Issuu

Addressing student pregnancies // page 14

Taking a look at SHS clubs going to state // page 6

Volume 50 - Issue 6 April, 2017

Adlai E. Stevenson High School 1 Stevenson Drive Lincolnshire, IL 60069

MASTHEAD

2016-2017 STATESMAN STAFF STATESMAN POLICY Purpose Statesman is first and foremost a student-run publication with six annual issues distributed to sutdents, 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 provides 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. Affiliation Statesman belongs to the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association, the Kettle Moraine Press Assiciation, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the 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. Advertising Businesses may advertise in Statesman. Ad content is subject to the discretion of the editorial board and will contain information that is appropriate. Contact Mailing Address: One Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069 Phone: 847-415-4000, ext 4354 Wedbsite: www.statesmanshs.org Email: shsstatesman.business@gmail.com

Bella Greenspan Editor-In-Chief

Karaj Singh Max Cohn

Managing Editors of Production

Yogin Patel Chloe Myers

Managing Editors of Design

Sivakami Ramakrishnan Ashley Mandel Graphics Team

Vicky Kolotov Photo Editor

Grace Westphal Copy Editor

Aniket Nuthalapati Business Manager

Olivia Lamberti News Editor

Kendall Roberts Opinions Editor

Ellie Baden

Features Editor

Lawrence Kreymer Sports Editors

Adele Lee Michael Levitt Web Editors

Alisa Mufti

Manager of Social Media

Dean Bradshaw Advisor

STAFF REPORTERS Yana Bushuyeva Jamie Berman Aman Grover Emma Ismail Maya Parekh Charlotte Ronson Nikol Safronova Sami Sparber Annie Wu Cindy Yao

CONTENTS

04 | UNIFYING STUDENTS

4 NEWS

hile Stevenson continues to top school rankings and pile on more APs, overall attendance for sporting and fine arts events has taken a plunge, according to David Eddy, student activities coordinator and science teacher. In order to counter this trend, Stevenson's newly unveiled We Are One initiative brings together diverse, highly motivated individuals who will promote unity. “We need movers and shakers within the school, people with positive influences,” Eddy said. How this project will be executed is up to the students. Eddy hopes that participants will use their influence to reach out to their network of friends and classmates to stimulate a chain reaction, prompting further green and gold pride. In a school of 4,000, it may seem unpragmatic for every single student to feel kinship towards one another. Eddy recognizes this divide and believes because of the vastness of the school,

BUILDING A CULTURE OF CARING School organizes We Are One to promote school unity ASHLEY MANDEL

Stevenson's brand of unity is unique. “A unified student body isn’t necessarily everyone liking the same thing, it’s something they can identify, connect with and find a sense of belonging,” Eddy said. Because of the sheer size of the student body,

ASHLEY MANDEL

Stevenson offers a colossal number of clubs and organizations. It is Eddy’s hope that every student can find their place within the community. Student activities director Ted Georgen is not solely concerned with number of attendees. Instead, he wants

students to know there is an inherent mental health benefit when it comes to showing up for non-mandatory school events and supporting their fellow patriots. “School can be stressful, and sometimes students disengage from the school community through the use of technology when in reality, that engagement could offset some stress,” Georgen said. The We Are One initiative is the vessel through which stress will be exchanged for spirit. School unity is not an arbitrary concept or an excuse to hold elaborate events according to Eddy. He also believes its purpose is to provide a home for every Stevenson student and to make one's school experience more enjoyable and memorable. At the end of the day, the organizers of We Are One are looking to alter the attitudes students have around atteding and participating in school events. “We want to make this a place where no student wants to leave,” Georgen said.

NEWS 5 CAPABLE OF SUSTAINABLE

Stevenson addresses environmental concerns in wake of east building addition ALISA MUFTI

reen and gold, the chant is heard at every sports game and pep rally. But in the past few years Stevenson has taken it upon themselves to apply the motto on a literal level. In 2015, Stevenson was recertified for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification. The LEED program recognizes buildings for their sustainability. Stevenson is the only school in the nation with this certification. This follows Stevenson’s recent actions to become more sustainable. Concerns have arisen about the future construction of the East building. Stevenson will be expanding the east building due to the rising enrollment rate. Construction will start in the fall of 2017. According to Sean Carney, assistant superintendent of business, Stevenson aims for all of the energy used to operate the east building to be self sustainable. This will be done so by adding solar panels, and a rooftop garden. Changes are also being made to the existing buildings. So far, the lights in the Sports Center have changed from fluorescent bulbs to light emitting diode (LED) bulbs.

