The Eagle's Eye: March 2016

Volume 86 Issue 4

March 2016

The Eagle’s Eye East Leyden High School

Cost of Caring

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3400 Rose Street

Franklin Park, IL 60131

Jonjalee Fisher

his summer, a group of Leyden students will complete a service learning trip, leaving May 28 to travel thousands of miles to Peru. While students will visit some of the sites, like Cusco and Machu Picchu, they’ll spend most of their time working on serving the needs of a local community.

And because the goal is service, not just travel, students will only need to pay $500 for travel and accommodations thanks to a new commitment by the board of education to fund service learning.

“These trips cost thousands of dollars,” superintendent Dr. Nick Polyak explained, “and as a district we are passionate about service, but we also know many of our students could never afford that.” The summer trip to Peru, for example, will cost over $3000 per student.

“No amount of fundraising is going to make that available to all kids,” Polyak said, “so I asked the board for permission to support the trips and knock the price down for our students to $500, thinking that it will make it available to more of our kids.”

The board agreed and will ask only that students who access the funding meet established criteria and promise to provide some sort of information, presentation, or “give back” upon their return. With future service trips, Dr. Polyak hopes that the prices stay low, so students have more opportunities to experience these life changing service trips.

Students will now be able to volunteer in places like Peru for only $500. Superintendent Dr. Nick Polyak, who recently returned from a trip of his own, has arranged for the board of education to help fund service trips.

The upcoming trip to Peru, his own experiences, and the annual West Leyden service trip to Mexico all inspired Dr. Polyak to ask the board to help with costs.

Dr. Polyak recently returned from a Lifetouch Memory Mission to the Dominican Republic, where he and about 50 volunteers helped build a new elementary school. “The trip to the Dominican was unbelievable. It really provided me with a whole different lense to look at the world in terms of what it means to be happy, gracious, and even welcoming,” he said.

Past

“I would say my outstanding accomplishment was balancing my academic/school life with my family life. This can be really tricky when your family is young. I feel that I gave both my best efforts! My two children have been very successful, and my students have been very successful.

What more can a person ask for, right?”

Present

“My schedule varies daily consisting of large group or small group meetings, planning for large scale events, networking with Leyden business partners, working on budgets, troubleshooting, and just loving every minute!”

Future

“ Arizona is my favorite place! I plan to spend most of winter there. I am also scheduled to teach a couple of sections of CIS 101 at Arizona State University. This will be really cool because I never taught a class at a major university.”

the different people around there!” she said.

“Also, being able to help them out with whatever they will need will bring a great feeling to all of us who are going!”

Karolina Jasko explained, “I think that I’ll walk away with a different outlook because I’ll see what people have to go through and how in need certain people are and how I shouldn’t take simple things for granted. I also love the fact I’ll be able to say I went to Peru because let’s face it, not a lot of people have the chance to say that!”

Retirement Rearranges Careers D

Dr. Fran Brady, has taught in Business and English at Leyden since 1984. She shared some favorite past and present moments, as well as the future she’s looking forward to.

Mrs. Johanna Heppeler, who will be advising the Peru trip, explained the benefits of service. “For many of the student participants, the service learning trip will offer a very meaningful and memorable experience.

Whether learning about the people they are serving, the ancient history of the Incan Empire, or taking home lessons about themselves, this trip will enrich each student’s life in immeasurable ways.”

Senior Priscilla Mercado echoed that excitement. “I’m most excited to just experience another part of the world and meet

Rob Gussy

r. Fran Brady’s jobs finally got easier--just in time for her retirement.

For a number of years, Dr. Fran Brady has had three main positions: teacher, director of careers, and business department chairperson.

“It’s probably hard for most people to understand the demands of being the Director of Careers and a Department Chair. In both positions, educational demands have become more complex with new state mandates, additional accountability measures, and teacher evaluation.

There were many days when I would move from my role as a teacher, to my role as the Director of Careers, to my role as department chair, or even a member of a committee,” Dr. Brady explained.

Recognizing this, the district has decided to increase the Director of Careers posiJunior Ryan Langer holds his certificates that gives him an advantage tion to a full time role, pairing it with the Comfor career opportunities munity Outreach Director job. The decision. The combination is designed to address the increased demand to make sure students leave Leyden connected to work opportunities.

Dr. Brady explained, “The biggest benefit is that the new positions allow a person to focus on a primary set of goals.”

The position has been awarded to current Industrial Technology chairperson, Mr. Frank Holthouse. Holthouse is excited to be “reaching out” to companies related to each elective department and its classes: “TSI...would reach out to tech companies, for FCS, we would like to reach out to hospitality companies, and for Industrial Tech, we would reach out to a lot of manufacturing companies.” Holthouse hopes his experience connecting industrial technology students to the workforce will help him do the same for the other electives.

Mr. Tony Pecucci, the current Student Activities and Community Outreach Director, will be taking over Brady’s Business Department responsibilities, and he’ll remain clearly connected to preparing students for work as well.

“Our college completion rate, with all due respect, is low. A lot of our students do not make it out with a four year degree. Seventy percent of students that go to Triton do not make it through a two year degree. I think that the Director of Careers is a very important position because if our students do not finish college, where does that leave them? They are right back to where they started when they graduate.”

Dr. Brady explained that an increased “focus” is the greatest benefit from this change to the job structure. She said, “The two new people have a golden opportunity to make each of the roles better.”

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News

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

Freshmen, juniors get tested

Days off for some, tough days for others

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Jasmina Abdic

any Leyden students will soon enjoy two days off of school while others complete a series of state-mandated tests.

On March 15, juniors will take the ACT in the morning while students in English I courses will take each of the PARCC ELA tests throughout the day. On March 17, only students enrolled in Algebra 1 courses will attend.

This means a day off for some, such as seniors, and a long day for most freshmen.

Last year, the district considered multiple approaches to the PARCC testing schedule; they were new tests. The school wanted to plan according to the PARCC testing time frames but also making sure that their own academic schedule was running.

They gave last year’s freshmen (this year sophomores) the PARCC test within a one week time frame, sometimes in the afternoon and sometimes in the morning. According to English department chairperson Mr. John Rossi,, it turned out to be problematic because the irregular testing schedule led to students being in and out of classrooms at odd times and interrupted instruction.

This year the administration changed the schedule, deciding to give the PARCC test within just two days, insuring that teachers get more regular classroom schedules.

The potential downfall of this PARCC schedule is its length. Students will take multiple tests in one day, and because the tests are still new and designed to be difficult, the day’s will be quite challenging for students. Even when the tests were

delivered in chunks last year, that problem arose.

Rossi said, “Unfortunately, I had a couple of students [in the group I watched] who didn’t realize how much the test really required of them. I also began to notice student not fully sticking through it all as much as I would have wanted them to.”

Mr. Jeremy Babel, the Math department chair, agreed: “I did see some students who finished fairly quickly, and it was off

balance, but I still made sure to encourage the students that were trying their best to ensure they were thinking positively.”

Even though the test days will be tough, Rossi stated, “Not to worry if you have never seen the test before. This is all information you’ve been taught from our teachers here at Leyden. There are also practice tests that will be available so students can really see the shape of the PARCC and get a better grip of how it really works.”

Babel said, “I would inform my students myself that I am willing to always help after school and that the questions themselves are very good questions used in possibly every day lessons.“

PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, and it tests student strictly based on mathematics and English grade K-12.

Many states have withdrawn from PARCC altogether. PARCC was first administered to 24 states, these states include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. Only nine states were left giving the 2014-2015 tests.

Acclaimed author Reyna Grande visits Emphasizes struggles, strength Piotr Morawiec

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ver a two-day time period, Reyna Grande, the author of the DIstance Between Us, participated in a variety of events as part of Leyden’s inaugural One Book, One Leyden event.

She gave an inspiring speech followed with a public Q&A at an all-school assembly. After the assembly Grande attended a private Q&A and book signing exclusively with to Ms. Johanna Heppeler and Ms. Amy Stolarsky’s combined classes.

She was also the guest of honor at lunches featuring ELL students on Thursday and students who had already read her book on the second day. She also spoke on Thursday evening to adults from the community.

