Issue 3 MHS Crier 9.29.17

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

Crier

volume 52 | sept. 29, 2017

e y T

INSIDE LOOK Crier staffer reviews pizza | page 6 Girls’ Golf finishes season | page 9

h

Chicago Manual of style accepts they/ them as singular pronouns

is here

Story by Ian S. Brundige

Blurred lines

Editor-in-Chief

Something as familiar as childhood toys deals with the complex world of gender and sexuality

T

he first day at a new school can be scary for anyone, but on his first day August Carroll, freshman, was worried about more than just finding his classes and making friends.

“I guess at the beginning of the day, I was really scared to correct any of my teachers on my name or pronouns because I thought that they might tell my parents, and then I was terrified what would happen after that,” August said. “But I was in English class and that’s my favorite. I love writing, I love literature and I was miserable. I just felt awful.”

While at first he was not sure if he wanted to come out at high school, he decided in English class that it was necessary.

“I didn’t realize, but it was because of something that small, like just a name or a pronoun. There is so much importance tied to that, that I ended up hating (a subject) something that I have loved my entire life because of that. So, I decided in English class I’m not going to let my mom ruin this for me, I’m not going to let my dad ruin this for me and I’m not going to let myself ruin it myself. So at the end of class, I stood up and I went to Mrs. (Kelly) Barnes, (English teacher) and I said I am transgender, this is my name, these are my pronouns.”

A few weeks later, August came out to Mrs. Barnes’ Honors English 9 class through a project where students worked in pairs and introduced each other after doing an interview.

“When the students did the introductions, he talked about it with his partners and shared that with the class and so I thought that was very brave and very open,” Mrs. Barnes said.

For August, it was just a matter of feeling comfortable in his skin and connecting with people.

“It’s easier to form connections with people when you are actually finally presenting as who you really are instead of something that you feel like you have to,” August said.

Earlier this month the seventeenth edition of the Chicago Manual of Style was released. For over one hundred years, the style guide has set standards for how the English language is used, acting as a predominant guideline for professional

UPCOMING Football game at home against Lowell, student section USA | tonight

Gender expression The way an individual presents gender. Through actions, clothing, demeanor and more. Gender expression does not determine gender or sexuality

Masculine Feminine Androgynous

“I was born female but Identify as male so I am what they call ‘f’ to ‘m’ or female to male” —Luke, senior

Gender

A person’s psychological sense of self. Based on how much an individual aligns with what they understand to be gender options Cisgender

a blanket term for people who are not transgender

Female Male

Transgender

an umbrella term for anyone who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth

Female to male Male to female Non-binary Gender Dysphoria The uncomfortable feeling that transgender people experience because their anatomical sex does not match their gender identity

Anatomical sex Seperate from gender, sex is the biological or anatomical parts of a body like genitals, chromosome and hormones Male Female Intersex

continued on page 6

Sexual orientation The physical, romantic and/ or emotional attraction people have towards one and other

Homosexual Heterosexual Bisexual Pansexual

“I’m a bisexual female. As a bisexual, I like girls, I like boys.

I mix it up a bit. I don’t really feel like I have to be assigned to liking a certain gender.”

—Claire Powell, sophomore sources: The Genderbread Person, genderbread.org; glaad.org

02 news

sept. 29, 2017

Helping

the cause Story by Mercedez Williams Page Editor With winds recorded as high as 185 mph, Hurricane Irma was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded. Despite only making impact on multiple Caribbean islands and Florida, it’s devastation has spread much farther north.

One of Project Bio’s core field trips is to Pines Peak a fishing lodge in the Florida Keys. The town was devastated by Hurricane Irma, leading Project Bio to help the town recover by fundraising.

“We go to Florida for nine days over Spring break, it’s a traveling class.” said Larry Hautzinger, Physics, Honors Physics and Project Bio teacher. “This fundraiser is to raise money for Big Pine Key; that is where we stay in Florida. We stay at a camp called Big Pine Fishing Lodge. They got hammered in the last storm. And since we partner with them, we want to help them as much as we can.”

In addition to Big Pine, Key the class also partners with a boating company.

“There’s also a boat company we use called ‘Strike Zone’. They takes us out into the ocean for diving and snorkeling. We just want to help raise funds to help them recover for Hurricane Irma.” Mr. Hautzinger said.

Project Bio will be fundraising for the first time in the their 40 year history, by selling Butter Braids.

“We are raising money through Butter Braids. They are pastries that come frozen in a tube, then you let them thaw overnight,” Nicole Jen, junior, said.

The money is being raised from now to Oct. 6. One can buy a classic

Full of

flavour for $14 and a special flavor for $15. In addition to the impact on Project Bio students, individual’s families have also been affected by the hurricane.

“My family was affected by the hurricane. My aunt and uncle went out of power, my little cousin’s bunny died. His name was Count Bunkula, and he died of starvation when they fled to North Carolina” Trinity Rodriguez, sophomore, said, “The prices for them, such as gas, went up.”

Page Editor On Sept. 16, the Marching Band ranked third place overall and tied in first place for visuals with in their first invitational competition at Victor Andrew High School.

“There are some minor things that I think we are going to fix for the competitions in the future but we are pretty happy with how we did,” Serena Alvarez, sophomore, said.

Since their first competition, Band has competed every weekend. The band members feel confident in

Path of extremes

Hurricane Irma was a historically powerful storm • • • • •

Lasted from Aug.30 – Sept. 16 Wind speeds were as high as 185 mph 185 mph winds sustained for over 37 hours Estimated damage costs ranged from $100 billion to $150 billion First Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since Matthew (2016)

Sources: nationalgeographic.com, nhc.noaa.gov, census.gov, webcms.colostate.edu

Awareness for wellness The start of October brings Red Ribbon Week Story by Alyssa Bass Page Editor Red Ribbon week is a drug and violence prevention awareness campaign encouraging kids and teens to stay away from harmful substances and bad decision making.

Red ribbons were worn in honor of an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was murdered in 1985. Later the red ribbon became a symbol used for drug prevention.

“Anyone who is wearing a Red Ribbon is making the conscious decision not to use drugs or alcohol,” Officer Gabriel Isenblatter said.

As part of red ribbon week, schools are holding a poster contest. Each school will have their own winner who will receive a $25 gift card to Target. One grand prize winner will get a $50 Target gift card. Posters must contain the words “Munster” and “Red Ribbon,” they have to be turned into the main office by Wednesday, October 4.

“Never listen to anyone who said ‘everyone does it”, because that’s just not true,” Officer James Ghrist said.

Corrections

Photo by Megan Szymanski

In issue 2, on page 3, in Corrections, Mr. Louis Zeheralis was spelled wrong. On page 3, in the masthead, Moira Glowacki was spelled wrong. Crier regrets these mistakes.

HELPING HAND During Mr. Hautzinger’s Project Bio class, Anthony Ruffalo, senior, assists Maeve Riley, senior, with classwork. The class is helping victims of Hurricaine Irma.

passion Story by Alyssa Bass

Project Bio raises money for Hurricane Irma victims

Marching Band anticipates the upcoming performance season and prepares for it with many practices

themselves and their peers that they will perform well in their upcoming competitions.

“I’m not worried about it at all, we’re not worried about it because since our current band director got here we’ve always gotten past regionals,” Serena said.