Aaryav Nagpal ’18, is a member of Green Team, a club that works with the administration to raise awareness of ecological issues. “I’ve been interested in the environment ever since I took Environmental Science,” Nagpal said. “Recently I’ve become more cautious with what I eat, as I try to eat foods that have been sustainably farmed.” Green Team not only focuses on sustainability at Stevenson, but it also looks to the community. Anna Lee ’19, thinks that Stevenson’s efforts to be sustainable are

important. “The schools I’ve attended in the past did little to go green, my middle school didn’t even have a recycling bin,” Lee said. “I’m excited to see how they progress into a more refined and self sustainable school.” Stevenson hopes to be platinum LEED certified in the future. Carney says that the efforts are not for prestige or recognition. “We try to look at the scope of everything,” Carney said. “We want to try to leave this place a little bit better then when we had it.”

Photo // Sean Carney

The building plans for the east addition include walls composed of plants. It is set to open during the 2019-2020 school year.

6 NEWS

EXCELLENCE BEYOND ACADEMICS Students from several clubs explain process of qualifying for national competitions MAYA PAREKH

fter long seasons of hard work, Stevenson has had several clubs qualify for national competitions. Future Business Leaders of America Of the 60 club members that qualified for nationals, Geeta Jhangiani ’19 and her friends Anna Fossier ’19 and Kira Sullivan ’18 qualified for a project about creating a successful social media campaign for a G-rated show. The girls came up with a cartoon called “The Darringtons’ Daring Adventures,” a show about a prince and princess that team up with a fairy, a dragon and a monster to save a king and queen. “They all work together despite their differences, which is the main idea of the show and our mission statement,” Jhangiani said. Jhangiani, Fossier and Sullivan decided to promote the show on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The girls looked up YouTube videos of previous FBLA presentations of similar topics to create their initial presentation. After that, they used rubrics given to them at local tournaments as feedback for improvement. Jhangiani said that using note cards at State is frowned upon by the judges so they instead spent hours memorizing and practicing

Photo // Geeta Jhangiani

everything. “This was our first year competing and we didn’t think we would make it. As long as you put in as much effort as you can and do your best, you have a good chance of making it,” Jhangiani said. Future Community Care Leaders of America Robin Cheifetz ’17 has made nationals for Future Community Care Leaders of America every single year since she was a freshman. Her project this year included making an entrepreneurial plan called “The Market” for a store containing only natural ingredients with a cafe for juices and a kitchen with cooking classes, and more.

“I think [our success] was because of not only making sure that we reached every aspect of our rubric, but also because of the help from our sponsors and the different opportunities that Stevenson provides us which makes it easy for us to exceed what might need to be met,” Cheifetz said. Cheifetz collaborates with some of her closest friends, something that can make productivity a challenge but also has advantages. “We can easily come together, discuss our project and work on it because we all know our values and what our preferences are, so it’s easier for us to create a project based off of what everyone likes,” Cheifetz said. Cheifetz and her group practiced and edited the presentation in ways similar to Jhangiani, as well as making sure to de-stress, sleep and keep a positive mindset the week before the state competition. Cheifetz and her club sponsor Michelle Backes believe showing passion is a key component for success in these types of competition. “It shows the judges how much work they’ve put in,” Backes said. Quizbowl The Quizbowl team prepares very differently than the presentational based clubs but just as arduously. They have been to nationals every

NEWS 7 ewa said. “It’s great to watch them have fun.” As their coach, Fedewa keeps the students motivated and calm under pressure and stress. “When it’s high stakes, high stress situations, they’ve got to be able to go in to question sixteen, and whatever happens, be able to go on to seventeen, ready to go again,” he said.

Photo // Robin Cheifetz

every year since 2011. The team must be knowledgeable on a variety of subjects, including literature, history, mythology, religion and more. While they officially practice for three hours each week, some members of the club spend additional hours each day studying different topics. “Most people can make it to the practices, but everyone is studying or reading old questions and looking up stuff ,” Young Lee ’17 said. “That’s the real time commitment.” Quizbowl sponsor Ryan Fedewa said that some members of his team have over 20,000 flashcards they have made. However, Fedewa thinks it’s important for students to enjoy themselves as well, as he has seen teams who always act very seriously. “The best parts are watching the kids improve over their years, seeing their hard work pay off, and especially with this team, the kids are fun and goofy with each other,” Fed-

Future Health Professionals This club also has academic tests for competing at the national level. Divyanshi Sharma ’18 qualified for nationals by placing second in the human growth and development knowledge tests at state. Sharma looked for reference books on the HOSA website which were available at the ILC. She also took advantage of quizlets. “Attending the meetings is important because the club e-board guides you and gives you important

and helpful information,” Sharma said. Business Professionals of America However, not every nationals-qualifying student takes on excessive amounts of stress. Miranda Liu ’19 randomly chose one of her events for Business Professionals of America, Fundamental Word Processing, which requires her to type and format documents to very specific guidelines. Liu said that she only needed to practice a little bit for state by using online practice tests. She felt she didn’t need to worry that much because typing comes naturally to her. However, she plans on spending more time practicing for nationals. “Play to your strengths,” Liu said. “Don’t feel pressure to do something because you think it looks better on a college app.”

