Issuu

October 2016 Volume 86, issue 2

East Leyden High School

Franklin Park, IL 60131

One in Five Students Gets MADD

Krystian Misiewicz ver 600 students and faculty participated in Make a Difference Day on Saturday, October 22. More than 40 clubs and activities gathered students and faculty to serve their community through volunteer work. Make a Difference Day is an annual, national event where projects are created to improve the lives of others. It started in 1992 and has spread across the United States and eventually to Leyden. Every year, Leyden High School has made Make a Difference Day a tradition. The day is featured in the fall where a lot of students and faculty do volunteer work for the community. From raking leaves for residents of Franklin Park to reading books to kids at a local library to making toys for dogs at a shelter, Leyden students and faculty are organized into groups with their sport or club to participate in a variety of volunteer work. This year, the 6th annual Make a Difference day was hosted at West Leyden, starting at 8:30 a.m. with breakfast and ended at 11:30 a.m. with lunch.

Spanish Honors Society students coloring with seniors at a nursing home in Elmwood Park (left). Dog Club and E-SADD students writing letters to hospitalized children.

Junior Angelica Urbina participated in Make a Difference Day with Mr. Schiemann’s Dog Club. “We are making dog chew toys for dogs that are in foster homes and shelters out of water bottles and fabric,” she said. “I think it is important to give back where you can, while you can, and take advantage of what you have to help others.” For Urbina, the effects on this volunteer work are “giving dogs a better experience and also making yourself a better person by helping.” East Leyden Spanish teacher and Spanish Honors Society sponsor Mrs. Porro also participated in Make a Difference Day

at Generations at Elmwood Park which is a nursing home. “We visited the nursing home, painted, colored, and played bingo,” she said. In the nursing home, around 20 students from Spanish Honors Society interacted with the seniors. “Just think about how you have no nobody, and then suddenly 19 students come and visit you. That makes a huge difference.” Breanne Wokciak, senior at Generations nursing home, was grateful for the volunteer work from the Spanish Honors Society. “They helped me color,” she said, smiling. “I liked when they helped me.” Delighted by the amount of students visiting

Media Studies students present their class project to peers and teachers. In classrooms like these, where students are imitating the electoral and campaign processes, students and staff are finding ways to avoid the hostility and emotions of the real election. (Photo from Ms. Marchese via Twitter)

De MOCK racy

Rachel Modi any teachers are typically excited to teach during a presidential election season. It gives them a way to have students participate in the country’s political life and to raise awareness of current issues. An election gives all students, and especially those who are now eligible to vote for the first time, a classroom and lesson plans rich with discussions on the candidates and their positions on serious

issues like immigration and the economy. Election season allows high school students to simulate the behaviors and civil discourse central to a democracy. But the 2016 presidential campaign has been engrossing for the opposite reasons. It’s been filled with controversial exchanges between two candidates that few are seriously attracted to. East Leyden social studies teacher, Robert Fowler, expressed the difference.

“Usually in an election, candidates are popular,” he said, “and they got that spot to run for president because they got a lot of support. In this election, both candidates show up very negative with a good population of the voters.” English teacher Jennifer Blevins, whose students have written speeches on topics for this election cycle, noted how the combative election has affected that work. “These candidates have tapped into

them, the seniors had a lot of fun with the Spanish Honors Society. “Make a Difference Day is awesome,” said Mr. Holthouse, director of Make a Difference Day for both East and West Leyden. Even though the event was hosted at West Leyden, “this [was] a district event open to both East and West students.” By the end of the day, all of the volunteers “impacted all of the surrounding communities and [did] some good.” For this year, the goal was to rally more participation than last year. The goal was satisfied as roughly 20 percent of the student population turned out in one day.

people’s emotions a lot,” expressed Blevins, “People are feeling very heated and angry and passionate about behaviors of the candidates, so that definitely makes it hard to be objective.” A quick look at any media outlet, from Snapchat to WGN, shows the conversation has rested mainly on each candidate’s negative qualities and mistakes, whether it’s lying about emails or constantly demeaning individuals and segments of the population. From the numerous Clinton memes to relentless late night insults of Trump, this election is so “in your face,” as social studies teacher Ms. Caroline Holtgrewe shared. “Kids are exposed to it a lot more.” That exposure is increasing as the school conducts a mock election from October 28 to November 1. But English teacher Michelle Marchese, who is requiring her students to create campaign posters and commercials to accompany the school’s mock election, hopes students will find lessons in this media behavior rather than repeat its mistakes. Her Media Studies classes have taken on “media monitor” roles in which “each member of their campaign groups takes on either conservative, neutral, liberal, or social media.” She added, “It is their goal to use purposeful diction to convey their candidate and their candidate’s views in a positive light, or the opposing candidate in a negative light.” Marchese is doing her best to “eliminate bias”(Marchese) when introducing and discussing political issues in class. Even though the goal of class campaign posters is to influence the views of students at East Leyden, some of the creators have had to complete the task for a candidate whose ideas they find insulting.

(STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 2)

NEWS

October 2016

Election

(Continued from Page 1) Senior Maria Lagunas has been assigned as a PR representative for Trump, even though she “hate[s] him.” She articulated her disgust by stating, “his ideas of trying to make a wall; one, I’m against it because I’m Mexican myself. Two, the way he denies everything he said even though people record him saying it and him denying it. Three, he’s childish. He’s not fit to be president in my opinion.” Similar to Lagunas, teachers like Holtgrewe have “found it very difficult” to restrain from advancing their opinions on candidates. “I never had the conversations about John McCain recently or Mitt Romney that we’ve had about Donald Trump,” social studies teacher Mr. Alex Jomarron shared, emphasising that this is his personal opinion. “Donald Trump is a different animal, and it’s hard to bite your tongue, not so much [about] Republican policies, but just the way he is as a human being. I just find him appalling as a human being. It it has been a challenge.” How do you foster a civil conversation when people are so emotionally attached to one candidate or the other and when the candidates themselves fuel those emotions? Holtgrewe explained, “Just because the nature of the election, I’m honestly afraid, as a teacher, to say ‘Well, why do you like Trump?’ just because of some of the factors that might come out in kids’ explanations” surrounding their opinions and policies.” The trickiest part of a democracy is realizing and acknowledging other perspectives and respecting those. That’s the behavior that a mock election and classroom study of politics is supposed to foster. Principal Mr. Jason Markey, a former social studies teacher himself, explained that students come from different environments with different viewpoints. “We need to make sure what we’re discussing in class is appropriate, and we’re treating each other with respect and we go in recognizing that people are going to have different views.” Some teachers, like Fowler, aim to stay politically neutral and balanced in this very polarized election. Fowler keeps discussions lighthearted by showing satirical clips from Saturday Night Live, which poke fun at the candidates or will share political cartoons equally critical between candidates. This gives a way to explore specific issues, the candidate’s platforms, and key differences. Holtgrewe hopes to get students to look at “the motivation for [choosing] specific candidate.” She asks students, “What about your specific identity makes you agree with X, Y, or Z idea that whichever candidate has?” This asks “[for students] to figure where they best fit in for [their] best interests and for where we’re at in life right now.” Remaining neutral also allows students to make their own decisions because, as Fowler explained, “As an American, that’s your right. That’s your freedom to decide which candidate you like better, and which political party you like better.” Social Studies Department Chair Jessica Greenberg pointed to the mock election as an opportunity for students to exercise that freedom. While this election may be considered unusual, she explained, “What should matter is what YOU think [because] it doesn’t matter what I think.”

Harmless Meme turned Hate Scheme?

The once humorous Pepe meme has been taken over by white supremicists.