Although they are certain in their abilities to do well in the competitions, they still are working hard and improving their show and music.

“The show and music is a little bit harder this year, but as long as we get in the right mindset and stick

together then we’ll be fine,” Luciano Medina, drum major, said.

Band’s show this year is about a dystopian universe, that turns beautiful as the music goes on.

“I think usually our band has more character and more passion than other ones, usually other bands are stiff and they don’t get into the music as much,” Luciano said. “I feel like one of our greater strengths is we can really communicate our emotions effectively to the crowds and they react in the way we want them to react.”

Photo by Melanie Powers STICKING TOGETHER Zoe O’Shaughnessy, sophomore and Hector Gomez, freshman practice with the rest of the Marching Band.

news 03 sept. 29, 2017

Above the bar

2016-2017 10th grade ISTEP scores released

Story by Mimi Brody Managing Editor After last year’s sophomores spent long hours in testing rooms, their ISTEP+ results have finally been released. Indiana Department of Education reports that of the MHS 10th graders tested, 88.7 percent passed the English/Language Arts test and 62.9 percent passed math.

“When people hear 63 percent, they are like ‘Ah yes, D-,’ but that is not really what that means,” Mr. Robert Snyder, Assistant Principal, said.

“These are new tests and new assessments and they are significantly and infinitely harder than the assessments that would have been administered two years ago. So, when you look back at old ECAs, MHS was passing Math ECAs somewhere between the high 80s to the mid 90s, and I think our highest for English got up to about 94 percent.

So there is this grand leveling with scores, where we are seeing scores trend down, but the tests are also harder.”

These pass rates are each close to 30 percent above the state average, which could be attributed to subject teachers such as Mr. Thomas Barnes, English teacher.

“I would say the results are not necessarily statistically significant in the sense that we improved, because there was a small bit of improvement, but compared to the rest of the state, and how well other schools did, ones that are probably academically equivalent to us, we did a lot better

Stage ready

photo by Megan Szymanski

ISTEP PREP Students like (front to back) Ava Quasney, Ubin Kim, and Syndey Skrobot, freshman, take a test over “Illustrated Man” in Mrs. Barnes English 9 class with questions designed to work students analytical skills in preparation for the ISTEP exam. “They (the tests) help prepare (for ISTEP) because they aren’t direct questions with one specific answer, instead they incorporate questions about the perception of the story and overall themes which the ISTEP usually covers,” Sydney said.

Stacking up MHS compared to schools in Lake/Porter County

English/Language Arts

1

State average

60.7%

Munster

Out of 364 Washington Township 2 students Out of 70 tested 88.7% students tested passed 87% passed

Math

2

Munster

Out of 364 students tested 62.9% passed

1

passed

3

Andrean

Out of 130 students tested 83.1% passed State average

Washington Township

Out of 70 students tested 67.1% passed

36.9% passed

3

Chesterton

Out of 491 students tested 50.7% passed

than most of those schools,” Mr. Barnes said. “So, we maintained a high rate as far as the scores go, especially on a test that is still pretty new. Having that success rate is probably what is the most important, not necessarily the growth but maintaining a really high level of scoring.”

Mr. Barnes also credits co-teaching programs in boosting the school’s pass rate.

“Munster has been able to implement a good co-teaching program, helping students with special needs that require a little more assistance in growing and achieving. Without some of those programs, it would be difficult to have the pass rate that we do,” he said.

Mr. Snyder believes that this year’s scores reflect the town’s dedication to education and the hard work done at the school.

“Munster is a very good school; great community, good kids, good teachers and all of that,” Mr. Snyder said. “We should have an expectation that we do well, especially comparatively to how other people are doing within the state. And we should keep our eyes on Washington Township and see if we can beat them.”

source: Mr. Robert Snyder

MTC put on first show next Thursday

Story by Ian S. Brundige

participated in before, Kim is confident this will be one of her favorites.

“This is probably going on my list of favorites, if The Munster Theater Company’s (MTC) first not my favorite, because while right now its teeth show of the season opens next Thursday. pulling, hair grabbing, frustrating because the The novice show, “The Trials of Robin Hood,” is a actors are still getting into their lines, their charmore comedic sequel to the original “Robin Hood” acters and their blocking I already know that it’s and gives newer actors a chance to pargoing to be really rewarding by the ticipate in theater.

Under the lights time that we are done,” Kim said.

“My goal with the novice production MTC enters theatre MTC is also working on two is to make it a really super family friend- competition Nov. 18 for one-acts “It’s Not You It’s Me” and ly production, that we could have even the first in MHS history “Sequence.” The show “Sequence” elementary school students come to see is being entered in a competition schools compete and so this really fit in with that,” Mr. Ray that will take place at MHS in NoPalasz, Auditorium Director said. vember. Kalie Miles, senior and acminute Working with directors Christina schools tress in “Sequence,” finds pros and Burzynski and Ben Peters, juniors, Kim performances advance cons to the smaller shows. performing Giannini, senior, moved into a new po- nov em “I think for a big show it’s realThe Sequence sition as Assistant Director after six ber ly fun because it’s just like a bigshows with the MTC. “I think it’s going to be kind ger family, more people to meet, “I expected it to be a lot of work but I of scary because normally if you mess up here it’s fine,” there’s a lot more stuff going on,” guess I wasn’t expecting the same volKalie Miles said. “But when Kalie said. “But I think for a smaller ume that I have gotten,” Kim said. “There you’re getting judged for show you get a lot more individual are so many thing that people are look- it I think there’s a lot more attention and direction, so I think ing for between tech crew, the actors, weighing on your mind.” that’s really nice too.”

Mr. Palasz himself, things that they need from us and they are thing that Show times somebody out of the three of us need to provide.”

7 p.m. Thurs. Fri. Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun. Although it is different than any show she has

Editor-in-Chief

5 45

2

18

photo by Sydney Pastor

SETTING THE STAGE Christina Burzynski, junior, Ben Peters, junior and Kim Giannini, senior, guide the actors during a rehearsal of “The Trials of Robin Hood.” “It’s been really fun getting to work with all the new actors and get to know them,” Ben said. “It has sort of become a big family. I didn’t realize how much went down behind the scenes in terms of set and props.

04 speakout sept. 29, 2017

After the destruction caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the question remains....

What to do?

cartoon by Gavin Hamilton

ADJUSTMENTS TO BE MADE Change happens over time, and although it takes time to adjust, changes eventually become normal. This happened in 2016 when Target decided to implement gender-neutral bathrooms in their stores.

Editorial

Respect They The Chicago Manual of Style recently recognized the use of the singular pronoun ‘they,’ a major triumph for those who use alternate pronouns. Recognizing preferred pronouns is becoming commonplace in colleges and universities and is expected to eventually trickle down to high schools and become a fixture in our everyday lives. preferred pronouns A l t h o u g h this is met should be with some respected, but resistance, getting used to it should be them takes time embraced with open arms, as it foreshadows a more inclusive and progressive future to come.

Whether someone prefers to be addressed as a he, a she, a they or a zie shouldn’t mat-

Our take

Crier

ter to another individual and it should be recognized and respected. Ultimately, the “inconvenience” that using alternative pronouns brings to cisgender people is not comparable to the constant feeling of dysphoria that transgender people feel having to live in a world where they are judged and ridiculed simply for being themselves.

