Volume 49 Issue 4

Exploring safety and the Stevenson bubble Page 20 // Sami Sparber

Volume 49 -Issue 4 February 19, 2016

Adlai e. Stevenson high school 1 Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, Il 60069

STATESMAN POLICY

TABLE OF CONTENTS News

5 9 11

Stevenson recently opened a new Jazzman’s in the East building. Read the article on page 5 to learn about the reasons for the new coffee shop addition.

Opinions

Affiliation

belongs to the Northern Illinois ScholasAssociation, the Kettle Moraine Press Asthe Columbia Scholastic Press Associathe National Scholastic Press Association.

Responding to Statesman

Letters to the editor may be e-mailed to shsstatesman.business@gmail.com, placed in the mailbox of Dean Bradshaw, or submitted to Room 2712. All letters must be signed. Letters must not contain personal attacks and may be edited.

Businesses may advertise in Statesman.

Ad content is subject to the discretion of the editorial board and will contain information that is appropriate.

Arts & Entertainment

Mailing Address: One Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069 Phone: 847 415-4000, ext 4354 Website: www.statesmanshs.org Email: shsstatesman.business@gmail.com

Student Spencer Rabin ’17 was recently featured in an issue of guitarworld as an upcoming prominent guitarist.

Turn to page 11 to read about his journey and experiences.

Statesman investigates the safety of students and our surrounding community in Lincolnshire. Flip to page 16 to learn more about the community “bubble” and student thoughts on the safety of Stevenson.

Sports

31

Statesman tic Press sociation, tion, and

Statesman discusses the new change in the standardized testing from ACT to SAT for the 2017-2018 school year. Read the editorial and students’ voices on page 9.

Features

16

Purpose

Statesman is first and foremost a student-run publication with seven annual issues distributed to students, faculty, staff, and community members of Adlai E Stevenson High School with a press run of 3,000. The primary goal is to serve as a public forum that delivers the news and provide content deemed to be newsworthy and timely, to the Stevenson community. The opinions expressed in Statesman do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration, school board, faculty, student body or community members.

Statesman interviews some rising freshmen athletes about their experiences as a freshmen on a varsity sport like fencing or golf. Turn to page 31 to learn more about these talented atheletes.

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Contact

STAFF SARAH VERSCHOOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NAMRATA SRIDHAR & IZABELA ZALUSKA MANAGING EDITORS OF PRODUCTION BRENDA REYN MANAGING EDITOR OF DESIGN SHUBHANGI JOSHI BUSINESS MANAGER KAYLA GUO & JOYLYN YANG COPY EDITORS CINDY YAO NEWS EDITOR SABRINA SZOS OPINIONS EDITOR NIKOL SAFRONOVA FEATURES EDITOR SAMI SPARBER SPORTS EDITOR ALEX SHAFRAN GRAPHIC EDITOR LARA IRIARTE & BELLA GREENSPAN CONVERGENCE DIRECTORS MAX COHN AMAN GROVER EMMA ISMAIL LAWRENCE KREYMER CHARLOTTE RONSON KARAJ SINGH ANNIE WU STAFF REPORTERS DEAN BRADSHAW ADVISER

Volume 49-issue 4

4 NEWS

State chooses SAT, ACT replaced Illinois State Board of Education shifts sponsored test after ACT contract expires, next year’s juniors will take both college entrance exams for free at Stevenson For the first time in 15 years the Illinois state sponsored college entrance exam will not be the ACT but instead the SAT. Both exams were created to evaluate college readiness of high school juniors though they are slightly different tests. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) decided to shift to the SAT for the first time in 2016.

“Our curriculum still prepares kids really well regardless of the test,” said Gwendolyn Zimmermann, assistant principal of teaching and learning. “We just don’t tend to have a lot of kids that take the SAT.” The reason that most Stevenson students don’t take the SAT and stick mainly to the ACT is that most students are going to schools in the midwest that are still predominantly looking at the ACT, according to Zimmermann. The

ACT has been the only test offered at Stevenson in the past, another factor that causes students to focus on the ACT. “Both tests are designed to measure college readiness,” Zimmermann said.

“Whichever test is better really depends on where the student chooses to go to college.”

Some students begin preparing for both the ACT and the SAT before the start of their junior year. Deepak Moparthi ’18 began studying during his freshman year for the ACT and is committed to taking both exams.

“If I decide to apply to highly competitive colleges, there’ll be applicants from all over the country,” Moparthi said. “Some will have taken the ACT and some the SAT. If [the college] wants to properly compare me to the

other applicants, I need to give them all the information I can.”

Though Moparthi plans on taking both exams, he doesn’t think that either is more beneficial than the other.

The SAT mathematics exam is more practical because they apply real-world situations, but the two English tests are very similar, Moparthi said.

“The Stevenson curriculum prepares us for both tests,” Moparthi said. “Stevenson has a good math program - English too. The change in tests doesn’t make too much of a difference to me.”

While Moparthi believes that it is beneficial and important to take both exams, educators believe that there is not much reason to do so. There is a concordance chart that colleges use to compare ACT and SAT scores, so taking both is not necessary, according to college counselor Daniel Miller.

“The reality here is that all colleges accept either test,” Miller said. “Colleges don’t have a preference because they just want a test.”

The way that educators handle the two tests at Stevenson is greatly affected, Miller said. It requires administrators to reevaluate the preparation they give students for standardized tests.

“Next year is a big transitional year— it really is,” Miller said. “Educators have been preparing students to take the ACT, but now it sounds like we will be moving in the SAT direction.”

Per a recent email sent to juniors and their parents, juniors will still be taking the ACT in March. It is highly improbable that juniors will be taking the SAT during the 2016-17 school year.

“We’re not giving the SAT this year unless the state pulls it together,” Zimmermann said. “But we’re pretty confident that it’s not going to happen.”

by EMMA ISMAIL

NEWS 5

New Jazzman’ s offers healthier food, replaces vending machines Latest design features countertop area, first model implemented in the nation after $100,000 investment from Sodexo

I

t’s not an uncommon sight to see sleep-deprived students backing up the line at the Jazzman’s in the Wood Commons. The hope in building a second Jazzman’s in the East building is that it will help address that problem and offer a more convenient option.

One of the first things Caroline Kim ’16 noticed about the new Jazzman’s is its updated look—giving it the appearance of a coffee shop one might find outside of school. In fact, Stevenson is the first school in the nation to be fitted with Sodexo’s newest design.

Replacing what used to be vending machines and what Sean Carney, director of business, called “dead space,” the new Jazzman’s has certainly made the space more noticeable and popular. After all, 40% of Stevenson students have most of their classes in the new building.

