The Eagle's Eye: December 2014

DECEMBER 2014 Volume 85 Issue 2

East Leyden High School

3400 Rose Street

’

Franklin Park, IL 60131

Freshmen now target for PARCC T he freshman are taking one for the juniors this spring, when all students in first year English and Math classes will sit for multiple days of state testing originally scheduled for juniors.

Ever since the state adopted a new test to assess Common Core standards (the PARCC test), schools have been struggling to deal with an unknown. The new test has been piloted but not all schools have had that opportunity.

It’s also uncertain how the tests will be scored and what those scores will mean. And the requirements for who will take them have changed repeatedly.

Confusion about the PARCC test has arisen partly because of its ever-shifting requirements. Eventually, the state wants all students in grades 3-11 to take two tests each year in both math and language arts. The tests are designed to better measure student ability to complete complex tasks, like writing and explaining their mathematic reasoning.

Thus, they’ll be more difficult than previous multiple choice tests. And they’ll be long. Administrators, parents, teachers, and students all have concerns about what this will mean in terms of time.

Leyden Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Mikkel Storaasli acknowledged that the tests “might” provide great data about student learning, but he also said, “My main concern is that it is simply way too long. More testing does not lead to more learning, and I think everybody at Leyden would rather have students in class learning from peers and teachers rather than taking a test.”

In response to this common time concern, the state let high schools off the hook last spring, allowing them to keep the test for only one group of students: those taking junior-level English and math courses.

But this decision, giving the PARCC test to juniors, presented its own problems. The state, which is moving away from requiring the ACT in favor of PARCC, offered to fund the ACT one last time--but to accommodate PARCC,

the state offered March 3 as the date.

This is several weeks earlier than normal. Junior AP English teacher Mr. David Narter explained, “The impact [of the PARCC] will be huge. ACT will be moved up six weeks, so our students will have less time to prepare for it than the rest of the country.”

On top of these two tests, many juniors also have AP exams.

Narter said, “We will lose a week of instruction immediately before the AP test. Finally, students will be suffering from test fatigue right before they take their AP exams.”

And teachers weren’t the only ones recognizing these problems. Juniors had a lot to say about the test. They were so agitated and annoyed with the circumstance that a new twitter hashtag emerged: #stopPARCC. Here are some samples:

“@xoxoNataliaoxox: Lol 15 hours of PARCC exam right before our ap tests and act tests. Thanks Illinois #stopPARCC”

“@charlyblue Because children should not have stomach pains, depression and anxiety every year over tests. #TESTHearingsNow #StopPARCC #EndNCLB”

“@Ronahy1998 Dont let the state control our education! We know what benefits us, and they dont! “Lets control our futures!!! # s t o p PA R C C # l e y d e n p r i d e ” (Continued on Page 2)

Sample Grade 9 MAth Prompt

The Main Street Cinema gets a food delivery every Friday morning. On Thursday, Hannah checks the computer to determine what to order the next morning. The computer shows the amount of popcorn seed and boxes remaining at the end of each day.

Sales Sunday through Thursday are relatively consistent. Friday and Saturday are busier days, and on each of those days they sell between 200 and 300 large boxes of popcorn. On Friday and Saturday, they also sell about twice as many small and medium boxes of popcorn as they do on the other days.

She also knows that 1/3 cup of popcorn seed makes 8 cups of popcorn, and she must buy enough popcorn seed to last until the next delivery on the following Friday.

Estimate the amount of popcorn seed that Hannah should order this Friday so that there are between 100 and 200 cups of popcorn seed remaining next Friday morning. Show or explain the reasoning you used to determine your estimate.

Taken from http://parcconline.org/samples/mathematics/high-school-mathematics

Increase in ID rule enforcement A Jamie DuBrock

new practice in the lunch lines has students who are carrying their IDs moving to the front of the line, while those without IDs wait at the rear.

The process, which has frustrated some students, was initiated by Dean of Students Mr. Mike Grosch as part of his growing concern that students don’t comply with the existing ID policy.

Mr. Grosch explained the reason for the change: “The lines in the cafeteria were super long because the kids who didn’t have their IDs would use the keypad to type in their ID numbers, which holds the line up. If you have your ID, it’s a quick scan, and you’re done.”

East Leyden Senior Kristina Cosic claimed that the new practice hasn’t been easy from the start. “When the school first started re-enforcing this rule, there was a lot of confusion between the students and staff,” she said. “A lot of kids thought they couldn’t get a lunch without their ID. After everything got settled and we learned to bring our IDs, everyone was getting their lunch as they were supposed to.”

Mr. Grosch explained, “Most

Photo by Jamie DuBrock

Christopher Brito

kids believe that just because they are paying cash for their lunch then they don’t need their IDs. However, the Leyden Handbook states that all students must carry their IDs and show them upon request, and kids aren’t carrying them, which is why this is becoming a problem.”

Thus, Mr. Grosch is interested in expanding the lunchroom ID requirement, hoping to move toward a school policy that requires visible IDs everywhere. He said, “I personally think students should have them visible or clipped on their shirts. Most schools in the district do it, and I believe even the staff should be wearing their IDs.” He further explained that such a policy is, and has long been, a widespread requirement in other schools and in Dean of Students Mr. Dennis Byrne shows how good a visible ID badge looks. corporate offices. Although there are getting a lunch, and checking in and out books in the Nardini not any formal discussions happening right now, Mr. Grosch Library. It costs $5 in the Dean’s Office to replace the lost said he plans to submit the ideas for consideration. one you were given at the beginning of the school year.

East Leyden Senior Dominick Santana expressed

So should students be wearing their IDs around his opinion on such a policy: “I don’t feel as if it is necestheir necks? Most of the teens in the school believe they sary. Students have gone years without bringing their IDs, should not, but will it help if they do? Mr. Grosch said the and the school has been running just fine.” lunch lines are moving faster already, a lot of kids are stop In contrast, Cosic said, “I think the new trend of ping in and buying IDs, and they aren’t writing as many bus wearing our IDs around our necks isn’t a bad idea! We have passes anymore. always had to use our IDs for lunch but now that the school really wants to enforce these rules, it’s a smart idea to give us a way to always have them on us.”

Currently, an ID is required for getting on the bus,

The Eagle’s Eye

PARCC (from Page 1)

News

Best big blood drive in Illinois I Catrina Sanfilippo

Leyden juniors elaborated. Elizabeth Shelton said, “I think that [PARCC] is ridiculous. How are we supposed to take the ACT six weeks earlier than everyone else, then take 25 hours of testing for the PARCC test, and then take AP tests.