However, those who do have alternate pronouns need to understand that using alternate pronouns is relatively new and it will take time for people to get adjusted; accidents do occur and people will mess up.

In order for change to happen, it starts with a discussion.

So talk. No matter your gender, sex or sexual orientation, talk to your peers. Start a meaningful discussion that will, in turn, promote inclusivity.

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

Let the people decide.

Rebuild and Improve.

Column by Mimi Brody

Column by Easan Venkat

Managing Editor

Chief Photographer

After Hurricanes Harvey and Irma made landfall last month, photos and videos surfaced of the extensive damage and deluge of rainfall.

As floodwaters began to recede, desperate Americans probed the wreckage.

These citizens need help. So, instead of spending billions of dollars on infrastructure, we should give that money directly to citizens impacted by storms and let them decide whether to rebuild or relocate.

This is not a new idea. It was first introduced by Harvard University Economist, Edward Glaeser, following Hurricane Katrina. The basis of his argument is that the money should be spent in a way that reaps the most benefits for citizens. As Virginia Postrel of Bloomberg View puts it, “Taxpayers spent a fortune on New Orleans, but the money wasn’t life-changing, or even life-restoring.”

In fact, ABC news reported in 2013 that $700 million awarded to rebuilding efforts in New Orleans was unaccounted for. By individualizing the money, waste can be cut, giving the money a chance to be spent more meaningfully.

In riskier areas like the Florida Keys, rebuilding should be scrapped all together, leaving citizens with money they can use at their own disgression. Would you buy an expensive car if you knew you would need to replace it in five years? It is illogical to keep footing the bill for a problem without an end in sight. In a time when rising sea-levels make coastal erosion and flash-flooding the norm, we should accept that we will inevitably need to start our procession inward, instead of rebuilding infrastructure that should not have been built, or rebuilt, in the first place. It is more important we cover the people, not the places.

What would you do if your home, your town, and your friends that you have spent your whole life with in one instant were uprooted? What would you do if you were blindsided by a natural disaster that suddenly changed your life?

For many Texas and Florida citizens these are the tough questions they are asking themselves. With little or no help, many of these citizens would have nowhere to go.

However, the Federal Government continues to help time and time again, whether it’s Katrina in 2005 or Irma now. We are the United States of America, we are no longer a loosely connected confederation of states. We, as a nation, are all in this together. We can’t abandon our fellow Americans in their time of need, otherwise there will be dire consequences.

Thus, the answer is to rebuild, but rebuild better than ever before.

President Trump has promised to have the “best ever” government response, so what does that mean?

Both Florida and Texas can learn from Katrina and what the city of New Orleans has done to prevent from another total devastation. New Orleans will spend $14.45 billion for some of the most advanced flood protection systems in the nation.

As LiveScience reports, the city started by repairing and restoring natural protection, like wetlands.

Secondly, the city engineered a new levee system by increasing the levee height and replacing many of the concrete walls with steel supported walls. Finally, the city has passed new legislation and protocols to prevent complacency.

If we build smarter, there will be no need to have mass evacuations of major cities, but instead we will have better more productive cities that are safer than ever before.

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.

Visual Chief Gavin Hamilton People Editor Carey Scott Page Editors Alyssa Bass, Alex Kojich, Erianna Sims, Mercedez Williams Social Media Editor Melanie Powers Business Manager Micala Boyd Head Photographer Kess Vaitkus

The Staff

Chief Photographer Easan Venkat

Editor-in-Chief Ian S. Brundige Managing Editor Mimi Brody

Photographers Moira Glowacki, Szymanski, Robert Young

Section Chief Joseph Bermudez

Adviser Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman

Lauren

Kozy,

Megan

spotlight 05 sept. 29, 2017

By the

Favorite frights

slice

Crier looks back at the best Halloween movies from the past 25 years

In preparation for National Pizza Month in October, Crier reviews popular local pizza places

Reporting by Ian S. Brundige Editor-in-Chief

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1992 C Dir. Fran Rubel Kuzui

DOUBLE FEATURE

1993 F C Hocus Pocus The Nightmare Before Christmas Dir. Kenny Ortega/Henry Selick

The Crow

1994 H

Dir. Alex Proyas

Review by Mimi Brody

Casper

Managing Editor

Dir. Brad Silberling

1995

Scream

I

photo illustation by Megan Szymanski

was very underwhelmed by John’s Pizza. I had high expectations for the hole-in-thewall on Ridge Road, hoping that it would be an authentic slice loaded with great ingredients. Instead, I was surprised to find that John’s pizza was only marginally better (and more expensive) than chains like Pizza Hut or Papa John’s. The highlight of the pizza was the shredded sausage, spread generously throughout the pizza. Also interesting was the way in which the pizza was cut. It was sliced multiple times horizontally but only once vertically, guaranteeing that every slice would have crust. However, I was underwhelmed by the crust which was tough and doughy, and the relatively bland taste. I only had one piece (granted, each slice was gigantic) because it was not worth the greasy feeling afterword.

Tomato Bar Pizza Bakery 79 US-41, Schererville, IN

1997 F C

Halloweentown

1998 F C

Dir. Duwayne Dunham

The Blair Witch Project

1999 H

Battle Royale

T

2000

Dir. Kinji Fukasaku

Monsters Inc.

T

10441 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland, IN

I

f you are in a hurry, MOD. is the place to go.

MOD does not go so far as to really compete with other pizza places on this list, but it ranks high among other fast food places right in line with the Chipotles or Five Guys of the world. At MOD the design your own pizza setup is similar to that of Chipotle or Subway, but they have pre-decided combinations as well. The ingredients are fresh, and they offer many interesting ingredients like brussel sprouts or corn. I played it safe and got a six inch pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, tomatoes, mushrooms and arugula. It took about five minutes to cook my pizza.

Ultimately, it was underwhelming, but I didn’t expect it to really be a standout. The crust was bland and very thin, causing the bottom to get soggy. The toppings were fresh but the pizza as a whole was just very plain. I decided to give MOD three stars, mostly based on its convenience and fresh ingredients.

good

average

Tower of Terror

Dir. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez

MOD Pizza

mediocre

1996 H T

Dir. D.J. MacHale

247 Ridge Rd, Munster, IN

bad

C

Dir. Wes Craven

The Original John’s Pizzeria

Rating system explained

F

exceptional

omato Bar pizza seems out of place in Schereville. It prides itself on homemade crust, fresh ingredients and trendy gluten-free options, much like the of hip pizzerias you would find in downtown Chicago. The franchise is originally from Valparasio and only has two other locations, allowing it to maintain its homegrown vibe. I ordered the “Magic Potion” pizza, topped with sausage, tomatoes, feta, spinach, provolone, mozzerela and a swirl of pesto.

For one thing, it is a very pretty and photogenic pizza, but I was equally impressed with its taste.

The ingredients were fresh and complemented each other nicely. The crust was doughy, while still maintaining a crispy bottom. I gave Tomato Bar the only five star rating due to its ingredients, ingenuity and overall impressiveness.

