Issuu

December 2015 Volume 86 Issue 3

’ 3400 Rose Street

Franklin Park, IL 60131 Photos by Cristina Aguilar

East Leyden High School

Veterans assembly better than vacation day Melissa Corral

Student Name

This year, school was in session for Veterans Day, and students were happy to be there.

nstead of being at home on Veterans Day, students were in school. And while some weren’t happy to start, the Music Department’s assemblies at East and West Leyden led students to appreciate the cancelled day off. Each year, if Veteran’s Day landed on a workday, it was treated as a day off while the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was a school day; however, this year the school board decided to have Veteran’s Day be a school day, making the Wednesday before Thanksgiving our day off. Since this holiday does not require schools to close on this day, it’s decided by the state or school district whether that day is a school day or not. For the past few years, Leyden musicians have been performing Veteran’s Day ceremonies in the evenings for the community. But because school was in session this year, the Music Department was able to perform its event for all. It featured a flag folding ceremony, history of the Star Spangled Banner, a Stars and Stripes march, the national anthem, and “For Freedom” sung by the Chambers in a 25 minute per-

formance. The color guard set the table with items that symbolized the soldiers who are missing in action. This day allowed students to commemorate the people who served in the war that were not only people in our community. Mrs. Vazquez said that it also gave a chance to honor veterans ”who work at Leyden. I don’t think necessarily the whole school knows that we have so many people who served here, or that some have unfortunately lost their lives serving for this country.” The assembly also changed the attitudes of students who originally disapproved of the idea of having school on Veterans Day. Senior Shay Osborne said, “It was really bogus, and that’s why I was really upset because pretty much every other school didn’t have school that day.” Despite her feelings, she attended the assembly and was able to recall her late grandfather. Although he didn’t die in a war, he did fight in World War II and the Vietnam War, so she still felt a connection. Other students, like sophomore Victor Aceves, mentioned that the assemblies held on Veterans Day allowed him to

acknowledge the day for what it is rather than just a day off. As for the performers, this gave them a new enjoyable experience. Sophomore Katie White from Gracenotes said, “It was fun to see their faces when they recognized the songs we sang, and it made them all happy, so it was really fun.” Beyond just the impact the assemblies had on the audience, they gave the Veterans a lasting impression of the how the younger generations view their hard work. Victoria Spencer, wife of William Spencer, a veteran and engineer who served in the Vietnam War for two years, said that even though her husband was tired that day, he said, “I have to go represent my country.” She added, “It makes my husband feel better when the young generations acknowledge them more than the older, but this is nice that Leyden does this. All my brothers and sisters went here; I went here. We didn’t have a program like this, and I just think this is wonderful. I thank you all for making them feel so important and honored.”

Operation Snowball makes Fall push

hroughout the fall, Operation Snowball sponsored two programs designed to remind students about safe choices. In November, the club gave out peace signs to different classes in order to show gratitude. When asked what gratitude has to do with promoting soberness, club sponsor Ms. Patricia Muldoon said that showing gratitude can actually relieve stress and she hopes that being thankful can lead students away from the stress that can cause them to drink and do drugs. “We were going to do turkeys out of hands at first,” said Muldoon, “but it would take a while to cut out hands for each individual turkey. So we needed something simpler.” It didn’t hit Muldoon to use a peace sign until she got home and asked her daughter. The nine year old suggested a peace sign to symbolize the peace that the Pilgrims and indians had to learn to get along and work together. Impressed with her daughter’s idea, Muldoon and the rest of Operation Snowball have created the design for Leyden’s gratitude wall.

Gleanne Rosales Adolescents, though some may say drinking includes impaired judgement, are “too young to have stress,” undergo quite increased risk of being physically or a lot of it. With the struggle of finding their sexually assaulted, and brain development true identities, finding friends, and preparing problems. Add the use of other drugs among for the future, teenagers develop insecurities all age groups, that totals up to 570,000 and stress. But also as a teen, we just want deaths a year. to have fun! Unfortunately, in order to cope Snowball gave students, teachers, with the stress or have fun, and due to peer and staff the opportunity to create a pledge pressure or influences from the media, some right when they enter the building by leavteens turn to dangerous substances such as ing a red handprint on the wall at the front drugs and alcohol. hallway. According to the National Institute “The red hand prints were for of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “young Red Ribbon Week,” said Snowball leader people who try alcohol do not realize the Ariana Cardenas. Red Ribbon Week is an damaging effects that drinking can have annually-observed alcohol, tobacco, and on their own lives, their families, and their other drug and violence prevention awarecommunities.” ness campaign, usually held in October. Underage drinking includes 4,358 Cardenas said that the hand prints symbolize deaths each year from various accidents the pledge to keep the pledger’s hands free such as car crashes, homicides, suicides, of drugs/alcohol. Despite Red Ribbon Week being alcohol poisoning, and other injuries such as falls, burns, and drowning. More than over, Cardenas believes it’s important to 190,000 people under 21 have been sent to continue spreading awareness, especially emergency rooms due to serious injuries since accidents are still happening from alfrom drinking. Other risks of underage cohol/drug use. She added, “When I’m older,

I wouldn’t want to worry about my kids being in danger because of those things. If we raise awareness n o w, w e could prevent accidents in the future.” “Teens will do alcohol and drugs and they won’t know how to handle it, “ said Giselle Cabrera, another Snowball leader. “High schoolers needto know other ways to have fun because it’s just not necessary for them to put themselves in that kind of danger.”