It is unrealistic that the state thinks we can do all of these things and perform our best. The ACT actually matters and helps determine our future by determining what colleges we get into.”

“

Knowing the juniors will focus their energy on only one or two things, something will have to give....

My guess is it’ll be the PARCC.

”

Mati Szelezak said, “I do not think my class is ready for the test. First, most people reading this will have heard about the PARCC for the first time. We haven’t heard of any prep class, only that we’d have less time to prepare for the real deal, the ACT. Second semester is VERY stressful for all upperclassmen, and especially so for juniors. We’re taking AP exams, ACT prep, the ACT itself and now, the PARCC! With this much stress and so little time it is impossible for us to do well on everything. Knowing the juniors will focus their energy on only one or two things, something will have to give. College bound juniors will choose the APs and ACT. Something will give.The hours of testing and preparation will add to student fatigue will be reflected on something. My guess is it’ll be the PARCC.”

Szelezak was right. The concerns above prompted the state board of education to allow districts a choice to move the test from junior year into freshman or sophomore year, and Leyden has chosen freshmen. Dr. Storaasli explained that the move will be less of an interruption and that getting results about freshmen might provide useful information for instruction sooner. For example, if these students test next year as well, the district could look at student growth.

But for this year, the most important thing is probably that juniors replace the traditional “Go home, freshmen!” chant during Junior Olympics with “Thank you, freshmen!”

December 2014

n an attempt to once again break state records for participation and collection, Leyden hosted the first of its two annual blood drives on December 4. Counselor and event organizer Mr. Bill Mitchell has brought in a record breaking 340 students in past blood drives, but his focus is clearly on helping others.

One out of three people are rejected for donating blood because they have low iron, do not weigh enough, or have been to a certain country. Somehow, Leyden still has managed to claim the title as, “Best High School Blood Drive In Illinois.” This all falls back on the students who come to donate. Mr. Mitchell shared, “Our blood drives are so successful because our students have big hearts. Many of students come from families where they take care of their little sisters and brothers, their parents, and their grandparents. They are generous and feel good helping others even when it comes to the people whose lives they will save and whose faces they will never know.”

This past success does create some pressure on Mr. Mitchell to do better each year. Even though we have no competition from any other high school, Mr. Mitchell wants to increase the number of people who donate each year. Mr. Mitchell said, “I

child one more day to know their grandmother’s love. It is about keeping the light in someone’s life for as long as we can before they are taken away. What goal could be more noble?”

In order for the blood to be sent out quickly, there is someone who drives a truck back and forth from Leyden to the Life Source headquarters. There are so many people in need of blood that as soon as the blood reaches the labs, it gets tested, separated into different blood products, and sent out to patients by One of many Leyden arms that contributed to the first the end of the weekend. Mr. drive.

Mitchell motivates kids to wouldn’t say there is any outside pressure. do the blood drive during But I definitely put pressure on myself to lunch periods and claims to always get a make each experience better than the previ- great turnout. ous time: to make donors more comfortable, “I motivate kids to donate simply to make the process flow more smoothly, to by approaching them with respect and a get more donors to save more lives. sense of humor. Students are sitting with

“Let’s put this into perspective, their friends at the lunch table and like to we are saving lives here. This isn’t about donate with their friends. Usually when one trophies, titles or news articles. This is about asks for an application, the other four or five saving someone’s life when the unspeakable friends sitting with them will ask for one, happens. It is about giving a mother one too. It’s more fun to donate with a buddy,” more day with her child. It is about giving a Photo by Catrina Sanfilippo

2

Colorado students protest over right to learn

H

Yonka Angelova

undreds of Colorado High School students are protesting over their history curriculum. This protest spread all over the U.S and started a debate about whether school districts should be able to censor the material students learn.

The students started protesting because they didn’t want their AP history curriculum to be censored.

The alleged censorship occurred after board members reviewed the curriculum and instituted a policy stating that history materials and content could only be used if they didn’t “encourage civil disorder, social conflict or disregard of the law.” According to the district, “the history curriculum should promote citizenship, patriotism, respect for authority and respect for individual rights.” While such language seems sensible, it poses problems for history courses. The student protesters are taking

a stand because the policy drafted by the school board could leave out important lessons in history, such as the “civil disorder” promoted by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ms. Johanna Heppeler, Leyden’s own AP U.S. history teacher, heard about the Colorado high school protests through Twitter, the evening news, and a letter she received from the College Board.

Ms.Heppeler stated that “debates about what should be taught in a history classroom are not new. Often the conversations are about ‘what’ to teach and not ‘why’ certain topics are important to learn about.” She also provided her response to the Colorado policy and protests: “Teachers should be intentional in their decision-making about the content they bring into the classroom.

If the content is ‘unpleasant’ but serves a purpose, it should be included.”

And according to Ms. Heppeler, leaving out the unpleasant moments is not possible in her subject: “History, by defini-

tion, is argument without end. Historians create an interpretation of past events using evidence and reason to support that interpretation. In order to create opportunity for students to learn about the past, they need to encounter the past, the good and the bad.

My goal is to empower students to create their OWN interpretation of what really happened in the past.”

Junior Natalia Baniak is currently taking AP U.S. history and stated that she completely agrees with the students’ protest. According to Baniak, “schools should provide each student with equal opportunity to access any knowledge they want to learn, and students should learn as much as they possibly can about any topic.” Baniak agrees with the protesters because in history “every country has done something that we would consider ‘wrong’ and we could use those events to help shape a better society.”

Women in STEM, take two: tech panel returns for second year t the Women in Tech event, 60 Leyden girls were able to meet and learn from six women working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. The panelists provided students information about different careers, an effort by companies to supporting STEM education and fill positions.

Panelist Jess Keys explained that her career in STEM began with a search for a career centered on creativity.She started out going the public relations route in college but then later switched because it wasn’t for her. She decided to go towards advertising, which she enjoyed, but within her company she fell in love with the digital department. Keys thus decided through this to create her own blog. Keys also left the even adoring Leyden. She stated, “My favorite part about today was meeting everyone. This is the most inspirational group of high school girls I have ever met. I am blown away. It’s really awesome to see a group of women that are so driven and want

to get into this so early in their lives.”

Senior Paula Bassmaji was similarly impressed with Ms. Keys and the event, overall. Bassmaji stated, “I learned things from panelists that I didn’t think I would learn from. I didn’t have any interest in pursuing a career in technology, but I still learned how to market myself in women in tech. Exposure is so important.” This impacted her and many other girls at the event because to get any type of job you need to market yourself and to make yourself look like you would be a better employee than anyone else applying for the same job.