During the assembly, Grande focused on the idea of “dreams.”

“Mexico is the place where you live with a lot of broken dreams” Grande said, “We went to school barefoot, we had tapeworms [...] We use to call my grandma evil, [..] because she use to take the money that was sent from my parents in america, and instead of using it to pay for our shoes and books and food, she used it elsewhere.”

She described her past and her life before America, saying, “ “It was important for me to hold on to hope, and what gave me hope was my dreams.

“Just because we are undocumented doesn’t mean that we can’t dream,” Grande reminisced about what her dad told her.

Her story really affected a lot of students. One student, Jazmin Yasiris Perez said, “I thought it was very enlightening and it helped a lot of people understand how to deal with their problems. It was very interesting to hear what other people go through that we don’t have too.”

Another student, Klaudia Skladan-

owski said, “I really enjoyed her story and how much she struggled, and it shows how strong people can really be and [that]people can really live through tough times”

In the private session, students were paired up into groups and had thought of questions beforehand.

They chose the best question out of their group, and Mrs. Grande answered them. Since she had more time, she went into detail and answered the questions fully.

Ms. Stolarsky, whose English I Honors students were working with Ms. Heppeler’s APUSH students, said, “I like this opportunity because it is a rare chance for students to meet and say thank you to the authors who inspire them.”

West media center specialist, Ms. Janine Asmusm, chaired the committee that organized this event in it first year. She said, “I really like this project because it is not meant to teach about the book, but rather celebrate it.”

Students looking to continue the celebration should speak with a librarian, their English teacher, or friends who have a copy of The Distance Between Us.

opinions

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

SHUT UP, TRUMP

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Candidate’s statements include errors and offenses Cristina Aguilar

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n June 16, 2015, billionaire and TV personality Donald Trump announced that he would be running for president this coming electoral season. In his speech he discussed his various policies and stances, but most notable (and shocking) were his comments about Mexican immigrants. “When Mexico sends its people,” he said, “they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us.

They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

And that’s the problem with Trump, he allows his personal prejudices to get in the way of reality. Not to say it isn’t a smart campaign strategy on his part. He’s found a weak spot in the American heart that everyone would rather tiptoe around or spew their sympathies. It’s no mystery that many Americans believe these stereotypes, and when they hear someone perpetuating them through a microphone, they’re excited to stand behind a candidate truthfully.

But Trump’s claims are false. The Immigration Policy Center states, “Immigrants, legal and unauthorized, are actually less likely to commit serious crimes than native-born Americans.” Many Mexicans leave their native land to escape crime and violence, so why would they bring it to their supposed safe haven and risk getting deported or jailed?

About a month later, Trump made the following statement regarding his June 16 speech after much outrage rose. Jose Pagliery of CNN reports that, according to a study done in 2011, immigrants are “twice as likely to start a new business when compared to those born in the United States.”

According to another study in 2011, immigrants actually started 28% of all new U.S. businesses in 2011, despite accounting just 12.9% of the U.S. population Immigrants, or children of immigrants, shouldn’t be scared of these scare tactics. As long as people stay educated about where they come from and stand up for who they are. The American Dream is equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.

The American Dream is not something that people should fear.

“[John McCain] is not a war hero. He is a war hero because he was captured?

I like people who weren’t captured.”

Sadly, because president Obama has done such a poor job as president, you won’t see another black president for generations!

[I’m calling for a] total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.

The Art of S-e-p-a-r-a-t-i-o-n Natalie Taborska

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his past summer I found out that one of my favorite musicians was kind of, sort of, plainly put, a hypocrite.

Halsey dominated my summer jams, and when her album Badlands came out, my friends and I were ecstatic.

And then we got to know the real Halsey. All her animal rights mumbo jumbo revealed itself to be just that as she began developing a new makeup line with MAC, a popular cosmetics company known for testing on animals. Then we found out she was also really pretentious. She would bash anyone that criticized her on Twitter, but then delete her tweets and never discuss the issues again. And after that, reports of her ranging from non consensual kisses to hypocritical oaths, started to pile on. As junior Ellisa Melon put it, “She went from being #wcw to #humantrashbag overnight.” But I still listen to her music, still jam out, and still feel like a rebellious teen with an adventurous streak who is holding on to that summer vibe playlist. But as soon as I think about the artist, I have to turn the music off.

So, what do we do when a favorite musician turns out to be a hypocrite or an adored actor like Alec Baldwin turns out to be homophobic? A part of me feels disappointed (and sometimes a bit disgusted), but, at the same time, shouldn’t I still be able to appreciate the artist’s amazing work?

Right now, it’s Bill Cosby who has taken over the headlines. Many people are having a tough time separating Cosby and his actions from the face of family in the mid 80s: Dr. Cliff Huxtable. “It was hard to know when Dr. Huxtable ended and Cosby began...for a long time I thought character and creator were pretty much one and the same,” said Rachel Swarns of the New York Times. For others, myself included, Bill Cosby has nothing to do with Dr. Huxtable because we’ve never even seen The Cosby Show, so differentiating between Cosby and Dr. Huxtable isn’t as difficult. The association of Dr. Huxtable and Cosby belongs to past generations; our generation has other shitty people to evaluate. We’ve got our own plethora of abusive athletes, musicians culturally appropriating

(yes, Katy Perry I’m looking at you), and actors who we’d wish their character was real and they weren’t.

But, how many artists have been great people?

“History is replete with tales of artists behaving badly.

Composer Richard Wagner was an anti-Semite. Novelist Charles Dickens trashed his wife and secretly shacked up with a teen actress. Painter Michelangelo Caravaggio was a murderer,” said Marie Puente from USA Today. But at the same time, Wagner is still a world-famous composer, and Dickens is still being taught in high schools. Walt Disney is still revered, and his company’s movies still watched and

adored, despite the fact that he was anti-Semitic and racist.

Maybe it’s not always fair to look at these artists in black and white. If we did that, then we’d have issues with everyone. With past artists, we need to take the time period into consideration. “Often their racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, cheating ways are a result of the climate they were living in and the state of the world in that moment in time,” said Leyden’s Fine Arts Department Chair, Ms. Adrianne Nix.

For those modern artists, we more easily identify the limits English teacher Ms. Teresa French found her limits with Woody Allen: “[When] the allegations came out against Woody Allen, I was so, so terribly hurt because he was one of my idols. And then I justified it to myself by saying ‘Well it was the one girl he ended up getting married to,’ but I still haven’t been able to watch anything by him.” Once you feel sick to your stomach watching them on the screen, you know it’s over.

You either like the artist with their faults or their faults overpower your feelings and you don’t like them at all. And we do it all the time. Perhaps the all-or-nothing route isn’t fair. Maybe we have to realize that these people aren’t meant to be role models. When we idolize them, we’ve already taken away their humanity, making it easy to demonize them when they make mistakes. These artists have a talent, and maybe we can respect their talents even though we dislike and disagree with other aspects of their character.

I’m still going to occasionally (and reluctantly) listen to Halsey even though her pretentious hypocrisy makes me sick. Her music is still fun to jam to. And people are still going to buy Chris Brown’s new album even though they’re aware of his abusive tendencies. The art itself should be appreciated to some extent, even while being a large and complicated spectrum.

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opinions

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

E-Learning and Independence Krystyna Cardona “What matters is not what we teach; it’s what they learn, and the probability of real learning is far higher when the students have a lot to say about both the content and the process.”-Alfie Kohn

Kohn’s statement above suggests that school is best when you have interest in what’s going on and being taught.

When I first heard about E-Learning days I was worried that Leyden was not going about things the right way, considering everyone loves having snow days and the idea of school randomly being cancelled due to the weather.

I have to admit that Leyden’s decision to commit to E-Learning days might really make it easier for the students by taking into consideration our lives.

E-Learning days were brought to Leyden’s attention by surrounding states and through conversations Superintendent Dr. Nick Polyak had with nearby districts. He started a committee consisting of administrators and students during the 2014-2015 school year to explore the possibility and even submitted an application to the state for approval.