Opinions

The Eagle’s Eye: December 2015

This three image combo made from video taken by a Spring Valley High School student on Monday shows Senior Deputy Ben Fields trying to forcibly remove a student from her chair after she refused to leave her high school math class, in Columbia S.C. (Kinnard)

Point/Counterpoint

Past the call of duty

Krystyna Cardona arlier this month, South Carolina police officer Ben Fields was fired from his district’s department and banned from Spring Valley High School for use of excessive force against a high school student when removing her from a classroom. Numerous accounts report the student was misbehaving and after the being asked multiple times by the teacher to leave, she refused. An officer was called into the room to remove her and still she sat. At this point she had become a distraction to class and the officer pulled the student from her seat, landing her on the floor and under her desk. I side with the student because Fields went way beyond his call of duty and therefore was rightfully disciplined for his actions. This video shocked me, and I came to the conclusion that in this situation the officer was completely abusing his authority. I couldn’t find a single reason as to why a grown man would need to drag a teenager from her desk. Was she really that much of a distraction that she needed to be hurt? According to the article “Police Brutality - Abuse of Power,” the defining traits of abuse include “excessive force.” Excessively forcing the student to leave the classroom is what the officer was doing. In my opinion, if the girl was really interrupting the class, and the teacher didn’t want her there, the desk could’ve been dragged into the hallway rather being flipped over. Not only was Fields twice the student’s size, but also the opposite sex. To me, this is a huge factor because I think Fields could have simply called for back up, where a female officer would come handle the student. In the article “Ten Tips for Dealing with the Opposite Sex,” author Richard Weinblatt advises police officers that when dealing with a member of opposite sex to “call for an opposite sex officer.” Not only is this the right thing to do, especially when dealing with a minor, but it proves that the officer is aware of his duties and job responsibilities as well as being knowledgeable of proper protocol. Children trust police officers. A lot of them even want to be police officers. Considering the location of this incident and its mass coverage, children are beginning to fear law enforcements officers, especially children of color. Journalist Megan Brilley writes about an instance where a police officer asked to speak to two black children, but they hesitated. The cop had to reassure the children that “some police officers are nice and we don’t have to be scared.” If so many people weren’t getting erratically shot by the police, I’m sure those kids would’ve been more than comfortable speaking to police officers. Lastly, I believe Fields was at fault because the situation could’ve been handled less violently and more maturely than it was. Incidents like this tend to make us afraid of the police, make us feel like we’re in constant danger because there’s no one to protect us from the police.

Race becomes factor too soon

Giovanni Montes n officer was fired from his job because of an “inappropriate” reaction he had toward a student who refused to exit the classroom after being asked several times by the teacher. A video “showed him flipping a teen backward out of her desk and tossing her across a classroom, the sheriff saying the officer did not follow proper procedures and training” (Kinnard). Within hours social justice activists turned this incident into a race issue. In high schools, misconduct is more than a commonality, it’s practically inevitable. These activists are blowing regular police conduct way out of proportion, blindingly labeling these actions as hate crimes rather than taking into account what really happened. In reality, the police are just trying to maintain order. Blaming police officers and security guards tell kids it’s a okay to push limits society has set until a consequence is required. Unfortunately, police are getting the cold shoulder in this situation, with more and more people blaming them for something they had no choice but to do. A female student was sitting in her math class, not participating, interpreting rather than listening and following directions. The teacher asked the student to leave the classroom several, and if she didn’t, the teacher would be forced to call security. The student refused to comply and was then removed as she was told she would be. In no situation is it okay to disobey your teachers to the point of disrupting class. Deputy Ben Fields did what had to be done. Without his reaction, it would have showed the class you can do whatever you want even if a police officer is in the classroom. As soon as the story hit the media, all regard for the reality of situation was lost, and instead the spotlight was on the race of the two involved: the student, black, and the officer, white. U.S. News quoted South Carolina’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) president, Lonnie Randolph Jr., who praised the Justice Department for agreeing to investigate and said, “Race is indeed a factor.” However, due to recent crimes against the black population by white law enforcers, many people consider the white person to be the perpetrator. It is not right to apply this stereotype to all officers. The video brought justice to the situation, explaining to all the people of South Carolina how that is not the orderly conduct he was taught to use in the field. However, as soon as race is thrown into the mix, people will ignore the reality of the situation in some imaginary fight for justice. Students must give respect in order to receive it, people must give respect in order to receive it. And the solution is not to become fanatic crusaders for justice, people need to take into account the situation before making their judgements.

Dress code bias sends message

Leslie Correa

In today’s society almost everything a female wears can and will be sexualized. And it is often males who decide what is too scandalous to wear at the office, at the grocery store, and most importantly, in the classroom. It is unfair that a female high school student is prohibited from wearing a shirt with thin straps because it’s “too revealing.” Instead of scolding girls for “inappropriate” clothing, adults should focus on telling boys that it is not okay to sexualize teenage girls, and if they find themselves compelled to write a girl up for her exposed shoulders, they should take a beat and tell themselves the same thing. Peggy Orenstein of the New York Times, words it perfectly: ¨Girls, particularly those with ample hips or breasts, are almost exclusively singled out, typically told their outfits will ‘distract boys.’ As if young men cannot control themselves in the presence of a spaghetti strap.¨ Since the girls

are being told to leave class and go change they are taking time out of a girls learning because her clothes are too provocative. The article comments on the fact that boys and girls both do get in trouble, but not for the same things. “Boys [are] “hippies” defying the establishment, “thugs” in saggy pants. For girls, the issue is seductiveness, and that, too, has become politicized, exposing a new generation gap.” An article by Today talks about the Twitter trend #IfAnythingSchoolHasTaughtMe, which asks students to share what they’ve been taught by the institution. Dress codes were a popular topic, with responses like: “that shorts and spaghetti tank tops are so inappropriate and distracting to boys” (@rainyjoseph) and “that pulling me out of class for wearing a tank top and leggings is more important than my education” (@comicjacks). Time Magazine reports, ¨Some of our most powerful and lasting ideas about the world around us are learned at school.

Which of these people is least likely to be disciplined? Hint: it’s the boy.

