MHS Crier issue 8: 2.16.18

Munster High School | 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321

5:40 p.m.

Crier

issue 8 | volume 52 | feb. 16, 2018

INSIDE LOOK Fortnite Reviews | page 5 Battle of the Bands | page 6-7 Turnabout Court | page 8

UPCOMING Pep Rally 1:45| today Turnabout Dance 7 p.m.| tomorrow School resumes| monday

5:58 p.m.

10:54 a.m.

ENTER HERE The school’s close circuit tv monitor showing who is at the front of the school buzzing in.

6:31 p.m.

WORKING LATE (top) Making a mousetrap vehicle, Allan Mella, junior, stays after school for Science Olympiad. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (bottom) Practicing their DECA presentation, Max Marich, freshman, and his coach after school in the hall.

5:42 p.m.

Safe

Story by Alyssa Bass Section Editor

T

he first happened just three days into 2018 at East Olive Elementary School in St. Johns, Michigan. All together there have been 18 school shootings in the past 45 days. On Wednesday, a school shooter shot and killed 17 people in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“We try to lock the building down at a certain time, like 4 o’clock, ” Mr. Mike Wells, Principal, said. “After the Media Center closes, at 3:45, we had the custodians locking various parts of the building down so it seals off people to a certain area. We have to have kids out of the building who aren’t being supervised, that’s why certain parts of the building are being sealed off.”

Some students agree with the policy but also see it as something that might create problems during their after-school activities.

“Honestly, I think locking the doors after school is better to be safe than sorry, however to me it’s a nuisance,” Kali Konstantinopoulos, senior and Science Olympiad member, said. “There have been multiple times where I

10:28 a.m.

not sorry

leave, but the doors are locked or the gates are down and I have to have someone come to the doors and unlock them.”

To ensure the security of the school, doors are locked at 2:55 p.m. to keep people from entering certain areas of the school.

“If anybody comes from the other doors and I don’t recognize them, and they don’t have a backpack, I ask if I can help them, and I make them come to the front door,” Mrs. Lisa Wilson, Main Office Receptionist and Secretary, said.

“I’m really nervous someone will get into the school, and me being the gatekeeper for Munster High, it’s my responsibility. It’s always in the back of my mind thinking ‘is this the day something bizarre happens?’ But, I won’t let anyone past this office without going through drivers licenses and making sure they’re okay to be here.”

Another safety measure the school takes are it’s procedures for students coming late or leaving early.

“If you really wanted to crack down on security, you could have metal detectors and an abundance of officers here,” Gabe Isenblatter, Resource Officer, said. “Things are still going to get in no matter how good your security is.

Parents are constantly dropping off bookbags and food is being delivered.”

If anyone comes late during the school day, they should go through the Main Office and they have to check in at Attendance in Student Services. Visitors must enter through Door A, the main entrance, and turn in their BUZZED IN (left) To get into the school Mrs. Lisa Wilson, buzzes someone through the doors. FIRM SHAKE (top right) Staying late after school, Sam Barazza and Alaina Lany, juniors, practice role plays at DECA. SPEAKING FREELY (bottom right) With their original performance, Kalie Miles, senior, and James Sroge, junior, discuss it with Mr. Kenneth O’Drobinak, speech coach.

OVERTIME (top) Preparing for DECA State, Chelsea Okolocha, senior, takes a practice test. PICK UP (bottom) With many students’ ordering Jimmy Johns for lunch, Mrs. Lisa Wilson checks it all in for students to pick it up.

10:58 a.m.

School security, during and after class time, assessed in the wake of recent school shootings driver’s licenses to be run through a data raptor system, which flags sexual predators and alerts staff on campus, according to Mr. Morgan Nolan, Assistant Principal.

“It’s not really stricter policies, it’s more examining what we do and how we can do things better to improve the safety within the school,” Mr. Wells said. “We have the doors open, for practices and things like that, so at a certain time, we lock the doors so nobody can enter in. We are always looking at what we are doing as a school, and how we can make it safer.”

Additional reporting by Ian S. Brundige and Alex Kojich

See what athletes do after 2:55 p.m. on page 9

5:48 p.m.

photos by Easan Venkat, Melanie Powers, and Megan Szymanski

5:44 p.m.

02 news feb. 16, 2018

Sidenote Speaking all

Science Olympiad

When: Feb. 24 Where: Whiting High School

over the map

Speech travels to Harvard University for national tournament

Story by Erianna Sims Section Editor

photo by Lilia Brunetti

The speech team travels to Illinois for the majority of their competitions, but some members of the team have been able to experience speech in a different state.

FOCUSED IN Science Olympiad members Anya Fitzpatrick and Caroline Chael, sophomores, discuss material together at practice.

Apple Valley High School Apple Valley, Minnesota

Last Saturday Science Olympiad Regionals was cancelled due to snow.

“Regionals is tentatively scheduled to be made up the next weekend, which is Feb. 24. My understanding is we would do the same thing that was planned for last Saturday which was cancelled but up at Whiting High School,” Mr. Keith Koszut, Science Olympiad Coach and science teacher said.

Regionals was not the only competition of the team’s schedule. Tonight the team travels to University of Michigan for the first invitational, practice tournament. While the invite is not a qualifier it is more competitive than Regionals, according to Mr. Koszut.

Tournament: Minneapple Speech Tournament Quote: “I would have to say Minnesota...I got to see a lot of people from different states, and how they do their speech in different ways. It was also fun because you get to grow closer with the team as well.”

Nationals 2017 Birmingham, Alabama

Tournament: Harvard National Forensics Tournament “I’ve gone to Boston, Minneapolis, and Alabama in the past for Speech and Debate tournaments. I love attending these tournaments because each state has their own style of speech, and these national invitationals really provide an idea of what competition I will be facing at Nationals in June.”

—Tara Layous, senior

Harvard University Boston, Massachussetts

—Trinitee Hassan, sophomore

Tournament: Harvard National Forensics Tournament Quote: “Specifically at the Harvard competition in Boston, a national circuit competition, which means the top performers from all over the nation come to one place and compete together, it was eye-opening to see all the amazing competition. It really put into perspective how much I could grow as a speech person if I put my work into it.”

Scholarships

—Silvia Lombardo, senior

Who: Kevin Peddi What: Lilly Endowment Scholarship Across Indiana, 143 students are awarded the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship by Lilly Endowment Inc. This year, Kevin Peddi, senior, was one of the 143 students chosen from across Indiana. The scholarship fully covers four years of tuition at any Indiana college or university and includes a book stipend.

“I was honestly lost for words at first,” Kevin said. “Right after that, I was just really excited because I knew what it would mean for my future. I plan to attend Indiana University Bloomington and Kelley (School of Business), so the scholarship would go towards that and obviously it would help me out.”

Nationals 2018 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Tournament: National Speech and Debate Tournament Quote: “Speech has given me the opportunity to travel to so many places throughout the country, and I wouldn’t change anything for the world.” photo illustration by Robert Young

Winter wonderband Story by Adam Klaich Page Editor

Corrections

In issue 7 of Crier, in the story “We run with Pacheco” on page 2, Michael Eddington’s name was misspelled.

