Devils' Advocate January 2023

BattlegroundContributors

Ajay Gupta

Michael Sahs

ClubContributors

Jenna Feng

Samrah Syed

Kaan Turkyilmaz

Leah Packer

Evan Kurimay

SectionEditors

Sehan Alam

Maya Barakat

Jeffrey Birnbaum

CopyEditors

Caroline Petersen

Maryum Shaik

Editor-in-Chief

Taylor Levin

ManagingEditors

Annie Koziel

Alex Olguin

DesignEditor

Anjika Kumar

As the new year is upon us, in this month’s issue, we attempt to get students excited about the start of 2023. In the infographic survey, students and faculty provide insight on their winter break and how they enjoyed it. Many spent time in downtown Chicago, making the best of the snow and cold.

Keeping students updated on school matters is necessary, and in the “AP Euro” profile, readers will learn about the teachers in charge of this college-level course for sophomores.

Learn more about football player Jackson Lindsey, in the Sports Q&A.

The profile piece on Arjun Shah, junior, talks about his accomplishments, such as being an All State Musician for Choir.

The “New Year’s Resolutions” feature highlights ways to change habits in light of the new year, and will hopefully inspire readers to become the best version of themselves.

The journalism industry is always on the move, and you can learn more about it in the “Women in Journalism” feature.

With finals approaching, there have been a lot of opinions regarding if finals should be required for students with an 89.5% in class. Check out the editorial to learn more about Hinsdale Central finals.

Finally, our battleground writers debate whether e-learning days should be eliminated for snow days.

We hope you enjoy 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 Sehan Alam

LetterfromtheEditor

Around Campus News

Kicking off the New Year

Thenew year has always been a bittersweet time for everyone. It’s the celebration of one chapter ending, but also the anticipation of an exciting new beginning.

“This semester has just felt so long, and it’s technically not even over yet, but I am excited to have some time off to relax before finishing it off,” said John Hines Shah, senior.

Throughout December, students and staff celebrated the end of 2022 with some merry festivities.

On Dec. 3, the annual Christmas Walk kicked off the holiday season with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Burlington Park in Hinsdale. Carnival rides, including the carousel and the trackless train, were especially popular among students. Street vendors lined Washington Street in downtown Hinsdale, with small businesses passing out discounts and holiday treats. The holiday spirit continued throughout December with New Year’s Celebrations.

Brookfield Zoo celebrated Zoo Year’s Eve with the confetti cannon to ring in the new year.

In Glen Ellyn, the annual McAninch Arts Center Concert took place at the Belushi Performance Hall and Kirk Muspratt

conducted some festive holiday music.

In Hinsdale, restaurants such as Il Poggiolo and Lucille participated in the celebrations with New Year’s menu items. Il Poggiolo curated a special menu for children and adults and Lucille served a decadent multi-course dinner. After some the special meals at these restaurants, families enjoyed walking around Hinsdale and looking at holiday decorations.

Along with this, Central students showed that this is the season of giving by volunteering at the Hinsdale Public Library to help out with the NYE With the Kiddos event. The little kids played various games, won many prizes, and took part in a special countdown to noon.

“Giving back to the community is always a good way to start the new year,” said Sameea Patel, freshman.

Students and staff ended 2022 on a joyful note, and here is one way to continue the winter spirit into 2023.

The Burns Field Ice Rink located in Willowbrook will be opening as soon as the weather kicks into the snowy holiday spirit.

Along with this, the Warming Hut is tentatively scheduled to open on Jan. 7, and will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6

p.m., as long as the rink is open. Students can indulge in skating with friends and family and then warm up by a cozy fire, while sipping on several cups of hot chocolate.

“Every year, my friends and I go out on the rink the very first day it opens. After falling dozens of times and laughing at our terrible ice skating skills, we love to just sit down and enjoy some hot chocolate afterward,” said Ayla Mushtaq, sophomore.

As the semester comes to a close, students and staff have not only reminisced about 2022, but also kicked off the new year.

With 2022 and the holiday season coming to an end, 2023 and the rest of winter seems bright.

Downtown Hinsdale hosts an annual Christmas Walk featuring a tree lighting ceremony, street vendors and carnival rides throughout December.

Sophomores Srisha Mundada, Alina Patel and Sahil Jain enjoy one of the local festivals in Hinsdale during the December holiday season.

Inflation during the Holidays

Hinsdale Central students find ways to manage inflation during the season of gift-giving.

by jenna feng & leah packer

Whether it’s for White Elephant with classmates, exchanging presents with relatives, or treating themselves to a gift, shopping is an essential part of the holiday season for many students. Though gift-giving can be exciting, most are finding that the recent increase in prices are far from that. As inflation rises, people are forced to be a little more careful with their annual holiday shopping. As a result, students have developed different strategies that help deal with this issue while still maintaining a festive holiday spirit.

Inflation has been affecting the economy for many years, but prices have especially skyrocketed after the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, many manufacturers were slowed or even shut down due to quarantine, which caused severe supply chain issues. These difficulties raised costs for production, materials, and labor, pushing prices to go up significantly year by year.