Hard work pays off. Success comes from working together. Girls’ bodies are dangerous and harassment is inevitable” (“How School Dress Codes, 2015”). The article discusses how when boys see girls being chastised by schools, it perpetuates the idea that girls will submit to the demands of others without a fight. This leads to later mistreatment and inflated senses of superiority in males. The dress code reads gender neutral, but only on paper, prohibiting students from wearing what the administration

deems “inappropriate,” indirectly referring to clothes usually worn by females. The chances of a male student electing to wear a shirt that “exposes his chest” is likely, however, he is not as likely to get dress coded. It’s impossible to reorganize an ingrained societal norm. Girls’ bodies, though almost identical to boys’, are somehow unseeable and not appropriate for school. We are willing to interrupt the lesson to make sure that boys are comfortable, never thinking about the roles we’re solidifying in both male and female minds.

Features

The Eagle’s Eye: December 2015

Adoption vs. Purchase

are expected to freeze or starve to death as they make cross country trips. But before these puppies arrive at a store, Sarah Fiala the ill ones are filtered out and left to die. Only Shopping for a cute puppy can be so exciting, and the seemingly taking a trip to the pet store is typically the first step. These healthy ever animals in nice, large cages have room to prance around and have the meet with potential buyers, all eyes on them as they play opportunity to with their toys and guard their food bowls. They appear find a home. healthy in their warm and inviting environment. However, Still, each new this safe and caring setting masks the traumatic experiences puppy sent to a that these puppies have endured. store will have a Pet store dogs come from puppy mills and are mother that will almost always neglected and abused. They are crammed be expected to into small cages shared by three or four dogs stacked six or never be petted seven cages high, forced to share food, air, and waste. The or let out of a puppies’ food is often contaminated with maggots, causing cage, a mother many puppies to become ill. Females are forced to produce that will always litters as often as they are capable of and until they can no be abused. However, after being delivered to pet stores, longer reproduce. Once this happens, a puppy’s mother consumers don’t see a dark past. They see a happy and is considered useless and promptly killed, abandoned, or healthy pup. auctioned off. Writer for VICE and ex-puppy mill employee The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention Josiah M. Hesse remembers the puppy’s cries echoing of Cruelty to Animals) estimates that sellers from nearly throughout the dark mill: “These were not the playful barks 10,000 puppy mills make an average of over $300,000 of excitement we associate with viral YouTube videos. annually. Because puppy mills are profit-oriented, animal There was no mistaking the sounds as anything but pained welfare is far from their top priority. Pet stores that we screams.” contacted for comment about the source and health of their Unfortunately, the only time any pups see light is puppies either did not return our emails or cited store policy when they are loaded onto the delivery trucks, where some against interviews.

Dealing with distraction I Essence Tolver

t’s seventh period, and I sit in my all-time favorite class. Everything about this class intrigues me: from Ms.Gavin’s selfless, upbeat personality to the fascinating curriculum that I love so much. But I just can’t seem to remain focused on Ms. Gavin’s lecture about human development. There’s a force that cries out for not only my attention but the attention of every other student in the class. Pretending to focus for a while just to ease the teacher, the students soon return to smiling while looking into their laps with a light beam illuminating their faces. Leyden teachers have tried a number of methods to help monitor student technology use in the classroom. With social media being so easy to access on the Chromebooks, distraction is a reality for me and other students. I could be really focused on my assignment at hand, and BOOM-there’s a notification that I HAVE to check. No matter how hard I try the thought of knowing that I have a notification will drive me crazy, forcing me to open it. What is to be done with this distraction? Junior Azu Whigham admits that social media has been a distraction to him while trying to complete an assignment on various occasions. But Whigham feels it has helped him more than it has hurt him: “If I don’t know what the homework was or need help, I can easily ask another student in the class.” Meaning if he didn’t know what the homework was or needed help with it, he could go on social media and ask a person who’s also in his class for the assignment. According to Whigham, the only way teachers could “minimize” distractions is to acknowledge the fact that it is already there and somehow involve it into the curriculum. He also mentioned Ms. Sally Lakdawala, his Sports and Entertainment Marketing teacher, as someone who successfully manages social media in the classroom. “She actually included Twitter into our class and that helped not make it a distraction because we were using it for class,” he said. Other students think the school needs to take a harder stance on social media. If it was up to senior Erik Tiscareno he would totally outlaw social media in the class. “We should block social media at school because it distracts people from doing their work, and it doesn’t really help them at all with their school work. It makes grades go down because they don’t pay attention, and they end up failing the class.” With social media being known for causing such big distractions, one would expect teachers to be against social media, or anti-anything that causes a distraction. The reality is that

they’re confused about what should be done next. Math department chairperson Mr. Jeremy Babel proved otherwise: “I think that social media inside the classroom can be useful to students.” Babel also noted that efforts to strictly eliminate social media access from the Chromebooks may not help as every student still has access to their unrestricted phones throughout the day where it is even less restricted. He added, “Students probably need more training and individual accountability in terms of how they use social media inside the school.” Ms. Maura Gavin agrees. She said, “I think social media can be used in positive ways in the classroom whether they are voicing their concerns or learning a cool tool or idea, but I can also see how social media could be a large distraction in the classroom if you (teachers) don’t know how to keep your students engaged in what you’re are doing.” In an effort to help students recognize how much distraction affects them, she ran a class activity over Thanksgiving break. She introduced her students to an app called “Moments” for iphones or “QualityTime” for An-

But the belief that pet store dogs are healthier than shelter dogs is, in many cases, a myth. A California study concluded that an estimated 48% of pet store puppies are ill, while 99% of pet store puppies are supplied by mills. And beyond that, the dogs are not cleaner or more trainable, due to lack of social interaction. There are surprisingly many more benefits to adopting an animal than buying one. Primarily, it is cheaper. A small adoption fee typically includes first year vaccines, spaying/neutering, and sometimes even microchipping, and that fee helps to support the shelter. Also, adopting a pet means saving a life, as an estimated 2.7 million animals are euthanized annually. Each adopted pet saves one and creates an opening for another to fill, hopefully to be saved in the future as well. Animals in shelters are typically well trained, too. Since they often were placed in shelters as a result of a divorce, move, or lack of money, dogs entering shelters often have basic potty training. And if you have specific preferences, there are websites to help you find the perfect shelter dog for you.