Another very important panelist, Ms. Eva Robert from Google, attended for the second time this year already to talk to Leyden girls in technology. She has thoroughly expressed her minimal yet transforming struggles during her time in STEM. Luckily this has never happened at her job, but in college one of her friends stated that she earned something just because she was a girl. There is the occasional kid in the back of the room that would have to fault all of the ridiculous knowledge that they have, but

don’t know what you want to do right now, that it’s okay because it will come to you even if it might not be right now,” said Senior Avani Shaw. She now understands that she doesn’t have to worry too much about what she is going to do or where she is going to work right now; she rather worry about what she enjoys and finding her passions. Miriam Hernandez also loved hearing about how the women found their path. It helped give her ideas on how to reach her dream of being a computer security analyst.

Many of the girls at the event actually brought up the fact that it is nice to see that you don’t have to know right now what you want to do. Technology may be one of your passions, but the great thing about it is that you don’t just have to look into one part of technology if that is what you want to try to find a career in.

Photo from Ms. Gorzynski via twitter

A

Samantha Caputo

Panelists share their tech career tips.

her counterpart females would help create a barrier from the ridiculousness. Overall, Ms. Robert liked technology because it brought together all of her other interests. She believes that she has made a small impact so far, but believes she will make a much larger impact in the future.

Ms. Robert stated that the most important thing to take away from the session was to do one thing: what you love.

“It’s nice to see how even if you

The Eagle’s Eye

Opinions

December 2014

3

s it ever safe to say that there is no more room for improvement? Not in the eyes of Leyden principal Mr. Jason Markey and Bettendorf principal Mr. Jimmy Casas.

In late October, twelve Leyden students and twelve Bettendorf students teamed up in a student exchange program to look at different aspects in each other’s schools, comparing and contrasting in an effort to make each school better.

Mr. Markey stated, “I have been fortunate to be able to travel to several other schools the past few years, and I always take something away from each school that we could use to make Leyden even better.

Knowing this is so valuable to my perspective as a principal. I knew if we could find a way to have our students visit another school that they would be able to take as much if not more to bring back to Leyden.

I strongly believe the more connections we make the more it can inform our own improvement.”

As a participant of the event, I came away from the trip happy that Leyden has done a great job making improvements.

But I also came away convinced that we need increased student voice and participation to foster more pride in and out of the school.

Currently, Leyden has a student leadership team that has a good student voice, but not good enough. Student voice is the individual and collective perspectives and actions of young people within

the context of learning and education. This can include, but isn’t limited to, active or passive participation, knowledge, voting, wisdom, activism, beliefs, service, opinions, leadership, and ideas.

The first problem with the team is that no one knows what the team is all about and who is on the team. The WSC Leadership team at Leyden is a group of 30 kids who come together to discuss the school and potential changes or improvements.

In November, the team went on a trip to Addison Trail High School to meet with other teams within the WCS to learn how to be better leaders. The many students involved in this team are heavily involved in other clubs besides this team.

This is helpful because they have the ability to talk to many other students that they know around the school to look for ideas, but there is no structured setting where all students would have the ability to give their ideas on what we can do to make Leyden a better place to go to school.

The kids who do not already contribute ideas are either too lazy or don’t know where to share their ideas. Students may think that the upper hand will not listen to their ideas because they are “just kids” and that their “ideas don’t matter,” yet the district is actually listening. The team has already brought up Turnabout and having Athletic P.E. as an honors class. So far, Turnabout has been brought back, but we are still working on bringing up new ideas to policy-makers this coming year, such as making spirit buses for away games. I, we,

Procrastination,

prioritization, communication

W

Christina Leon

ith just a few days left until finals, everyone is cramming to get last minute studying in.

Why? Because we all procrastinated. We procrastinated to do our homework, and we procrastinated to study. But it’s okay because it happens to everyone.

Because procrastination affects many students, especially seniors, and teachers should learn to understand that sometimes some things are more important than doing homework. Seniors have to do so many things in their last year of high school: apply to colleges, apply for scholarships, go on college visits, and get ready for a whole new life.

Teachers expect students to complete their homework, but what they do not always acknowledge is that students have so much more to deal with. Many students participate in a sport, are part of a club, and have after-school jobs; how could they possibly find the time to do homework, study, and apply for colleges? Thus, when students drop the ball on the little things, it’s because they are more focused on bigger tasks. At this point they are not procrastinating; they are prioritizing.

Students know that getting their

college application done is so much more important than doing notes for their class.

And sometimes it is more important to deal with family issues than it is to do homework for Spanish class. Students might find that teachers respect this prioritizing, but a problem arises when a student doesn’t communicate with the teacher.

How is the teacher supposed to know that the student didn’t do their homework because the student has a family member in the hospital? Teachers are humans too.

They understand that you have other priorities and will hopefully give you a break.

But there comes a point when it happens so often that a teacher just can’t let it slide. If you’re going to prioritize, you still have to finish the little things, not just ignore them.

You have to tend to your responsibilities,;that is what life’s all about.

Students have to communicate and teachers should try to understand. They have gone through the entire school process already and should know how overwhelming things could get. Letting a couple unfinished homework assignments be turned in late won’t hurt anyone. It starts to turn into a problem when grades begin to drop and the student has completely ignored the fact that they have to still do the make up work.

That is when the teacher should take action and give out consequences, not when it has only happened a couple of times.

Prioritizing is not the same as procrastinating, but they both have similar consequences. Everyone prioritizes and procrastinates-- it’s a part of life-- but don’t let it conquer you, you should be the one conquering it.

Visiting other schools gives us a good sense of what we’re doing well and ideas for improvement. What Leyden needs is more students speaking up.

the students, are the ones who have to stay at Leyden for over eight hours a day, so shouldn’t it be set up the way you want it?

Borrowing from Bettendorf, Leyden should ensure everyone has a say in the school by creating a program like R.S.V.P.(Bettendorf High School’s leadership/student voice program). At R.S.V.P., all students are assigned to a classroom like an ACCESS, but it’s not just freshman year, and they don’t meet every day. They meet only when it is necessary. Here, students have the ability to talk about things that they would like to see things changed throughout their school and even their neighborhood. The talks consisted

of topics from cafeteria food to even looking into creating a better mall or skate park nearby. Leyden is looking into this program because it helps give everyone in the school a voice in a more structured environment.

This program would give students the ability to have their input heard and possibly put into action. Even though the leadership team is already working very hard and coming up with lots of ideas, why can’t we have more?

Why are we not having every single student in the school have the ability to speak their mind about how they think our school day should be spent?

