Devils' Advocate April 2023

BattlegroundContributors

Ajay Gupta

Michael Sahs

ClubContributors

Spencer Anderson

Finley Bisch

Jenna Feng

Leah Packer

10

CopyEditors

Caroline Petersen

Maryum Shaik

SectionEditors

Sehan Alam

Maya Barakat

Samrah Syed

Kaan Turkyilmaz

Editor-in-Chief

Taylor Levin

ManagingEditors

Annie Koziel

Alex Olguin

DesignEditor

Anjika Kumar

Spring is upon us. In this month’s issue, we attempt to get students excited about spring. In the infographic survey, students and faculty provide insight on their favorite spring activities and favorite spring flowers.

Keeping students updated on school matters is necessary, and in the “Celebrating Poetry” profile, readers will learn about the poetry club, their recent competitions, and the importance of poetry during National Poetry Month.

In the “A closer look at Loyalty Programs” feature, students weigh the pros and cons of loyalty programs, and give insight to how they can be improved.

Read more about runner Victoria Elsdon in the Sports Q&A, and learn more about boys water polo in the “Devils in Play.”

In the “Academic Achievements” profile, read about five academic clubs, and the competitions they have participated in throughout the year.

The “This Month During...” feature highlights Easter, Passover, and Ramadan, and how different students celebrate throughout the month of April.

And with a spring break and warmer temperatures, the “Celebrating Earth Week” feature highlights how Ecology Club honored Earth day.

The editorial revolves around local tornados and warnings that come with them, and how these warnings can be misleading.

Finally, our battleground writers debate whether or not TikTok should be banned.

We hope you love this month’s issue!

Taylor Levin

Devils’ Advocate seeks to provide an open and diverse forum created by and for the students from Hinsdale Central. The staff of Devils’ Advocate aims to bring news to the community of the school and the surrounding area, by wokring with students, parents and faculty, as well as reporting on events in a fair and balanced manner. The publication strives to inform, educate and improve, the atmosphere and student body by sharing information and recognizing and ideas.

Cover Photo by Ann Haarlow

LetterfromtheEditor

Around Campus News

Putting the soul in Solstice

Student-produced art and literature magazine, Solstice, is on its way.

story by Leah Packer

Solstice, the club in charge of Central’s resident art and literature magazine, is wrapping up the year and putting the finishing touches on this year’s magazine. Solstice is published annually.

For the first half of the year, the club focuses on creating a theme for the magazine. Some past themes have been “Lucid” and “Sunny Side Up,” and these themes guide the graphic design of the magazine to showcase the pieces.

“We have a meeting [at the beginning of the year] where everyone spits out ideas, we narrow it down and we create mood boards for the themes,” said Jenna Feng, sophomore.

The club then goes through the process of choosing which pieces should go into the magazine. The process is anonymous, so club members can only see a piece without knowing whose it is. In the end, the students’ goal is to create a magazine with a variety of pieces from drawings, paintings, and ceramics to poetry and prose that celebrate student’s work.

“As a club, we want to present their material in a way that’s respectful and honors their work,” said Angelique Burrell, Solstice sponsor and English teacher. “That has been a fun goal: to let students have their own expression and celebrate these different art forms.”

Burrell has sponsored Solstice for six years. She oversees the student-led discussions and helps order the magazines from the publisher to be printed, but she notes that the students guide most of the discussions and endeavors of the publication. Burrell is also the one who helped with finances and managing grants that keep the club running, especially after it was impacted by COVID. Burrell also works with Boosters, which helps in providing funds for the magainze.

“I’m thankful to the Boosters for giving us a grant so that we can maintain [the quality of the publication],” Burrell said.

Second semester for the club goes more

Ending on a high note

Hinsdale Central’s Orchestra will perform its last concert of the year this May. story by Samrah

Syed and Jenna Feng

On May 18, Hinsdale Central’s orchestra will perform its last concert before the full music department showcase. The four orchestras, Philharmonic, Symphony, Concert and Chamber, will perform a variety of songs after practicing for more than a month. Many students have heard of Central’s orchestra, but little know about the pieces and musicians that are the basis of these concerts.

Each orchestra has been practicing their own songs, and the concert will feature a collective piece called “Reflections of Earth.”

“Reflections of Earth is probably one of my favorites; it’s a Disney illumination show piece that was played at Epcot during their nightly fireworks shows,” said Serge Penksik, Orchestra director.

While the music may have an interesting background, there is no doubt that it has been a challenging piece for orchestra members to learn.

“Reflections of Earth has the most layers and components, which makes it quite difficult

to play,” said Sabil Musabji, sophomore of the Philharmonic Orchestra.

The concert will spotlight other music like “Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor” and more.

“My favorite piece is probably ‘Return of Lain Coubert’ because my friend, Jaden Schmit [senior], wrote it himself,” said Abigail AuYeung, sophomore of the Philharmonic Orchestra.

Schmit is a part of Orchestra Winds and Percussion, which is for band students who wish to be involved in the Symphony Orchestra.

“I really like how the song switches keys from minor to major, it just sounds like serendipity,” Schmit said.

Other than this concert featuring student composers, what makes this concert unique is how it is the last orchestra concert for the seniors before they graduate.

“We have a really special senior class, having gone through the pandemic and now transitioning back. They just are really

into magazine design and production. The students use Adobe softwares InDesign and Photoshop, and currently, the club is working on the final touches and edits to the magazine.

“We’re going to have one more meeting of proofreading and then send it off to print,” said Zuzanna Sokolowski, head director of Solstice. Sokolowski organizes the club meetings and puts everyone’s work into one file to create what will be the final magazine.

Solstice has previously won a few awards, including a Gold Crown by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

When asked about her favorite part of the club, Burrell mentioned the creativity of the students and “seeing the vast talent that exists.”

The final magazine is set to be sent to the publisher in May, and students with activity passes will be able to access the magazine soon after. Preorders for the magazine will also be available on Infinite Campus until April 28 for anyone who has not purchased an activity pass.

good musicians and overall good kids,” Penksik said.

One of this year’s seniors is Athena Deng, first chair violinist in the Philharmonic Orchestra. Athena also plays in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and often finds herself spending hours rehearsing inside and outside of school.

“I’m going to be performing ‘Passacaglia’ by Handel arranged as a duet for violin and cello with my friend Isabella Xu [senior], who will play cello. Since we’re both seniors, I think it’ll be a great end to our high school experience,” Deng said.

While there are several orchestra concerts each year, this concert definitely has its own distinctive aspects and notable musicians. Make sure to stop by the music department showcase on May 18 to see all of the music students’ hard work.

Atemporarytatted-upboy’swaterpoloteamlistens toCoachChristinaBrodellduringtheteam’sSenior NightonApril18.Readmoreabouttheteamonpage 6,writtenbyclubcontributorSpencerAnderson.

