The Spectator October 2018

T

h

e

L

a

k

e

F

o

r

e

s

t

A

c

a

S P E C TAT O R 1500 WEST KENNEDY ROAD, LAKE FOREST, IL 60045

VOLUME 97 NUMBER 2

Featured Stories NEWS

Trump and NAFTA FEATURES

page 2

Behind the scenes of the Fall play

page 3 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Halloween Movies and a Spooky Story page 6 & 7 OP-ED

Caxy Rave on Senior Parking

d

e

m

y

OCTOBER 31, 2018

JUUL under fire from FDA By: Charlie Shattock Editor-in-Chief of Digital

On September 12th, the FDA announced that it has given five major e-cigarette companies 60 days to actively prohibit the sale of its products to minors. If these companies do not comply, the FDA says, they will be forced to take their products off the shelves.

The products included in this 60-day project are Imperial Brands’ Blu, RJR Vapor Co.’s Vuse, Altria’s MarkTen, devices made by Logic, and of course, JUUL. It is no secret that vaping is popular across American high schools, and given that last year, the LFA faculty spent the entirety of Health and Wellness Day learning about e-cigarette use among highschoolers, it’s a concern for students here as well.

To understand why the FDA is so worried about vaping and its effects on adolescents, the Spectator interviewed Dr. Roma Franzia, an LFA parent and pediatrician in Winnetka who has witnessed firsthand the consequences of teen vaping.

Franzia explained that the danger of vaping is twofold. First, the potential for nicotine addiction in teens from vaping is dangerously high. The brain does not fully develop until 25, meaning that teens are extremely susceptible to addiction, which is only worsened by the

high concentrations of nicotine in vapes.

“I have a lot of teenage patients that want to stop and can’t. Everyone thinks they can handle it, and quitting is easy, but that’s not true. (When you are addicted to nicotine) your brain will constantly seek that pleasure -- it’s really hard to stop,” Franzia explained in an interview with the Spectator.

The other, and perhaps more alarming issue, is the physiological effects of vaping. When vapes and e-cigarettes are used, they heat metal coils which turn the sur-

Photo Courtesy of JUUL doctored by Spectator Staff Advertisements using bright colors and flavored pods can draw in underage teens.

rounding liquid into vapor. According to Franzia, this process can cause extremely toxic metals to be transferred into the vapor and inhaled by smokers. When inhaled, these toxic metals can lead to a variety of severe health problems, ranging

from cardiovascular disease to lung cancer.

According to the annual Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, last year 29 percent of students at LFA said that they had used an electronic cigarette or vaping device, and 19 percent of students said they had within the last month.

“Last year was the first year we added the questions about vaping to our Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, so we don’t have data to compare to. However, the rise in teenagers across the country using e-cigarettes or other vaping devices is alarming,” said Jennifer Madeley, School Counselor and Seminar Department Chair.

Evidence of JUUL marketing to teenagers can be found in advertisements like the photo provided, which depicts flavored pods instead of what should be its intended demographic: those who want to quit smoking. While the photo provided is in black and white, the actual advertisement displays many vibrant colors, adding to its overall feel of joviality.

For those who are unaware, JUUL is the e-cigarette giant that has dominated the industry in recent years. According to Nielsen data, Juul has a 72 percent share of the e-cigarette market and is valued at $16 billion.

Its success can largely be attributed to its popularity among teenagers, a phenomenon which the FDA has committed to fighting.

Actions have consequences By: Lilly Drury News Editor

page 8 SPORTS

Interview with new fulltime trainer, Eric Ball

page 10 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Young Men of Color Conference with Mr. English page 11

Recently, two leading figures in politics and economics came under crticism due to past associations in high school and oversharing on different mediums of platforms.

Whether it be Twitter or a yearbook page, once again it seems that one’s words can have serious consequences at any time in life, and past actions can return.

This year, Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault that the victim claims happened in the 1980’s at a house party in high school. Evidence used against him stems from his high school yearbook page, where many inside jokes and phrases that he had with his friends raised questions. The concern is whether this was friendly fun, or if these inside jokes have a darker meaning. People are also questioning Doctor Christine Blasey Ford, who came forward about the assult, but some were skeptical since she couldn’t remember certain details from the night.

Elon Musk also ran into some trouble with oversharing information with the world via social media. He posted a tweet discussing his business, Tesla, and dis-

Photo by Lilly Drury Students engage in the societal norm of sharing their lives on social media, not necessarily thinking about its impact on their futures.

closed that he was taking the company private, something that wasn’t true, and affected the company negatively. Their stock dropped 14 percent since the tweet came out. He had no reason or right to share this false information, and was asked to step down as Chairman of Tesla for three years, and has to pay a $20 million dollar fine.

Davis Priest, a junior at LFA talked about how actions in high school can have consequences later on in life.

“A lot of people don’t think about how your actions now, can affect the rest of your life,” Priest said.

“People get really excited about be-

ing able to share every single thought you have,” Priest continued, “but when someone of importance says, ‘What are you doing?’, it can bring them back to reality and realize how wrong it was of them to say that certain thing.”

Elon Musk isn’t the only one who suffered due to comments shared on social media.

Many celebrities’ reputations have been affected due to controversial tweets and posts, like Kanye West and Roseanne Barr.

This serves as a warning to all young people that everything you post, whether it be on social media or other platforms, can and will follow you for the rest of your life.

THE SPECTATOR

News OCTOBER 31, 2018 Trump announces completion of NAFTA replacement 2

By Parker Amoroso Managing Editor of Features Throughout President Donald Trump’s campaign, one of his main targets of criticism was the North American Free Trade Agreement, commonly known as NAFTA. He referred to it as the “worst deal in American history”, according to the New York Daily News. Now, after a year of negotiations, he has followed up on his campaign promise to reform the agreement with the announcement of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA for short. So, how does that new agreement differ, and what are the key changes?

One of the big differences that Trump has heralded is the new access American dairy producers will have to the Canadian dairy market. This is significant change from the prior agreement, which offered no protections or agreements and resulted in Canada imposing massive tariffs of over 200% in some cases.

The next big change is in labor provisions, with guarantees for Mexican, Candian, and U.S. workers alike. The deal stipulates that

40 to 45% of automobile parts must be manufactured by workers making at least $16 and hour by the year 2023. In addition to this, in order to avoid tariffs, automobiles must have 75% of their components manufactured in Canada, Mexico, or the U.S. Finally, it extends copyright protections to 70 years past the death of the creator and extends protection from generic brands for pharmaceutical drugs. Intellectual property has been a huge point of emphasis for Trump. Since his campaign, he’s come out strongly against intellectual property theft, especially in regard to China. For many, this trade deal represents yet another play in the trade-war between China and the U.S. By joining Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. together in this deal, the Trump administration hopes to present a united front against what they view as China’s unfair dealing on the world stage.