Photo // Ryan Fedewa

No, Sma rt Desk staff will not turn my , I iPad in. Nor wil the Stev l the rest of enson st udent populati on.

Stevenso n is sup posed to have a h ig er enro hllment rate next yea r. Great! I was worried we wou ldn have en ough fr ’t eshmen.

As Spring Fling comes around, it’s time to distiguish those who are just there for the tank top from those who wear headbands and arm sleeves and peaked in high school.

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NHS SERVICE HOURS: SELFLESS OR SELFISH?

KARAJ SINGH Service is something that’s deeply rooted in many aspects of our lives, whether that be through culture, family traditions or even Stevenson. The only difference in these aspects, though, is that most of the volunteer opportunities Stevenson has to offer have an incentive: service hours. We seem to have a negative connotation with NHS. We almost shy away from the selfishness that the word can be associated with. But why? Even though being rewarded with service hours may seem egocentric, it has its hidden benefits. Volunteer hours act as a stimulus to get students more involved in helping others. Volunteering, even with an incentive, helps the student and ends up helping a person in need. Without the drive to gain something, less people would sign up to help, leaving more people stuck in dire situations. NHS gives people the incentive of service hours so more people join the club, which results in more people volunteering and bettering the world around us. Volunteering for credit may even spark a new hobby that students didn’t even know they liked. A student, enticed to volunteer simply by the addition of five more hours on UGive, may have enjoyed the work they did. Without that “selfish” incentive, that student wouldn’t have that passion to help even more lives. It’s times like these that NHS helps more than just our college applications. It truly helps people’s lives.

BELLA GREENSPAN National Honors Society (NHS) was established in 1921 with the ultimate goal of promoting leadership and stimulating a desire to render service. You’d think that such positive ambitions would be carried on for years to come, but taking a look at Stevenson would show you otherwise. All too often you hear of students complaining about how they have to meet their NHS service hours deadline, go to yet another boring meeting or attend an event they just really don’t want to go to. If you go up to a random NHS member and ask them why they decided to join the chapter, their answer all too often is “because it looks good on college applications.” And there lies the problem. Right now, almost 100 years after its establishment, NHS is simply not providing enough incentive for students to actually contribute to the community in a meaningful way. It’s turned into just another “accomplishment” to slap onto a college application, and that isn’t good. Students shouldn’t be rewarded with a ceremony and a certificate for simply doing acts of service or being nice to others. Giving back to the community is something that decent human beings should try to do as often as possible. By rewarding others or putting an incentive to it, we promote the idea that people should only do good if they can be rewarded for it, when it should be the opposite.

OPINIONS 9 UNIFYING A POPULATION GRACE WESTPHAL

E-B

Debate

will also lead to a genuine effort to promote unity as opposed to being another label to attach to a college resume. Unifying all 4000 current Stevenson students is a lofty goal, so the initiative needs to take aim at incoming freshmen. Statesman believes it is unrealistic to think the current group of students are likely to shift their mindset towards one of increased spirit and unity. Although it would take several years to change Stevenson culture, We Are One would be most effective in promoting school spirit to incoming freshmen, who are the most impressionable members of the community. Statesman also believes that the ultimate goals of unity and school spirit are to instill in every student

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HOSA

Model UN

Leadership Opportunities

College Applications

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he first varsity football game of the year is always met with a crowd of hundreds of parents and students all dressed in white and roaring at the sound of the first buzzer. The first touchdown is serenaded by the loud blaring of “Chelsea Dagger” and a thunderous round of applause. This scene however, does not appear for other teams or events like the freshman football team, the archery club or Project Dance. This year, student activities pitched the idea for a new group whose goal is to promote unity and school spirit among students. This new group will be called the We Are One initiative and will replace Council of 100. Members of We Are One were selected from teacher and FMP referrals and were chosen because of their positive impacts on Stevenson culture. Statesman believes that We Are One has the potential to be effective because its membership will be from all walks of life, as opposed to Council of 100 which was comprised of executive board members. This new peer group has the chance to connect and influence a larger number of people, as students from all grades and extracurricular activities were selected. Likewise, we believe this referral based group

FBLA

STATESMAN EDITORIAL

a sense of belonging. With over 130 clubs, sports for three seasons, and a myriad of fundraisers and dances, Stevenson can be an overwhelming place that is hard to know where to start. The upside to this diversity is that there’s a niche for everyone, and every student should be able to find one. Statesman believes that a stronger sense of unity and spirit will lead more students to feel comfortable looking for their passion and compel them to step out of their comfort zones to try new things. Although the goal of unifying a school as large as Stevenson seems overwhelming, it’s important to foster a community of belonging to help students navigate the chaos. The success of We Are One is yet to be determined.