Christopher Corr

any know, and use, the ‘Pepe the Frog’ meme as a way to humorously share their reactions to a wide variety of situations. But those users should know that the meme has recently been named as one of the three nationally declared hate symbols. The roster consists of the confederate flag and the swastika, with Pepe taking the third spot. On October 11, the Anti-Defamation League added Pepe to its “Hate on Display” database: symbols used to spread hateful messages. The unique frog character based on a 2004 comic by Matt Furie began as an image commonly associated with a wide variety of emotions, ranging from frustration to sadness and everything in between. Appearing in plenty of remixes, trolling videos, and in many variations, Pepe has

Writers Week: Presenters Wanted

Madison Stompor

ommunity members who enjoy writing should mark their calendars for January 17, 18, and 19 for a new Leyden event, Writers Week. The event will feature writers of all types presenting their stories and ideas about the value of writing in the auditorium to all English classes. English department chair and one of the event organizers, Mr. John Rossi explained his excitement for Writers Week. He said, “There is a certain community building when people share their ideas.” Rossi and other teachers saw the impact sharing stories can have on a school culture when they visited Fremd High School. The Leyden event is being modeled after Fremd, which has successfully brought together its community with the power of writing and storytelling for over 20 years. Rossi discussed where the idea for the event originated. “Mr. Narter attended the National Convention of Teachers of English. He went to a session that was run

grown into an internet phenomenon. By late 2014, the meme had spread from the online meme world to mainstream media. Then, what was used for entertainment began to increase in association with white supremacist themes as Pepe memes were used more and more by white supremacist accounts. A relationship was becoming evident to the eyes of the public: Pepe was becoming more than just a harmless meme. This past May, an “anonymous white nationalist” told The Daily Beast that the shift was intentional and called it “a dedication campaign to ‘reclaim Pepe from normies.’” This user was intending to transform the innocent frog into such an unacceptable character that the mainstream media would not use it, meaning the only users would be those acting with intention to harm. Pepe the Frog has not only impacted the online media world but has had an effect on the presidential election. by the school where his children attended. [The presenters] put together all these resources on how they put organized Writers Week. Mr. Narter came back really excited and said, ‘This is something we ought to think about doing.’” Rossi agreed, and he and a team of English teachers have been developing the schedule. Writers Week will feature professional writers, singers, screenwriters, and

bloggers, but its real goal is to celebrate the original writing and stories of Leyden students and staff. Rossi said, “I was really sold on the idea when a student [from Fremd] said they heard their own story being told by someone else. People are brought together when they realize other people have stories similar to their own.” All staff and students are encour-

Donald Trump tweeted an image of himself as a variation of Pepe the Frog with the caption, “You can’t stump the Trump.” Trump’s son also posted a variation of Pepe with the same context as his father’s tweet. HIllary Clinton released a widely mocked video that featured both posts and reacted in disgust to the content and associated the meme with white supremacy. With the growing presence in harmfulness, the ADL had to step in and label the frog a hate symbol. The artist who drew the original frog, Furie, told The Atlantic that the he thinks the association with far-right ideology is “just a phase.” He went on to state that “in terms of meme culture, it’s people reappropriating things for their own agenda. That’s just a product of the internet.” Whether you agree or not with Pepe the Frog being declared a hate symbol, it is an eye-opener to the world that memes aren’t always just harmless images. Some of them are now being associated with harmful topics and creating sections of the online world that are not just using them for entertainment. This news forces us to proceed with caution when using memes and consider the unintended impact using them may have. Some believe giving memes this kind of attention is just silly. East Leyden senior Julian Hernandez believes that “memes are the way people connect and smile through quirky little pictures” not to hurt people. When asked if he believes memes are becoming more than just that, Leyden senior Adam Obrzut responded, “That’s what it is always going to be; I don’t think it’s going to be anything more.” While students find the decision by the ADL odd, considering that most would not associate the meme with hurtful or discriminating natures, it’s worth noting the seriousness of the ADL’s decision. If you use the meme harmlessly, it may still be interpreted as a symbolic portrayal of hate.

aged to submit their stories for a chance to be on stage. Students can take work already created from past writing or write something new for this event. Interested students should visit http://bit.ly/LeydenWriters. Four to five students will present every period on Wednesday, January 18. Interested faculty/staff, please contact Mr. Narter at dnarter@leyden212. org. Rossi said, “Faculty should participate because I think it’s just really cool to have an opportunity to be humanized. There are many teachers who come off as all business, so I think Writers Week is an opportunity for kids to see that their teachers are people.” Our own stories are the main event of Writers Week according to Rossi, but he is counting on professionals to help convey the satisfaction that comes from creating stories, songs, or scripts. American novelist Chris Crutcher will be one attendee. Crutcher’s books often feature teenagers struggling with serious problems, such as abusive parents, racial and religious prejudice, mental and physical disability, and poverty. Although Crutcher’s writing is often controversial, he has received many awards including the ALAN Award, ALA Edwards Award and many more.

OPINIONS

October 2016

Involvement: Panic to Passion

Freshmen deserve to see huge juinor and senior turnout at school activities, like this one from Make a Difference Day.

Mike Motyka t was my first week of high school, and I was that typical quiet and lost freshmen. I barely knew who anyone was, I didn’t know where my classes were, and I was overwhelmed with homework. I didn’t know how I was going to survive four years of this. Then, as week two came, my mentality totally changed. Almost every morning I heard the daily announcements about club meetings. I heard a few that were interesting to me and immediately found out the necessary information, and I went. At my Key Club meeting, I was five minutes late because I got lost trying to find the Staff Cafeteria, and I walked in to find it was packed! I was completely overwhelmed by how many people participated in this club. During the meeting, we talked about general information about the club and what type of activities we take part in. Once the meeting was over, I took a huge deep breath and realized that it wasn’t that bad. I thought to myself that

I can get used to this kind of stuff because overall, it was fun and exciting to take part in such a big club and to have the opportunity to help out the school and community. Ever since that first meeting, I have been participating in as many clubs as I can because I love looking forward to those 3 o’clock meetings in the Staff Cafeteria to have a chance to meet new people and have the opportunity to make a change. Leyden’s former vision, “Committed to Excellence,” implies that students not just exist in their school. They should excel. And Leyden offers many academic possibilities and club/activity opportunities in which this can happen. All types of students have somewhere to get involved, but some Leyden students simply don’t. There are many reasons for differences in activity involvement. At the start of any school year, Leyden experiences an overflowing amount of involvement within the school. Students are participating in over 70 different clubs throughout Leyden and even working with

teachers to create their own clubs to fit their interest. But as the year goes on, the number of contributors starts to diminish. Sometimes, responsibilities with work, family, and other outside activities take over. Tony Pecucci, former Student Activities Director at East Leyden, believed that “students would just stop getting involved or would have other responsibilities that took them away from school activities.” Maura Gavin, new Student Activities Director, agrees that many of her students lose opportunities because they have outside responsibilities. Junior and senior year, for me, is when those responsibilities started to hit. I had practices after school and then work, so missing important meetings and events was starting to become a usual thing for me. But as Pecucci said, “Students have to be willing and able to participate whenever they can.” That’s how it has become for me. I don’t get to be at everything, but whenever I have the chance to go to a meeting or an event, I am there.

School Codes: Dress to Oppress?

Alessandra Muro

any of the young women I know at Leyden have a dress code story. Here’s mine. My friend and I had it all figured out. We were going to look so cute that day in our crop tops, cardigans, and high-waisted jeans. And we did. We made it through the first half of the day, but then as soon as we hit the lunchroom, a security guard addressed us. “Hey, you two. What are you two wearing?” We were told that we would have to change our outfits--in front of the many eyes watching and ears listening. In my memory, that included pretty much the whole junior section. You’re probably telling yourself, “Well yeah, you were wearing a crop-top.” Correct. But my jeans covered mostly everything the crop-top didn’t. In fact, when I got home, my mom wondered why I was wearing a different outfit, so I told her. She didn’t see anything wrong with my outfit, but there was nothing I could do. I had already been humiliated in public. Now, I check that my fingertips aren’t longer than my shorts about 20 times and I make sure all my shirt straps are “two fingers” in width before I arrive. There’s a lot we can talk about when it comes to dress code, including the nationwide protests fighting against how dress codes body shame and blame girls for boys’ lack of “control.” But I want to focus on two things there: the embarrassment girls go through when they get called out for their outfits and the inequality with sports apparel. I’ve seen girls get stopped in the halls due to their outfits, and sometimes it’s

These Toronto students organized a “#CropTopDay” day to protest school dress codes. just absolutely ridiculous. As mentioned, it’s happened to me before, and it feels terrible. The way they asked my friend and I to change our outfit was embarrassing and it put us in an uncomfortable position. That’s one of the worst things that comes with “getting dress-coded”: the way the staff sometimes handles it. The adults don’t always pull girls aside to talk to them. Instead, two or three of them surround the girl and tell her what’s wrong with her outfit. I honestly would be embarrassed if one security had called my friend aside, but it would have been better. When it happens publicly, with adults posing ridiculous questions like, “Would you like seeing my midriff ?” there’s really nothing for the girl to do but be humiliated. Dean of Students Mr. Michael Grosch agreed that these matters be handeld privately, adding that he wouldn’t want his child to be embarrassed, so why would you want to embarress someone else’s. The school could address bias in the code by making this practice a priority. It could also look at athletics.

