite play to direct at LFA? A: Probably The Laramie Project, as well as The Laramie Project Revisited.

Q: What has been your favorite musical to direct at LFA? A: The Secret Garden.

Q: What has been your favorite part of teaching here?

A: Definitely the students I’ve taught.

Top two teaching moments “At the end of a play seeBy India Shelley Editor-in-Chief In order to honor Mark Dryfoos’s final year in teaching, The Spectator decided to ask him about his favorite teaching moments from his many years at LFA. He reflected on his time with sentimentality, and he did not hesitate to open up about his favorite moments. The staff is sad to see him go, and he will be sorely missed by everyone within the LFA community 1. “My first top teaching moment is at

the end of a play seeing the actors realize ‘we did this, and we’re proud of it.’ That’s my top moment, it’s an epiphany for teenagers when they finally realize that something good has come from what they did.”

2. “My second favorite teaching moment is watching my children go through Lake Forest Academy and seeing the successes they had while they were here, and being a parent to them. I taught my son for four years, and my daughter was in a lot of plays that I directed.”

ing the actors realize, ‘we did this, and we’re proud of it.’ That’s my top moment.”

-Mark Dryfoos

Top left: Mark Drfoos working on the blockings of musical with students.

Top Right: Rocking the afro, Mark Dryfoos annotating some plays at his desk.

Middle: The cast of Godspell warms up before rehearsal.

Bottom Left: Mark Dryfoos with his wife and children when they first came to LFA.

Some photos taken by Arthu He, others courtesy of Mark Dryfoos

THE SPECTATOR

Opinion and Editorial

10

Inquiring Photographer:

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Should LFA school days start later in the morning?

All LFA first period classes--with the exception of D-Days, when classes start half an hour later--begin at 8:10. The Spectator asked LFA students about their views on whether or not we should push our classes back to start at a later time.

“I think it’s good because then we don’t have to stay later, and we get done at 3, which is reasonable.”

-Amira Samra ‘19

“I think our 8:10 starting time is fine. I don’t think it’s really a problem for me to get to school but I can’t speak for other people who live on the North Shore since it might be harder for them, but I think it’s fine.”

-Duncan Ward ‘18

“Follow this rule. I want more sleep.”

-Ian Thauer ‘17

“Personally, I think it’s okay because we get to leave earlier which is better because we have more time in the afternoon for ourselves.”

“I think it’s fine. I like ending earlier because then if you push back starting time you push back all the sports starting time.”

-Nevzat Gedikoglu ‘17

-Elizabeth Christoph ‘18

“Because scientists found out that if schools start later, students have a better chance of doing a better job at school. So LFA should do the same thing and get rid of the break in the afternoon: move it to the morning.”

-Jason Xiao ‘16

“I don’t think we should have a later start every day because then we get to get out at 3:00, and I like getting out early. A lot of other schools get out at 3:30, and then it’s too late to do things after school besides homework.”

-Olivia Maggos ‘18

“I think that schools should start late because then more students will participate in classes, and they’ll be more focused and not tired as they were before.”

“I think that the starting time we have now is fine because with athletics after school, I think it would be very hard especially in the winter season to have athletics at a much later time because it already gets dark and colder.”

-Marilou Cameron ‘17

-Erin Lee ‘17

All photos by Sandra Shaw

THE SPECTATOR

Opinion and Editorial

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Editorial

T h e L a k e A c a d e m y

ACT vs Finals

A wave of fury has recently passed through the LFA student body due to the recent understanding that yes, we do have a final on Saturday. Finals before the Winter Break this year will be on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Why so salty? The same thing happened last year!

Apparently, the Saturday final is not all that the students are protesting. That Saturday, December 12, is also the last ACT of the calendar year, and many juniors and seniors have told The Spectator that they are signed up for it. This is an issue for several reasons.

Having a final on the Saturday of the ACT adds stress to the students who signed up for the test previous to knowing the finals schedule. This leaves them with a gut wrenching decision. School, after

all, is school, and it usually takes priority in life. If the students choose to take their Language final in place of the ACT, their next opportunity isn’t until February.

Another reason this conflict causes problems is the horrid idea that if a student chooses to take the ACT on that Saturday morning, they will have to study for the Language final over break.