On page 3, in “Playing for gold,” it was incorrectly stated that it was the first year MHS hosted ISSMA, and the wind and string ensemble performed as well. In addition on page 3, Luciano Medina’s quote should have read: “Players either play short solos on their instruments and they practice and go over it and play in front of people who are experienced in music.” Staff member Robert Young was missing from the masthead on page 4. On page 9, in the story “Winternational,” PyeongChang was misspelled. On page 12 Taneigh Boyd’s quote should have read “Michelle Obama because of her background and what she stands for.” Crier regrets these errors.

—Noel Fary, sophomore

After the regular band season when some instruments are put away and the early mornings filled with metronome clicks stop, another band plays their music loud and proud: Winter Percussion. The program started three years ago and consists of 20-30 members. According to Henry Sklar, sophomore, the band has found a good amount of success through the short life it has lived so far.

Winter Percussion has more differences to band other that the season it’s in and the name. Winter Percussion members aren’t expected to move around and different instruments like saxophones, clarinets and xylophones.

Chloe Moffet, senior, enjoys how close the band brings its members together.

“Even the kids who aren’t percus-

sionists can still join it,” Chloe said.

“They just don’t have as difficult of a part.”

Each piece of music is tailored to fit a certain musician and their skill set.

A variety of people and grades take part in the band with even a couple students from the middle school.

The season lasts until the beginning of April and the group practices two to three times a week. The band also frequently competes in competitions.

“Competition season starts in March,” Henry said, “We usually have two or three before state prelims and if we do well in that we qualify for state finals.”

The band is expected to perform a show, which is a series of three movements critiqued by judges.

“Usually our shows have a theme, like last year’s was called Olympus and it was about Greek gods, Luciano Medina, senior said.

Winter percussion prepares for upcoming season, discusses what they do Winter percussion is lead by Mr. Patrick Speranza. “He comes in after school two or three days out of the week and helps us learn the music and orchestrate everything.” The band usually meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays and last for two hours.

Medina is a veteran and marimba player in the band, and recently broke his hand in a bowling incident, but said his injury has no affect on his music.

“As of right now, I play with one hand and I teach a little bit and orchestrate rehearsals. It’s cool and I have a good time,” Luciano said.

Henry thinks the band has is going to have a good season this year due to their second place finish last year and third place finish the year before.

The band expects to go to state a third time, but until then, their first public show is on March 5 in the auditorium.

news 03 feb. 16, 2018

Life on a deadline

Yearbook delivery in spring for first time Story by Joseph Bermudez Section Chief After hours of work—photographing, reporting, designing and name checking—Paragon inches closer to finishing the yearbook.

For the first time in Paragon’s 53 years of existence, students will receive their yearbook in May, as opposed to the beginning of next school year.

“We started about two or three months early because we decided it was much more exciting for students to get their yearbooks before the end of the year instead of waiting until August,” Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman, publications adviser, said. “In August, we really felt like when the new school year is starting, it’s not as exciting to think about last year.”

For the first 52 years, the yearbook staff was determined to fit every event that occurred during the school year into the published book. To do this, they had finish the entire book by June 10 to be ready for the August delivery.

But this year, instead of having until June to work on the yearbook, the staff needed to finish the planning process earlier than usual if they

were going to meet their now final deadline of Feb. 26. “(Before), we had a lot more time in the beginning of the year to plan our theme, what we wanted in our book and stuff like that,” Micala Boyd, senior and Paragon Editor-in-Chief said. “But this year we had to start earlier because we had less time to finish at the end of the year. It’s made us more efficient; we have to make decisions quicker. It also leaves less time for procrastination so we can get photo by Robert Young our stuff done in time.”

ON TASK During yearbook class, Catie Gilhooly, junior, looks through photos to put on the spread With the spring de- she is working on. “It’s more fun to have the deadline in May because as kids we always got our livery, in order to be yearbooks at the end of the year and we would all sign them together,” Catie said. “One of my favorite memories in elementary school was signing yearbooks, so it’ll be cool to go back to that.” delivered at the end of the school year, the book must be completed at This permanent change will not only allow the the end of February, meaning the spring sports, students to reflect on their past year before the Prom and other various end-of-the-year events next school year starts, but will also take care of will not be in the bound book. However, there is a any potentially unclaimed books. solution.

“This is going to be really good for our inventory “To make sure we’re not forgetting spring sports because this is an incentive for people to actualand Prom and all that happens at the end of the ly buy their books because nobody wants to wait year, we’re going to publish a magazine that will until fall to buy their books,” Micala said. “Also, in get placed into the back of your yearbook so that years past, we’ve had big issues with graduated you will have all that happens in the spring. That seniors not coming back and get their books so will come in August and will be (part of the cost of we would have dozens of extra books sitting on the book),” Ms. Lanman said. shelves and that’s a lot of money.”

Teachers of

tomorrow

Indiana Department of Education announces two new websites; MHS experiences Indiana teaching shortage

single influence (that led me to want to teach) but I have always identified Managing Editor with math, and I have always liked helping others with math.”

In November, State Superintendent According to George, deciding to Jennifer McCormick announced her pursue teaching was not an easy list of priorities for 2018. At the top choice to make. of the list: Indiana’s growing teacher “The first time I mentioned that (I shortage. wanted to pursue teaching) to Mrs. On Jan. 24, the Indiana Depart- (Katie) Harris, (math teacher), the ment of Education announced its first thing she said to me was ‘Be plan to retain and attract teachers. prepared to not have a lot of physOne importical things ant element in your life, of the plan is or find a rich the introducwife or sometion of two new of Indiana teachers said they thing’,” George websites, Edu- wanted to leave teaching as soon as said. “Money cateIN.org and is something possible, in a 2012 survey.

Indiana.Teachthat crosses e r s - Te a c h e r s . Last year, my mind a com, designed to Indiana lot and that is help inform stuwhy I have a had first year teachers. dents that may backup plan. It want to become The average annual starting is unfortunate teachers. George salary for Indiana that in this Babus, senior, teachers is country, pardollars. is one such stuticularly this dent. source: CNN.com EducateIN.com state, teachers “For a long are undervaltime I thought I had to become an ued. If you are becoming a teacher engineer if I liked math, that was though, you are not exactly doing it the only outlet for me,” George said. for the paycheck, anyways.”

“I began to realize, that as problems Unlike George, many students become more practical, they also be- who may have a passion for teachcome less fun. It is hard to cite one ing are discouraged from pursuing

Story by Mimi Brody

By the numbers

7.9%

4,252

32,730

it because of the hard work and low ground up, MHS is considering impay, which has led to a teacher short- plementing an education internship age, especially in Indiana. According opportunity for students according to Ms. Nicole Storck, science teacher, to Mr. Mike Wells, Principal.

Indiana’s severe shortage is due to “There is one program we have state legislation, and the addition of been looking at, it is like a cadette a website will not be a very effective teaching program,” Mr. Wells said. remedy.

“We can do a capstone project where “I don’t think a webstudents interested in site would encourage going into education me to pursue teach- As of yesterday, Indiana can go to elementaing because of what needs... ry schools and help I know now about the teachers in those Business teaching—about all classrooms as well.”

