The Tom Tom | October 2013

The Student Voice of Antioch Community High School

UNDEFEATED SOPHOMORES

HOW CARDINAL CRAZY ARE YOU? THE POWER OF LANGUAGE

WE ARE

RESPECTFUL RESPONSIBLE PROUD

Volume 52, Issue 2 10.25.2013 www.tomtomnews.com

M O T OOKE TOM L NEW SAM

The Student Voice of Antioch Community High School TomTomNews.com October 2013 | Vol. 52 | No. 2

Respectful, Responsible and Proud 12

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RESPECT

SEQUOIT TRAVEL

The battle to find the right words to say can impact how one lives out his or her everyday life.

Students set to fly over the Atlantic to London and Paris for spring break 2014 trip.

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WUNDER-BAR RETURNS TO ANTIOCH

RESPONSIBILITY

As students in a greater community, it is important to give back and volunteer to watch the community grow.

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PRIDE

How Cardinal Crazy can you get?

ON THE COVER

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TRIP TO THAILAND EDUCATES STUDENT

ACHS student shares foreign exchange experience.

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WHAT’S TRENDING?

Internet sensations and new words spread through ACHS.

UNDEFEATED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED

HOW CARDINAL CRAZY ARE YOU?

The sophomore football team has yet to lose a game, but lacks recognition for it.

THE POWER OF LANGUAGE

WE ARE

Volume 52, Issue 2 10.25.2013 www.tomtomnews.com

Restaurant offering a variety of German and American cuisine makes a comeback.

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The Student Voice of Antioch Community High School

UNDEFEATED SOPHOMORES

RESPECTFUL RESPONSIBLE PROUD

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TOM K LOO E TOM NEW SAM

Senior Nick Geidner is all about school spirit.

As one of the four leaders of the Cardinal Crazies, Geidner plans various spirit themes for students to participate in, much like the beach theme he is wearing.

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ONE|SEQUOIT

Senior Sam Smithson shows Sequoit Pride on the court, on the field and on the farm.

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PERSPECTIVES EDITOR’S NOTE

SEQUOITS STRIVE FOR MORE ACHS students exemplify school motto in their daily actions, behaviors and beyond.

SARA PETTY

Editor-in-Chief

In recent years, Antioch Community High School adopted the words “respectful,” “responsible” and “proud” to serve as a guideline for what Sequoits should strive to be. This motto is part of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiative that encourages praise for positive behavior instead of constantly focusing on punishing negative behavior.

Students are rewarded for actions that help promote a clean, safe and productive environment around the school.

Posters emblazoned with these three key words can be seen in nearly every classroom and in various hallways around ACHS. They exemplify actions such as cleaning up after yourself, following library and computer lab rules

THE TOM TOM STAFF

2013-2014

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Sara Petty Editor-in-Chief

Mr. Patrick R. Johnson, CJE Adviser

Marina Palmieri Managing Editor

Alexis Vetter Digital Director

Kathryn Holmes Advertising Director

Tyler Dziubla Assistant Director of Digital and Creative

Madelyn Chassay Assignment Editor

Kyle Heywood Assignment Editor

Heather Latakas Assignment Editor

REPORTERS Sarah Chapleau Ian Gowland Karen Pimpo

Adam Chellberg Heather Klean Chase Pogue

Michael Horvat Arlenne Lozano Andrea Sodt

Tyler Stephens Creative Director

Mission Statement

Letters to the Editor

The Tom Tom provides fair and balanced news reporting for the Lake County area.

The Tom Tom is a student-run news organization that serves the Antioch community through a quarterly print news magazine and daily online content.

It is our duty to encourage the involvement of town activities and sporting events.

The Tom Tom is an open forum publication and strives to inform, educate and improve the atmosphere and student body here at Antioch Community High School.

Letters to the editor must be signed and should not exceed 250 words in length.

Those wishing to withhold his or her name must still sign the letter for the Tom Tom office purposes.

No more than two signatures can represent a letter. Unsigned letters will not be printed.

The Tom Tom staff reserves the right to edit lengthy material or withhold the publication of any letters.

Tom Tom 10.25.13

and using time effectively to improve your academics. While these examples are definitely things that can help to promote a better school environment, I think that the Sequoits of ACHS take the meaning behind “respectful, responsible and proud” even further. Countless students use their own, precious free time to make both ACHS and the town of Antioch a better place to live and to go to school.

While teachers may not be able to give out Sequoit slips for every good deed students do, especially outside the walls of ACHS, the students featured in this issue definitely deserve a few Sequoit slips, even if they’re just the metaphorical kind. From the Cardinal Crazies who bring never-ending support for our athletic teams, to students devoted to donating their time to volunteer operations and even students working to make ACHS more accepting of diversity, Sequoits are constantly showing their respect, responsibility and pride and encouraging others to do the same.

The Tom Tom has recognized this mentality and we are excited to present this issue full of examples of how Sequoits are going above and beyond expectations every single day. I am also eager to introduce the Tom Tom’s newest mission, the ONE|SEQUOIT project. With the 100th anniversary of ACHS coming up next year, the Tom Tom decided to take on this project in which we will feature various Sequoits and ACHS’s impact on the community in its 100 years of existence. Each print issue will feature one Sequoit that is currently a student at ACHS, while the many others we talk to will be featured on our website (www.tomtomnews.com) SARA PETTY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF through video, photos and brief articles. The ACHS Sequoits you will find online are alumni of the school, each representing a facet of what ACHS did for their future. Our goal is to discover the various ways in which ACHS has affected the many different people that have come through its doors. Come December, check online for our first set of projects that will feature alumni teachers and staff members of ACHS. As much as I love the idea of an issue dedicated to the support Sequoits give ACHS, I am even more excited to be able to continuously uncover ways in which ACHS has affected Sequoits, and vice versa, through the ONE|SEQUOIT project. You can continue to follow the ONE|SEQUOIT project (and other happenings around Antioch) on our website and through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! We love to hear from you, and we hope to continue connecting with our past, present and future of ACHS. TT

Countless students use their own, precious free time to make both ACHS and the town of Antioch a better place to live and to go to school.

tomtomnews.com twitter.com/achstomtom facebook.com/achstomtom Use the hashtag #SequoitPride to share your pictures, posts and content.

Instagram: @achstomtom

STAFF EDITORIAL

are

Sequoits

Respectful Responsible &Proud? & Proud

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e hear it and see it daily: be respectful, be responsible and be proud. That’s how we are expected to act. That’s how we describe a Sequoit. We can’t argue with that. If we are anything, we’re proud. We’re Antioch Community High School. We are the Cardinal Crazies, the craziest fans in Lake County. That is very important to us as students and we make that clear by being loud, packing the stands each week and wearing a theme in support of our football team every single game. We are proud, but at what cost?

Along the way, we have forgotten about the other two necessary qualities of a Sequoit: being responsible and being respectful. To best represent our school, it is our job as members of the Antioch community and the many faces of ACHS to coordinate all three principles into our actions, regardless of where, when and with whom.

What do we picture when we think about the Cardinal Crazies? Let’s start with what we want to see: a huge body of loud and proud fans ruthlessly cheering on the Sequoits, being as much a part of the victory as the players themselves. That’s pride, alright. But is that how others perceive us? Is that the feeling we give off? Unfortunately, this is what outsiders have seen: a rowdy group of drunken kids misrepresenting their school. Of course we are proud. That’s why we’re here! But isn’t there a better way to show pride in our school? The ratio of students under the influence to the entire Sequoit crowd may be small, but it ultimately reflects on the school as a whole. Can’t we cheer and be loud, sober? Other schools do it successfully, and we can too. We have a creative, enthusiastic bunch of leaders who have done so much to create a strong fan section, as well as dedicated students who fill the bleachers weekend after weekend. We can be the craziest fans in Lake County and still maintain our dignity. No longer is the focus on our team, but on the chaos that has erupted from irresponsibility. Not to mention

it’s illegal and totally not worth the ticket and reputation.

Drinking alcohol prior to games is not our only poor choice as Sequoits. We’ve always done whatever we can to encourage our athletes to fight until the very last second and we will cheer no matter what the scoreboard says. It seems however, that our school spirit has been taken too far to the point of disrespecting not only our opponents, but also our nation.

The armed forces deserve our respect. And although our goal as super fans is not to be disrespectful, our actions reflect a different image. To sing the national anthem any other way than it was originally intended is a sign of disrespect. When the National Guard is honored at a game hosted by a different school, does our student body have enough respect to be polite and not continue to dishonor the song of our nation? After all, we may come from the land of the Sequoits, but we sing for the home of the brave.