Solsticedesignsfrompreviousissues.Theartandliteraturemagazine willbeavailableforpreorderuntilApril28onInfiniteCampus

Readaboutspringfashiontipsonourwebsite,written byclubcontributorAbigailGambla.

FirstChairviolinistAthenaDenginconcert.

APtestingseasonisuponus!Readsomeadvicefor testpreponourwebsite,writtenbyclubcontributor KendallFlorence.

UrinetowndirectorChrisKostroguidesthecastthrough dressrehearsalduringtheweekofApril17.Thecast peformedthemusicalonApril21and22.

OnApril20,juniorsEthanGronlundandRitvi KhuranaspringcleantheGrantStreetcourtyard naturalhabitatwithprairiestewardKathleen Thomas,whooverseestheHinsdalePrairie.

SunnySideUp-apreviousSolsticetheme.

courtesy of Ciaran Strimaitis

photo courtesy of Angelique Burrell

photo courtesy of Angelique Burrell

photo by Samrah Syed and Jenna Feng

SeniorAlexOlguinconducts theOrchestraWindsand PercussionHonorsclass.

photo courtesy of Athena Deng

photo courtesy of Chloe Basson and Presley Mulligan

photo by Spencer Anderson

photo by Caroline Petersen

photo by Matt Gawilk

photo by Cherise Lopez

Devils in Play

Treading for goals

Men’s water polo looks ahead to sectionals.

by Spencer Anderson designed by Alex Olguin

Withspring sports season well underway, men’s water polo continues to improve in the midst of a bounceback season for the program. The team celebrated senior night on April 18 before a 10-11 loss to Glenbrook North (Northbrook, Ill.), and looks ahead towards the remainder of their season.

The 2023 spring season has head coach Christina Brodell excited for the return of the program’s former success. She has been the head coach since 2015, and previously coached water polo at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago during her student-teaching period.

“Before COVID, [the team was] strong, but COVID really affected us,” Brodell said.

Like many Hinsdale Central sports, shutting down impacted the program’s development significantly. The classes of 2021 and 2022 in particular were weakened, as the season’s cancellation coincided with their freshman and sophomore seasons respectively.

“Water polo is a niche sport. It’s a sport where you need to play. If you don’t get your experience in the water, it’s tough to develop key skills,” Brodell said.

For the current upperclassmen, their development has been mostly unrestricted, making them the most experienced players since before 2020.

Their growth has been aided by the recent founding of a new local organization: Hinsdale Water Polo Club (HWPC). Former Hinsdale Central player and swimmer Brogan O’Doherty created the club as a more local option for players, many of whom had to commute to further clubs in Naperville or LaGrange. It also provides the important water time for players outside of the school season.

O’Doherty also serves as the head coach of the junior varsity team, assisted by fellow alumnus Josh Del Rosario-Rivera. Early in

its lifespan, HWPC already is paying off for Hinsdale Central’s school team.

“Most of our 27 players do club, likely at Hinsdale or also in Naperville, probably about 90 percent,” Brodell said.

Along with HWPC, skill growth comes from another parallel sport: swimming.

“Most, if not all, of the team are former swimmers, or still actively swim here,” Brodell said. “It really helps with the fundamental

record, but four of those losses come from the games against the top six teams.

“Naperville has 20 or so little towns around it, and all of them have their own individual clubs. They have a very strong base for water polo,” Brodell said.

Naperville North and Naperville Central both have strong water polo programs, being ranked fourth and fifth in the state

skills of the sport.” With water polo operating in the swim off-season, many players can transition right into the polo season.

The season so far has been good to all levels of the team. Varsity finished in the top five at the Best of the West tournament hosted by Naperville North, and placed fourth at Mundelein High School’s mid-March tournament. JV started off April by winning the Conant High School tournament in dramatic overtime fashion. Still, the team has a hard road ahead with sectionals less than a month away.

“We play in a tough section,” Brodell said. “We faced four of the top six teams in Illinois in the past month.”

The varsity team currently holds an 8-11-1

respectively. However, Hinsdale Central will only face one top ten opponent in their final five games when they play the Waubonsie Valley Warriors.

For more information on Hinsdale Central Water Polo, follow @hinsdalecentralwaterpolo on Instagram, and visit HWPC’s website.

Photo courtesy of Spenser Anderson

Senior Millan Whittier clears the ball away from the net. Whittuer was one of the players celebrated for senior night against Glenbrook North on April 18.

Q&AwithVictoriaElsdon

This month I got the opportunity to sit down and talk to runner Victoria Elsdon, sophomore. Elsdon runs both cross country and track and field here. Though she has only been on the team for two years, she looks to be a valuable member.

Elsdon plans to run track and cross country for the remainder of her high school career and said she hopes to do great things.

Q - What is your favorite memory from track?

A - “I think my favorite memory is the relays that I run and practicing them; I love the team aspect of it. I loved the 4x100 relay last year, specifically.”

Q -When did you start running?

A - “I started running track my freshman year, but I started running cross country before that in the fall.”

Q - What is your favorite event?

A - “My favorite event is probably either the 4x100 or the 400. I was just put on the 400 last year until eventually I just grew to like it.”

Q - What is the best part about this year for you?

A - “I think the team this year is just better; I feel more connected. Also, we are fast and have won meets so that always helps.”

Q - You mentioned that you ran cross country, do you prefer that or track?

A - “I like the track events so much more than I like cross country.”

Q - What’s a challenge you’ve faced?

A - “Last year I broke my wrist and trying to get back into track shape while everyone else was in the middle of their season was really hard.”

Q- What’s the best piece of coaching

advice you’ve been given?

A - “The best piece of advice I’ve ever heard from any coach was: ‘You can worry before a race but you can never panic.’”

Q - Who is a coach or an athlete you look up to?

A - “I really look up to Coach Conyers. He always knows the right thing to say which is super helpful when it comes to pre race nerves. He also always pushes his athletes to be better.”

Q - What is one piece of advice you

would give to incoming freshmen?

A - “I would tell them to just have fun and listen to your coaches. Your times will get better if you listen and fix your form. Having fun is the most important part of track.”

Q - What is one thing you are looking forward to this year’s season?

A - “I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and the big meets we have coming up like conference and sectionals.”

by Finley Bisch designed by Alex Olguin

Meet a member of Hinsdale Central’s track and field and cross country teams.

The Power of Poetry

HC Poetry Club members share what poetry means to them as Poetry Month is celebrated nationally.

by Kaan Turkyilmaz and Taylor Levin

In the words of the famous poet, Edgar Allan Poe, “I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind.”