A popular holiday for many shoppers and

students at Hinsdale Central was Black Friday. However, this year, inflation changed the shopping market. According to CNBC, retail sales fell 0.6% in November, as people were becoming more strategic with what they were buying.

“After Covid, I go to the mall less and do more online shopping,” said Husna Qazi, sophomore.

This trend is reflected nationally beyond Hinsdale Central, as online shopping sales have increased while in-person shopping seems to be on a decline. Some students still enjoy traditional forms of shopping like going in person to stores, though.

“I actually prefer in person shopping; it’s more fun,” said Alysha Haverkos, senior.

Another popular time for students to shop is around the winter holidays, as many people want to enjoy the festive season and give gifts to loved ones. Some students participate in Secret Santa or small gift exchanges with their

friends to celebrate the season and beginning of break.

“I end up buying gifts for close friends and family,” said Kacy Liu, sophomore.

Holiday shopping is certainly still big this year, but as with Black Friday, some things have changed. People are more careful with what they buy and are focused on quality over quantity. Couponing and the surge of online deals has increased; people are searching to save money while still getting great gifts.

Despite inflation, holiday gifting can be a great way to express your appreciation for someone. Whether a big gift or small, the impact of sharing can truly make someone’s day. Making homemade gifts is another great option that saves money, and makes a gift customizable and special.

Inflation increases during holiday season.

photo by Caroline Petersen

Devils in Play

The Dale Prevails

Student runner Evan Kurimay retells the experience of running at one of the most prestigious events for runners in the country.

by Evan Kurimay designedby Caroline Petersen

It was a frosty and frigid day in Terre Haute, Ind. Ice covered the ground and winds were forceful. Select members of the Hinsdale Central Boys’ Cross Country team had a chance to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals if they placed well at Nike Cross Regionals.

Nike Cross National is a prestigious meet for high school cross country runners. But they had to perform well to do so.

But I knew the Hinsdale Central Boys Cross Country team, colloquially referred to as The Dale, had more on their minds than weather. The alternates and I had completed our race, and having gone to the starting line and said good luck, we knew our guys were locked in and ready to go.

My coaches, Noah Lawrence and James Westphal, had told us about the trip our cross country predecessors made out to Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore. back in 2013, and that our most important guys had fallen in the first part of the race, causing the Dale to finish last.

We all knew it was our time to shine.

We’d finished second in the Illinois ISHA cross country state championship behind a dangerous Plainfield South team by the slimmest of margins possible, which was hard on some of our runners.

This was a revenge race, where we and Plainfield South would fight for a spot to go to Nationals. Dan Watcke (senior), Aden Bandukwala (junior), Michael Skora (senior), Jesse Gamboa (senior), Max Lowe (Junior), Grant Miller (senior) and Nikita Kamenev (sophomore) toed the start line. As the starting pistol went off, the Dale were out like bullets.

James Gruber (senior), Aaron Doorhy (senior), Matthew Ferren (sophomore), Quinn Doorhy (sophomore), Cooper Revord (sophomore) and I were running to multiple spots around the course, struggling for a glimpse at this amazing race.

We saw all of our guys getting out good

and remaining in the top third of the race pack. Cheering and yelling at the top of our lungs, my teammates and I ran towards the long final stretch to the finish line.

All seven of the athletes in our team raced well, and as we all looked on Doorhy’s phone, we couldn’t believe it.

The Dale had finished first by a long shot.

We all ran over to the rest of the team in the finished building and screamed that they’d done it. The expressions by us, the guys racing, and the coaches will be something I remember for a long time. The sting from

When I asked Bandukwala about what was said in the final huddle, he said “I can’t remember, the adrenaline was so high at the time.”

As the starting gun went off, the top guys in the nation were out and out for blood. Going out in a 4:33 mile, siblings Lex and Leo Young of Newbury Park High School in California (no. 1 and no. 2 in the country, and no. 1 high school team in the country) were leading the pack, followed by their teammate Aaron Sahlman, who would go on to win the individual title in 14:44 for 5K.

After the updates came in for the team score, we were in second place. At the first mile of that race, The Dale was the second fastest team in. The. Country.

Thanks to Watcke and Bandukwala passing Leo Young, as well as amazing performances from Skora and Lowe, The Dale closed their historical season as eighth in the country. We went nuts as we all saw our team finish well, defending our Midwest title and beating the state champions Plainfield South for the second consecutive race.

finishing second at state was gone, as we beat our opponents and jumped for joy.

The team’s performance qualified themselves for Nationals in Portland, Ore., the running capital of the U.S., on Dec. 3.

But we had so much more to worry about now that they were on the national stage.

Having run with them in every practice, difficult workout, and long run, they had come a long way. We all had. The pressure was on. This was their chance to make up for the last place finish in 2013 and give a performance that could see them finish the highest that the Hinsdale Central cross country team has ever placed in their school’s history.

The alternate runners and I had turned on the livestream at my house, and we watched our teammates get introduced. Afterwards, we all watched, our eyes glued to the screen.