2001 F C

Dir. Pete Doctor and Lee Unkrich

Scooby Doo

2002

F C

Dir. Raja Gosnell

Haunted Mansion Dir. Rob Minkoff

2003 F C

Halloweentown High Dir. Mark A.Z. Dippe

Twitches

2005

F

Dir. Stuart Gillard

Monster House Dir. Gil Kenan

2006 F T

Paranormal Activity Dir. Oren Peli

The Happening Coraline

2008

2009

Giordano’s

Insidious

625 Lincoln Hwy, Schererville, IN

Super 8

T

2007 H C T

Dir. M. Night Shyamalan

F

Dir. Henry Selick

here is hardly anything more Chicagoian than deep dish pizza. Giordano’s big, cheesy and tasty slice definitely did not disappoint. I ordered a small stuffed pizza with mushrooms and spinach: a Giordanos favorite.

The crust was very flakey and I was surprised that it wasn’t soggy despite all the cheese and sauce loaded on top of it. Of course with any deep dish, the cheese is the main component, and trust me there was a lot of it. I felt that there was too much cheese on it, if that is a thing, and because of that the flavor from the sauce was somewhat lost in the cheese. To add flavor, there should have been more sauce or less cheese. Ultimately, I rate my Giordano’s experience at four stars because despite the abundance of cheese, it was a fantastic piece of za.

2004 F C

T

2010 H

Dir. James Wan

2011

T

Dir. J.J.. Abrams

DOUBLE FEATURE

2012 Frankenweenie Paranorman

F

Dir. Tim Burton/Chris Butler and Sam Fell

The Conjuring

2013 H

The Babadook

2014 H

Dir. J.J. Abrams

Dir. Jennifer Kent

Goosebumps

2015

F C

Dir. Rob Letterman

10 Cloverfield Lane Dir. Dan Trachtenberg

2016

Stranger Things (Season 2) Releases Oct. 27

T

2017

Producers Duffer Brothers

key

C T

comedy thriller

F H

family horror

06 infocus sept. 29, 2017

continued from front

They

is here

publications, similarly to how students use MLA format when writing essays. In the newest edition the manual, changes were made that have the potential to effect issues off the page, making it acceptable to use “they/them” as singular gender-neutral pronouns.

“I think that it’s (changing pronouns is) a very personal choice and I think that people have the right to make the determination for themselves,” Mrs. Barnes said.

“I mean, I can’t make a choice for somebody else and I wouldn’t want anybody else to make a choice for me, so I think that having the fluidity of saying ‘they’ in style is a really huge step forward. Usually style manuals and things like that are so far behind and so something like that is really pushing forward and adapting to the times and to where we are in our country.”

In her own friend groups Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) president Kayla Prowell, junior, has seen problems occur from the old rules.

“I feel like changing they/them so that they can be used in a singular sense is a really great milestone for people to have,” Kayla said. “I know that some of my friends say that they won’t refer to people with they/ them pronouns because it’s not grammatically correct. And while I can understand why it would be hard for you to call people they/ them because it’s not actually grammatically correct, now it is.

Now you don’t have an excuse. Now you actually have to respect people.”

At the GSA’s first meeting led

by Kayla, members introduced themselves with their name and preferred pronouns, an activity that was important to Kayla to create an understanding respectful environment.

“I feel like GSA is a safe place for people and some people don’t get referred to by the pronouns they want to get referred to (as) at home and stuff like that,” Kayla said. “So I feel like at GSA, it’s better if everyone has a general basis that there’s a lot of people that prefer different pronouns that you wouldn’t think.”

Some students in GSA, including Kayla, went to schools that tried to limit their sexuality or have parents who limit their gender expression and will not allow them to cut their

Male Stereotypes

Men... play sports

are lazy and/or messy do not cook, sew or do crafts

They, ze, em

Moving up

A brief explanation of the origins of little known genderneutral pronouns

Kayla Prowell, GSA President, junior, explains the growth of GSA over her three years

More members

1934

around 60 members

Thon was added to Merrian Webester dictionary, short for “that one”

More diversity more transgender members

It was removed in 1961 because of a lack of use

approximately, split evenly LGBTQ+ members and straight allies

1991 Approximently 80 suggested ways of saying “him or her” in a single word other than they

approximately, split evenly between each grade

The list included heer, co, hes

2015

Next GSA Meetings

Harvard makes controversial decision to allow alternative pronoun/genders when registering

Tuesday after school in Ms. Peggy Matanic, English teacher’s, room S156 source: Kayla Prowell, junior, GSA President

photo by Emily Mudroncik

At the most recent GSA meeting Kayla Prowell, junior, GSA president, shared her coming out story. sources: merriam-webster.com; nytimes.com

hair or wear the clothes that they want. For those students, GSA is possibly the first time they are able to open up and be accepted.

“I came from a place where it wasn’t accepting, you weren’t allowed to be out, you weren’t even allowed to think about being gay,” Kayla said. “It sucked not being able to be yourself, not even knowing what yourself was. So when I came to Munster, I wanted to join GSA so bad just to show people that like, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. I accept you and there are a whole bunch of other people in this club that accept you to’.”

Kayla started at MHS as a freshman from Catholic school, and has worked to create a welcoming environment for new members with similar backgrounds, like August.

“It’s (GSA is) very tight knit,” August said. “Everyone’s really there for each other, and it’s weird because I haven’t really experienced that at a school setting, specifically because I went to a Catholic school before, this is just completely opposite.”

After two years, Kayla has seen GSA grow and change working to increase participation and awareness in the school.

“Definitely my sophomore and freshman year, it was the majority of the people were the grade above me,” Kayla said. “And the majority of them were gay males, that was

pretty much it. That was majority of the club, and then all those people graduated and I was hoping so bad that this year it would be different.”

With around 60 members this year, Kayla has achieved her goal of growing the club. The club has grown in diversity with more out transgender members than ever before, and a number of new members who identify with they/them pronouns.

The purpose of they is to be a gender-neutral pronoun, however there are more controversial gender-neutral pronouns that are being called into question by people who do not understand their function.

Even Kayla has struggled with understand more gender neutral pronouns “I feel like it’s a controversial thing,” Kayla said. “I guess for me, I can’t really say whether it’s important or not because I couldn’t relate in anyway. I couldn’t even relate to feeling like different pronouns, like different gender. I have never been confused with my gender so it’s hard for me to understand how someone could identify with a gender that’s I don’t even know what it is.”

This is not an uncommon thought. Associated Press, the primary style guide Crier uses, suggest, that reporters “Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have

Effects from the gender norm A study released earlier this month from the Journal of Adolescent health gave a look into how gender is seen around the world

1 Hegemonic myth A global set of forces from schools, parents, media and peers that reinforces the myth that girls are vulnerable and boys are strong and independent

acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.

If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.”

As a transgender male himself, August has a more understand view on gender-neutral pronouns.

“I think they (different pronouns) are just as valid and I don’t think there is any reason why they wouldn’t be,” August said. “I don’t think there is any reason that they don’t deserve as much respect as somebody that goes by he or she.”

In the end, August sees using people’s preferred pronouns as a fundamental part of respecting people.

“I think it’s partially an issue about respect because if your not willing to give someone such a basic privilege, or not even a privilege, such a base level amount of respect, then I don’t know how you could give them anything more than that.

I don’t know how you could respect someone as a person if you’re not willing to do something so simple.”