BS laws

Photo by Crystal Iniguez

I

Samantha Caputo

Photo courtesy of Samantha Caputo

Raise your voice

Breed specific laws unfairly target the pet rather than the owner.

C

Crystal Iniguez

esar Milan, a famous dog trainer, says, “A breed is like a suit of clothes, it doesn’t tell you anything about the dog inside.” Across the United States, breed-specific laws are being passed.

These laws are being placed to ban a particular breed or restraining a breed based on its appearance. Usually, the BS laws are full bans, but they may also exist as restrictions in certain cities. Most of these bans are placed based on misconceptions about the breed.

Since the beginning of the bans, many breeds have been targeted, such as Rottweilers, American Staffordshire Bull Terriers (“Pit Bulls”), Chow Chows, German Shepherd Dogs, Doberman Pinschers, and the list will continue to grow. These breeds are commonly considered “dangerous” or those who demonstrate aggression or violent behavior. During the 1980s, a number of deaths and injuries caused by these certain breeds brought attention to the public, and the public began demanding breed-specific restrictions.

But many animal experts believe that these laws are not the answer. The American Veterinary Medical Association believes that these bans would not help any of these breeds. If these bans continue to grow then maybe these laws will be used in shelters. If the dog that fits into these characteristics then maybe the dog will be euthanized based on its appearance and not given the chance to be adopted. All these dogs should be given a chance to be adopted and find their forever homes. These bans are expensive laws to keep. In 2001, it was estimated that this would cost almost $750,000 to enforce these laws.

In recent years, there at least seventeen states trying to fight against these laws. As of 2014, states such as Maryland, Vermont, South Dakota, Missouri, Utah and Washington state are jumping on the bandwagon to promote anti-pit bull bans and anti-BSL. There are many groups anti-BSL that are hoping to get things overturned as well.

Such as the group “Don’t Bully My Breed.”

This group spreads awareness on these topics throughout the United States.

4

The Eagle’s Eye

Opinions

December 2014

C HR i s TMa S

Candy Cane

Hot Chocolate

Reindeer

Ice Skating

Santa

Tradition

Mistletoe

Angel

Snowman

Kristina Ivanova hristmas is a holiday I love and enjoy. Spending time with family and doing all your favorite things together is my favorite part. In my house, putting up the decorations and selecting the tree are activities that we still do as a family. We do so many things together at this time: buying gifts for the ones we love, smelling the cookies we’ve, listening to Christmas music, and settling int to watch all our favorite holiday movies on TV.

Christmas is about the people you love, which is the main reason I love Christmas, and one of the important traditions in making Christmas even better is going to church. Every year, I go to celebrate the birth of Christ at church, but I’m beginning to worry that when people think of Christmas they don’t really think of Christ.

Some of my peers don’t like to participate in family holiday events, but I think this is the most important part of Christmas. I have heard many people say that they don’t want to spend the Christmas holidays with their families. Instead, they’re anxious to have the time off to go and hang out with their friends. Not spending time with family is something you will regret one day. Christmas brings people together. There is no bad during the Christmas holidays-everything is magical. If you have some free time, go gift shopping for your family and get them what they want. Also, go to church with your family during the holidays. Going to church is another opportunity to spend time with family and actually celebrate Christmas. Those are memories that will last a lifetime.

I think Christmas is the only day that everyone gets along. During Christmas people are much happier. Christmas is all about giving. Giving your loved ones love, time, and gifts. Spending time with family is really rewarding and it makes you happy. Also, during the Christmas holidays, many people not only give gifts to loved ones, but they also donate money to charities. This is another opportunity to invest in family time. My family donates money to a different charity every year, and it makes us happy to know that we probably helped someone have a better life--together.

C

The Eagle’s Eye Staff

Alicia Solis As we are approaching the Christmas season, people are getting excited to celebrate with presents and a nice, long vacation. We’re ready to see our family, go out or stay home to enjoy big dinners, recive gifts, complete annual traditions, and generally be merry. But sometimes we forget that this is also a time for giving.

During this season people, should be more willing to give to the less fortunate people of the world. One of my favorite ways to do that is through Toys for Tots. The Toys For Tots Marine Corps foundation’s mission is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year, and to distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children throughout the community.

You can give as much as you can afford/want, and you will help bring the joy to less fortunate children. All children deserve to experience the joy of Christmas. If people in all different communities participate in this giving foundation’s mission then we can help bring the Christmas joy to all sorts of children. This can also help unite people and really spread Christmas joy not just for the less fortunate, but for those giving.

Don’t be a Scrooge during this giving time, give to those less fortunate and to those who forgot about Christmas joy.

Editors-in-Chief Samantha Caputo (News) and Alex Mennella (Sports)

Web Editor

Opinions Editor Catrina Sanfilippo

Visuals Manager

In Focus Editor Yolisiya Yonova

Social Media/Marketing Manager Christina Leon

Feature Co-Editors Yonka Angelova & Adriana Balvaneda

Copy Editors Joanna Leski Martha Leski

Jessica Batson

Christopher Brito

Arts & Entertainment Co-Editors Maria Barron & Yakeline Ramirez Broadcast Editor Piotr Dabek

The Eagle’s Eye is produced by students enrolled in English IV Journalism and English IV Journalism Honors with Mr. John Rossi. 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 eagleseye@student.leyden212.org

Social Chair Jamie DuBrock

Reporters Alyssa DeSimone Nicholas Elliott Jacob Hawking Crystal Iniguez Kristina Ivanova Akur Kuanyin-Agoth Angel Perez Anthony Raimondi Jesus Renteria Jessalyn Rivera Sandy Sanchez Alicia Solis Jasmin Villalpando

Find us at lhsnews.org Follow us @EaglesEye212

Attention JUNIORS! Interested in working on the paper, the website, or the morning announcements? Ask your English teacher and counselor to enroll you in English IV Journalism or English IV Journalism Honors. Or talk to Mr. Rossi for more details.

The Eagle’s Eye

Features

December 2014

5

Student’s seasonal project supported T his year, one Leyden ACCESS group will not help the young, sick, or elderly. Instead they’ll help a fellow teen, giving him a last hand before he turns too old to be in foster care system.

This project is being managed by Ms. Kari Stutzman’s freshman ACCESS as part of a larger project introduced by Leyden senior Kerri Predovich last year. It was as a child that Predovich first became involved with the Lydia Home Orphanage, but it wasn’t until she heard that not all the kids at the orphanage were receiving gifts for Christmas that she decided to take action and bring the program to Leyden. For the past two years, Predovich has asked members of our school to help with her family tradition of helping.