Boys are allowed to walk around shirtless. Male cross country runners are allowed to run off campus and during workouts on the track shirtless. An appropriate choice when it’s 95 degrees outside, and they’re running and dripping sweat. But a sports bra isn’t acceptable gear for a female athlete in the middle of her workout. Anmar Cabral, a member of the Girls Cross Country team, believes “The boys shouldn’t be allowed to run shirtless if the girls can’t.” As a member of the team as well, I also believe that girls should have the freedom to run in at least a sports bra when it’s over 90 degrees outside. Maybe running off campus is a little too risky, but when the teams are doing intense track workouts and it’s hot out, it would be more fair, since the boys are allowed. Michael Nambo, a member of the Boys Cross Country team, thinks it “is unfair that girls don’t get to run like that, especially when it’s hot and humid out.” I’m not saying that I would personally run in only a sports bra, but sometimes I see my female teammates

It’s worth the effort, and I try to remember that by thinking about Gavin, Pecucci, and all the other faculty members who put in so much time and effort to make sure Leyden students are getting the best opportunities to prepare them for their future and to have great experiences. They can’t force participation on us, but they can do everything they can to explain it to us and help us get involved, which is exactly what they do. They truly care about our future and want us to have the best outcome. We all know that some personal issues and other problems can’t be avoided. That means participating became a matter of will power. When I think about skipping something because I’m too tired or distracted by other activities, I think about that freshman version of me and how impressed I was by the huge numbers that turned out at meetings.

“When they do it publicly, it embarasses girls. Sometimes, they even humiliate the girl.” dying and soaked in sweat while on a run, thus they should have the same fair freedom as the male runners and be able to run in more comfortable and suitable clothing such as a sports bra if that’s what they desire. If that can’t be achieved, then the boys should have to suit up. It may seem crazy, but by forcing boys and girls into the same overly “protective” standards, it helps to eliminate the double standard. We all get it. There are rules that have to be enforced, yet there’s a double standard not only in schools but in society. Girls can’t wear certain pieces of clothing around guys, and if they do wear them there are consequences. Guys should not have more freedom when it comes to clothing, and as Anmar stated, “they should feel as uncomfortable as the girls.”

OPINIONS

October 2016

Picture from redalertpolitics.com

Voting Third-Party?

Wasted and worthless

ately there has been this huge misconception that sitting out of the 2016 election or voting for a thirdparty nominee is a good idea and in the end will get the people what they truly want. I hate to break it to you, but our next president will either be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. There is no avoiding it, you’ll either be watching the “criminal” or the racist, bigot, sexist, homophobic, egomaniac, and compulsive liar settling into the oval office next January. People voting third-party are essentially voting for Trump. The two thirdparty candidates have a majority of liberal views, and people who would normally vote Democratic would then vote third-party. Yet so many voters disappointed with the major candidates do not understand this and believe that choosing a a third-party candidate, like Jill Stein or Gary Johnson, will send a message that they’re sick of “the system” or at least too disgusted by either Clinton or Trump to vote for them. But both Stein and Johnson are seriously flawed candidates. Stein, representing the Green Party is polling around 2% of votes nationally. Stein’s main goals include preserving the environment, eliminating student debt, reducing income inequality and expanding LGBT rights. She has very liberal views, which I personally find are great, but she cannot answer this question:: how are you going to achieve these goals? Her proposal is to “cancel” student debt and “bailout a generation of young people.” She believes that while president she can end student

Madison Stompor

debt with quantitative easing, which is the introduction/making of new money, when in fact the president has no control overthis. Quantitative easing is a job of only the Federal Reserve. As great as “canceling” student debt by printing out new money for it, it is not in anyway realistic. This is like Trump saying he has this huge plan for America and we are all going to love it; we

included Department of Education, Department of Commerce, and Housing and Urban Development. When asked if any of these department’s functions would still be apart of our government, Johnson responds with, “Well gosh, you would have to assume that they were doing something that was of value and yeah if they are doing something of value, yes we would be looking to continue those operations.” It doesn’t take a genius to realize these departments do indeed serve as assets to our government. Not to mention, when Johnson receives media coverage, he always seems to be doing/ saying something

“If you don’t vote, that’s a vote for Trump. If you vote for a third-party candidate who’s got no chance to win, that’s a vote for Trump.” - Barack Obama all know he has no plan, nor does Jill Stein. The other third-party candidate is former governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson. He has been polling around 6% of national votes for the Libertarian Party. Some of his views include opposing the death penalty and police militarization and the the legalization of marijuana. But he does have views that may not be widely favored, such as opposing a minimum wage increase and believing we don’t need to worry about the environment since it won’t affect our lifetime. In addition to this, he believes in a smaller government, so much so that when interviewed about which federal departments he would eliminate he

odd, including having a dangerously low understanding of foreign affairs. Flawed also is the belief that third party votes will help us rebel against the “two-party” system. In short, their percentages are so low it is impossible for them to become elected. The protest vote here is about as dangerous as those still clinging to Bernie Sanders. A huge chunk of voters were disappointed when Bernie Sanders did not receive the democratic nomination, but unfortunately there is no bringing him back into the race. Sanders endorsed Clinton back in July and is determined to make her our next president. Sanders often shows his

Important and impactful

erhaps we expected a lot more in this 2016 presidential race; maybe we envisioned a real future. From the minute Donald Trump joined the presidential race about 15 months ago, he has offered his fearmongering opinions about Mexicans and Muslims and insult to countless others. A New York Times editorial explained, “from that moment of combustion, it became clear that Mr. Trump’s views were matters of dangerous impulse and cynical pandering rather than thoughtful politics.” Yet, somehow he has attracted a large number of Americans in his freewheeling campaign marked by false allegations, offensive insults, unapologetic sexism and his constant shift of opinions based off his audience. On the Democratic side of the ticket, there’s Hillary Clinton. In her own words, she brings, “35 years experience making a change.” But what I struggle to comprehend is that with her serving in public office, Clinton was in a position to produce a considerable amount of change, but yet she hasn’t been able to accomplish very much. Which leads me to question that if Clinton is elected to be our 45th president, will she be able to achieve her promises or, like past presidents, will she merely promise the moon and the stars on layaway? And beyond that, she’s not immune to controversy, with scandals of emails and “pay for play” following her

Alex Guzman

throughout the campaign. Yet Clinton, too, continues to attract a large number of Americans in her strong campaign, prominent for promises to improve the middle class and her idea to invest in the people in order to fix the economy. Conventional wisdom tells us these are our only real choices. Clinton carries a 48% popularity vote while Trump carries 41%. People are voting for them because they believe we only have two choices. But Clinton and Trump are not your only options. I, like other Americans, am unsatisfied with this lack of real choice. Take a deep breath guys, there’s a third way:

“An unprincipled vote is the only wasted vote.” freepress.org

support for her on social media. Although many will not look past her being a “criminal” due to her past scandals, Sanders and Clinton have very similar views. Issues such as abortion, equality in the workforce, LGBT rights, gun control, minimum wage, immigration, global warming and etc. are all topics the two have similar views on. What continues to surprise me is how there are a group of people who used to support Sanders’s campaign and now would rather vote for Trump, a third-party candidates, or not vote at all. Clinton is the most similar to Sanders. Voting any other way is essentially going against everything Bernie Sanders believes in. If your were Bernie supporter, guess what? You’re a Clinton supporter; look past “her” and look at the views and plans. Of course, an Illinois wasted vote doesn’t matter in the electoral colleget. Mr. Alex Jomarron explained, “It depends on the state you’re in, for example Illinois is solidly Democratic, so some states can afford to vote third-party or not at all because the margin is going to be so great.” He also gave us an example as to why voting thirdparty is risky in some states, “Remember in Florida the difference between George Bush and Al Gore was something like 500 votes and that was a state where the Green Party got a lot of votes, so you can argue that these third parties can swing some states and we can’t afford that in this election. Remember, it’s not the popular vote that counts, it’s the electoral vote.” Even though that logic holds in Illinois, throwing your vote to a thirdparty is an irresponsible exercise. We should all recognize the reality of a Trump or Clinton presidency and identify how we align with their platforms. vote for someone other than the Democratic or Republican side. The third party candidate I would recommend, Gary Johnson, explained the need for a third party best. “Hyper-partisanship may be entertaining,” he explained, “but it’s a terrible way to try to run a country. We’re the alternative.” I would rather sleep at night knowing I voted for someone who better fits my interests and is capable of reason, learning from their failures, and speaks the truth even when it hurts. I’m offering you that option with Gary Johnson. Gary Johnson meets my needs. Exemplified through his accomplishments from being the governor of New Mexico such as managing to have the highest job growth compared to any of the 50 states, he also believes “a robust flow of labor, regulated not by politics, but by the marketplace, is essential. He understands that a bigger fence will only produce taller ladders and deeper tunnels, and that the flow of illegal immigrants across the border is not a consequence of too little security, but rather a legal immigration system that simply doesn’t work” according to On the Issues. If you agree that you don’t want a forced choice, the third party is right for you too!

FEATURES

October 2016

Get ready to graduate with Excellence

Nada Marei ey, are you almost done with your excellence award? Wait, what? No, what is that? Well, if you don’t know about the Leyden Excellence Award, pay close attention to this article. Read it to the end. The Excellence Award contains seven areas to fulfill, listed in the sign pictured here. This could sound a little overwhelming, but trust me once you start it, it will go by fast and suddenly you will see that you finished all of the requirements by the time you graduate. Mr. Jason Markey explained that the Excellence Award is really meant to embody our vision as a school: the school always talks about its students being kind, finding their passion and commitment to excellence. “We got a committee of students and teachers together from both schools several years ago, and we decided to see what it looks like, what was a tangible way we could represent students committing to excellence, and then we came up with the seven areas of the Excellence Award.” Once new students enter Leyden, teachers communicate with them and start them as soon as possible on their Excellence Award. “I meet with all of the Freshmen when they enter Leyden, and I inform them

about the award, they can check it and track it on Home Access Center. Then, at certain times along the way we try to remind students to check it,” said Mr. Markey. It all starts with kindness, and the Excellence Award is your first step to success. You don’t have to focus on the award in order, you can work all over the categories, but make sure you finish all of them on time! Mr. Markey also said, “Working on your Excellence award, and striving to finish it makes you a good citizen and a good student in the school.” You have to dig deep into those requirements and find things that you love and are passionate about. Just enrich your life with them and commit to them! Mr. Markey also said, “One thing that Ms. Pater, the coordinator of Access, and I have worked on is that she has really adapted the EAGLES Project to kind of be a launching pad to the Excellence Award. So, all of the letters in the project align, and many of them such as good will or service count towards your hours to the Excellence

award. It’s a real great thing, and it also connects to all four years of high school, not only freshman year.” Access coordinator, Ms. Elizabeth Pater said that, “A few years ago there was a group of us that decided that it made sense to honors students who were reaching a little bit above and beyond the typical traditional high school paths, so we put together some criteria in seven categories, and we called it the Excellence Award.” That was Ms. Pater’s definition of the award. “Students can start it the moment they enter Leyden. They don’t necessarily have to be here all four years, but we start it at the freshman level in the Access program with the Eagles project. But even if you transferred here after that you can still complete the Excellence Award.” “There are some qualifications that make more sense when you are younger, some that make more sense when you are older, but any student can finish their Excellence Award,” said Ms. Pater. The

way you can get to track your Excellence Award status is when you actually log into Home Access center, there is a button that says “School Links” and then you click on it and then it will take you to the page with the links, and you scroll down until you see “Excellence Award” in the seventh line, then you click on it and it will take you to the page where you can see all the requirements that you met and it will have a green box beside it written “Goal Met” inside of it. Ms. Pater also said that, “We had students, teachers, and administrators and we pieced together what we wanted like a wish list for students who are leaving our high school, so we were looking for things that would give our students a well rounded experience in high school and that’s where the seven categories came up. So, it’s definitely something that everyone can achieve.”

Math and Writing Center focused on help

(photos by Nataliya Grygorash)

Nataliya Grygorash ou need help with math or writing, but you don’t know where to get that help from? Why won’t you try the Math and Writing Center? There you will get help from people who were specifically hired to assist you with either, well math or writing. The Math and Writing Centers were created to help students with their homework, quizzes, tests, and essays. Many students go there to get help from the teachers. Dr. Paula DiDomenico, English and developmental reading teacher, said, “We are there to support the students with their work.” You can go before school, during your study hall, after school, or during lunch. Anyone can just walk in, but if you want to make sure that you will have one on one time with a specific coach that will help only you, and not other students, you need to make an appointment on the Leyden page. The centers are open from 7 a.m. to 4 pm. You can stay after or before school to get extra help from whichever center that you are interested in. But don’t forget to sign up for them if you want one-on-one lesson. Stephanie Ochoa, a senior from East Leyden, said that she found the Math and

Writing Centers very helpful. “People there understand you, and they give their 100 percent focus to work with you,” she said. They helped her pass a lot of her quizzes on APACS and her homework. Stephanie said that she was struggling a lot with math throughout the years. She found the centers to be very helpful, they were always there to help her. Stephanie also said, “Freshmen should use it because they will help you as much as they can. Get comfortable with them. They are nice people.” If you don’t know where to go to sign up, you need to go to leyden212.org, students, then scroll down to Math and Writing Center and select your campus, either East or West. Everyone already has an account, so no need to worry about making one. Freshman, you can go during Access and you can ask your advisor or mentor to help you setting up an appointment, or you can go on Red Pass Days, Wednesdays, during Access. You should let your advisor know about it, send them an email or tell them before you leave to go to one of the centers. If you want to go during your silent study, then you need to sign up for it because you will get in trouble with your teacher. They don’t know where you went, so security and deans will go and look for you.

In Focus

The Eagle’s Eye

H o u s e s o f

Dungeon of Doom nt room e l l e c x e s, ” f startle ter make-up. o s t o l , c un d chara nt on Yelp “very f n a s p o pr comme m design, o o D f on o -Dunge