To sing it incorrectly in the presence of a soldier is just about the lowest thing a person could do. ACHS has done this, and we’ve done it to our sister school, Lakes Community High School. Yes, LCHS is our rival. But they are our sister school, and we together are District 117. A lot of us came from all of the same places, nothing has changed and we are still one. Just because ACHS bleeds cardinal and LCHS bleeds blue does not mean we need to disrespect one another.

Most of the students would say that this is no big deal and that it is just what ACHS does to show school spirit. However, this isn’t a tradition. It isn’t an expectation of behavior. Rather, it is a relatively new trend in ACHS’s 99-year history. As we enter the centennial, is this the behavior we want to be known for?

Is it because of too much pride, not enough respect, or both?

We are Sequoits and Sequoits are respectful, responsible and proud. Are you? TT

10.25.13 Tom Tom

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Perspectives REVIEW

A FRIGHTENING FALL SELECTION

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Photos courtesy of www.carrie-movie.com/site/ www.empireonline.com www.bleedingcool.com www.blumhouse.com www.theoverlookhotel.com and http://www.dvdactive.com/

With Halloween approaching, finding time for a horror film just got a little easier.

MADELYN CHASSAY Assignment Editor

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or horror movie lovers, fall is the best part of the year because so many new and remade horror films are released.

So far, there are a few that seem to be getting a lot of attention.

1 PRISONERS Directed by Denis Villeneuve, “Prisoners,” released Sept. 20, is a psychological thriller starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard and many other great actors.

“Prisoners” is about a man who takes the law into his own hands after his daughter and his daughter’s friend are kidnapped from their home on Thanksgiving.

Jackman plays the father of one of the girls, and he begins a relentless search for the girls after the police are not doing enough to find them. Gyllenhaal is the cop in charge of the case and partners up with Jackman to find the girls. This intense journey takes you in one direction and

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Tom Tom 10.25.13

then cleverly surprises you into another one. It was still a great, intense film.

2 CARRIE Most people have seen the movie “Carrie,” either the 1976, 2002 and/or 2013 version. “Carrie” is a supernatural horror film adapted from Stephen King’s 1974 novel about an abused, painfully shy teenage girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers. Throughout the movie she is slowly pushed to the edge of insanity by frequent bullying from both classmates at her school and her overly religious, abusive mother. Towards the end of the movie, her classmates pull a prank on her at their senior prom that pushed her too far. She then uses her telekinetic powers to get revenge on her classmates and the rest of the town. The first two versions of “Carrie” seem low budget, but they are classics.

In the 2013 remake, Chloë Grace Moretz plays Carrie and Julianne Moore plays as her mother. Director Kimberly Peirce did a

great job at remaining faithful to King’s original novel. Upon hearing of the new adaptation, King stated that, “the real question is why, when the original was so good?” “Carrie” was released to theaters nationwide Oct. 18.

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I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2 The original “I Spit on Your Grave” was released in 1978, and was remade in 2010. Now, director Steven R. Monroe has come out with “I Spit on Your Grave 2” in 2013. These movies are all about a girl who is repeatedly gang-raped, humiliated and left for dead by four men, who she later hunts down to seek revenge.

These graphic, horror/thriller films have caused a lot of controversy and were only released in theaters for a short amount of time. “I Spit on Your Grave 2” was released in select theaters on Sept. 20 with an immediate DVD release on Sept. 24.

4 THE PURGE Some other great horror films that were recently released include the summer thriller success “The Purge,” a futuristic film about a wealthy family held hos-

tage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legalized.

This “purge” is only legal one night a year, and many take advantage of it. There are multiple plot twists that lead to an interesting ending. From the producer of “Paranormal Activity” and “Sinister,” “The Purge” had viewers sitting on the edge of their seat throughout most of the movie.

Due to the success of the first film, a sequel is in development

by Universal and Blumhouse.

5 CLASSICS Along with all these new horror films, there are also some great classics that you could find on Netflix or at the library.

Great classics worth watching this upcoming Halloween week would be: “The Exorcist,” “The Shining,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Night of the Living Dead,” “Halloween,” “Scream” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Whether you enjoy thrillers, supernatural or gore, there is something for everyone out there to make this fall and Halloween a little bit scarier. TT

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Tom Tom 10.25.13

Photo by Karen Pimpo Jonathan Untch enthusistically conducts a class full of Marching Sequoits ready and willing to make music. During his first few months as band director, Untch and the band received many accolades from the various competitions they’ve competed in, most recently winning “Best Winds” at a competition at St. Rita Oct. 6.

ACHS WELCOMES NEW BAND DIRECTOR

Marching Sequoits’ Untch brings back old programs and introduces new music to students.

KAREN PIMPO

Reporter here’s a fresh face in the fine arts hallway of Antioch Community High School, and it belongs to the new band director, Jonathan Untch.

Untch is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a major in music education. He student taught at Rolling Meadows High School and spent three years teaching at Transfiguration Catholic School in Wauconda before joining the music program at ACHS. Coincidentally, Untch had formerly worked with the current ACHS Orchestra Director Michael Riggs at Rolling Meadows High School before he was hired by ACHS. This previous experience with each other helped both men learn to work in tandem.

Now that he is part of the ACHS staff, Untch is excited to get to know his new students and help them reach their full potential as musicians. Student music groups at ACHS led by Untch include wind ensemble, advanced wind ensemble, percussion ensemble, the Marching Sequoits and jazz band. He also teaches keyboarding and fine arts appreciation classes.

This year, Untch has reinstated chair tests for the in-school ensembles. These are an audition of sorts to see which instrumentalist gets the most difficult notes.

“It’s never about competition, it’s about finding the right part for each person to play,” said Untch. For Untch, they are also a great way for the new band director to meet each student and hear them play individually.

One change Untch brought to the Marching Sequoits was moving them closer to the main fan section during football games. Previously,

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the band was more isolated, playing from bleachers behind the end zone. In fact, Riggs, Choir Director Trey Hickey and Fine Arts Department Chair Wanda Teddy all worked with Untch and new ACHS Principal Bradford Hubbard to make the move possible.

Untch’s personal instruments of choice are the clarinet—which he played in his high school marching band—and the guitar. Outside of teaching music, he continues his passion for music by being involved in two rock bands.

“Jazz is one of my favorite styles of music to teach and perform,” said Untch. As a teenager, Untch played piano and guitar in his high school jazz band. Under his direction, the ACHS extracurricular Jazz Band will be starting up in October.

Untch is also excited to play piano in the pit orchestra for ACHS’s spring musical, “Oklahoma!” During the musical, student instrumentalists, vocalists, dancers, and actors will come together to put on a performance that showcases all of their talents. He appreciated the fact that at ACHS, comma all of the fine arts are intertwined and support one another wholeheartedly.

A new standards-based grading system was introduced to the fine arts department this year, and Untch also has high hopes for it. He believes the new grading rubrics will force students to learn and work hard instead of getting full marks for no effort.

Altogether, Untch is optimistic about his first year of teaching and is passionate about the subject he teaches.

“I believe that learning music teaches you far more than how to learn an instrument or how to sing. You need that spice of life, that extra skill far beyond the technicality of playing an instrument. Once you experience that performing art, [whether] as a participant or an audience member, it changes you,” said Untch. TT 10.25.13 Tom Tom 9

News

Photos by Kyle Heywood District 117 seeks to be the best and brightest when it comes to innovative uses of technology in the classroom. Teachers, students and staff are encouraged to integrate technology in their daily lives, while also enhancing all curriculum with technological resources.

LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY

Teachers’ use of classroom technology aides enhances ACHS students’ ownership of education.

KYLE HEYWOOD Assignment Editor

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ith rapidly evolving electronics and applications, it was almost certain that experiences students are having in the classroom would grow and change.

According to Antioch Community High School Information and Learning Center Director Barbara Mason, there are five pieces of technology that changed the way lessons are taught and experienced daily in ACHS classrooms. These technologies include cell phones, projectors, Smart Boards, iPads, computer applications and the physical education department's heart rate monitors.

The new technology helps both the students and the staff in the curriculum. Advances have helped teachers create and do activities in ways never before possible. The technology is easy to use and is a fun way to teach. Both iPads and Smart Boards are part of improving technology use in the classroom.

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iPADS Bridging personal technology use and educational use is now even easier with the use of iPads in the class. The various sets of iPads available allow students to work with educational applications directly applicable to what they are learning.

One of English teacher Sarah Ogborn's favorite applications on the iPads is iBrainstorm.

The program creates a virtual cork board and pin their ideas to it for a paper or presentation. These have changed the amount of creativity students can put into things. It also has given them a lot more opportunities to by creative with multimedia projects.