“I think the continent as a whole now stands united against what I’m going to call unfair trading practices by you know who… [it] sends a signal to China that we are acting as one and I think that’s very good,” said Larry Kudlow, White House econom-

Donald Trump, who just announced USMCA, gives speech at rally.

Photo from Creative Commons

ic advisor, according to Financial Post.

As for how this will impact Lake Forest Academy students, faculty, and parents, it is too early to tell what the exact ramifications of the deal will be.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s not important for students to watch and pay attention to. Next week, LFA economics teacher Matt Vaughn will be having students in one of his courses make a presentation on the new USMCA deal from the perspective of each country.

“Like most trade agreements it is too early

to know if all LFA students and parents will be affected. It’s something that will take some time as other variables in the market can ultimately affect what is being changed in this agreement,” remarked Vaughn.

Yet it is the China-U.S. trade war that he believes will have the most significant impact, and with this deal adding a few more variables into the mix, it looks like things are only going to get more complicated.

“I think the China-US trade war has a greater chance to impact more people if it continues,” noted Vaughn.

also see first-hand what it’s like to be a college student studying journalism.”

“I like having the opportunity to see what it’s like to be a journalism student on Northwestern Campus,” stated Tyler Watts, a sophomore in Journalism I. The day started with a talk from Kevin

LFA students then participated in mini classes focused on the fundamentals of shooting and editing, television broadcasting, interview tips, media design, documentaries, social media and photojournalism. “[The classes were] really cool. It was a great chance to learn about journalism

school students,” said Ben Cheng, a sophomore in LFA’s Journalism I course.

Overall, the ability to learn about and try out so many aspects of journalism was a very impactful experience for LFA’s journalism students. Hopefully, with this expericne in mind, the day can

Coval from Young Chicago Authors and Co-founder of “Louder than a Bomb”. He spoke about the power of storytelling and why it’s important to approach journalism as telling a story, rather than reporting on an event. He then left the stage for the Young Poet Laureate of Chicago, Kara Jackson, who read a few of her poems.

in an immersive experience, and gave us opportunities we wouldn’t have otherwise had and have access to facilities we wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” said Rachel Johns, a sophomore in Journalism I. “[The teachers were] so professional. Despite the fact that they’re leaders in their field, they’re really nice to high

serve as a platform for exploring new avenues in LFA’s journalism program.

“It was a really neat experience.

I definitely learned a lot. I want to bring the skills I learned [at Medill] back to the classroom,” said Audrey McGrail, a junior in Journalism II.

A day in college journalism

By Kiki Hood Managing Editor of Production

On Friday October 5th, seven students from LFA’s journalism classes attended Northwestern’s Medill high School Journalism Day. One-hundred and fifty students from around the Chicago area attended the event.

The official statement from the Medill website’s information page states, “Our goal is to educate and inspire future journalists. Students get a glimpse of how far a career in journalism can take them, while learning practical information on different skills and techniques. They

Photo by. Amanda Byron LFA students (pictured left to right) Audrey Taillon ‘19, Rachel Johns ‘21, Tyler Watts ‘21, Kiki Hood ‘19, Nick Alutto ‘21, Ben Qian ‘21, Audrey McGrail ‘20 attend Medill Journalism Day.

THE SPECTATOR OCTOBER 31, 2018

Features

3

LFA puts on HOSS themed fall play

By Nate Koh News Editor

LFA’s fall production this year was “The Government Inspector”, a Russian comedy published in 1836 satirizing the imperial government. A controversial play on release due to its critical nature, the comedy was reportedly only staged by the will of Tsar Nicholas the First.

The play follows a civil servant mistaken for a government inspector in a small, yet extremely corrupt Russian town and the mayor’s attempts to pay off the sus-

pected inspector. At the beginning of the year, the Arts Department knew that they would stage a Russian play, in accordance with the Head of School Symposium theme for the year. However, choosing which play was a difficult task.

While Russia has many praised and accomplished theater works, LFA’s Theater Director and Instructor, Matthew Boresi, felt that many of the dramas were difficult for high school students to perform and would have created significant barriers in production. “[The dramas were] much too challenging for high school actors and had

over the top content,” Boresi commented.

He also thought that the subjects of the “The Government Inspector” were relatable.

There are also a breadth of ensemble roles in “The Government Inspector”, another reason why the Arts Department chose the play. It offers a wide array of opportunities for newer actors while still allowing experienced actors to challenge themselves. With these factors in mind, “The Government Inspector” was chosen by the Arts Department.

The next big question that was put into consideration, was whether or not

The cast of LFA’s production of the “The Government Inspector” in their dress rehearsal on Wednesday, October 10th.

to modernize the play and it’s script.

Last year’s fall play, “Amadeus”, was “half-modernized” according to Boresi.

He combined both the historical context of 18th century Vienna and electronic music versions of Mozart’s pieces.

This year, “The Government Inspector” would be performed in its original form.

Boresi said that the primary reason that the arts department chose not to modernize “The Government Inspector” was because it would “de Russian-ify it” and therefore make it less relevant to the Head of School Symposium this year.

Photo by Angelina Chan

Sophie Waimon breaks new ground for LFA theater

By Lindsey Pearlman Features Editor

Every year Lake Forest Academy puts on a fall play, and this time around Sophie Waimon, a Junior at LFA, doesn’t only have a role in the play, but is also helping direct. Waimon first took the stage in first grade and it’s been her main focus ever since. She’s very involved with the shows here at LFA, but now is embarking on a new journey.

“I’ve been acting for a very long time, and as fun as that is I wanted to try something new while still being in the arts field,” said Waimon.

This semester Waimon decided to integrate her love for theatre and interest in directing into her everyday school schedule.

She is taking an independent study with Mr. Matt Boresi, LFA’s Theatre Director and Instructor, focusing on directing as well as choreography. Waimon’s original plan was to indulge herself into her independent study, learn as much as she could, and then assist Boresi with the winter musical. She is still going to help with the winter musical, where she will focus mainly on choreographing musical numbers alongside directing, however, there was a

slight change of plans. Boresi recently had an opera premiere in Washington D.C. and was not been able to attend as many of the play rehearsals as he had hoped, and this is where Waimon stepped in.

“Since [Boresi] has been absent, it has been me and Josh Maybury running things while he’s been gone. It’s very different directing versus acting, but it’s good that I’m able to put the skills I’m learning in my independent study into use,” stated Waimon.

Although being on the production side of things has many differences from being on the stage, Waimon used her experience as an actress to create the show. The creativity that she has developed over her many years of being on the stage are being put to use while directing. She has always had her own ideas about how certain scenes should be blocked and actions that characters should do and now she is executing those ideas.