“After the race, being with the team and the coaches sharing the amazing moment, was so special,” Bandukwala said.

Our team’s performance after having run seasons longer than most athletes was simply amazing. Many 50+ mile weeks in intense heat at 7 a.m. for months and having not taken a break for almost six months was what it took to get there.

Despite some key members graduating this year, the junior and underclassmen runners at Nationals, among other Hinsdale Central athletes, will continue to run next year.

Photo courtesy of Evan Kurimay

Runners selected for Nike Cross Nationals celebrate their victory.

Q&AwithJacksonLindsey

From advice to biggest moments on the field, Lindsey discusses what brought him to play football.

by Jeffrey Birnbaum

comes out of players when they step on the football field.”

Q: What do you believe makes you a great athlete?

A: “Well, first of all, it depends on genetics and that sets you up for greatness also starting in the weight room and by eating right.”

Q: Why are you so passionate about playing football? Is it something from a personal level or team wise?

Jackson Lindsey on senior night.

In the month of December, I got the chance to sit down with Hinsdale Central athlete Jackson Lindsey. I asked Jack about his experience playing football in high school. Lindsey was more than willing to give interesting and quality answers.

Lindsey is currently in his senior year and competes on the varsity football team. Lindsey plays the defensive back position and has played the position since his freshman year.

Q: When did you start playing sports?

A: “When I was four. And I started playing soccer and moved to baseball and then I moved to football.“

Q: What is your favorite sport to play?

A: “Football because I love the team comradery and I love the fiery spirit that

A: “Playing football was fun because I knew the majority of players on the team and I had a bond with those players over time. It was a special moment for me.”

Q: Is there any coach or athlete that you look up to?

A: “My brother. Matt Lindsey (Coach Lindsey). He played at Central and taught me the ways and showed me what was expected of me.”

Q: Describe a moment in your athletic career where you faced a challenge and conquered it.

A: “ I have a heart condition. When I was diagnosed with it, I thought I’d never play again. It pushed me into a different direction that showed me more appreciation for the game of football.”

Q: What was your favorite

athletic moment at Hinsdale Central?

A: “Freshman year when we were playing Lyons Township and some kid did a reverse and it didn’t work and he cut back my way and I made a tackle for a huge loss.”

Q: What got you interested in playing football in high school?

A: “My parents pushed me into playing a sport and football was something really relatable to me.”

Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to upcoming players?

A: “If You get placed on the B team freshman year, that doesn’t mean anything for varsity. It just depends on who has more heart and determination.”

Q: What piece of advice stuck with you the most?

A: “Hips don’t lie. As a defensive back, you’re taught to read the ball carrier through the hips because the hips tell you everything you need to know.”

Q: What do your future plans look like?

A: “My football career has ended, but I would be open to anything in the future.” Edited for clarity and length.

Singing his way to All-State

Junior Arjun Shah wins All State

Musical title to make his way to a statewide performance.

ByMaryum Shaik and Maya Barakat

As Arjun stands on the stage, catching his breath after his performance, instantly he is reminded why he does this. His performance only increases his dedication and passion for the art. He reminds himself that this score is only a small part of his journey, and he can’t wait to perform again.

Arjun Shah, a junior, was recently named an All State Musician for Choir and is performing in the All State Musical.

To be awarded the title of All State Musician, students from Chicago and nearby prepare and practice five separate choral selections. They then submit a virtual application and go on to perform in the ILMEA district choir. Out of the participants, the top 5% are selected to perform in the All-State Choir along with hundreds of other singers from all over the state. The performance is scheduled to take place between Jan. 9 and Jan. 13 at Downers Grove

South High School.

“I was beyond excited to start the almost 6 month long journey ahead of me and take on an experience I had never come close to having before,” Shah said.

Shah receives a lot of support from his teachers and said he believes it led to his success.

“I know a lot of people who do theater all over and so many of my teachers have been encouraging this opportunity for me. I had help from the drama teachers here in submitting my application,” Shah said.

Central choir teacher Jennifer Burkemper describes why she believes Shah has been able to achieve this award, commenting on his natural ability and the work he puts into this skill.

“Arjun is a tenor and has a clear, resonant voice. He sings musically and reads well and those are the skills of a state singer,” Burkemper said.“Talent and practice are the combination for state singers and musicians in general.”

Shah spends several hours each weekend preparing for his upcoming performance.

“[My teacher and I] do about 30-35 hours of rehearsal one weekend a month,” Shah said.

Ritvi Khurana, a singer in the Women’s Chorale and a friend of Shah, also witnesses Shah’s hard work and praises his dedication and talent.

“He’s extremely talented and has a great tone. He also always hits the notes right on pitch and can sing extremely high, which is probably why he was picked for All-State and for All-State theater,” Khurana said. “He is a very hard worker and I know he’s in a lot of

activities involving music and theater all while making it look effortless.”

Although he received this significant award, Shah continues to further pursue his musical career and has much to look forward to in the future.