The iPads also have Bluetooth keyboards allowing for easier use when working on papers and projects.

Ogborn uses a variety of apps in their classrooms with the iPads. Edmodo, iMovie and the iLife suite are what students become most

familiar with. They also are consistently in search of new apps to better their students' learning.

HEART RATE MONITORS The ACHS Physical Education department use the new heart rate monitors with students in their classes in an effort to teach students how to live healthy and improve the grading of student fitness.

"Using the HRMs takes the subjective out of grading. I can grade a student using the data I collect from the HRMs," said physical education teacher Marni Polakow.

The heart rate monitors are used by the student wearing a band around his or her lower chest. This band then transmits data to a device that the student wears on his or her wrist. The student can read live heart rates to know where he or she are and where he or she should be. Each student is expected to reach a target heart rate in order to show they are maintaining and striving toward his or her physical best.

The District Technology Committee's believes "District 117 is committed to preparing its learning community for success in the 21st Century. By incorporating a diverse set of current and evolving technologies into the curriculum, students will gain a global understanding of society." TT

To read more of the ways technology is used in the classroom, visit TomTomNews.com

ORGANIC FARM VOLUNTEERS STRIVE TO EDUCATE ADAM CHELLBERG Reporter

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aith, family, friends, finances, fences, food, fitness and fun—those are the eight Fs that Mitchell Valentine, the volunteer director of ANT Farm, lives his life by; they also guide him in running the farm. Last year,Valentine and his associate Bernard Kondenar set out to establish a small, family-run farm and farm stand operation. When they approached Antioch Mayor Larry Hanson with their plan, he suggested getting Antioch Community High School involved. That’s exactly what they did.

Valentine and Kondenar proposed their plan of establishing a family farm run by students and community members to former ACHS Principal John Whitehurst. Whitehurst loved their methods of organic farming so much that he invited them to teach a few foods classes about organic farming and recruit any interested students in the process.

Valentine makes one thing very clear: the purpose of ANT Farm is not to make a profit from their farm stand, not even so much to provide for the community, but rather to educate.

“Nobody has a right to be anything till they’re a farmer first. That sounds a little extreme, but I see this with my own eyes as a cosmic truth,” said Valentine.

Valentine feels that working on the farm provides valuable life skills, in addition to basic farming knowledge. The farm itself is in the middle of an important transition from summer to fall. To compensate for the change in seasons, farm members are currently setting up their greenhouse. The farm members are very excited to start planting more leafy greens, such as kale and winter spinach, to add to their existing tomatoes, potatoes and some odds and ends.

Among these half dozen or so full-time student volunteers is ACHS senior Samuel Smithson. “[Working on the farm has] changed my outlook on a lot of things... I’m completely

re-evaluating my future after this program,” said Smithson.

Smithson has become a crucial member of the farm since he first began volunteering late last school year. He now serves as a liaison of sorts when it comes to ACHS relations.

Smithson is currently working on establishing a club outside of school, with some school support, to organize field trips to other family farms and educate students about organic farming. TT

NEWS BRIEF Psychology club makes changes to increase student involvement.

Psychology club made a major come back this school year with many changes, adding excitement to the club and its returning and new members.

Psych club co-presidents Anna Gwozdz and Shaylene McCue spent all summer discussing and brainstorming ideas.

“This year we are focusing on making an impact on ACHS. In the previous years, we did not do too many things in the school for people to really know who we were and this year our main goal is to not only educate our fellow members in the club, but also the student body with various activities and maybe a fair,” said Gwozdz.

Tony Borchert, club adviser, sees promise in this year’s group to create a positive environment for learning, discussing and experiencing psychology first hand.

“As of this year, the club is student directed. The co-presidents are taking the club to a different level. We will have a different theme per meeting and we will meet twice a month. We will also be doing more activities related to Psychology. The club members will hopefully have a deeper understanding of psych principles to discuss in detail rather than a classroom,” Borchert said.

TT

Photos by Taylor Brandon Volunteers at ANT Farm, like Sam Smithson, work hard to grow organic foods such as tomatoes and potatoes. Once the food is harvested, it is sold at the farm’s stand located in Antioch.

10.25.13 Tom Tom

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News

NEWS BRIEF

The Marching Sequoits stay busy during October.

LONDON & PARIS TRIP TAKES FLIGHT

Students head to Europe during spring break 2014 to visit historic and beautiful locations.

ARLENNE LOZANO

Photo by Karen Pimpo

So far this school year, the Antioch Community High School Marching Sequoits performed at the Grayslake North Marching Band Contest and the St. Rita Mustang Stampede. In Grayslake on Sept. 15 they won second place and won the Best Drum Major Award, of which they are extremely proud. On Oct. 6 at St. Rita they secured third place and the Best Winds Award. They were also a mere six tenths of a point away from the first-place school.

Other band competitions include the Marengo Marching Band Contest in Marengo, Ill. on Oct. 13 where they competed against other high schools, playing over70 pages of drill music.

Their largest competition was the state competition the day before Marengo at the University of Illinois on Oct. 12. At Marengo they were awarded the Best Marching Award.

Students and parents are encouraged to support the ensemble by watching their half-time performance at the last home football game on Oct. 25.

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To finish this story and many more, visit TomTomNews.com

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Tom Tom 10.25.13

Reporter

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n exciting trip overseas awaits various Antioch Community High School students in the spring of 2014. During spring break next year, social studies teacher and trip sponsor Stephen Rose and forty-seven Antioch Community High School students will be taking a trip to London and Paris.

The learning experience the trip provides will give students an opportunity to travel to different parts around the world; places that they would not normally get to go on their own. Students will get to experience how different European cultures compare to American culture.

They will also have the opportunity to learn life and navigation skills as well as how economic markets in Europe work.

“I chose London and Paris because I fell in love with the cities.

Everyone there speaks English, which is good. There are [also] maps everywhere,” Rose said.

“I decided to go on the trip because I’ve always wanted to go to Europe. I just wanted to expand my horizons and be able to experience the different ways that people live,” Junior RJ Ruano said. “I’m really into soccer, and soccer is really big in Europe, especially in England.

I’m hoping that I can visit a famous team’s stadium, and if I’m really lucky, maybe go see a game!”

Rose has plans to take the students on a tour of each city first thing once they arrive. The trip will be immensely beneficial to students in many ways, besides the fact that they

get to say that they have been to London and Paris. Students will be able to think globally about issues and ideas while they learn about big news in Europe.

“I’ll feel like I helped kids do something they could never do.

It’s all about opportunity to learn.

It brings satisfaction as a teacher,” said Rose.

The students, chaperones and Rose worked hard the entire summer to fundraise for the trip. The groups worked lemonade stands at the Thursday night concerts in downtown Antioch, held car washes at the school, sold catalogs and pixie sticks, and participated in bake sales.

The students are very excited to try the food and go sight seeing.

“I think this trip will be beneficial by making me see cultures and ways of life that are different than here in America. I’m hoping this will widen my views on the world, and help me better appreciate other types of people. The trip is also really good for college applications,” said Ruano. “The main educational lesson from this trip would be just to see other ways of life. I just want to see the other parts of the world, and widen my views. I think that teaches a lot more about diversity than most teachers could.”

Rose plans on hanging pictures from different trips in the social studies and foreign language hallway to begin building a tradition.

Currently, Rose is organizing an August 2015 trip to Japan. If you are interested in attending, please feel free to contact him. TT

Photos by Karen Pimpo Social Studies teacher Stephen Rose explains to the traveling students exactly what they need to carry in their luggage for the weeklong trip to Europe. Items included a luggage lock, an umbrella, an alarm clock and a backpack. Students are encouraged to research the weather beforehand in order to pack accordingly.

Welcome to...

A PLACE WHERE S T U D E N TS G R O W I N A D I V E R S E, FAMILY-ORIENTED ENVIRONMENT. A T C E P S E R E R E H W E PLAC IS A PRIORIT Y 10.25.13 Tom Tom

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FEATURES

THE POWER OF RESPECT

Words may seem trivial, but they can have a huge impact on the mentality of those that hear them.

SARA PETTY

pain than was ever intended.

Christine Kasbohm, ACHS psychologist, is very familiar with the effect that a person’s s Sequoits, both within the walls of words can have on others.

Antioch Community High School Junior Max Klaw has experienced firstand within the Antioch community, we are called upon to be respectful, respon- hand what it’s like to be affected by what sible and proud. ACHS is full of a diverse others say due to his differences. Klaw, who group of students, staff members and families was born a female, decided to slowly transithat come together to make up one, collective tion publically as transgender when he was a body. However, this traditionally homoge- freshman.

