Devils' Advocate February 2019

In This Issue — Hidden Heartbeats, pg.14 From the Other Side, pg. 20 Snow School?, pg. 22

HINSDALE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL | HINSDALE, ILLINOIS | VOLUME 92 | FEBRUARY 2019 1.indd 1DevilsAdvocate_2019_Feb.indd 1 199055

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CO N T EN T S OUR STAFF LAYO ADELAKUN HANNAH AHDAB SARAH BADAWI OLIVIA BEARGIE AUDREY CARTER GABBY COSTELLO CATHERINE DOLAN CAMERON GARBER RAYHAN HUSSAIN ANCHAL KUMAR RIMA RAFIQ KATIE SHARP GAYATRI THIRUNARAYANAN ANAND YALLAPRAGADA

01 04 08 11 14 24 26

COVER 03 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PERSPECTIVES 04 EDITORIAL 05 BATTLEGROUND 07 DEVILISH ADVENTURE

AROUND CAMPUS 08 CAM CRITIQUES: “GLASS” 09 DEVIL IN DISGUISE 10 THE DAILY DEVIL

PROFILES 11 SPEAK OF THE DEVIL 12 WANTED: STUDENT INTERNS

FEATURES 14 HIDDEN HEARTBEATS 18 IN THE FRAME: PEP RALLY 20 FROM THE OTHER SIDE 22 SNOW SCHOOL?

BY THE NUMBERS

24 PERSPECTIVES: DIVERSITY

IN OUR COMMUNITY

26 RECIPE: CATHERINE’S CAKE 27 CHEERS & JEERS

MISSION STATEMENT Devils’ Advocate seeks to provide an open and diverse forum created by and for students from Hinsdale Central. The staff of Devils’ Advocate aims to bring news to the community of the school and surrounding area, by working 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 individuals and ideas.

letter from the

[EDITO R ]

February is a popular month for several reasons: not only does it include celebrations such as National Heart Month and Valentine’s Day, it also mean fewer days of school compared to other months, due to it being 28 days long. In this issue, we explore all of the aforementioned topics. We take an inside look at heart issues among Central athletes, including the recent push by the Just1Mike foundation to implement EKG screening at school.

We also analyze the upcoming replacement of traditional snow days with virtual school days in the aftermath of multiple cold and snow days last month.

Meanwhile, our Devil in Disguise goes undercover with Singing Valentine groups to discover the process behind this tradition.

In addition, we profile two Forensics champions with record-setting wins, as well as examine an internship program at school and students who participate in it.

Outside of school, we continue our series on the D86 referendum by exploring South’s perspective on department and extracurricular cuts at their school. Our adventure columnist goes pottery painting to step out of her comfort zone.

Finally, we critique dress codes at school and how they set unfair standards for different genders. We hope you enjoy this issue.

HEAD EDITORS

ANNIKA AGRAWAL

CONTACT ADVISER, CHERISE LOPEZ CLOPEZ@HINSDALE86.ORG 630.570.8361

CONTRIBUTERS

SAFI Z. A. QADIR

ANUHA PARVATANENI | GABBY TSAMIS

Cover by Angela Han

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LAUREN LEE

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illustration by Audrey Carter

“ STOP DISTRACTING ME.”

You walk into school wearing jean shorts and a spaghetti strap top, feeling confident.

Your best friend and favorite teacher compliment you on your outfit, but as you sit down in first period, your teacher calls you over to her desk and says, “Change your outfit. It is too revealing.” A flood of thoughts runs through your head: How is this too revealing? I feel violated. What do I do?

Unrealistic and discriminatory dress policies are an issue faced not only by students in our school, but by women across America. Women in a Devils’ Advocate survey with 88 respondents who had been dress coded at Central shared feelings of being singled out inappropriately.

“I felt targeted, and the rules are notably inconsistent,” said one respondent.

The school policy states that “A student’s dress and grooming will not be disruptive to the educational process, nor will it constitute a threat to the health, safety, welfare or property of self or others.” However, this policy is not uniformly enforced. The definition of a dress code is interpreted in multiple ways, with no standardization between teachers.

According to the Devils’ Advocate survey, 63.2 percent of students said they had never seen a teacher dress code a student, whereas the remaining 36.8 percent said they had.

This inconsistency renders the dress code effectively useless, since there is no rhyme or reason for its implementation. Furthermore, the dress code does not equally apply to men and women. According to the same survey, 77.9 percent of respondents believe that 4 | Perspectives editorial.indd 199055 DevilsAdvocate_2019_Feb.indd 2 4

dress codes are intended solely for women, while 22.1 percent believe that they are intended for both genders. No one believes that dress codes are intended solely for men.

“I question why I’m not allowed to express myself and wonder why I’m getting dress coded when only girls get dress coded,” said one respondent to the survey.

The sentiment behind the policy disrespects the intentions of both genders. It should not be insinuated that male students cannot exercise basic moral behavior because of a thin shoulder strap, nor that women intend to create a distracting environment.