Cheating is for Cheaters

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Gerardo Heredia

f a student is looking either left or right in the middle of a test for which they haven’t studied, it’s no secret what’s going on. That student is looking at their neighbor’s paper and cheating is on his or her mind.

Many turn to cheating with, stressing some excuse or another. They didn’t have enough time in their schedule. The material was too difficult. And in high school, teachers might be forgiving and accommodating. But when you enter college it’s a whole new level. If cheating is any part of your success right now, you need to stop.

College emphasizes independence. You will be expected to teach yourself the material and come to class prepared to demonstrate your own abilities. So it also demands honesty.

In college, the consequences for cheating are severe. In a College Finder article, journalist Brittany Behrman said the penalties could be anything among: • a verbal or written reprimand filed in your student record • a failing grade for the assignment you’ve cheated on or for the entire course – this failing grade will remain on your permanent record. It’s much easier to make up or replace an F that you’ve earned honestly than one you’ve earned by cheating • dismissal from the course • academic or disciplinary probation – this means that any future missteps in

academic integrity will earn you expulsion, suspension and expulsion

These consequences are dreadful and expensive.

Anyone who wants to play sports in college needs to know that athletes caught cheating can suffer sports scholarship money loss, probation, release from the team, and team forfeits. For example, an ESPN article reports,“The Florida State football team will serve four years’ probation... face a reduction in scholarships… the sanctions will force him to forfeit all wins during which ineligible students competed...academic fraud is considered...the most egregious of NCAA rules violations.”

High school punishments can be harsh, but they don’t cost money. You are literally losing money that you earned. Don’t be a person who worked hard in high school for nothing and throw it away on a stupid mistake.

“During exams students look up for inspiration, down in desperation, and left and right for information.”

Of course, I’m not suggesting cheating in high school is acceptable. I learned through my experience with cheating. When I was taking a quiz for geometry, I got confused on a problem, and I was checking to see what my neighbor was thinking. I knew this wasn’t good, and so my teacher saw us and when the quiz was over she noticed that we had the same work. The reason she knew we cheated was because the answer was wrong, and the work was the same. I got in trouble and told me not to do it again. From this day I learned that it is okay to fail. Just do better and you will be fine.

I’d rather learn from my mistakes and fix them later on. I’ll admit that I’ve cheated before, but at least I’m learning from my mistakes and preventing that from happening again. And I’m grateful for teachers who, like my math teacher, take the tests of cheaters and crumple them into the garbage. It’s better now than later because future cheating can put you in a really big hole. If cheating has a ‘strategy’ you use in school, stop. It’s okay if you mess up on one test.

Even if you’re an “expert” cheater and can get away with it, you are not learning anything. It robs you of knowledge and removes a sense of responsibility. You should know that you are cheating yourself. How are you supposed to know what you’re doing when it comes to your first job? Your employer will see what you learned (or didn’t) in college.

Even though we haven’t had one yet, we at Leyden are one of the three schools in Illinois to be accepted for E-Learning days. If/when we have our first one, students will be pleased to see they’re not intended to be made of all day busywork.

Leyden is always looking for improved ways to teach students. They are constantly seeking more efficient, interesting, and ingenuitive ways to help students learn, starting with the distribution of Chromebooks at both campuses.

E-Learning days could really contribute to Leyden’s goal of making us better young adults overall. These days would not only teach students the class they missed, but it could teach them responsibility as well.

These days give students the opportunity to practice independence. They can prove what one student can do on their own, without the help of their classmates. It helps to make people realize that majority of life is spent independently and that accomplishing things on your own is the best way to be successful and feel good.

In his article for the Higher Education Academy, journalist Anthony McClaran states that, “Independent learning is critical to students achieving at the level demanded by higher education, and developing the skills and mindset employers value.”

Constantly seeking the help of their peers only increases student dependence on each other, making it more difficult for students to overcome their shortcomings, resulting in the same response when faced with a challenging situation: seeking help.

It is the responsibility of teachers and administrators to inform the students when E-Learning days will occur by eight o’clock the previous night. And it is the responsibility of the students to fill out attendance forms by and complete the work assigned.

Furthermore, the schedule is flexible and requires independence. Teachers and students won’t be logged on together all day, as we all have our own lives.

We’ll need to balance our snow day responsibilities at home--shoveling, watching little sisters, etc.--AND be expected to schedule time to work.

Considering that it is our grade and no one else’s concern, students should already be sort of independent and concerned of what’s being taught along with the assurance that it is understood, but knowing that we have a teacher there basically babysitting us and making sure it gets completed, we don’t really take the role of responsibility and independence the way we should.

Features

Photo courtesy of Blake Thompson

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

From Sideline to Headline Zitlali Montiel Martinez

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any of us aren’t born talented; we become talented. Some learn what they are good at; others learn what they’re not good at. And then, somehow, they get good at it.

Senior, Blake Thompson, wasn’t always the best at swimming. He decided to join the swim team because he enjoyed swimming at hotel pools and in the ocean. So, four years ago, he made the decision to join the team, without ever swimming competitively. Right off the bat, two things became clear: “It came kind of easy to him, but you could tell he’d never done it before. He was one of my hardest workers even though he was new to the sport. He had that desire and that passion; he improved quickly,” stated coach Mr. Chris Cook.

Thompson ended his freshman year with an 8:30 for the 500 yard freestyle, an unimpressive score. But he was having fun and when many of his new teammates returned sophomore year, he got back in the pool. Thompson commented, “I was getting good at the sport ,and it was something I enjoyed doing.”

At the time, Cook was the junior varsity coach and had Thompson as one of his freshman swimmers. Over the next four years, Thompson put in the hard work by coming in before school for practice and picking up extra practices during the off season. Over the summer, he swam twice a day, six days a week. He wanted to prove that all his work would eventually pay off, even if that meant waiting until senior year. However that didn’t happen.

Instead, his chance came sooner than he expected. Sophomore year he was chosen to be part of the sectional team and that meant two more weeks of rigorous practices. Meanwhile, Thompson set personal goals and two weeks later, completely shattered them, dropping 24 seconds in a single race. No one expected such a drop, who could go from a 6:01 to a 5:37 in one season? Blake Thompson could.

With an amazing performance sophomore year, expectations for him increased.

Thompson went into the February 20 sectional meet with a lot to be proud of. “I’ve been hitting times that I hit at sectionals last year,” he said before the meet. “it’s been a lot of fun with the guys and being a captain; you get to make an impact on the younger kids.”

After four swim seasons, Thompson has completed his transformation from beginner to leader. “He’s a leader by example and one of my hardest workers,” Cook said. “He swims until he almost throws up every practice. Sometimes that speaks more volume than a vocal leader.”

“The nice thing about swimming, it’s an individual sport in a team setting. You can set individual goals and have success achieving those goals, but you have your teammates around you supporting you. If you keep coming and you keep trying, you’re going to have teammates there with you, and you’re going to swim faster than you probably ever thought you could,” Cook said.

Thompson offers proof that success doesn’t always mean using the gifts we are born with. It might mean discovering talents after giving an activity a chance.

“

... and being a captain; you get to make an impact on the younger kids.

”

The Icing on the Cake

Charlie Zielinski

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ith a steady but swift hand, senior Weronika Zaleska holds the pastry bag full of butter cream frosting and makes a small rose on top of her cake. She steps back and waits for the judges to come around.

After a stressful day of competing, she finished decorating the cake and used the skills she learned from Leyden’s culinary classes to make it look perfect.Zaleska competed in the FCCLA cake decorating contest for the past two years. The contest gives 70 minutes to decorate a cake and Zaleska stated, “It’s really stressful because the judges look at you, so you can’t mess up.” This year, when she competed in it, she made a mistake that could have jeopardized her score, but because of the skills she learned in culinary, she was able to fix everything. Zaleska stated that, “my cake fell apart before the competition and I had to use a lot of buttercream and shaped it into a new cake since I had no time to bake a new one.”

Weronika Zaleska

lot of buttercream and shaped it into a new cake since I had no time to bake a new one.”