“The same skills you use in acting, like using your character as motivation… is the same type of thing that you think about while directing, I just have to think about it on a much larger scale to help other people understand the same things that I would be thinking if I were acting,” remarked Waimon.

Photo by Angelina Chan Sophie Waimon rehearsing for the last time before the opening show on October 11th.

THE SPECTATOR 4

Features

OCTOBER 31, 2018

Cats on campus captivate LFA

By Audrey McGrail Managing Editor of News

LFA’s got it’s very own rags-to-riches story, one some may find to be very adorable.

Our story begins just outside of the main entrance to Reid in mid-July with a cat named Coffee.

If, by chance, you were to peep your head down into the water well under Reid during the summer months, you may have been lucky enough to find four of Coffee’s awfully precious and beautiful newborn kittens.

Emily Kalis was the only one this fortunate.

“I started working here in July, and soon after I began to notice that this one cat kept coming up to the Reid area, and she’d be sitting outside my window” Kalis remarked, “after a week of her coming to my office window everyday, I noticed that she would physically be going in there. So I walked outside, popped my head out and saw just enough to realize that there were little kitten heads.”

“I remember when I first saw them I couldn’t breathe - I couldn’t believe what I was actually witnessing. It was beautiful, mesmerizing, and happy. But I was also panicked.” Kalis remembered.

From there, it was a team effort to rescue

these kittens. Other faculty members that had experience with feral cats were consulted to determine best practices. Jennifer Madeley, who has adopted feral cats in the past, directed Kalis to Julia Plambeck.

Plambeck, who is currently fostering kittens, connected with an organization called “Spay and Stay” to attempt to capture the kittens and their mother to spay, neuter, and vaccinate them.

This plan was successful for the kittens, but unfortunately not their mother, who was never able to be captured. If the mother had been captured, she would have been spayed to prevent her from having any more litters and then released back outside.

This, thankfully, wasn’t the case for the kittens. When Kalis found them, they were just about seven weeks old. If she had found them even three weeks later, the kittens could have never been domesticated.

At seven weeks they are still in their most impressionable age. Once captured, they were vaccinated and were soon after taken in by Ardelle Hagar for foster care.

Hagar cared for four kittens, one of whom suffered severe seizures and ultimately passed away from complications.

The three remaining kittens have since been named Ginger, Smokey, and Mr. Timothy.

All kittens have found a loving home,

Photo by Angelina Chan One of the rescued cats is held by Ardelle Hagar and LFA junior Lauren Salliotte.

as Ginger and Smokey have both been adopted by Hagar’s parents, and Mr. Timothy has recently been adopted by another family.

It’s safe to say that for the past couple months these kittens have had luck on their side. Just a few weeks ago they were living in a drain. Now, they’re living all nine

of their lives inside. The kittens also did a world of good for our LFA community - it is inspiring and heartwarming how many people were involved in caring for them.

Little do these cats know how their terrific story has been the talk of the town or how they’ve strengthened our community by our shared care and love for them.

LFA tradition Project Pumpkin returns

By Angelina Chan and Mia Walvoord Staff Writers

Photo courtesy of LFA SmugMug The Lake Forest Academy mascot walks around the Trunk or Treat porgram, a new addition to the event as of last year.

Every October, LFA organizes a special event for the students of A. J. Katzenmaier Elementary School in North Chicago. Through the work of many volunteers and event organizers, a trick-ortreating activity called Project Pumpkin is able to bring them the spirit of Halloween in a safe and fun environment.

Project Pumpkin began around 2010 or 2011, according to Mrs. Sarah Collins, one of LFA’s student counselors and faculty advisor to Interact Club, as a program for the kids who weren’t able to trick-or-treat due to their neighborhoods being too dangerous. Around 65 to 80 volunteers participate each year, with various classrooms around the school, organized and decorated by student council representatives, class parents, and LFA clubs. There is also a costume and makeup room and a spooky hallway in Cressey.

The Trunk or Treat program was also introduced to Project Pumpkin last year. In this part of the event, volunteers decorate their car trunks and then open them for the kids could trick-ortreat from.

“It’s a huge commitment on the part of the community to make this a special memory,” said Collins.

Project Pumpkin is only successful because it’s an event managed by so many people. One of the dedicated students is LFA junior Alex Zhou,

the President of the Interact Club. Zhou worked on Project Pumpkin the last three years. This year, he was part of the management for costumes and setups. In the prior two years, he served a guide for the event.

“Basically, just having the kids here with you, and also watching them have so much fun… just seeing them express themselves and having fun was the best part,” said Zhou. “That’s like the overall theme for Interact… you can just spend a little of your time to make someone’s day, to help somebody.”

It’s not just the AJK kids that benefit from the experience though. LFA students also learn many valuable skills and lessons from their volunteer work in this project, including the importance of giving back. For those who participate, the experience is enlightening.

“I think [it’s like] seeing their own school from new eyes,” explained Collins, while Zhou noted that “sometimes we take for granted how lucky, how privileged we are.”

Collins added that the event lifts students up during a time of the year in which many are feeling down.

“Sometimes [it’s] that time of year when it’s starting to get dark and cold and people are feeling glum about school; it really is uplifting to work with the kids,” noted Collins. “...It’s like waking up the little kid that’s in everybody.”

THE SPECTATOR OCTOBER 31, 2018

Opinion and Editorial

Editorial:

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

5

F o r e s t

LFA eliminates homecoming S P E C T A T O R

LFA students have realized a major change to the October planner this year: Homecoming no longer exists at our school.

ply not going in the first place. Although the attendance was an issue with the dance, it doesn’t justify removing Homecoming

The school shifted the activities that were once designated to Homecoming, such as the athletic events of the day, to Alumni Weekend. The athletic games, school-led cookout, and general celebrations among campus that were once associated with our spirited Homecoming were moved to the Alumni Weekend earlier in September.

Homecoming at our school as an important and respected aspect of our school spirit, an opportunity to celebrate our fellow students and athletes while also celebrating the Academy. Shifting the activities away from what was once our Homecoming to Alumni Weekend detracts the focus from the students of the present to the students of the past, a move that we personally disagree with as a current student of LFA. The Homecoming dance has also seen a transition as it no longer exists, leading to the dance being known as the “Fall Dance” that took place on the last weekend of October. Although the dance still exists, changing it from Homecoming to Fall Dance detracts from its original focus on the spirit of the student body. The real issue is not with moving the dance later, though many see it as late for a Fall Dance, but is rather the lack of school spirit that is now involved with the dance. It is true that the dance struggled to have strong attendance in the past three years, with a major issue being students leaving early or sim-

from the school’s calendar entirely. The Homecoming dance used to represent the culmination of spirit week, which still took place this year, as well as closing out the activities over the weekend of Homecoming. The Fall Dance simply can’t retain the school spirit that was associated with Homecoming, instead just becoming another dance on the LFA schedule.