5 the hoops and red teachers The School Board tape that you need has also taken steps to jump through, and 27 Foreign language to attract more teachhow a lot of what I ers to the district. Anteachers do in class is dicother area of focus is tated by people who attracting more substi41 Math have never been in tutes well as more subs, teachers a classroom before,” as there has also been Ms. Storck said. “A a substitute teacher Technology 11 lot of it (the shortage) shortage. teachers is due to that (state “We go to recruitlegislation), but also ing fairs, like teachScience the overall reputation er recruitment fairs, 27 teachers of being a teacher, where we interview how we are to blame teaching candidates Special education for all things wrong to try to attract them 71 in society. Students here to MHS,” Mr. teachers think I am out to get source: EducateIN.com; doe.in.gov Wells said. “We have them, that I assign this had a shortage in subs, homework because I just want to tor- but the School Board has approved a ture them.” pay increase to be competitive with Not immune from the effects of other school districts so we can inthe shortage, MHS has had diffi- crease our sub pool.” culty finding teachers to fill certain Although the shortage presents positions, according to Mr. Steven schools all across Indiana with Tripenfeldas, Assistant Superinten- challenges, Ms. Storck believes that dent of Human Resources. changes in how teaching is viewed “The biggest place where we felt it has the potential to solve this prob(the shortage) is in secondary math lem and that these changes will and CTE (Career and Technical Ed- come in time. ucation) courses like business,” Mr. “I think it (value placed on teachTripenfeldas said. “We were having ing) is cyclical,” Ms. Storck said. a hard time trying to fill those spe- “There will be a period of time where cialty positions because there aren’t education is important and you need many of them to begin with.” to support your teachers, it will go To counter the shortage from the back and forth.”

Filling in

04 speakout feb. 16, 2018

More than a movement

Story by Carey Scott People Editor

BACK FROM THE DEAD The ghosts of your digital past can always come back to haunt you even if you think that they are long gone. Just because you posted something years ago doesn’t mean it isn’t lurking in the shadows, just waiting to ruin your life. cartoon by Rachel Lyons

Editorial

Skeleton in the closet The world of social media has increasingly began to feel like the dark second half of an episode of “Black Mirror.” At first, the decision to “post or not to post” was a trivial matter. But as the digital world has developed, the decisions we online make are increasingly consequential offline.

Recently, public figures like actor Kian Lawley or Amena Khan, the Hijab-wearing Pantene model, have been haunted by Think about tweets and videos from their your posts on past costing them jobs.

While these individuals social media; are under more scrutiny bethey can and cause of their social standwill catch up ing there is nothing stopping to you. future employers from leveraging posts on ordinary high schoolers social media feeds.

Social media was originally popularized as a way to catalog user’s entire lives. Sharing whatever you were doing or thinking with close friends and family was the primary function of early apps like Facebook.

But today any idea of privacy is gone and teens need to adapt.

Today, social media is more public than ever,

Our take

even with the popularity of 24-hour story features on most social media platforms. Although users maybe interested in temporary sharing they must realize that just because your story only lasts for 24 hours the consequences can last a lifetime.

Yes, teens are silly and make mistakes and those mistakes should not be able to follow them for their entire live.

But while it is not alway valid to judge individuals based on their statements or actions from five years ago, it is a reality of today’s society.

When you post a Snapchat of you vaping in class or drinking at party the consequences will catch up with you, whether its by the end of eighth hour or when you are going to apply for a job.

More and more we are seeing news stories about Tweets from the past ruining public figures careers. Too often social media users fail to pay attention to the tracks they leave behind.

And now, more than ever, those digital footprints we leave in our wake, are being dug up and spread across headlines.

Making a bad decision is understandable, but publishing that bad decisions for the entire world to see forever can change a bad decision to a life-ruining one.

The 2018 Golden Globes were a sea of black this year as a result of the #metoo movement that stands up against rape and sexual assault of all women. The large majority of celebrities wearing black brought a lot of awareness to the movement, which is great, and after people were praising celebrities for their societal awareness and how “woke” they were. I am entirely aligned with the #metoo movement, but is wearing black enough? Does wearing black mean that these celebrities care about these issues or is it just a trend that people follow?

Lena Dunham, a comedian and alleged feminist, which is a large part of her brand, has profited from taking the stance that one should believe in women. Amid the controversy Hollywood has had regarding many producers, actors, and directors, Lena tweeted saying: “Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don’t lie about: rape.” and I agree. If Lena Dunham didn’t accuse a woman who was sexually assaulted by a writer on one of her shows of lying, I’d support her stance.

Similarly, Selena Gomez, a major celebrity and producer of ‘Thirteen Reasons Why,’ actively spoke out against rape and sexual assault, becoming a large voice in Hollywood. After earning her praise, Selena promptly started working with Woody Allen, a director who has been accused of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter.

It’s incredibly hypocritical of Selena to actively work with someone who goes against exactly what she allegedly stands for. This leads me to question if she even cares about sexual assault and rape, or if she only cares about the publicity.

It is so damaging to the reputation of feminism and the movements against sexual assault and rape, when people like Lena Dunham, and Selena Gomez make themselves a face for a movement they constantly work against. Trying to reduce the rate of sexual assault and rape is absolutely not something that should involve hypocrisy, because people are already confused as it is. Blurring the lines of what is acceptable will just cause more sexual assault and rape, so when people like Lena and Selena negate the purpose of what they are supposedly standing for, they are making the probability of sexual assault much higher.

Crier

Crier, Munster High School’s official student newspaper, may be reached at 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321, phone 219836-3200, Ext. 3443; Fax: 219-836-3202. Crier is published through the Honors Newspaper Advanced Writing and Editing classes and extra-curricular involvement.

•The newspaper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for the school and community. •Crier is a source of information, entertainment, advertising and opinion for the student body, faculty, administration and community •Published material will stress objective reporting except on the editorial page where opinion writing will be featured. All published material will stress accuracy, integrity, honesty, responsibility, objectivity, fairness and independence. Corrections, when necessary, will be published on page 2.

Opinions expressed in the newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the School Town of Munster, faculty or administration.

Letters to the editor and reader suggestions are welcomed, but should be limited to 250 words. All letters must be signed and should be given directly to any staff member or delivered to the

Publications room, N155, one week prior to publication. Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and grammatical errors. Crier will accept letters from anyone, provided that the content pertains to school or school issues. Feedback may also be submitted on Twitter @munstermedia.

Mailed subscriptions cost $25 per year. Ad rates and policies are available to anyone upon request. Crier is published 13 times a school year.

People Editor Carey Scott Section Editors Alyssa Bass, Adam Klaich, Erianna Sims, Mercedez Williams, Adam Klaich Social Media Editor Alex Kojich Business Manager Micala Boyd Head Photographer Kess Vaitkus Chief Photographer Easan Venkat

The Staff Editor-in-Chief Ian S. Brundige

Photographers Moira Glowacki, Jorianna Hazel, Lauren Kozy, Melanie Powers, Megan Szymanski, Robert Young

Managing Editor Mimi Brody

Adviser Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman

Section Chief Joseph Bermudez

spotlight 05 feb. 16, 2018

A fortnight ahead of its era Staffer discusses, compares rising popularity of battle royale games Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Review by Alex Kojich Social Media Manager This past year has been the rise of battle royale games. The two heavy hitters, Epic Games’ Fortnite and PUBG Corporation’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, racked up millions of dollars and players in the course of one year. While both games are similar in many aspects, I believe that Fortnite takes the place as the king of battle royale games.