Along with competing in the FCCLA competition, Zaleska also took pastry chef, cuisine chef and also student taught advanced catering because of her interest in the culinary field. She stated that taking those classes, “taught me a lot of skills and they also taught me other ways of doing things”, which explains how she came up with the quick idea of how to fix her cake when it fell apart before the competition.

Even though she loves cooking and baking, and always wanted to be a pastry chef, she decided not to go into the culinary field, but will bake as a hobby and bake for her friend’s birthday parties.

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First Steps Towards Excellence

“To anyone trying something new: don’t give up. You’re going to fail. You’re going to get discouraged.

People are going to go against what you want to do. But you want to do it, so just don’t give up. Keep pushing and eventually, you’ll be great at it. You have to fail more than a few times in order to be successful.

And practice makes perfect.”

Marissa Landa Symphonic Band

“If you’re ready to give up trying something new, you should give it a little more time. When I first rejoined band I was ready to quit after the first day but decided to stick with it, and I’m happy I did.”

Amanda green Returning Band Member

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In Focus

The Eagle’s Eye

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March 2016

Keep it in the Family Krystyna Cardona

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”Henry Ford

Working as a student can be stressful, but working for your family as a student can be a much more stressful responsibility to take on.

Senior Gisela Ventura has worked for both of her parents in a family-owned restaurant for three years now.

“It’s cool to have my parents be my boss because they obviously are aware of my schedule, making it easier to manage my time,” Ventura said

“They take into consideration my grades and my progress in school when making my work schedule.”

Working for family is an idealized profession for some people, seems like one of the best paths to take as a full-time high school student, not fully comprehending what it’s like to work for themselves.

When working for a business that has no relation to you whatsoever, you’d be indifferent when it comes to their success as a company. However, working for family and being apart of their success, and thriving to succeed with them, can really make or break a decision.

“I never really looked at it that way,” Ventura said sympathetically, not thinking they truly needed her. “I always figured if I were to quit they’d easily just find a new employee to replace me.”

However, there is a stronger bond built when working in a family restaurant.

“My connection to the food in my parents’ store is special because some of the meals I grew up with, and my mother makes the meals so [they] do have some meaning. They are traditional Mexican

food,” said Ventura

One of those foods happens to be tamales “[that are] sold on weekends are my grandma’s recipe, passed down to my mother, and she makes them on the weekends.”

Not realizing she would be quitting on her own family income and that family bond, she considered going out and looking for a new job. She wanted to “experience new things.”

Considering how much easier it is working for a sympathetic family rather than a random company makes it difficult to go out and seek different experiences.

“I’ve applied at a few places I was interested in working at but there was always something we couldn’t come to an agreement on,” Ventura told me, “some places just wouldn’t pay enough, gave me too many hours, or just expected too much from the position”

“Working for my parents just seemed like the best and most convenient idea for me in order to be financially and mentally stable at this point in time,” she added.

Fortunately changing her mind, she realized some of the benefits of working for her family as time went by.

One thing that really has impacted Ventura since she’s been an employee for her parents restaurant is the fact that they criticize her without judging her.

“I feel like making a mistake anywhere else automatically leads to judgement and assumptions,” she said, also adding “knowing I can make mistakes without being viewed differently by my parents just makes me a lot more comfortable and confident in

myself and when doing my job.”

She told me about a time when a family came in to eat and she waited on them. The customer asked for steak tacos with everything but sour cream and she accidentally served their dinner with sour cream.

T h e customer decided to make a scene at the restaurant claiming they were lactose intolerance and that they wanted their money back.

Ventura explained how truly sorry she was for the mistake, but the customer still made her feel horrible at her job.

Although it is likely consequences will still be issued for her mistakes, they are more manageable coming from her parents than the biased judgments

A Taste o

From Restaurant to Restaurant Mireya Cano

Even with an overturned bowl of soup dripping down his face, waiter Simon Vybral knew to keep his smile and refrain from escalating the situation. When faced with a customer having a bad day “I tried helping them out, but I grabbed them the wrong soup order.” In response to the wrong order, “He decided to get up and pour it all over my head.” At that point, he just corrected the order, and promptly gave it to him. Simon said, “He was just having a bad day. I didn’t feel like ruining it and making it worse.”

of an unknown employer.

“Leaving my parents restaurant is something I’m not planning to do and honestly with the experience I’ve gotten I wouldn’t mind continuing business here for a few more years of my life,” Ventura told me.

Lessons Served What have you learned

working in food services?

f Leyden

at Work

Diego Frausto, Senior: Tamales Lo Mejor De Guerrero Patience. There are some weird people out there. It’s my first job so a new responsibility was fun. I feel satisfied about being independent and not having to rely on my parents.

diner

One work setting that is common is the traditional . Simon Vybral explained that he had worked at a restaurant a few years ago. He said, “My responsibilities consisted of making sure all the tables were clean, making sure all customers were satisfied, making sure the food was prepared properly and that everyone got the right order.” While working at this restaurant, Vybral said he served “people from every ethnicity, every age, and mostly families from different religions and ethnic groups,” and he enjoyed his job because “I got to meet a bunch of different people, and I got to put smiles on their faces and help them feel better in the morning.” As far as pay went, “tips depended on how great you worked, and the people you got.” Simon “had a decent wage, and they made it feel like a family environment.”

Because of the feeling of togetherness, and being able to ease bad moods in the morning, going through rough patches from time to time didn’t bother Simon. Simon remembers that his “worst day was when a fight broke out in the restaurant.” He “tried breaking it up, but ended up getting beat on by three really buffed out dudes.” In the end, “I don’t even know what the fight was over, and I know it wasn’t my restaurant, and I’m just a waiter, but I felt like I was right to have stepped in because I’m essentially responsible for what goes on.”

banquet hall

is quite different than any other type of

Waiting at a establishment. Jessica Willis works at a banquet hall by the name of Villa Brunetti.

There, she serves 50 people a night on average. Everything must be done in a timely manner, she has to clean up after them, and most importantly “do everything to their whim.”

While working a few different events such as weddings, dances, and funeral luncheons, she encounters a whole range of people just as Blanca did at Senor Jalapenos.

While she earned $8.25 an hour, and often got tips. She said “not many people tip because they think they don’t have to, but sometimes when I know these people will leave a good tip, we will try harder to impress them.”

Just like Simon, Jessica said she does enjoy her job because “it’s satisfying when you can help someone when they have a disability, and being able to compensate for their needs.” Of course there are the times when some people aren’t happy with the service at all. Some people are “very rude and don’t understand that it’s a hard job.” Usually, it’s the people that are associated with an organization and are in a rush to get things done that are rude. But then there are those interesting cases. She said while trying to serve people, there are those that were intoxicated, “dancing on the table, taking things off of my tray.” On top of that, she explained to me a stressful situation when one woman spilled a bottle of wine on herself, and “then snapped her fingers at me, yelling ‘waitress!’” She had to go back with food at least five different times, and that same woman had a child of several allergies. Throughout it all, she “also was managing five other tables at the same time and while trying to do this and trying to stay on time with my other coworkers, they still didn’t care.” In the end, the only thing she could really do was smile through it and keep being friendly. While it may seem like a hassle, it’s just a fact that people will run into these sort of people anywhere you work.

While waitressing services at food chain restaurants are not as common, they still exist. Itzel Solis is one of many teenagers that work at a chain restaurant, but unlike most of them, she has one extra responsibility. On top of working the window, cash register, clean up duty, and some food preparation, Itzel also waits on tables.

fast food

Omar Castro, Senior El Burrito Amigo

Patrick Holowicki, Senior Al & Joe’s

Treat people with respect and they will be grateful and come back. They might even leave you a good tip. You can potentially make new connection too. My coworkers are the best and we treat each other like family.

The customer is always right. If you don’t make something correctly you have to do it again. It’s the business of satisfaction.

Always know your place.