April marks National Poetry Month, a time when people of all different backgrounds can be reminded of the power of poetry. Poetry has shaped culture, whether it be through Edgar Allan Poe’s gruesome works that critiqued human existence or Emily Dickinson’s messages of hope. The idea to designate April as Poetry Month was first launched in 1996 by the Academy of American Poetry.

This organization holds various events throughout the month, such as the annual Poetry Fest that occurs in the Chicago Public Library. This fest brings together poets with various exhibits, readings, and workshops.

During this month, you can find poetry on display at your favorite bookstore, poetry read-alouds at your local library, and new works released by publishers.

Hinsdale Central is able to spread the power of poetry and represent the national month thanks to Poetry Club. The Poetry Club meets with its sponsor, Kimberly Williams, English Teacher every Tuesday at 3:10 p.m.

Williams has been running the club since 2011.

“I just feel like it’s the most welcoming space in the whole school and it tends to be like that in the things we go to outside the school too,” Williams said. “The strangers that our students meet are very accepting and supportive. When a student gets up on stage to present a poem and they forget a

line, the other poets are like ‘you got this, you got this!’ despite competing against each other.”

For many members of the club, April marks what they’ve been working towards all year.

“Our meetings are separated into reading versus writing time. It’s a really open and supportive environment where some people just listen to you,” said Kasra Mikaili, sophomore.

Students from every grade level can come together to bond over their common passion. Not only is poetry club a way for students to express themselves and their talents, but also a way for students to make new friendships.

“I think it’s awesome to be around other people who understand poetry and are open to new ideas and breaking creative boundaries. After every meeting, I always leave feeling more inspired to write,” said Carly Hurst, senior.

Hurst is a member of the poetry club, and before she found out about it, she and her friends were thinking about starting their own. Hurst found out about the poetry club through a Hinsdale Central activities fair, where they were browsing various booths and stumbled upon it.

The most dedicated members of the club get the chance to be a part of the Devil’s Diction Slam Team, which competes in various competitions. Competing is a way for students to gain more confidence in themselves and their

work, according to members.

“On the slam team, poetry walks a fine line between competition and expression,” said Mikaili, a member of the Slam Team. “The event that we used to go to had judges that would hold up score cards and everyone would see it. Now, the competition is more of a festival with some competitive aspects. There’s the preliminaries then the semi-finals then the finals.”

Hurst, who is also on the Slam Team, performed at a poetry festival called Rooted and Radical. Her poem, “Like a Girl,” earned her recognition as an All-Star Poet.

Rooted and Radical is an annual event in the Chicagoland area, and is hosted by the Young Chicago Authors. In 2023, Rooted and Radical occurred between March 15 and April 22. Over the span of several weeks, there are workshops and other events that can be attended. Rooted and Radical is the world’s largest youth poetry festival.

“The Young Chicago Authors is an incredible organization that provides young

Photos Courtesy of Kimberly Williams

people a safe space to create and share their work… The Speak Award goes to a poet who explores their identity and sparks necessary conversation about changes that need to be made,” Hurst said.

Hurst won the 2023 Speak Award for “Like a Girl,” and performed it another time on April 22, for the final showcase.

Kathryn Gleason, senior, is also a member of poetry club and the Devil’s Diction Slam Team.

“I think poetry is so important. For me, it has helped me through so much, because in a way, poetry is like ranting. When you feel angry or sad or happy you can just write exactly how you feel,” Gleason said.

Central students are doing their part in honoring poetry. Throughout the nation, this month is a time to reflect about the works that have shaped our society, and are continuing

Poetry Slam Team

to impact our lives. Just like Emily Dickinson, let’s “dwell” in the possibilities of poetry.

Carly Hurst

Poetry Slam Team members at the Slam Festival: Aaliah Hasssan ’26, Damiel Lee ’23, Kasra Mikaili ‘25, Hannah Tatum ‘23, Tatum Barnum ‘25, Carly Hurst ‘23, Kathryn Gleason ‘23.

Daniel Lee

Aaliah Hassan Hannah Tatum

ARTH E EEK W

Ecology Club prepares for its biggest week of the school year.

story by Caroline Petersen and Sehan Alam

design by Caroline Petersen

photo courtesy of Cherise Lopez

Walking through the forest of the Morton Arboretum under cloudy skies, Ecology Club picks up waste found along their path. One student thinks she picked up a squirrel skull, but it was just a walnut that had been eroded over time. The students work to better their environment by cleaning up trash one piece at a time. How else do they better the environment in their community and their school?

Each year to honor Earth Day, Ecology Club presents its very own contribution by hosting Earth Week, a school-wide spirit week, with each day having a different theme and contribution.

This year, Earth Week was celebrated from April 17 through April 21. Earth Day was on Saturday, April 22. Earth Week is one of the most important events for Ecology Club, so planning the spirit week started before spring break.

As for plans for the week, it all came down to the club’s suggestions. Club members suggested the prize of duct-taping a teacher to a wall if students donated enough money to support charities chosen at a later date. This idea did not come into fruition.

For the ideas that did make the cut, daily activities and dress days, such as wearing green and blue to represent recycling or biking to school, seemed to excite club members while planning the activities.

“[We are also thinking about] raffle tickets throughout Wednesday for using reusable lunch containers,” said Ritvi Khurana, junior and Ecology Club president. Khurana mentioned another possible raffle to win wildflower seeds or a succulent plant kit for biking to school on Tuesday, April 18 and Friday, April 21.

Another idea that made the cut was an earth themed bake sale with half of the money donated to a sustainability-focused charity, while the other half would fund plants for the habitat garden the club planted last year.

According to members, Earth Week is important to highlight the importance of environmental sustainability, but it is also an opportunity for students who might be interested in the club to get a sneak peek of Ecology Club.

“Ecology Club promotes sustainable practices and conservation throughout the school and the community,” said Cherise Lopez, English teacher and Ecology Club sponsor.

The mission statement of Ecology Club has

motivated students to join the club and become interested in the environment, especially for those already interested in ecology.

“I’ve been interested in ecology and ecofriendly habits since around seventh grade from a call to action assignment I did, and ever since then I’ve been trying to use more [reusable items],” said Yazmin Crisostomo, freshman and Ecology Club member.

Khurana joined the club during her sophomore year (2021-22), coming fresh out of the pandemic. The pandemic jump started her passion for the environment when she started reading the news out of boredom.

“[Once I started reading the news more often,] I found out a lot more about the environment and how big of an issue climate change is,” Khurana said. “That’s what finally popped my bubble. I had an epiphany, as I always say, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m really interested in this, we have to do something to help the world because we only have one world.’”

Khurana applied for the role of vice president her sophomore year, and then applied to become president for this year because of her growing

to the habitat, students planted a flower garden nearby.

“Club members would like to extend the flower garden to make it more of an herb garden so that community members can come and pick what they need,” Lopez said.