Homecoming is a tradition that has existed throughout high schools for many years, reflecting the values and spirit of the student body while celebrating the school and its alumni. Homecoming at LFA should operate as both a celebration for the current and a celebration for the past, bringing the alumni and students together through the common relationship of attending LFA. Changing Homecoming to Alumni Weekend excludes the current students from being a part of the celebration that they had the opportunity to when Homecoming existed. The removal of Homecoming from the student life here at the Academy as an issue because what used to be a weekend focused on the current student body and a celebration of the teams, musical groups, and general school spirit, was shifted to be focused on the Alumni of the school. While the Alumni of LFA are an integral part of the community and should be celebrated as such, it doesn’t feel right to remove Homecoming from the year’s schedule entirely.

STAFF LIST Editors-in-Chief

Alex Jackson Tyler Medvec Sydney Olinger

Managing Editor of Production

Kiki Hood

Managing Editor of Op-Ed

Adriana Rivera

Managing Editor of Features

Parker Amoroso

Managing Editor of Sports

Jack Selati

Managing Editor of A&E

Mia Walvoord

Managing Editor of G&P

Tiffany Filawo

News Editor

Audrey McGrail Lilly Drury

Features Editors

Lindsey Pearlman Nate Koh

Managing Editor of Photos

Angelina Chan

Sports Editors

Ben Sebolt John Kuhns Jared Felitto

Editor-in-Chief of Digital

Charlie Shattock

Photo Editor of Digital

Jasmine Filawo

Faculty Advisor

Amanda Byron

PUBLICATION 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 Ms. Byron at abyron@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

Photo courtesy of Smugmug Seniors: Nathaniel Barnes, Mathias Long, and John Khuns prepare before last year’s homecoming football game, which did not take place this year.

“We don’t go into journalism to be popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.”

-Helen Thomas

THE SPECTATOR

Centerfold

6

Halloween film favorites Compiled by Audrey McGrail Managing Editor of News

Coraline 2009, Laika Entertainment and Pandemonium Films A young girl transports through a magical door into a different world that is very similar to her own - but with one major exception. Trapped in this new world, Coraline must find her way back home.

Hocus Pocus 1993, Walt Disney Pictures On Halloween night, a young boy named Max accidently resurrects three sister witches. With the help of two of his friends (and a cat), Max must work to stop the witches from becoming immortal before sunrise.

E.T. 1982, Universal Pictures A young boy, with the help of his friends, helps a friendly alien escape the government and return to his home planet in this classic Halloween favorite.

The Addams Family 1991, Orion Pictures and Paramount Pictures When a man claims to be a long lost relative of the Addams family, the family is thrilled. However, it soon becomes evident that the man is a fraud and is just trying to conspire against the Addams family. The family must then ban together to overtake the man.

OCTOBER 31,2018

Scary Word Search The Halloween Edition

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown 1966, Lee Mendelson Productions, Bill Melendez Productions, and United Feature Syndicate A classic Charlie Brown tale in which the Peanuts gang enjoy Halloween festivities.

Charlie Brown, unlike his friends, can’t stop thinking about the Great Pumpkin, Halloween’s very own festive figure.

Corpse Bride 2005, Tim Burton Productions, Laika Entertainment, and Patalex II Productions A Russian folktale in which a man planning to marry his finance accidentally marries a corpse instead. His living bride-to-be must save him from lifelong disaster.

Ghostbusters 1984, Delphi Films and Black Rhino Productions In an effort to earn money, a group of scientists become “ghostbusters” and use high-tech tools to try and defeat supernatural spirits. But on their way they stumble across a doorway that, if opened, will destroy the city of New York. This Halloween classic is a must-see for any ghost fan.

Casper 1995, Amblin Entertainment and The Harvey Entertainment Company A (friendly) ghost named Casper, along with his uncles, have haunted a house in Maine for nearly 100 years. But their world gets flipped upside down when a specialist and his daughter come to the house and try to communicate with the ghosts.

Candy

Tombstone

Treat

Werewolf

Pumpkin

Costumes

Graveyard

Spooky

Vampire

Skeleton

Trick

Zombies

Photos Courtesy of Laika Entertainment and Pandemonium Films, Walt Disney Pictures, Universal Pictures, Orion Pictures and Paramount Pictures, Lee Mendelson Productions, Bill Melendez Productions, United Feature Syndicate, Tim Burton Productions, Patalex II Productions, Delphi Films and Black Rhino Productions, and Amblin Entertainment and The Harvey Entertainment Company

THE SPECTATOR OCTOBER 31, 2018

Centerfold

This year’s October Scary Story Contest winner is “The Shaman”

By Max Collins Contest Winner “Every sixty-three years,” the man heard the Shaman saying, “the fungus returns to infect one person, to start the spread of the deadly disease. The gods send down a demon in the form of a fungus to our realm to ensure humanity doesn’t become powerful enough to challenge them.” The man chuckled. After tending to the rice fields for months, it was time for the harvest, and to celebrate the man visited the shaman to hear of his stories. The man wasn’t very religious, but the stories were one of the few options for entertainment. The man thanked the Shaman for sharing his tale and left the small, bamboo shack. It was a cool, cloudless night, and a full moon lit the ground below. Through the moonlight, he could see trees dotting the landscape of rice farms. It was rumored the same fields had been farmed since the first dynasty. It was a bit of a walk home, but he enjoyed the fresh air.

The next morning he decided it was time for the harvest. It had rained a little the night before, but it probably wouldn’t interfere he thought. The sun had just broken over the horizon when he grabbed his tools and left his shack to begin the harvest.

Sunlight began turning droplets of water on the rice from the rain into tiny diamonds, lighting up the field. Tiny mushrooms had sprouted up from moisture. The man took his scythe and started the task of hacking away at the stalks of rice and hauling them to his basket. Morning became afternoon, and beads of sweat drained down his forehead. He raised his palm to his forehead to wipe away the sweat and noticed the blisters covering his fingers. It was time for lunch, and he chose a nice shady tree to rest under. Dainty mushrooms coated the trunk, and he brushed them away to sit down. He

took out his small canteen of water and drank all of it. That was all the water he had that day, and he briefly regretted not saving some for later. From the tree, he could see his field and sighed when he saw how much rice he had left to harvest. But it would be worth it, he thought, because the money he could get from selling it at the market would last him to the next harvest, and the cycle would continue. Although the man would never afford more than his necessities, he was happy. He didn’t love being alone, but he had decided it was better than to be bothered by useless chatter. The man found a dry rock and briefly sharpened the blade of his scythe on it. The scythe was a reliable tool, yet its simple blade would never feel the back-breaking labor of using it.