“I look forward to continuing my relationships with the countless talented actors and being able to continue this for the rest of my life,” Shah said.

When it comes to anyone who is thinking about singing, acting or just doing something they love, Shah encourages resilience. He warns of the hard path a passion may take you on, but reiterates how rewarding it is in the end.

“Go for it. There will be rejection, there will be failure, but it will all be worth it in the end because you’re doing something you love every day and working hard for it,” Shah said.

Photo given by Arjun Shah

Photo given by Arjun Shah

ArjunShahperformedasEnjolrasin thelocalproduction ofLesMiserablesinLaGrangeParkontheNazareth AcademystageJune23-25,2022.(bothphotos)

Takin’ Care of AP Euro, every day

Advanced Placement European History throws sophomores into the deep end during their first college level course.

by Alex Olguin

Students enter room 300 after school on a Friday. While most after school meetings are for clubs or sports, this meeting is academic. It is a review session for students in Christopher Freiler and John Naisbitt’s sections of AP European History. Freiler and Naisbitt explain how to approach various problems such as stimulus-based multiple choice encountered in the class. It is not normal for classes to have review sessions about how to answer test questions. This unusual review seccion is a tribute to the difficulty and rigor of the course.

AP European History, known as AP Euro by many students and teachers is often the first college-level course that students take, and it is designed to challenge students, growing their intellectual curiosity and communication skills.

AP European History is a college-level, Advanced Placement course following the College Board’s curriculum for a college level survey course on European history from the Renaissance to the present.

“You have to cover 20 plus countries between 1450 and the present, so there’s a lot of material to cover, but it’s also skill focused,” Freiler said.

The class has a high level of difficulty, especially as almost all students in the class are sophomores and have not taken an Advanced Placement course before.

“It’s relentless,” Naisbitt said. “I think the learning curve is very steep for some who have not really been asked to do that kind of deeper level analysis; so, some need to get acclimated to the driving pace.”

While the course is taken primarily by sophomores, it can also be taken by juniors and seniors. Freiler said the benefit of taking the class is the preparation that the class gives students in future AP and college classes.

“[AP Euro] introduces sophomores to the rigors of a college level class and to the kind of work that will be expected of them as an upperclassman and then also going into college,” Freiler said.

Students prepare for four types of questions on the AP test, stimulus-based multiple choice questions and three writing-based questions: short answer questions, long essay questions, and document based questions.

“You have to formulate an idea,” Freiler said. “You have to produce evidence to support your argument and you have to write towards a rubric…which I think makes it somewhat harder because it’s both content and skills.”

Students selecting AP Euro understand the potential difficulty of the class. Shreemann Patel, a student in Freiler’s class, said AP Euro is among the most difficult classes in the school, but the payoff is worth it.

“It is definitely one of my more challenging courses. It takes a lot of hard work, but that

doesn’t really detract from it because a lot of that is actually valuable learning,” Patel said.

Dana Karim said she also believes that the experience of the rigor of AP Euro has led to her growth as a learner.

“I definitely see that my writing skills have improved a lot already,” Karim said. “I also feel my speaking skills are also improving because it helps me get more succinct and understand exactly what I am going to say.”

Freiler recommends the course for students who want to transform who they are as learners and grow as thinkers.

“I think it can be a very transformative class for students,” Freiler said. “I think it can change the way in which they approach not only the specific discipline of history, but also change the way they act as a student and be much more self-reliant and responsible for their own education and learn how to study because the course puts this sort of pressure on you to do that.”

Naisbitt also encourages students to take AP Euro if they want to see improvement in

Photos by Alex Olguin

“It’s relentless.”

- John Naisbitt

their writing, communication and study skills.

“You have two teachers who are really willing to give writing exercises and willing to grade and give feedback on writing exercises, which I think are very valuable tools and very valuable exercises in becoming college ready,” Naisbitt said. “I am convinced that the student who takes AP Euro is more prepared, especially in the writing portion when they get to college.”

However, Freiler gave the distinction between the class helping students develop invaluable skills that will be useful in college and helping students get into college.

“If you’re just trying to curate your education and you’re just trying to pick out the classes that will give you the highest grade for the least amount of work so you can look like a good student who gets into a highly selective college, then maybe it’s not the kind of thing that you want to do,” Freiler said.

While Freiler acknowledges AP Euro is a hard class, he sees student growth come out in the challenges that students must face.

Instructor Fun Facts

30 years at Hinsdale Central

• On the College Board committee to redesign the AP Euro curriculum from 2006 to 2014

• Contributor to the AP Euro Course and Exam Description

• Was the Assistant Chief Reader for the AP Euro exam

• Author of “Achiever” an AP Euro review textbook

• Head Mock Trial coach since 2010

• Got 11 state championships in Mock Trial

• Wrote a college thesis on why Alexander Hamillton is better than Thomas Jefferson at the University of Virginia, a school Jefferson founded

• Co-sponsor of Citizen Club

• Gave a TEDx Talk on the importance of history

“In any class that you’re taking or any activity or sport that you do, just remember that at the end is when the champion comes out, the champion comes out when you’re tired, when you want to stop and when you want to quit,” Freiler said. “That’s when the heart of a champion is demonstrated.”