“Our goal was to create a model [of Jazzman’s] that was more modern and to give it a collegiate atmosphere to help students with their transition into college,” said Habib

Osman, general manager of food services.

One aspect of modernizing the new Jazzman’s is the barstool feature. Having passed by the new barstool feature on her way to class, Kim said that while the design looked appealing, she did not see many students occupying the cournter area nor did she herself stop.

However, the exterior appearance of Jazzman’s is not the only thing that has been updated. Osman explained that in the upcoming years Sodexo will also implement a different process of brewing iced coffee. This mean additional staff training and new machines.

In its opening week, Jazzman’s offered a promotional menu with different pastries and beverages such as hot chocolates, cookies or muffins being sold at $1.

“Although I enjoy the food at Jazzman’s, I really would have liked to see them revamp their menu a bit,” Kim said.

Students can look forward to more hot items on the menu. The new Jazzman’s reflects Sodexo’s plan to pro-

Sabrina Szos

A student stops by east building Jazzman’s after class.

Jazzman’s will stay open later for community events. mote mindful eating. Carney pointed out that the fruits and flatbreads offered are much healthier than vending machine food.

Currently, Jazzman’s is open before school until 5 p.m., but given its central location, the school hopes to keep it open even later in the evenings during school events, according to Carney.

“We want to provide the rest of the Stevenson community with something convenient as well,” Carney said.

Being able to offer such services came with a price tag of about $100,000, according to Carney. The funding for the construction of Jazzman’s came from an in-

vestment made by Sodexo.

This included purchasing equipment and supplies.

As a part of their contract, Stevenson pays Sodexo an administration fee for their labor and management of Jazzman’s, but any profit generated goes to Stevenson.

“We then use that money to pay for our extra-curricular activities because we want to keep the money cycling within the school,” Carney said.

Based on the popularity of the original Jazzman’s, Carney sees the new Jazzman’s as an investment that will continue to pay off.

by KAYLA GUO

6 NEWS

Odyssey 2016 Stevenson students participated in the biennial fine arts festival on Feb. 9 and 10. For two days, more than 160 visual and performing artists demonstrated and shared their skills through workshops, performances and lectures. Odyssey allowed students to explore and be inspired during performance, exploration and participation classes.

photos provided by Bella Greenspan, Katie Fairman, Brenda Reyn, Natalie Wess

NEWS 7

Program leads students to college Stevenson to College (S2C) program provides students with mentors and workshops through college application and graduation process

P

eer tutors, Information and Learning Center tutors, and Freshmen Mentor Program — Stevenson has an array of resources to help the student body. A new addition to these resources is the Stevenson to College (S2C) program under the Stevenson Foundation that provides supplementary support to students who are at risk of not graduating.

“We don’t have any statistics yet but after two years our goal is for 100% of our students to graduate high school, be enrolled in post-secondary education, and ensure they are ready to enter the workforce after college graduation.” Breann Whitford, S2C program manager, said.

The process of referring students starts during students’ second semester of sophomore year. They can be referred by faculty, staff, or Student Support Team consisting of a counselor, psychologist, social worker and dean.

“S2C’s support students who fall into one or more of the following categories: first in their family to attend or graduate from college, facing financial hardship, from a post-secondary underrepresented population or in need of supplemental support to get to and

through college,” Whitford said.

After students are referred, Whitford sets up a meeting with the student and family to discuss the program. If they are interested, students then fill out a program application.

“My counselor called me out during my math period and he asked me if I’m the first to go to college, which I will be,” Alanna Kogan ’17 said. “I talked to my parents, and they were very thankful I was getting support.”

Once a student completes the application process, they are matched with a mentor by Whitford in the fall of junior year. There are long term mentors who help from junior year of high school through college graduation and specialized mentors who cannot make the six years commitment but still want to help students with activities.

“My mentor is a very organized woman,” Kogan said. “When we met, she brought file folders with important dates and colleges her kids had in mind. It’s a great method to stay organized because it’s hard to remember everything —I’ll definitely use her idea.”

Whitford emphasized S2C not only benefits students, but also the mentors.

Floyd Glinsey said he has focused

mainly on self knowledge to build character and strong foundation. Although he tries to meet with his mentee around four hours a month, he sees mentorship as more than just an afterschool role.

“Mentorship is being a leader twenty-four seven,” Glinsey said. “I always give books because it acts as a tool when I’m not there. My mentee wanted to go into marketing so I chose a book about effective communication.”

In addition to mentors, the second major component are the monthly workshops that are geared towards S2C students but are also open to all Stevenson students and parents. These workshops cover topics surrounding college knowledge, financial aid and college application process.

“In our last workshop, we had a lady come from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission,” Kogan said. “She talked about financial aid, types of degrees, and how to find a perfect school that fits you. I was able to learn a lot.”

Whitford said through the workshop and time with mentors, students have gained more self awareness and seeing college as an achievable goal.

“I didn’t know much about college but [S2C] has taught me so much,” Kogan said. “[S2C] helped me believe in myself that one day I can make it and be successful.”

by ANNIE WU

Graphic by Annie Wu

8 OPINIONS

Design member reflects on the true meaning of happinness

H

appiness: while usually directly associated with baby animals or maybe even receiving a reward of some sort, there doesn’t seem to be a self-awareness of how important the presence of happiness is in people’s lives.

I’ve personally always seen it to be a temporary feeling of sorts, one that should fade and leave me continuing on with my ordinary day-to-day life.

Consumed in assignments and becoming a puppet to routine and school itself, my priorities of what is truly important in life shifted. I began to value a half of a better letter grade on an assignment versus spending some time with friends I

haven’t seen in weeks. I began valuing that extra hour of studying, more than that hour of extra sleep I would have received.

It took multiple years of passing through the same hallways every single day, saying hello to the same faces to recognize there was a certain void that I felt I was being pulled deeper and deeper into. Then, I realized that there wasn’t any energy of happiness, we were all just simply present; simply going through our days as we were supposed to every single day.

And although writing a list of what you’re grateful for everyday or even waking up on daily with a hop skip and a jump out of bed may

not exactly be what would be most effective, I became more aware in how much I needed to make myself happy and to appreciate the things that were present in my life.

Finding appreciation in the simple things such as eating lunch with that friend you never see or even something as minute as how good your cup of coffee was that day-finding these little nuggets of appreciation within my day made me a truly happier person.