“The hardest part was deciding to come neous group can begin to split and become out and be myself in distant if a certain high school…I wantlevel of respect is not ed to promise myself maintained. that I’d just be me While growing up, and I wouldn’t change we were constantly because other peotaught about bullying ple wanted me to. I and being respectful always got told to be of others’ bodies and girly, but that doesn’t property. By kinderfeel right; I feel ungarten and first grade, comfortable like that,” we knew that it wasn't said Klaw. right to hit, kick or For Klaw, one of punch, and that these his constant struggles actions would lead to through both midserious consequences dle school and high (including *gasp* the CHRISTINE KASBOHM, ACHS PSYCHOLOGIST school has been verbal threat of being sent bullying. Though he to the principal’s ofhas grown to become fice). However, as we somewhat immune to got older we were taught that the definition of bullying didn't stop with physical harm. these slurs, the things people say are still in Even more important was the idea that a bul- the back of his mind.

He said, “I hate hearing the name I used ly could use words to hurt us and that the best way to deal with this was to simply ignore to be called…I don’t have this happen to me, but I know some other trans guys have this whatever the bully said.

At times, this task can be anything but sim- happen to them where people use their other ple. What happens when no matter how hard name against them.”

To Klaw, it seems that for the most part you try, you can’t get the words someone others just don’t understand what he and othsays to you out of your head? When the sayer LGBTQ students are going through and ing “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” can’t be fur- the effect that even the simplest actions can ther from the truth? Words can invoke just as have in the long run.“It’s frustrating when a much, and possibly more, pain than any sort teacher will mess up the names and the whole of physical altercation. It may sound easy to class will start to snicker and giggle,” Klaw ignore these hurtful words, but often times said.

The words that affect Klaw (and other stuwords have the power to invoke much more dents experiencing adversity) aren’t always

Editor-in-C hief

A

“A lot of times people don’t really know the power of what they’re saying. You and I might have a joke that we say to each other and the person next to us could be significantly affected by it. Everybody is different and everybody has a different story,”

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Tom Tom 10.25.13

intentional or directed purposely toward a certain individual. Words such as “gay” and “retarded” have become a common part of everyday language. ACHS social worker Joe Loffredo believes that the use of this type of language makes people look ignorant.

“I think it’s sad when people don’t realize that they’re doing it. That’s one thing that I think we work really hard on as teachers; if we hear it in the hallway we take an extra ten seconds to stop that person and address it. A lot of times, people say it so often and they don’t even realize what it actually means,” said Loffredo.

Klaw said, “Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to stop. I definitely think we can educate people. My freshman year I talked in my health class about being transgender and then this year the PE teachers actually invited me to talk to all the freshman health classes, both first and second semesters.”

In addition to his efforts with the freshman health classes, Klaw is part of the Rainbow Alliance. This group is working to start an education system for both students and teachers, which will help to make others more knowledgeable about LGBTQ in general and how to treat, for example, students that are transgender. This will also hopefully help to increase the tolerance of diversity within ACHS and the community.

Though increasing awareness may help make ACHS more accepting, it won’t be able to dissolve all problems that students experiencing adversity go through. Despite this, faculty within the school, especially Kasbohm and Loffredo, are always willing to offer help and support. The school psychologists and the student services department are great resources for students looking for a way to cope with their problems.

“The hardest thing can be to speak up about it,” said Loffredo. “Verbal bullying is like a stealth weapon. It can go unnoticed or go on for a long time and can grind down on someone. It’s not tattling, it’s just getting help….

You’re improving our school by speaking up and making it known.” TT

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Features

Photo by Stephen Rose Antioch Clerk Lori K. Folbrick and Antioch Administrator Jim Keim visited the students of Amy Skonberg-Reznicek’s first hour Advanced Placement American Government class on Sept. 16. The students were asked to write down ideas for improvements around Antioch and discuss the components of Antioch that they would like to see remain a part of the town’s culture. They then organized these ideas into various categories such as “parks and recreation” and “transportation.” In hopes of representing the wants of various age groups in the community. The village will now be able to use these suggestions to diversify the “mission statement” that is being created as a goal for the future of the town of Antioch.

HELPING HANDS IN ANTIOCH

Student’s make a difference in the Antioch community by volunteering their time to various causes.

MADELYN CHASSAY

Assignment Editor

A

s a student living in a larger community, there is an expectation to do your part in making it an even better place. It is very important to get involved with the community of Antioch for multiple reasons. To start, community service looks great on college and job applications. Also, Antioch Community High School students get 16 Tom Tom 10.25.13

National Honors Society hours for completing service activities.

Most importantly, students are helping the community.

THE BOY SCOUTS For boys, one way to get involved is to join or assist with the local Boy Scouts troop. Boy Scouts do a lot of volunteer work, along with many other fun activities.

Senior Wesley Skym has been doing his part in helping our

community for five years. His Boy Scout troop helps out at events, such as the Rotary Club pork chop dinner, Lions Club BBQ, restoration projects with forest preserves and parks, wood duck restoration in Chain of Lakes and many more. Not only does he help out in Antioch, but also in the Chain of Lakes and Lake Villa.

Skym said, “I enjoy giving back to the community and helping out when possible.”

OPEN ARMS MISSION Freshman Ryan Chellberg often helps out at Opens Arm Mission.

Chellberg’s favorite part of community service is “the thought of making a difference in my community and nation.”

The Open Arms Mission in Antioch is the community food pantry and outreach serving residents in the Antioch and Lake Villa Townships. Anyone is open

to volunteer, and anyone who can express the need for their service is eligible. Community service can help to open your eyes to what other people are going through. It is very important not to judge families situations. Some of their activities and programs include weekend backpacks of food for students with lack of food; delivery for senior citizens, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas meal boxes; and Adopt-A-Family for Christmas gifts.

Sophomore Jasmine DeLara does her part by helping out at Open Arms Mission and the Senior Center.

DeLara said, “The food pantry is just a fun way to give back and help the community, and you can bring your friends. The Senior Center is just filled with things that can be done, from helping with bingo, to serving food, to just socializing with the seniors. It is always a blast when I go.”

If you would like to volunteer at Open Arms Mission, call 847-3950309 or email info@openarmsmission.org.

ACHS’S ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB There are also ways to get involved in the community through ACHS. The environmental club here at ACHS helps out the community in many ways. Members collect recycling from local businesses around town and inside the school, and they are in charge of the Earth Day Fair.

They collect and recycle used ink cartridges, aluminum cans, batteries, and shoes.

Junior Jacob Regan, secretary for environmental club, said, “helping the environment is important and also a great way to get involved in the community.”

Not only does environmental club help better our community, they participate in many other fun activities such as camping, going to the zoo and other field trips. They meet in social studies teacher Stephen Rose’s room every Thursday after school, and are always welcome to new members.

NORTHBRIDGE CHURCH On Sundays at 9 a.m. at ACHS, Northbridge Church has service at in the auditorium. Each year, Northbridge Church takes part in an organization called Share Fest. Junior Natalie Olson is one of many who participates in this organization.

Olson said, “I go around to all neighborhoods in Antioch and pass out paper bags to each house with a paper stapled to it, saying where collecting donations for our local Open Arms Mission. All you need to do is fill the bag with canned or boxed food that you can donate and then we come pick it up on Oct. 5 and deliver it to the Mission.”

Some other activities done during Share Fest are senior assist, fire hydrant painting and teen mother choices sippy cup project.

To learn more about or get involved with Share Fest, go to: http:// northbridgechurch.org/sharefest/ BRIDGING COMMUNITY AND THE CLASSROOM In social studies teacher Amy Skonberg-Reznicek’s class, Antioch Clerk Lori K. Folbrick and Antioch Administrator Jim Keim came in to ask the class what they would like to change about Antioch. The students wrote down their ideas on a sticky note and then discussed the ideas. Most students came up with the idea of improving the movie theater and creating more paths like the one by the band shell.

This opportunity was meant to produce more civically engaged students and to have them realize how important their ideas are to helping improve the community.

Getting involved in the Antioch community is very important. It shows that Antioch is a strong community that has great, caring residents. These people are working to make Antioch a better place for everybody who lives here.

Volunteering is an easy thing to do and there are plenty of opportunities for community members to go out and make a difference. TT

I enjoy giving back to the community and helping out when possible.

WESLEY SKYM, SENIOR

Helping the environment is important and also a great way to get involved in the community.

JACOB REGAN, JUNIOR

The food pantry is just a fun way to give back and help the community, and you can bring your friends.