The students that substituted the ACT in place of the language final will now have to prepare for that exam upon their arrival from winter vacation. Does that mean studying on Christmas Eve, reviewing your note cards on Christmas Day, and burying yourself in a book on New Year’s Eve? Nobody wants that!

Finally, the conflict could cost students a large amount of

time and/or money. Time spent on studying will be expended in either option. You must review no matter when you take the ACT test. Also, the ACT can cost students up to $175.00.

ACT states, “If you have missed a test due to illness, being denied at the door for lack of ID, or for being late, you can request a refund or a $25 test change fee will be applied to your next exam order.”

What is actually frightening is the lack of knowledge among the faculty about this. When questioned by The Spectator, several faculty members did not know about the conflict. The Academic Council has compromised, however, so the final exam schedule has changed. Before October 10th, the Saturday final was supposed to be History.

Math Labs prove to be engaging class supplements

Photo by Peter Corsiglia

Sophomores Grace Kilborn, Sandrine Villemure, and Shanna Liu (left to right) use a motion detector and a bouncing ball for an Alegbra II lab.

A new component of the Math curriculum at LFA is the addition of several Math Labs per semester for each Math class.

As a result of a generous, anonymous donation, new equipment and materials were purchased for these Math Labs beginning last academic year.

The labs are held in the basement of the Reyes Family Science Center, where a specific area has been set aside for the lab.

There are different labs for each specific class offered at LFA, and different labs for certain topics within each class. Common instruments used in the labs are

F o r e s t

S P E C TAT O R

STAFF LIST Editors-in-Chief

Tori Koontz Katherine Kvam India Shelley

Managing Editor- news

Julia Mills

Managing Editor- photography

Arthur He

News Editors

Austin Clamage Peter Corsiglia Andrew Hechtman

Features Editors

Obaid Ansari Hong Joo Kwon Hunter Wolff

Op-Ed Editors

Will Everett Sandra Shaw

Sports Editors

Jacob Chagoya Lucas Jacob Nithin Reddy

Faculty Adviser

William Murphy

Online Faculty Adviser

Jeremy Sands

PUBLICATION

Caxy Rave:

By Peter Corsiglia News Editor

11

computers and motion detectors.

For me, the labs provide a nice break from the regularity of sitting in class and being taught from the whiteboard. Math Labs are a great way to be active while learning from real-world simulations. In my opinion, the concepts taught in class are often easier to understand when they are applied practically in the real world. Not only do the labs help students to understand the material practically, they also prepare them for later life when they may need to use the material learned in class.

The labs also provide teachers with another form of assessment beyond tests and quizzes, helping to diversify the gradebook. In my experience, stu-

dents tend to do fairly well on labs and lab reports, so the labs can help both teachers and students in the grading process.

When I am in Math Lab, most of my classmates have more fun and are more active and engaged in the material than in regular class periods. Personally, I enjoy Math Labs more than a normal class period because they are fun, engaging, and active.

Math Labs also help students’ collaboration and group work skills because the students need to work with a lab partner or partners both inside and outside of the classroom. I have found it both helpful and informative to work with a partner to complete the lab reports and math problems.

Some might say that if a student is taking Chemistry or Physics, there may be too many labs in the student’s schedule. But, in my opinion, the Math Labs are so different from the labs in any science class that it adds even more variety to my schedule.

Overall, Math is an enjoyable subject for me, but it can get monotonous at times. Math Labs provide some extra excitement to learning Math.

The Spectator is published eight times per year by the students of Lake Forest Academy and is a forum for student expression. The views and reporting herein are the sole product of The Spectator’s student reporters and in no way reflect the official views of Lake Forest Academy faculty, staff, administration or Board of Trustees.

EDITORIALS Opinions of the staff are presented in the form of unsigned editorials. Personal views are bylined or presented as formal dissents.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS The Spectator welcomes responses to its articles in the form of Letters to the Editors in addition to letters on subjects of the author’s choosing. Please e-mail Letters to the Editors to Mr. Murphy at wmurphy@lfanet.org.