10 OPINIONS

ADVICE FROM GRADE TO GRADE Students give guidance to those entering the grade they left SIVAKAMI RAMAKRISHNAN

SIVAKAMI RAMAKRISHNAN

OPINIONS 11

PROM DRESS TRENDS

CHARLOTTE RONSON TWO-PIECE

Instead of the classic prom dress, girls have been leaning towards two piece dresses: the top is typically beaded while the bottom half is simple and sometimes features a slit. This fun fresh style is here to stay.

MERMAID

This is a simpler dress with a slit up the leg or an open back. Bold colors such as red or royal blue are popular for this style dress, but the classic black is also a fan favorite.

Common for wedding dresses, many retail stores have been offering a lot more of this style. The body is tight fitting, and the tulle flows out from the knees down for

SIMPLE AND SEXY

a cinderella-esque effect.

DON’T JUST GET INVOLVED, STAY INVOLVED MAX COHN

tevenson has over 120 clubs, tons of athletic programs and thousands of opportunities to get involved in the community. However, it seems as though students who do attempt to get involved with those programs have trouble staying involved. Personally, I feel dedicated to many clubs and I feel part of the Stevenson community. There are so many things I want to do that it actually feels overwhelming from all the possibilities and countless

scenarios that may happen. The stigma that surrounds this school is the size of everything: the classes, the amount of students, the amount of clubs, the amount of championships and the amount of homework. Although that may be good for lots of opportunities— or bad if we are talking about the homework amount— it makes it tough to the average Stevenson student to have to make a decision on how they want to spend their time.

I know freshman year I was told to get involved and join a club, but I did not really know where to look. Despite the large list, I could not choose one that really interested me. Even with the offer of an outlet after school one day a week, I found I just was not interested to get involved whatsoever. It was not that I could not handle the one-day-a-week commitment because I probably could, but the idea of continuing involvement with a club would infringe on the amount of time I

have to complete homework. I think Stevenson needs to not make it easier for people to get involved because right now it is already super easy; the challenge is finding a way to keep students engaged with the things they do get involved in. The opportunity is there to make involvement in clubs or sports a great experience; students have so much homework already that overwhelming them with more clubs will hurt involvement not help it.

FEATURES 15

FEATURES 13 STRUGGLING WITH SUICIDE

Stevenson makes changes to help address student issues with suicide, depression ANI NUTHALAPATI

ANI NUTHALAPATI

early 14% of Stevenson patriots had seriously considered suicide within 12 months, according to a 2014 Illinois Youth Survey. While that number is below the national average (17%), Stevenson saw the number as a cause for alarm. “Conversations are happening, as we speak, about what can be done to do better,” Sarah Bowen, director of student services, said in a Chicago Tribune article in a 2016 board meeting about the issue. Bowen said that the goal of the recent changes was to promote wellness and reduce stress among students. These changes include the later start time, the moving of final exams to before winter break and the healthier food options in the cafeteria. “It really is all focused on how we can help make sure that students are balancing schoolwork and other parts of their lives,” Bowen said. In addition to these visible changes, there are also changes being made behind the scenes that the school hopes will reduce the prevalence of this issue. Stevenson is also looking to implement a suicide prevention program in freshman advisories starting next year,

according to Bowen. The program will deal with the signs of depression and will teach students how to recognize the signs within themselves or others and the importance of seeking out support from adults. Nikita Jhangiani ’17 said that the academic aspect of the problem is not emphasized enough. “The real problem is that students are taking 6 AP classes and doing thousands of clubs, and the competitive Stevenson atmosphere just isn’t healthy,” Jhangiani said. She added that kids often mistakenly think they have to do everything to get into college. Jhangiani supported the idea of moving finals to before winter break, saying that it helped her relieve some of her stress.

Although some changes have helped, some students, such as Jhangiani and Rahul Arun ’17, feel as though the school’s resources are inaccessible or not promoted enough. “Oftentimes, students don’t really see the school as a viable option [to get help from],” Arun said. “I think [the school] offers enough resources, but students are usually unaware of or unwilling to use the resources they have.” Jhangiani also talked about personal experiences, and said that the process of getting help was circuitous, also saying that students are often embarrassed to get help from the school due to social stigma. Bowen agreed with Jhangiani on the issue of academic pressure and said that she has seen students struggling to cope firsthand, but also said that the changes are already improving things for students. “So far, all the feedback I’ve received from students and parents about these changes has been positive,” Bowen said. “A lot of families have thanked the school for giving their child the opportunity to spend winter break with family and to get an extra few minutes of sleep.”