droids. These apps track how long or often your smartphone is being used. “For psychology we are currently studying consciousness and the state of awareness. I feel with high schoolers and with adults it is important to understand how much we resort and focus our energy on our phone and online and in social media. So I’m trying to have my students gauge how much they actually spend online and on their phones.” During the break Gavin had her students track for two days how they would normally spend their times on their phones. On the day of Thanksgiving, she challenged her students to go a full day without using their phones and simply spend time with their families. She used extra credits points for her class as motivation. I’m part of that class and I dreaded the activity because me being as addicted to my phone as I am, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go the entire day without my phone. Especially not on Thanksgiving when everyone is posting about their families . Last week, I even tried my own experiment. I gave myself four hours to do homework at home. Two of the four hours I allowed myself to use social media as much as I needed to while also trying to complete homework. The other two hours I didn’t use any social media. When I noticed the lack of progress I made with homework while on social media was very disappointing. Without social media I finished a paper, and two sessions of math homework. It made me realize how much time I’ve wasted just looking at an assignment behind my phone rather than actually doing it. What would you do with the extra time on your hands?

In Focus

December 2015

Know when, where to turn Leslie Palacios

Real Talk: SEXTING With sexting becoming increasingly common, we may need some new approaches to deal with it and some new ways to talk about it. But just because it’s common doesn’t make it right. It can still cause tremendous harm.

percent of teens say sending sexually suggestive content “can have serious negative consequences.”

percent of both teen girls and teen boys say it is common for sexually suggestive text messages to get shared with people other than the intended recipient.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that 71% of teen girls and 67% of teen boys have sent or posted sexually suggestive photos. Lately, the sexting stories out there have been multiplying. From massive school sexting scandals to prevent getting caught to multiple suspensions and arrests for leaking photos and videos. Just this past month, a “young victim had sent sexts to a boyfriend at his urging, but after they broke up, the boy shared the images with others, escalating into bullying and sexual harassment,” said District Attorney Thomas Hogan. If these messages do become public then they can become embarrassing and painful for the original sender. No Bullying explains how senders can experience long term effects such as depression and loss of self-esteem. They explained that “The only defense that parents have against sexting is informing. When parents inform their children of what can happen, teens may be less likely to send these types of messages.” Parents try their best. All of these stories go viral for a couple of days, and adults everywhere spend a few days upset. The parents and critics ask “why the school [hasn’t] done more to educate students about sexting,” says Jonathan Zimmerman of The New York Times. Zimmerman goes on to explain that while schools are an easy target, it’s the wrong one. Here’s the reality that adults are going to have to face: this generation is going to sext. As one Leyden student put it, “It’s going to happen either way, so just let it happen.” School and parent intervention will not help. Sexting has become the norm for most

percent of teens have sent sexually suggestive messages via text, email, or instant messaging.

Time to face facts Natalie Taborska

teenagers, and it might be time to consider a different approach when talking about it. Amy Hassinof, a professor at University of Colorado- Denver, explains that we really need to face statistics because “studies have shown that about 30 percent of teenagers sext.” Although sexting is classified as child pornography in many places, Hassinof argues that it “seems illogical... that the child pornography laws don’t make a distinction about whether the sexting was consensual or not.” While my generation still perceives one-sided sexting as offensive or criminal, we don’t see consensual sexts as taboo. We joke about it more than anything else. Zimmerman even compares it to “necking in the car...for earlier generations” and calls it a form of “courtship.” We almost never even report it to our parents or teachers. In Colorado, a recent sexting scandal found that over 100 students were using an app and sharing nude photos and this was kept a secret for quite some time. Twenty states have even changed their sexting laws to accomodate to the common place practice of sexting. They’ve stopped enforcing long-term consequences, like a life time presence on the child sex offender registry, and instead favor immediate consequences like installing monitoring softwares into phones.

When she received the picture “At first I ignored it,” she said. They were no more than friends at first, casual acquaintances through a mutual friend. They began talking more and would have normal conversations. Over time, they grew closer, and their conversions shifted. She said, “He started talking to me about sex and other things.” One day, they decided to add each other on Snapchat and continued talking. Then at night he sent a picture of his genitalia to her. This situation caused distance to get in between them. “At first I ignored it,” she said. “A couple weeks went by, and once again he sent more pictures. Sometimes he would do it more than once. It got to a point where he would do it frequently, and I did not know what to do, so I blocked him.” When teenagers receive a text, there are choices they make. Rather than simply ignoring or blocking, they have the option to go to the police and report the person sexting and press charges on the offender. But the high school student above didn’t know what to do when she received the picture. She said, “I’m not sure what to do when I receive a sext. I mean we were never educated about that. I guess you tell someone, but I don’t know who.” Even when they do know where to go, some students still do nothing. “I don’t want someone to get in trouble for a dumb reason, unless I’m really being harassed. I don’t think it is a thing to take to the police,” one said. Another student shared her story of receiving a sext she didn’t ask for. It came from her boyfriend. She said, “I was very shocked, and it made me uncomfortable.” Receiving a sext from a friend or stranger is different compared to getting one from your partner. It may make the other person in the relationship feel pressured to send something back. In this case she said, “I was afraid he would break up with me or that he would lose feelings for me.” The key to most

percent of teen girls have sent or posted sexually suggestive content to a boyfriend/girlfriend.