AWARDS The Spectator has been awarded several prestigious journalism awards in recent years. It has consistently taken first place in competitions against schools of similar size held by the American Scholastic Press Association and the Kettle Moraine Press Association.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“Nothing haunts us like the things we don’t say.”

-Mitch Albom

THE SPECTATOR 12

Opinion and Editorial

DECEMBER 4, 2015

LFA Open gradebook: Grade transparency has been a controversial topic at LFA over the years. Some students have wanted an open gradebook, while other students and faculty members argue that it should be closed with the exception of certain marking periods, such as interims and semester grades. The Spectator argues the pros and cons of both sides.

PRO

By Andrew Hechtman News Editor

In a time when people are more grade-driven than ever, LFA has kept the policy of keeping the teachers’ grade books closed to public view. Grades are released at set points during the year, but are not accessible between these periods. LFA should continue with a closed grade book policy to avoid stress by students and parents, and to drive the focus of school away from purely grades.

While some believe that students (and their families) should be able to access grades at all times in order to get a running update of their score in the class, the harm of constant awareness outweighs the benefits. With an open grade book, when a student receives a bad grade on a test, they would be able to see exactly how much their overall grade drops. However, a closed book system allows students time to add more good grades to their

overall score and raise their overall grades before they are able to see them. While some may think that they would want to see their grades constantly, it could actually be quite damaging to the mental state of the students.

In addition to causing stress, an open-book grading system can shift the focus from learning to grades. The goal of LFA is the education you receive. If students were able to check their grades constantly, it could cause them to

YES

become more grade driven, and focus less on what they learn. If this shift were to take place, it would be detrimental to the environment that LFA has worked to achieve. When grades are only released at set times, students focus on their grades immediately after to try and improve or keep up their grades, but their focus shifts back to school some time has passed. An open-book grading system would likely shift the students’ focus to their grades,

CON

By Austin Clamage News Editor

How many times do you stress out about what your grade is in a class because you can’t access it? With transparent grades, you would be able to know your grades by simply checking a website.

Currently, LFA only allows students to see their grades in classes during marking periods, which occurs only four times a semester. By using a website, such as

NO ruining the environment of LFA. LFA should keep its policy on closed grade books in order to keep the learning driven environment and to avoid the stress of constantly seeing grades. A solution to those who want to see their grades more often might be to add in one more marking period.

Adding one more opportunity to see grades would allow students one more update on their grades, but still avoid the negatives of a constantly updating grade book.

Photo courtesy of Lucas Jacob

LFA uses My Backpack as a source to access every students’ summaries, such as schedules, attendence, and grades. However, grades shown in My Backpack only include interm and semester grades.

PowerSchool, students can view their grades at anytime they want.

In addition, grade transparency and using PowerSchool would allow students to know if they have any missing assignments since all of their grades that they receive are visible to them.

Grade transparency also allows there not to be any discrepancy in a student’s grade. By not having

grade transparency, a teacher has the ability to adjust a student’s grade based on how hard a student works, their participation, or even if a teacher likes the student or not. Even though this can help a student’s grade, it does not represent the quality of work a student has performed in any certain class.

Grade transparency eliminates all of this since a student can clearly

see the grade they receive on every assignment and test they take.

Many schools around LFA use grade transparency and take advantage of all the aspects it is able to offer. Those schools include Deer Path Middle School, Lake Forest High School, and Libertyville High School.

Students can also check whether a teacher put in an incorrect score

Photo courtesy of Google images

Some websites, such as PowerSchool, offer open gradebooks for students in which students and parents can see updated grades at any time.

they received. For instance, in my middle school at Deer Path Middle School, we used PowerSchool.

One of my teachers put a different grade in PowerSchool than the actual grade I received on the test.

Luckily, I was able to notice this because of the grade transparency with PowerSchool. There was a 20 percent difference in these two scores, and without myself catching it, would have caused my grade to change dramatically.

Teachers can make mistakes.

Grade transparency with PowerSchool can also help teachers because the system is easy to use, and it can keep them organized and up-to-date with all of the assignments they’ve graded. They can easily put in the grades of students’ assignments, and with no hassle, students’ overall grade is averaged by the system/website.