14 FEATURES

PREPARING FOR MOTHERHOOD Balancing pregancy, schoolwork proves difficult for high school students

VICKY KOLOTOV & YANA BUSHUYEVA

essica Geary sits patiently, arms crossed over her emphasized belly bump. Her peers walk by, politely attempting not to stare. She completes her weekly visit with her assigned social worker and heads to class, always keeping a hand on her stomach, protecting its content— or hiding it. Upon her arrival, she is greeted by a teacher, eager to inform her of the work she missed due to hospitalizations or frequent sick days. While there has been a steady decline in teen pregnancy, it is still a prominent issue in the lives of female students across Illinois. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), teenage birth rates reached a historic low for U.S. teens, dropping from the 2013 birth rate by 9%. Still, the Lake County teen birth rate remains 24.3 per 1,000. In the U.S, a total of 249,078 babies were born to teenagers in 2014. Although teen pregnancy remains a prominent issue in Lake County, Stevenson has no prewritten guidelines to follow when confronting the matter. “When it comes to dealing with a pregnant student, the school doesn’t have any specific policies,” Dean Kathleen McCauley said. “We work with many different sit-

GRACE WESTPHAL & YANA BUSHUYEVA

70% of all students who drop out of school early, do so because of teen pregnancy

Source// Teen Pregnancy Statistics

uations, we do all we can to offer support.” Someone who had experienced the Stevenson treatment first-hand was former student Jessica Geary. After months of attempting to further her education through her pregnancy at Stevenson, she chose to leave. According to Teen Pregnancy

The amount of support that we are able to provide to students and the flexibility of the teachers is phenomenal.” -Dean McCauley

Statistics Organization, pregnancy is the primary reason for teens dropping out of high school. Dealing with social and emotional conflicts, as well as medical and physical stresses related to pregnancy are bound to put an emotional toll on pregnant students, McCauley said. In Stevenson, students have access to a number of faculty-run support groups that can help mitigate any problems students may face, as well as a Student Support Team, consisting of a dean, a social worker and a counselor. “The amount of support that we are able to provide to students and the flexibility of the teachers is phenomenal,” McCauley said. “I think we are exceptional when it comes

to assisting students in conquering emotional strains.” Despite the school’s abundance of available resources, the support was not enough according to Geary. Throughout her pregnancy, she claimed to have been harassed on multiple occasions. Geary felt as though her needs were neglected. Geary remembers a time when two boys pushed her in the hallway, “spat on [her] and called [her] a whore.” At one point, she stopped showing up to school altogether. Eventually, a truancy officer was sent to her home. “My dad told them ‘she doesn’t feel safe going there, she’s told you this,’” Geary said. “It didn’t feel like they understood how I felt...or wanted to either.” Geary made the final decision to drop out of Stevenson and continue her education through online schooling. She found the constant

FEATURES 15

It didn’t feel like they understood how I felt...or wanted to either.” -Jessica Geary bullying impeded her ability to focus on schooling and homework, even with the help of her Student Support Team. “I was failing all my classes,” Geary said. “I was too busy dealing with police reports about harassment.” Conversely, another pregnant Stevenson student is continuing to thrive at school through her pregnancy and is on track to graduate alongside her peers. While still accomplishing her academic goals, she regards her experience with the school staff as a positive one. “Counselors and social workers are very accommodating as far as

checking up on me and making sure everything is okay physically and mentally,” she said. According to the senior, teachers have a good grasp on how to manage her academic success without pushing her past her limits. Through her pregnancy, she has been able to continue her studies with ease. “Overall Stevenson is very accommodating when it comes down to it,” the student said. Unlike Geary, the student feels that the school is being more than helpful with her unique situation. As more students come along with a similar obstacle, Stevenson may learn to look deeper into the true conflicts the students face. “It’s not a reflection on us, it’s not a reflection on the student: it’s a reflection on society and choices sometimes,” McCauley said. “But I’m not going to judge, I cannot live in somebody else’s shoes.”