Right off the bat, Fortnite is beyond enjoyable. It can kill a couple hours and will run easily on computers.

One of the things that really draws people to Fortnite is the cartoon feel, and that feel isn’t a bad thing, as not everyone would want to feel like they’re in a realistic warzone, which PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is known for.

Another neat thing that Fortnite offers is the ability to collect building materials and construct defensive structures on the go. That little detail of the game goes a long way in creating a unique experience, allowing players a chance to save themselves from certain death in a sudden moment’s notice.

Fortnite is also more lighthearted, with no blood spurts, random vehicles exploding and gritty strategies.

In Epic Games’ version of the battle royale, you can find a bush disguise in chests with loot spread all around the map, launch pads to send your character into the sky, and a fun bus to jump out of as the game starts and players leap onto the map.

For the average of 3.4 million players per week that embark on the journey to be the ultimate victor, funny character models and usage of voice chat, with endless hours of hysterics with friends.

The other enjoyable parts of Fortnite are the creative names of the locations around the map, such as “Greasy Grove” and “Loot Lake,” which have creative traces of alliteration.

Plus, it has become evident that Fortnite shouldn’t be taken as a serious shooter, unlike PUBG. With Fortnite’s release of things such as the “boogie bomb,” which, when detonated, causes the players in its vicinity to burst out into dance moves, allowing for an easy elimination and laughter.

The animated features of Fortnite also take preference over PUBG, which has real life situations such a run-ins with wild life and the fear of the unknown.

The major difference between PUBG and Fortnite is the latter’s server strength. PUBG has had their handful of server issues, and weak anti-cheating system, which truly does hinder any pure gameplay that one could want.

Both Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds are entertaining games. I believe that Fortnite takes the crown because of its simplicity and its great content, alongside with its console compatibility.

There really hasn’t been a game I enjoy more than Fortnite, and I look forward to its future.

8636 4th St. Highland, IN 46322

photo illustration by Melanie Powers

(Top) VICTORY ROYALE The map for Fortnite’s 3km x 3km playing ground.

(Left) LETS PLAY Fortnite’s title screen, which greets players with bold colors and music

Talk of the town Crier survey results show students familiarity of Fortnite

No

Yes

Have you heard of the game Fortnite?

Do you play Fortnite?

65.8%

34.2%

4

hours spent playing a week on average source: Crier survey of 512 students from Feb. 7-12

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infocus 07

06 infocus

feb. 16, 2018

feb. 16, 2018

Sunshine Delirium

Getting ready for

BATTLE

MEMBERS OF SUNSHINE DELIRIUM Kyle Adams, 10 (left): Bass Guitar Ben Blaesing, 10 (center): Drums Ty Hesterman, 10 (right): Guitarist and Vocalist

Battle of the Bands is not merely a competition, but an opportunity for a band or a talent act to showcase their talents and skill; bands are getting ready for concert time at 6 p.m. March 2 in the auditorium

As one of the “underdogs” of the competition, Sunshine Delirium, will be participating again in hopes of being noticed by more people in the audience and maybe taking home the trophy of the competition.

“We compete to get more people to know about us so maybe we can play at more shows,”

Stories by Mercedez Williams, Adam Klaich

Free Ice Cream

Section Editors

‘Nilla Funk: the defending champs The bass player of the band ‘Nilla Funk, Andrew Rapata, senior, started the band due to his and a class of ‘16 student, Calvin Leick’s, interest in different genres of music such as Motown and R&B. ‘Nilla Funk won battle last year.

“When I was a sophomore, I was on the football team, and I did Battle of the Bands my freshman year,” Andrew said, “ We would play punk music and I just wasn’t really into it anymore.”

Andrew was interested in different types of music so during his junior year, he formed ‘Nilla Funk.

“We all just really love music, like we’re all in band and jazz band together, so it’s just this mutual respect for music” said Andrew.

For inspiration, the band looks at other musicians from Chicago like Earth, Wind and Fire, Andrew finds inspiration from various bass players like James Jamerson and Jaco Pastorius.

Andrew plans to major and music in college and thinks of music as something that can connect people.

“It doesn’t matter what language you speak or where your from, if you hear a song, it’s something you can come together with.”, he said.

‘Nilla Funk will be performing covers of songs and hopes to reclaim their title for Battle of the Bands.

MEMBERS OF ‘NILLA FUNK Andrew Rapata, 12: Bass Kess Vaitkus, 12: Guitar Neil Gainer, 12: Keyboard and Synthesizer Luciano Medina, 12: Auxiliary Percussion Riley McKeever, 12: Baritone Saxophone

The Neighbors

MEMBERS OF THE NEIGHBORS Robert Wente, 12 (left) Vocalist, Piano and Guitar Cody Phillips, 12 (right): Guitar and Vocalist Not pictured:

Chris McLeod, 12: Drums Haleigh Gronwald, 12: Cello Logan Hoskins, 12: Bass Luciano Medina, 12: Drum Lissette Araya, 12: Violin

SHREDDING IN STYLE (left) After school in the auditorium, Kess Vaitkus, senior and publications member, plays his guitar while auditioning for the battle along with his band ‘Nilla Funk. ‘Nilla Funk usually plays funk music and occasionally R&B. “(Funk) Is kind of like, you can not help but to tap your foot and bobbing your head along to it.,” Kess Vaitkus, senior said, “It is happy sounding and you could almost feel it. It is hard to explain but it is definitely a music form that you really feel.”

TINGLING THE KEYS (top left) Behind his keyboard Neil Gainer, senior, practices in his basement with the band ‘Nilla Funk, the band usually practices on Sundays. PLUCKING THE STRINGS (top right) After slinging his guitar around his shoulder, Andrew Rapata, senior, plays a song on his guitar, he is also one of the founding members of ‘Nilla Funk and is the reason they play certain genres of music like Motown and R&B. PLAYING TO THE BEAT (bottom right) Serena Alvarez, sophomore, Emma Stevens, junior, Riley McKeever, senior, play their woodwind and brass instruments in preparation for Battle. The three are the only brass and woodwind instruments not only in ‘Nilla Funk, but in all of the competition.

Talent Acts

Acts of one person or a group of people will play between bands; they are not considered to win the event

Kendal Ziel, 12: Vocalist Henry Sklar, 10: Drummer Serena Alvarez, 10: Trumpet Emma Stevens, 11: Alto Saxophone Daniel Kapitan, 12: Tenor Saxophone

Coming back strong for their third year competing, the Neighbors, formerly There Hunks in a Basement, will be competing again in Battle of the Bands this year.

“I created the name for The Neighbors because before that I joined a band called Three Hunks in the Basement and we did not want a name that sounded so pornographic so I suggested The Neighbors” Luciano Medina, senior, said.

Despite the name change, their passion flourished as the band developed their talents more and grew more together as a group.

“Honestly, we love music, I’ve done it since sophomore year and it's such a fun night and I love being a part of it,” Cody Phillips, senior, said.

The band is doing covers of songs this year and hopes to win. They are driven by their passion and love for music.

“I compete in Battle of the Bands because it is really fun. I want to go into music, that is what I want to do in life,

Free Ice Cream, another underdog in the battle, started when sophomore Henry Sklar, asked a couple of his friends if they wanted to be in a band. The band met for the first time in Henry’s basement to discuss what music they wanted to do.