When the afternoon’s work was done, he returned to his home. He had one room, his bedroom, and in it were his few belongings. He sat down on the chair his father had built for him and fell asleep thinking.

When he woke up, bodies of people covered the ground. Their limbs were twisted and disfigured. Their faces lacked patches of skin revealing blood-stained teeth. Intestines and unrecognizable mangled organs spilled from their sides. It was a sea of rotting bones and flesh. He closed his eyes and vomited, disturbed by the bodies.

When he opened them though, the bodies were gone. He looked out the window, and water poured from the sky. It was almost mid-day, and there was work to be done in the fields. The man decided it had been a nightmare, and the bodies were just in his imagination. He grabbed his scythe, basket, water canteen, and a hooded-cloak to protect himself from the rain. He creaked open the door, and a plump, brown mushroom stood outside his doorway. He kicked it away and continued on his way.

He looked up, and there was a white circle in the ceiling of clouds where the sun hopelessly attempted to shine through the cloud. The man heard the rain clapping on the ground, and in the distance, he could hear the distant splatter of streams of water rushing down hills. Briefly lost in nature, the man stumbled over a rock. He dropped his scythe and fell to the ground.

He blinked. But when he opened his eyes, it was a silent, clear night, and the rain was gone. He looked up and peering over trees he saw the bamboo roofs of shacks from the town. It was a moldy, fungus covered log he had tripped on, not a rock, and he picked up his scythe. He blinked again, and the pattering of rain continued, and he was alone on the path to his field. The man decided that he had hit his head, and briefly hallucinated. He continued walking through the cold rain until he saw the expanse of his rice field in front of him. Wind rippled through the rice, and the man began cutting. His scythe never failed him.

The man could no longer see the circle of the sun attempting to pierce through the storm in the sky, and he assumed it was setting. A rumbling was heard from the heavens, and he determined thunder was coming. After working the fields for years of his life, he knew precisely when he should start heading back to his home for safety.

Thunder rumbled again, and this time the man could feel its vibrations. He picked up his woven basket of rice and started the trek home. Lightning flashed too close, and its ear-piercing thunder disoriented the man.

The man blinked, and he was back in the village. The reliable, constant patter of the rain was gone, and the sun was rising. Rays of sunlight reflected off his scythe, and he noticed a sticky, ruby liquid dripped from the blade. The blood didn’t confuse him or make him sick, because he knew it was

Caxy Comics: Fears

By Angelina Chan

7

another hallucination. He closed his eyes and could hear the rain again, and when he opened them the blood from the scythe was gone, and the sky was darker than before. It was getting late, and his cloak was soaked. Lightning flashed around him, followed by clapping thunder. His house was in front of him. He reached for the door and made it inside just as a bolt of lightning struck behind him. He blinked, and he was dry again. Morning sunlight shined through the windows, and his scythe was crusted with dried blood. Mangled corpses littered the floor, and the pungent scent of death caused the man to gag. He fiercely shut his eyes and opened them, and his house was empty again, and thunder continued outside. He was tired, so he went to his bed and fell asleep.

The man woke up, and it wasn’t raining as hard. He couldn’t harvest rice today, but he would visit the shaman to ask him about his hallucinations. The bodies weren’t there, but mushrooms covered the area where he had dropped his soaking cloak the night before.

“I should have hung it instead of dropping it in a clump!” he said in a dry voice.

He couldn’t afford a second cloak, so he would have to visit the Shaman quickly so he wouldn’t get sick from the cold rain.

He left his house in a hurried jog, and rain splattered around him.

He came to the spot where the Shaman’s shack was, only it wasn’t there. There was no sign of a shack ever having existed there, and the man uselessly called the Shaman’s name. He was confused and wondered where the Shaman could have gone without a trace. There was no response, and he peered into a puddle on the ground. He could see his reflection and was astonished by what he saw.

To be continued online...

THE SPECTATOR 8

Opinion and Editorial

OCTOBER 31, 2018

School spirit: Academics

should not be the sole focus

By John Kuhns Sports Editor

School spirit has seen better days at Lake Forest Academy. Empty bleachers and lacking participation are commonly seen during events. Even spirit weeks can be brought down by those who fail in their lackluster attempt to participate. Though academics are typically a student’s priority, the community should be increasingly active in pursuing the extracurricular opportunities that would better school spirit.

The problem is that many people simply don’t feel like they can take time out of their day to attend events. LFA is known for its academic rigor and selectivity that attracts hardworking students who prioritize academics over other activities. While it is important to stay on top of academics, this doesn’t mean that the community as a whole can just forget about the bigger theme at hand: connectivity.

This high level of academics is an essential quality of the academy, but it shouldn’t overshadow the other aspects that factor into a great high school experience. Without solid outlets for stress that can come from participation in spirit events, the possibility of being overwhelmed by academics is much higher. Extracurricular events are a great way to escape and relax. Despite the fact that this doesn’t happen very often,

the community is strongly connected at events where many members participate.

The task is to encourage people to take these opportunities instead of skipping them. While this rarely happens during regular events, Parents’ and Reunion Weekends always attract a large crowd.

This shows that leading by example is the key to expand participation. It just takes a few people to show up in order to move the masses.

At a place as connected as LFA, lack of enthusiasm isn’t an unbreakable theme.

Campus is often an exciting place to be; Alumni and Reunion Weekend was a great example of spirit as the football bleachers were full, and the gym was packed with viewers for the volleyball games. The academy was brimming with activity and the entire community was out enjoying the weekend festivities. By simply going out to support, being on campus was exciting as ever.

There is already something special about being one of the most prestigious schools in the midwest. The group of people assembled here is nearly unmatched in diversity across all schools in the country.

Academics are the cornerstone of the academy, yet classes shouldn’t be the sole focus of the students. Being increasingly active through participation in schoolwide spirit events will elevate the community to a higher standard of inclusiveness.

Photo by John Kuhns A recent scene at LFA boys varsity soccer game versus Warren Township. Though the match was at home, Warren fans greatly outnumbered those of the Academy.

Caxy Rave: Senior parking

By Sydney Olinger Editor-in-Chief

Photo by Audrey McGrail The Atlass parking lot is significantly closer to academic buildings then the Crown and Warner parking lots; a perk reserved for drivers in their senior year.

In the past, there have been many issues and animosity between juniors and seniors over senior parking. Juniors will park in senior parking thinking that they are being inconspicuous, but seniors do not mess around when it comes to the year that they have been waiting for since freshman year; the year that you don’t have to make the long trek from Crown to get to your English class all the way in Reid on time.