Source// National Conference of State Legislatures

16 FEATURES

Q&A WITH MRS. FOSTER

Meet the English teacher who has worked at Stevenson for 33 years KENDALL ROBERTS

KENDALL ROBERTS

Q:What subjects have you taught at Stevenson? A:I’ve always been in the English department. I’ve taught 15 to 20 different courses at every level, freshman through seniors, from low ability through honors. I’ve also taught acting, speech, literature and writing, so I have had a lot of different experiences throughout the curriculum. Q:What makes you like Stevenson so much and why? A: The work ethic of my colleagues inspires and humbles me daily. The entire school culture has a strong commitment to helping students. The students themselves are incredible. I feel as if I learn more from them than they learn from me and that keeps the job always new. Q:Are you planning on retiring soon? A: Next year will be my last year full time at Stevenson. I will miss the students so much--I can’t imagine not teaching because my identity is so connected to the classroom. It’s hard for me to think about not having that on a day to day basis. Q:Does your class involve evidence based testing? Do you like this new change? A: I have not taught [EBR}. What I miss the most is that teachers used to tailor their courses for their students in front of them. Now, we all have to teach the common material in a particular order and that has somewhat taken the wind out of my sails.

Q:What has changed at Stevenson? Did you like this change? A: The physical environment and the size of the school. We were maybe 1,700 students when I started and the English department had 13 teachers. Now, we have about 4,000 students and 43 English teachers. Along with that it has become a more serious environment. [Stevenson] is more intense and overwhelming than it used to be which makes me sad. However, we are definitely more accepting, and the students are more philanthropic. They seem to be more concerned with people other than themselves. We are a more diverse culture than we used to be at Stevenson and that has been really exciting too. Q:What impact or legacy do you wish your teaching leaves behind on Stevenson? A:I hope that my students leave my class with the ability to evaluate their own learning objectivity and feel confident in what they’re doing. I guess I’m concerned about the people in front of me, and not just the students. I hope they feel a human connection, and not just an academic one.

FEATURES 17 RIGHTING LIGHT IT UP BLUE

Controversy surrounding Autism Speaks deterred students from attending charitable event OLIVIA LAMBERTI

ydney Glickson ’19 tries to fit charitable events into her busy schedule, so making time for S-Factor and Streetfest earlier this year was not an issue. However, she doesn’t regret missing out on the Light it Up Blue Allied Soccer Game, which benefits Autism Speaks. “I just wasn’t interested after I heard about the foundation,” G l i c k s o n said. “I didn’t feel that it was worth my time when nobody was happy with Autism Speaks.” The organization has received backlash for attempting to cure autism, with the Autism Women’s Network going so far as to call the charity a ‘hate group’. Additionally, a 2006 film produced by Autism Speaks appeared to sympathize with a woman experiencing homicidal urges towards her autistic child. Dania Jekel, executive director of the Asperger/ Autism Network (AANE),

OLIVIA LAMBERTI

has found herself disappointed by Autism Speaks in the past. “Historically, their mission and the language they used put them on the wrong track,” Jekel said. “They were not an organization we respected here at AANE.” Yet Autism Speaks recently remodeled its leadership and goals. In 2015, two autistic board members joined the foundation, and in 2016, its mission statement was revised to include more positive language. Criticism has not fazed

Mary Rios, a staff member of the Chicagoland chapter of Autism Speaks. “We’re the largest autism awareness organization in the country,” Rios said. “I think we’ve been an advocate for children on the spectrum.” Allied Soccer, along with Best Buddies and Sophomore Class Board, have hosted a Light It Up Blue event for the past three years. Though there have been student complaints regarding the organization, many are hesitant to condemn the event outright.

Autism Speaks // Source

Tamara Sears, leader of Stevenson’s program for autistic students, is familiar with criticism surrounding the actions of Autism Speaks. Even so, recent efforts by the organization have impressed her. “While I see where the controversy is coming from, I think Autism Speaks is making people more aware of autism,” Sears said. “It’s really opening that discussion.” Sponsors of Allied Soccer, Best Buddies, and Sophomore Class Board declined to comment.

18 FEATURES

GET TO KNOW YOUR STUCO OFFICERS Newly elected student council leaders discuss plans for upcoming school year ADELE LEE Secretary: Isabelle Sparreo Favorite holiday: Christmas Spirit animal: Giraffe

Treasurer: Josh Zhu Favorite animal: Pandas Favorite genre of music: Anything but country

Vice President: Amelia Lee

President: Lauren Appell

Favorite fruit: Apple Favorite disney princess: Ariel

Favorite breakfast food: Fruit salad Favorite sport to watch: Dance

Vice President: Melissa Hauptman Favorite TV show: "Grey's Anatomy" Favorite childhood toy: Bop-it

Given your new position as a student council officer, what are your plans or goals for next year? LA: “I’d like to find similar projects within Student Council that different committees could work on together. I’d also like to get more feedback on our dances and some of our bigger events like Spring Fling. Getting this feedback would be helpful since we haven’t taken a survey in a very long time.” AL: “I hope that we can be better communicators with the sponsors, the general members, and the E-board. [Student Council members] all have incredible ideas, but we could all communicate these ideas better." MH: “In general, we want people to be more passionate because we feel that Student Council becomes a club that people join just to get hours. We want everyone to get involved in what they’re doing, whether it be writing the 'Tinkle Times' or planning big events." IS: “As secretary, I want to make all communication clear and not one-sided. I’d like to get feedback from the students and make the changes that they want to see.” JZ: “During Student Council, [students] came up with ideas on how to improve certain situations with a little bit more funding. For Homecoming and Winterfest decorations, people have mentioned that if [Student Council] put a little bit more funding into certain tools, we could be more efficient and the decorations would look better. I just want to help fund these kinds of ideas more often.”