According to Lopez, if the herb planting goes well, the students would like to add vegetables that would be free for community members who need fresh produce.

In addition to pruning and expanding the garden, each year members compete in the DuPage County Sustainable Design Challenge, hosted by SCARCE, a non-profit organization based in Addison that promotes education and sustainable communities.

The challenge includes constructing a model building that practices LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) parameters. This year’s team included senior London Maxwell, Crisostomo, Khurana, senior Josh Krames and junior Ethan Gronlund.

“It’s hard to think you’re going to win amongst such amazing models, but the experience of meeting everyone and learning about this entire facility being sustainable makes me feel like a grownup,” Krames said. “Even if our model is built out of legos, I feel like an adult.”

passion for the environment.

Overall, the Ecology Club has done a lot for the community and the school outside of Earth Week, which is the club’s major event during each school year.

Earlier in the school year, the club promoted recycling to students and staff, creating posters for classrooms and the actual recycling bins in the cafeteria.

Following Earth Week, some things are in the works to end off the school year and go into the club’s “off-season.”

“After the school year, we will be prepping our [butterfly] garden for planting and soon taking out old plants and seeing what’s there to see what we can plant,” Crisostomo said. “[We may be] starting a community garden, but we have to see if we can follow through with that.”

After winning an Illinois school grant, the club planted a butterfly habitat in the courtyard on Grant Street. The habitat includes native plant species such as milkweed, leadplant and dropseed. In addition

In addition to presenting their model, the students met with business professionals in the sustainable field and toured two green buildings on the DuPage county campus grounds located in Wheaton, Ill.

Overall, Crisostomo has enjoyed the club and plans to contribute to the club and the school as best as she can during the next three years of her high school experience.

Crisostomo also took part in a field trip to Morton Arboretum to remove invasive species and to attend a workshop about why removal of these species is important in the local community.

“It’s a nice club. It’s not the biggest commitment, but at the same time, it’s easy to participate in, and I think it’s fun,” Crisostomo said. “I enjoyed cutting down the invasive species [at the Arboretum], and I like volunteering with manual labor.”

If you are interested in joining Ecology Club, email Cherise Lopez for more information.

“We have to do something to help the world because we only have one world.”

- Ritvi Khurana

A Closer Look at Loyalty Programs

You walk into Starbucks and take a sign as you open the door to see the line flooded with people. You take your spot and decide to pull up your Starbucks app while you wait. You know you have several points saved up, even enough to buy a whole pastry or drink.

As it is your turn to go up to the counter you greet the barista and make your order. However, your smile fades as you open the app to see a third of your stars have disappeared. Your eyes are met with a little pop up message letting you know that some of your stars have expired. Why was that not communicated clearer?

Recently, due to inflation and the rise of prices across the globe, everyone has had to be more aware of what they are spending. Whether it be shopping for clothes or just grabbing a quick meal, to try and spend a little bit less, people often sign up for loyalty programs at their favorite stores and restaurants. These loyalty programs often collect your points as you spend money and offer you deals that are exclusive to those signed up. However, there are many current issues with the way that loyalty programs currently work.

Photos&StoryByAnjika Kumar

Loyalty programs are programs that are used by most brands as a way to reward their returning customers. The more that a customer shops with a store, the more points and rewards they earn. Some of the most popular of these programs tend to be used at stores such as Starbucks, Sephora, and Amazon. According to a volunteerbased survey given by Advocate via email wth 16 respondants, the majority of students from Hinsdale Central have signed up for one or more loyalty programs. These programs have become part of daily life for several people across the globe.

The Loyalty Program offered by Starbucks is by far one of the most commonly used programs by students. It works by collecting and keeping track of a customer’s “stars” every time something is purchased and also offers special deals quite often.

“My favorite part with Starbucks is if I get enough stars I can get free merchandise,” said Marija Neskovic, freshman.

Other students also really like using these programs for its rewards.

“I like the points system and being able to buy something using your points, while having many different options,” said Elena Koulouris, Junior.

But, every program has its downsides, according to users. Koulouris and Neskovic both agree that some parts of this program

Loyalty programs have become increasingly common over the past few years due to inflation and are constantly changing. Students discuss the most commonly used programs and how they should be improved.

tend to get frustrating.

“I don’t like how sometimes the rewards expire,” Koulouris said. “If you don’t spend your stars by a certain time, they expire.”

Neskovic shares a similar sentiment.

“The downside of it is if you don’t use it in a certain amount of time, you start over and it goes back to zero,” Neskovic said. “Trying to get up to getting free merchandise takes around…three weeks.”

As for more food-related programs, many students were found to be signed up for Chick-fil-A.

“I like the point and the reward system, because they rack up really quickly and the points are pretty cheap,” Koulouris said.

While Neskovic is also a fan of the points per dollar ratio, she said she feels that it does have some flaws of its own.

“[I’d like] if [Chick-fil-A] had more options like get a free kids meal,” Neskovic said. “It’s more only to get a free sandwich, not a meal.”

Panera is another popular choice.

“For Panera Bread, obviously, it’s the free drinks that come with it. You can go up at any moment and just get a free drink,” Koulouris said. “When you want to study or just need a

little pick me up, [it’s nice].”

Loyalty programs are also popular when it comes to retail stores such as Macy’s. For freshman Sai Siddhardh Pamidi, this is one of his family’s most used programs of which they enjoy the deals that are offered.

“Definitely the discounts,” Pamidi said. “Since my parents are subscribed to the loyalty program, we receive newsletters and coupons in our mail.”

However, as for these mail-in coupons, they are not always convenient, according to Pamidi.

“I would prefer if Macy’s had an emailing system, because sometimes when we’re busy we can’t go to our mailbox to check,” Pamidi said.

Other students have found a convenient loyalty program at the school through the Devils’ Roast coffee shop. The Devils’ Roast offers a punch card to its students.

After students receive a certain amount of punches in a row, they will receive rewards in exchange. When asked if she would consider getting a punch card from the Devils’ Roast, Koulouris said she would likely not.

“No because I don’t like coffee and I haven’t really had a chance to try many of the drinks there,” Koulouris said. “But I know a lot of people go there every day and I feel like that

would be something they’d be interested in.”

As for how the punch card should work, some students disagree on whether it should be an online system or simply just a physical card.

“I feel like it’d be better online because we’re more tech savvy and I feel like kids are going to lose the card,” Neskovic said.

However Pamidi stays with the belief that “A physical card is the best way to go.”

While the programs have grown in popularity, students who use them had suggestions to help to improve these programs based on their experiences.

“I think I would suggest having more products and making it easier to know how to get the rewards,” Neskovic said. “Just making it more consumer-friendly.”