Looking for the scariest haunted house? Looking for the best haunted house? If you said yes to any of those two then Dungeon of Doom, located in Zion, Illinois, is your house. It’s one of the top rated haunted houses in Illinois, and it is also about an hour-long drive from East Leyden High School. Aside from Dungeon of Doom being the farthest haunted house, it’s also known for being the longest haunted house. The average walk-through being anywhere from 50 to 65 minutes with an additional two to three hour wait. This house is also known for its unique attraction: “Buried Dead or Alive,” Here, visitors nerves are tested in the claustrophobic scare and sensation of being buried alive. Will you join the rotting ranks of the buried dead? Test your bravery and sanity in Buried Dead or Alive! Other attractions include “Cavern’s Exit” where you are submerged into Cavern’s Exit, but beware, what looks to be your best route may lead you into a new nightmare. Keep close to those near you as the light is dim and the way out is grim inside the cavern. The general idea of Cavern’s Exit is to submerge the participants in a maze that will engulf the senses, but the catch is you lose your sense of sight with a few twists into the general maze. Cavern’s Exit offers a refreshing and unique spin on a well-known activity. Are you brave enough to walk the dark alone? Aside from the unique attractions, Dungeon of Doom is also known for intricate props and detailed rooms. Don’t take my word for it? Take it from a fellow student who’s been through the highest level of fear and returned. Senior Olivia Tomal stated, “Overall I have never been to a haunted house that generally scared me as much as Dungeon of Doom did. I liked it a lot because it’s not a haunted house where you have volunteers come in to pop out of nowhere and just scream; they honestly scare the crap out of you.” Take the challenge and see if you if have what it takes and check out Dungeon of Doom. If you don’t think that’s enough, take it from a consumer that made countless trips to numerous haunted houses. ”By far the best haunted house I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to a ton, all over the country. The haunted house is about an hour long non stop terror filled experience. The room’s sets are detailed, the actors are really good and interactive, and the staff out front was really great too,” said a user from Yelp. With Dungeon of Doom wheeling the title of Scariest Haunted House in Illinois, it is moderately priced at $25 (general admission) which allows access to all of the attractions that Dungeon of Doom has to offer. If you’re not in the mood to stand in line they do offer a VIP ticket which allows general admission as well as front of the line access for $45!I highly recommend if you’re looking for a good haunted house aside from the basic cookie cutters you stop by Dungeon of Doom. --Alex Guzman

Statesville Haunted Prison “Ev y o u en wa it sur a r e n i n g i n r o the oundin t pay line is i a -Sta ctors! gs you ng att fun b ” ca n e n t i o e c a u s Yelp tesville e if n t g et Hau o a y s ca nted re f our Pris rom on c omm ent on

e r r o r

October 2016

If you’re interested in going to a well-constructed and organized haunted house for $25, Statesville Haunted Prison is the place for you! As of now, Statesville has been open for 21 years and is named “Chicago’s #1 Haunted House for over 14 years,” so we definitely had to go for ourselves and see exactly how they keep coming back each and every year.When they first launched this haunted house they used money out of their own pockets to get everything started. The years following they have been able to use the profits from previous years to keep this haunted attraction open. Preparing for opening day of Statesville Haunted Prison is a longer process than you may think. “It’s a year round process” said Owner, Paul Siegel. Redesigning begins in January, final decisions on design plans are made in March, and rebuilding starts in April when the weather begins to get warmer. Statesville typically has the same employees returning each year although, they do hire some new people. All actors hired go through a training session and if you have no prior experience don’t worry, Siegel says that sometimes it’s better that way, “it’s easier to train somebody than it is to retrain them.” But what makes Statesville Haunted Prison so different from other haunted houses? Statesville is unique in many different ways. The main one being the more realistic theme. You can go to many different haunted houses and see zombies, monsters, and clowns, but how many are going to have the real state prison right across the street? Despite rumors you may hear, Stateville Prison and Statesville Haunted Prison are 2 different facilities. Although you may be disappointed that Statesville Haunted Prison isn’t an actual prison, to me across the street is as close as I want to get to an up and running maximum security state prison. Another reason Statesville has remained successful all these years is that it has been in the same location since the first year they opened. Year after year they have just been expanding on their current project instead of tearing down and rebuilding in new locations. Statesville began at 3,000 sq. ft. and is currently at over 20,000. But keep in mind that size isn’t everything. Although it may not be as big as other places or be as long to get through, it is organized so that with every step you take there’s something new creeping behind each turn instead of miles of just walking to get to the next scary part. If you’re drawn away by the long wait line don’t sweat it because time flies by as the actors begin their mission to make you scream as soon as you step on the premises. Plus, scared or not, you will do enough nervous sweating inside the haunted prison. Statesville Haunted Prison is located in Lockport, Illinois which is approximately 45 minutes from East Leyden High School. If you don’t mind the drive, then I think Statesville offers a great experience for only $25! Did I mention that you also get a free picture with your friends at the end? --Melanie Lopez

13th floor e yon n a d d to n g a n n e m li com a p p e a e r ould s u a l l y use.” w itely s a v i ted ho Yelp n fi “De w a n t g haun ent on o w h rtainin comm r ente h Floo -13t

Our writers and editor chose three different haunted houses to visit based on their Google ratings. Dungeon of Doom: 4.8 (rounded to 5 star category). Statesville Haunted Prison: 4.0 (4 star category). 13th Floor: 3.4 (rounded to 3 star category). Our purpose of this was to see if these Haunted Houses were worth your time and money and also if they deserved the Google ratings. It may have just been people that got too scared! Our reviews contain mainly facts about the Haunted House itself and information we received from our interviews along with some personal thoughts and opinions.

If you dare to get scared before (or even after) Halloween, don’t miss out on experiencing “the largest, most terrifying haunted house in Chicago”: 13th Floor. While most buildings don’t have a 13th floor, this building does, and the spooky atmosphere will make it feel real. According to USA Today, this 3.4 -star haunted house located in Melrose Park is “one of the best 13 haunted house attractions in the U.S.” 13th Floor consists of two parts: “Bloodlines: Legacy of Darkness” and “Dead End District: Fallout.” Both parts are included in general admission. When purchasing tickets, make sure to check the calendar on the website as the price for general admission varies depending on the date. If you’re on a time crunch or dread waiting in long lines and are willing to pay a price, there is an option to skip the line or add a fast pass to your general admission. Special events are a great way to mix up the routine and increase visitation. To wrap up the Halloween season at 13th Floor, the last two days are devoted to an event called “Blackout.” If you come on November 4th or 5th with a group, you will be given one glow stick after signing a waiver of liability. It is up to your group to find the way out in total darkness. Many people who already visited 13th Floor enjoyed their experience, complementing the detailed set. “Not complete blackness with a ton of flameless candles added to the ambience and allowed you to appreciate the sets,” Yelp reviewer Dawn B. says. Outstanding props and spooky atmosphere also helped boost the ratings for 13th Floor. Leyden senior Klaudia Rejczak says “Even just waiting in line to get into the haunted house, I had this anxious feeling creeping up on me. The actors and the environment in general did a great job in making my experience one to remember.” While the haunted house was able to maintain these unique qualities, it also helps in maintaining a positive rating. Along with the good feedback, some visitors thought this “house of terror” could’ve used some improvement. They believed the actors weren’t as efficient as they could be, and they often made predictable moves. “What would make it 5 stars is more actors outside and not so obvious places where you knew actors were going to jump out at you,” Yelp reviewer Rana T. says. Aside from the actual appearance and “feel” of the haunted house, parking seemed to be difficult and confusing for some visitors, and pricing was unusually high. “Once the haunted house was over, the experience I had wasn’t worth the price I paid,” Leyden junior Adrian Aviles states. “If the staff of 13th Floor made some minor fixes, I would consider giving it a higher rating.” Because of the various qualities of 13th Floor, judgements are made based on a person’s point of view of what is considered “scary”. But after collecting feedback from past visitors, it is fair to give 13th Floor a 3.4-star rating. --Autumn McGee