“Actually, me and Henry were in a band when we were in middle school,” Amir Henderson, sophomore, said, “but in freshman year henry would talk about getting the band back together, so we got together again and just started.”

The band will be performing four covers for the battle but plans to write their own songs in the near future. As of now, the band is mainly doing rock, but will start doing pop soon.

The band has a wide array instruments ranging from guitars, keyboards, and a cello.

“I think we’re going to do well,” Amir said, “Pretty much everyone is great, except me, I need to practice a lot.”

The band expects to do pretty well but doesn’t know if they have what it takes to win.

Kelli Little

Being one of the two soloists competing in Battle of the Bands, Kelli Little, junior, plans of showcasing two of her talents, singing and playing the guitar.

“I really like singing and I went to see Battle of the Bands. Last year and I thought it was cool so I wanted to do it,” Kelli said.

Beginning her singing talent at a very young age, and playing the guitar three years ago, Kelli sings and plays merely for fun.

and I feel like I should share the talent I have,” Robert Wente, vocalist, guitarist and pianist of The Neighbors, senior, said.

One common denominator amongst all the talent acts and bands are the love for music, but the way they are introduced to music varies.

“I joined choir in my freshman year and the director was really impressed and said I should consider doing choir for the rest of the year,” Robert said. “We then got a new choir director who encouraged me to go into music more. So I was inspired and worked hard in class.”

Although it may seem that winning is the target for every band or talent act, it is merely the thought and act of competing.

Robert said, “I think we will have a have a good time. ‘Nilla Funk is really good and there are many talented acts there. I’m not 100 percent confident that we will win, but it’s about giving the audience a good time.”

Ariel Velasco and Zoe O’Shaugnessy

At auditions Jan. 29 ACOUSTIC COVER Zoe O’Shaugnessy (far left), sophomore, practices her harp in preparation for Battle of the Bands.

HITTING THE RIGHT PITCH Kelli Little, junior, rehearses her singing solo while playing the guitar and Mitchell Walsh, sophomore, holds the microphone for her “I hope (Battle of the Bands) goes well and I am not scared at all (to perform).

THE RIGHT KEYS pressing the keys to the piano, Nick Ylo, junior practices his performance over and over for Battle of the Bands. photos by Melanie Powers and Essan Venkat

Using the harp and vocals, Ariel Velasco, sophomore, and Zoe O’Shaughnessy, sophomore, will also be competing. The pair are close friends and plan on combining their talents to showcase at Battle of the Bands.

“I thought it would be cool (to compete) because Ariel is such a good singer and I think I am pretty okay at the harp. So we wanted to mix our talents,” Zoe said.

The pair will be using an instrument no one else competing will use, possibly making them stand out.

“I’ve always done it since I was little and my mom taught me how to sing,” Ariel says.

She wants to take part in musical theater after school. “(Music) is kind of like a escape to everything,” Ariel said. “When I’m upset it just calms me down.”

says Ty Hesterman, sophomore.

Their band was created from humble background with one consistent love for music and performing, whether it be to win or just the excitement.

“We were a group of friends and hang out and do what we love which is playing music.” Ty said, “(We play to) just try to be better and trying to keep people happy by playing music by doing what I love.”

Inspired by Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin and Jerry Garcia from Grateful Dead, the band has a strong drive to prove themselves and prove their place.

“I feel like we are seen as being the underdogs,” Ty said. “No one would expect us to be a winner. So that drives us.”

MEMBERS OF FREE ICE CREAM Henry Sklar, 10 (top left): Drums Amir Henderson, 10 (top center): Guitar Mihail Babus, 10 (top right): Keyboard Kathir Venkat, 10 (bottom left): Cello Milena Trivunovic, 10 (bottom right): Vocalist Not pictured: Nathan Drechney, 8 from Gavit High School: Bass

Gabe Haro and Olivia Dzurovick

Gabe Haro, junior, is participating in a talent act for the battle. Gabe with his girlfriend Olivia Dzurovick, senior, and her dad Paul Dzurovick, will be performing.

“I have wanted to (compete in Battle of the Bands) ever since I found out about it and I went to see it in my sophomore year” Olivia said, “I planned competing in junior year but did not get the chance so I wanted to do it before I graduated. I feel like it is going to be really fun.”

The group is inspired by many artists including John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, and Dave Grohl from Nirvana and Foo Fighters. Olivia is inspired by Miley Cyrus, Kurt Cobain, and David Bowie Gabe plays the drums regularly and hopes he can pursue a career in music after high school.

“If not a career, it’s still gonna be a big part of my life cause it’s not a sort of skill you can lose,” Gabe said.

Nick Ylo

Nick Ylo, junior, is another a first time participant talent act and will be playing the piano. He has been playing since elementary school and has learned to enjoy it by playing songs he enjoys. Due to his participation in playing the piano and his love for music, it has become a big part of his life.

“It calms me down, especially when doing homework, like I just listen to music and it helps me get in the zone and escape a little bit.

08 infocus

Tuesday

feb. 16, 2018

Show your Monday

colors

Student Body President Tara Layous, senior, explains Awareness Week colors

A new

GreyBrain Cancer

“We have worn blue multiple times as a school to commemorate Officer (Joe) Pacheco, so we wanted to bring light to the issue as a whole, and to commemorate him.”

life

Students sell formal dresses Story by Ian Brundige

“We did blue for Autism awareness just because we have a really strong Best Buddies program here at MHS. It is just something I feel like affects every community.”

Wednesday Green Mental Health

“Every community is affected in some way by mental health issues and we decided that wearing green was a way to bring attention to something so prevalent and underrepresented.”

Sisterhood of the traveling turnabout dress

Windsors Jamie McDowell, class of ‘16

Camille Jancosek, class of ‘16 Chloe Jancosek, senior Maya Radjenovich, junior “The first dress I sold was my freshman year homecoming dress, I had like three or four people wear it, Usually, I post them on Instagram, Twitter and then people text me or like, message me about trying it on and stuff.”

—Anna Dabrowski, senior “I am trying to sell my turnabout dress from last year. My cousin did it before for hers and she made money off of it so I figured I would try it myself and buy a new dress.”

—Mia Guerrero, junior

“I think it’s a really smart thing to do because first it saves a lot of money because those dresses can be really expensive. You can’t always afford to buy a brand new dress.

I think it also helps the environment of our school, especially between the girls because there can be so much drama but doing those kinds of things, you make friends.”

—Chloe Jancosek, senior

Thursday Purple

Cystic-Fibrosis

“A few years ago Colleen Lusk (class of ‘15) passed away, she was a student here at MHS, and she passed away due to the terrible disease (Cystic-Fibrosis).”

Red

Heart Disease

“Of course red is for MHS spirit, but also for heart health because Mr. (Brian) Clark, (Athletic Director) did receive a heart transplant this year, and we are doing that to support him.”

Their crowning

moment

Editor-in-Chief Between a morning hair appointment at Vanis, meeting with your friend to do your makeup, and picking the perfect shoes and accessories, the prep for school dances is often a long and expensive process. Recently however, social media has added new opportunities to the world of dress shopping. Students like Anna Dabrowski, senior, post dress for sale on their Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat stories.

“For me to get more dress I wanted to sell my to put towards that and plus just having those dresses sit around I am never going to use it,” Anna said. “So I might as well get a second wearer out of them.”