Users stressed how the companies that offer the programs should make them more accessible and easy to use for customers. By doing this, customers will visit these shops much more often and improve the success rate of these programs significantly.

As for actually changing these loyalty programs, it seems that some stores are already on their way to do so.

According to an article published by Retail Dive, several stores have been implementing changes to their loyalty programs to better accommodate customers’ needs as a result of “higher shopper expectations.”

These retailers are actively working to make sure that their programs are the best that they can be for their customers. So, if you are worried about these programs having too many flaws, just keep in mind that changes are on the way.

“I would suggest having more products and making it easier to know how to get the rewards...just making it more consumer-friendly.”

- Marija Neskovic

Devils’ Roast employee hands punch card to a student in the Hindsdale Central Commons.

GRIT Through the Seasons

A look at Hinsdale Central’s academic teams and competitive clubs that competed this month.

by Annie Koziel and Samrah Syed

At Hinsdale Central, the importance of GRIT is greatly emphasized through the sports teams. Whether it’s the basketball players or the track and field runners, at the beginning of their seasons, athletes are given a GRIT shirt to signify the hard work and effort they are about to put into their sports, and “Red Devil GRIT” is heard practically every day. However, academic teams have also been showing GRIT through their seasons. Many of the academic clubs at Hinsdale Central, such as Scholastic Bowl, Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Business Professionals of America (BPA), Model UN, and Science Olympiad, have had a successful year with many accomplishments. To highlight the accomplishments of these teams, here is how these teams have been showing #GRIT.

Scholastic Bowl

Two separate tables, five players each and a moderator in the middle. The moderator reads “tossup” questions which are framed to be vague at first and get more specific as the time progresses. There is only one correct answer and players can buzz in at any time. It’s every person for themselves. One person presses the buzzer. If they get the tossup right, their team now gets a “bonus,” a three-part question focusing around one central theme. If they get it wrong, their team is “locked out” and cannot answer the tossup. Each match has about 20 to 24 of these tossups, and they last about 45 to 60 minutes. The pressure is on in cholastic bowl, and the Hinsdale Central team answered to it.

Scholastic bowl questions cover a wide range of academic subjects, such as history, science and literature. These subjects make up a majority of the tossups, but there are other categories as well such as geography, math, religion, mythology, philosophy and more. In order to prepare for these trivia questions, the team started practicing early in September for the upcoming competitions.

“In scholastic bowl, there is a conference season and then the IHSA state series,” said Alan McCloud, sponsor of scholastic bowl. The conference season is from October to January and the team played in six different Saturday tournaments and six different weeknight tournaments.

“We have not lost a conference game in three straight years,” said John Hines-Shah, captain of scholastic bowl. They ended the conference season at the Masonic Sectionals in which they placed 2nd. However, the end of the conference season was just the start of the

scholastic bowl team’s success. They won the IHSA Regional and Sectional competitions and qualified for state, where they placed seventh overall.

“We have been playing a lot of good teams, some of them are ranked top five in the nation,” McCloud said.

After the IHSA competitions, the team competed in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) Illinois State tournament. One of the many highlights of the season occurred during this competition.

“We beat Buffalo Grove, which is not only ranked top five in the nation, but they are the team that won NAQT State,” Hines-Shah said.

The scholastic bowl team is not done just yet. In May, a select few members from the varsity team will compete at NAQT Nationals, and in June they will participate in the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence (PACE) National Competition. Success has been shown by not just the varsity team, but all team members this season.

“A lot of the younger people on the team were getting better at [scholastic bowl] as the season progressed, and it was clear that people were improving,” Hines-Shah said.

Scholastic bowl will resume next year in the fall for anyone interested in joining.

John Hines-Shah 23’, Jiming Chen 23’, Jeffrey Liu 23’ hold up certificates after a bowl competition.

FCCLA

The Family Career and Community Leaders of America club at Hinsdale Central has had a successful year with a focus on exploring various aspects of family and consumer sciences. FCCLA allows students to participate in a range of activities including cooking, sewing, crafts, and community outreach events. The season progresses with two competitions, a regional and a state competition, which include different events ranging from culinary to interior design, sewing, fashion construction, and speaking events.

“It’s nice to get to meet other people at the competitions who are really creative and see the different things people have made,” said Toral Bhatt, sewing project director of

FCCLA.

Bhatt participated in the event Apparel Construction and Casual Wear and in the regional competition, she received Gold.

An FCCLA competition typically involves either a prepared presentation where students explain what they have made, or they answer questions from the judges.

For the clothing events, competitors wear their designs and everyone is given the opportunity to see all the unique pieces that people have made.

Bhatt designed a gray button-down shirt which she worked on over a couple weeks in class as well as outside of school.

“I made [the shirt] for practical reasons but I decided to submit it because I was really

proud of how the craftsmanship turned out and its construction,”Bhatt said.

Students are given the opportunity to showcase their talents through these competitions.

Bhatt also self-drafted a pattern for a vest this year.

“There is a lot of creative freedom in FCCLA,” Bhatt said. She explained how in FCCLA, students can design or create whatever they want, and this is a testament to the hard work and creativity of its members.

Photo by Toral Bhatt

Photos by Zuzanna Sokolowski

Business Professionals of America

Students walk the halls, sporting their best suits and professional attire, and, of course, their competition name badge. They make their way to events like Personal Finance Management, Java Programming, Podcast Production, Interview Skills, and Health Administration Procedures. Some rehearse their presentations while others finish some last-minute studying. This is a Business Professionals of America, or BPA, competition.

Hinsdale Central’s BPA team had 61 members compete at the State Competition in February, and this month 25 of them will compete in the National Competition.

“There are over 60 events among six categories,” said Ken Shum, BPA sponsor and Business Education teacher. “These events are either Non-judged or Judged.”

Non-judged events are “objective,”

with individual tests involving formatting documents, writing codes, etc.

For judged events, “students prepare a presentation (podcast, news broadcast, website design, video production, marketing plan, business plan, financial analysis, interview, etc.),” according to Shum.

For each competition, students have to review and come prepared - that means professional attire, promptness, and “business setting” communication. They have a mentor to prepare them for the competition, but ultimately it comes down to the students, who learn valuable skills from the experience.

“I really like that BPA gives you hands-on experience to apply business to a competitive scale,” said Nicole Hu, member and president of BPA. “It teaches you how to work on a team, improve presentation skills, and gain other important life skills.”

Science Olympiad

Science Olympiad, a science-based competitive club that competes in events in pairs or trios, competes from November to April.

“We attend invitational competitions four times, a regional competition and a State competition,” said Jon Schmidt, Science Olympiad coach and Technology Education teacher. “Students compete in 23 various events that could entail chemistry, engineering & building events, physics events, experimentation design projects, anatomy & physiology and many many more.”