By using grade transparency, however, students can get more caught up with their grade than the learning process itself because students can constantly see their grade. Even though this is true, most students today worry about their grade anyway because of the important effect it has with them getting into college.

Therefore, grade transparency should be implemented at LFA.

THE SPECTATOR

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Arts and Entertainment

India and Tori On Ice

By Tori Koontz and India Shelley Editors-in-Chief Every month, seniors Tori Koontz and India Shelley head to new and interesting spots to collect the best date ideas of the month. We then review the locale based on price/inexpensiveness, time, distance, and overall fun. This month, we decided to go to Millennium Park, drawn by annual opening of the park’s centerpiece winter attraction, the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink.

Ice skating can appear to be intimidating, and for us, we were reluctant to try it as our December Date Night. The drive down to Chicago took upwards of an hour because of traffic, and parking was a bit difficult.

It did provide ample time for us to sing along to some Christmas songs, however.

“I love long car journeys,” said Tori, “I especially enjoyed picking all of our music to sing to, creating a wonderful festive atmosphere.”

Once we arrived downtown, the city was aglow with Christmas cheer. There were lights strung throughout the park, and while there was no snow, the chilly weather gave the night a crisp, yet not too cold, atmosphere. The rink, located right in front of The Bean, gives a breathtaking view of Michigan Avenue and the tall buildings surrounding the park. The music playing was perfect for setting a mood of warm, happy fun which included jazzy tunes from famous artists, such as Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé.

As soon as we arrived, it didn’t take us

long to realize that this was the perfect spot for couples looking for a romantic night out. Besides the numerous hand-holding couples on the ice, many were out with groups of their friends or family.

No matter who people were with, everyone was smiling and having a good time.

We rented our skates and were surprised by how inexpensive this experience was. Admission is free, and renting a pair of skates only costs $12. The rink also offers skate sharpening for $9 if you choose to bring your own. Although transportation and parking can be a little pricey, ice skating itself is extremely affordable and makes the trip worth it.

Once we entered the rink, we struggled slightly with staying upright on the ice. While neither of us fell over, we felt a little like newborn deer attempting to take its first steps. However, we quickly learned how to balance, and eventually figured out how to skate at a faster pace!

At one point, someone ran into Tori, but he was extremely apologetic afterwards; this politeness was symbiotic with everyone else on the ice - every time someone fell, there was always a helping hand and a smile from a stranger to help them up again.

“I was actually pretty scared to go ice skating, but the environment here is friendly and welcoming… I feel like if I were to fall, someone would help me up,” said India.

After being on the ice for awhile, we soon became acclimated to the feeling of having blades attached to our feet and felt a little less awkward. We even got to

13

A night out in Chicago’s Millenium Park

a point where we could skate around the rink once or twice before having to retreat to the side railing. Perhaps if the rink weren’t so crowded, it would have been easier to improve our skills further, but it was hard to go more than a lap before bumping into a cluster of people.

This business was most likely due to it being the rink’s opening night, though.

When we became tired of skating, we took a rest for refreshments. There was a small café next the rink with lots of options for us to choose from. We both set-

tled on hot chocolate. It was pricey at $5 per cup. This was slightly above what we would usually expect to pay for hot chocolate, but, since admission to the rink was free, we didn’t mind the expense too much.

Ice skating would be the perfect winter date idea for anyone, athletic or not.

The rink is very festive, and it’s the ideal spot to celebrate the holidays and the end of finals. While any ice rink would be enjoyable, the one at Millennium Park was beautiful as it was surrounded by the glowing Chicago skyline.

All photos by Tori Koontz and India Shelley.

The Verdict: Ice Skating

India Shelley poses on the ice rink before trying her hand at ice skating for the first time.

Price:

Time:

Distance:

Overall:

THE SPECTATOR

14

Arts and Entertainment

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Dorm Hacks: spice up your dorm eats

By Tori Koontz Editor-in-Chief

stirred into the mix, along with any other desired ingredient, such as the herbs.