Whether it was bought straight off of the rack at Peaches or was found on a friend’s Instagram feed, the life of a party dress is much more than on the dance floor.

Friday

BlueAutism

Reporting by Erianna Sims and Mimi Brody Section Editor and Managing Editor

Six seniors nominated to Turnabout court; winner to be announced at pep rally

Evan Dubose

escort: Jess Weiss Q. If you were a real king, what would be your first decree?

A. “To make sure the castle was built to perfection.”

Q. What is your most memorable MHS experience?

A. “Walking in on the photo by Kess Vaitkus first day of freshman year. It was the start of a four-year journey.”

Luciano Medina

escort: Emma Stevens

Q. If you could pick one person to be your queen, who would it be?

A. “Sofia Vergara, the lady from Modern Family. She’s really attractive.”

Q. What is your most memorable MHS exphoto by Lauren Kozy perience?

A. “Probably marching band, because that’s always a good time. Let’s go band!”

Joey Yoniles

Noah Moell

escort: Alex Wright

escort: Sophie Sakelaris

Q. If you could pick one person as queen, who would it be?

A. “Mr. (Morgan) Nolan, (Assistant Principal), because it is Mr. Nolan and he is awesome.”

Q. What does it mean to you to be on Turnphoto by Easan Venkat about Court?

A. “I was really confused at first because I didn’t think anyone would even vote for me. As funny as it is, I was honored people would even click on my name. It was weird.”

Q. If you were a real king, what would be your first decree?

A. “If there is snow on the ground we should have snow days.” photo by Easan Venkat

Q. What do you plan to do after Turnabout?

A. “I am going to be at UMich for Science Olympiad so I guess my plan after Turnabout is to just get home. We are going to be on the bus with a bunch of Science Olympiad kids, so just to have a good time on the bus.”

Ian Brundige

Evan Dong

escort: Haley Hensley

escort: Abby Nita

Q. If you were a real king, what would be your first decree?

A. “If I were king, first of all, no shorts in winter, because what are you doing? Second of all, I just think that gum photo by Kess Vaitkus should be allowed. There Q. Can you describe the shouldn’t be a stigma feeling you had when around chewing gum, you found out you were but with that, don’t put on court? your gum under your A. “I was happy to know desk because that’s rude my peers liked me, and disgusting. There because I’m never sure, are trash cans everybut if you’re on Court, where.” it means they at least pretend to like you, so that’s good.”

Q, If you could pick one person to be your queen, who would it be?

“I would probably go stag.”

photo by Easan Venkat

Q. What does it mean to you to be on Turnabout Court?

A. “It is a third just hilarious, a third a pat on the back that people think I am cool or whatever, and the last part is just I feel very grateful that people voted for me, that I get to be on court with such great guy, and grateful for the whole experience.”

sports 09 feb. 16, 2018

Continued from front: What happens after 2:55?

Changing

of the season

After the bell rings, athletes’ work is only beginning.

Athletes participate in games, practice and intense workouts after school Stories by Ian Brundige, Alex Kojich, Adam Klaich Editor-in-Chief, Social Media Manager, Page Editor

Girls’ Basketball

photo by Kess Vaitkus

PUMPING IRON Varsity basketball players Nick Fies and Eric Jerge, juniors, lift weights early last Thursday morning. “We can’t be here any later than 6:50 and we normally start stretching at 7,” Eric said. “Throughout the season we just stay in shape and instead of feeling groggy by the end of the week, we fell loose and healthy.”

Boys’ Basketball

The Boys’ Basketball team is 13-6 on the current campaign. The team is on a three game losing streak, most recently dropping a game to Chesterton 56-38. The recent losses have come from a series of late game defensive breakdowns, giving up the lead with mere seconds left.

“We are trying to learn from these situations so when we face that situation again we can get the win,” Coach Mike Hackett, health teacher, said.

Coach Hackett accredited their 13 wins to an excellent source of communication among the teammates,

who were all on the team last year.

“The kids work hard and have great attitudes,” Coach Hackett said.

“Having that year of experience and a year of physical maturity has really helped for this season.”

Tonight, they host the Andrean 59’ers at 7 p.m. for the Northwest Crossroads Conference Championship.

“This is a huge game, and we look forward to it,” Coach Hackett said.

“Once we hopefully win tonight, we’re going to start preparing for Sectionals, which starts Feb. 27.”

Girls’ Basketball ended their season Feb. 1 at their first sectionals game losing against Lake Central 38-48.

The team lost to Lake Central earlier in the season by two points so the game in Sectionals was a chance to show their improvement.

“The first time we played them we lost to them by two, and that was in the beginning of the season, so that was with us not really having much chemistry,” Taneigh Boyd, senior, said. “We were hoping from the growth we have had during the season to beat them but they also have had growth so we had to expect that.”

In the end, Lake Central overcame the team with free throws. Boyd described the end of her last basketball season as “emotional.”

“Yeah, for the most part it was just emotional,” Boyd said. “(The season) felt super long and at the end it was like, ‘dang this is the last game,’ but for the most part it was emotional.”

Record: 17-7

photo by Megan Szymanski

MUSTANG PRIDE Juniors Corina Cabrales, Nicole Tsoukalas and Zaria Ellis and Meli Chioros, sophomore, prepare a stunt for tonight’s basketball game.

Record: 13-6

photo by Megan Szymanski

MARY TO THE RESCUE Getting taped up before basketball practice by Mrs. Mary Spiña, Athletic trainer, Clayton Bubash, freshman, is ready to play.

National Signing Day Feb. 7 was National signing day SIGN-IN Students gather around for National signing day to support their fellow students.

BALL UP Taniegh Boyd, senior, finishes strong playing one of her last games at MHS. Throughout her four years her on and off the court she gives her fellow teamates some advice. She says to “constantly stay in the gym don’t just think that basketball season is the only time that you should work on your skills and the type of player you are. You also have to put in time outside of the season, pre-season and postseason.”

photo by Kess Vaitkus

Alec Spicer, soccer- Aurora University Andrew Rapata, football - Benedictine University Jaycee Helmer, soccer - Butler University Kendall Ziel, soccer- University of Wisconsin – Parkside

Wrestling

photo by Kess Vaitkus photo by Elizabeth Fonseca

STATE BOUND Cody Crary pins his opponent in the back position at a wrestling meet.

Who: Boys Wrestling When: Tonight at 10 a.m.

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse Tonight, senior Cody Crarywill compete in the IHSAA state wrestling competition in Indianapolis, along with the best wrestlers in the state. The competition starts tonight at 6:30 p.m. and continues tomorrow at 10 a.m.

“I’d say, for most of the season I’ve been conditioning really well,” he said.

Crary said that the rest of the team is in good shape, but as soon as they gain more experience, they will eventually make it to State. Crary thought that this past wrestling season was better than last year’s due to the betterment of the team and more duel wins.

10sports feb. 16, 2018

Make a splash Boys’, Girls’ Swim and Dive in postseason Stories by Joseph Bermudez, Alyssa Bass Section Chief, Section Editor

Boys’ Swim and Dive The smell of the chlorine floods the air. Fourteen schools are prepared to go head-to-head to determine who advances.

Tomorrow, Boys’ Swim and Dive will compete at Lake Central for Sectionals.