Invitational events occur each month, with the Regional competition in March, and this year the State competition is the weekend of April 21 at University of IllinoisUrbana Champaign.

“Students meet every other week from September through April to practice and build their events,” Schmidt said. “ We meet after school for just about two hours each meeting. Students make event binders and do research. They will also look back at previous tests to see what they got right and wrong to practice for future events.”

Once competition day rolls around, up

to 30 students meet at Central at 6:00 a.m., prepare what they need, and get on the bus to the competition.

From 8:00 to 3:00, those students compete in their various events, which can involve projects, presentations, or written tests; then around 4:30 awards are announced and students are back at school around 6:00 p.m., according to Schmidt. This season, the team has seen much success in those competitions.

“A highlight from this season is when the varsity team placed 4th at regionals, qualifying for state,” said Amy Chen, sophomore. Schmidt added, “We have taken two teams to invitationals and regional all season and students earned many medals in their events. We will be attending state with a full Varsity roster of 15 and 1 alternate [on April 21 for state].”

Throughout the long practices and competitions, the team has gotten close and created a positive environment.

“I think the group meetings and teamwork at competitions have created some friendships between many students though because of their events which is great to see,” Schmidt said. Those friendships, combined with a

Photo by Ken Shum

The National qualifiers will compete April 26-30 in Anaheim, Calif.

deeper dive into specific science subjects, are what make Science Olympiad fun for many students.

“I enjoy being part of the team because the events are often different from the typical science we learn in class and preparing for them is fun and enriching,” Chen said. “I stay in Science Olympiad because of the positive team environment and the fun we have at competitions.”

Model United Nations

On April 13-16, Hinsdale Central’s Model United Nations team attended the Northwestern University Model United Nations (NUMUN) conference.

“Model UN is a club which educates about and simulates the United Nations,” said Zoeya Khan, senior team member. “Students can learn about geopolitics in numerous different fields and develop diplomacy, speaking, and critical thinking skills.”

The season begins in the fall with meetings to prepare students for their competitions. This involves procedures for conferences, writing and speaking skills, and anything they might need in MUN events. Then from October to April, they attend conferences at various schools and participate in either General Assembly or Crisis events. These conferences can be anywhere from one to four days long, so team bonding is an integral part of the experience.

“The major highlights would definitely be the free nights we have during four days,” Khan said. “When there are no committee sessions, we’re free to hang out with our club members and bond.”

Sophomore Daniel Peev agreed with Khan.

“I joined Model UN because I wanted to learn more about the issues around the world as well as make new friends. Furthermore, I

enjoy our conferences, especially if they are overnight,” Peev said.

The team won multiple awards at NUMUN, including Honorable Delegate for Rianna Amin, Naina Kapur, and Srisha Mundada, and Diplomacy Delegate for Zoeya Khan and Imran Husain. Members of the team have won various other awards throughout the season. Khan said that she initially joined to add the activity to her college applications.

“But I stay because I love working with and meeting new people, public speaking, and problem solving,” Khan said. “Also, the friends I’ve made through the club are some of the most valuable to me. I also like getting awards because I slay at MUN.“

Photos by Anjika Kumar

“I stay because I love working with and meeting new people.”

-Zoeya Khan

Photos by Ann Haarlow

This Month During...

By Maya Barakat & Maryum Shaik

Throughout

As April unfolds, a diverse array of religious observances mark the calendar for millions worldwide. From Easter celebrations, which honor the resurrection of Christ, to the sacred practice of abstinence by Muslims in Ramadan, this month is filled with spiritual holidays. In addition to Passover, a Jewish holiday commemorating the liberation of Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, these religious holidays allow the members of the variety of religions to meditate on their faith and connect with their communities as well as fundamental principles of their faith.

This year, the three Abrahamic religions all share a month of spiritual and religious connection. Ramadan took place from March 22 to April 20. Similarly, Easter and Passover both occurred during the same time period. Easter took place April 9, while Passover took place between April 5 and April 13.

Ramadan

Ramadan is most often recognized as the month where Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. During this month, Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset and attempt to get closer to their faith by praying more, fasting, and trying to be a better person overall. In addition, many participate in a special prayer throughout the night called Taraweeh that is prayed in a group, often at a mosque.

For many, these religious and spiritual acts serve as an opportunity to get closer to their faith and connect with their religious communities. Those who reserve Ramadan celebrate by doing these spiritual and religious acts while trying to create a sense of discipline and control over one’s body. This month serves as a reminder of God and a reminder of what the less fortunate go through.

Sofia Rahman, a teacher in the history department, remarks on the significance of this month for Muslims around the world.

“Ramadan is one of the five pillars of faith for Muslims and we believe that the Quran was finished being revealed during this month,” Rahman said.

Rahman also explains how she and her family celebrate Ramadan.

“Just like Christmas or Hanukkah, there are traditional foods that people may specifically eat during this month. For example, it is tradition to break your fast with a date,” Rahman said. “My family also has a wide variety of foods that we enjoy specifically during Ramadan like fruit chaat (mixed fruits), pakoray (breaded fried vegetables), cholay (chickpeas), and lassi (yogurt smoothie).”

Towards the end of Ramadan, Muslims look forward to a holiday called Eid. Eid marks the end of Ramadan and is a three-day celebration for the fasting done throughout the month. It often involves gathering to eat with their family and friends and celebrating their hard work during Ramadan. This year, Eid takes place on April 21-23.

“Eid celebrations differ from family to family. Some may begin the day by going to the mosque for a special prayer and then go off to meet family and friends. Kids may receive gifts or money as well,” Rahman said. “There’s usually a ton of food involved too.”

the month of April, students and staff take part in a variety of spiritual celebratons

assover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is a week-long Jewish holiday taking place on April 5 to April 13. The holiday serves to commemorate the liberation of Hebrews in ancient Egypt from slavery. Passover is celebrated by engaging in special prayer services, abstention from work, and a special meal called cedar. Cedar involves special foods that commemorate the Hebrew’s liberation, such as hard- boiled eggs, greens, herbs, salt water, herbs, and more. In addition, followers of Judaism are forbidden to eat, drink, or own chametz-food that is made from grain, such as barley or wheat, and water. To avoid these foods, Jewish people thoroughly cleanse their home in preparation for Passover.

PPassover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is a week-long Jewish holiday taking place on April 5 to April 13. The holiday serves to commemorate the liberation of Hebrews in ancient Egypt from slavery. Passover is celebrated by engaging in special prayer services, abstention from work, and a special meal called cedar. Cedar involves special foods that commemorate the Hebrew’s liberation, such as hard- boiled eggs, greens, herbs, salt water, herbs, and more. In addition, followers of Judaism are forbidden to eat, drink, or own chametz-food that is made from grain, such as barley or wheat, and water. To avoid these foods, Jewish people thoroughly cleanse their home in preparation for Passover.