23 years at Hinsdale Central

• • Head varsity tennis coach for 13 years, winning seven titles

• Inducted into the University of Chicago Laboratory School’s Hall of Fame for basketball and soccer between 1976 and 1980

• Bowling coach at Hinsdale Central for 14 years

• Co-Sponsor of Citizen Club, which was formed after 9/11 to allow students to discuss current international and domestic issues.

Mr. Christopher Freiler

Mr. John Naisbitt

John Naisbitt and Christopher Freiler lead an after school review session.

New Year,

New You

Going into the New Year, many students have been creating goals for second semester, both personal and academic. But how exactly can students keep up with these goals? Students and staff from Hinsdale Central speak about creating and maintaining their goals.

ByAnjika Kumar and Sehan Alam

It’s that time of year again. Reaching the end of the semester, winter break, and the start of a new year. The weather gets colder day by day and you can feel the joy of the holidays, spending time with your family, shopping deals, and annual traditions. As the clock hand inches closer to 12 a.m. you and your family get together with close friends to watch the fireworks light up the sky. You can feel the excitement in the air as everyone starts to count down. 3…cameras are out, 2…the fuses are lit, 1…Happy New Year! Fireworks illuminate the dark sky as everyone laughs and hugs each other. This year is going to be amazing.

New Year’s resolutions are one of the biggest parts of entering the New Year. Students all around the school are preparing their resolutions with the hopes of an improved semester. It is a common trend that students only stick to their goals for a short period of time until they start to drift away from them, but how can students actually stick to these goals?

Senior London Maxwell has made her primary goal in 2023 to complete her work consistently before and during classes so she can enjoy them as much as possible.

“I really enjoy school and learning,” Maxwell said. “The best way to do that is always being on top of my work.”

Junior Blake Rogers is in a similar light and said he wants to focus more on his motivation to complete projects on time during the long term.

“I have always dealt with motivation and focus issues,” Rogers said.

Many students struggle with this issue and the first part of fixing it is recognizing that it is there, and teachers can help.

When it comes to academic goals, students need to learn strategies to stick to them. Teachers and staff help students not only create these goals but also help them stay committed to them.

“I think using check-ins [to stay

committed] with yourself [is how to start]; maybe it’s a reminder on your phone, once every week or two weeks, or somewhere where you’re going to see it often,” said Sally Belter, SEL Coach and Spanish teacher Students’ main goals for the new semester is typically to attain an A, but that also comes with the work.

“Kids will say my goal is to get an A, which is great. But how are you going to do it, what are the small steps you’re going to take,” Belter said. “But it’s also not in your control if you’re going to get an A, but it’s in your control to study 10 minutes a day or not miss any assignments.”

In high school, you are preparing for college, but there are also life lessons you may learn, which could potentially be more or equally as important as your education.

“I just think social and emotional learning is the most important thing we do in high school,” Belter said.

As for goals in their personal life, these students have set different sets of goals for themselves. Maxwell wants to focus on making the most out of every opportunity whether it be going to more school football games, going out for the track season, or enjoying time with friends.

Rogers has some similar goals. He wants to meet with his friends more and to not miss any opportunities whenever possible.

“I never really see my friends, so I would like to say hi or go out with them more,” Rogers said.

Alex Marco, freshman, wants to try and spend more time with family in the coming year.

“I find myself not spending time with my family usually,” Marco said.

On top of school and outside of school responsibilities, students have less time to spend with their families. In order to reduce this problem, it is a good idea to seek support to help manage your time better, whether this be in the form of rearranging

your schedule or even removing things from it. It’s important to prioritize the most important things in your life.

In addition to instruction, teachers are also here to work with students in a variety of ways. Teachers implement goal setting for their students inside of the classrooms to make students feel better for the new year and semester.

“I try to make sure we check in on them too, that’s the big thing,” Belter said. “A lot of times we’ll have a kid make a goal before they leave winter break and then before spring break hand the goal sheet back and ask how have you done.”

In the past, some of these students have learned from and created some of their own strategies to stick to their goals. Maxwell recommends setting restrictions for yourself and never giving up.

“Don’t give up what you want the most for what you want at the moment,” Maxwell said, citing something her track coach has instilled.

In 2021, Rogers learned a lot about his resolution to branch out more and make new friends.

“I lived in California at the time and I had about three or four friends,” Rogers said. “I moved here over the summer and now I have a lot more friends…and I’m a lot happier here.”

Rogers accomplished his goal by adopting a different mentality of taking more chances and not being as scared when new challenges arise.

The hardest part to a New Year’s resolution is not coming up with it, but rather how to actually commit to them. Instead of forgetting after a few days, create long term goals, but also create short term goals to slowly build up to it.

For example, wanting to go to the gym more. It can be very intimidating and unrealistic to start going every day. A few tips for this particular resolution could be to start off slow: going a few days a week, having your first few workouts being 30 minutes long, or

“ I just think social and emotional learning is the most important thing we do in high school.”- Sally Belter

having a friend guide you.