None of this makes sexting right. We need to realize that if we choose to sext, we still risk ridicule, bullying, harrassment, and legal consequences.It’s bad behavior. But when a bad behavior is so common, trying to stop it by just saying “don’t do it” might not be as helpful as teaching students how to work with it. If schools and parents already provide safe sex education for teens when they’re minors, then why shouldn’t they provide safe sexting tips as well? Wouldn’t it make things a whole lot easier and possibly prevent damage to people’s relationships? Author Kylie Singh offers interesting advice in her article “7 Crucial Tips to Practice Safe Sexting.” She cites Dr. Scot Conway’s suggestion to send implied nudes instead of explicit nudes. Some good examples, according to Conway are “an arm draped across the breasts, a topless photo from behind, a side shot, a towel or sheet held in front of the body are all options.” These aren’t as “scandalous,” but they get a similar point across. Even then, before you consider pressing that send button, Kyli Singh believes you should “take a second to think about how much you really trust the recipient,” because there’s always a chance that they might not be the only person seeing that photo. Practical suggestions such as these should be a part of our sexting conversation with young people. Adults should reconsider their zero tolerance stance, especially with older teens. A world with zero sexting, and a world where teenagers listened to everything their parents told them, would be ideal. But since teenagers don’t work like that it’s better to add the safe sexting conversation alongside all the other awkward family conversations.

relationships is communication. After she received the message from her boyfriend she said, “I didn’t send anything back, but talked to him in person on how it made me uncomfortable, and he respected my opinion.” She also said, “I don’t want to change my values or morals for anyone. That shouldn’t be what a relationship is about.” Dean of Students Mr. Michael Grosch advised students that they should “let their parents know” especially if receiving the message is disturbing. If teenagers were to receive some sort of sext and go to Mr. Grosch for help, he would tell them to “delete it instantly.” He said, “Delete it right away because you don’t want to be sending it to someone else even as a joke.” If the teenager is receiving the sext, they should not send the image to anyone because then the image can spread and everyone can see it. He said, “If you forward it to somebody even as a joke, it can have consequences that you never intended. When you get in trouble is when you forward it because now you are distributing it.” It’s also illegal if the person in the picture is a minor because technically you’re in possession of child pornography. Reaching out for help from others isn’t easy for teenagers when it comes to sexting. Mr. Grosch said, “A lot of teenagers may not know [what to do] or want to [get help].” The student may feel uncomfortable or weird talking about the situation with a trusted adult. He also said, “There’s no shame in reaching out for help. Sometimes there are bigger things at stake than being a narc.” Going to someone for help can make the problem go away whether it is the parents, police, or dean helping. “It could save someone’s reputation. It could save someone’s mental health,” he said adding, “I hate to be dramatic, but it could save someone’s life.”

out of 10 sext senders say they have sent these messages to people they don’t even know.

http://www.teensafe.com/blog/cracking-teen-sexting-code/

percent of teen boys say they have had nude or semi-nude images—originally meant for someone else—shared with them.

The Eagle’s Eye: December 2015

Arts & Entertainment

you can’t compare Chicago to Iraq Chicago and [“November 11th, Iraq, don’t compare 2015,”9 wounded in city statistically, with shootings.” “November Iraq having 17,049 9th, 2015, “1 dead, 2 people shot versus injured in separate C h i c a g o ’s 2 , 8 4 7 shootings,” “November in 2014; therefore, 8th, “14-Year-Old Fatally considering Chicago Shot While Walking in Englewood, Police say.”] a “warzone” like Iraq is hyperbolic. Mayor Rahm Living near Chicago, we E m a nuel and hear each day news of Alderman William someone shot. It’s tragic Burns 4th, Chicago but not unusual. The city council member, “norm” is hearing people were worried. Burns advise others to avoid the considers the movie certain parts of the city.. as a “project that could ultimately harm the city,” which But we shouldn’t ignore these neighborhoods or led him to the decision of revoking tax credits, money, the the ongoing issue of gun violence. Spike Lee’s new film, state gears toward movie production as a way to encourage Chi-raq, has the potential to bring the public’s attention to filmmakers to film their movies in that particular location, the the gun violence that currently dominates our city. form Lee. Spike Lee’s latest movie is sparking Chi-raq, starring Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris, It cost the filmmaker $3 million. controversy among Chicagoans. Will Samuel L. Jackson, and others, presents a parallel between Burns said, “To create a living wage, jobs and the Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes. In both women it harm how others view Chicago or hope...you have to get folks to invest for the communities take a stand against the violence of their community. In and so, would you want to risk your capital, take out debt bring necessary attention to our the play, women demanded a peace agreement to end the to build something in a neighborhood called Chiraq?” violence problem? Peloponnesian War. In order to force the men to peace, But here’s the better questions: “What wouldn’t the women suppress any sex. In the movie, gun violence we risk to attempt change in Chicago? Isn’t a ‘negative becomes the equivalency to the the Peloponnesian War, opinion’ worth people actually paying attention?”. and the main focus of the women is stopping gun violence led by a woman names This movie won’t plant a thought in the eyes of tourists. They already see “Lysistrata.” what is currently going on in Chicago. Chi-raq will feature humor because it is satire, But Lee’s choice in title started the film with the wrong attention.The movie’s but it is taking issue with a serious matter.This style points out the ironic attitude and goal was to push against the struggles we hear everyday, but the title stirred the controversy, with residents worried the movie will bring a negative opinion of Chicago. actions of how the public is dealing with gun violence in order to spark the change. The title “Chi-raq” combines the words Chicago and Iraq in order to compare the Spike Lee didn’t create these issues; “it’s a city of Chicago issue,” as Anthony Mosely situation in Chicago to the “warzone,” in Iraq (according to Anthony Mosely, director says it, director of plays on the “Roots of Violence.” Resisting this movie’s production, or not seeing it, is disregarding gun violence of plays on the “Roots of Violence”). The title is agreeably a little exaggerated since as an issue. Worse, it’s accepting that the current level of violence is the norm. Karina Kosmala