FEATURES

October 2016

Nearby shop offers fast, authentic snacks

Weronika Trzaska

roviding authentic recipes straight from Michoacan, Odiloa Olvidares has opened a new hot spot in our Leyden area this past summer: La Michoacana. The shop features traditional street food that can be found right in Michoacan, Mexico. Some popular items on the menu include mangonadas, elotes, etc. The famous “mangonada”, as explained by Olvidares, includes “mango, guava, tamarind, strawberry, or lemon sorbet with a drizzle of chamoy (Mexican spicy pickled fruit sauce), a sprinkle of chili powder, and a splash of lemon to top the sweet treat off.” (Picture top right) Many first-timers to the treat wonder if it is very spicy, but the kick of the spice is quickly chilled by the sweet, rich, and homemade sorbet. Another fan favorite contains a lot of spice: elotes.” Elotes consist of boiled corn, mayonnaise, butter, cotija cheese, and chili powder. This savory snack is served in either a cup or straight on the cob, but both ways surely satisfy late night cravings. Not every item on the menu has a kick of spice to it. La Michoacana offers a various selection of sweet, irresistible ice cream. Mega fan and frequent visitor of the hot spot, Tom Zdanowski says his favorite is the “Ferrero Rocher” ice cream. Zdanowski explains it as a “nutty, chocolate delight with bits of Ferrero Rocher.” A best seller flavor is “Oreo.” The flavorful concoction includes creamy vanilla ice cream with

chunks of Oreo for that perfect cookies n’ cream taste. Ice cream is served in either a cup, cone, waffle cone, or waffle bowl. The store also sells “paletas,” ice cream on a stick, in various flavors. La Michoacana also has traditional American items on the menu. Best known are milkshakes, frappuccinos,funnel cakes

with ice cream, banana splits, fries, and nachos. Like the authentic Michoacan items, every item on the menu is made from natural ingredients from homemade recipes. These tasty treats are offered daily from 9 am to 10 pm, right across the street from Leyden on Rose St, as a part of the strip mall. The area includes a health center, an

eye doctor’s office, Positano’s Restaurant, a barber shop, Mai-Quesi II, and La Michoacana. As a new addition to the strip mall, Olvidares really believes that his snack shop will succeed. “I chose this location because I had previously worked in Schiller Park. I was originally looking to open in the Schiller Park Plaza, but I believed in this location more because of how close it is to East Leyden High School and how welcoming the area is,” said Olvidares. He also explains that opening La Michoacana close to Leyden has opened up the opportunity to hire students part-time. Olvidares has made it a mission to serve customers delicious, authentic, and natural snacks at a low price. Prices on the menu range from $1-$6 for the tasty treats. So next time you get that little craving for traditional Mexican street food and American classics while getting the most “bang for your buck”, head on over to La Michoacana, right across the street!

Leyden gURLs Share Their Passion in Technology

Leyden Tech gURLs stop at Starbucks before their first tech workshop of the year

Nada Marei “Tech gURLs club” Did you notice the capital “URL” in gURLs? It’s not just put there for fun; it’s put to let people see how this club is very related to the tech field: URLs, websites, blogging, coding and technology. The two sponsors for Tech gURL’s club are Ms. Gorzynski, and Miss Doherty. Miss Doherty and Hilda Mendoza met with me to get a right perspective about the club. One of the Tech gURLs club sponsors, Ms. Doherty has been at Leyden for two years now, and this is her first year sponsoring the club. She attended some events with Ms. G last year, but she is really excited to take over since Ms. G is gone. “I love it; it’s so much fun to get to work with girls who are passionate about technology, and have the same interest that I do,” she said. In the club, students get to have real life experience by bringing in guest speakers such as the Women in Tech Panel and attending workshops with technology companies. Why should girls join the club? Well, Ms. Doherty said, “Girls should join the club because we are in such in need of girls who are interested in technology in the work force. You can gain that experience in high school and then bring it to the next step of your life and it will only help them.” Ms. Doherty said, “Unfortunately, boys cannot join Tech gURLs,” but the good news is that they can join any other technology clubs such as the engineering club. Other events that Ms. Doherty said they participated in just this past Saturday was Make A Difference Day. So some info for you about the club from Ms. Doherty, “We meet once a month, we try to do it on Mondays, and in there we talk about what we would be interested in doing as a club, and then I try to make that work by making you learn how to work, bringing in guest speakers, workshops, Science and Industry Museum, etc. it’s really up to the students to figure out what we want to do.”

Tech gURLs repping #leydenpride while attending a AKTA Conference

Finally, DON’T be scared to come in, everyone in the club is really nice, and if you are passionate about technology and interested in it… our club is a great place to work in and be comfortable. Senior Hilda Mendoza is a very active member of the club. She has been in the club for about three years. She joined it when she was a sophomore. “I like the club because it gives us the opportunity to look into technological fields,” Mendoza said. What she likes about the club is that, “Girls build relationships instead of just building a robot. We build this relationship, a girl to a girl to build each other up. I recommend each and every girl in East Leyden to join the club to explore different technological careers. It’s a real good opportunity to go out there and see what you like especially for girls who don’t know what to do after high school and don’t have a current career in mind,” she said. Discover new things and see what you are passionate about. “One of the events that we have done in the past that I love is the Women in Tech Panel because we get a real life experience from women who are already in the field. If I wouldn’t have joined this club, I would have never discovered my passion about technology and see that I am that interested in learning about it.” Just get outside your comfort zone, gain experience, learn new things, and go for it! So, here you go. Now you know about Tech gURLs and heard other people’s opinion on it. You have the teacher’s perspective and a student perspective. If you are passionate about Technology, a real fan of coding, visiting new places, going to workshops in companies, going to GOOGLE, AKTA downtown Chicago, and the Art and Science Museum, let me tell you this, this is the club you are looking for! Come on, join the club and see what you might look like in any of those places one day after you graduate from college. Thank you for reading my article, I hope you enjoyed and see you at the next Tech gURLs club meeting.

Arts and Entertainment

October 2016

Do, Re, Mi, Fallin’ in Tune!

Hanna Nazareno

hether you’re falling in love, falling into a pile of leaves, or falling into an addiction with pumpkin spice, chambers, choir, and jazz members were surely falling in tune this season. The IMEA, which stands for the Illinois Music Education Association, held its auditions on October 12. With auditions lasting about six hours at Carl Sandburg High School. After practicing for weeks and memorizing several musical pieces to perform for the challenging and yet rewarding experience, Leyden chambers, choir, and jazz members made Leyden proud with the majority of students passing their auditions. To top it all off, Leyden is the one and only district in Illinois to have all basses make the jazz section! Go Leyden Go! To prepare for the auditions, students had to practice the criteria needed for either jazz, regular, or chambers, on top of learning four specific scales, triads, and also practicing sight reading. Once students pass their auditions, they will have the opportunity to attend an IMEA event. During the all-day event, they will be able to learn music and participate in a concert with other students from the state. Junior Ariana Bace and senior Samantha Lopez, who both spent countless hours rehearsing

each pitch perfect note, made both the regular and jazz section of the IMEA. While the experience was undoubtedly stressful, it was all worth it for Bace who views the audition as an “enlightening experience” that tested her skills. Much like The Voice, judges had their backs turned away from the auditionees to remove any possible bias in judging. In this setting, students were indeed “so close and yet so far away” from making the IMEA. Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Bace was able to continue to pursue the “opportunity that I think is going to make a significant and positive impact on my future.” Lopez, who has starred in many musicals including last year’s “High School Musical” and has been a member of chambers since her sophomore year, says that while she wasn’t “feeling confident, I didn’t realize how prepared I was for the audition.” According to Lopez, her first two years of IMEA auditions were difficult because “I used to be so nervous and I would overthink the whole thing,” but this year, Lopez was able to “remain calm and focus on doing my best instead of letting my nerves get in the way of doing well.” While most of the students that auditioned are able to play several instruments, have a wide range of knowledge in the musical world, and are beyond talented,

Leyden Choir Students practicing for the IMEA’s the IMEA’s weren’t necessarily looking to measure each student’s amount of talent. According to Bace, “It’s not always about talent.” While being a talented student is impressive, Bace reveals that “the most significant aspect they consider is how well can you learn new music in a short amount of time, how well do you know the music you prepared, and how well can you articulate

dynamics in the music.” Because of the competitiveness and the overall difficulty of the IMEA auditions, Lopez advises those who didn’t make it that it doesn’t mean “you’re not good enough” and that “it doesn’t take anything away from you as a person either.”