Ava Pena, junior, notes the importance of Passover to the Jewish community.

Ava Pena, junior, notes the importance of Passover to the Jewish community.

“Passover is a Jewish holiday celebrating our independence,” Pena said. “We celebrate by having a cedar, which is a big dinner where we eat food that holds specific meanings to each story of how we got our freedom. For example, we dip parsley in salt water because the salt water represents the tears that people shed so we can be empathetic and know what it felt like when we didn’t have our freedom.”

“Passover is a Jewish holiday celebrating our independence,” Pena said. “We celebrate by having a cedar, which is a big dinner where we eat food that holds specific meanings to each story of how we got our freedom. For example, we dip parsley in salt water because the salt water represents the tears that people shed so we can be empathetic and know what it felt like when we didn’t have our freedom.”

For Pena and many other Jewish families, Passover can serve as a time to connect with each other.

For Pena and many other Jewish families, Passover can serve as a time to connect with each other.

“I like to think of Passover as a Jewish thanksgiving. We get together and eat dinner with family. It is a time to spend lots of time together. My family brings everyone together. It includes my grandmother (and her aid), my sister and her partner, and my parents,” Pena said.

“I like to think of Passover as a Jewish thanksgiving. We get together and eat dinner with family. It is a time to spend lots of time together. My family brings everyone together. It includes my grandmother (and her aid), my sister and her partner, and my parents,” Pena said.

Easter

Easter

PhotobyGretaDani

PhotobyGretaDani

Passover

Passover

aster is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Christ three days after his death by crucifixion. This year, Easter took place on April 9. During this day, many Christians engage in prayers, sunrise service, and all-night vigil.

EEaster is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Christ three days after his death by crucifixion. This year, Easter took place on April 9. During this day, many Christians engage in prayers, sunrise service, and all-night vigil.

Many celebrate through Church services, family meals, the famous Easter egg decoration which symbolizes new life and rebirth, as well as gift giving. For many churches, Easter marks the end of Lent (the 40 day period before Easter where Christians fast, often giving up meat) and serves as a celebration. Easter is considered the most holiest day of the year for Christains. For Easter Sunday dinners thyey are mostly spent eating ham, potatoes, corn, green beans, and asparagus.

Many celebrate through Church services, family meals, the famous Easter egg decoration which symbolizes new life and rebirth, as well as gift giving. For many churches, Easter marks the end of Lent (the 40 day period before Easter where Christians fast, often giving up meat) and serves as a celebration.

Easter is considered the most holiest day of the year for Christains. For Easter Sunday dinners thyey are mostly spent eating ham, potatoes, corn, green beans, and asparagus.

Jemima Cerezo, junior, describes how she celebrates Easter.

Jemima Cerezo, junior, describes how she celebrates Easter.

“During Easter my family usualy goes out to eat and then we go to the church Sunday morning,” Cerezo said. “We then go and meet up with family and do tranditonal activities like egg hunting.”

“During Easter my family usualy goes out to eat and then we go to the church Sunday morning,” Cerezo said. “We then go and meet up with family and do tranditonal activities like egg hunting.”

The Moment

On April 21 and 22, the drama department put on the mustical Urinetown. Directed by English teacher Chris Kostro, the production included various songs and dances, including the opening number in this shot of Urinetown.

photoby AlexOlguin

battleground

Sahs and Gupta debate whether or not the social media app TikTok should be banned. With Montana becoming the first state to put forth a law to ban the app on April 14, other states may follow suit.

Michael Sahs

be deceived. It is our right to act on deceptive information, and it is our right to give our data away to the Chinese government (assuming we are not ourselves security assets or somesuch.)

The government can absolutely advise us strongly not to engage with such information, not to engage with spyware, but they cannot, and should not, stop us. The app is itself controlled by a hostile power, but that gives us no right to ban it. It’s not proper to restrict the citizens in such a way.

In terms of addiction, we must not discriminate against TikTok specifically. Instagram and Youtube notably have similar features to the system TikTok uses, being Reels and Shorts respectively. If we cannot justify banning TikTok based on its affiliation with foreign government, and we must ban it, we must also place heavy restrictions on all future social media content delivery systems.

TikTok is an inherently addictive app. TikTok probably harvests your data and sends it to the Chinese government, and it is built to harvest just as much data as it can. That is a bad thing. However, a ban on TikTok is worse.

It is our right as Americans and as human beings to engage with whatever information we see fit, and it is our right to deceive and

Social media companies have claimed that their apps democratize communication and allow for unprecedented freedom of expression among their users. However, with the benefits of social media comes undeniable consequences; namely, misinformation, national security threats, and deleterious mental health effects. And TikTok, the viral video-sharing app with 1.5 billion users, has served as the most combustible combination of social media’s harms. With a potential ban on the app on Congress’ doorstep, it is clear that we must ban TikTok in the United States to help Americans.

According to The Washington Post’s Craig Timberg in 2020, TikTok was one of the primary platforms used by Russian operatives to spread false information about COVID-19 in the United States. Because young people disproportionately use TikTok, Timberg argues, this misinformation may have to lead an unnecessary increase in coronavirus cases spread by young Americans.

Furthermore, researchers at NewsGuard, a firm that studies misinformation, found that 20% of all “top stories” searches on TikTok contained misinformation on a plethora of

My companion says that this “threatens American hegemony and order.” But if American hegemony and order cannot withstand a video-sharing app, especially one in which most of the content is produced by citizens of its allies, what is it worth? If we must destroy it outright, what good are we when a serious threat appears? We cannot just eliminate the threat- we must instead convince the majority that this is not worth having. We cannot rule with a heavy hand, but instead with a convincing voice. If our citizens give their information to China, and we cannot convince them not to do this, that’s on us. We have failed, and we need to acknowledge that we have failed.

issues like election security, mass shootings, and vaccines. When TikTok only emboldens unfettered misinformation, can we honestly allow it to be used by millions of Americans?

When TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress last month, the most pressing concern policymakers had was on national security. And rightfully so: TikTok threatens American hegemony and order. Currently, TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance–a company that has strong ties to the adversarial Chinese Communist Party. Considering that China is our foremost global rival, it is imperative that we stop them from collecting personal data on Americans.

However, an article from Forbes in 2022 explains that TikTok openly admitted to collecting “location information” like IP addresses from its users for relatively vague reasons. In America, free enterprise and open markets are important; however, they must never come at the cost of harming the privacy of the Americans they claim to serve.

A report by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK found that social media platforms like TikTok can have a negative impact on mental health, including feelings

Nothing that looks like TikTok could ever be allowed again. That’s not fair, that’s not proper of a nominally free market. If we focus on mental health, we just need to ban social media. Instead of banning social media, perhaps it would be better to address and treat the mental health issues of the people who suffer under social media. It’s not just social media bringing them to that point- it’s the state of the world generally.