“We’re looking forward to a great meet,” Coach Mathew Pavlovich, P.E. teacher, said. “We’re preparing for (Sectionals at Lake Central) and trying to advance out of the Sectionals meet to the State meet (for swimming).”

For three weeks, the team practiced at Hammond Morton’s pool in the morning and Lake Central’s in the evening due to MHS’s pool needing to be drained for maintenance. Despite the sudden

change of scenery and disruption of their routine, Coach Pavlovich is confident it will not affect the team’s performance at Sectionals.

“We were down a couple weeks here but we were practicing still staying sharp,” Coach Pavlovich said. “We got through that pretty well and I don’t think (the pool shut down) will affect us.”

For diver Michael Morganelli, sophomore, this will be his first sectional competition. Currently, Morganelli is working on perfecting his dives and focusing on finishing in the top four at Sectionals, the cutoff to advance to Regionals.

“I’m trying to concentrate more and not mess around as much at practice. Trying to keep my head where it should be,” Morganelli said. “During the regular season, it’s not really as serious as it is now so I need to focus a bit more.”

As a senior, swimmer Eric Wallace is looking to end his high school career strong.

“I’ve worked hard this season, and the past three years, so I want to end my senior year the best way I can and make it down to the state meet and do the best I can there too,” Wallace said.

Entering the postseason, Coach Pavlovich is confident the team’s experience will help advance as many swimmers and divers as possible.

“I think we’re in a better spot this year mentally,” Coach Pavlovich said. “We have a strong sophomore group, so those kids have a little bit better knowledge in what to expect moving forward. I think we’re in a good spot and I think we’re going to do better than we did last year in a lot of areas, both swimming and diving.”

photo by Kess Vaitkus

AT THE PODIUM After winning the 200 freestyle relay at Sectionals on Feb. 3, Kay Foley, junior, stands with her first place ribbon atop a starting block. Foley would later place third at State in the event and first in the 500 freestyle. “I don’t know how to describe it,” Foley said. “You work so hard for that (placing first) and for it to actually happen was really cool.” STAYING AFLOAT During practice, Foley swims the breast stroke

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Survival of the fittest Eric Wallace, senior, provides five tips to follow to advance deep into postseason

1.Drink plenty of water, no junk food 2.Get seven to eight hours of sleep 3.Tapering. Done to conserve energy 4.Use energy wisely and stay focused 5.Finish homework at school

Girls’ Swim and Dive Ending the season on a high note, Girls’ Swim placed 15th out of 77 at their state competition last Saturday.

“At the beginning of the season I think we had a rough start, but I think we finished off well by winning Sectionals,” Brisa Bohling, junior, said.

Since winning Sectionals, Girls’ Swim has won 29 Sectional Championship titles. They participated and won in the 200 freestyle relay, and placed second in 400 freestyle relay, according to Kay Foley, junior.

“I was a little relieved,” Foley said. “I knew I could win, it’s just the stress that I put on myself to do good. It felt like a weight was lifted off and I was just so excited because no one from Munster has won state in almost 35 years so that’s really cool.”

Foley won first place in the 500 freestyle at State, with a time of 4:49.87. She also placed third in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:48.

“My favorite thing about this season was definitely winning State, that was really cool,” Foley said. “It was a lot of hard work and it’s hard getting up in the morning and jumping into a cold pool to practice in the dead of winter.”

The final score the team scored at State was 48.

Bohling, Audrey Beck, junior, and Savannah Frazier, freshman, placed second, third and sixth respectively in the 100 breaststroke.

“I think my season went alright, I think I came back really strong at the end of the season when it really mattered,” Beck said. “My favorite part of swimming this season was all the team bonding we did.”

Along with the swimmers, divers Moira Glowacki, junior and publications member, Eleanor Wilson, junior, and Carson Kekelik, freshman, all placed at State. Glowacki placed eighth, Wilson came in fourth and Kekelik came in fifth.

“My season was kind of rough, I had a lot of injuries and a lot of practices got postponed for me,” Beck said. “Now, during competition season, it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it was gonna be.”

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11

sports feb. 16, 2018

From the ground up Story by Alex Kojich Social Media Manager

On the floor

Dance discusses competition for regionals, nationals, state photo by Lauren Kozy

HANDS TO THE SKY Dance practices their ensemble routines after school in preparation for upcoming competitions.

different between JV and varsity is that varsity is just a whole different experience. It’s about pushing yourself ten times harder than you’ve ever pushed yourself Section Editor before with every little detail, to really try and be the Dance enters the most anticipated part of their sea- best we can be.” son with their biggest competitions coming up.

The team works to better themselves, even though “Semi-state for solos and ensembles is the day of the end of the season has arrived.

Turnabout,” Jill Cuvala, junior, “Last year, the team was literalsaid. “We have regionals the next Popular opinion ly my second family and we did weekend, Nationals in Florida Dancers address whether or not extremely well all season,” Cuvathe first week of March, and then Dance is considered a sport la said. “This year I’d say we have State the following weekend. to work harder because we lost This is the peak of our season.” eight seniors. It’s harder having I would consider dance a sport because the Both returning members, and amount of physical activity that we do is just younger people on the team to all those new to varsity, look foras much as any basketball player, or football look the same.” player. We practice just as much and it’s just as ward to the their final competiDance has Saturday compehard, both physically and mentally.” tions. titions that usually last all day.

- Layna Kounelis, sophomore “It’s my first year on varsity, so There is no specific theme to their I’ve never been to Nationals, but I do not think dance is a sport because we do dances this year. Pom is a categothings differently to win. It is up to the judges on ry that they tend to excel in, and all the girls who have gone talk what place we get no matter how well we do. about the amazing memories this year he dance is fast and upI do not think it is a sport; however, I think it is they’ve made, and how much fun beat, with lots of new skills. Their harder than one at times.” it was,” Layna Kounelis, sopho- Jill Cuvala, junior Jazz dance is performed by seven more, said. “I’m so excited to be girls and is about a friend dying, able to experience that with all my closest friends. It’s and remembering the memories that were made togoing to be a really fun time.” gether.

Kounelis is one of many members new to varsi“Being on the dance team is a lot of commitment, ty,and has had to adjust to the difference. but you definitely make a lot of memories with the “Both dance teams work really hard and all the girls girls on the team,” Alina Arzumanian, junior, said. “It’s put in so much work,” Kounelis said. “One thing that is a lot of fun in the long run, and I don’t regret doing it.”

Story by Erianna Sims

“ “

Whole new look Story by Alyssa Bass Section Editor Despite freezing temperatures, the Munster Lacrosse teams have already started their practices at the Southland Center Ho-Chunk, for their first tournament in March at Evansville.

“We got a lot better from last season,” Jeremiah Eaton, senior, said.

“There are a lot more skill sets here, so I think we are going to do better. Not by a lot but we are going to get at least two or three more wins than we did last year.”

Girls’ Lacrosse had a record 3-8

for their first season last year. Boys’ finished 4-12. Both lacrosse teams are feeling optimistic about their upcoming season and hoping to do well with more practice. This season, Boys’ Lacrosse has 18 players; Girls’ Lacrosse has 24.

“We’ve been doing conditioning since about November, we started out practicing twice a week and now we’re up to three or four days a week,” Madison Meyer, junior, said.