SPORTS 19 RECREATION WITH COMPETITION

Students enjoy intramural sports throughout the year, including flag football, basketball, ultimate frisbee CHLOE MYERS

Unlike other intramural sports, ultimate frisbee is a club that practices on certain days until 6. Requiring a fee of ten dollars, players meet on practice day to split into teams and compete. “Ultimate frisbee is a very inclusive intramural. It allows everyone of skill and ability to be included and to make new friends.” -Frank Radostits (Ultimate Frisbee Club Sponsor)

Intramural basketball is a sport in which competitors create jerseys and compete in league styled games to determine the champion. “[Intramural Basketball] provides an outlet for kids that may have never really played basketball before, but would like to give it a try.” -Aaron Wellington (Patriot Recreation Education Program / Intramural Coordinator)

Flag football is an intramural team sport which includes months of preparation in frequent practices. The league is split into girls and boys who compete for first place overall in their respective gender. The sport requires a player to wear athletic clothing, a flag belt and a mouth guard. Flag football is one of the biggest intramural sports and attracts a myriad of teams.

20 SPORTS MINDSET OF STEVENSON GOALIES

Goalies’ role, responsbilities have changed, result of change in mentality LAWRENCE KREYMER

LAWRENCE KREYMER

eing a goalie is no easy task: the role of the goalie is immense to the team winning or losing a game. However, being a goalie is not only about being physically strong, but it's also about being mentally strong. How a goalie is feeling or thinking going into a game can truly affect the outcome. In all sports, the way a goalie approaches a game and the confidence they have going into the game is very important. The confidence they have leading up to the game can affect the way they practice, communicate with their teammates and how they position themselves - all can affect their performance. “Being a hockey goalie is very challenging,” Nick Cimarusti ’18 said. “There’s a lot of pressure on a goalie, being the the last line of defense. If I let a soft one in, I cannot let it get to me. Because If I’m not mentally strong enough to get over a goal, it’ll be much harder on me to keep playing and I will let my emotions will get the best of me.” The role of a goalie in sports has changed throughout recent times.

Before, a goalie in soccer was only required to make saves, but now a goalie has more responsibilities. A lot of that comes down to how a goalie thinks. In hockey, a goalie isn't just required to save shots but also be able to handle the puck. For these transformations to occur, the way these athletes train and their mentality had to change. It's one thing practicing and changing how to play, but those changes must accompany a change of mentality. “Being a [soccer] goalie requires you to always be alert because at any moment you can be called upon to make a play,” Ethan Kalis ’18 said. “I have to constantly be positioning myself and organizing my defense.” Just like any other player, the goalie can also make mistakes. However, the difference with a goalie making a mistake is not always down to skill, but most of the time it's attributed to a mental mistake. “Goalies might have a bad moment, but rarely do they show up for a game unprepared physically or mentally,” Mark Schartner, varsity soccer coach, said. “However,

“I always record my games. And after a bad game or even a even a bad goal, I learn from my mistakes by watching what I do wrong.” - Nick Cimarusti ’18

“The most important part of my warmup is passing. Warming up my arm helps me make those passes during a game.” -Brigitte Lefebvre ’18

should they have a bad game, the best goalkeepers have very short memories. If a keeper has trained that week and still makes a mistake, then it's more likely down to a mental mistake then anything else. Split second decision making is a key to goalkeeper success. Normally, the more experience a keeper has, the better his judgment.” However, being a goalie isn’t always the most rewarding. Some goalies have experienced that making a wonder save will have the crowd cheering for them, but all it takes is one mistake for the crowd to forget that wonder save from before. This issue plays deeply into the way a goalie is coached - they have to constantly embrace and learn from their mistakes. “After a bad game I can’t get wrapped up in everything I did wrong,” Brigitte Lefebvre ’18 said. “My teammates are encouraging, and my coaches will offer a couple of things for me to work on during practice. It helps me focus on getting better instead of dwelling on what I did wrong.” “I have a routine; the way I put on my gloves, stretch, and warm up is always the same. It helps me get into the right mindset before every game.” -Ethan Kalis ’18