Last year, the partnership quickly proved successful as it marked the first year in a long time that all the orphans received a Christmas gift. Predovich explained, “Christmas is a time of giving, so I thought it would be appropriate to get my friends and faculty at the school involved. This is not a Leyden run program, but Leyden has been a huge help for me with this project.”

Lydia Home is a safe home that was formally established in 1995 as a non-profit organization. Their mission was to, “help towards ending violence by being a place of healing and a voice of hope for abused women and their children.”

In 1996, Lydia’s house opened its doors with one full time staff member.

The first residents who prospered from this opportunity moved into their own home in 1997. In 1998, Lydia Home received outstanding funds that gave them the chance to purchase a multi-family apartment complex.

This organization was then able to proceed in creating programs and development activities for Women and their children for

Photo courtesy of Christopher Brito

Sandy Sanchez and Akur Kuanyin-Agoth

Leyden students are on board with a senior’s special connection to a longstanding Chicago charity.

additional support. As of today, Lydia’s house is improving and strengthening their opportunities and living conditions with the help of its: donors, volunteers, and community partners.

As it’s approaching the holidays, this is a great way for the students at Leyden to get into the giving spirit. Senior Iris Villasenor said, “Christmas is a day for everyone to make time for each other, to give and enjoy each other’s presence.”

The giving all starts with Predovich getting the names/profiles of the children: the child’s name, ID number, race, shirt size, pants size, shoe size, coat size, bra size, if they have their ears pierced, favorite color, favorite character, favorite team, needs/ wishes. From there, each Leyden group

that’s helping gets assigned a child or two, and Predovich makes sure the gifts are delivered.

Stutzman’s ACCESS was particularly drawn to the story of Sean (name changed). Sean is a 17 year old boy who has been orphaned since a very young age. Once a person reaches 18, he or she is unable to stay at an orphanage any longer. Sean will need to search for close or distant family members or other temporary housing.

Stutzman’s class is trying to help Sean receive all the necessities, to make sure he has all the supplies he needs to perform daily tasks. Although he’s struggling through greater obstacles than the average teen he is not much different from the rest of us. He’s a huge Bulls fan and is a very

artistic kid. He enjoys playing video games and loves listening to music.

Villasenor is one of the mentors in Ms. Stutzman’s ACCESS class. She says that working together to help Sean is helping the freshmen develop as people: “I want them to be aware that some of things that they have on a regular basis [are things] other children struggle to get.”

Beyond Stutzman’s ACCESS, other groups that Predovich interacts with have also become involved, primarily the Senior Class Board. Sponsor Mr. Jerome Patt explained his appreciation for the Leyden students: “I love seeing our kids bring in all the gifts and seeing their happy faces.”

Winter Wanderland: In search of seasonal fun

N

Kristina Ivanova Photo by Daily Herald

ow that winter in here, Leyden students will be looking for hot spots to go in the cold. The MB Financial Park in Rosemont is one of those places, and a new four-story tube hill adds to an already impressive lineup of things to do. Tube hill tickets are $20 per person per hour and are on sale now! Otherwise if you just want to go skate, admission to the rink is free and skate rentals are available for $8.00.

When you go to the park the first thing you MB Financial Park in Rosemont will open a four-story tube sledding hill on Dec. 12. as another attraction. see is people drinking hot coffee, ice skating, people’s cold breath as they’re breathing, couples hanging out, holding hands, and just a peaceful place to be.

It is also good for big city dining, entertainment, nightlife, and family fun. The park offers international cuisine, live music, comedy, a state-of-the-art movie theater, bowling, an ice rink, and more.

Senior, Catherine Chalakoff, loves going to the Park. “The MB Financial Park is a great place to spend some time with family or friends. I admire that there is a big variety of restaurants to choose from and other activities such as watching a movie, ice skating during the winter, bowling, and of course the newly built indoor skydiving. The places I visit frequently are the movie theatre (Muvico), ice skating arena, bowling (King’s Bowling), and my favorite restaurant ‘Fogo de Chao.’ If you are a big meat eater and love trying new foods, such as Brazilian, I would strongly recommend it. In terms of the park, it is very well maintained. Especially, the ice arena at night with all the surrounding lights and music. The atmosphere is amazing.”

“I love to go to the movies (Muvico) with my friends. I like how it’s close to my house, and I can get there easily and go whenever I want. Besides, it’s a great place to meet boys there,” senior Maggie Dencheva laughed. “Going ice skating in the winter is one of my favorite things to do because it’s something you can do with friends and it’s very fun. I am also looking forward to the new four-story tube hill this year! I love going to the park in the winter because I admire the lights and the music and everything is so festive.

You can definitely feel the Christmas spirit!”

EVENTS Storytime with Santa December 18 6:00pm Join the Franklin Park Library in meeting Santa and getting a great storytime. Cookies and milk will be provided and you will ge the chance to take a photo with santa.

Christmas Party w/ Santa Claus December 13 5pm-7:30 pm Santa is visiting Rosemont Recreation Center. Come and celebrate his arrival with music, food, and candy.

Holidays DIY GIFTs Northlake Library December 20, 2014 2pm-3:30pm Join the Northlake library on December 20 to make your own handmade gifts for your loved ones.

Limit 30 participants Holiday Lights Bus Tour December 12 The Chamber sponsored by O’Hare will hold its bus tour to Chicago to see the festive lights and decoration that adorn downtown. The tour offers sightseeing and food.

Contact Franklin Park village to reserve seats at (847) 671-4800.

6

The Eagle’s Eye

Entertainment

December 2014

Wallet Our reviewers set sights on games warfare that deserve your dollars O Piotr Dabek

n November 17th, Rockstar Games released a remastered version of Grand Theft Auto made specifically for next generation consoles. The game was originally released a a little over a year ago on what then was considered current generation consoles.

Because the remastered version came out only a year later and is basically the same game with extra features and improved graphics it poses one question: is it worth it? This question especially applies to the players who bought the original version of the game.

Perhaps the most persuasive new feature in the game is the addition of a first person mode, which allows the player to play the game through the eyes of the characters. This mode is integrated very well into the game; players have the option to switch between third and and first person at any point in the game. It is easy to get accustomed to and is a completely new experience to returning players who are used to playing in third person on the older consoles. I am glad to say that thanks to this mode the game is a much different experience gameplay wise.