Succumbing to the norm of being judged by your grades, by what rank you are among your peers, how many clubs you’re in and even your worth within your community, it becomes hard

to make way for taking care of yourself. But with a simple shift in finding what truly matters, I truly feel that many individuals will realize how important true happiness is.

by ALEX SHAFRAN

Staffers discuss the fairness of affirmative action in light of the Supreme Court case

A

ffirmative action has been contreversial ever since Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. The case allowed race to be a deciding factor in determining college admission. This does not seem fair to me. Although diversi-

ty is in the roots of this country, it is not fair for those who receive better scores to be rejected, and instead, someone with lower scores gets accepted, solely on the basis of the color of their skin. The idea of college is to enhance your education and learn skills to join the workforce, gaining the knowledge to work in the profession of your choice. If you have better scores, regardless of race, you should have more priority in getting accepted into that particular college.

by MAX COHN

E

very single day we hear something about someone helping the less fortunate and getting praise for it. If we pride people for helping in that sense, why don’t we hear such praise for affirmative action?

Affirmative action provides

students, especially those who are of minority groups in impoverished areas, to get the education they so desperately want. Many areas that have a specific minority are still suffering from the effects of negative events that occurred, giving them a major disadvantage in getting a stable education.

Many minority groups face challenges solely based on their location or resources.

Everbody should be given an opportunity regardless of who they are.

by KARAJ SINGH

OPINIONS 9

STUDENT VOICES Does the ACT or the SAT reflect students more?

Switch to SAT adds confusion to college preparation process

A

“The SAT. It seems to test a person more on their test skills rather than just knowledge.”

-Ross Wilson ’19

“I think that depends on the student and their testing style. Personally, I feel like the ACT is better suited to my learning style.”

-Tanvee Patankar ’18

“I think definitely the SAT because you learn a lot of it in school. There’s no science and I feel I’m better reflected as a student.”

-Ana Pliego ’17

big change is coming for rising sophomores: Illinois is supporting the SAT as the state mandated college entrance exam. Next year, Stevenson will require all juniors to take the SAT and the ACT. The move, on the state’s part, is for mostly budget related reasons. The state cited the SAT as a cheaper test to administer with higher average scores, according to the Chicago Tribune.

College entrance exams, primarily the ACT, are a huge part of Stevenson’s culture.

Most juniors and seniors, for some even freshmen year, invest their time and often money into test preparation through extensive studying and tutors.

Statesman believes that the change in state supported test adds more confusion to an already stressful and complex process. Current sophomores have already taken the PLAN and EXPLORE ACT preparation

tests in anticipation of taking the ACT and will now have to also take the SAT. Adding the SAT is just another test to abstractly value students’ abilities.

Additionally in March, the College Board will begin administering a brand new version of the SAT. The state has no way knowing that students will be more or less successful on this new exam.

Ultimately, Statesman views the change as a larger reflection of the big business that is college entrance exams. The state decided to switch to the SAT because it was cheaper to administer the test, not because the test better reflects students’ knowledge.

This move speaks to the larger idea that money has huge impact on the entrance exam industry. Not only does it dictate which test is supported by a given state, but in many cases money can also influence the success of a student on a test.

The more money a student invests into test preparation can often equate to a higher score.

It is not to say, however, that these exams lack total value in acessing students’ abilities. Students who score very high on the SAT or ACT are often truly gifted students, and likewise students who score very low may need more academic support.

However, students with mid-range scores can sometimes get lost in the shuffle with scores high enough to easily get into most state schools but too low to easily get into competitive schools.

College entrance exams are riddled with complexities that overshadow the tests’ purposes. The SAT/ ACT industry is governed by money, at the expense of Illinois students.

STATESMAN EDITORIAL

“The capabilities of an individual human mind are far too complex to be represented by a single number. But who are we kidding? The ACT is awesome.”

-Max Bottner ’16

editorial cartoon by Brenda Reyn

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Can som eone please ex plain why our state chess tea m get a pep didn’t bus?

To the Stevenson adminis tration, don’t th ink that we didn ’t notice you rais ing the AP registratio n fee by $ 2 again.

As you finish up course selection for next year, please make sure to remember that each AP you don’t take is another college you won’t get into.

ht sey taug If Odys t g, it’s tha us anythin is cong everythin n art whe d sidere ts d studen you nee u tate grad to meet s ements. uir ation req

run p can If Trum dent, you si for pre bably o can pr ut your o figure test. y g biolo

Q & A with featured local sculptor Statesman’s Sabrina Szos sits down with Terrence Karpowicz to discuss his work.

Q: You attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for their graduate program in sculpting, although you were previously a painter.

What made you want to change your medium?

A: My employer at the time, the painter, Larry Poons, asked me to help assemble a sculpture exhibit of the work of Mark diSuvero. I went to the gallery and saw that pieces had to be assembled. There was no one around so I took matters in my own hands and bent down to pick up a piece of steel to attach it to another element. I realized that no matter how strong I was, I was never going to get that piece of steel off the ground. It was one of those epiphany moments where [I thought] “Wow, I can use my entire body to make art.” I was thinking a painter only use his mind, his wrist and his brush to create paintings. But with this medium, with sculpture, you can sweat and still make art.

Q: You mentioned that for one of your galleries you wanted people to play on your sculptures and have a hands on experience. However, when you got to the gallery there were signs that said viewers couldn’t touch the work. What about this bothered you?

A: The gallery was in the Krannart museum, and like any museum it had signs that said “Do not touch the work.” It was my decision to take it [the sculptures] out of a gallery situation and into a public environment so the wind and, if people wanted to, could move them. That’s what got me involved with the idea of windmills.

photo provided by Terrence Karpowicz

Terrence Karpowicz, visiting artist of the month, stands with his work, “How Soon We Forget.”

Q: Who has been your biggest inspiration as an artist? What has been your biggest motivation?

A: Mark di Suvero has been an inspiration. When I was in an accident that resulted in the loss of my leg, I looked at him for inspiration— he was completely paralyzed. Someone more contemporary is my friend Martin Puryear. My motivation, however, is to discover things through investigation. I wake up in the morning and try to learn something new that I didn’t know yesterday.

for more of the interview, go to statesmanshs.org

by SABRINA SZOS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11

Stevenson guitarist recently featured in Guitarworld article Spencer Rabin expresses musical creativity through playing and producing

T

hroughout his life, music has been in his blood. At age four he started playing piano, which is where his music career began, playing alongside with his brother. He spends the same amount of time a normal high schooler spends on homework each day expanding his musical identity and making a name for himself.

This is Spencer Rabin ’17, a newly featured guitarist by the well known guitar magazine, Guitarworld, on Jan. 6.

Spencer has begun his career as a guitarist and that has been his upbringing into music. Some of those he finds as his guitar playing inspirations are Joe Bonamassa and Zakk Wylde. Both worked hard to work themselves from the bottom to where they stand now.

However, Rabin is far more than just a guitarist.

“I want people to know I’m so much more than just a guitar player,” Rabin said. “I like doing K Pop demos for guys.