CHI-RAQ

Ignore Grandma, get gaming W Errol Lucas

hat will you be doing during the holidays as you wait for your family to cook and cut the turkey? When winter break comes after finals, are you going to just be shoveling snow everyday out in the cold? Why spend this time with friends and family when you can sit in front of your TV or computer screen, gaming your heart out? If that sounds like your type of vacation, I have one specific game for you. Call of Duty: Black Ops III is worth ditching your family and even ditching school. The Call of Duty franchise has been releasing games every year since 2003, alternating between game studios Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, and Treyarch. This year Treyarch took the wheel in the 3-year cycle and gave gamers exactly what they’ve been looking for in previous Call of Duty games. Additions like full customization in each game mode, more game modes that differ from past Call of Duty games, and new game mechanics make the game faster and more fluid compared to the past 2 years of Call of Duty. First off, let’s start with the game mode most people tend to ignore, the Campaign. Every year, Call of Duty implements stories into their games ranging from the Cold War to the events of World War 2. The past 2-3 games have contained campaigns involving possible future events revolving around World War 3, exo-suits, and, with this game, robotics. But what Call of Duty fans are interested in with this new campaign experience is how it is now a co-op campaign. Compared to the past games, gamers would have to go through the whole story alone and put so much time into it, but now they can go through this story with their friends and plan each move they make in the storyline together. Past Call of Dutys featured cooperative play, but they were never as in-depth as Black Ops 3. Next up is something every gamer wants to hear about: multiplayer gamemode in Black Ops 3. This game mode has innovated itself so much over the past two Black Ops games that Treyarch made. With gameplay mechanics like dolphin diving to sliding and now wall-running, the multiplayer experience gives competitive gamers what they’ve been looking for. Black Ops 3’s newest most

innovative multiplayer mechanic is the new specialist abilities. They add new dynamics to a franchise everyone loves by giving each specialist character that you choose at the start of your multiplayer experience an ability that they earn from consistently getting kills and completing objectives for your team. Each specialist has different abilities including an arrow where you can shoot out explosive bolts, a quick burst of speed, or even the ability to teleport to

avoid being shot at. The multiplayer, player versus player, experience has really set the bar for Call of Duty games with the addition of Black Ops 3 to the franchise. Lastly, something I’ve been looking forward to for the past three years is Zombies. This Zombies game mode has changed so much throughout the years. For all of those Zombie fans out there, this is the game for you. This game mode should be the reason why you stop reading this article and go out and buy the game. My experience with a 24-hour game session with my cousin completely got me attached to the blood and gore of zombie flesh that this game has to offer. The Zombies game mode has improved the most out of anything Treyarch has made over the past couple years. The main thing this game mode improved on is stability. In the past, gamers would go into Zombies and just go for the highest round on the game’s leaderboards. But in this game, you have more of a goal to achieve. You can level up, exactly like how you level up in multiplayer and unlock weapons that you can buy off-the-wall or randomly get

from the mystery box in-game and customize them how you want so when you get that gun, it will always have its customizations you like in every game you play in. This completely changes the game because before you can’t have attachments that you specifically want on guns to help you in the game. Another new feature Treyarch has added to zombies is GobbleGum. In Black Ops 3 Zombies, these are special unlockable abilities, or persistent perks that can give the players specific effects or bonuses that can help them throughout their playthrough. Before every match, you can customize your GobbleGum pack and choose up to 5 different types of GobbleGums or abilities. Once you get in-game, there will be GobbleGum machines all around the map that will dispense 1 of your 5 types of GobbleGums that you decided on before the game. Other than customization, this game mode offers a lot more like an easter egg storyline that is implemented in the 2 maps available with the game, (1 map must be purchased and downloaded separately with the Season Pass). I’ll leave the storyline easter egg hunting to yourself. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has really innovated gaming for the better to best fit what gamers have been looking for in a first person shooter. This game’s involvement around customization itself innovates a player’s experience. When I first lay hands on a game, I focus on unlocking everything possible. Black Ops 3 does exactly what every gamer wants. The game modes are all so in-depth that you will be spending hours and hours just on the game mode you love the most. If you love a good storyline, campaign will take you a good 8 hours of straight gaming, plus an extra campaign gamemode that I don’t want to spoil for anyone, (It will please zombie fans). Multiplayer and Zombies itself will spend more than just hours, but will take days just grinding through levels and obtaining max prestige status. I recommend gamers to buy this game as soon as possible. Black Ops 3 is available on Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. As soon as I build my PC, this is the first game I plan on buying myself as it is the one game that I’ve been looking forward to when finishing up building my PC. All fans of a first person shooter game will be really pleased with Black Ops 3.

Opinions

The Eagle’s Eye: December 2015

As High school students, we spend most of our time at school. With ten periods per day, and typically six or seven classes, plus extracurriculars, we don’t have much time to ourselves. Typically, we use that extra time to see our friends or get some extra sleep. But what if there was something enriching we could do in those extra hours that would even help us get into the college of our choice? Something that could make us proud and accomplished? Would we still lie around?