Towards the end of last year, seniors became drill sergeants when it came to senior parking. Juniors and some very daring sophomores were receiving aggressive notes, photo evidence of their parking faux pas to show Mrs. Zaiff, and sometimes video footage. As you can imagine, this issue got pretty intense.

Security actually received some additional employees as the seniors helped in patrolling the Atlass lot.

Sophomores and juniors who made the mistake of parking in seniors’ spots began to receive points as they were being reported, and accordingly, the issue began to resolve. Although it was not so fortunate for the “crime-committers” who had points on

their record, it is important that students in each grade level know their place. The class of 2018 took their senior privileges very seriously and actually helped out security while they were at it.

The cycle of seniors getting frustrated with underclassmen for parking in their spots, has been a continuous cycle in my four years at LFA and, until this year, I became adjusted to the fact that it was more like a tradition, rather than breaking the rules.

This year, the seniors are applauding the junior class for being so diligent about parking in their designated spots. A few here and there are acceptable, but when it becomes a habit to take up the close spots and maybe even fill that one spot, causing a senior, who has waited for their turn for three years, to walk from Crown to their morning class, that is when an issue arises. Nevertheless, no longer are juniors getting angry notes put on their cars. No longer are juniors being reported to Mrs. Zaiff for parking in the wrong spots. And no more confrontations between juniors and seniors about the theft of seniors’ parking spots.

We will see if this peace lasts, but until then...congratulations sophomores and juniors of the 2018-2019 school year! Keep up the great work.

THE SPECTATOR

Sports

OCTOBER 31, 2018

9

LFA boys basketball ready to thrive in the upcoming season Jared Felitto

if everyone buys into our system and trusts

Sports Editor

each other, then we’ll be able to overcome it and have a successful season,” he said.

Coming off an impressive 21-11 season,

Senior, Bellamy Marcus and Sophomore,

the boys varsity basketball team is looking

Brandon Weston are no strangers to play-

to continue their dominance in the upcom-

ing under the helm of Koncz. After having

ing season. With a variety of new players,

a vital role on the team last year, the duo

the Caxy’s will feature a completely differ-

looks to make an even bigger leap this sea-

ent roster. The core of Lake Forest Acade-

son. According to Marcus, he’s ready to

my’s team has moved on, creating a new

build off last years success and continue

wave of players at the school.

the rrend of winning at the school.

Despite losing three collegiate level play-

“We know what this team is capable of.

ers in Ben Canady, Matej Juric, and An-

I feel that this team is in a great spot, and

drew Amft-Reyes, the Caxy’s were able

I’m confident we can do big things this

to add many new talented players includ-

season”.

ing Dane Quest, Xavier Adams, the Wolf

Marcus will try to shoulder the load as

brothers, Darius Duff, and Olivier-Max-

the primary ball handler. With his lethal

well Prosper. Head coach, Kyle Koncz be-

quickness and ability to break defenders

lieves that his team won’t miss a beat in

down off the dribble, he’ll be able to facil-

their on court success in spite of the loss of

itate for the rest of the team. Weston, who

their old senior core.

burst onto the scene as a freshman, is a

“We had fantastic leaders last year. We

force to be reckoned with out on the floor.

may have lost some very talented players,

His impeccable athleticism and polished

but we were able to bring in many capa-

offensive game will help the team fill up

ble ones as well. The question is who will

the box score in a heartbeat.

step up and take the leadership role,” said Koncz.

However, Koncz elaborated on the potential early struggles of bringing in a plethora of talented players.

“Chemistry will definitely be an issue in the beginning. I’m more then confident that

Besides being one of the teams go to guys, Marcus has a lot of confidence in his new teammates.

“Everyone on this team just loves basketball. We have guys that would live in

Photo courtesy of Joel Lerner of the Daily North Shore Brandon Weston of LFA attempting a floater againt Highland Park High School.

The lone team to compete at state Ben Sebolt

As the seeding becomes known, practic-

Senior Sports Editor

the gym if they’d be allowed to, that’s how much we enjoy the game” stated Marcus.

Photo by Ben Sebolt Coach Diane Cooper instructs Cher Li on the best way to position herself to stop a breakaway.

es change in anticipation of that first round opponent. The team starts to focus on the

One of the biggest regrets for Lake For-

strengths and weaknesses of their oppo-

est Academy athletes is that their teams can

nent. The intensity and physicality of the

never advance to state. To invest so much

practices also change. Farther away from

time and effort in athletics, and not be able

the matches, physically taxing drills and

to participate in the pinnacle of high school

gameplay occur. Closer to the matches, the

sports. Fortunately for Girls Field Hockey,

practices turn more skill based, and feature

they can compete in state:.

game simulations.

According to Athletic Director Darrin

Compared to a regular season match

Madeley, “Field hockey is only allowed

feels different. According the Head Coach

to contend for state because field hockey

Diane Cooper “ The state tournament has

is not an IHSA sport.” In place of IHSA,

a different feel, the air is crisper.” Adren-

there is a ranking system. All 20 field

aline is pumping, nerves began to show.

hockey coaches

assemble to determine

Either way, middle eight teams in the tour-

seedings, which in turn decide the match-

nament, are very close in level, so these

ups. Unfortunately, if the IHSA eventually

games should make for an exciting tourney.

accepts field hockey as a sport, LFA will

During the state tournament, the team

no longer be accepted at the state tourna-

will rely on heavy contributions from se-

ment.

In order to become a IHSA sport,

niors and starters from the regular season.

field hockey has to add more teams to their

More specifically Leni Ansari, Kiki Hood,

conference.

and Yyie Gerber look to provide a big im-

This year Lake Forest Academy is seed-

pact at the tournament. In Ansari’s case,

ed 11th, which means that they will face

she is an excellent on both offense and de-

Glenbrook South in the first round. While

fense. Hood has settled in to her position

the gap in seeds seems large, the teams

at midfielder, contributing on corners as

are close in skill level. In order to reach

well as distributing the ball. Gerber is an-

the finals, LFA will have to play a total

other dangerous midfielder for LFA.

of 4 matches. In the semi finals, the team

No matter if their season ends on Octo-

would likely play 2 seed Lake Forest, to

ber 17, LFA Girls Field Hockey has had a

reach the championship.

successful season by any standards.

THE SPECTATOR 10

Sports

OCTOBER 31, 2018

LFA moves to full-time trainer

By Alex Jackson Editor-In-Chief

Eric Ball spotting one of the students he trains.

Photo by Alex Jackson

After years of having only part-time strength and conditioning coaches, LFA has finally hired their first full-time trainer.

Previously, LFA had been bringing in outside coaches who would work with students for a few hours after school and then leave. One of those part-time hires was Eric Ball, who was coming over regularly from EFT Sports Performance.

Starting at this fall athletic season though, Ball returned to LFA, not in his previous position, but as LFA’s first ever full-time trainer.