Though it’s not challenging, it’s a lot of fun, you’d be surprised.”

Rabin has been putting himself out online as much as he can, sending emails, helping producers in any way and spending hours every day producing his own music. One of his inspirations, music teacher and bass player,

photo provided by Spencer Rabin

Spencer will practice and produce music two to eight hours per day.

Geoff Shell, has helped him network his material all over, even helping set up Rabin’s own website.

“Spencer [Rabin] was my first music student,” Shell said. “I started seeing him in 2009 after Rachel Rosenberg recommended me as a guitar teacher. I am really happy for him and knew getting himself out there would be beneficial to his music career.”

Rabin has a very unique, quick yet melodic rock/blues sound to the way he plays guitar. Even though he has a huge passion for playing the guitar, he has picked up producing music too, mostly his own sound.

“People don’t always realize that I’m more then just a guitarist,” Rabin said.

“I’m not bound to a certain genre. I love producing all genres of music. There are many aspects of producing that are surprisingly difficult. Every genre of music has its own unique challenges as well as a unique process. Continuously being able to discover, overcome, and create different types of music is something that never gets old to me.”

One person who has been alongside him for help and influence is Jordan Rabin ’17, his twin brother. Jordan has helped Spencer by listening to some of Spencer’s creations and giving personal feedback. For someone who sees Spencer everyday, Jordan knew that it made sense that Spencer would be noticed.

“It was not a surprise to me that Spencer made it onto the website.” Jordan Rabin said. “He went from self teaching to lessons by a professional, then he started to expand his horizon not just with guitar, but with music production.

All that basically led into full written songs that were written and produced by him, eventually being picked up by magazines like Guitarworld.”

by MAX COHN

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Fine arts programs in review World’s Fair: Diversity Council’s annual World’s Fair attracts hundreds of people in the Stevenson community each year. The student-made booths scattered throughout the Point and Wood Commons brought the food and decorations from cultures around world to Stevenson. The performances also showcased both students’ talents and gave them a chance to share their music and dance.

The number that most accurately represents this year’s World’s Fair is $6,000, a career high for Diversity Council. The money will be donated to Action Against Hunger, an international organization committed to ending world hunger by feeding severely malnourished children and helping vulnerable communities become self-sufficient.

Odyssey: Stevenson’s fine arts festival that occurs every alternate year gives students a chance to receive enough fine arts credit to graduate, but it ultimately allows students to experience from unique art classes taught by Stevenson parents and graduates. Performances by professional contemporary and hip hop dance groups were also offered.

Consortium Concert: The choir consortium concert unified four classes of Stevenson choir in a single concert to provide eighth graders a glimpse of choir at Stevenson. The concert consisted of numbers performed by eighth graders from all feeder schools, the Stevenson choir, the all-girls Advanced choir, and Patriot Singers. The concert ended with all Stevenson singers, including next year’s incoming freshmen, performing together.

photos provided by Amy Tian and Alice Nuteson

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 13

Featured guest artist Sharon Kim interprets Winterfest 2016

“During Winterfest/Turnabout season, girls become suddenly and irrationally afflicted with the fear of rejection,” Kim said. “Due to this strange and unfortunately prevalent disorder, they begin to over concern themselves over asking a high school guy to a dance where you’ll mostly hang out with your friends, dance one slow song awkwardly close to him, and take maybe ten pictures with him in it and ninety with your other friends. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

14 FEATURES

FEATURES 15

FEATURES 17

16 FEATURES What is SHS doing to protect us?

WHAT IF

What is SHS doing to protect us?

In light of recent local and national events, school security has become an increasingly important and relevant issue.

From implementing security cameras to facilitating mock lockdown drills, school security takes different actions in handling student safety. Statesman explores Stevenson’s security team’s goals and measures to protect students.

We were always under closed campus?

Stevenson updates security protocols On a 76 acre campus with over 4000 students and faculty members, it is Stevenson security team’s responsibility to ensure that learning can take place in a safe environment.

I We

wore

visible

student

ID's?

Q&A With the security guards

We HAD TO GO THROUGH METAL DETECTORS?

HOw safe do we feel at school?

What traits would make a security member suspicious of a visitor?

Describe the ongoing training of security personnel. How has it changed over the past several years to reflect new issues?

Are there any specific examples you can share of security personnel helping keep the school safe?

Are there any changes on the horizon in training or other areas you forsee?

1-6: Not Safe 7-10: Safe 11.1% of seniors chose 1-6

35.9% of sophomores chose 1-6 6.8% of freshmen chose 1-6

5.9% of juniors chose 1-6

n December, Stevenson faced a serious threat when a student entered the school with a gun.

Although security was successfully able to intervene and remove the potential threat, the incident and other similar occurrences, locally and nationally, have pushed the concern for school safety and security into the spotlight.

Within the community, there are a wide variety of perspectives on the level of security schools should have, with some even pushing for the implementation of metal detectors, Ken Latka, assistant principal of operations, said.

“Metal detectors are not an inherently bad thing, but schools should be balanced as a safe place for students and an open, welcoming environment as well,” said Amanda Klinger, co-founder and director of operations of Educator’s School Safety Network.

Latka shares similar beliefs with Klinger. From his viewpoint, it’s far more

important to open a line of communication.

“While [metal detectors] may be effective, it would flip the Stevenson culture upside down— Stevenson High School wouldn’t be Stevenson High School anymore,” Latka said. “Our number one job is to develop strong relationships— we want kids to trust adults. Not to say we don’t have a great plan for all sorts of situations, but this trust trumps more severe and intense security.”

Latka believes that objects may occasionally be able to slip through metal detectors unnoticed, similar to how books may occasionally slip through the Information Learning Center’s censors as well.

Stevenson still develops plans for different situations nevertheless. The district invests in security cameras and the school has fire, tornado and lockdown drills, said Deanna Dreyer, director of security and facilities.

If a crisis were to happen at Stevenson, the security team’s decisions and actions

would depend on the severity of the threat. In preparation, the team comes up with different scenarios that could occur at school and discuss specific actions to take in those scenarios.

These discussions occur at weekly meetings where the team also discusses incidents that happened at other local high schools. By learning about how those schools were able to keep the students safe, the security team was prepared in terms of what to do when a similar threat occurred at Stevenson.

In addition to the security team, faculty and first responders are also prepared in an event of an emergency.

Every August, there is a mandatory faculty meeting where all members are taught how to react in different situations.

“It’s something that has been very helpful and we’ve received good feedback from the teachers,” Latka said.

The first responders, which consist of local police and firemen, also come to

Stevenson annually to train for an in-building crisis. The responders are dressed in full uniform, and they role play different scenarios so they are prepared and are accustomed with the Stevenson building.