In the American education system, we are told to listen and take notes, not to find our own answers. America shapes students to “follow the leader,” not to be our own teachers. But why should we teach ourselves? What value is there in learning a new language or instrument or concept without a teacher as a guide? Colleges want to accept students who are driven and self-motivated so that they don’t need to be spoon-fed information to be successful. When looking at students who were accepted into Ivy League schools, these students all shared one major characteristic: they had a specific passion and they used that passion to learn new things. Whether the student created an iPhone app, learned to play piano, or even learned Japanese, these experiences not only provide the student with more knowledge, but also tell the college they are applying to that the student is able to use his or her own resources. And beyond that, there are many benefits of being self-taught as a student even without college as a goal. When I was in the seventh grade I picked up my first instrument. Never joining band, it was a struggle to understand the notes, and my fingers slid across the strings aimlessly. But I worked at it, and every day I would practice. I looked up tablatures, chord diagrams, and videos. Eventually, after years of practice, the ukulele was no longer hard for me. Instead, it came easily, and it gave me something to be proud of. Then, I moved onto guitar and replicated the same learning habits. However, I started this whole experience just because it was raining outside, and I had nothing to do. I didn’t know I was discovering my passion until I was already immersed in my own learning. It’s important to be self-taught because whether or not one chooses to achieve a higher education, they could use these experiences to change the world. For example, if a student created an iPhone app, they could use the app to spread their views or to entertain, ultimately, sharing their perspectives or creations with others. If one decides to learn a new language, they are no longer limited to the United States linguistically, and can easily have a trip to the country of their choice while fully understanding the language there. Teaching ourselves has value and provides us with a passion. It allows us to set our own goals and feel accomplished when we can check those goals off the list. Of course, it can feel frustrating and sometimes we might want just an extra couple hours to sleep that night. With everything else going on in a high school student’s life, it is hard to make time to pursue a passion. However, it is worthwhile. We are more than capable of learning on our own, and should definitely find a passion to accompany us throughout high school. Being self taught has great value when it comes to a job or college application, or for our own self confidence. Self teaching allows us to expand without needing external guidance. And growing up with the internet makes teaching ourselves anything so much easier, thanks to the endless guides online for almost everything, from recipes to a comprehensive guide on building your own operating system. The options are endless. So find out your passion, and use it to discover new things. There is no limit to how much you can learn.

Photo by Pete Skylakos, design by Cristina Aguilar

Sarah Fiala

hen I was an active athlete, I ignored injuries. I thought I would never be the one to have it go all wrong. But I was wrong. And now I miss it. I don’t think people understand how going out for a sport is really the greatest thing you could ever do. I can’t express how much every single person should give it a try and find out how valuable it is-before it’s too late. I entered Leyden excited and motivated to be an athlete. When volleyball started, I made the team, learned to work, and made this sport part of my life. But What I learned while running will last forever. then I had a bad experience and made the decision to quit the team. Devastated and heartbroken, I moved forward. Yeah it hurt not being part Jasmin Gonzalez of the sport, but I didn’t let it stop me from being an athlete. So I joined cross country instead and found it different from on my own it wasn’t the same as during season training. other sports. Like before, I pushed myself and tried getting back I knew nothing besides that you had to run a lot. to where I was, but within the begining of my season I got It wasn’t surprising that this sport turned out to be a very injured. I thought it was nothing serious at first until my difficult one, especially if we are talking about the mental knee started hurting way worse and it slowly would want perspective of the sport. I had to motivate myself always to give up on me. As it got worse I stopped going to the to keep on running and not stop no matter how close you trainer from school and went to my doctor who got deeper feel to death. into my situation. I was diagnosed with tendinitis. I didn’t Those who don’t participate in sports may never really know what tendinitis was at first but I learned eventuknow what self-motivation and mentally preparing oneself ally from what my doctor and therapist told me. I eventually really means. Running isn’t easy, especially when it is long couldn’t run or do the sport, and instead of training I would distance. The difficult part of that is not only the long dis- have to go to therapy. That ended up being my whole season. tance you must run but to keep going hard with your run At one point I thought I got better but I was proved wrong. pace. Not slowing down, not letting others pass you, not So I was out of shape and still injured, which was the worst tripping, not getting pushed, and most importantly NEVER feeling and still to this day saddest part of the whole tragedy. WALKING. Despite the possibility that you might end up like I didn’t get to complete the whole season because me, injured and losing what you love, sports are worth it. the last week of the season I ended having some very seri- They teach you so many lessons. You must stay focused. ous personal troubles that prevented me from being able to You have to constantly keep telling yourself just a few more go and finish my season, but I can tell you it was a great to go, or “I can do this.” This is why sports matter. We train one. I met many amazing people and got in the best shape to succeed and make ourselves better everyday. An athlete I ever was. Aside from that I wasn’t that bad of a runner, builds a positive mind, motivation, and focus, and all teens not varsity type but if I would’ve kept pushing myself like need these traits. I had been, maybe I could’ve been close. I think it is one You might think you are not good enough to do a season I will always think about. sport or maybe just feel. But that negativity is something For the next year, I trained over the summer. I either I am 100% certain that sports can cure. Putting yourself would work out by myself or with one other friend. When through some type of challenge everyday and growing from sophomore season started I was obviously not that much those challenges make you better and make you part of a in shape like when I had left because even though I trained family.

Why sports matter

The Eagle’s Eye Staff

Teach Yourself

Editor-in-Chief Natalie Taborska News Editor Piotr Morawiec Opinions Editor Isabella Valdez In Focus Editor Shelsea Reynoso Features Editor Zitlali Montiel-Martinez Arts & Entertainment Editor Karina Kosmala Sports Co-Editors Paulina Castelan and Jasmin Gonzalez

Broadcast Editor Gleanne Rosales Web Editor Gerardo Heredia Visuals Manager Charlie Zielinski Social Media/Marketing Robert Gussy Copy Editors Mireya Cano Sarah Fiala Social Chair Jasmina Abdic

Reporters Cristina Aguilar Krystyna Cardona Melissa Coral Leslie Correa Jonjalee Fisher Errol Lucas Rebecca Miranda Giovanni Montes Leslie Palacio Shelsea Reynoso Essence Tolver Tania Trejo

Follow us: lhsnews.org @EaglesEye212 The Eagle’s Eye is produced by students enrolled in English IV Journalism and English IV Journalism Honors. The opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the district. Readers are encouraged to check out our full collection of content and submit story ideas via the web site. For inquiries or corrections, please email eagleseye@student.leyden212.org.