What I mean by that is that the game can be experienced much differently with this mode, for example in the old game, on a specific mission the player was required to tail a plane while in a crop duster, with the first person mode on, this mission has a different level of difficulty and requires the player to approach it slightly differently than they would in third person. Rockstar has also spent some time giving extra details to locations that would normally not be seen in third person, minor details like dashboard lights working in a car, or a cracked screen on a phone. What really surprised me is that the player’s vision is affected by accessories like helmets or glasses; putting on glasses causes the screen to be the same shade as the glasses and a helmet will slightly limit the player’s field of view.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to view the whole playable part of the game in first person due to some moments that force the camera to be in third person, which I found a bit disappointing because it changes the experience, especially for players like me who are attempting to play the whole campaign in first person. However, this is

GTAV’s new perspective makes this game worth returning to, even if the story is unchanged.

only a minor negative compared to all the positives of this mode. Overall, I would give a nine out of ten for this mode.

Other new features include a selection of new vehicles in the game.

Although there are not as many as it would be expected, and some will not be available to players unless they have played the older version of the game. For example, there is one plane that appeared in the older Rockstar game called Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, that can be unlocked by completing new missions available to only those returning players. There are a few other additions that follow this basis. These features are not necessities to play the game, which may have been Rockstar’s attempt on trying to convince last gen players to upgrade, and let’s face it, exclusive content is a good way of convincing someone to upgrade. Whether that is the reason, or if Rockstar is just trying to reward loyal players, it is not known if these special features will be released as a paid extension pack in the future.

It is also interesting to see cars that were part of extension packs in the older game driving on the roads of Los Santos, especially since the only way to see them in single player on last gen was to select one from the character’s garage. And while this may not seem that important to many players, as a returning player I am quite pleased by it. I give this section a six out of

ten because although the new vehicles are nice to have, much more could have been added on.

Graphically, the game does not really feel like it looks extremely better than the old one, even though it clearly does. If the two are compared side by side then, yes, the visual differences are there, but if someone looks at the two games at two different times on the same screen going through the exact same action, I do not think that that person would be able to instantly identify the difference. The high levels of detail mainly appear in places that the player is expected to focus on majority of their time, for example, like mentioned earlier, the dashboard of a car has amazing levels of detail, but all it will take is to look down onto the pedals, which look like they were only meant to be looked at from far away.

That being said, with all the new additions and extra details in the game, it is an excusable but not unforgettable fault.

That is why it is difficult to give it a rating on graphical advancements, Some areas were given, marvelous levels of detail, while others, were just left as they were. That is why I feel that it gets a six and a half out of ten in this area. There is no real point focusing on the campaign in this game, because it follows the same characters as the last gen version of the game, so I will jump straight

Jesus Renteria Activision and Square Enix released a new Call of Duty on November 3 called Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The game is available on many platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC. This game features a jaw-dropping new campaign, familiar multiplayer, and improved graphics.

The campaign is like an action movie. In almost every mission there are bullets flying or things exploding, which is awesome. American actor Kevin Spacey has an important role in the campaign.

Spacey plays as Jonathan Irons, the owner of Atlas, a private army. The character you play is Jack Mitchell, who was enlisted in the marines six months before going to battle.

The campaign’s story takes place in several places: South Korea, USA, Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, Thailand, Nigeria, and Antarctica. But the setting is the mid-21st century (2054), and this fictional future is complete with jetpacks, laser beam guns, and grenades that shoot out of your armor

This year’s Call of Duty has futuristic toys. They’re small changes but big fun.

suit. The sci-fi approach creates a compelling experience, and the graphics look amazing on my Xbox 360. I can infer that it will look better on the Xbox One or PS4.

The multiplayer features are endless, but the most drastic one is customization. There are a lot of options that are customizable: the guns, character appearance, classes, and settings. In customizing your character, you have a greater number of options than in past games. You can choose hats, clothes, helmets, jetpacks , glasses and skin color. Each class has its own killstreak.

Another feature is the different ecosystem. While waiting in the lobby for the game to start, you can see other’s players characters. The new layout provides you with three screens. On the left side, you can view classes, maps, and armory.

There’s also a box that shows your inventory. In the middle of the screen, you can see your online characters, in addition to being able to zoom in and see their inventory and weapons. Lastly, on the right side of screen there is a table of the players’ gamertags with their rank. This game features a

to GTA Online, which is the name for Grand Theft Auto’s multiplayer mode.

Players who have worked hard to get their characters to where they are now, are given the option to transfer those characters and all the things that they unlocked into the next gen version of the game. The actual multiplayer is basically the same experience as in the older game, apart from the fact that it now supports thirty person lobbies instead of the original twenty-four.

Because the game has only been out for a couple of days, no exploits have been found yet, which is a good sign for the game so far, especially since last one suffered from some kind of new exploit or glitch with a release of every new patch. With that said though, GTA Online did have a hard time getting in motion due to issues with the servers not allowing players to transfer their characters and a hacker group hacking into the servers causing a temporary outage of the online service for the game.

As of now, those issues have been resolved and no new ones have arose. As for the online heists, they are still not in the game, although Rockstar claims that they will release these by the end of November.

It is only fair that people have their doubts since these heists were supposed to be included in the last gen release of the game, and were promised to be added to it a long time ago until the idea practically faded away. The main difference in multiplayer would be the option to play in first person.

Because the multiplayer is practically unchanged, and still does not include the heist mode, I give it a rating of five out of 10, this is not because it is bad, but because no real changes were made to it, and because players still have to wait on the online heists.

Overall, the remastered version of Grand Theft Auto V is a relatively new experience for both returning and new players, but is it really worth to upgrade if you have already purchased the original last gen version, that may be up to personal tastes, what should be noted is that it still is the same story, with a few extra missions and a few extra features including the new first person mode? If you never played the original and already have one of the next gen consoles, it is definitely a game worth picking up, but if you only have a last gen console, I would not use this game as a reason to upgrade just yet.

larger variety of grenades, more attachments for guns, different sights, a new tracker, and a mini map. Parabolic microphone suppress weapons fire appears on your mini map.

The number of options can certainly be overwhelming in the beginning.

The maps and the lobby were confusing at first, but after some games I got used to it. In my first game I went 0-50 K:D:A. But in my second I went 14-8-3 K:D:A. Third game 18-11-5 K:D:A. Fourth game 21-14-1 K:D:A. Fifth Game 20-6-3 K:D:A. Once I got accustomed to all the new bells and whistles, it felt like the same CoD fun I’ve enjoyed for years.

Is the game worth buying? I think it is worth buying, but not at retail price as Call of Duty games tend to lose value quickly. I bought Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare for $40 (including tax and shipping) and I got mine a week after the release day.

Shortly after I made the purchase, I spotted Call of Duty:Ghosts on sale for $5 for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. As long as you get a discount for the game, it’s definitely worth buying.