People are depressed and anxious because society is depressed and anxious. These problems are not solely because of social media, and I’d argue that even if we could somehow eliminate social media and its influence on mental health, nothing significant would change.

A ban is inneffective and tyrannical.

of anxiety, depression, and poor body image. This all comes at a time when depression and anxiety rates among young Americans are at all-time highs–and policymakers should do whatever they can to keep our youth safe.

TikTok–and its cutting-edge algorithm–should be applauded for innovating social media and the possibilities of mobile content creation. However, the harms simply outweigh the benefits which creates a necessity for a ban on TikTok.

Ajay Gupta

What are you most looking forward during the month of May?

Overhead at Central

Walking these strange halls, what might one hear? Submissions based on a Google Form emailed to all students.

Alayna Mohammed, Freshman

"I’m looking foward to seeing my friends.”

“My favorite f-word is factoring!”

Anna Deppe, Sophomore

“I don’t know where my notes went. Maybe they blew away.”

"I don’t make money, but I spend it!”

“You better watch your mouth because I’m going to zap you ZZZZZZ! every time you open your mouth!”

“She said that he said she was so orange, that he didn’t want to go to prom with her.”

“Can’t wait for the College Board to find out I mentioned one of the math problems in the ‘caf’.”

“The void calls and I answer.”

Evan

"I’m excited for water polo sectionals.”

A.J. Golo, Junior

"I’m excited for the cultural fair and to see all the pictures of prom dresses.”

Carlson, Senior "I’m looking foward to finally committing to college.”

by taylor Levin

Favorite outdoor activity?

Top 5 Responses

favorite flower

Best Local Spot for Springtime

1. Fullersburg Woods

2. Katherine Legge Memorial Park

3. Downtown Hinsdale

4. Oakbrook Center

5. The Morton Arboretum

warnings

OnFebruary 27, 2023, tornado sirens sounded throughout DuPage County. Ryan Maita, the assistant principal for operations at Hinsdale Central came over the p.a. system and instructed students and staff to go into the hallways to shelter due to the tornado warning.

However, this tornado warning did not affect Hinsdale. It was over ten miles away in Naperville and points north. So why did the school go into shelter for a tornado warning that had no impact on the school? It is because of misunderstandings of the tornado warning process that is pervasive throughout the entire country.

In a survey sent to all Hinsdale Central students and staff, only 10% of 227 respondents stated that they knew how storm-based warnings work, most believing that tornado warnings are issued by county. However, tornado warnings are issued for small segments of counties called polygons.

“A tornado is small, a county is huge; you don’t need to warn an entire county for a tornado,” said James Spann, the chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40, a station based in Birmingham, Ala., where Spann has said he deals with many tornado situations. “We issue the warning for a small part of the county based on those polygons and if you are in the polygon, you respect that and take shelter, and if you’re not, don’t worry about it.”

This tendency to misunderstand how the polygon system works is worsened by the fact that the tornado sirens sound throughout the entire county, even if only a small portion is under a warning.Tornado sirens are often seen as the main way much of the public gets tornado warnings. In the survey, more than 85% of respondents said that tornado sirens were the primary way they got tornado warnings.

“It’s absolutely terrifying,” Spann said. “I don’t know who comes up with the idea that you have to hear some magical, World War II air raid siren in your house during a raging storm. If you think you’re going to hear a siren before a tornado, you have no hope, we can’t help you.”

Spann says that the reliance on sirens is called the siren mentality.

“The siren mentality is the idiotic notion that you’re going to hear some air raid siren,” Spann said. “There have been so many people that have died on my watch, I want to climb up those poles, take those things down and burn them, and that way you know you can’t hear them.”

According to Spann, the only purpose that sirens serve is to reach people outdoors. The piece of equipment that Spann says all homes should have is a weather radio. According to the survey conducted by Devils’ Advocate, only 0.4% of respondents said they had a weather radio. Weather radios are operated by NOAA and warnings are sent by transmitters that are separate from cell service. When a tornado warning is issued the radio sounds a loud alarm to indicate the tornado.

“It’s like a smoke alarm in your house for a tornado,” Spann said. “I know what everybody is thinking, ‘I’ve got a cell phone,’ and they’re fine. But during a tornado emergency, one of the first things that’s going to stop working is cell service and that fancy phone you’ve got becomes a brick. A weather radio has nothing to do with cell service, it’s an independent RF network and it’s extremely reliable.”

You can use personal cell phones to receive automated warnings, called Wireless Emergency Alerts, which work through cell service. If the cell tower your phone is connected to is in the warning, the phone sounds a loud alarm. However, on Feb. 27, no phones at Hinsdale Central went off.

“None of our phones went off, so we had no clue and we couldn’t hear the alarm [siren] from where we were sitting; somebody came in, got me and said, ‘Hey, the tornado warnings are going off’,” Maita said.

While the administration did not realize it at the time, the school was never under a tornado warning. The reasoning for going into shelter was for safety reasons.

“We just wanted to err on the side of caution and make sure all of our kids were safe,” Maita said.

However, Spann says that going into shelter for a tornado on the other side of the county is not necessary, since the polygon system allows for a great amount of error.

“What that does, it gives the illusion of false alarms,” Spann said. “I see this over and over, people will go through their tornado plan, they’ll get into a small room on the lowest floor and they’ll huddle up there for 15 minutes and nothing happens. And they go ‘it’s another false alarm.’ when in reality they were never in the polygon.”

Before taking action one must check if they are actually in the warning. If you are in the warning you need to be ready to take action.

Most people understand that they have to go to a small room, on the lowest floor, near the center, away from windows, but Spann says that you must have some additional materials.

“You’ve got to have a helmet for everybody, the number two reason people die in tornadoes [after the siren mentality] is lack of helmet use,” Spann said. “Most people that die in tornadoes is blunt force trauma above the shoulder region, and by putting on a cheap bicycle helmet, a motorcycle helmet, a batting helmet, a football helmet, that greatly mitigates your chance of losing your life.”

Spann also recommends hardsoled shoes and a portable air horn.

“If you have to walk over a tornado debris field, and if you’ve got on tennis shoes or socks, your feet will be shredded,” Spann said. “And then we’d like for people to have a portable air horn. Maybe you’ve been lofted or first responders are coming and they don’t even recognise the neighborhood and you’ve been injured. You can’t vocalize your need for help, you can’t force air through a whistle, but you can squeeze that airhorn.”

When armed with multiple reliable ways to get tornado warnings and a plan in place of what to do and where to go, you can be safe in a tornado.

More information is needed to understand tornado watches and

photo by Cherise Lopez