“We’re doing small drills, we do a lot of ball handling and basic skills in order for us to be better later in the season.”

During practice, players start

Lacrosse teams discuss upcoming season with stretches and conditioning, including running and burpees. To start off drills, players will do 50 passes. Scrimmages and defense versus offense come towards the end of practice, according to Meyer.

Things the team wants to improve upon include running plays, what to do in situations and communication with each other on the field ,according to Eaton.

“To me, lacrosse is just an outlet for everything else that I have going on in life,” Meyer said. “It’s a place where I don’t feel like I will be judged for anything that I do and it’s okay to make mistakes.”

The idea of NBA “superteams” is becoming more of a reality than I had hoped it would. After Michael Jordan and the era of the 1990 Chicago Bulls, the NBA has seen the amount of damage a stacked roster can do.

In July 2016, Forward Kevin Durant joined forces with sharpshooting Point guard Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. As soon as the announcement was made, it became known the Golden State warriors were.

It was completely unnecessary for Durant to make the move to the Oakland Bay area. The Warriors had already solidified themselves a year prior by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers for their first championship in nearly 40 years, and came close to defeating the Cavs again in ‘16.

Once Durant signed the two-year contract with Golden State, the Western Conference representative in the Finals already became predictable. With Stephen Curry, Guard Klay Thompson and Durant all together, it was no surprise when the Warriors faced off against the Cavaliers for the third consecutive year.

This new trend of elite players coming together as one unit ruins the excitement that basketball once had for me. I used to be able to turn on a game and watch as a healthy Derrick Rose ignited the rest of his younger, developing team with a reverse slam. Nowadays, for a team like the Bulls to make a run into the Finals, it would almost be essential for a superstar to take up a starting position, instead of building teams from the bottom.

The only team in recent memory to have actually built from laughable to a serious contender is the Milwaukee Bucks, who, after drafting the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013 gave the Eastern conference a run for their money.

Antetokounmpo didn’t have a superteam.

He had a handful of fresh players. It was actually interesting to watch a Bucks game, as young, new and unheard of talent had a proving ground.

There is nothing like the Bucks in the Western conference, there is no new platform for new players. Rookies who are drafted to the Western conference often get their chance destroyed by the already known teams like the Warriors.

These superteams cripple the competitive balance that once held the NBA as a steady program. Without any serious opposition in the Western conference, chances are we will see the Warriors in the Finals for the next few years, which will really ruin the nature of the game.

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12 student life feb. 16 2018

BACKTALK

Smoke signals

Crier survey reveals students’ smoking behaviors, knowledge

Students own or regularly buy... juul

cigarettes

1.7%

phix

juul

36.8% drop

99.3%

5.9%

76.3%

air

1.3%

11.8%

64.5%

The creator of Vine announced that Vine 2 (V2) will debut by this summer.

What is your favorite Vine?

2.1%

drop

phix

1.3%

of students have heard of... cigarettes

pulse air

“Kemmincollin come in here and get y’all juice.”

“Two bros chillin’ in a hot tub, five feet apart ‘cause they’re not gay!”

Savannah Kunas, freshman

Arielle Shoriak, freshman

“You almost made me drop my croissant.”

“Hi my name is Trey, I have a basketball game tomorrow. I play point guard. I got shoe game.”

James Shelton, sophomore

Annie Foreit, sophomore

“Welcome to my kitchen... We have bannanis and avocadis.”

“It the fourth of July, I’m about to pop these firecrackers, don’t pop ‘em on me.

Where da police at?”

30.2% 29.8% pulse

air

11.8%

drop

cigarettes

20.1%

30.5% of students have used... juuls 4.5% pulse

19.8%

12.8%

pulse

20.5%

35.7%

of students think

juuls are

healthier than cigarettes

6.9%

air

27.8%

phix

phix juuls sourin drop pulse sourin air cigarettes

22.5% phix

drop

N coteens

Source: Crier survey of 288 random student from Feb. 5-8. The paper survey was conducted in English classes Photo illustration by Melanie Powers Graphic by Ian S. Brundige, Carey Scott, Megan Szymanski

Hopes of a tobacco-free generation go up in smoke as alternative nicotine products gain popularity

Story by Ian S. Brundige and Carey Scott Editor-in-Chief, People Editor

N

ine states ban electronic smoking devices in the same places smoking is banned. Indiana is not one of those states.

With pleasant flavors like mango, mint and fruit medley juuls entered the market as a “nicotine-free alternative”.

Now, the small USB-looking devices have found themselves hidden in the hands of students.

Maty Nelson, senior has seen other students vaping throughout the school.

“I feel like people are trying to seem cool like ‘Oh, I have a juul and I’m smoking it in school, look how devious I can be,’” Maty said.

Outside of school, Maty has seen a rise in popularity of juuls While many alternative nicotine products brand themselves as different than cigarettes, inside the walls of school e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes are the same. Student caught with either products face the same consequences.

Morgan Hannenberg, senior, has vaped before, but she does not understand why students are compelled to do it in school.

“I think it’s disrespectful, like ‘You can’t wait eight hours to do it out of school?’” Morgan said.

While many seniors like Morgan are currently 18 and able to buy and use products like juuls, that may not last forever.

Last month, a panel of Indiana legislators approved moving the smoking age to 21. There are still a host of legal process that must take place before this becomes law but the legislation is being discussed.

“Probably the toughest thing with schools right now is some of our seniors are 18 they are able to buy or purchase tobacco products and juuls and that stuff,” Mr. Morgan Nolan, assistant principal, said. “Then they bring them into school and pass them off to their 17-year-old or 16-year-old or 15-year-old friends. (The new law) would help create a buffer zone there.”

According to the CDC, with 99 percent of smokers starting before reaching age 26. These alternative sources of nicotine just creating a new generation of smokers.

“I think it’s gained steam in the youth culture as cigarettes kind of became a taboo thing,” Mr. Nolan said.

In the past 20, years there has

been a decrease in cigarette use among teens, according to Mr. Nolan.

“Most recently in the last five years, the vaping it’s become more popular,” Mr. Nolan said.

“Why? I think students, one, think its a safe alternative to smoking. I think most people understand the addictiveness, the side effects, the risk of cancer, some kids don’t like the smell and all those things and it doesn’t have that.”

While alternative nicotine products like juuls or vapes do not carry the same negative stigma as cigarettes, the long term effects on the student’s body are still unknown.

These devices are new technology whose long term effects on a population has never been tested.

Maty is aware that the effects of the trend which largely appeared from thin air, according to her, will not be known for years into the future; however, her peers still use the devices.

“It seemed to spring up all of a sudden. I didn’t see a gradual rise of popularity,” Maty said.

“We’re not going to start seeing the real effects until like ten years from now and that’s when everyone will be regretting it.”

Nicole Baginski, sophomore

Alyse Lepir, junior

“Girl, you thicker than a bowl of oatmeal.”

“Say Colorado. I’m a giraffe.”

Rachel Lyons, junior

Matt Tripenfeldas, junior

“Sugar sugar water mix mix like this. Do a little twist, it’s all in the wrist. Man its hot outside, we can find no shade, step up in my house I know you thirsty, but please don’t touch my Kool-aid.”

Gregory Hester, senior

“Can I get a waffle? Can I please get a waffle?”

Abby Rivera, senior