It started to become more apparent that a permanent trainer was needed as the years without one progressed. In his part-time days, Ball struggled to go in depth with the students he worked with. He felt restricted in his work by the limited amount of time he could spend in the gym helping students. Athletic Director Darrin Madeley, who made the decision to change to a full-time staff, thought this move was necessary considering all the struggles of having only outside coaches.

“I wanted someone that was able to connect with students and not just a three hour off-site person. Always changing who was here, kids didn’t know them” said Madeley.

This move was monumentous for LFA

athletics as students will finally be able to see a consistent face in the gym every day.

Madeley wanted a more effective strength and conditioning system and Ball was the perfect man for the job.

“It was a no brainer. Eric is a high end trainer and person. The students trust him and he always has a smile which makes kids feel comfortable” voiced Madeley when asked why he chose Ball for this position.

Ball, who realized strength coaching was a passion when he was playing football in college, already has plans to utilize his position to full capacity.

“What I’m really looking forward to is just growing the culture of training here because I’ve seen what it is and I see what it’s been and I understand why it’s like that… [coaches] don’t even think about the training aspect. As far as off-seasons, I would like to turn that around because kids aren’t thinking about their sport because they are playing another sport that they don’t necessarily want to play” Ball explained.

According to Madeley, Ball’s presence has taken an immediate effect.

“It already has. Kids can do fitness until 8 p.m. so if you have homework or a service trip, then you can still come in later and get it done” Madeley emphasized when asked about how having a full-time trainer will benefit LFA’s Athletic program.

and has felt that whenever she was having a bad day, her friends and teachers have been able to cheer her up and make her feel more at home.

Part of the reason Pacak decided to come to LFA was to continue her basketball career and further her abilities. Wood has

described her as having a “really high basketball IQ.” Pacak wants to further that skill as well as her ball handling and shooting to eventually play in college.

Her ultimate goal is to attend college and play basketball in the U.S. for whatever school she ends up at.

LFA Basketball adds new weapon

By Jack Selati Managing Sports Editor

Lake Forest Academy athletic teams have gotten increasingly better over the past decade or so. LFA had already cemented themselves as a dominant presence in hockey, but now LFA wants to establish that kind of dominance in other athletic programs as well.

This year, sophomore Zuzanna Pacak has come all the way from Poland to attend LFA, but also to play for the Girls Varsity Basketball team. Pacak was able to get in touch with LFA through a summer basketball camp which had U.S. schools recruiting international students. One of her main reasons for coming to the U.S. was the quality of play.

“I love to play basketball and the U.S. is the best country to play basketball,” spoke Pacak when recalling her decision to attend LFA. Erica Wood was able to watch highlights of Pacak and then interview her before she took her exams to get into LFA. Wood, the head coach of Girls Varsity Basketball was able to establish a better relationship with Pacak before she came to LFA. “We talked throughout the summer over skype, as well as emails back and forth,”

said Wood.

Wood believes that this has allowed Pacak to feel a bit more comfortable coming to a new country and a new school. Having it be Pacak’s first time in the U.S., Wood wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible. Wood’s goal for Pacak and the rest of the team this year is to make sure they have fun, but most importantly stay healthy.

Wood believes that Pacak will be able to help the team immensely. Having another power forward or center that can also shoot from the outside will allow their team to spread out and perform more efficiently.

“Overall, I think that we’ll be able to stretch the floor a little bit more with her and take some pressure off other players to be able to fall into a more comfortable role” Wood explained.

Pacak who has been preparing for the basketball season ever since she arrived on campus has not only been shooting every night from 7-8, but also playing on the JV volleyball team.

“Volleyball has helped me prepare for basketball because I have to jump in volleyball as well as move my wrist a lot,” said Pacak.

Pacak has felt completely at home at LFA and that is due to the people. Pacak has been living on campus as a border

Zuzanna Pacak shooting around at an open gym.

Photo by Angelina Chan

THE SPECTATOR OCTOBER 31, 2018

Global Perspectives

LFA students’ connection to growing tensions and protests in Catalonia

By Tiffany Filawo

Managing Editor of Global Perspectives Catalonia, one of Spain’s seventeen autonomous communities, has felt repressed under Spanish rule as far back as the mid 20th century under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. During this time period, Catalans were denied the right to speak their own language or practice other parts of their unique culture. This denial of the validation of Catalan culture over the course of history has instigated Catalans’ retaliatory spirit toward Spain’s central government which can be seen in recent protests in Barcelona. Catalans feel that under the Spanish government, they cannot express their culture freely and to its full extent. This heated political issue has been a topic of discussion in AP Spanish.

Valerie Sorenson, the Head of the Language Department and AP Spanish teacher, recognizes Catalonia’s unique culture.

“Catalonia has its own specific cultural particularities. It has its own language, Catalan. Catalans feel that they have a particular culture,” stated Sorenson.

In recent years Catalans have taken matters into their own hands which can

be seen through the 2006 Catalan Referendum, the 2017 Catalan Referendum, and Catalonia’s unilateral declaration of independence. LFA junior, Lauren Salliotte, sees this as unconstitutional.

“It’s ruining the constitutionality of the procedures that go down in Spain. I prefer looking at things from a legal standpoint, and if I’m going to be going off of the constitution, I would have to say that it’s not effective.” said Salliotte.

The prime minister has responded to this unilateral declaration of independence by threatening to strip Catalonia of its self-governing privileges. The Spanish government claimed the Catalans’ votes to be illegal.

There were protests in Barcelona, Catalonia’s capital, on October 1 of this year.

According to Vox News, police dealt with protestors brutally by firing rubber bullets into the crowd of unarmed protestors, beating these protestors, and seizing their ballots. Amidst the protests, the majority of Spanish people are against Catalonia’s attempt to secede and believe that the media is blowing the situation out of proportion including LFA freshman Carlos Espinosa de los Monteros, who is also the son of Ivan Espinosa de los Monteros

and Rocio Monasterio, the creators of the Spanish political party known as VOX. “In my opinion I think it’s a topic completely manipulated by the press which has turned into a pretty big problem for Spain giving it a bad reputation. I think some things are exaggerated,” said Espinosa de los Monteros.

Espinosa de los Monteros also believes that the media did not accurately report the sequence of events at the Barcelona protest.

“The police attacked the protestors because the protestors attacked the police first. But obviously the press will write what interests them,” commented Espinosa de los Monteros.

Catalonia has been one of Spain’s most economically prosperous communities.

According to VOX News, Catalonia is one of the most prosperous regions in Spain, but takes up only 6% of the country and produces 20% of Spain’s economic output, and 21% of Spain’s tax revenue comes from Catalonia. Catalans have felt economically taken advantage of and according to Time Magazine, pay $12 billion in taxes while the poorest region in Spain, Andalusia, receives $9.5 billion dollars more than it pays in taxes.