22 SPORTS

BASEBALL PREVIEW

More underclassmen, senior leadership could bring Stevenson first state championship since 1995 MICHAEL LEVITT

t’s springtime again and with spring comes baseball. This year’s team is different. Younger and with new senior leaders, this year’s team looks poised to cause havoc in the conference. Patrick Block, varsity head coach, said his only goal is to win a state championship. “While I expect some growing pains early on, this team should reach its peak near the end of the season and be winning games at the end of May,” Block said. “We have a good blend of veteran senior leadership and young, talented juniors, sophomores and freshmen. It’s nice to see them interact and teach each other.” Charlie Ling ’17 has a similar opinion, saying he wants to be con-

Photo // Patrick Block

ference champs and make a state run. Matthew Mittelmark ’18 said his goal is to win a state championship with the team performing at their best every game. The leaders of this team have experience, as numerous players played a big part on last year’s team, including Ling, Charlie Bourbon ’17, Henry Marchese ’17, Michael Marchese ’17 and Jack Housinger ’18, who was on varsity as a sophomore last year. The team is ready to take the next step and improve on their chemistry in the process. “It feels like we’ve been playing together for ten years, but it has actually only been one year,” Ling said. “With lots of young players, it’s cool to see them mature as they keep learning.”

Ling also said last year’s seniors led the team so well that it caused his class to want to be leaders to the same degree. Mittelmark said this year’s team is special because of the unique blend of ages. “There are lots of senior leaders that lead the team well and underclassmen who learn from their mistakes,” Mittelmark said. “While I wasn’t on the team last year, I know from practices that there were lots of high hopes going in. They were defeated in the playoffs, but have worked hard to get back this year.” Both Ling and Block agree that Hayden Shape ’17 has improved the most since last year. Block said Shape, a catcher, was a backup on the sophomore team and is now one of three catchers for varsity. Meanwhile, Mittelmark and Michael Thon ’18 think Housinger is the most improved because of his hard work put in during the offseason as well as how he has emerged as a leader. Overall, the team needs to work together to get far this season, but with the talent on the roster, Stevenson could surprise. “Our goals are to win a state title and all our games, and that’s definitely possible because of all the talent we have,” Thon said.

SPORTS 23 SPRING FLING IS EVERYONE’S THING

Spring Fling gives an oppurtunity for students of all athletic abilities to participate in sports, school spirit ELLIE BADEN

ELLIE BADEN

“In Spring fling, [you’re on] a team of people you are friends with and that you will have a good time with no matter what, rather than a sport where you have to try out, and there are actual practices and it’s more competitive.” -Max Rubinstein ’20

“I decided to do Spring Fling because it wasn’t an option at my other school and I thought it was a pretty cool idea that Stevenson offers this type of activity. It gives students opportunities to get competitive with their friends, and you don’t have to be athletic. This is my first year doing it and I’m looking forward to being a part of a team with friends and people from all different grades.” -Kaila Zimmerman ’17

“We [don’t] go to compete. It’s a day to get together with a group of people and have fun outside. We’re in it more for the jerseys and hanging out afterwards and before and just being together. ” -Belle Tseitlin ’18

“Spring Fling is a combination of athletics, team spirit and leadership. It also gives a chance for some unathletic kids to give sports a try. My favorite part is actually playing with the team you’ve created.” -Cindy Zhou ’19

D1 PROSPECTS

CLAIRE HAAS Q: What are your dream schools? A: Well, my dream schools are in California: Stanford, USC, Berkeley and UCLA. Other than those, Michigan is also a nice school. Q: What made you want to pursue water polo in specific? A: My freshman year I qualified to go to the Junior Olympics for water polo, and I went to the Stanford facility— that’s when I knew that I was done playing soccer and basketball. Q: Is there any additional training that you did that was different? A: Last summer, I went to Hungary for five weeks and played with a feeder team for the national team. I go to camps constantly and will go to college camps soon. Fun Fact: Claire has scored over 70 goals throughout this season.

Q: When did you start getting involved in baseball? A: I have been playing for as long as I can remember. My older brother played baseball at Duke and played in the minor league for the Mets, so I’ve really been around baseball all my life. Q: What schools are you considering? A: I have a very broad list of schools at the moment, ranging from Ivy League schools in the northeast to schools in Texas. I’ve been getting emails and letters, but I haven’t decided what I really want to pursue yet. Q: What’s your motivation for continuing to play? A: I just love to play and to compete. Ask anybody who knows me, baseball defines my life. Fun Fact: Ari’s fastball clocks in at 90 miles per hour.

D1 PROSPECTS

ARI GORDON