LGBTQ+ Resources Glaad

glaad.org

Riley Children’s Gender Health Program rileychildrens.org/departments/ gender-health-program

Female Stereotypes

She...

2 Boys are seen as trouble

are not as strong as men are flirts

3 Girls need to cover Up and not go out

love to sing and dance do not play sports

sources: Journal of Adolescent Health, jahonline.org; healthguidance.org

infocus 07 sept. 29, 2017

Up in the air

Student, administrator, nurse discuss controversy vaping in school, health effects on body

photo by Melanie Powers

Story by Joseph Bermudez Section Chief

V

aping during class last year, Chas Varkalis, junior, was caught and given two in-school suspensions, the consequence given to those on the first offense.

At the time, Chas was not aware of the school’s strict no vaping policy, but after discovering the policy and its consequences in the student handbook, he believes his punishment was justified.

“Personally, I did not know it was against school rules to vape, I felt like with no nicotine it was okay,” Chas said. “I feel like (my suspension) was justified after I found out in the student handbook.

If I knew it was against school rules I definitely would not have done it.”

Though he believes the consequences was justified, Chas does not understand exactly why vaping in school is frowned upon.

“It wasn’t administration’s fault for me not knowing, it was mine, but I do not agree with the policy,” Chas said. “I think that if we’re all sitting at lunch, we should all be able to pull out our box mods and just vape. If there’s no nicotine, what’s the harmful part? I understand we’re not supposed to be using vaporizers in school, but I just think we should be able to. I agree because (the policy) is already in place, but if it was up to me, I think everyone should be allowed to vape.”

Despite advertising as “nicotine free,” tests have

proven to show small amounts of nicotine linger“I think it’s become more socially acceptable as ing. Even if the nicotine free vapes were actual- smoking has faded from the limelight from teenly 100 percent nicotine free, there is still damage agers,” Mr. Nolan said. “We’ve seen less and less that can occur, according to Mrs. Kristin Miers, smoking, it has dwindled a bit and has been renurse practitioner. placed by vaping.”

“Nicotine free vapes will still have the polyethDisregarding the nicotine levels and the chemylene glycol, found in antifreeze, and diacetyl, icals inhaled, Mrs. Miers acknowledges one adwhich has been associated with vantage of vaping. popcorn lung (that cause dam“If we have to look at the adage to the bronchioles),” Mrs. The policy vantages of vaping, at least the Miers said. “Of course, all the pro- Consequences student people around you aren’t subpellants and the accelerates that will face if caught vaping or jected to secondhand smoke, so they use to heat the chemicals smoking on school grounds at least you’re not hurting others and putting them in your lungs, if you’re using it, but there really first offense whether nicotine is involved or isn’t any advantages to vaping two days of ISS not, it’s still going to be bad for after that,” Mrs. Miers said. you lungs.”

Including the harmful chemisecond offense Along with the “nicotine free” cals inhaled, Mr. Nolan believes three day suspension mislead, the amount of nicotine possibly medical intervention the nicotine has a larger effect in each refill varries. on a teenager in the long run. third offense “The nicotine levels are not “People will find excuses to five day suspension regulated,” Mrs. Miers said. “One say nicotine is safe for them,” possible expulsion refill, even of the same brand, Mr. Nolan said. “I think for young will be a different level than an- source: Mr. Morgan Nolan, assistant principal people, in my opinion, when you other one. When it’s different guys are exposed to things like each time you use it, you wind up caffeine, nicotine and THC those using more or less than you did another time and kind of things, it definitely has a different impact you’ll develop a very serious nicotine addiction.” on you than it does on an adult who has been exWith the recent increase vaping, the number of posed to that for the first time. Your minds aren’t teens smoking cigarettes has decreased, accord- fully cooked yet, and I think things like (vaping) ing to Mr. Morgan Nolan, assistant principal. do more harm than they do good.”

Brain

Potential damages

Can lead to depression

When exposed to vaping and the chemicals they contain it can cause damage to various parts of the body

Can cause development of nicotine addiction

Other effects Can cause sterility and fertilities issues

Lungs Formation of Popcorn Lung, damage in the small bronchioles that carve out and damage the lung system

Use during pregnancy can lead to baby born with low birth weight Wounds like cuts take longer or may never even heal

Vapor particles small enough reach deep into the lungs, which could cause potential breathing problems

Potential for lithium-ion batteries to combust or explode in hand or durning use Can shrink blood vessels, which leads to an increased possibility of a heart attack

Stomach Nicotine itself can cause nausea

photo illustration by Kess Vaitkus sources: Mrs. Kristin Miers, nurse practitioner; livescience.com

Rise in evidence proving nicotine can be toxic for a still developing mind and body

08 infocus

sept. 29, 2017

photo by Kess Vaitkus

SOUTHLAKE MALL at 5:30 p.m. taken in the parking lot.

Mind your manners Southlake Mall launches youth supervision policy that directly affects teens Story by Alyssa Bass Page Editor

From now on, Southlake Mall requires that everyone who is 17 years of age or younger must have a parent or someone that is 21 years or older supervising them at all times on Fridays and Saturdays after 4 p.m.

“The security guards didn’t let us go into the mall, but we found a lady who agreed to be our mom for the day, so we got to go in,’’ Sage Sweeney, junior, said.

The youth supervision policy was put in place to make sure that all guests have a safe and family friendly shopping experience.

“I do not go to Southlake Mall. I do not go there because my parents actually do not allow me to go there because of the dangers they think the place possesses,” Lilia Brunetti, sophomore, said.

Mall security asks shoppers for proof of age and proper identification such as a driver’s license or state ID. If no proof of age is shown, then you will be asked to leave Southlake Mall and go to a waiting area.

“I’m not going to ask my mom to go out of her way to drive up there because I have my license and I could go on my own. Now I can’t do that,” Sage said.

The mall’s pick up and waiting area are for those who don’t show proper identification or are alone under 17.

The areas are on the lower level mall entrance by H&M and JCPenney.

“The mall’s security told us since we didn’t have a parent we could only stay

in the JCPenney/Macy’s area, we couldn’t actually go into the mall,” Sage said. “It was kind of inconvenient because we were looking for homecoming dresses.”

Another rule now is that a single adult can only watch up to six kids.

This new policy does not include the mall’s AMC theatre.

“I think it’s an okay policy. It’s mostly a safety issue that the mall would rather have a safer mall to get rid of the reputation of an unsafe environment,” Lilia said. “They do not think it is safe for me to go there, especially on my own.”

People who work at the mall who are under 18 are allowed to keep their jobs, but during the policy’s hours they will need to show an ID and proof that they work at the mall.

“I don’t know what the other measures they have tried, but whatever they’re trying to prevent from happening, this is a bit extreme,” Sage said.

Although Southlake Mall has these new rules in place, they do encourage people 17 years and under to enjoy the mall with a supervising adult, if they come within the policy’s times.

“The environment will be there anyways, the environment is just going to continue to stay there, it’s not going to go away because of a rule,” Lilia said. “If you try to suppress people from going, they will only be more tempted to go.”