Stevenson also ensures that responders are prepared and have a plan before they even enter. The school filmed brief video clips containing a 360 degree view of every classroom so that responders can familiarize themselves with the layout of a classroom prior to stepping foot on campus.

Despite already boasting numerous security guards and state of the art technology, Stevenson security will always experience continuous growth and improvement, according to Latka.

“Our number one concern is the students’ safety,” Latka said. “We’ll do everything and anything we can to keep them safe.”

by CINDY YAO

18 FEATURES

Should we...

Statesman asked random Stevenson students how three different security measures that other schools have implemented could impact our school’s safety and culture.

Metal Detectors

A

lthough there are no statistics regarding the current usage of metal detectors in schools, a majority of schools in the U.S. do not use them on a regular basis, according to the National School Safety and Security Services.

Stevenson High School is one of many schools around the nation that

ID Cards

I

D cards are meant to provide easy identification of each student on campus. The mandatory display of ID cards at school could improve the identification process of students leaving from and returning to school.

“I don’t think wearing IDs would be very efficient,” Sasha Lenox ’18 said, “Just because someone shows their ID doesn’t mean that they will not be a threat.”

Although Lenox is not in full support

Closed Campus

A

closed campus generally indicates a campus where enrolled students are not permitted to leave or enter the school during instructional hours.

Stevenson has an open campus policy, meaning that eligible students have off campus privileges during their

do not have metal detectors installed.

On a normal day, Stevenson students are able to walk freely through campus doors without inspections of any kind.

Bella Schneider ’19 believes that the security measure could lead to a safer campus for students. “There are so many people, you never know what someone could be bringing in,” Schneider said.

However, Schneider notes that the implementation of such security would

make the school feel more rushed, especially in the mornings when students are in a hurry to arrive at school.

On the other hand, metal detectors are not necessary since the situation of a student bringing a weapon to school is unlikely, according to Aliza Alam ’19.

“I feel like a lot of kids would say that [metal detectors] are a waste of time,” Alam said. “I think that if [a threat] were to happen again, then metal detectors might be necessary.”

of wearing IDs, she notes that an efficient way to prevent dangerous situations is identification checks for those checking back in from off-campus lunch or free periods.

Many students agree that ID enforcement will not be effective. Justin Jimenez ’17 believes that wearing IDs will do no more than help identify students but undermine the purpose of elevating safety.

“I don’t think ID checks are necessary for a school like Stevenson,” Jimenez said. “I don’t feel like my security is threatened at all here, even though we’ve recently been involved in

a few potentially violent issues.”

While Lenox and Jimenez hold different opinions on the extent of ID enforcement, they both agree that they feel safe at Stevenson despite recent events.

lunch or free period.

Natalie Wu ’16 believes that a closed campus policy could improve school safety, although not significantly. Wu notes that enacting this particular policy would cause students to develop a more negative attitude towards school.

Wu instead would settle with a middle ground where students are allowed to leave campus, but are required to undergo a backpack inspection by a se-

curity guard upon returning.

“I feel like students would complain more,” Wu said. “Students like to have freedom. The whole idea of an [open campus] is that you are trusted with off campus privileges. However, I understand that those privileges can be abused. ”

by CINDY YAO & LARA IRIARTE

FEATURES 19

content compiled by Aman Grover and Sami Sparber; graphic by Sami Sparber

20 FEATURES

TAKING A LOOK INSIDE THE

Stevenson Bubble

Despite recent incidents, most students do not worry about their safety at school

S

tevenson High School has made headlines in the past few months due to incidents regarding school safety, but according to students, they have never felt safer on campus.

On Dec. 4, 2015, Lincolnshire police arrested a SHS junior after he allegedly brought a gun to school. Nearly two months later, on Jan. 28, 2016, Lincolnshire police arrested another SHS junior who allegedly came to school with a knife and stun gun.

Even so, the majority of SHS students do not worry about their safety while at school. According to a Statesman survey in which 168 students were asked to rate on a scale of one to ten how safe they feel at school on any given day (one being not safe at all; ten being completely safe), 92.3 percent of respondents selected a rating of seven or above.

There are many factors that could explain why so many students aren’t overly afraid, according to sociology teacher Chris Salituro.

For one, Salituro believes that there is a “bubble” surrounding Stevenson students when it comes to their perspective on violent crimes at school.

“Students have a sense that this is a community with not a lot of violence and not a lot of trouble or hatred,” Salituro said.

“It’s relatively open and relatively tolerant. In reality, there’s no

reason for them to be afraid here.”

Salituro makes sure to point out that there is a bubble around most high schoolers in America. He believes everyone lives in bubbles–they’re just different bubbles.

“America is very divided–politically, socioeconomically and racially,” Salituro said. “For example, in this community, all my students, no matter what their background is, are very familiar with Judaism. They’re surrounded by Jewish students, they see temples and they know about Jewish holidays. You can go to other places in America where you’ll meet people who have never met a Jewish person. It’s just the reality of our society.”

According to Salituro, the bubble that exists at one school isn’t necessarily the same bubble that exists a few towns over.

Having attended both Stevenson and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Nick Perozzi ’14 is able to reflect on the na-

ture of the Stevenson bubble versus that of UIUC. According to Perozzi, SHS students are very fortunate to have less firsthand exposure to school violence.

“I hear students from other suburban high schools talk about fights in lunchrooms that would happen frequently,” Perozzi said. “Stevenson students would never know it, but the amount of fights and other incidents that happen at Stevenson is comparatively nothing.”

In particular, Perozzi believes that the many safety measures Stevenson has in place help contribute to SHS students’ collective feeling that they are protected at school. According to Perozzi, the Stevenson security team is pivotal in putting students’ minds at ease.

“Physically speaking, for a public high school, I could not have felt safer [at Stevenson],” Perozzi said. “With a full-time police officer at our school, plus an additional crew of security guards always patrolling the building, we are always being looked after. The administration does a good job of prioritizing and efficiently taking care of our safety.”

Current SHS students echo Perozzi’s reasoning. According to the Statesman survey, 51 percent of the 92.3 percent of students who gave Stevenson a rating of seven or above in terms of safety cited SHS security guards as

21 FEATURES a key component of what makes them feel so safe at school.

“I feel very safe,” Scott James ’17 said. “Even after the gun incident, I don’t feel threatened at all when I’m at school.”

James cites the community in which he and the majority of Stevenson students live as a determining component of why he feels so safe at school. He believes that most SHS students grow up with the expectation that they won’t encounter school violence.

“We’re not afraid because it’s not something we think about very often,” James said. “Most of the people from this area are here [at Stevenson] to get a good education. That’s what we focus on. We’re all raised with that sort

of expectation in mind.”