Rosemont residents, Leyden students featured in mural project over break

Weronika Trzaska hen it comes to the first day of each school year, most teachers let the students share how they spent their summer. Some popular answers and stories include traveling, tanning, swimming, sleeping, working, and binge watching Netflix all day. Although working in the summer may sometimes be a bummer, Angelica Urbina. Adeline Bieniarz, and Sofia Soto got the chance to work on something unique during their time off from school. As school came to an end in May, residents of Rosemont (Urbina, Bieniarz, and Soto) got notified of the opportunity to work with professional graffiti/mural artist, Rahmaan Barnes, to design and paint a mural for the William Street parking garage, located in between the Rosemont Convention Center and MB Financial Park. “I first heard about the opportunity from my sister, who works at the Rosemont Recreation Center, since she gets notified about everything happening in Rosemont,” said Urbina. Similarly, Bieniarz stated, “My par

ents, who work in town, let me know about the opportunity.” In order to be involved, an application was required about one’s previous background in art. After a handful of applications were submitted, Urbina, Bieniarz, and Soto were three of the chosen artists for the project. Shortly after they were chosen, the girls needed to be trained and started to come up with the design of the mural. “We worked about five hours a day, Tuesday through Thursday,” said Bieniarz. After two weeks of five-hour work days, the design for the mural was finally chosen. Urbina and Bieniarz described it as a “famous paintings mural with a Rosemont flair.” A part of the mural includes the Mona Lisa, with a background featuring the Rosemont Water Tower. Another, featuring Picasso’s “Dora Maar” with Rosemont roses located on the side.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

October 2016

A Season of Streaming Joe Graf

With cold weather creeping around the corner, binge-watching may become one of your daily activities. Luckily, this year has produced a lot of great shows that you can catch up on. When looking through Netflix or any other tv streaming service, try to keep an eye out for these titles, which promise to keep your winter to-watch list full. One of my favorite shows that has just released is Atlanta. Atlanta follows the lives of an upcoming, one-hit rapper and his cousin/ manager. Although it is considered a comedy it does drop a lot of references to real problems. When the show debuted it surprised a lot of critics and almost all of them were pleased. Watching the very strange trailer it leaves you very curious as to what the show is about. When I first saw the trailers I didn’t really know what to expect when watching. One of the main reasons I wanted to watch the show was because of the lead actor, Donald Glover. I am a big fan of Donald and all of his work in music, comedy, and television. Although he isn’t usually put into the big roles, he really puts on a great performance. Not only does he take the lead role, he also created the show. If you are looking for a funny show, Atlanta may be the show for

Olivia Soto

he temperature is dropping, the leaves are falling, and so are couples falling in love. This fall is all about spending quality time with family, friends, and your significant other. Need a date idea for this fall? How about a Pumpkin Patch date! Football game? Or even a night in of cuddles and scary movies. Make a day of it during the weekend to go do a festive fall activity and spend some quality time together at Northwest Indiana County Line Orchard. You can start the day at the patch- ride the hayride, go through the corn maze, and pick a variety of apples in its orchard. The beautiful orchard offers 40 acres of U- pick apples ranging from Granny Smith to the delicious Honeycrisp apples. This is the perfect place to go with your significant other, family and friends! This is especially great to go with a partner because of the lovely picturesque scenery. Not only can you go apple picking, but you can also pick pumpkins of different shapes and sizes. It’s much more fun than picking one out at the grocery store. Take a pumpkin or two home, and have a friendly carving contest with friends. If patches aren’t your thing,

you. It has a very subtle type of comedy and you really have to pay attention to what is happening. It may not seem like the story is continuing from the previous episode but things still come up from the pilot. If you are looking for an action/drama, Power is the perfect show for you. Power follows a nightclub owner in New York that gets mixed in with some illegal activities. When his family starts to get involved, he questions his actions and tries to back away. With no option of leaving, it leaves him with only a few bad options. Although the show is an hour long and can drag a bit, it really knows how to keep you hooked. The

episodes tend to leave you waiting restlessly for the next episode. The show always pulls in on events all the way from season one. As of now, the show just ended its third season, and I don’t see any sign of an end any time soon. Power does a very good job in character development. The characters seem to always be changing for the better of themselves. In the first season, one of the characters was involved purely to help his friend and now he is changed to one of the kingpins of New York. In my opinion, Power is the best drama/action show as of right now. It always keeps you interested and on the edge of your seat. Just

when you think things are settling down, something huge will happen as the episode ends. It may take some time to hook you in, but once it does, you won’t be able to stop watching it Another good drama is Chicago Fire. It follows a fire department and their daily actions. Although the emergencies seem to be a little far-fetched, it does seem to keep you interested. Even when they aren’t fighting fires, it manages keep you hooked with the individual actions of the fire fighters. The show does a very good job on focusing on individual characters. Every couple episodes it seems to focus on the events of a different character. The show never seems repetitive because the emergencies are always so crazy that it can change the entire department. The show sometimes intertwines with Chicago P.D. so it may be a good idea to know what’s going on there. The show still makes perfect sense without knowing Chicago P.D. but it can help. Even if you aren’t interested in these shows at the moment, you should definitely keep them on the list to watch. All of these shows are very interesting and will keep you hooked till the end.

Fall in Love take a hike through a trail or take a stroll downtown. Nothing is more beautiful than the crisp air, vibrant leaves, and sunlight hitting the lakeshore. Walk through Millennium Park, visit the Bean and make sure to take lots of photos to capture the fall moment. Feeling hungry and up for an adventure? Make it a food crawl and choose a food item that you and your friend both love and make a pact to try it in various restaurants through-

out your town. Options are endless in the fall, but definitely hit up one of the best donuts, hot chocolate or ice cream places you can find in the city. A recommendation to step out of the pumpkin spice latte, (sorry guys), is Mindy’s Hot Chocolate. Split a delicious hot chocolate with a special friend, trust me it’ll be enough for two. Not so excited about the chilly cold front coming in? Grab a blanket, some friends, and get the

popcorn poppin for a good movie. Senior Paulina Cylwik said, “I love buying a pumpkin spice latte and and cozying up in my home theater to watch a Disney Halloween movie.” Kick it up a notch on the fear factor and watch some of the classic horror movies, The Exorcist, Scream, and of course, Halloween. With much anticipation this fall, don’t miss out on any of these festive activities with friends, family, and that special someone.

SPORTS

October 2016

Life of a Student Athlete

Victoria Valentin

aving a busy AP schedule during school, going to practice after school, and expecting to play at the end of the week is the difficult schedule for student athletes. Whether that may be a sport within the school or outside the school, keeping busy is something that’s part of the norm. Varsity Softball Coach Mr. Kurt Schuett talked about what makes that difficult schedule worth it: “The development of sportsmanship, the importance of being a well-rounded student, the adherence to timemanagement strategies, and the fostering of meaningful friendships and memories both

on and off the field.” Varsity Football Player Taylor Morioka explained what it’s like to live that schedule, clarifying how athletes manage to do well in school especially having AP classes. “All those students that don’t play sports get to go straight home, but I have to go to practice and learn time management,” Morioka said. These athletes have a lot more than what a normal student may have on their plate. But with that comes many benefits along with it and learning new life lessons. Schuett remembered his own days as a student athlete and how they taught him “the importance of loyalty to one’s team and persistence towards achieving team goals.”

One way or the other they are expected to get the job done. “They have an hour before practice and the morning to go see teachers,” Varsity Football Coach Mr. Tom Cerasani. The practice time that they are given is never an option. Any time these players are in danger of failing a class they not only have to deal with the academic consequences but physical as well. “I’ll usually make them do a little more conditioning to be sure it doesn’t happen again,” Cerasani said, naming updowns, 1-legged bear crawls, and barrel rolls as the extra workouts that greet football players who aren’t making it in the classroom. Some argue that athletes get a free pass in class or the benefit of the doubt when

it comes to late assignments and missing work because they have such a busy schedule. “If anything I expect more out of the athletes,” said Varsity Football Coach Mr. Tom Cerasani, adding, “I see my athletes as leaders in our school.” Schuett explained, “Athletics and activities are never an excuse to postpone or dilute schoolwork; academics and learning must always come first.” All these expectations may cause people to ask why student athletes put themselves through the daily struggle. But what makes them stand out is their commitment to time-management, organization, loyalty, and leadership.