If you start off as a busboy don’t talk back to the boss.

chain waitress at Culver’s, she must maintain a friendly attitude, and As a pick up customer’s trays when they’re done with their food. They sound like moderately easy tasks at first thought, but Itzel explained they “often serve a lot of older people and people that go to the allstate games and concerts, such as when there’s Wolves games, or other events.” she also said, “people are understanding when it’s busy, but there are people that do get impatient. With those people, you just have to be nice and get them to calm down.” Although she says getting tips from customers is a rare thing, she still feels inclined to be nicer since it results in other benefits. She said that, “if you get mentioned in a survey, you can get a free meal.”

Itzel also explains that sometimes it’s hard to smile through certain situations. She said “one time, this women came up to me with a token worth one scoop of custard with no toppings... She wanted two scoops with toppings for free, and she wouldn’t listen, and started yelling and eventually brought her whole family to the front, so they began to get impatient too.” After some talk between the customer and her, she said, “I eventually just called over my manager.”

From one waitressing job to the next, the procedure is very similar. You take their order, serve the food, and clean it up.

Beyond that, every restaurant brings in different customers that will make every waitressing job different for everybody and result in varied experiences in this field of work.

8

Features

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

Born this way

What is the impact of effeminacy?

“S

Tania Trejo

tereotypes are just stereotypes, they’re not rules you have to follow for being gay. I am not going to wear makeup, dress, or talk like a girl to present myself as being gay. If I am comfortable around you, you’ll know I am gay,” senior Jonatan Ortega said.

Ortega’s reaction highlights the complicated relationship between effeminate traits and homosexuality. One does not cause the other, but the presence or lack of effeminacy does lead to different experiences for gay male adolescents.

For those who don’t act effeminately, there are benefits and drawbacks.

Ortega has seen a positive impact with family and friends. His father doesn’t agree with homosexuality, and not being so feminine helps Ortega’s relationship with his father because the conflict isn’t always visible. With friends, Ortega can be sure that his friends like him as a person, not because of his interest. “Just because I am gay, doesn’t make me a funner person,” he said of those who are drawn to homosexuals for the “cool” factor.

But because his appearance does

not lead to assumptions about his sexuality, he has also lost really good friends. People have grown close to him as a person but then distanced themselves when they learn he is gay. “Those situations usually hurt the most because they are not accepting,” he explained. “I’ve lost friends because they would assume that I have an interest [in] them.”

There are, of course, other young gay males who are effeminate, such as Victor Aceves.

“I really like makeup, and I don’t really care what others have to say,” Aceves said, explaining how his effeminacy is a benefit. “It makes me feel better about myself, and it’s like an ‘art.’ I do what keeps me sane.” He added, “Wearing makeup just gives me the ability to do it with other people and on other people. Getting compliments is what makes me happy.”

However, he acknowledged that it also can pose a challenge. “People don’t understand what it’s like to be me and are ignorant and can make rude remarks.

People sometimes think of it as ‘Oh why is he wearing makeup?’ People think that it’s wrong for boys to wear makeup, but if girls do it, it’s perfectly fine. That is only because

society made a stereotype for makeup.’”

While Ortega and Aceves were both willing to discuss how their appearance creates some different experiences, they both stressed that effeminacy should not equal sexuality.

Ortega stated, “Being gay is just the gender you find yourself attracted to.

The stereotypes (speaking in a high voice or dressing a certain way) created by mass media doesn’t fit every homosexual male.

It’s like saying every lesbian is suppose to be butch. Dress like a man in cut sleeves, stud earring piercing and tattoos on their forearm. That isn’t the definition of lesbian.”

“Being gay isn’t all of that. I just want people to understand that being gay isn’t acting like the opposite sex. Being gay is just being gay. People just need to accept it. Do we can come together as a group of individuals and just be content with the world we’re living in? It’s all those stereotypes that make people fear anyone who’s gay cause it isn’t ‘normal’ and there’s a way every guy has to act and present himself.

“Not everyone is a macho man, and that’s fine. It’s just society that has everything messed up.”

Jonatan Ortega

ACT Stress? Remember the Retake

A

Errol Lucas

The Eagle’s Eye Staff

ll of us seniors have experienced the ACTs before one way or another.

We have been through the most stressful time of our high school career, and now you are going to approach the ACTs. You may be in the ACT prep class, but you’ll still stress out on the actual day. We’re here to tell you that you don’t need to freak out.

There’s always the retake option.

And for those who’ve taken the tests multiple times, like senior Jared Eisenmann, the retake is a powerful thing.

“ACT is a proposed way for colleges to determine student’s future success, but it’s blatantly obvious that isn’t always true. Nonetheless, when it comes down to picking between students who’ve shown off academic superiority, club membership, and other community based involvement, colleges may resort to the ACT score to make their final decision. It is important, therefore, to have a successful ACT score, making it

extremely difficult for colleges to pass you by. There is no excuse for a poor ACT score; there are virtually endless opportunities to improve upon and meaningfully retake the ACT. Don’t let this score come back to haunt you; challenge yourself and ‘play the game’ that is ACT,” Eisenmann expressed.

S e n i o r, Lorenz Cagbabanua thinks spending time retesting is not as bad as people say it is, but it does require a lot of patience and reading.

“The fact that I wanted to do better to get a better score really influenced me to retake it,” Cagbabanua explained. He also explained on how the first ACT test you take, you will be nervous and full of stress when really you are stressing over nothing.

“My mindset changed [after the

“

first test] in that I felt better with what I was getting myself into and was more mentally prepared,” Lorenz said. He also stated that he didn’t have any plans before going into the ACT, but how the first test led him to a goal for scores on future tests and started him to seriously consider what he’s doing after high school.

“My plan is to go to Triton to get Gen Eds out of the way then transfer to a good school to study Biomedical Engineering,” Cagbabanua explained.

Another college-bound senior, Ariana Cardenas shared her story and gave some advice to juniors on considering retakes:

“My story is that I get super nervous when it comes to tests, especially because everyone created so much ‘hype’ over it. The economic standpoint is what made me retake it. I need as much scholar-

... there are virtually endless opportunities to improve....

Editor-in-Chief Natalie Taborska

Broadcast Editor

News Editor Piotr Morawiec

Web Editor

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

Victor Aceves

Gleanne Rosales

Gerardo Heredia

Visuals Manager Charlie Zielinski

Social Media/Marketing Manager Robert Gussy Copy Editors Mireya Cano Social Chair Jasmina Abdic

ship money as I could get to avoid student debt,” Cardenas stated. She also explained how overwhelming it is during ACT prep and taking her first ACT test, “Having ACT twice a week, babysitting after ACT Prep at least once a week, sports, clubs, and homework quickly became a struggle.”

While doing well the first time is a great “Plan A,” Cardenas believes “Plan B” should always be an option.

With retakes, “Plan B” might even improve. With her first tests, Cardenas had plans to “pursue a career in education, four year college, and eventually return to get my Master’s.”

After retaking the test for a third time, her plans excelled even further.

“Based on my ACT,” she said, “I’ll be fortunate enough to go to Elmhurst College this upcoming fall and pursue my dream in becoming a Speech Pathologist, a six-years Master’s degree, Hopefully graduating with minimal (if not any) student debt.”

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

Find us at lhsnews.org

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 the website.

ArtS and Entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

Photo By Marvel Cinematic Universe/Comicbook,com

Comic Book Movies Saturation:

9

Pleasing or Frustrating?

O

Karina Kosmala

n a casual Wednesday afternoon, I approached Samuel Saenz with the intention of having a simple conversation about comic book movies. It turned out to be forty minutes of in-depth analysis: holes in the plots, errors on the part of voice actors, inaccuracies with origin stories, and the problems with the mechanics of web-slinging.

Some moviegoers are fascinated by the actionpacked adventures in comic to big screen films. But for the real comic book fans, Gabriel, Samuel, and Alejandro, a trip to the movies becomes a exercise in analysis: a breakdown of each film’s comparison to the comic they know and love.

With a total of 66 comic book movies coming in the next few years, comic book readers are often left thinking whether the movie lived up to the book or fell flat. They may be left fulfilled or frustrated if the directors’ changes from the original simply didn’t work out in the end.