Laying down the

law

New rules and regulations explained; students give opinions Guests age 17 and under are required to be accompanied by and remain with a parent or adult age 21 or older at all times after 4 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Rule one “I think that if anything, that rule should be applied during the week because they’re probably going to lose a lot of business since kids shop at the mall on the weekend the most,”

Lauren Slavo,

sophomore

“That sounds reasonable, kids nowadays are reckless and irresponsible, if I’m being honest. At the same time I think they think could be more lenient,” Alisha Evans,

sophomore

Unsupervised youth age 17 and under shopping prior to 4 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings must leave the mall by 4pm or be joined with a parent or supervising adult age 21 or older.

Rule two

Proof of age will be required for the youth and supervising adult. Those who fail to produce proper identification will be asked to leave the property.

Rule three

“Lately I heard about some stuff that went on there, so I feel safer. If you’re an adult, you’ll tend to be more mature than us kids, so think that’s appropriate,” Samuel Latinovich, freshman

Samuel Latinovich,

freshman source: Shoppingsouthlakemall.com

sports 09 sept. 29, 2017

Practice makes Stories by Alex Kojich Page Editor

perfect

Boys’, Girls’ Cross Country begin practicing for Semi-state next month

Boys’ Cross Country

Race ready nutrition

Girls’ Cross Country

Boys’ Cross Country heads to North Central College in Naperville, Illinois this Saturday for a meet.

According to Oliver Meraz, sophomore, both the boys’ and girls’ team get together the Friday night before an event for a “pasta party.”

“When we eat the pasta it’s supposed to build up our carbs, and carbs give us energy,” Meraz said.

Once the carbs set in the following morning, the tensions begin to rise.

Only a year into his cross country experience, Cody Phillips, senior, described what the atmosphere was like heading into a meet.

“The environment changes when you get on the line (to start), you get stressed, but adrenaline definitely kicks in,” Phillips said.

Boys Coach Aaron Brown, science teacher at Wilbur Wright Middle School, is determined to place well despite the challenge of having experienced runners just returning from injuries.

“Our main challenge is the length of time that many of our experienced runners have been out due to injury,” Coach Brown said.

Oliver Meraz, sophomore runner, recommends pre-race snacks

With Semi-State a little under a month away, Girls’ Cross Country is focused on improving their overall placing, after last Saturday’s competition at Culver Military Academy.

“Cross isn’t hard if you try; I just needed something to do and I fell in love with it.,” Kaylee Galvan, senior, commented.

Last week’s competition showcased some of the region’s top cross country competitors.

“It (will be a) taste of what Semi-State will be like,” according to Hailey Thill, junior. “We have some pressure making sure we look good.”

Having just five days to analyze their results, the girls try to focus on placing and stamina.

“Sometimes, the girls have doubts, but we try to have a positive attitude so it doesn’t affect our performance,” Thill said.

Galvan doesn’t have as many doubts as the other girls, however, as she heads into races with a more optimistic outlook.

“To me, you run with your legs, but you race with your mind,” Galvan said.

Bowl of Cereal less than 10 grams of sugar 200 calories per serving 100% whole grain Max 5 grams of fiber

Mug of Pasta Light tomato sauce Four ounces of whole wheat pasta equal to 344 calories Try to have a low fiber meal with the pasta source: Oliver Meraz, sophomore

Times are a

changing

After close defeat at Regionals, Girls’ Golf looks forward to rebuilding process

got to play a little bit more, I felt a lot more calm and chill,” Jeknic said.

Editor-in-Chief For Jenkic, the most important mental aspect Girls’ Golf competed at Regionals last week- of golf is staying in the moment. end at Battle Ground Golf Club near Lafay“Usually, if you’re still going to be stuck on that ette. The team placed seventh out of eigh- hole, you’re going to just keep doing bad, you’re teen teams and they were only 20 points just going to keep making mistakes,” Jenkic said. away from making it to State. They won their “Because your mind is not in the moment, on conference and finished the season 10-3. the hole that you’re on, you’re still in the past. If In last weekend’s 90° weather, Haleigh I have a bad hole and I know what I did wrong Gronwold, senior, and co-captain Gabie Inon that hole, I usually goglia, senior, played with take those mistakes the team Haleigh spent and correct them on all season help men- Mirela Jenkic, sophomore, the next one so I could tor. keep getting better explains use of certain strokes “It’s been nice meetand par, or even birdie, ing the freshman Chip: on the hole after that.” and kind of mentor- • Set up for putting With underclassing them and getting • Helps land the ball on the green men talent on the them used to being team, Gronwold is moin a competitive po- Putt: tivated by the competsition,” Gronwold said. • Used on green itive atmosphere cre“In varsity tournaments • goal is to score in 2 putts or ated by Coach Smitka because (Coach Bill) less allowing different Smitka (socials studies girls to play. teacher) gives kind of ev- Source: Mirela Jenkic, sophomore “It’s very competieryone a chance to play varsity, so it’s kind tive within the team. It’s friendly competition, but of nice to give them tips about playing with it’s very competitive,” Gronwold said. “There are varsity players and just in general the rules maybe five or six girls who can all shoot around of golf.” the very same numbers so we always have comThe best score on the team belonged to petitions to see who will play in certain tournaAnanya Sharma, freshman, shooting an 80 ments. But it’s nice because friendly competition at her first Regionals. helps you get better.”

“For anyone to shoot 80 is a great score, Before the girls started their rounds, some of but for a freshman to do in her first Re- the parents set up a tailgate to motivate the team. gionals, that’s very exciting,” Coach Smit- Nicole Howard and Sarah Ladd, class of ‘17, who ka said. were on the team last year also stopped by to Another young player on the team show their support.

Mirela Jeknic, sophomore, played on “That was really neat,” Coach Smitka said. “You varsity for the first time and learned know, starting in late July, you spend two months how to better control her nerves. going and playing golf and before you know it the “This year was my first year doing season is over. It was nice to see girls from last varsity and I will say at my first varsity years team, to see the parents get excited, to see match I was nervous but after–once I the excitement.” photo by Taylor Homans

Story by Ian S. Brundige

Up to par

HARD AT WORK At practice last week Euna Lee, sophomore, works on her short game chipping onto the green. ““I think practicing is essential for my game,” Lee said. “I use my practice time to work out things that didn’t work in previous matches.”

10sports sept. 29, 2017

'Keep looking forward, Never look back'

All the signs

Story by Joseph Bermudez Section Chief

photo by Moira Glowacki

SWITCHING THINGS UP Will Teske (13), junior, tries to defend against opponent during a match against Lowell on Sept. 20.

“I am trying to figure out how to keep the guy from going wide,” Teske said. “But, he actually tricks me. I am just trying to take the ball away from the guy and keep him from scoring.”

Boys’ Soccer discusses season, how they improved throughout season.

Story by Erianna Sims Page Editor One game at a time. Boys’ Soccer is taking one game at a time as they head into the postseason on Saturday against Valparaiso. The team often tries to set goals for each individual game. They stay focused on what’s important in the moment, and have seen the season progress because of it.

“Our team has become a lot stronger since our first game, and we have a stronger attacking force and defense,” Laith Srour, senior, said. “We call our defense ‘The Four Brothers’ because of how well they play in the back.”

Their most efficient practices occur when everyone is engaged, and each person can identify their strengths and weaknesses to improve.