Features

Fine Arts Spotlight

Class to Table Photo by Alicia Solis

Alicia Solis

G

isselle Reyes is a student in Mr. Bill Krypel’s ceramic class. She has created a piece which displays a number of well-developed skills. Reyes talked about some of her difficulties with her project and also about her success.

“Keeping myself motivated throughout the process was hard alone. It took over a semester to make, so there were days when I just had creativity block and couldn’t think of details to add. But I think the hardest part was picking what colors I

wanted to paint it when it was finished. I actually painted the entire house green but I didn’t like it, so I took it all off and repainted it.” she shared.

Looking at her piece would make one wonder how this project was created.

“I used slabs to create the base of the project, including the house itself and the tree. I also used sculpting to create the woman’s face and coils to roll her hair and the branches.”

Her idea came from a very well known Disney movie, Pocahontas. Specifically, Reyes was inspired by the character Grandmother Willow, and she decided that

7

December 2014

she wanted to recreate the woman through a detailed piece that had different concepts of the movie in it. She decided to paint the leaves of her project just as they were shown in the movie in order to add detail. All of her careful choices really made her project unique.

When asked about her successes, Reyes admitted, “I love how the leaves turned out. When I was first making them I thought they looked like snowflakes, but after I added the design and painted them, they had this dry but harsh look to them that I loved.”

Christohper Brito Leyden events such as the Honors Breakfast and staff meetings function as the clients for the Advanced Catering students. These real mouths to feed mean real palates to please, which means early mornings and a great deal of preparation.

Analysia Martinez talked us through the process.

PREP “Prep takes us anywhere from a few days to a week. We have to make sure that all the food that is being prepared before is at the best quality.”

SETUP and SERVICE “On the day of the event, it depends on if it is a morning or afternoon event, but if it is morning, we have to get there early, around 6 a.m., to make sure that the food is prepared and that everything is set up correctly. Before the event Ms. Sweeney practices with us to make sure that we know exactly what we are doing. For the people that are serving the food, they have to know exactly what is in it, just in case someone asks. During the event we have to stand and act professional. While everyone is enjoying their food, we have to stand there quietly.”

CLEAN UP ”After the event is over we have to clean up. If there are people still there we have to clean up quietly. We take everything back to the room and make sure everything is washed. Then we have to put everything where it belongs. We usually finish early, so we have some downtime to rest.”

Off campus policy a long way off S Joanna Leski

enior Michelle Hathaway checked her phone. It was 12:10 P.M, only giving her four more minutes to get inside. Starbucks drink and pastries in hand, Hathaway quickly paced across Leyden’s parking lot. She ran to the auditorium entrance, expecting to see one of her friends waiting to open the door for her. Instead, a security guard was waiting for her.

Hathaway was supposed to be on her way back to 8th period, but instead was directed to deans office, where she received a BIC for leaving the school building without permission. Hathaway served her BIC as she knew that she broke the rules of leaving the building, but she still continues to disagree with Leyden’s lunch policy, desiring an off-campus opportunity.

“To me, a break means being able to fully relax. It means getting into my car with my friends, jamming out to music, being able to have the freedom to choose what I want to eat for lunch that day, and actually being able to be away from school for those 20 something minutes. I appreciate just being able to catch a breath outside and be able to go to a different surrounding and completely forget about school for a short portion of my day.”

Schools with an off-campus policy do exist. Four out of fourteen schools which are a part of the West Suburban Conference of the Illinois High School Association, which includes both East and West Leyden, have an open campus lunch policy.

Unfortunately for Leyden students who’d like to leave (without having to stay late for a BIC) there’s little chance that the opportunity for off-campus can be created any time soon.

There is no current discussion about open campus lunch for Leyden. Dean of Students Mr. Dennis Byrne said that he

Photo by Joanna Leski

The Eagle’s Eye

Friendly faces and behavioral consequences will continue to greet those who leave for lunch.

“has never thought about the possibility because it was never brought up or discussed.”

Dean of Students Mr. Michael Grosch shook his head at the question of an off-campus lunch policy ever being available for Leyden. “Not only would this cause too much traffic at attendance, kids would get caught by trains or just get caught in line at their favorite restaurant.” He continued, “Not many fast food places are close to Leyden, so many students would be going to the same place and not everyone can make it back. 25 minutes is not enough time to grab a lunch, eat it, and come back to school on time. My argument could be refuted by mentioning that Leyden can extend the lunch period, but that would take years to change as not every student would not want that option in the first place. It might be possible for one student that leaves to make it back on time, but not if the whole school decides they want Positano’s for lunch that day.”

Principal Jason Markey shared his view: “I wouldn’t say it could never hap-

pen, but there’s a couple of barriers. One primary barrier that is very unique to here is the trains. If you want to go to one of the places where you can eat quickly, which most happen to be across the tracks, this sets up problems for a short lunch period. Within a 25 minute lunch period and our surroundings where there are not a lot of places to eat really quick, it would be difficult. Just because it would be difficult doesn’t mean things couldn’t change.”

Though being able to leave campus seems like a long shot based on these factors, many problems could be mitigated by selectivity.

Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn offers an open campus policy for sophomores, juniors, and seniors with no disciplinary problems, no suspensions, and few absences. York Community High School in Elmhurst allows seniors with good standing to leave the campus for lunch.

Lyons Township North High School in La Grange allows juniors and seniors who

live less than two blocks from campus to go home during lunch, and Oak Park River Forest High School in Oak Park River Forest allows off campus lunch for juniors and seniors who have a 2.0 or higher GPA and administrator approval.

Considering this approach, Mr. Markey stated, “Largely, the parameters would rely on parent permission, something that freshman and maybe even sophomores don’t have; maybe it’s just upperclassmen.

I haven’t thought much [of an]incentive or GPA requirement, but those are all good suggestions. I know some other schools that do that.”

He added, “If it’s something that there’s interest in and it’s feasible, I’d be more than happy to [discuss it.] But to be honest, it’s something I haven’t thought about a lot because it hasn’t been brought up a lot.”

The Eagle’s Eye

Sports

December 2014

Concussion facts hit hard P Alex Mennella

rompted by a number of high profile NFL cases and controversies, Leyden and all other high school sports have revised their rules and policies to prevent and limit concussions.

The IHSA (Illinois High School Association) has mandated a number of changes in the wake of recent concussion research. Leyden’s Athletic Director, Mr. Randy Conrad, explained: “Back six or seven years ago, pamphlets were just being distributed to athletes regarding concussions. After the IHSA was mandated by the state legislature, they have since put forward a powerpoint presentation and video that every high school athlete has to watch regarding concussions.”