Gaima, an app for improving one’s tranquility, created a “Top 10” tips list for New Year’s resolution commitment. The top 3 consist of: being realistic, planning ahead, and having a proper outline. It’s a very usual predicament to forget about your resolutions so make this the year where you finally stick to them.

Senior London Maxwell enjoys some sparkling cider as she waits for the clock to strike at midnight.

“Don’t give up what you want the most for what you want at the moment.“

- London Maxwell

Photo Courtesy of London Maxwell

Headlines & Headway

With constant pushes for diversity, how has the experience of being a woman in journalism changed over the years?

by Annie Koziel

Photos by Annie Koziel

As 2023 begins, journalism stands in a very controversial space in the public eye. From social media news reporting to political influence to a push for more diverse voices to mis- and disinformation, American media is a very hot topic.

“The industry has done such a good job, and I say that fully sarcastically, reporting on its own struggles, that I don’t know that there are many people… who look at journalism and say… wow, this is a really promising field for me,” said Pam Lannom, editor and co-owner of The Hinsdalean. “You know, because there’s just so much bad news.”

With course selections this year, our Devil’s Advocate staff noticed a trend in the journalism staff at Hinsdale Central: both the Advocate and yearbook staffs are overwhelmingly female, even as much of the professional industry faces calls for increased diversity. At the beginning of 2021, The New York Times released a “Call to Action” and plan for facilitating and increasing diversity in their company at a time when diversity and inclusion were at the forefront of public awareness, and many other groups in the journalism industry and elsewhere pledged to increase diversity and opportunities for marginalized groups. Now, with the new year, it’s fitting to look back and see how far the journalism industry has come - and how far it still has to go.

The Pew Research Center released a report in June, which found that 67% of journalists in the United States think that their organization had enough diversity in gender, with 58% for age, 43% for sexual orientation and 32% for race and ethnicity.

bigger and bigger I began to understand that the opportunities that were there for many journalists were not there for journalists of color. At some papers, there was a perception that we were incapable of doing major stories, and so would never get those big assignments, and that’s often why you don’t see, even today, as many journalists of color breaking the big stories, and doing the big, long, pieces, because there’s a reluctance to offer us those kinds of stories.”

As the industry works toward more equality, representation and diverse voices, many argue the importance of acknowledging that it has come a long way.

“Everything’s the same and everything’s different,” said Lisa Napoli, journalist, author, and writer of Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie, a book about four of the women who brought National Public Radio into the public eye at a time when women in the workforce were a rare thing.

“Because so much of the dialogue is different today… When Susan [Stamberg]

was entering the work world, it was not a foregone conclusion that even a woman with a college degree, and that was not typical then, would enter the workforce… Then when you fast forward to when I entered the workforce in 1984… the big conversation was, how does a woman juggle everything… and not completely derail her career... Now, of course, today… I think people of your generation probably would look at that and would think that was kind of funny, or outdated or ridiculous,” Napoli said.

These changes have stemmed from decades of work from women in the journalism industry, including enduring discrimination and calling it out.

“Lynn Povich… wrote a book… about the women at Newsweek before I was there, [who] sued the magazine because women, no matter how talented they were, tended to get stuck just doing the fact checking and that sort of thing,” said Karen Springen, Assistant Professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and former Newsweek correspondent.

Springen continued, saying that Povich was brave for bringing the lawsuit. Even when Springen joined Newsweek in 1985, she said many women were not in high positions despite Povich winning the lawsuit.

And before the Newsweek lawsuits, the feminism and women’s liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s paved the way for female autonomy and women in the workforce.

“That’s why I love telling this story,” Napoli said. “Because it’s braided together, the stories of the four women, the creation

“There have always been challenges,” said Dahleen Glanton, a communications consultant and former columnist and reporter for the Chicago Tribune. “I didn’t realize them as much when I was just starting out, but as I progressed and went to papers that were Research courtesy of Pew Research Center

of NPR, and the… change in society. In many ways, those women personified the struggle that women who weren’t going to have these glamorous on-air radio jobs were experiencing. But they had the privilege that anybody who works in a public medium does, which is, people heard their voices. And so while they were doing that, while they were working to have their lives and have their careers, so many other people were working on the political spectrum to get women’s ability to have credit, for instance, or [to] take out a mortgage without a man cosigning it, to have reproductive rights, to have the freedom to choose not to get married.”

Napoli added how the women’s movement had a cultural stranglehold because even if women weren’t marching, the demand for change was bubbling up all around everyone.

According to Reuters, in 2020, women made up about 40% of journalists across “200 major outlets,” but only 23% of the top editors, and showed how “every single market covered has a majority of men among the top editors, including countries… where women outnumber men among working journalists.”

