Pirate Press_December 2022 (Vol.9, Issue 3)

PIRATE PRESS

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December 2022

Planning for Christmas Break

Senior Molly Etscheid

The Chicago O’Hare Airport decorated for Christmas. Photo courtesy to SmarterTravel.com.

With Christmas break around the corner, many students and teachers are making their holiday plans and vacations. Although most students are using the opportunity to sleep, work or just hang out with each other, some students are using the chance to take a trip and make new memories.

Some of the most popular Christmas break plans across America are:

◊ Traveling- Although not as popular as previous years, there still will be about 33% of Americans traveling for the Christmas hol iday. Junior Caroline Cooney is planning to go to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida with junior classmate Maggy Buscher. The two were both chosen as All American recipients (Cooney for dance and Buscher for cheerleading). They will be performing on the field during pre-game. The 2023 Citrus Bowl will kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 2 at Camping World Stadium. While in Florida, they will also be visiting Universal. “I have never been there before, but I am excited to go,” Cooney said.

◊ Visiting family- This is always the most popular choice. Whether you are going far or staying close, everyone wants to be around family for the holidays. Senior Connor Vedder plans to visit family in Montana and in West Virginia. In Montana, he gets to experience horseback riding and ranching. In West Virginia he gets to enjoy snowmobiling and hanging out with his cousins. “It will be nice to see some family I haven’t seen in a while,” Vedder said.

◊ Home organizing/remodeling- This idea is popular for many adults and teachers since this is the most time off, they have during the school year. Social studies teacher Tracey O’Fallon plans to use her time to work on some home remodeling. She wants to redo her pantry by adding new shelving, installing new lighting and painting it. She loves to sand, stain, paint or fix up anything she can find on the side of the road. “I’m so excited to get it all organized! It is such a train wreck in there,” O’Fallon said.

Personally, I plan to use the time to work more and make some extra cash. But however you spend your Christmas break, I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

FFA National Convetion

Senior Kendra Martin

The FFA ran away to Indy for the 95th National FFA Convention, which was recently held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Several members of the FFA spent a couple of long days at the annual convention.

Students who went to the convention include sopho mores Emmalea Snyder, Billie Patridge, Caden Walter and Will Znaniecki; juniors Rylee Davis, Faith Friestad, Hannah Penoyer and Wyatt Reding; and seinors Bianca Reilly and Hunter Owens.

Smile. Members of the FFA pose for a picture in front of a fountain in downtown Indianapolis.

The keynote speaker this year was hearing impaired WNBA player Tamika Catchings. Every year there is also a concert, with

CAUTION. The temperatures are dropping, and our first snowfall has come. As a reminder for students or families that drive to school: please use caution in the parking lots and please keep your speed down on slippery, snowy, ice-covered roads. We want to keep everyone as safe as possible. If that means leaving a little early because you must drive slower or having a guardian bring you because you are not experienced enough, please do so. “I have always said, give yourself extra time to travel to your destination. If you are running late due to weather, still take your time. We would rather you be safe and late, than put yourself and others in danger,” Resource Officer Kathleen Passini said.

Russell Dickerson and Mickey Guyton performing this year. There was also lots of shopping including an FFA mall with a variety of FFA apparel.

“The expo was really neat. We had the oppor tunity to explore different colleges and the programs they offer. It was also nice to acquire lots of free gear like hats, water bottles, drawstring bags and stickers. It was a good opportunity to make connections with people, which may be beneficial in the future.” junior Hannah Penoyer said.

The Start of the Snow

Senior Molly Etscheid

Final Prep: The Home Stretch

Coss

We are in the home stretch. With finals just around the corner, almost the entire school has never taken one, so nerves are high. Don’t fret though because there are tips and tricks for studying for every student.

Tip #1: Put the phone away. I know it feels like the world is ending. Personally, my number one bad habit is having my phone out while I’m studying. So put your phone far away from you where you can’t see it, so it is not distracting: out of sight out of mind. Set a time limit for however long you would like to study and eliminate all distractions. Studying can be grueling sometimes, so set a time limit, then once the time is up, you can reward yourself and take a break.