Have you ever struggled with wanting to Microwave for 2 or 3 minutes until your make a delicious dessert or yummy treat, pizza is thoroughly cooked and enjoy! but then realize you don’t have access to If you’re in search for a microwaveable an oven, since you live in a dorm? Well, dessert to follow this, look no further. The have no fear: Dorm Hacks is here. There recipe for this Ice Cream Cake in a mug is are plenty of easy and tasty foods that even extremely simple and only requires three those without an oven can make and enjoy. ingredients: 1/2 cup chocolate ice cream All you need is a few easy ingredients, a (other favors will work as well), 1/4 cup microwave oven, and an empty stomach. flour, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

The first recipe chosen this month was a Melt ice cream in microwave for 20 take on a classic: pizza. Would you have seconds and stir. Add flour and baking ever thought to make pizza in the micro- powder, and stir again until smooth and wave? This recipe is adapted specifically flour is no longer visible. Microwave the to be made in a mug. Unfortunately some mix for 2 minutes, checking after 1 minof the ingredients can’t be found simply ute. The cake will puff up and then begin laying around the dorm, so a quick trip to to settle. It is ready when the puffed-up Target is necessary. The ingredients are portion no longer looks wet and shiny. as follows: 3 tbsp flour, 1 whisked egg, 1 Remove from microwave and let sit tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp tomato paste (or mar- for one minute to cool. Sift with powinara/spaghetti sauce), 1 tbsp mozzarella dered sugar if desired. Serve and enjoy! or cheese of your choice, 1/4 tsp baking If you’re tired of eating the same cup of powder, and basil or oregano if desired. ramen noodles or tasteless macaroni and Start by combining all the dry ingredients cheese in the dorm, or if you’re just cravin a microwave-safe mug or bowl and ing something sweeter but lack the oven then add the whisked egg, olive oil, and or time consumption to bake it, try these tomato paste or marinara sauce. Lastly, recipes to add some flavor to your dorm add the cheese either drizzled on top or cuisine.

Pizza-in-a-Mug Ingredients: 3 tbsp flour 1 whisked egg 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp tomato paste (or marinara/spaghetti sauce) 1 tbsp mozzarella or cheese of your choice 1/4 tsp baking powder basil or oregano if desired.

Directions:

Photo courtesy of fitnesstreats.com

Ice Cream Cake Ingredients:

1/2 cup chocolate ice cream (other favors will work as well) 1/4 cup flour

Combine all the dry ingredients in a microwave-safe mug or bowl.

Add the whisked egg, olive oil, and tomato paste or marinara sauce.

Add the cheese either drizzled on top or stirred into the mix, along with any other desired ingredient, such as the herbs. Microwave for 2 or 3 minutes until your pizza is thoroughly cooked.

1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

Directions: Melt ice cream in microwave for 20 seconds and stir.

Add flour and baking powder, and stir again until smooth and flour is no longer visible.

Microwave the mix for 2 minutes, checking after 1 minute.

Remove from microwave and let sit for one minute to cool.

Sift with powdered sugar if desired.

Serve and enjoy!

Photo courtesy of simplyrecipes.com

Adele’s latest album “25” has become a chart-topping, well-received success

By India Shelley Editor-in-Chief The wait is over. Adele’s new album 25, is finally here. I have never been a die-hard Adele fan as I’ve found a lot of her music to be too slow and the songs too similar, and her new album is no different. The big, belting piano ballads are extremely reminiscent of her previous albums. However, the reminiscence of previous albums hasn’t stopped the public from obsessing over the album.

The opening number, “Hello”, follows the same structure as all of Adele’s previous hits which is probably why it was met with such a huge success.

Within a day of its release on Youtube, it had reached almost 50,000,000 hits.

Currently it has close to 470 million.

The remainder of the album follows the continuation of Adele’s trademark love ballad with the exception of “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”. This song evokes a slightly more pop-y vibe that shows a different style of Adele’s music, it is far more upbeat, and is guaranteed to be stuck in your head for the remainder of the day.

Personally I found this song to be my favorite, as it offered a great change of pace from the rest of her tracks. Songs that offer

something new can really bring an album to another evel of popularity, which is most likely what will happen with this. It’s definitely one of the top tracks on the album.

25 ends on a slower, but still highly energetic number: “Sweetest Devotion”. The use of upbeat drum tempos keeps a strong beat that ends the album on a flashy, memorable note (no pun intended.) It is less reminiscent of Adele’s slow ballads, and more of a showstopper number, something that makes the album memorable and worth listening to.