University of Chicago, and former Chicago Tribune reporter. “There weren’t a lot of women, there certainly weren’t a lot of women in the higher ranks of the newsroom, and I could’ve really used some mentoring or… just a little guidance, because I didn’t get any of that. Having said that, I’m sure it was a hundred times better an environment than someone who entered 10 years before that, 20 years before that, 30 years before that.”

my own pace. I love how it introduces me to people of all walks of life… [but] I think it’s because of the reputation, where yearbook and Devils’ Advocate are seen as… very flowery, and girly. That’s kind of what people see it as, and they see the face value and judge based on those stereotypes, and so… I think both staffs have such a high ratio of girls to guys because it’s seen as a very artistic and feminine and girly kind of class.”

However, these trends are leaps and bounds away from where they have been in the past.

“I would say that [the biggest change is that] women do have positions of power,” Springen said. “I mean, there’s a Medill alum… Julie Pace… she’s the editor-in-chief of the Associated Press. There’s a woman… named Sally Buzbee, who’s the editor-inchief of The Washington Post. Those are pretty big jobs, and that just wasn’t the case [in the past].”

Additionally, women now have more opportunities to choose their beats and paths in journalism, while in the past they may have been restricted to certain topics.

“I was very intimidated [when I started out],” said Heidi Stevens, columnist, Director of External Affairs at TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the

Stevens said she never felt pigeonholed into writing about certain topics or not working nights because of children, but said women a generation or two before her likely did.

“It always felt clear to me that I could pursue the beat that I was interested in,” Stevens said.

In contrast to the professional journalism industry, high school journalism at Hinsdale Central is very female-dominated and female-run.

“I would say the first couple of years, it was still mostly female but there was always a solid group of males,” said Erin Palmer, yearbook teacher and sponsor. “Really up until maybe the last five years, we had an all-female staff last year, this year we only have two males… For some reason women are just gravitating toward the class.”

Adding to Palmer’s take, senior and Editor-in-Chief Vinni Guo said, “It’s such a self-disciplined [class] and I get to run it at

For many students, journalism can also offer more control and creative freedom - a deliberate choice by the sponsors and teachers.

“I think it offers them a chance to make their mark and to control the narrative, when maybe they aren’t in control in other areas,” Palmer said. “I think that’s important particularly in high school where you’re constantly moving from class to class, that this one class, they are more in control of… how they want to run the class, how they want to - what kind of vibe they want the class to feel like, and it gives them a chance to be a power to make decisions.”

The Devil’s Advocate classroom at work.

“Everything’s the same and everything’s different.”

- Lisa Napoli

The Moment

While most of the holiday activities are over when January comes around, Chicago still has many places to visit during the cold months, like ice skating in Millennium Park. In this moment, EIC Levin visits the holiday tree while enjoying the skyscrapers in the background.

Holiday fun in the city

photo by taylor levin

battleground

Given how winter is in full swing, Sahs and Gupta debate the importance of the traditional snow day, as it has been replaced with e-learning and remote opportunities.

Michael Sahs

the poets imagine or dirty and disgusting like it often winds up being after staying by the road for too long. It’s really lacking this year.

As students, I think the most important part of snow for much of our lives has been the question of whether there will be enough snow on a given night to get us out of school the next day. I don’t think many of us hoped the answer to that would be no. However, not only has snow become less common, but snow days have become less common even relative to that. We just don’t see them much anymore, if ever.

The snow day does not need to be around. I can certainly see that. But we keep around so many out-of-date customs besides the snow day, not just in our schools but in our lives at large. We still hold pep rallies, but couldn’t we spend that time on important classwork? Shouldn’t we be completely devoted to the furthering of our students’ educations?

But pep rallies are crucial for school spirit. However, can we argue we don’t need school spirit, and that we only need the teams because that’s what gets the kids into college?

Wehaven’t had much snow this year. It’s unfortunate; snow is a beautiful thing when it first falls, and winter just doesn’t feel right when it’s lacking. Winter for me is characterized by snow, whether that snow is fresh and white like

As the brutal Chicago winter is in full swing, thousands of kids should be rejoicing at the possibility of the age-old celebration: the snow day. But the ubiquity of e-learning during quarantine made it possible for students to learn from their homes. Gone are the days when a few inches of snow prevented school learning, instead replaced by virtual learning and the death of the snow day. And for good.

The first reason for why the death of the snow day is good is that it helps low-income students. IllinoisPolicy on November 3, 2021 notes that 1 in 5 students in Illinois are chronically absent and 60% of those are low-income students. In a world where low-income students have fewer resources to help them catch up, they cannot afford excessive snow days. We cannot sacrifice the success of lowincome students purely for nostalgia.

Some argue that snow days are good because they offer a nice reprieve from the typical grind of school. Kate Cry and Morgan One of The Atlantic explain that during quarantine, they served as a necessary mental health for many students.

With the advent of hybrid learning, the idea that we can have a day off of school just because the weather prevents us from going has faded into a thing of the past, and I, and many others, am concerned about that. The snow day forms an integral part of the youth experience, as I see it, and the death of the snow day is just another symptom of a United States more intensely than ever devoted to always getting the thing done, of killing leisure and convenience in the name of efficiency.