Tip #2: Make a plan. Kahoot is an easy website to use to study for a test as well as flashcards. Look over your old notes and homework work sheets to study too. For math you can do practice problems or look at the textbook as well for help. Sophomore Olivia Jack son says, “highlighters are a huge studying tip I recommend. Every time I find myself forgetting important information, I look at the bright colors that help me regain my memory. Making studying colorful makes it not only fun, but super-efficient and effective.” You can also study old quizzes and tests as well. Gather a group of friends to help you study. Sometimes having other people there to help you study can make it less stressful. Studying doesn’t work with a one size fits all approach. Everyone processes information differently, so study with whatever method works best for you.

for yourself can help you stay motivated. Whether your incentive is your phone or playing a video game or treating yourself to Star bucks or Jeremiah Joe, setting a reward for yourself can make you feel more accomplished when you’re done. Also, remember to take breaks in between study sessions. Don’t overwork yourself and whatever you do, do not stay up late and lose sleep over studying. Make sure that you’re well rested before finals so that you can do your absolute best.

Tip #4: Set the scene. Another tip is to make sure that your environment is a proper one. Eliminate all distractions. Consider studying somewhere unfamiliar as well like Jeremiah Joe or Starbucks or even the library to help you stay focused. Sophomore Braidyn Phinney says, “I highly recommend studying outside the comfort of your own home. Going to the library really helps me stay focused and elimi nates distractions that I would have if I studied at home.”

This is a possible apprpriate study environ ment. Photo credit to Chinmaya IAS Academy.

Tip #5: Lastly, the most important step is to take care of yourself. If you don’t nurture your mind, body and soul, you won’t be able to give anything your all. So take care of your mental health, rest and remember to give yourself a break every now and then.

Tip #3: Treat yourself. If you struggle with keeping your phone away, think of it as an incentive. Study, then when you’re done, your phone will be waiting for you. In fact, setting incentives

The Final Bow

Let it go. The cast of “Frozen Jr” during the bow of their final performance on November 19. “I worked with an incredible cast that made each other feel like family,” senior Cora Sisk said.

Finals can be stressful, but remember that they are not the end of the world. Just study hard and push through and all will be well. All you can do is try your best, and once finals are over, you will be relieved. So study hard and reward yourself when finals are over, and remember that your mental and physical health are the most important things to take care of.

Senior Emma

Junior Sarah McGrath

Sub Shortage

Senior Molly Etscheid

RING, RING, RING. A typical morning at Nikole Hamilton’s desk.

Is my teacher going to be here today or where is my class to day? Those are the questions a lot of students ask themselves before heading to class. Unfortunately, in the past few years schools in the area have seen a huge decrease in the number of substitute teach ers available to work. This year particularly there has been a huge subbing shortage, causing teachers and students to be more stressed about their classes.

Nikole Hamilton oversees our substitutes and making sure every class is covered. “It’s crazy, it’s wild, and it can sometimes be a lot—but we get it done,” Hamilton says. She typically starts her day here around 7a.m. with her desk covered in every single teacher’s schedule, with the openings highlighted, trying to fill. In her mind, it is similar to a puzzle and having to make all the pieces fit together with what she has. She must have every spot filled by 8a.m. when school starts. “It makes it very challenging when we only have about 3 solid subs that can be here every day,” Hamilton says.

She says she feels like she has to beg teachers to go cover an other class in their free period. Many teachers are getting incredibly stressed about not having their free period to catch up on grading or assignments.

On average, there is a minimum of five staff members out per day. If all five of them are teachers, that is eight different periods that need to be covered for each and then multiplied by five. That is 40 slots that need to be filled with either a substitute or other staff member in the building. With several sports going on right now, many coaches are leaving early to go to games, causing many prob lems trying to get coverage for their absences.

If you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher, it is super easy to sign up. Applicants must have an associate’s degree or 60 hours of college coursework from an accredited institution, com plete a training program prior to applying and pass a background check. It is as easy as that. Once you complete those, you can go to the court house’s education office to register.