According to the IHSA, besides the presentation being viewed by student athletes, “Information on the school’s concussion and head injury policy must be a part of [an] agreement contract... that a school requires a student athlete and his or her parents or guardian to sign before participating in practice or interscholastic competition.”

Upon further investigation, Leyden’s policy is directly in line with the IHSA’s policy. All student athletes watch the concussion presentation and sign the concussion contract before beginning any competition, just as the IHSA requires.

A recent example of the new concussion protocol was witnessed by Junior and Varsity football player Steven Gulo. Steven was concussed on a hit during a game this season. According to

Gulo, “the trainers basically asked me a bunch of basic questions such as, what day it was, what happen during the play my concussion occurred and they asked me to memorize 3 random things and they would asked me throughout the night to repeat the 3 words.”

Gulo was kept out practice and games for 11 days. He was only allowed to return after a follow up meeting with the trainers. Gulo recalls the trainers asking if he still had any symptoms from his concussion and he was given a concussion test on an iPad before he was allowed to return.

Gulo’s case is quite common and the sport he plays is most closely linked to concussions: football. Concussions and football have been linked since the early 2000s, when initial research was conducted and the findings were published. The NFL initially denied that players health problems after football had something to do with their days in the NFL. After lawsuits, court cases, more research, and former players deaths, the NFL has dramatically changed its attitude towards concussions and player safety.

The event that sparked the link between concussions and football took place in 2002. Pittsburgh Steelers legend and Hall of Famer Mike Webster had recently died of a heart attack. His brain was being analyzed by top neurosurgeons and neuropathologists: Dr. Bennet Omalu, Julian Bailes, Robert Cantu, and Ann McKee. They discovered structural deformities on Webster’s brain that led to his declining health before his death. They examined a total of 14 brains from NFL players who died

Wide receivers like Reggie Wayne are particularly prone to receiving hard hits.

from suicide, accidents, or drug abuse. Of the 14 brains studied, 10 showed signs of structural damage, later named Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

After vigorous research and countless studies, Dr. Omalu published his findings. He met harsh backlash from the NFL, who immediately denounced his study and demanded that he retract it.

Over time, however, the NFL has made a complete change in policy.

Starting in 2009, the NFL made a series of rule changes to make the game safer for players. They also adopted a plan to help former players whose health problems could be linked to their playing days.

The largest event that has stemmed from concussion research happened in August of 2013. The NFL settled a lawsuit filed by more that 25,000 former players and almost 9,000 relatives of deceased players regarding the carelessness of the NFL regarding player safety. The settlement was for an astounding $765 million and more if necessary.

While this seemed like a huge win to almost everyone involved, after the settlement was reached, some players dropped out of the case. According to ESPN, “a total of 220 individuals -- 196 former players, 22 relatives of NFL retirees and two who went unclassified -- opted out by last month’s deadline.” Along with the dropout, ESPN also reported that some leading brain trauma experts also denounced the plan because it, “pays nothing to ex-players exhibiting mood swings, aggression and other behavioral problems they link to repetitive brain trauma.”

Although the plan does have some opposition, the general attitude of those involved was that of pride. The attorneys for former players, Christopher Seeger and Sol Weiss, issued a statement confirming the players feelings of success. Their statement read, “With over 99 percent participation, it is clear the retired player community resoundingly supports this settlement.”

Photo courtesy of Alyssa DeSimone

Pom and cheer teams move on to competition season EVENTS

The cheerleaders and poms both have a full lineup of competitions this winter.

N

Anthony Raimondi

ow that football season has come to a close, the cheer and poms team start their competition season through the end of January. Both teams have been preparing for this time of year since the summer. They are both hoping to qualify for the state competition this year and they both know it will take a lot of hard work and determination to get there.

The Leydenettes have a total of five competitions this year including sectionals. During early November, they had a choreographer come in on a Saturday for 10 hours to teach the team their new routine. They already had their first competition on November 22

competing against over 40 other routines. This year the team has decided to perform a jazz routine to the song, “Unbelievers,” by Vampire Weekend.

This song was chosen by their choreographer because the Leydenettes wanted to perform a jazz routine. Jessica Johnson, a junior at West Leyden says, “I think we have improved extremely from last year not only technique wise but also we went to our competition a whole new team with a jazz routine something different than our usual poms dances, we put so much work into our dance and I think we performed really good at competition.” With a total of 18 members performing, intense and long practices have been held

for many weeks. Diana Csercse, a senior here at East Leyden shared her thoughts about the team, “Competition season is personally my favorite part of poms. I think the girls love to show off all their hard work and have fun in doing so.”

The varsity cheer team learned their competition routine over two days during the summer. They practiced four days a week since the football season has ended. Their choreographer has came back a few times to help them clean their routine some more. Captain Ashley Pesch stated, “Whether we place or not this year, it’s a great experience and the team has became so close.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_issues_in_American_

8

Poms November 22 Fremd December 6 Eisenhower December 14 Stevenson January 10 Rolling Meadows January 24 Sectionals Cheerleading December 13 Lincoln Way North December 20 Rolling Meadows January 4 Conant January 11 Buffalo Grove January 18 Niles West January 31 Sectionals

Q&A

Boys swimming suits up Jamie DuBrock

T

his school year is flying, and it’s already Boys Swimming season! I had the chance to sit down with senior and Captain Macin Chmielewski for a Q&A for the coming months.

Jamie: What are you expecting for this upcoming season?

Marcin: “For this season I’m expecting that we can start strong and stay strong throughout the season. I’m also expecting that we will have a harder season than last year because we lost quite a bit of good swimmers who were seniors last year. But I hope we can make up for the smaller team, and at least be a challenge to Downers Grove and Maine East, maybe even beat them. I’m also hoping that the freshmen turnout this year will be good. As previously stated, we are in need of more swimmers.”

J: How are the crowd turnouts?

M: “Our crowd turnouts aren’t that big at the meets; they’re mostly parents of the swimmers and some Leyden students.​I’m hoping that we can get more Leyden students to come out and support us this year.”

J: How long is the swimming season?

M: “The boys swim season is quite long, starting from the third week of November until the sectionals meet at the end of February, but our pre-season workouts started much earlier, in the beginning of September.”

J: Are there any individuals that you’re looking to step up this year?

M: “​I’m hoping that the whole team steps up for this season, as we all have the potential to become better swimmers, it’s just how much we dedicate ourselves to practices.”

I also had the chance to sit down with Junior Rob Gussy to get his take on the swimming season.

Jamie: What are you expecting for this upcoming season?

Rob: “I’m expecting for a lot of people to try their best, and I expect to have a lot of fun because the swim team is like a family, I’m also looking forward to the 100 yard butterfly especially because that’s my main event.”