JASMINE DELARA, SOPHMORE

10.25.13 Tom Tom

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Tom Tom 10.25.13

THE

LEADERS OF THE PACK:

THE

CARDINAL

CRAZIES

MARINA PALMIERI

Managing Editor

N

ot only do you hear the whistles of referees and the encouragement of coaches at Antioch Community High School games, but also the roar of the Cardinal Crazies cheering on their team: “Y-E-L-L! Y-E-L-L! Everybody yell, Go Sequoits!”

The presence of the respectful, responsible and proud students of ACHS is well-known at all home and many away games.

Photos by Tyler Stephens

A HISTORIC AND CRAZY SPIRIT The Cardinal Crazies were not always around to cheer on the sports teams of ACHS. In the early 2000’s, the Leadership Conference of ACHS started the Cardinal Club in an attempt to imitate Warren Township High School’s school spirit group, the Blue Crew. One of the biggest goals of the Cardinal Club was to increase student attendance and participation at Sequoit sporting events. In the mid-2000’s, Michael Nekritz became the principal of ACHS, and his student advisory group decided to rename the Cardinal Club to the well-known name of today: the Cardinal Crazies.

This school spirit group sponsored tailgates before certain contests, like basketball and football games.

The Cardinal Crazies tailgates were eliminated a few years ago, but they are slowly starting to make a comeback. On Fri., Sept. 20, the first tailgate of the season was held behind the Antioch Township Assessor’s Office next to Lakes Community High School before the Antioch Sequoits took on the Lakes Eagles in the annual rivalry football game, the Pigskin Classic.

The Cardinal Crazies are always led by enthusiastic and passionate students. Each year, a few students take the lead and bring together the student body 10.25.13 Tom Tom

19

CARDINAL FEATURES

to support ACHS’s athletes. Traditionally, the Cardinal Crazies establish a theme for both football and basketball games. Popular themes have always included black, white, cardinal and neon-outs. Throughout the years, additions have been made to increase the scope of participation of students.

“The pep band, which was solely initiated by students in our instrumental music program last winter, has been a nice addition to the group at home basketball games as has the marching band staying around for the second half of the football games,” said ACHS Athletic Director Steven Schoenfelder.

“Hopefully, we can eventually coordinate some cheer and dance routines to go with the band at home contests.”

The Cardinal Crazies continue to grow into an even louder and larger fan section to support the great Antioch Sequoits sports teams.

THE LEADERS OF THE PACK This year, the ACHS students in charge of the Cardinal Crazies are seniors Nick Geidner, Nick Muskat, Mitch Greany and Alex Ochoa. They attempted to organize the group in many different ways this year, such as making posters promoting themes for fall athletic games and creating a Cardinal Crazies group on Facebook. The Facebook page assists in spreading the word to students about times, locations and themes of Sequoit events.

“Usually, leaders will post in our fan section Facebook page a poll with a few themes on it and have people vote,” said Geidner. “This year, we have found it to be a lot more effective if we keep the themes simple, such as color outs, so that everyone will have something to wear.”

In addition to reusing ACHS’s original, popular themes, the Cardinal Crazies have considered others. Non-traditional ideas for themes tossed around for football games included beach, pajama and holiday.

Although larger groups of Cardinal Crazies appear at home football and basketball games, this year’s Cardinal Crazies leaders have been doing all they can to get ACHS students to attend other sporting events.

“The Cardinal Crazies support all Sequoit sports teams,” said Geidner.

“Where football and basketball tend to be more popular among the student body, a lot of the Cardinal Crazies like to attend other team events, such as soccer or volleyball games. I believe that having the Cardinal Crazies at every game helps all teams out a lot. It shows them that people care about their sport, which gives them a lot more confidence to play harder.”

CHEERING, DANCING AND PLAYING FOR SPIRIT Although the Cardinal Crazies may be the most prominent group in the stands, other groups also contribute to cheering on ACHS’s athletic teams during games and halftimes. On the field and sidelines, the cheerleaders, dancers and marching band members of ACHS add to the strong sense of school spirit at football and basketball games. “[The Cardinal Crazies and ACHS cheerleaders] work together much more than we have in the past years. Nick, Nick, Mitch and Alex personally talk with Courtney [Carley], Sam [Ditzenberger] and I about what cheers we should do and things like that,” said ACHS senior and varsity cheerleader Sinclair Guntharp. “[The Cardinal Crazies] are definitely easier to get along with and much more supportive this year than in any other year I’ve been here.”

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Tom Tom 10.25.13

Photos by Tyler Stephens

“I like that the band and the cheerleaders and the dancers are there because they make the game more exciting and get everyone pumped for the game. They are fun to watch and listen to,” said junior Briana Jimenez.

The Cardinal Crazies leaders believe that the attendance of fans at sporting events can affect how well the teams play.

Geidner said, “Our goal as fan section leaders is to try and get as many people as we can to attend every game, home or away. The more we hype it up every week, the more people will go. And the more people who go, the better the team tends to do.”

Demonstrating school spirit is one of the best ways for ACHS students and members of the Antioch community to display the pride they have for their talented athletes and musicians. The Cardinal Crazies, along with ACHS cheerleaders, dancers and marching band members, exemplify the qualities that create an Antioch Sequoit: respect, responsibility and pride. TT

CRAZIES RA Z E 10.25.13 Tom Tom

21

Lifestyles

LIFESTYLE BRIEF Seniors Use Music to Get Moving.

GERMAN CUISINE RETURNS TO ANTIOCH COMMUNITY ALEXIS VETTER Digital Director

A Senior Katelyn Stigall Who’s Your Favorite Artist? “I like Rihanna because she’s an individual. She’s not trying to be like other artists.”

Can you study with music?

“No, it’s harder to focus for me.”

Music is a big part of life for the average teenager. You can tell a lot about an individual by learning about their musical interests. Everyone loves different genres of music; certain music can shape individuals to think and act in ways that would reflect the kind of music they listen to.

People use music more than they realize. We are surrounded by music all day, everyday and it affects us more than we think. Some would say that listening to music helps students concentrate and stay focused. On the other hand, others would say the exact opposite.

Every student has their own personal playlist that will tell you a lot about who they are. Different students listen to their music at different times and for different reasons. Music is a way for every individual to express themselves and stand out from others.

Four seniors, including Katelyn Stigall (pictured above), shared their favorite artists and how they use music, whether it be for studying, running or simply getting things done.

TT

To finish this story and many more, visit TomTomNews.com

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fter being closed for several years, the Wunder-bar, located at 40805 North Route 83, has reopened its doors. New owners Ricky and Suzy Krew decided to bring back the Wunder-bar with the same quality service and menu with a few new delicacies added on, refusing to change this old town favorite. The regulars that used to come in can still walk through those doors and get the exact same food they used to love so much, thanks to the Krews finding and hiring the same cook.

The Wunder-bar was first opened in 1978 by Mary and Erwin Gaa of Heidelberg, Germany.

After 23 years they closed and Mark Lovejoy purchased the restaurant, keeping the doors open until 2005. The Krews brought the Wunder-bar back to life on May 31 of this year.

“I used the come to the Wunder-bar back in the late 80’s and early 90’s and it was a fun atmosphere, good food, happy people,” said R. Krew.

“After seeing it sit for over seven years I decided that it was time to look into it and bring it back to life.”

After a few renovations—fresh coats of paint, new signs, homemade tables and chairs and the hardest part: a new sewage system—the Wunder-bar reopened just as it had been years before.

“Many people have looked at this building to open it as a restaurant, but didn’t want to take on the challenge of the septic system. We decided to take that challenge,” said R. Krew.

The restaurant still holds that old fashioned look that it’s kept all this time. The Krews wanted to preserve that and continue to bring it to Antioch.

The menu features much of the same exact food as it had when it was originally opened. The Krews were lucky enough to find the original cook who could remake the food exactly as the customers could remember it. Sauerbraten, wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, german meatballs and beef roulade are just some of the German delicacies that are offered. You can even try them all with the Wunder-bar sampler platter.

“My favorite is the wiener schnitzel, but I also like the sampler platter because you get a little bit of everything,” said R. Krew.

The Wunder-bar also features different kinds of fish and American favorites like ribs, chicken and steak. All meals are served with a relish tray, which is a tray with three small bowls of different appetizers like German or American potato salad, macaroni salad and vegetable salads. They’re different every day. Meals also come with bread and butter, soup and salad, choice of potato or vegetables and all German meals come with homemade spaetzle, a homemade German noodle.

Photos by Alexis Vetter Owner Ricky Krew works in the kitchen as well as owning the restaurant. The flowers on the wall were hand-painted by owner Suzy Krew. The restaurant features many instruments on the wall used to perform polka music.

“You can go to any restaurant and get a hamburger; you can’t get German food anywhere.

They’re far and few between. As the years go by the numbers dwindle. We try to offer the German cuisine,” said R. Krew.