Comic book fan Gabriel Saenz pointed to Iron Man 3 as a disappointment. “The Mandarin, in the comics, was a terrorist who was planning to kill Tony Stark, and while he was doing that, Stark was figuring out a way to bring unlimited power to Manhattan. The Mandarin feels that way of life should be judged and should be uncontrolled as always.” In comic book land, The Mandarin is a real Iron Man nemesis. In the movie, he was a puppet of the real villain. The real villain, as Gabriel described it, “was a white guy who could turn on fire, which was depressing, really depressing.”

Movies that distance themselves away from the characters and plot lines or happen to write additions, to some degree, get the most criticism from comic book fans.

According to them, such changes disrupt the flow of the comic narratives and ruin expectations.

“The villain of [The Dark Knight Rises], Bane, in the comics is a mutated human [with] super strength and immune to almost anything. Poison was his steroids, making

True comic book fans are disappointed with certain movie adaptations, such as “The Mandarin” from Ironman 3.

him rage in order to fight. He also wore a full black, almost luchador, face mask. In the film, Bane was portrayed as a human who seemed to have abnormal strength with a mask, but the mask did not cover all of his face. Also, Bane was not shown as a giant, which he appears to be in the comics, and he did not use poison anywhere in the film,” said Alejandro Martinez.

Many movie adaptations of comics are not directed by comic book writers themselves, but by movie directors.

What angers comic book fans is “when the director decides that he can make his own changes, like he can do whatever he wants,” argues Gabriel Saenz.

Some heroes, like Spiderman, feature problems with technicalities in the movies. Does Peter Parker make his own web shooters, or does the spider bite give him the ability to shoot webs biologically?

And then there’s the frustration with non fans’ lack of knowledge.

“It makes me mad that some people like think that comic [companies] like Marvel are making these successful movies they are just thinking out of heads, No, they [are using] millions of millions stories and characters [already exist],” Samuel Saenz said.

Despite the issues movie versions create, most comic book fans are excited for the coming years. Many of their comic book favorites from the paper copy are heading to the big screen.

“It kind of makes me happy because the next ten years on, there is going to be more movies, and recently, Steven Spielberg said, ‘Comic book movies are going to die the way of the Western.’ They’re not. It’s not going to happen because there are so many characters in DC and Marvel, and it’s interesting because you don’t know what’s going to be next, what’s going to be planned in the next ten years of a movie.”

Countdown of Comic Book Movies

6 5 3

2 1

2016 Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America Civil War, XMen Apocalypse, Suicide Squad, Doctor Strange, Sinister Six

2017 Wolverine 3, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Four 2, Guardians of Galaxy 2, Justice League 2018 The Flash, Aquaman, Amazing Spiderman 3

2019 Shazam, Justice League 2

2020 Green Lantern 2

Only titles with known release dates included

Deadpool Review: Disgusting, Disappointing

T

Leslie Correa

he movie Deadpool has brought up lots of controversy. Many parents are upset about the fact the movie has such a high rating, rated R. My first thought after watching the previews was that the rating was a little too high.

Diann Villamena, senior, said “My little brother is very upset that he can’t see it because of the rating; he was really looking forward to it.”

Sorry Diann’s little brother. After watching the movie, I completely agree with the rating.

I wasn’t expecting to hear as many inappropriate references as I did. Before watching the movie I thought that I would disagree with the rating and say it should be available to a younger audience. However after watching the movie I now I agree with the rating of it being rated R due to the immense amount of gruesome action and inappropriate jokes. The movie opens up with a fighting scene where Deadpool is shooting people on the head and it is the blood splatters on the camera. Another scene that I seen as gruesome was when he cut his hand off in order to escape from a guy who put him in handcuffs. Most of the jokes were a little too inappropriate for me to put in an article for school for instance jokes involving masturbation, penises and vaginas.

Beside the gruesomeness and the jokes, the movie had a good plot line. A very sarcastic guy named Wade Wilson gets diagnosed with cancer and is told that he is dying.

When the cancer spreads, he realizes that he has to leave, not willing to put his death on his girlfriends shoulders.

He is then offered a cure for his cancer and agrees

to it despite his skepticism so that he can be with his girlfriend longer.

What Mr. Wilson did not realize was that his cure would cost him his very handsome face. After years of trying to find the guy who ruined his beautiful face, he finally encounters the man and that is where the movie begins.

The one scene that really Deadpool’s gruesome action and gross out humor can be skipped. stood out to me was when I could tell that he was actually being sincere. He decided that and raunchy jokes are your thing, you’ll definitely enjoy he wanted to leave his girlfriend in order to have her not Deadpool, but don’t bring your little brother and plan on see him while he is dying. He left so that he could get the covering his eyes during the violent parts. You’d need extra treatment and then he would return to her. That all changed hands to cover the ears too. when the treatment went wrong, and he ends up becoming I know many readers of this review are thinkwhat he calls “ugly.” I liked this scene especially because ing, “But that is exactly who Deadpool is!” I completely I could tell that he isn’t always sarcastic and he does have understand that. I also understand that people are tired of feelings, which you don’t see too much in the movie. seeing good guy superheroes, but there’s really not enough

Unfortunately, that doesn’t last long before the good moments and jokes in this movie to make it worth the inappropriate jokes pick back up. The movie is more of a watch. Unless you’re down for typical prepubescent teenage ‘guy movie’ than other previous superhero films. There’s humor, then it won’t be your cup of tea. not a lot of drama or romance to this one. If gruesomeness

10

Arts & Entertainment

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

L

Giovanni Montes

eyden will stage the play Geek on March 4 and 5. Geek is a new comedy with fantasy and adventure that tells the story of two girls who are going to a convention to meet a famous writer shortly after learning about a tragedy affecting both of them. It features a number of twists, taking on Magic players, Jedis, and even elves.

Mr. David Narter will direct this play, a practice he started in college.

“I started directing in college because as an audience member, I wasn’t often seeing the kind of plays that I thought were cool to experience.”

Although it has been awhile since Narter directed plays at Leyden (about 10 years), but he excited to be back and enjoying “the process of building your base of actors and artists with whom you build a vision of good theatre.”

He also described the show: “The plays are being done simultaneously as entries into the IHSA Contest Play/Group Interpretation competition. Contest Plays are limited to forty minutes, so we will be doing a shortened version of Geek for the competition, but here, we will do the entire play.”

The IHSA theater competition is divided into two sections, Drama and Group Interpretation.

“It demonstrates what you’re getting yourself into.”

-Angelica Martinez

Photo courtesy of Mr. Narter

Play On

The cast of Geek and The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip rehearse for the IHSA contest using Group Interpretation as the technique.

Narter described Group Interpretation: “It’s kind of an updating of the Ancient Greek form of stage performance where all of the actors exist as narrators as much as characters, and together, through their physical work and our imagination, allow us to see the [show.] It’s a blast because you see so much, but there’s really nothing there but some really inventive actors.”

Marisa Sandoval, who has been

acting since she was very little, wanted to do it because of Narter being director. She said, “Narter makes it serious but funny at the same time”. She is happy with the role she has and is excited to a part of the play.

The second play that will be in the competition and also for Leyden is named “The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip.” This play is about a girl whose name is Capable, and she lives in a town called Frip. There are these things called

“gapers”’ who cling to goats and thus stop them from being able to produce milk. If there is no milk in the town , then there is no money either.

When a change of fate turns and one of these balls of evilness gets on one her goats, Frip sees her neighbors true colors. Join the students with battling out their struggles on March 4, and 5 at 7:00pm in the East Leyden Auditorium, and March 11, and 12 in the West Auditorium.

Growing Up With 16 and Pregnant

But we’ve been told all of our lives that there are consequence for our actions.

So what difference does a show make? A ’ve had a love hate relahuge difference one according to a 2014 tionship with the show study summarized by CNN in this way: 16 & Pregnant for years.