Artist of the Month

Senior Emma Coss

Only six students are taking part in this year’s AP 2D studio art class including senior Ariana Benitez.

“I became interested in art ever since I was 5 years old. Drawing became my favorite thing to do above everything else, and my passion for art has grown ever since,” Benitez said. Artists typi cally tend to work with a favorite medium, and Benitez’s favorite is mixed media. Mixed media is exactly as the name implies. It is a mix of different materials, for example, using charcoal with gesso.

“My favorite style of art is conceptual art because not only is it beautiful to look at, but it also makes you stop and think about what the artist is trying to say. It tells a story,” Benitez said.

Conceptual art is when the idea or thought process behind a piece is more important than the finished product. Art can be used to convey different messages and emotions, whether it be a political issue, heartbreak, or really anything. Benitez typically portrays a range of messages in her art, but she tends to “lean towards current events in the world and/or specific personal situations that can apply to anyone. For example, mental illnesses and the process of growing up and different stages of life,” Benitez said.

Benitez has a lot of beautiful art pieces, but her favorite one is her white charcoal portrait. She worked on black carbon paper with white charcoal. The piece was featured at Jeremiah Joe’s art showcase this past spring. Her AP 2D studio art teacher, Paula Carroll says, “Ariana is a hard-working student and always willing to challenge herself.”

Benitez is an early grad but certainly does not plan on end ing her art career. She will attend IVCC in the spring and transfer to UIC next fall. “My plans for the future are to achieve my master's in art therapy and improve my art day by day,” Benitez said. Her AP art class will certainly miss her, but best of luck to the aspiring artist.

This is a picture of her white charcoal portrait, a favorite of Benitez. Photo courtesy of Ari ana Benitez.

Awesome Ottawa Tours

Senior Emma Coss

A trip back to the past. The “Pirate Press” and Yearbook staff embark on a historical tour of Ottawa, led by Tom Aussem at Awe some Ottawa Tours. The group was the first group of students from Ottawa High School to join Tom Aussem on one of his tours. They walked all around town and learned stories about the Radium Girls, General William Wallace, Jim Gray and more whose stories took place right here in Ottawa. Sophmore Ayana Miller, yearbook staff member says, “I thought it was an awesome trip that really opened my eyes to the history of Ottawa. It brought me closer to my other yearbook members and taught me a lot that I did not know about our town.”

The Backseat Lovers

Senior Audrey Woodyer

If you are interested in finding new artists to listen to, you’re in luck because the Backseat Lovers dropped a new single, “Slowing Down,” to go along with their new album “Waiting to Spill,” which came out Friday, Oct 28.

The Backseat Lovers is an American indie rock band from Salt Lake City, UT, who got together and started recording music in 2018. Later releasing their first debut album, “When We Were Friends,” including the indie hit “Kilby Girl,” gaining them their success and recognition. Although known for their preppy, upbeat music and lyrics, “Slowing Down” and the rest of “Waiting to Spill” are quite the opposite, showing listeners the raw side of the band’s life experiences.

Starting out with soft and airy lyrics, the rest of the album continues to build on itself with drums, electric guitar and bass. The melody is a steady pulse of a slowly snaking chaotic mix, and just when you think it’s “slowing down” it picks up the pace again. With the emotionally charged song, the band has led listeners to expect thoughtful and deeply personal experiences of their changes from angsty western teens to touring musicians, and their independent growth. “It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” singer-song writer Joshua Harmon said.

If you gravitate towards indie rock or even if you’ve never heard of that genre, I recommend giving them a listen. It’s a journey worth taking. Going from their normal preppy sounds, they’re try ing to add more substance to their music. I would even argue they’re doing so successfully.

The members of “The Backseat Lovers.” Photo courtesy Mick Management.

Athlete of the Month

Junior Sarah McGrath

It is important to recognize our athletes, and this month sophomore Hailey Larsen has received athlete of the month for bas ketball.

Larsen has been playing basketball since she was nine years old. Outside of school she plays travel softball as well as travel basketball and loves being with her family and friends. Larsen also babysits whenever she is free.

“My favorite thing about basketball is building strong con nections with my teammates and pushing myself to get better indi vidually as well as with the team,” Larsen said.