The Wunder-bar has a fish fry every Friday night and live entertainment every Friday and Saturday.

“The Wunder-bar has good food, live entertainment and the German atmosphere with the German music and the waitresses dressed in traditional German outfits. I wanted to bring it back to the way it used to be,” said R. Krew.

The Wunder-bar dining room is open Tuesday through Thursday 4 to 9, Friday and Saturday 4 to 10 and Sunday 11 to 8.

“I want to see customers smiling when they walk in and a bigger smile on the way out,” said R. Krew.

The Krews previously owned the Harbour Club off of Grass Lake Road in Antioch. TT

COLUMN

A SIDE NOTE

Hey, Go on Dates!

TYLER DZIUBLA

Assistant Director of Digital and Creative

Sitting in a basement every time you are with your girlfriend is not always a good time. Men, you need to step up your game.

Girls do not like to just be sitting around with you all the time.

They like to go out and do things. While this may be a surprising fact for some, I’m here to offer help.

Now ladies, you can also take your man places too. The times of a guy taking you out and paying for everything are over. It may be a nice gesture for the guy to pay every time, but we are in high school and they are not made out of money. Offering to pay sometimes could mean going out much more.

Photo by Kelsey Christensen

ENLIGHTENMENT IN DIFFERENCE

When two people start dating it seems like they can talk to each other for hours and never get tired of one-another, but date for four to five months and even the cutest of couples will probably run out of things to say. To keep this from happening, most couples do this thing called going on dates. Understanding most people do not have loads of money, you, the date maker, must get creative to impress your date. For this, usually the simple things work best.

KYLE HEYWOOD

If you are sitting here thinking of ideas and coming up with nothing here may be some ideas to make your relationship make it. Watch a romantic movie, even if this may be torture for the guys. Classics dates are always a good start. Taking them to a movie or on a picnic is sweet and relatively cheap.

Senior Kelsey Christensen embraces cultural and ethnic diversity during foreign exchange experience to Thailand.

Assignment Editor

S

tudent life can vary consistently. While some students stay after school participating in clubs or sports, others seek out opportunities for different kinds of enrichment. For senior Kelsey Christensen, her desired activity meant going abroad.

Christensen took part in a foreign exchange trip with the Rotary Club during her junior year. For her trip, Christensen traveled to Thailand, where she lived with multiple families and attended school.

“My school was very strict and didn’t let us do certain things. Our nails couldn’t be long or painted, our socks had to be a certain length, our hair couldn’t have split ends. They would cut it for you if you had split ends on the day they checked for it. No cell phones—they patted down every student and checked their backpack, no jewelry and we wore uniforms. I went to school six days a week from 8 to 4 p.m.

Also, at school, instead of the students moving to different classes, it is the teachers that move,” said Christensen.

While living there, Christensen had many memorable experiences, like riding an elephant and holding a monkey on her shoulder. Living in a different culture than she was used to was both an eye-opening and wonderful experience. Christensen said that her trip helped her become more independent and confident in herself.

“It was an awesome experience that I would do again in a heartbeat,” said Christensen. TT

Flowers are always a good idea for girls and, for a guy, give him candy. It might sound dumb to give a guy candy but hey, who doesn’t like candy. A little gift with a date will have them remember the date long after it is over. That means they are thinking about you and not somebody else.

If those things don’t work, try bringing your date to your house, especially if you can’t drive. You’ll get to avoid the inevitable awkwardness of parents and their questions. Make a big dinner with him or her. If you mess it up, then there will always be something to joke about and remember.

Ultimately, it is about what you do with them, not how it turned out. Spending the time to take them places or do things for them shows you care and will hopefully make them stick around longer. Or they will start looking for somebody better if you do not measure up.

TT

10.25.13 Tom Tom

23

‘

LIFESTYLES

WH A T S T R E ND I NG? KAREN PIMPO

Reporter oday’s technology-rich culture moves so quickly that it sometime feels as if we need to unplug just to catch our breath.

However, if you stay away from social networking for more than five minutes, you’re going to miss the latest trends and

T

viral phenomenons that are sweeping the internet. I’m talking that funny cat video that got one million likes in the time it took you to watch it. And then share it on Facebook and tweet a link out to your followers.

So in case you’ve lived under a rock for the last few weeks, here’s a short list of the most popular online trends of fall 2013.

TWERKING

SNAPCHAT

For a generation already hyped up on photos from Instagram and Pinterest, Snapchat offers a new dimension to taking and sharing “selfies”, because you can choose how long the receiver gets to look at your photo before it is theoretically deleted forever.

Of course, the app cannot stop people from taking screen shots of your potentially unflattering image, but at least the app will notify you if they do.

Not everyone is enamored with the app, however.

“Snapchat is annoying. People nowadays should still communicate in person like they did in the past,” said senior Jordan Cartlidge. “These Internet phenomena need to die down

For more TRENDS, visit TomTomNews.com

24

Tom Tom 10.25.13

before they get out of control.”

Other features include the ability to take ten-second videos, doodle on your photo or add a caption before you send it. Snapchat has, theoretically, given students the freedom to take a goofy photo without worrying about it resurfacing in the future. However, new research by the company Decipher Forensics has revealed that it may be possible to recover these files in six hours or less, an important revelation for people who use the app for less-than-innocent photos or videos.

Out of 167 Antioch Community High School students surveyed, 74 percent use the Snapchat app. TT

ASK.FM

This new, provocative dance move is sweeping the nation online and in real life. Although it’s not exactly dripping with class and charm, it definitely gets the point across.

91 percent of ACHS students surveyed recognized the word, and a good number of them potentially tried it themselves. As a mark of its popularity, “twerk” was added to the Oxford Dictionaries Online in August 2013.

The most infamous public display of twerking to date was Miley Cyrus’s 2013 MTV Video Music Awards performance, but online videos of twerking include everything from freaky to fabulous. In time, however, twerking is liable to go the way of disco and the moon walk, turning into a dance move we will have a hard time explaining to our children. TT

Ask.fm is the latest in a string of websites that allows users to answer questions from unknown sources. The anonymity of the asker is supposed to encourage honesty in both parties. Although this is a worthy goal, cyber-bullying is a serious concern.

Interestingly enough, the official ask.fm Facebook page has 1,850,799 likes while a page named “Ask.Fm Should Be Deleted” has garnered 135,285 likes. Clearly, users are divided on how this particular website is being used. However, it is still a splendid way for teens to share fun facts about themselves. TT

AN ENERGETIC VIEW ON MONSTER

A potent mixture of caffeine, sugar and energy-boosting additives lead to a jolt of energy and a demanding crash.

HEATHER KLEAN Reporter

A

s a high school student it is hard to maintain good grades, do well in sports and have a job on the side. Most students lose sleep each night cramming for tests and doing their homework. The ongoing trend for helping students stay focused is energy drinks.

According to weightlossresources.co.uk, “Energy drinks seem to be promoted from one of two perspectives.

One line of promotion veers towards a sports focus, indicating to the consumer that these drinks might enhance physical stamina. Then there is the ‘morning after’ approach, which offers up energy drinks as a means of coping

with the after-effects of a big night out, or a way to give yourself a boost if you’re feeling tired or jaded.”

Senior Sam Martinez is one of many who enjoys energy drinks because of their flavor and the way they make her feel.

“I like the taste of Monster, but it does not give me much energy; it barely affects me at all,” said Sam ENERGYFIND.COM Martinez.

Martinez was asked to go a week without Monster to see how it affected her. Although she is sure that she is not “addicted” to Monster, she found it a little hard to be without the regular green Monster or Cuba Libre flavor.

Throughout the week Martinez experienced minor physical side effects such as looking more tired than usual. What was ma-

A can of Monster contains 54 grams of sugar

jorly changing was not being as talkative and also becoming irritated with little things. Many changes came in to play when her body tried adjusting to the absence of all the sugar. She was not acting the same way she did when she had a Monster in her hand.

“Usually a few hours after drinking Monster I start to feel very tired and sluggish so it makes me want to drink more to get rid of that feeling,” said Martinez. What most teenagers do not realize is the amount of sugar that is put into an energy drink. A can of Monster contains of 54 grams of sugar according to Energyfiend.com.

“I drink at least four or five cans of Monster a week. Usually people will just give them to me if they don’t want it. I feel like Monster is just like soda. That is the reason why I like it so much. I’m so used to drinking Monster that it’s more like a routine now than anything,” said Martinez.

After Martinez was allowed to begin drinking Monster again, she started to have stomach aches. She decided that after going a week without it she wants to start drinking less Monster because it started to make her feel sick after every can she has.