“Coach Jim Prasopoulos is fantastic at pulling players aside, and working with them one on one,” Noah Moell, senior, said. “He tells you what you need to do personally to fit into the big jigsaw puzzle that is soccer. When everyone does their part, then you create this whole unity or machine, that works together and is perfect. Once he works with you individually and helps you out with what you need to do,

All for him

Boys’ soccer team talks about their inspiration, remembering Yiorgo Karnezis, class of ‘16, Jersey Number Three

he can work on the team as a collective. It boosts our efficiency and makes us all better.”

Boys’ Soccer will have many new players next season, as the majority of this year’s team are seniors.

Seniors remember the advice they received from others, and how it impacts them to this day.

“Some of my coaches told me ‘Your eyes are in the front of your head for a reason,’ and to keep looking forward and never look back,’” Srour said. “After every loss it doesn’t really matter, it matters what you do in the next game.”

The players know what is most important when being a part of the team and they’ve passed their advice on to other boys interested in joining the team.

“Be prepared to work hard because success doesn’t come easy,” Moell said. “Always focus on one thing, and don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Have fun, that’s what it’s all about.”

This season of Boys’ Soccer has been successful.

The team has won 6 of their 10 games so far. They credit their success to their ability to practice well and play as a team, rather than being titled winners or losers for each game.

“We practice the same way we play games, with hard work and focus,” Srour said. “We focus on the little details that will help improve us in the game.”

The team has learned winning the game is not always what’s most important. Playing together as a team, using skills they’ve learned during practice, and just having fun are all part of what matters most in soccer.

“When we go out and play a game we all try to have the same mindset, to win in every game,” Srour said.

“We go out there and try our hardest, and whether we win or lose, we have fun and play together as a team.”

“Yiorgo Karnezis always used to tell me ‘Just enjoy it while it lasts and really just be in the moment,’” Noah Moell, senior, said. “That’s what we’ve focused on as a team this season, just being in the the moment, and enjoying it while it’s there, because it won’t always be there.”

“I’d say my inspiration is Yiorgo, just because this entire year we’ve basically been playing for him,” Alec Spicer, senior, said. “The entire team had a tough loss with him last year, and we wear those black jerseys for him. Whenever we go out and play a big game and we wear those jerseys, he’s always in our head and our hearts.”

Racism is as American as baseball.

On Sept. 13, when the Boston Red Sox hosted the Oakland A’s, a black sign with those six words in white letters was displayed over Fenway Park’s famous Green Monster in left field. The four fans who unveiled this sign were immediately removed from the park because their act was “in violation of the club’s policy prohibiting signs of any kind to be hung or affixed to the ballpark,” according to a Red Sox spokesperson.

Boos flooded the stadium and these four individuals who identify as “a group of white anti-racist protesters” were shocked to find their message was misinterpreted.

They told CSN New England that the sign was a reminder to the nation that, just as baseball is ingrained in the culture of America, unfortunately, so is racism.

The group who denies any affiliation with Antifa or Antifa Boston, wished to get the message “white people need to wake up to this reality before white supremacy can truly be dismantled” across, said one of the four escorted out of the stadium.

Through their vague and misinterpreted sign, these individuals carry a strong and positive message. A message they intentionally chose to tell during a nationally televised game.

Many believe the platform to send this message, at a baseball game, was not the right way to go if these individuals want to get their spread their views.

However, the exact location was definitely justified.

The topic of racism did not introduce itself to Fenway Park that Wednesday night. Red Sox owner from 1933-1976 Tom Yawkey was the reason why the Red Sox were the last Major League team to integrate in 1959, 12 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.

In May this year, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was subjected to taunts and racial slurs thrown at him by few Red Sox fans.

Fenway Park is currently located on 4 Yawkey Way. Red Sox President John Henry is making every effort to change the street name. He has expressed his disgust in the current name, taking the Jones incident as the “final straw.”

Unfortunately the city of Boston carries this foundation of racism, which is why these protesters chose Fenway.

They broke the organization’s clear rule prohibiting any sign to be displayed, and the vagueness of the message did not help, but their intent for equality among all races that was eventually passed down ignites the fire to work towards change, just like John Henry’s efforts.

sports sept. 29, 2017

Age

11

is just a

number Girls’ Soccer looks to carry momentum into postseason after Conference win Story by Gavin Hamilton Visual Chief Losing many players was a challenge early in the season, but since then, Girls’ Soccer had time to adapt and overcome their loss with a record of 10-3-2, according to Abby Nita, senior. “(The season has) been going pretty well, we’ve definitely been doing better than expected after losing eight seniors last year,” Nita said.

“Since the team is younger, at first there was kind of a lack of bonding between the team. I think that’s pretty much been resolved, just capitalizing on our first touches and talking on the field and playing fast. We changed our formation to accommodate some of the younger players pulling up, so we can all understand it to a higher degree.”

On Tuesday, the team won Conference, giving them confidence going into the postseason.

“It definitely gives us a lot of energy and is more motivation, we have a little more faith in our playing abilities, knowing that we already have one set of wins under out belt,” Nita said. “Now we can move forward and just take it one game at a time; continue that progress.”

Due to the team being younger compared to last year, the beginning of the season was slow to start, However, the team has picked up the pace, according to Coach Val Pflum, math teacher.

“We started off slow, but we’ve had

a lot of top ten teams and since we’ve going to have a lot more experience come home we’ve been on a winning that they can bring to the team when streak.” Coach Pflum said. “I think the seniors and the juniors all leave that they’ve been working hard and and I think it will create a positive imthey are starting to click now and pact in the future.” Nita said. “There just play better as a unit.” is a lot of leadership in our freshAlthough men already the issues New challenges ahead that will defithat come Sectionals change from last year, pose nitely grow with having a new challenges throughout younger team 2016-17 Sectionals 2017-18 Sectionals their years.” have been re- Hammond Morton After last Lowell solved, there East Chicago Hammond Morton night’s Crown still has been Hammond Point match, East Chicago other issues Hammond Clark which they Lake Central that the team won (2-0), the Crown Point has continued team advanc“It’s a super different change because to work on bees into their our Sectionals last year were much fore the postpostseason. easier, so this gives us a challenge to season.

This year, advance to Regionals.”

“Our conthe teams - Adeline Andello, junior sistency has sources: Jaycee Helmer, senior, IHSAA.com that they will been an issue face have because when we play some of the changed. They could see the number worser teams, we play down to their one ranked team in the nation, Penn level,” Nita said. “When we do play High School, later on in their post some of the more challenging teams, season according to Adeline Andelit harder for us to consistently play lo, junior. fast and talk on the field and make “We had a game against them in different runs, so that’s kind of when the season, and we lost to them 2-0 the issue is, finding consistency be- but we lost in the second half and tween playing the good teams ver- we lost with 15 minutes left and we sus some of the bad teams.” held them strong the whole game.

Because younger players have had The goals that happened, they could a chance to play on varsity early into have been fixed.” Andello said. “So, their high school careers, they will it’s going to be cool to see another have more experience and be able to match if we do go against them. It bring more to the team during later helps us because we realized when years, according to Nita. we played them if we can hold Penn “Because a lot of the girls are play- how far we held them, we can hold ing varsity at a younger age they are any team if we play the same way.”