Individual hard work is important, but it is also honorable to recognize the value of teamwork, and Larsen does just that. Her efforts pay off and her determination is admirable. “Hailey is a super strong player. She is amazing at getting the rebounds and can out jump pretty much anyone on the court,” sophomore Ella Schmitz said.

It is obvious Larsen takes her sport seriously, and her love for basketball is inspiring.

The Power Tech Lab

Senior Kendra Martin

Which piece goes where? Senior Hannah Galletti and ju nior Tanner Rhodes piece their engine back together after weeks of learning about the different components of an engine in the ag me chanics class Power Technology. Prior to learning about the differ ent parts and their functions, the students had to disassemble their engines built by students from the previous semester. “Taking apart the engine was easy, putting it all back together correctly is the hard part,” Rhodes said.

Sophmore Hailey Larsen on the court during their game against Peoria Notre Dame. Photo courtesy Hailey Larsen

“It Ends With Us”

Senior Molly Etscheid

Sometimes it is the one who loves you that hurts you the most. “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover is a heartbreaking story about domestic abuse and violence with a heartbreak ing, yet necessary ending. The book was originally published on August 8, 2016. The novel won the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2021, Hoover’s works overall had a surge in popularity due to attention from the #Booktok community on TikTok. Also, in Janu ary 2022, “It Ends with Us” debuted at #1 on the “New York Times” best seller list.

Lily Bloom has not always had it easy, but that has never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She has come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started a flower shop for people who hate flowers. Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. So when she feels a spark with this gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems too good to be true. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. Ryle is assertive, stubborn, even a little arrogant. He is also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly does not hurt.

The story takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, Alyssa, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily cannot get him out of her head, but Ryle’s complete dislike towards relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she cannot help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. Lily swears she will never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the middle of a jealous rage, his charming qual ities return, and Lily can justify his behavior. Lily marries Ryle, hoping the good will outweigh the bad.

Diary entries addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found in her neighbor’s abandoned house. He was her kindred spirit and her protector. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now as a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Suddenly, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle and try to end the cycle of abuse before it is too late.

I found the storyline slow paced when describing the previous relationship between Lily and Atlas, solely because I was hyper focused on the present relationship between Lily and Ryle. Hoover makes her readers fall deeply in love with each of her book’s characters. The reader feels the pain of Lily when her boyfriend manipulates her love and uses it deceitfully. Hoover is known for using big plot twists in her books and manages to keep the readers hooked the entire time. I knew nothing about the book going in and could have never pre dicted what the final few pages would hold.

I originally thought “It Ends with Us” was a romance novel and was simply waiting for the romance to occur until I realized that the narrative was so much more than a simple boy-meets-girl story. While I do not believe “It Ends with Us” to be a romance story, it is a love story. It is a love story about choosing oneself over someone they love deeply; it is about choosing to end a cycle of violence that hurts more people than it helps.

Most women first experience intimate partner violence between the ages of 18 and 24. As a woman almost in this age group, and whose friends consist of others in this same age group, I feel like it is almost necessary for me to recommend this book to others. As a note of caution, I would recommend looking up the trigger warnings for this book before buying it. In interviews and the author’s note to the book, Hoover explained that many events in the book were inspired by real happenings of her and her mother’s life. Hoover’s personal con nection to the subject matter makes it even more of a must-read. The ending is beautiful and necessary—I could not recommend this book more.

Art Spotlight

Students in Leah Kuhn’s art classes began making Calaveras on Day of the Dead. Calavera is Spanish for skull, but now the word rep resents the entire skeleton. Calaveras are typically made in the image of someone you wish to remember and are displayed on Day of the Dead though they can be used all year.

Students in Kevin Olesen’s art classes were assigned to make ab stract marker (the two to the left) and watercolor leaf projects (the two to the right.) The abstract marker drawings were made by junior Baylee Mc Curdy (far left) and sophmore Enzo Rivera (second from left) The water color leaf paintings were made by junior Sylvia Tyler (second from right) and senior Charlee Frazer (far right.)