11

Photo by Tiffany Filawo Lauren Salliote showing of her traditional Salamancan ring while pointing at the Spanish flag in the language wing.

Catalans see a brighter economic and cultural future for themselves if they separate from Spain, but if this were to happen, the whole dynamic of Spain would change as remarked by Salliotte.

“It’s difficult as a whole on the identity of the people in Spain,” stated Salliotte.

LFA looks forward to upcoming Young Men of Color Conference

By Mia Walvoord Managing Editor of A&E

By chance last December, LFA English teacher, Jamal English met Wes Moore, author of The Other Wes Moore, in an airport on his way back from a People of Color Conference. He was immediately compelled to thank him for his work in bringing the story of self-identified men of color to the classroom, and consciously drawing attention to their “beautiful struggle,” not knowing that their paths would cross again.

Months later, Matt Nink, Executive Director of the Stuart Center for Global Leadership, presented Mr. English with the opportunity to take a group of students to the Young Men of Color Conference being held at Francis Parker on November 3rd.

Wes Moore will be the keynote speaker at the event, and the LFA attendees will be focusing on his contribution to the conference. English 11 students read his book The Other Wes Moore, a true story which follows the lives of two black men, both named Wes Moore: one being the author, the other a convicted criminal, and their respective struggles.

The conference has been specifically designed to promote interactions between self-identified young men of color. In addition to attending the key-

Promotional photo for Young Men of Color Conference.

note speech, both students and teachers will then be able to separate into smaller breakout discussions featuring a large amount of student participation.

Though they hope for those involved to further explore the text, the faculty and staff taking part in this conference hope that the students’ experience goes well beyond analyzing words on a page.

It is their vision that participants will be able to connect these words and their meaning to the larger global community.

“My recollection is that Wes Moore needed to leave the country and have a more global experience to fully understand his own indi-

Photo Courtesy of Eventbrite

viduality and who he was,” stated Erin English, Office Manager of the Stuart Center.

She continued on to say, “so for him to complete his story, he had to sort of go outside of himself to find himself and perhaps in a reverse way, these students are going within themselves to find themselves in the broader community: in the global community.”

Since attendance is geared mostly towards people who identify as young men of color, the adults supporting this trip wanted to make sure that all LFA students could share in the experience, even without attending the event themselves. All attending students were encouraged to actively

participate because those attending are not only going for themselves, but also for the betterment of the LFA. As a result, this seemingly singular event morphed into a three-part experience in order to involve the entire LFA community, allowing attendees an opportunity to share all they’ve learned.

The Stuart Center held a meeting during break on October 15th open to all interested in the conference. Those unable to be physically present at the conference offered support to those attending, and the group made a gift for Wes Moore to show their gratitude. This October 15th gathering was very important for the students attending to reinforce that their participation in this experience is supported by allies who will be there to take interest in their thoughts when they return. Then on November 3rd students will attend the conference. An open discussion hosted at LFA is to follow for all members of the community who were interested in, but unable to attend the event. The hope is that more students will be able to experience it second-hand through the eyes of their peers. The date of this last meeting is yet to be determined.

“As a scholar…ideally, whenever we see someone else’s affinity, it enhances our empathy and it’s just another lens through which to see ourselves,” concluded Mr. English.

THE SPECTATOR 12

Global Perspectives

OCTOBER 30, 2018

The tradition of Oktoberfest

By Nate Koh News Editor

Oktoberfest is a 16 to 18 day long Volksfest (travelling funfair) that dates back to the early 1800s. It is a German tradition most people associate with alcohol and not the rich cultural significance that it carries to the German people. Oktoberfest was initially a celebration started to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig I; the city of Munich was invited to a massive feast and watch a horse race. Oktoberfest became an annual celebration of Bavaria’s economy, specifically its agriculture.

Surprisingly, the iconic rides of Oktoberfest were only introduced in 1818, 8 years after the first celebration. Many go to Oktoberfest not because of the alcohol, but the many attractions. Oktoberfest is primarily a carnival.

Lilly Drury, a junior who lived in Germa-

ny for 5 years and has attended Oktoberfest numerous times as a child, talked about her past experiences at Oktoberfest with her family.

“There’s a bunch of rides for the kids to go on and lots of food carts with crepes, bratwurst, and other German/European food.”

Clothing is also an extremely important part of the Oktoberfest tradition. All of the clothing worn carried historical significance, even if it no longer holds any. Men from the Munich region typically wear Tirolerhüte, hats with a tuft of chamois hair.

While the size of a chamois tuft no longer serves as an indicator of economic status due to the presence of extremely similar replacements, the tradition of wearing the hat is still present.

Photo by Lilly Drury

Halloween around the world A Ferris Wheel from the 2005 Oktoberfest celebration in Germany.

By Adriana Rivera Op-Ed Managing Editor

Every year on October 31, many Americans throughout the country celebrate Halloween with Trick-or-Treating, costumes, Halloween parties, haunted houses, and enormous amounts of candy. But in other parts of the world, they do it a little bit differently.

LFA students were asked: “How is halloween celebrated in your country?”

Mexico and Latin America: In Mexico and in Latin America they don’t celebrate Halloween, they celebrate Dia De Los Muertos or Day of the Dead.

This is a three day celebration beginning October 31st and ending November 2nd, and it is a time to honor all of those who have passed. In honoring loved ones, individuals create altars that often have photos of the deceased, sugar skulls, and memorabilia of the those who passed.

China: “People know about it, but it’s more of a commerical thing. Parents don’t really believe in it and kids don’t really go Trick-or-

Treating” unless you’re wealthy because it’s more of a Western thing.” -Cher Li “It’s not a popular thing, my neighbor celebrates it but other people really don’t.” -Ashley Ma Vietnam: “We

don’t

have Halloween.”

-Rachel Nyugen

Ukraine: “We don’t celebrate it, it’s gotten more popular over the last two years but not really.” -Tonya Muzhylko Russia: “Teenagers have tried to make it popular but it’s really not.”

-Azi Nigmatullin Canada: “[Halloween in Canada] is the same as America but colder. We Trick-orTreat, and do pumpkin carvings, and have haunted houses.” -Dylan Kruss Although Halloween is a very well-known and celebrated holiday in America, many

Courtesy of Valerie Sorenson An ofrenda for Dia de Los Muertos at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen.

other places around the world can’t say the same. In many other countries around the world, they don’t celebrate Halloween festivities. But in Canada, a neighboring coun-

try, they share almost all of the same traditions as America. Ultimately, traditions in different countries are credited to the countries’ histories, regions, and beliefs.