[The study] recordWhen it first aired I was always ed spikes in Google the first one on the couch every Thurssearches and Twitter day with my chips in one hand and mentions about the my drink in the other. I was the biggest show when new epifan of this show way back when it was sodes aired and looked “This show also just Maci, Farrah, Amber, Ebony, specifically for searches Whitney, and Catelynn. glamorizes teen on terms such as “birth

Those were the “origipregnancy in a way” control” and “abornal” teen moms. Soon after tion” alongside those the girls agreed to do a spin -Savannah Wiebrand spikes. off show and that’s how I

They then anakept up with their lives and lyzed geographic data the babies. When season two to see whether locations aired, I watched, but I wasn’t with higher search acthere at seven waiting hyped It has impacted teens tivity and tweets about like I was the first season. because it gives them an “16 and Pregnant”

As I got older, my MTV’s 16 and Pregnant presents the struggles of a teenage mom. showed higher levels love for this show somewhat insight on how it is to of searches and tweets diminished. But I’m not the have a child at a young about birth control and abortion. only one who is uninterested. Many time I were to get caught watching it, my

They did. age dealing with school, argue that the show shouldn’t mom would tell me to turn it off and spend

The researchers also looked to see my time watching something else. air--not because it’s boring--but work and the child” whether high viewership in certain areas

But I had to watch: it was the topic because it creates problems.

-Gisela Ventura corresponded with a bigger drop in teen

“I think they should get of discussion in fifth grade at the lunch table. births. rid of the show because now Now I see why my mom always told me to It did. it is just being repetitive turn it off. But I also see how very wrong

“The results of our analysis indiand making it seem like my mom was. I was actually learning from cate that exposure to ‘16 and Pregnant’ they are glamorizing teen this show. was high and that it had an influence on Studies have shown that since “I don’t think that teens pregnancy, and it makes it teens’ thinking regarding birth control 2009, when the show 16 and Pregnant first seem like people are just should look at teenage pregand abortion,” the researchers write. doing it to get famous,” aired, there was a 5.7% reduction in teen nancy as a goal, but it does Since the show first aired more senior Maritza Lopez births in the 18 months after its premiere on than 20,000 pregnancies a year have been TV. Now the real question is, was this just stated.

That’s the question happen. You just have to a coincidence or did this show really have avoided. This doesn’t mean the show actuhere. work and give the child the ally caused the pregnancy rate to go down

Do shows like 16 & an impact on teens?

“16 & Pregnant has taught me that but the study suggests it helped create a best life that it can have” Pregnant encourage or dis- courage teens from getting you should be careful of the decision that multiple year trend of declining teen preg-Maritza Lopez pregnant? When I was just that you make in high school because it can be nancies.

11-year-old fan watching for enter- life lasting,” Lopez stated. tainment, I never thought of things like this.

I didn’t even know what sex was let alone that you could get pregnant if you had sex.

All I knew was I better not have watched the show around my parents. Every

Photo by MTV

I

Essence Tolver

Sports

11 Photos by Pete Skylakos

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

Team vs. Individual

Athletes weigh in on the benefits of different types of sports Jasmin Gonzalez

Paulina Castelan

In team sports like soccer, basketball, or volleyball you all lose or win together, and athletes in these sports point to friendships and communication as the major benefits special to their type of participation.

Senior Anthony Barreto, who plays infield for the varsity baseball team said, “I think a team sport is more beneficial [than individual] because you constantly build relationships with the people on the team, and you develop skills throughout the process.”

He named some of those skills: “I say that being on a team is important because you can see if you’re willing to take charge or let someone else take the lead, and I think when you’re older, knowing how to take charge, work as a team, and communicate will help you.”

Sometimes, the call to work together teaches difficult lessons.

Barreto has learned how to behave and how not to behave by being part of a team.

He said, “Throughout my high school career, I’ve seen guys put less effort than others in practice because they weren’t playing as much as they liked, and I see that as being selfish because it’s not only about one person.

With a team we all have to have that drive and determination to win, and it puts a lot of pressure on the coach because he has to push the team. But the guys within the team also have to push themselves, each other, and also build healthy relationships with each other, because we can’t have guys fighting during practices or games.”

Varsity midfielder, Elise Roa, also discussed the value of relationships in explaining why she thinks team sports are more beneficial than individual ones.

She said, “From soccer I get confidence and communication skills. I like being part of a team sport because it creates new friendships and connections. I wouldn’t have found my best friend if I it wasn’t for soccer. Also, because if we lose, I know not to put myself down only, too much, or blame myself because there’s no I in TEAM. Therefore, team sports are different from individual ones because as mentioned before, you have the ‘game’ relying on your team and yourself not just yourself.”

Athletes who participate in individual sports, like swimming, track and field, golf, and wrestling, learn how to be self-reliant and know that their success is owed to their effort.

According to swimmer Lavinia Santos, “Individual sports inspire you to really work hard because you can’t depend on others to do the work for you. If you mess up you can’t blame anyone for your failure.” Being in an individual sport will challenge you to push yourself because the only way your teammates will be able to help you is by providing their support.

Individual sports will also allow athletes to gain more confidence in themselves when the spotlight is on them. Athletes who perform individual sports may also learn more from their own mistakes than any other athletes, and they will have their coach strictly working with them so they improve and be able to achieve their personal goals. Track runner Alyssa Molina stated, “I feel individual sports are more beneficial than team sports because you get to work on yourself more, know what you’re best at, and how to control yourself.”

According to swimmer Jacob Malo, “In the long run individual sports are nice because it’s mostly about times and getting personal achievements.” Setting personal goals is a skill that should be learned so that later on in life you know how to set them and you learn how to be motivated to achieve them.

As track runner, Katherine Hinojosa stated, “Individual sports allow you to become more motivated and determined to accomplish your personal goals.”

In an individual sport winning won’t come easy because it’s all up to you and the effort you put out there. However, the most satisfying thing won’t be winning, but it will be beating your previous record. According to Santos, “Being on an individual sport motivates your success because unlike a team sport you aren’t really worried about winning but are more motivated about your own individual success. In swimming we couldn’t care less if we came in last place. All we look for is improvement in our times even if we only dropped one second that race.”

Spring Season Starting Girls Badminton Wed., Mar. 16 HOFF. EST. 4:30 PM Home

Boys Gymnastics Thursday, Mar. 10 LAKE PARK 6:00 PM Home

Softball Monday, Mar. 14 IHSA TBA Away

Boys Track & Field Thursday, Mar. 03 GLENBARD WEST 4:30 PM Away

Boys Volleyball Tuesday, Mar. 22 MAINE EAST 6:00 PM Away

Friday, Mar. 18 EAGLE INVITE 4:30 PM Home

Thursday, Mar. 17 Downers Grove South 6:00 PM Away

Tuesday, Mar. 22 FENTON 4:30 PM Away

Saturday, Mar. 05 MAINE EAST INDOOR MEET 7:00 AM Away

Tuesday, Apr. 05 Grayslake North 5:30 PM Home

Boys Baseball Thursday, Mar. 17 GLENBROOK SOUTH 4:45 PM Away

Girls Soccer Tuesday, Mar. 15 Oak Forest 6:30 PM Away

Boys Tennis Saturday, Apr. 02 OPRF INVITE 8:00 AM Away

Girls Track & Field Saturday, Mar. 05 ADDISON TRAIL INVITE 8:30 AM Away

Saturday, Mar. 19 PALATINE 11:00 AM Home

Thursday, Mar. 17 TBA 6:30 PM Away

Tuesday, Apr. 05 ELMWOOD PARK 4:30 PM Home

Saturday, Mar. 12 MORTON INVITE 9:00 AM Away

Workout Tunes Melanie Ozanic: “I just like anything upbeat and fast. It makes me more energized, as listening to a slow song makes me really tired and what not.”

Steven Gulo: “My favorite song to workout too would have to be any one of 50 cent songs. He puts me in a zone where I feel I can do anything.”

Nathan Osegueda: “Usually I tend to listen to Rap and EDM the mostly because of the flow of the beats. Workouts that I do are intense, and with this type of music, it really gets me in the mood and I just work out harder.”

Jesse Hernandez:It would have to be “New Level” By: A$AP Ferg ft. Future because It pumps me up and gets me in the zone.

Abby Grande: “Hideaway by Kiesza because I’ll always remember when I was at xsport doing a spinning class on the bikes, this song came on and the instructor made us really work out super hard. It really gets my mind going!”