The songs in-between the bigger numbers are the ones Adele has always been known to produce. They are the type that launched Adele to fame and stardom. The hauntingly beautiful piano melodies layered with Adele’s sultry voice create multiple instant hits. By following the formula that led her to success in previous years, we are seeing rehashed versions of Adele’s previous work. This was definitely a smart plan on her part, so why tamper with success?

25, while similar to previous Adele albums, has already elicited an incredible reaction from the public. Some were worried that 25 would not be met with as much success as previous albums due to her waiting as long as she did, but the trend is quite the opposite. By prolonging the re-

lease of her album, her fan base has built up their excitement and enthusiasm, and were not let down in the slightest. While Adele has never been my style of music, she definitely has pleased her fans once

again, and there are certain numbers on the album which I’ll admit, I thoroughly enjoyed. There’s no doubt that the coming weeks will be filled with much continued praise for Adele’s latest work.

Photo courtesy of www.fuse.tv

The cover of the new album is simplistic and elegant, which is very fitting with Adele’s style.

THE SPECTATOR DECEMBER 4, 2015

Sports

15

Boys basketball hopes to continue recent success the graduation of eight seniors

By Jacob Chagoya Sport Editor The Lake Forest Academy Varsity Basketball team is looking to continue its recent success despite the fact that eight integral players graduated last year. With many juniors stepping up to replace last year’s graduates, the team wants to grow in an effort to remain competitive and replace the production last year’s seniors left under Head Coach Matt Vaughn.

“We’re not starting from scratch, but we have a definite lack of experience as a result [of the seniors graduating] because those seniors played the bulk of the minutes,” said Vaughn.

The team didn’t just change its players but their playing style has changed as well, said Vaughn. Returning varsity member Chris Harris believes that the team’s playing style will change due to the team being smaller than last year. He believes that they will be more of a outside-shooting team.

“Last year we had more dunks, more fast breaks, and we could pressure defensively. We just played more full court last year,” said Vaughn. “Given a lack of experience and depth at this point, until guys improve, we’ll probably play

a little slower, a little more half court.”

Chemistry is important in basketball as it allows for teammates to play better together. Losing eight seniors affects the chemistry of the team but, with time, the belief is that the chemistry can be recreated.

According to Vaughn, many of the players have already played together and have chemistry, albeit at the junior varsity level.

Vaughn believes the biggest obstacle to gain chemistry is for the new players to learn to play with Harris and senior Daniel Joseph.

“I think they’ll do well, they have been working hard all summer preparing for this,” said returning varsity member Chris Harris. “As long as we know our roles and do our job we’ll be okay.”

Yet the team isn’t worried about remaining competitive. Arreola believes the team will play desperate in order to continue the success of the previous years. Each of these players are playing varsity basketball for a reason and the team is looking to build themselves into a competitive one. The team isn’t the one of last years’ but the team comes in looking to make their own mark.

“I think we can be very competitive,” said Harris. “We have a lot of the tools we need to be successful; it’s just a matter of putting those tools together.”

Photo courtesy of LFA SmugMug

Varsity member Chris Harris shoots a freethrow as he looks to help lead the team.

Girl swimmers dive into the LFA boys swim team

By Jacob Chagoya Sports Editor The start of the Lake Forest Academy winter sports season marks the beginning of the boys swimming season. Yet it is not just boys who will be swimming this year.

Despite the girls swimming season ending already, three girls will be competing with the boys this winter. Freshman Julia Knauz, sophomore Courtney Bradac, and sophomore Shreya Singvhi will be training under Head Coach Brian Sheu.

Photo by Arthur He

Preparing to swim with the boys, Courtney Bradac ‘18 helps Shreya Singvhi ‘18 put on her swimming cap.

“It’s all the same, I try to be just as hard on the girls as the guys,” said Sheu.

“I try to be the same coach to both.”

In order to swim with the guys, the girls had to get permission not only from Sheu but also Athletic Director Darrin Madeley.

They are required to swim every home meet and be present for every away meet, as well as follow the same practice rules as the boys.