Even beyond security guards and an affluent community, Salituro believes that the administration has made lots of changes to the school’s culture over the years in order to minimize the chances of a violent attack occurring. According to Salituro, two things in particular have had the greatest impact.

“For one, Stevenson offers many clubs and after school activities,” Salituro said. Research shows that these opportunities help give someone an identity, so that if they do feel threatened or made fun of, there’s that identity to fall back; they have a place to go.”

“The other thing is that Stevenson has worked hard to prevent the use

of derogatory words like ‘gay’ or ‘fag’ that attack someone’s masculinity–– which is often a determining factor in random school shootings,” Salituro added.

All of these factors help explain why Stevenson students do not report feeling any less safe on campus, despire recent incidents. According to Salituro, the simple act of recognizing that the SHS community lives in bubble is key to understanding the world around us.

“Is there a bubble? Yeah, sure there’s a bubble,” Salituro said. “But are we safe within our bubble? Well, generally, yes, we are.”

by SAMI SPARBER

Statesman’s Nikol Safronova sat down with Deanna Dreyer, director of security and facilities, to discuss safety at Stevenson and how security impacts the student body.

Q: Describe the ongoing training of security personnel. How has it changed over the past several years to reflect new issues?

A: At the beginning of the school year, security participates in training and throughout the school year there are opportunities such as AED/CPR training. Our police liaison, deans and other security professionals come in to educate or train on a variety of topics including lock-down, fire and tornado drills and how we can prepare to help students through any type of situation. We want you to be safe at all times. Security trains every year and sometimes over and over again to make sure we are providing the safest possible environment for all students.

Q: What traits would make a security member suspicious of a visitor?

A: Anyone not wearing a visitors pass raises questions about who they are. Security monitors all entry-ways; all visitors must sign in and get a visitors pass that they need to wear. Signs on all doors remind our visitors that signing in is required and those that do not are trespassing. Security recognizes many of our graduates, but even they must sign in.

Technology has changed how we train. Visitor software allows us to see if the visitors who are coming into the school are safe to be around children. We’re soon going to have iPads that allow us to help students on a more personal level. For example, if a student doesn’t remember their classroom number, we can now quickly look it up on the iPad and help them.

When I first started here, the security guards wrote many referrals. Although they still need to write some referrals, it is more important we try to connect with students and get to know them and to let them know that we are safe people to talk to. We want you to know that we are always available and that we want you to be successful students. The philosophy of connecting with students is probably the biggest change. I don’t want to know you by an ID number, I just want to know you as a human being.

Q: Are there any changes in training or other areas you foresee?

A: We’re always looking to see what else is out there to help us be safer. Our school district has invested in systems like the door-lock system, cameras and visitor software. As far as what is on the horizon, we are always looking at what is new out there to enhance what we are doing. Most importantly, we continue training and making an effort to connect with students.

22 FEATURES

Guest columnist Ali Saeed reflects narrowly missing my SpongeBob themed waste bin, and concluded that James Joyce was an abomination to the concept of literature and coherent thought.

I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

To maintain its order in descending magnitude of irrelevance, this article will now establish that the title is erroneous. “Scholastic Bowl” is a distinction given by the IHSA to the game of Quizbowl.

Quizbowl is an activity in which two teams of four compete to establish who has amassed the greatest amount of obscure and otherwise useless information.

During play, a moderator

reads a long question, called a “tossup”, and each player attempts to buzz in and answer as soon as possible.

Although quizbowl is often oversimplified to a teambased analogue of Jeopardy, these tossups assess deep comprehension of academic subjects, not trivia knowledge.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness quizbowl Our team is currently ranked 18th in the nation.

The division of knowledge in quizbowl constitutes individual team members specializing in different subjects to generate an organic solidarity; while I rely on my teammates to study history,

fine arts, and philosophy, I am accountable for science and literature.

My literature studies range from skimming Sparknotes to reading novels.

Quizbowl has allowed me to explore literature I would never have encountered otherwise. From the novels of William Faulkner to the poetry of Wilfred Owen, the art of arranging letters into words and words into sentences has never failed to amaze me. But not every novel is a masterpiece.

The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

Early sophomore year, I studied James Joyce: an Irish author notable for pushing the boundaries of

literature as an art. For example, I learned that his novel Finnegans Wake opens in the middle of a sentence, and it ends with the first half of that sentence.

I excitedly embarked upon reading Finnegans Wake. After finishing the first page, which contains such profound quotes as “What clashes here of wills gen wonts, oystrygods gaggin fishy-gods! Brékkek Kékkek Kékkek Kékkek! Kóax Kóax Kóax! Ualu Ualu Ualu!

Quaouauh,” I tossed the novel across my room,

Guest columnist ALI SAEED

Ali Saeed (left) and some members of the Scholastic Bowl team pose with coach Ryan Fedewa

FEATURES 23

Students fundraise for Chennai

In response to recent, deadly floods in Tamil Nadu, India, many have come together in hopes of providing assistance to those affected

M

Indian Student Association (ISA) and Student Council, started to get the word out.

“Conventional fundraisers are very difficult to be successful with in terms of immediate and emergency situations,” student council president Rohan Bhattaram ’16 said. “I thought about a simple way to raise money while also making it an experience for students rather than just handing a $10 bill as a donation.”

As a more involving way to nd raise money, u F f Venkata Subie 00 $5 Rel ramanian 0 $40 volved and Bhatin helptaram 0 $30 ing one of decid0 $20 the worst e d 0 $10 floods Chento sell nai has faced in Chennai re100 years. lief shirts. Stu“I kind of wantdent Council also ed to make a difhosted a faculty versus ference, but at the student basketball game on same time I was like ‘Does Feb. 10 to raise more awareit really matter?’ because ness for the floods. ISA presthere were many people ident Priya Vaikuntapathi that were already helping,” ’16 also helped to raise recVenkata Subramanian said. ognition by mentioning the “Then I thought that with a fundraiser to other members student body this big, with of the club.

4,000 kids, we could raise “One of our [ISA’s] goals at least $300, and we ended this year is to give back to the up raising almost double the community that has given us amount to $500.” so much of our amazing culVenkata Subramanian ture,” Vaikuntapathi said. turned to social media and “This was something that we peers as a means of fund- were able to do for an issue raising for the Tamil Nadu that is still affecting many Foundation to bring money people. We wanted to help back to Chennai. She, along out in every way we could.” with the help of friends, the Venkata Subramanian,

CH

NA

I

aking a post on social media about the latest disaster in the world seems to have become a trend, but Sushmetha Venkata Subramanian ’17 decided to bring attention to the floods in the South Indian city of Chennai with a more hands-on approach.