12

Sports

The Eagle’s Eye: March 2016

Under Pressure

Competing when colleges are watching of noticed I could have a successful career as a high school runner,” said Ramirez.

Initially, Ramirez was going to try out for the soccer team in the spring of her freshman year, but joined track and field so that she could get into shape for cross country. Her coach made her realize that she was a more talented runner than she thought she was.

Ramirez also has a huge chance to qualify for the 800 meter run. A 2:26 is her best time. And in college, one would need a 2:13 to qualify. No doubt, that she is well on her way of meeting her goals. In cross country, her main goal was to go 19 minutes for 3 miles, and she indeed met her goal, and was immensely thrilled afterwards. She states, “It was nice to know that after 3 years of working my butt off, the training finally paid off. I took that accomplishment as a push to make this track season even better.”

So far for Ramirez, the cross country season was especially crucial considering that college coaches came to watch her performances. Colleges first started to notice Ramirez at the beginning of her senior year.

Her times started to drop, and more and more colleges started to contact her. They were impressed with her times from her junior year track that they saw online. Now for the track and field season, she intends to bring her A-game for the last and final time.

As was previously stated, all athletes know the pressure of being watched during a game. And for Ramirez, the pressure is no different, and she says, “Knowing there are college coaches watching me race is definitely a little nerve wrecking. You want to put up a good show for them. It gave me a little push to do better that one race can make it or break it.” But knowing that it’s that last chance at gold and glory, is actually an intimidating feeling. The idea doesn’t actually hit you until you are in the moment. The way that any athlete deals with the pressure is key to using pressure situations confidently and positively.

Under those circumstances, pressure really only exists if an athlete is concerned about the results. Athletes need to remember that the situation is mind over matter. Nothing has changed regarding how the game is played, and must train the mind to stay focused and learn how to control the pressure in practice. That way, when it’s the real-deal, they won’t feel that tension.

The outcome take care of itself.

According to Ramirez, when asked about the challenges she will face this season, she said “just injury.” Revealing that she knows how to control the pressure and stay focused, which will inevitably bring her to success.

Mati and Misia Szelazek: Understanding Cheerleaders

Abby and Gigi Grande: Encouraging Leaders

Wesam and Husam Alabed: Ruthless Symbionts

Both Mati and Misia’s greatest passion and success lie on the track. Mati was the first, in fourth grade, to express an interest in competitive running, and Misia followed in fifth. And they’ve been at it ever since, jetting their way through high school as prominent, well-respected, and talented members of Leyden’s cross country and track and field teams, according to their respective genders, of course. When asked about the competitive nature surrounding twins and athletics, Mati admitted that he does feel compelled to compete with his sister, but not for attention, not for glory, simply to keep himself in check as an athlete: “I do feel that there is a sense of pressure because people consider us equal. Obviously, I’m faster than her just because I’m a guy, but if I win conference then she’s expected to win conference. If one of us is having a bad season it kind of reflects on the other, pressure-wise… it’s like, ‘Gotta catch up, gotta work harder.’”

But is the slight competition noted by both parties? Rather than a loud, outspoken competition, Misia believes her bond with her brother to be, “An unspoken competitiveness.

We definitely push ourselves to be the ‘better’ one but we’re so different that most of the times it ends up being more support than competition.

We’re always there for one another.”

So, the stereotype, like always, is missing some integral insight. Both runners are aware of the effect their shared birthday has on outsiders. Mati says, that even when he advanced to state last year, people looked at his sister and wondered why she didn’t: “I actually feel pretty bad because I know she’s a really good runner, and I feel that people look at her differently, ‘Oh, she didn’t make it to state.’ I don’t understand why people compare us.” Misia adds, “People don’t understand that even though we’re twins, we’re two different people.”

Like the Szelazeks, Abby and Gigi have been heavily involved in athletics since childhood. Collectively, they’ve participated in softball, gymnastics, basketball, soccer, volleyball, floor hockey, and track and field, but now they are strict two-sport athletes; Gigi plays volleyball as well as captains the basketball team, and Abby plays softball and has captained gymnastics for the past two years.

That animalistic, cutthroat attitude many people expect between twins, sorry, it’s not here either. However the pressure of expectation weighs down on the Grande sisters, even though they’re involved in sports that in no way resemble each other. Gigi comments, “I feel like people think that we’re always competing against each other, but it’s not our intention to. We like to motivate each other and help out each other out as much as possible. We like to challenge each other sometimes, so we both can get better at what we do, but we don’t compete to the point of getting mad at each other. Honestly, I don’t think it’s fair to compare us because I feel like it sometimes takes our self-esteem down and that’s something I don’t want, nor does she.”

It’s bad enough that people want to pit these kids against each other, but telling them that there’s something wrong if they’re not winning is barbaric. Abby recounts, “Last year, and even the beginning of this year, for basketball, she was doing really good and everybody knew about her, and, last season for softball, I didn’t get much playing time because I had a lot of problems going on with me. I felt brought down because she was the more athletic one and she was getting all these achievements and I wasn’t even playing.” Nevertheless, the Grande girls could not be more supportive of each other, both of them commenting on each other’s passion and dedication for her respective sports.

“The only serious sport I’ve ever done is wrestling,” Wesam said, recalling his past athletic ventures. And his brother, Husam, shares the same intense passion for wrestling that has driven them to compete with each other, but never with malicious intent. “We’ve always been competitive,” Wesam continues, “we’ve always tried to beat each other in whatever we did, and I think this has helped me become a better wrestler.”

Unlike the Grandes and Szelazeks, the Alabeds play the exact same sport, which affects the competitive-feel of their relationship as they practice and are critiqued together, though they don’t actually wrestle each other due to a fortypound weight difference. But they do externally train with each other which forces them to work harder. Referencing their self-assigned title, Husam explains he and his brother’s competitivenature as a vigorous balancing act, a fervid symbiosis: “He always pushes me and I always push him. And we always get extra work in after and before practice. He makes me do the stuff that I don’t want to do and I make him do the stuff he doesn’t want to do. If he’s slacking I’ll call him out.”

But this doesn’t mean that don’t care for each other. Last month, Wesam advanced to state, but Husam did not due to a leg injury.

Husam confessed that watching instead of wrestling was difficult at first, but he said he was also “proud because [Wesam] worked so hard for it, he earned it.” And Wesam is aware of his brother’s belief in him, as he says, “I know if he never joined wrestling, I would’ve never made it this far. I owe a lot of my success to him.”

Last year, it was Husam who advanced to sectionals while Wesam was in the stands.

However, these solo accomplishments haven’t shaken the boys yet. Next fall, they plan on attending the same college where they’ll both continue to wrestle.

Photo by Pete Skylakos

Estefania Ramirez is experiencing heading into this track season.

For Ramirez, college coaches have recently started to notice her, and she is determined to finish her final season of track and field out strong.

It all began her freshman year of high school, when Ramirez joined cross country. Before high school, she never really had any experience in running, and her friends were the Estefania Ramirez taking the lead during the 2015 Track Eagle Invite ones that got her to go out for the cross country team.

In her mind, she never Melissa Corral thought that she would be running in high All athletes understand the pressure of school, let alone college. And yet, running performance: wins, losses, personal records. has become such a big part of her life.

From the start, her coaches saw Add to that pressure the pressure of hav- ing someone judge your performance, and potential in her, and she got pulled up to you’ll have an idea of what West senior varsity as a freshman. “That’s where I kind

“In it to Twin it” Isabella Valdez

People are compelled to think that siblings, especially twins, are born with the innate instinct to compete with each other?

And when twins are interested in similar sports, the danger of believing in the stereotype of ultra-competitive twins grows. But they’re often wrong and offensive; the relationships between twin athletes is more complex than simply competitive.

At Leyden, there are three pairs of twins, all seniors, who collectively participate in competitive sports: Mati and Misia Szelazek, Husam and Wesam Alabed, and Abby and Gigi Grande. I talked to two sets of them separately and tried to better understand their relationship with each other as it pertains to competitive athletics, and was not surprised to find that even though others seem to believe they are always trying to one-up the other, the reality is much more thoughtful.