And they’re right. It is nice to have days off of school--but that is what pre-planned holidays are. Spontaneous and unexpected snow days make it difficult for students and teachers alike to adapt changes in schedules and test days. Especially as finals are approaching in mid-January, the last thing that students need is a surprise schedule change in most of their classes.

And finally, let’s be honest here: snow days are not just pure fun in the snow. In 2014, The New York Times in reported that for parents, snow days are often rife with shoveling, watching children’s movies, and taking work calls. But online learning relieves some of the stress that parents face. Plus, driving in the snow to drop kids off at local parks and hills can increase stress, workload, and the potential for car accidents. Research from the Illinois Department of Transportation found in 2019 that every winter, 27 fatal car accidents occur--much of which is caused by people driving to work or other snowrelated activities.

There are a trove of other problems, too. As The New York Times continues

No. School spirit is fun. And so are snow days. We can’t pretend to be both fun and concerned completely with education, and by getting rid of the snow day but keeping things like pep rallies and spirit weeks, we do pretend. It’s all right to have a day of school be missed because of weather, even though there are ways to still hold school in session. It’s not a problem to have a little fun.

The snow day is dying, and that is a tragedy.

on, “snow days force many to choose between staying at home and losing a day’s pay” for low-wage workers. When it comes to snow days, temporary fun comes at an acute cost.

Snow days are fun--no doubt. But that doesn’t mean they are necessary. Online learning will--and should--remain dominant as snow days die.

Ajay Gupta

by taylor Levin Photosby:Taylor Levin, Ellie Ursillo, Annie Koziel

Overhead at Central

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

“I have a strange urge to do a small cowboy jig.”

“Cancel your plans, we’re going to Zimbabwe.”

"If you knew everything...like the secrets of the universe, you would probably explode.”

“What do you mean I can’t eat the deodorant?”

“I’m cracking down harder than I’ve ever cracked before.”

“No, because she literally is a mushroom.”

“You’re an android user, right? Don’t worry, no one took your phone.”

Staff Editorial

With the first semester of the 20222023 school year wrapping up at Hinsdale Central, finals are right around the corner. The first day of Winter Break was Dec. 21, and school started again on Jan. 2. First semester finals are scheduled for Jan. 18 through the 20, about two weeks after the end of break.

Most years before the Covid-19 Pandemic, finals were taken before winter break, which allowed students to fully relax. During the 2021-2022 school year, first semester finals were optional and no harm, meaning they could not affect a student’s grade if they scored lower than what was necessary to keep their current grade. For the finals this month, the school went back to traditional exams that have an impact on the semester grade, with courses opting for a final that counts for either 10% or 20% of the semester grade.

There have been many student opinions regarding the current schedule for finals after break.

“It was nice when finals were before break. I liked being completely done with first semester and not having to worry about finals after break, especially now that they can bring down my grades,” said Aubrie Benjamin, senior.

Other students like having finals after break.

“We have two weeks to study between winter break and finals so I don’t mind

having them after break. Teachers will give students a lot of time to review and prepare after break,” said Elizabeth Salisbury, senior.

With finals being no harm and optional during the first semester of last year, there was no chance for students with borderline grades to have their grade dropped. Students were able to prioritize studying for the classes they wanted to take finals in. A concern with finals is that a final can make a very close grade drop down, even if it is an A. Finals shouldn’t be necessary to take if a student has an 89.5% –which is considered an A– or above in a class.

Over a semester, students work hard to maintain their grades. Finals, which are weighted differently in every subject, can drop a borderline grade. Having a grade drop can lead to students being upset and stressed.

When asked about why different subjects weigh finals differently, Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction Jessica Hurt said it is course team specific.

“We had a grading committee the past couple of years called the Learning Leadership Team. They used research to inform decisions,” Hurt said.

The weight of a certain final should be taken into consideration when studying, as they can weigh up to a maximum of

20%. For a student with a borderline grade, a 20% weighted final can make a major difference on their ending grade.

“If a student has an A then they should not have to take a final in that class. They already have proved to have a strong grade and the final might bring their grade down after working hard all semester,” said Angela Tian, senior.

According to GW Hatchet, the school newspaper for George Washington University, “Not only does finals season put students’ GPAs at risk, but it also puts students’ mental health at risk. The stress of extra studying and writing – in as many as six classes – on top of the pressure to not ruin a grade that could get you on the Dean’s List is a toxic combination.”

In the long run, it is more beneficial for students to be able to opt out of a final if they have an A. This way, they can spend more time studying for other classes and finals where their grade is not as solid. If a student has already established an A, one test should not have the power to bring it down.

While it is true that finals help prepare students for college, it is also important to be able to manage time effectively and efficiently.

In order to reduce stress and tension during an already chaotic time, Hinsdale Central students should have the opportunity to be exempt from a final if they already have an A.

Finals shouldn’t be necessary to take if a student has an 89.5% or above in that class

EIC Taylor Levin studies the week before final exams in January that will be held Jan. 18-20.

photo courtesy of Taylor Levin

This editorial is the consensus of the Devils’ Advocate Editorial Board.