After just having made a Facebook post about the floods, Venkata Subramanian chose to be more directly in-

E N

photo provided by Sushmetha Venkata Subramanian

Afrah Jahan ’17 and Nabila Sayeedi ’17 wear shirts from the Chennai fundraiser to spread awareness of the floods that had killed and injured hundreds.

Bhattaram, and Vaikuntapathi can all trace back family roots to Chennai. Participating in this fundraiser was also a way for each of them to personally connect and help out relatives back home. Venkata Subramanian, whose sister is currently attending college in Chennai, has already seen the positive effects from fundraising in general. Seeing her family’s condition in Chennai improve through donations and fundraisers gave her an extra boost to raise money herself.

“I was inspired by other foundations and fundraisers,” Venkata Subramanian said. “Things have gotten so much better, and it was heartwarming to see the support and love that brought the community together to combat a problem.”

Chennai

Chennai, India and its surrounding cities were hit with 1218.6 mm of rain according to the Indian Express in the first week of December, 2015.

by KARAJ SINGH

24 SPORTS Statesman reporter Namrata Sridhar sat down with Nikita Jhangiani ’17, a varsity fencer. The team recently won State for boys’ and girls’ fencing.

Graphic by Annie Wu Content compiled by Namrata Sridhar

SPORTS 25

Rising Freshman Talent Playing sports such as T-ball as a kid always interested Ethan Ross ’19. When he was eight years old, he tried out swimming and began swimming on a team, moving to more competitive teams as he got older. Now, Ross is one of the few freshman on varsity boys’ swimming.

His favorite part about swimming is that there is always a way to improve yourself, whether it’s by training or by learning a new technique. Although he admits it is hard to find a balance between daily practices, meets, coursework and extracurriculars, Ross says that there is time for everything; the key is to work hard and set priorities. When he feels fatigued during a race, Ross says playing a song in his head helps him keep going. Thinking about his passion for swimming also helps Ross push through. Ross encourages people of all skill level to try swimming as he believes it’s a fantastic sport that helps people meet new friends.

After basketball practice one day, Gheeta Jhangiani ’19 noticed Stevenson’s fencing team practice. Since witnessing the sport live, fencing has interested Jhangiani and prompted her to try out fencing herself. Since the sixth grade, Jhangiani has been doing fencing camps and clubs and is currently on the varsity fencing team at Stevenson. For Jhangiani, fencing is more unique than any other sport she’s done. It is an individual sport that allows her to put pressure on herself and feel confident that each bout she wins is payoff from her hard work. Although this means she occasionally has to do her homework in the car, her love for fencing pushes her to manage her time wisely. The biggest piece of advice she has is to not worry about winning or losing. Having a positive mindset can go a long way, according to Jhangiani.

Kai Mayahara ’19 has tried just about every sport out there, but soccer was the sport that stuck with him the most. Since he was about seven years old, Mayahara has been kicking the ball and has loved the sport since then. Being the only freshman on the varsity soccer team has had it’s ups and downs, which sometimes involve sacrificing free time for practices and games. However, Mayahara believes the sacrifice is worth it. He keeps in mind that his ultimate goal is to get as good as possible, which helps him persevere during times of fatigue. A tip he has for fellow student athletes is that coaches are always watching; doing well in a game or practice will only help your chances of making varsity the next year.

While golf didn’t seem to interest Tanya Chanprung ’19 at first, the more she played with her dad the more she loved the sport. Last season, Tanya tried out and made the varsity golf team as a freshman. Golf is an independent sport, something which Chanprung loves about it. Chanprung always looks forward to putting sessions after school with her dad, who motivates her to always be her best. Chanprung finds that instead of concentrating on others, focusing on improving herself is a great mindset to have. According to Chanprung, school is extremely important, but it’s even more important to do what you love.

by JOYLYN YANG

SPORTS 27

Boys’bowling sets records Stevenson wins first state title with five awards

T

he Stevenson boys’ bowling team didn’t just win their first state title in school history on Jan. 30, they did much more than that.

They shattered almost every record possible including those for highest one-game score (1,263), three game series (3,499) and six game series (6,739). The team’s final pin count broke the previous record set by Andrew High School (13,161).

Stevenson is the first school in state history to have two players finish first and second individually Zach Singer ’17 came in first place and his teammate Richy Zenner ’17 finished 20 pins behind him. This was also the first time in school history when they had a player finish in the top 12.

“It was a phenomenal performance

by Richy and Zach,” boys’ bowling coach Cody Mathias said. “They have been the backbone of this team this year and have put in a lot of work.”

On the second day of the state finals, the team started 155 pins behind Lockport. However, Stevenson took over shortly, starting out with a state tournament record game of 1,263.

Zenner rolled a 268 and Singer rolled a 267 in the first game of day two.

“We were down starting day two and the team wanted to take back the lead,” Mathias said. “The team came

out on day two showing how much they wanted to finish in first place.”

The team kept rolling on from that point finishing with a score of 3,478 in the morning session and a 3,261 score for the afternoon session.

Singer, who finished in first place but only edged Richy by 20 pins, finished with a total score of 2,899 and with an average of 241.6 per game. On day two, Singer started out sitting in seventh place.

“For most of the second day it was close between Richy and I,” Singer said. “Going into the last game we were within seven pins of each other, so we were neck to neck heading down the stretch.”

Stevenson still had to stay focused heading into the last game, as they were being chased by Hononegah High School who produced a final game of 1,134.

“Zach and Richy’s performance’s were close to unheard of,” teammate Gabe Gordon ’17 said. “To think that they went one and two individual is unbelievable.”

“I would imagine that their records will stand for quite awhile, and I wouldn’t be surprised if their performances propel them to the collegiate level.”

by LAWRENCE KREYMER

HOW TO SCORE BOWLING: 1)The number of pins knocked down by the players’ first delivery is to be marked next to the small square and the players second delivery is to be marked inside the small square.

2)If none of the standing pins are knocked down by the second delivery in a frame, the scoresheet will be marked with a (-). This is often referred to as an open frame.

3)A spare is scored when the pins are left standing after the first delivery are knocked down with the second ball in that frame. A spare is marked with a (/) in the small sqaure in the upper right hand corner. Ten pins are added to the next ball rolled.

4)When a strike is rolled the score sheet is marked by an (X) in the upper right hand corner.

Ten pins are then added to the total of the bowlers next two rolls.

For an provided update information

by IHSAon the girls’ bowling season, check out photo provided by Cody Mathias

The team celebrates together after winning their first state title.

statesmanshs.org

4 NEWS

SPORTS 29

Varsity Patriettes place second during IHSA state competition Team scores higher than in previous years, begins preparing for Nationals

T

he Patriettes finished second on Jan. 30 at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state finals out of 31 teams. The team scored higher than in previous state appearances with 94.88 points.