“I feel that this really opened my eyes to what I should and should not be putting into my body. I will definitely stop drinking that much Monster each week. I will still drink soda, but I will also limit that as well,” said Martinez. TT 10.25.13 Tom Tom 25

Lifestyles

FALL FASHION

ARLENNE LOZANO Reporter

Photos by Arlenne Lozano

Pumpkin carving, apple cider, corn mazes, haunted houses, bonfires and football take over the fall season. The amount of activities one could accomplish during autumn are endless now that autumn is here. With so much productivity, it almost seems essential to look as great, polished, and comfortable as possible at all the outings. Although, there is always that lack of confidence when it comes down to knowing what’s in and what’s not this season. Perhaps it is best to know, the most courageous act is to think for yourself, aloud. Perfecting your individual style for the fall season is fun. Fashion fades, style is what stays forever.

Go ahead, fold away those cute tribal patterned shorts, that coral colored crop top and those sandals. It’s about time to pull out the warm oversized sweaters, long sleeve flannels, combat boots and jeans. Pairing each article of clothing together says something about your individual style, but sometimes it feels nearly impractical to decide what colors, jewelry or shoes go with your other items of clothing. TT

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“Fall is my favorite season for fashion because the weather is perfect for wearing lots of layers, scarves and boots but it’s not too cold where you have to worry about being cold in what you wear.”

MADISON PADDOCK, SOPHOMORE

“I can’t leave the house without a necklace. Chunky necklaces are always a go to. They make a big statement!”

MORGAN PRICE, SOPHOMORE

Sports

UNDEFEATED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED The sophomore football is on a winning streak and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Tonight’s game will decide the fate of the team’s current two-year undefeated streak.

ALEXIS VETTER

Digital Director uring the football season fans make their way out to the field at 7:30 to watch the varsity football team take on their opponent. most avoid arriving a little bit early to watch the end of the sophomore football game. For those who will make it early, you will see the sophomores up by an incredibly large score. The sophomores are are undefeated this season with a record of 7 and 0. But, that isn’t all. They were also undefeated their entire freshman year as well.

All in all, they are 16-0 in their career.

“The team is very good. They are very talented skill-wise. They lost a lot of players on their offensive line this year but others stepped in and they haven’t missed a beat,” said sophomore head coach Michael Gordy.

Most of the team has been playing together for as long as they can remember.

“Most of us have been playing since Vikings and we really know how we all play,” said fullback Nick Dorosan.

Teams need to know that they can rely on their teammates and be able to trust them.

The sophomores have that kind of bond.

“We know everyone on the team very well.

We’ve known each other since middle school

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and before that,” said Dorosan.

The relationship that the team has does not end on the field. Along with long practices five days a week, team bonding also happens on their own personal time. Many hang out together outside of school.

The sophomores keep themselves down to earth by remembering that practice and determination is also what keeps their record undefeated.

“We need to go into each game prepared and ready. We have to take what we’ve done in practice onto the field,” said Dorosan.

The team is very confident in themselves and believe that they can end their season with a bang.

“We’re very confident,” said quarterback Danny Meade. “If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep our record.”

Although the team is confident, they know that they aren’t invincible. The game they were most worried about this season was against rivals the Lakes Community High School Eagles.

“We were most concerned about Lakes.

They’re our rivals and everyone goes all out in rival games so you can never be too confident,” said Meade.

Despite their worries they were able to win the game 34-27.

Photos by Alexis Vetter The sophomores have a great connection on and off the field that helps them to play every game to their best ability. They are very confident that they will also be victorious in their first varsity season next year as well.

“Lakes is a very talented team, both teams played great. It could have went either way,” Gordy said.

Gordy has watched the team improve throughout the season and is confident in the rest of their season.

“They have a lot of talent on the team and they learned to use it this year,” he said.

Not everyone thinks the sophomores were going to stay undefeated this year.

“No one thought we would continue to go undefeated throughout sophomore year,” said Meade. “Everyone doubted us.”

Not only did students and coaches doubt them, they have been doubted at games as well.

“At the first game Tremper actually laughed at us when we walked out. They had more people on their team and they were bigger in size, but we came out with the win,” said Gordy. “It’s not how big you are, it’s if your skills are playing tough.”

The sophomores won that game 55-6. TT

M A AD OLK A OP

s

s by Photo

en Steph Tyler

Creative Director

TYLER STEPHENS

Creative Director unior Adam Opolka is 16 years old. Since the summer of 2007, Opolka has expertly crafted his passion, bike riding.

Riding a bike for six years may sound boring, but Opolka developed riding a bike into much more than just as a traditional method of transportation. Unlike any other sport, BMX can create an environment that you can experience nowhere else.

“When I’m riding my bike, there isn’t a coach behind me telling me what to do; it’s just me, my bike, the sound of my tires rolling and the feeling of flying through the air,” said Opolka.

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“When I step onto my bike all the problems and stress in my life goes away and all I concentrate on is feeling the transitions and feel of what I’m riding,” said Opolka.

Even after a terrible injury from BMX, causing the loss of several teeth and a severe concussion that could have changed his personality, Opolka keeps coming back to the same passion he can never stop.

“The people I have met and what I have experienced through BMX in the past six years has really taught me how to be happy and how much, something as simple as a bike can change your life. TT

Adam Opolka downside-whips the hip at the Antioch Skatepark.

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Sports

SPORTS BRIEF Painful heat causes challenges for ACHS fall sport athletes.

RUNNING IS A PAIN...

BUT IT’S GOOD FOR YOU

Cross country coach and runners express their love for running and the benefits it can have on the mind and body.

Antioch Community High School’s fall sport athletes experienced a wide variety of temperatures this season. The weather threw the athletes off. Different sports use different amounts of energy, both mentally and physically. Depending on the weather and the individual, some do better than others, however, the hot weather was especially challenging for our Sequoits.

The cross country runners struggled when it came to the heat because of the long distances they run. Adding heat to the runners’ physical and mental obstacles can really make the sport tough.

“Once I had to miss a meet because the heat and humidity made it so I was not able to breathe,” said freshman Emily Holmes.

The field hockey girls run up and down the field during their games at all times, whether it’s hot or cold.

“In the hot weather I feel as if I play the same because in St. Louis it was high 90’s and we won the championship. Even though we had ice, cold towels and a lot of water to cool us off, if we didn’t have that we probably would have played poorly,” said sophomore Alexis Duehr.

With the rough, physical way field hockey is played, the Sequoits need to constantly be on their toes, ready to move at any moment. To be able to focus and put the heat aside takes determination.

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To finish this story and many more, visit TomTomNews.com

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Photos by Tyler Dziubla

sufferers who reported less wheezing after conTYLER DZIUBLA sistent physical activity.

Assistant Director of Digital and Creative Running is not a hard thing to do. It also does Whenever a gym teacher announces to the not require any equipment. class that they will be going down to the track, “It is a relatively inexpensive sport,” said Baiit is usually accompanied by a mass of groans ley. “Running is simple and can be done at one’s barreling from students. Running has become an own pace.” activity that many considRunning also gives a boost er horrible. However, what to mental health as well. The they do not realize is how benefits are both academic good running is for the body. and with one’s self esteem.

Cardiovascular health is “Working out helps get very important to people. A the brain going. People who person who has good cardioexercise before tests get betvascular health throughout ter test scores,” said Bailey. their life has a reduced risk “Running also gives a person for heart attacks and tends to a self esteem boost. They get CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, live longer. to see all their hard work pay P.E. TEACHER & CROSS COUNTRY COACH “I was not always good off as they watch the pounds at running,” said physical come off.” education teacher ChristoJunior, Tommy Castino pher Bailey, who started running in high school. who runs for the schools cross country team “Running clearly benefits the body. It improves agrees that running benefits his mind. a person’s cardiovascular health which leads to “Cross country has given me the mindset that better good blood pressure and a healthier heart.” I can’t do things halfway in my life and that if I According to americanrunning.org, The Co- want to do well I really have to set my mind to it penhagen City Heart Study, which started back in and try my hardest,” said Castino.

1973, there is a 44 percent decrease in the chance Going for a run does not mean going five miles of heart attack for people who jog. The study also down the street. Thirty minutes a few times a reported that the average lifespan is 6.2 years week can be a big help. It does also not have to longer for men who jog and 5.6 years longer for be a painful experience. Go run through a nature women who jog. Jogging was described by the preserve with good music flowing in and out of study as a slow to average pace of running. Jog- the ears. TT ging or running on a regular basis helped asthma

“Running also gives a person a self esteem boost. They get to see all their hard work pay off as they watch the pounds come off.”

ATKINSON BRINGS A BRAND NEW ATTITUDE

Former sophomore coach takes the next step as a varsity coach and hopes paying attention to fun and skills will propel her team to state.