Pitcher’s death should focus athletes on good choices

Photo taken by Arturo Pardavila III

Jodi DuBrock

lorida Marlins pitcher, Jose Fernandez, suffered a tragic death early in the morning on September 25 in Miami, Florida. He was twenty-four years old. He had migrated to Mexico from Cuba when he was 15 years-old, on his fourth attempt trying to travel out of Cuba. Family was extremely important to Fernandez, especially his grandmother who was still back in Cuba. Fernandez said that his grandmother (whom he referred to as a baseball freak) was his inspiration for playing baseball. Days before the

accident, he had announced his girlfriend’s pregnancy and his excitement about the beginning of his own family. In his 2013 season as one of the Marlins pitchers, his career and skill level were only increasing from his start. In the first year he was named Rookie of the Year because of his incredible stats of strikeouts and a couple of clutch hits. His 2014 and 2015 schedule took a downfall when he was injured during both seasons. His return was exciting for the current season for the Marlins. He returned with his incredible ability and was chosen to be apart of the 2016 MLB All-Star game. It only took one day for all of his hard work to be thrown out of the door. Fernandez and a couple of his friends (Eddy Rivero and Emilio Macias) were seen at a bar before they decided to go out boating at 3 a.m. A teammate warned Fernandez that this is probably not the best idea, but he did it anyway. So Fernandez, Rivero, and Macias went out on a speedboat in Miami, Florida extremely early in the morning. The sun hadn’t risen yet, so it was dark outside. At the speed they were going, along with how dark it was outside, the boat crashed. The US Coast Guard found the boat flipped upside down on a jetty near South Pointe Park. Jose Fernandez was proven not to be the driver of the boat, but he died from the impact of the crash. This is a lesson learned for every athlete who heard about his story. He had worked so hard for his baseball career, and now he’s gone. He lived a life of struggle trying to come here to be a professional baseball player and had overcome all odds. But he only enjoyed a short life of the success he had earned. One Leyden Varsity Baseball player said,“It just showed me that you shouldn’t take any practice, game, or workout for granted because you could lose all of that in just one night.” Even if you’re not aiming for the pros, being an athlete involves working extremely hard at everything you do. Fernandez’s death itself may not affect the way high school students here at Leyden live their lives, BUT the way he died, the carelessness of his decision on driving the boat could relate to anyone here at Leyden. One mistake could lead to a poor decision that could be life threatening. While Fernandez’s family, all his fans, and especially his teammates celebrate his life, it’s worth remembering that his loss could have been prevented.

Cubs Curse Broken!

SPORTS

October 2016

Jodi DuBrock

efore I go on about the Chicago Cubs and the outcome of their season, I would like to inform you that the due date for this newspaper is before the beginning of the World Series, so we do not know what happened yet! I’m obviously extremely excited and anxious, and we can’t know what will happen. But no matter the outcome, the fact

that the Cubs are in the series means one thing: the curse of the Cubs is over. Real Cubs fans no what it means to be poised for a championship. We Cubs fan have fallen into a habit of saying “Next Year,” which usually means a year with little likelihood of actual Cubs success. It has been a very long time since the Cubs have seen a good record, and some people would say that it was because of a goat that was brought to Game 4 of the

World Series in 1945, the last time the Cubs saw the World Series. The Cubs were facing the Detroit Tigers when Billy Sianis bought two tickets: one for him and one for his pet goat Murphy. Once the Cubs owner forbade Murphy into the game, Billy raised his hands and shouted that the Cubs will never win another World Series. This was the start of a long and dreadful slump for the Cubs. Not only did they never go to the World Series again, but their fans began to feel it was actually never going to happen. And up until the 2015 season, the rebuilding process led to some terrible records. Then, in the 2015 season, the Cubs unexpectedly showed a 97-65 record (third best in the majors.) Although they lost in the second series, Cubs fans were more confidently saying “Next Year.” This season has blown by, the Cubs ended up finishing with a record of 103-58 (first place.) And then they were winning in the playoffs, defeating the Giants and the Dodgers for the national league post season crown. So what if they don’t win the whole thing? I am a die-hard Cubs fan, and I am ecstatic that the Cubs are where they are. If they were to win the World Series, I would be even happier, BUT we made it to the World Series. We did what everyone-or at least one curse-wielding goat lover-said we couldn’t. And that makes me excited. Although winning a World Series would mean a lot, I do believe that this isn’t our only year. Because of the amazing stats and the 5 out of 9 players the Cubs had on the 2016 MLB All-star starting lineup, I believe our roster is so stacked that we will be apart of the post season teams for many “next years” to come.

Wrestlers ready for season with new coach W Jaime Nazario

ith October almost in the books, and November coming in hot, Leyden winter sports are preparing for another season. And with the exit of former Leyden science teacher and head wrestling coach Michael Fumagalli, wrestling preparation means meeting a new head coach. Enter John Kading. The incoming Leyden Algebra and Consumer Education teacher has stepped in and vowed to exceed the expectations of all the student wrestlers. Kading described the transition as “easy.” He said, “I’m really happy with the student athletes.” “I have been able to meet with the team and we’re having a few open mats,” Kading said. “The first official day of practice is on November 1, and I’m already really impressed with the student leadership that has been demonstrated.” Kading was then asked about standouts whom he has met with. “I’m really looking forward to work with [Shane Dziadosz] and see how he does, get my hands on him every day of the week, and see how he works this senior campaign,” Kading said. Wrestler Daniel Payan gave his outlook on the new coach: “I think it’ll be very beneficial to the whole team. Coach Kading is very experienced in wrestling, and I’m sure he’ll bring this program to what it once was.” Payan also spoke about his 2015-2016 season and how to him, Kading will push him even harder to get better. He then expressed excitement as he spoke about his opinion on this upcoming season under new management. “I feel like

I’ll be getting a lot better. Coach Kading wrestled in the same class as I did, and he won a national championship in college, so his method must work. So I feel like he can drive me to be that much better.” Dziadosz also seemed pretty excited about Kading joining the Leyden community. “I know he is the best man for the job, and he really knows what he is doing.” Shane has been a wrestler since he was 8 years old, and walking into his senior year wrestling

season in high school means a lot to Dziadosz. “Now, we have one of the best coaches in the state” said Dziadosz. “I feel ready and ready to accomplish my set goals.” With all this in mind, Leyden has a very bright wrestling season set before them. A new coach, incoming former JV talent, and returning Varsity stars are all ready to go. Best of luck to the Eagle wrestlers!

Senior Night: Parent View Ruth Merlos

Senior night is a day for the oldest athletes in the varsity team to celebrate their last home game, meet or match. It then makes the day different because it’s not like any other game/ match/meet. It is an emotional event where all of the seniors are thanked and celebrated for their dedication to the team for the past years. Everybody puts in work for this day from team mates, manager, and parents.“[They] prepare everything for that night … even though the athletes know the day is coming they expect their family and friends to be there” and make it a special day. This makes the athletes anxious to see what they have prepared for them. Though this day will not only be enjoyed by the athlete but also by the parents because they will watch their kids perform for the last time at Leyden. The school spirit is awoken for this day especially. Everybody gets excited, the student section, the parents and even the other team. Javier Andrade, felt “excited” knowing that senior night was coming for his only son, Jason Andrade (Leyden Varsity Goalkeeper). Mr. Andrade appreciates there being a senior night, but he believes that senior night shouldn’t be just a night to “award the students who are playing but also the parents [like him] that have supported their kids since the beginning.” His son has been in the Leyden soccer program since freshman year and since freshman year his dad has supported him and attended most of the games. Although he would like “parents to get recognized [with their son/daughter] on the field” in this case. Overall, in the place the athlete will participate. Mr. Andrade still feels excited for senior night because “not only is it going to award the [athlete] but also the parent who has been supporting the player.” Even if it isn’t in a special matter just being there seeing their kids perform is an award to him. Mr. Andrade like many parents when it comes to senior night, they get very nostalgic. “It makes me sad because we feel like it’s the end for our kids playing for Leyden, and I have been spending so much [time] with them.” He has seen his son progress as many parents can probably relate. Mr. Andrade believes that not all the parents are involved as they should be. He thinks that “everybody should be involved not just the students.” Because he feels that senior night should be special for everybody so the more people involved the more special the day becomes.