They are coached the same but the girls do not get all of the chances that the guys get in terms of racing. When LFA has away meets that follow the Illinois High School Association rules the girls are not permitted to race. After all, it is the boys’

season. However, in meets versus schools which are not under IHSA rules, the girls are allowed to race against the guys.

“For those that have records that are official, they don’t allow our girls to swim against them because some of our girls are faster,” said Sheu. “If we win that meet because of the girls then they would think that’s unfair.”

Swimming with the boys means that the girls and the guys are learning to coexist. To start the season the relationship between the three girls and the guys isn’t one where the team is entirely close. Yet Sheu believes that as the season goes on the girls will become closer to the rest of the team, as other girls have in years past.

According to Singvhi, the biggest change between the girls’ season and the guy’s season is the difference in practice. The boys’ team has three practices a week where they lift weights as opposed to the one time a week the girls went to lift.

“Boys swimming is a lot harder than girls, so it’s definitely more difficult, but it’s good and everybody on the team is really nice so it’s not scary,” said Singvhi. “It’s better to swim two seasons.”

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Sports

DECEMBER 4, 2015

Lake Forest Academy attempts to make football program safer and more popular

By Obaid Ansari Features Editor Football has been considered one of the most popular sports in America for quite some time, but the severe injuries sustained while playing the sport are causing a significant decrease in participation amoung young men spanning all the way to the professional level. This might lead observers to ask the question: Is football dying in America? And how does that affect LFA? According to CBS, over 25,000 high school students have stopped playing football. CNSNEWS stated that football participation at the high school level reached its peak of 1.1 million players during the 20082009 season. Ever since then, however, the amount of players has been dropping.

There have also been instances at the professional level of players retiring early. Some of the more notable ones are Anthony Davis, Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Sidney Rice, Rashard Mendenhall and Jake Locker. Head Coach for LFA Varsity Football, Robin Bowkett, believes the problem starts from the NFL. “The problem is coming down from the NFL and being filtered down into the high school level,” said Bowkett. “When parents hear about NFL players getting brain problems when they are older it scares parents.”

People might wonder why there is this decrease in football participants, but to many the answer is clear: Safety is the biggest issue and people don’t want to risk suffering a life long injury. Youth players may not worry about this and want to play no matter the risk, but their parents certainly have a different opinion. Parents, who’s number one priority is to make sure their kids are safe, do not want them to get permanently injured.

Lake Forest Academy has also been

“The goal is to find the best way to have football at LFA,” said Madeley.

Photo courtesy of LFA SmugMug

Senior Dominick Haubner hands the ball off to junior Chris Harris in an attempt to keep LFA competitive and win the game.

experiencing a loss of interest in football and lower numbers of players participating. This past season, LFA had 39 play-

ers signed up to play football in summer camp but ended the season with only 23.

“We had between 15-20 kids who stopped playing football at LFA,” said Athletic Director Darrin Madeley, “and we want to figure out why they quit.”

Despite the low numbers the football team has right now, Bowkett is not worried about LFA having a football team next year.

“There are plans in place to regain numbers in the football program for next year,” said Bowkett.

LFA doesn’t want to focus only on next year by recruiting sophomores and juniors, but also go to junior highschools and middle schools to find younger players and ensure the future of the football program.

Bowkett believes that since LFA is strong educationally, it will help them find more players that want to get a good education.

Other options to keep a football team at LFA would be to go to an eight-man football or join with another school. North Shore Country Day approached Madeley

about combining the football programs but at the time it did not make sense since LFA had 39 players signed up during the summer to play. Obviously, LFA has less favorable numbers now, but both Madeley and Bowkett would prefer not to combine football programs or go to 8-man.

The number one question for LFA and everyone else who wants to save football is how to make football safer without losing the integrity of the game.

“It starts with the coaches who must be the ones that change, in terms of how they teach tackling and in terms of how they practice,” said Bowkett.

“Just because we have a good coach doesn’t mean the team we are playing against has a good coach,” said Madeley.

Despite all these challenges, LFA still wants to keep a football program at the school because the sport has been a part of the school’s traditions for more than 100 years.

“The goal is to find the best way to have football at LFA,” said Madeley.