ADAM CHELLBERG Reporter

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uring the school day Jamie Atkinson works as a special education teacher, but once the school day reaches its end she becomes someone quite different: the volleyball team’s new head coach. The girl’s volleyball team is back this season with new leadership and a whole new attitude, and Atkinson loves it. “[Being the new head coach] feels awesome, it is the dream job I’ve wanted for a long time, and it’s an opportunity to really connect with so many more players at a higher level,” said Atkinson.

Prior to this season, Atkinson served as the sophomore volleyball coach for seven years. “[Being the head coach] is a little different, the responsibility is more; the difference is just that my role is so much more developed,” said Atkinson.

Atkinson saw that her girls just weren’t having enough fun when she coached the sophomore team, and now, as head coach, she is making fun a top priority.

“I think volleyball should be fun and I think that some of the

SPORTS BRIEF Former cheer coach recognized by the NFHS Former varsity coach Robin Gwinn was named National Federation of State High School Association’s spirit coach of the year for 2012-2013. This is Robin's second time receiving this award in her 20 years of coaching.

Photos by Kyle Heywood Atkinson moved up to head coach t his year, after seven years serving as the sophomore volleball coach. She’s used lock-ins and team-building activities to create a positive environment for her team to learn, grow and succeed.

girls had lost the fun in volleyball. I’m hoping that I can help them find that again,” said Atkinson.

To help the team get to know each other better, the team participated in a lock-in in the north gym. The lock-in consisted of an over-night stay at Antioch Community High School and team-building activities, all with the purpose of building team relationships and being plain old fun.

Atkinson feels that the key to their success is working together, and having fun in the process.

With this in mind, Atkinson has made fun and relationship-building a core part of the program all in the hope of getting the girls to state, something Atkinson believes is quite attainable.

“I foresee us going all the way to state... if we have the right mental attitude combined with our natural abilities, on a good day no one can stop us,” said Atkinson.

The team has also added a new sophomore coach, Spanish teach-

er Molly May. “I am so happy to be part of the Sequoit program and work with such a great group of girls and coaches. The program has a great tradition of pride and success and I am so grateful to be able to contribute this year,” said May. At this point in the season the girls are 11 and four, and undefeated in conference with a record of five wins and zero losses.

The girls’ future is looking bright with exciting new additions that just might bring them all the way to their goal of competing at the state level.

Atkinson is looking forward to seeing more Cardinal Crazies in the stands cheering her girls on to state. She urges anyone and everyone to come see the girls play.

“Volleyball is just a piece in life and it teaches you so much about working with others...and being more than just a student.

[By being] a student-athlete, you’ve done something not everyone can do,” said Atkinson. TT

"Receiving this award is a great honor. My greatest joy is in seeing others succeed. Teaching leadership skill has always been a passion in my life. Working alongside each of the athletes, encouraging them to excel not only in the gym but in their personal lives has been my greatest joy. I have been blessed to be able to serve as a coach at ACHS. The athletes have made a huge impact in my life. This award really goes out to all my alumna cheerleaders for allowing me to lead them towards excellence in helping to shape what cheerleaders have become not only at Antioch but in the state of Illinois. We are Antioch," said Gwinn.

Gwinn is a well loved coach by many of her former cheerleaders and even people in the community who are meeting her for the first time.

Gwinn is passionate about cheer and hopes to keep the passion alive even as she is retired from the position.

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SPORTS

THE LITTLE KNOWN FACES OF THE FOOTBALL TEAM Managers work behind the scenes to help the players be successful on and off the field ALEXIS VETTER Digital Director

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t’s Friday night and a football game is in full swing. We all know who the coaches are and who the players are, but the team managers aren’t as well known. Seniors Tanner Skym and Alan Czajkowski and Junior Jake Regan are the stars of Antioch Community High School’s football managerial team. Regan has been a manager since his freshman year, Czajkowski joined the team this summer and Skym has been managing for two years.

You can always find the managers on the sidelines during the football games. They make sure that the water bottles are filled to help keep players hydrated and that someone is around to film the game for the coaches and players to use in the future. You can find Skym and Czajkowski on the field filling Gatorade bottles and running them to the players during time outs in their cowboy hats.

“We wear the cowboy hats for fun. They’re kind of a tradition now,” said Skym.

Managers are necessary in the fast paced football games.

“The football team is busy with the game; they can’t just run out and get water. That’s what we’re for,” said Skym.

Managers have an even bigger duty than just keeping the football players hydrated; they have to film the practices and games for

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the coaches and players to watch later.

“Without managers to film, the players wouldn’t be able to see the mistakes they’re making in the practices and games,” said Czajkowski.

The managers have to make sure they are on the spot at all times while filming.

“We have to make sure that we pay attention when filming, if we miss the tiniest bit of film it can negatively affect the football team,” said Skym.

Being a manager has more benefits than just getting front row at the game and hanging out with the football players. The boys do this to hang out with each other, their friends on the field and for personal growth.

“Being a manager is something that I can put on my resume,” said Czajkowski.

“I love being able to eat the food, the interaction with the team, coaches and other managers,” said Regan.

Friday night meals are a tradition for the football players (and the managers) put on by the football moms.

“The meals on Fridays are so delicious!” said Skym.

The managers volunteer to help out the football team in their own spare time. They are the little known faces of the football team. TT

ACHS STUDENT SERVES UP L VE FOR TENNIS

TYLER DZIUBLA

Assistant Director of Digital and Creative Most students who attend high school will, for at least one year, play a sport or join a club. When high school ends, however, many do not continue this involvement. For a few, these activities turn into a lifelong passion. Having something that they will get enjoyment out of for the rest of their lives. Senior Melissa (Missy) Donovan’s love for tennis is one of those things.

“I started playing tennis in fourth grade,” said Donovan. “Tennis is a passion, it is the highlight of my day and I am always looking forward to it.”

Donovan is now in her final year playing tennis for Antioch Community High School, all of which she played on the varsity team.

“I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with playing tennis. It feels good when I can beat somebody who people think is better, or they think they are better. I like to prove them wrong,” said Donovan.

Her teammates have nothing but praise for their teammate and friend.

Senior Tiffany Gantz said, “Melissa is always at practice working hard. She always has a good attitude and helps motivate the whole team.”

Her coach is no different in expressing how exceptional Donovan is.

“Melissa gets a ten out of ten when it comes to commitment,” said coach Neil Lesinski. “When it comes to tennis, her education and future, her drive is second to none. It has been a joy to coach Missy.

She always has a positive personality and it always rubs off on others. She also has a great sense of humor to put smiles on all of our faces.”

While her tennis career may be coming to a close at ACHS, she does not plan on hanging up her racket anytime soon.

“I would like to play tennis in college,” said Donovan. “I plan on playing tennis for the rest of my life, I feel like the game just comes to me, it is very natural.”

Donovan coached little kids in the past and considers being a coach during and after college.

“Missy is definitely a leader and always comes to the court with a positive personality,” said Lesinski. TT 10.25.13 Tom Tom

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One|Sequoit

SAMUEL SMITHSON ACHS senior, basketball and baseball player, Model UN member and volunteer local organic farmer Samuel Smithson is the focus of the our first ONE|SEQUOIT Project.

EDUCATION AND STUDENT LIFE [The teachers] have been very supportive of kids who want to do their own thing. When I bring in a box of fresh food to the principal's office from the organic farm, half of the office comes over to see what I have.

I am also in Model UN. It helps with talking in front in of people, which was one thing that I couldn't do before.

ATHLETICS Athletics have been huge for me at ACHS because of the lessons that I have learned. They taught me that I can overcome all obstacles, how to work with other people... My teammates are my brothers. Even if I don't particularly like them, I'd take a bullet for any one of them in a second.

Overall, sports have shaped me into the young man I am today, and I have to give credit to Coach White, Coach Petty and Mrs. Strathman at AUGS. SERVICE I knew I was going into food for a long time and this program is like a real life business. I go into restaurants and try to sell them produce. I work the farm stand. I helped with growing. We are putting together a service right now where we could come out and pick it for you. We will give most of it to you and then we take some and process it and sell it. The Pig offered us a spot in their store for us to sell some goods. TT

The purpose of the ONE|SEQUOIT Project is to display how Antioch Community High School has impacted current and graduated students’ lives through education, student life, athletics and community service. This project is our attempt to tell a story of ACHS through the lens of its students—past, present and future. These stories are not told by Tom Tom journalists. Instead, they are told by the Sequoits themselves. It is their words, their story and their experience. They are ACHS, and together they are ONE|SEQUOIT. 34 Tom Tom 10.25.13