Fundamentals of the game

Setting it up

Tips needed to know to spike, serve and set

Volleyball prepares for Sectionals Oct. 10, discusses youth of team, new coach

ke

Spi

rd, ing wa s, br r o pf tep Ste wo s go l to tt l s a La up fb Se p o ter rvi o arm t s t ng Hi n fa Mo w o stl d yg ing eo Sett Ju m all mp etr s on b y finger hig n e t All he t ad bu r th ve he d o an b a de Arms ne exten Do t t fully wn o n mo wi un re po th an shape de Hold r b wer t gle before all han of ball ct conta graphic by Gavin Hamilton

source: Brooke Dills, senior

Story by Joseph Bermudez Section Chief Under the new leadership of Coach Brett Boden, Volleyball changed their offensive and defensive schemes. Despite a difficult start, losing eight of their first ten matches, Coach Boden is confident the team has progressed well as the season went on.

“It’s been a positive change,” Coach Brett Boden said. “Our ball control has been better, our stats keep going up kind of small increments, week by week. I think the girls are buying into the new program and they seem to be enjoying it a lot more this year. I think there’s been a lot of progress and I think we’re going to keep making progress until our season ends.”

Under the mindset of starting the season off as a rebuilding process, the team has a goal of going the furthest they can in the playoffs, according to Brooke Dills, senior.

photos by Kess Vaitkus

UPPER HAND (top) Protecting the ball, Olivia Foley, senior, looks for a teammate to pass to.

“I’d say the two things that usually go through my head is which of my teammates I’m going to try to get it to, and also that I better not mess up,” Foley said. STRIKE FORWARD (middle) Running with the ball, Adeline Andello, junior, (9), works the ball away Kankakee Valley’s Abby Homrich (25). AS A TEAM (bottom) During lineup announcements, Foley and Jaycee Helmer, senior, high-five before the game.

“To make it to Sectionals has been the main goal for this season,” Dills said. “We knew coming into the season that the beginning of it was going to be tough because we would be spending a lot of our time developing our underclassmen. Sectionals has been what we’ve been looking forward to as ‘Okay, you’ve had your year to develop, let’s see what you’ve got now.’”

Despite being introduced into a the leadership role earlier than she expected, Maddie Horin, junior, felt comfortable with it.

“I’ve always been kind of a leader of my teams, I’m loud and competitive so I sort of naturally step into (a leadership role),” Horin said. “It’s not that hard because we all have the same goal and it’s easier to work with people who all want to accomplish the same things.”

Rather than viewing the team’s youth as a negative, something perceived by their opponents, the team plans on using it to their advantage, according to Dills.

“It’s really tough to put your finger on what we have because not too many schools know that much about us, and that’s why our season motto this year has been ‘Dark Horse.’ Everyone is going to think we don’t have much, but in reality we have a lot of weapons,” Dills said.

12 student life sept. 29, 2017

Dropping the

beat beat

Student artists use Soundcloud to share original music, remixes Story by Gavin Hamilton Visual Chief Once upon a time, music was an industry where artists had to have a “big break” in order to become known. Do He Know ft. Kwiddy This has changed (Prod. by Young Taylor) with advancements in technology.

Soundcloud, a music sharing website, is used for independent and lesser-known artists to share their music and to gain a following. This phe- Artists: Jerri and nomenon has been Kwiddy (Jeremiah photo by Easan Venkat seen with multi- Eaton and Kwame SQUAD GOALS Working on their next song, Kwame Nnuro-Frimpong, senior, raps into the microple artists, such Nnuro-Frimpong, phone. He joined with Jeremiah Eaton, senior, in January of last year to make songs on Soundcloud. as XXXtentacion, seniors) “(Jeremiah) is really into music and so he usually made his songs on his own” Kwame said. “At first Chance the Rapper Released: September he showed me a couple of his songs and he was like ‘Dude, check this out,’ and I was like ‘Yeah, and Lil Pump. Now Plays: 2,700 at pressdude, that’s pretty cool, that’s dope.’ One day he just hit me up and asked me to be on a song.” students have also time to see what I could do, spired to start making music be- write about.” used Soundcloud in source: Soundcloud.com/jeremiAlthough some artists started and eventually I had cause of mainstream artists, accordorder to make mu- ah-eaton ing to Kwame. making music on so many lyrics I made sic and share it with “I’m really into J Soundcloud, others a song out of it. It was a really old their peers.

MVS 2 Cole, I’d say that he is made music before “I do it with Kwame (Nnuro-Frim- song, it only got like, 100 views and a big inspiration and and used Soundcloud pong, senior, also known as Kwiddy), I deleted it a while ago. But Kwame I would say Drake (is to more easily share but we both really like rap. One day heard it, and he liked what he heard, too).

I really like that. their music.

I was listening to music and I was and he thought we could do better if He really inspired me,” “I used to always thinking about what they were say- we did it together. So we did our first Kwame said.

“Basicalfreestyle.

I just said ing in one of the songs, so I thought, song, which was ‘Click Here,’ and we ly, just the new music ‘lets put it on the ‘I could probably rap too’,” Jeremiah got over 2,000 views. People from the coming out, all these track’,” Deandre Eaton, senior, also known as “Jerri” school really liked it, so we decided new rappers coming Christian, senior, also said. “So I just started writing lyrics. to continue making music.”

Artists: HAYES-LIKES-TOout, I’m just inspired known as “Alfenox” Many Soundcloud artists are inI thought it would be kinda fun just to be like ‘I can do this RAGE (Tyler Hayes, junior) said. “(Soundcloud) too’.” is the easiest to use, Released: August Although he is in- Plays: 3,900 at presstime you can just upload spired by popular art- source: Soundcloud.com/hayes(tracks).” ists and even draws likestorage Although other inspiration from their Alfenox - Don’t Aim artists write and perstyles, writing the lyrform their own songs, ics of the song is one some Soundcloud of the hardest parts artists, such as Tyler about making music Hayes, junior, also for Jeremiah. known as “Hayes“Thinking about Likes-To-Rage,” use what to write about (is a different approach, hard),” Jeremiah said. instead mixing pre“Originally we started existing songs to writing about things Artists: Alfenox (Deandre make new ones. Tyler current rappers write Christian, senior) started making muabout, common stuff, Released: May sic back in the midlike hoping to make Plays: 1,000 at presstime dle of his Freshman it big, get famous, but source: Soundcloud.com/alfenox year to play when he photo by Easan Venkat now we are trying to was with friends.

HYPE IT UP Recording a new, unreleased song, Jeremiah Eaton, senior, works relate it more to our everyday lives “I just always played music when with Kwame Nnuro-Frimpong, senior. “Me and Kwame, when we record, we so it’s more interesting and more of (I) would hang out (with friends) so I get really into it.” Jeremiah said. “We get really lit and hype each other up when an intimate Hip-Hop, so it’s more dif- figured, ‘Mix it. Make it fluent’,” Tyler we are rapping and it gets really fun. That’s the best part about it” ficult to think of lyrics and what to said.

BACKTALK September is National Coffee Month. What is your go-to Starbucks order?

“Caramel late.

The caramel tastes smooth and sweet.”

Ethan Roe, freshman

“My Starbucks order is a London Fogged Latte with a shot of vanilla.”

Milena Trivunovic, sophomore

“Black coffee, extra black.”

Shreyas Iyer, junior

“Water.”

Luciano Medina, senior

“I don’t drink Starbucks.

Starbucks is the devil.”

Mr. Nathaniel Thompson, science teacher