However, the victory didn’t come easily. Commitment, dedication and hard work from everyone was crucial, Kate Bussell ’16 said. Kristin Piekarski, varsity Patriettes head coach, attributed the team’s success to the high skill level at the start of the season as well as starting the season with 14 dedicated seniors.

Even though the rigor of practices remained about the same, the team focused on practicing to the time set up IHSA allows, Piekarski said.

“The four minute rotation warm up allowed us to be mentally and physically ready for the big venue and fast pace the state series has,” Piekarski said.

Despite feeling nervous backstage, Bussell said the team knew what they were getting themselves into and had confidence during their performances.

Prior to the performances, the team does a “shakedown” to shake away any pre-performance nerves, and the captains often give a speech for reassurance.

The girls also had a reminder from home because the freshmen and junior varsity Patriettes made posters for the varsity team. The posters were hung on the hotel doors and had pictures of the team as well as different quotes about leadership or determination.

“It seemed to be comforting to them to know they had a piece of home with them,” Phoebe Nevel ’19 said. “Also, they knew regardless of what happened

we were proud of them.”

In addition to performing with her team, Bussell had the opportunity to sing the national anthem. Prior to this team, Bussell said, she wouldn’t have even thought about the idea, but the encouraging words and overwhelming support from her team pushed her to send an email to IHSA. “It was so awesome to hear family and friends cheering, especially since I had never sung in front of such a large crowd,” Bussell said.

With nationals in Florida coming up in three weeks, the team’s work is far from over. All 28 girls will be dancing, and despite having to make changes to the choreography to accommodate more girls dancing on a smaller floor, Bussell and Piekarski both said the team is making it work.

by IZABELA ZALUSKA

photo provided by Kate Bussell

Head coach Kristin Piekarski (back row, middle) and the Varsity Patriettes pose after their second place finish with their medals and the state trophy. The team scored a 94.88, just 1.1 points behind first place.

30 SPORTS

Swimmers unite for victory Patriots show teamwork, spirit to win against tough competitor in dual meet

I

t’s 4:45 p.m. on a Tuesday. The boys’ swimming and diving team have begun slowly getting out of the pool after their warm ups. Suddenly, as if by some sort of secret cue, all 80 boys and head coach Doug Lillydahl cram their way into the locker room.

Since the beginning of the season, the team has made an effort to come together before swim meets to discuss strategy, make speeches and rally their energy before the competitions.

At 5 p.m., the team walks out of the locker room and onto the deck where they line up to officially begin the lengthy competition. Eleven total swim events with multiple heats for junior varsity and varsity, along with the diving events can make swim meets stretch on for hours at a time.

On Jan. 26, the boys’ swim and dive team went up against one of their strongest competitors - Loyola Academy. After two and a half hours of competition, Stevenson’s boys’ ended with a victorious score of 106-64 for junior varsity and 103-81 for varsity, finishing their season undefeated.

The emphasis on support was obvious during the dual meet versus Loyola Academy. The yells and cheers of encouragement from teammates on deck were constant during each event. But according to the team, it’s not enough.

“When it comes to how we were as a team, together, it could have been better,” Kurt Holzer ’16 said. “Some people felt distant and the deck was quiet at times; we definitely could have cheered more for races.”

Lillydahl puts a special value on camaraderie when it comes to the atmosphere at Stevenson’s home pool.

Doing homework, having phones out, playing music or simply not cheering for teammates during a meet is looked down upon.

“When we’re on the pool deck or at a meet, we want everyone to be very present,” Lillydahl said. “We want to build the team and have everyone be invested in their teammate.”

With a past state winning girls’ swim team, state qualifying boys’ diver and incredibly fast boys’ team, Loyola Academy takes pride in their swimming and diving team.

But, the Stevenson boys’ were not at all worried, said Andrew Lefebvre ’16. They knew that their team spirit and support is what would win them the meet.

Many members of the team felt that the spirit and attention demonstrated in one of the last meets of the season helped the team reach better times and break records. Most swimmers and all four divers beat personal bests, attempting to reach new heights before Conference or Sectionals.

“The Tuesday meet against Loyola was by far

Boys’ team lines up on deck before National Anthem

photos by Bella Greenspan

Diver Izaac Kahn ’18 performs dives for junior varsity one of the best meets of the season,” diving coach Amy Inselberger said. “Every single diver got their own personal best and one of the divers, Matthew Krames, broke the school record for six dives.”

The hard work that was put in throughout the season paid off as soon as the final points were projected. Winning against a tough competitor proved to the team that they had the capability to succeed, Inselberger said.

Unlike other teams, the Ste-

venson team knew that they didn’t win individually; they won together.

“I don’t swim on the high school team to win,” Matt Bauwens ’16 said. “Winning is a fun by-product, but I didn’t join the swim team to medal. I joined to have fun and hopefully make some long lasting friendships.”

by BELLA GREENSPAN

SPORTS 31

CAPTAIN’S CORNER

by Matt Krames ‘17

B

eing considered a team leader is a very special honor. It feels great to know that the guys know that they have someone to look up to when they need help.

For the last two years, I have been able to watch everyone progress and develop as gymnasts. I have to say that I’m very impressed. Not only have these guys never done gymnastics before, but they started as freshmen in high school which is not an easy thing to do. They have worked very hard, and I love knowing that I was there to assist them along the way.

The guys never hesitated coming to me for help which only adds to the captain of the team. I’m looking forward to another great season and a lot of progress from everyone.

photos provided by Matt Krames ’17

ASHLEY RICHARDSON #25

38 FG%

89 FT%

13.9 ppg 2.1 ast 4.8 reb

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL BREAK DOWN OF A BREAK THROUGH

42 FG%

FT%

7.9 2.0 2.3

ppg ast reb

33 FG%

62 FT%

6.3 1.9 2.6

KIANA CENCULA #13

77

JESSICA BURKE #20

ppg ast reb

CONFERENCE CHAMPS

Stevenson took home the North Suburban Conference (NSC) Championship on Feb. 10 with a win over Antioch, improving its overall record to 24-5 and 12-1 in the NSC. Here’s a look at the Patriots’ season as of Feb. 10.

The score of every game SHS played against opposing teams

SCE SHS ET WWS BHS WHS MHS LZHS LF PHS ZB BHS HHS BG

NT

NC

LHS WHS DK LWE BHS HC LZHS LF

CC

ZB MHS LHS

content compiled by Max Cohn and Lawrence Kreymer; graphic by Sami Sparber; photos provided by Debbie Burke