The Eagle’s Eye: December 2015

CUT

Sports

When 1 is Greater than 3

The moment you don’t make it Rob Gussy Zitlali Montiel

When students try out for a sport with limited roster spots, they need to accept the possibility that they’ll be cut. They risk being told that they’re not good enough. Cut day is undoubtedly stressful on the prospective player. Once someone is cut, they are cut. Unless there is a spot that opens up, the decision is final. It could be a sport someone loves and has even excelled at before. For these athletes, there is no season. “ I was putting all my effort into it, all of my heart and soul into the tryouts,” senior Anthony Grigsby shared. Grigsby’s passion for basketball was shut down his sophomore year, but this year he was feeling confident. But as knee issues appeared during tryouts, Grigsby again missed the mark. Despite failure, Grigsby is going to keep working hard at it, and he is thinking about trying out in college. The process is a tough one for coaches as well. “Making cuts is one of the toughest parts of the job,” varsity basketball coach Mr. Bill Heisler explained. “Nobody likes to tell someone they are not going to make it. However, it is a part of the job, and I have found that complete honesty is the best policy.” Heisler wants to avoid any confusion about his decision. “I meet with each player individually and tell them face to face why I am making the decision I am making,” he said. And that decision isn’t always talent alone. “There are several factors that go into our decision making process as a staff,” Heisler said, explaining that he wants to be able to trust his player physically and academically. The dedication you put into it is also a factor, such as the camps and the offseason. The players need to be coachable and be able to keep up with the skill level others bring to the game. “There are many reasons that we may have to cut a player, but I feel it is best practice to sit face to face and tell them why we made the decision, answer any questions, and try to leave on good terms, but we do not reverse the decision. The truth is not always the easiest method, but I think it is the best.”

Photos by Pete Skylakos

Mr. Cook will be on the sidelines with the Varsity team this year.

Cook moves to Varsity

eyden’s varsity swimming team will be facing a change this upcoming season that is really just a return to before. With Mr. Chuck Skrabacz no longer the head varsity coach, Mr. Chris Cook will be taking over. But Mr. Chris Cook is nothing new. He’s been coaching the JV team for years. “I’m excited to be able to be able to work with the varsity boys because I’ve coached most of them as freshmen and sophomores and then in summer camps. [In previous years,] I got them ready for varsity and then let them go. This time I’m going to take them to the next step,” Cook explained Cook has been coaching the boys JV team and is the girls varsity coach. He believes that his coaching experience will help improve the athletes individually. He is well-known for his ability to push athletes to their potential, and the swimming athletes

Paulina Castelan

are aware of what they should be expecting. The boys will get to work with their previous JV coach and get to show off what they’ve been taught so far. It’s exciting for them to have their progress seen by their former coach. But they know this season will not be completely the same. “Things are going to be very different this year because Mr. Cook has a very different coaching style than Mr. Skrabacz did. It might be pretty hard for some people to adjust to the increased workouts and the overall different environment. However, everyone has experienced Cook’s coaching as he was the previous JV coach,” senior Blake Thompson said. The new training the team will have to face will push them to their limit to become better athletes. “I push the girls pretty hard, and I push the boys just as hard. I don’t see a big difference.

I don’t think I’m going to do a lot different between the two,” Cook said. “My attitude will be the same.” The goals for the swimming goals are very individualized. Thompson wants “the swim team to be more competitive and for us to do better at our big meets.” His personal goal is to “drop enough time in order to get recognized by a division one school.” He believes that these goals are reachable with Cook’s coaching. Cook knows that they have a few varsity swimmers coming from last year and a few good freshmen are coming out to help the team. He hopes to finish .500 in season dual meets. “I have more individual goals than as a team,” he said. “For me, I look more at an individual’s times, see where a swimmer starts and see where I can get them to at the end of the season.”

oming into high school, I knew there were a lot of different sports I could try. I had been a swimmer through middle school, and I briefly considered joining something new. But from that very first year in high school up until a few days ago, I stuck with one sport. I trained year round both on the school swim team and a club team off-season. One of my best friends is on the boys swim team, how many sports does he participate in? One. I’ve spent my summers training with him twice a day for months. But all that hard work has begun to pay off. He’s about to start his season in great shape. All because he focused all this energy and attention to the one sport he’s really passionate about. I know there are some benefits to being a multi-sport athlete, but I’ve noticed greater success in those who compete in one season a year, especially if they train year round. These athletes are in the pool for over 250 days a year. Every season, they arrive stronger, faster, and better than ever before. Multi-sport athletes are very well rounded athletes. They possess skills and strengths in various athletic areas. They are often the ‘best’ athlete in gym class. But when it comes to competition, they suddenly find themselves just above average. This is because they lack the extensive training to enhance a single skill set. They may also have greater difficulties in the classroom. There they have to manage the material and homework while juggling practice, competitions and the travel to and from. While surviving this vicious cycle is impressive, it rarely produces top caliber students or athletes due to its sheer difficulty. Relieved of year round competitions, single sport athletes can focus on honing skills and developing academically. They come in two types. The athlete that trains year round and competes during the season, and the athlete that only practices and competes during the season. In either case, their schedules are far more flexible and forgiving than those of multi-sport athletes. In my experience, this system has produced highly-skilled and successful competitors, who, without the additional stress of additional seasons, are able to truly become the very best they can inside the classroom and out. Of course, the interesting part of the debate comes when a student uses one or two seasons to prepare for their prime season, a way of cross-training. These athletes often aren’t looking for varsity positions or serious competition in their secondary seasons. Many football players will do track to work on speed. In fact, for many athletes, track is a great way to work on speed and agility while sports like wrestling and gymnastics provide outlets to improve strength. All in all, the choice as to how many sports a student should participate in is theirs. It’s a question of how hard you’re willing to work and where you want to concentrate your effort. At the end of the day, a student needs to decide what is a best fit for them. No doubt, athletic activity is beneficial to all participants in some way.