At Central, students are generally expected to be able to model good behavior; yet when it comes to clothing, we suddenly assume that boys will behave like wild animals because they see a bare shoulder, and that girls only care about getting male attention.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it best in the landmark 14th Amendment Supreme Court case Craig v. Boren: “By discriminating against women you are also discriminating against men.”

We do understand the basic premise behind dress coding, and recognize the need to prevent attire advocating derogatory or illegal behavior. We also concede that some attire truly is distracting.* “Toga day...can lead to some rather undressed students, so when they walk in I just let them know that they need to go find a T-shirt or something. I just feel like having half of the torso naked is probably not the best learning environment,” said Mrs. Julie May, chemistry teacher.

That being said, a spaghetti strap and a bare shoulder is not going to wreak havoc within the school. A better way to discourage distraction in a school environment is to teach men at a young age not to view women as sexual objects.

The way dress codes are implemented for certain sports is also inconsistent.

Certain girls on the lacrosse team will get dress coded for having their shoulder showing, but at the same time the Pommers are never punished for their short skirts. To be clear, we believe both outfits are acceptable to wear, but how can a student athlete who is wearing an approved uniform violate the dress code?

To quote the student handbook “At Hinsdale Central, we use the Pillars of Character Counts... Trustworthy, Respectful, Responsible, Fair, Caring & Considerate.” We as a school need to truly start invoking these standards for all aspects of student life. Faculty need to trust students to not judge others based on appearance, respect everyone’s outfit choices, be fair to both genders, care about students’ freedoms, and be considerate of others when critiquing outfits. At a school where real world application is stressed, we need to have the confidence in students to make the mature choice to dress appropriately for school and understand that there is no malicious intent behind these choices. *We reached out to the Deans but due to scheduling issues, they were unavailable to comment.

This editorial is the consensus of the Devils’ Advocate editorial board.

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BATTLEGROUND Just Do It. Or Don’t.

Context —On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court made its final decision on the now infamous court case Federal Election Commission (FEC) v. Citizens United. Almost as controversial as President Trump’s tax returns, the ruling declared that the First Amendment could not prevent corporation donations to political parties. Opponents argue that corporations cannot be called “people,” and therefore aren’t under the First Amendment’s purview. They shouldn’t be able to make political donations as they shouldn’t even have political stances. With all of this, the following question is extremely important to consider: Should corporations be allowed to take political stands?

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illustration by Audrey Carter

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uring the 2016 presidential election, companies like the Atlantic came out of the woodwork, passionately advocating for anyone but Trump. Today, naysayers comment that this was a major mistake. These corporations not only managed to make no change whatsoever, but also made an enemy out of the current Commander-in-Chief.

However, companies understand this risk. As a Forbes article written to business owners cautions, “getting political can cost your business.” Therefore, it stands to reason that companies will only take political stances when they feel a strong moral compass is guiding them. After two Iraqis were unfairly detained in an airport, Lyft announced a $1 million donation to the ACLU to denounce this painful type of racial stereotyping. They deserve t o be heard.

In Justice Scalia’s commentary on the decision of FEC v.

Citizens United, he provides a legal perspective on this issue.

Essentially, Scalia underlines that the First Amendment was written in “terms of speech, not speakers.” There’s nothing in the Constitution that defines what a speaker must be. It is as legal for companies to voice a political stance as it is for anybody.

One might ask, “Why can’t individuals simply step out of the company to declare political stances?” To answer this question, examine the 2010 California voter initiative, when people retaliated against contributors once their views were made public. Free speech, including anonymous free speech, is protected by the First Amendment. By allowing organizations to exercise free speech as a whole, individuals who are afraid of going public themselves can be protected while safely expressing their own opinion.

In Youtube personality rapper, Politikz’s, music video “Real Hip Hop,” he declares that he is a “miracle, lyrical, spiritual individual skippin,’ flippin,’ and dippin,’ because who would’ve thought a white boy could’ve bring real hip-hop back?” Suffice to say, the entire video is, although intentionally comedic, complete garbage.

And even though his rapper name is indeed “Politikz,” real-life politics isn’t nearly as funny, even if it is equally messy. However, what Politikz did do was purposeful, and same goes for companies that take stances on politics.

Whether we like it or not, corporations will always be a central part of the American identity. Although the sentiment, “Corporations are people too!” is as cringey as Politikz himself, unlike his music, it deserves to be heard.

After all, corporations are people too, and Angela Han it’s time we acknowledge that.

he First Amendment guarantees American citizens the right to stand up for their beliefs without getting in vocational trouble. So what if they sit down instead?

Former NFL quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick is still out of a job. His decision in 2016 to announce his dissatisfaction with the racial/financial disparities in America by kneeling through the National Anthem is the reason why, since November of 2017, we have not seen him on the playing field.

But whether you view Kaepernick’s actions as right or wrong, we can all agree on one thing: the timing of his termination of employment by the 49ers was not coincidental.

Kaepernick’s literal struggles with “getting back in the game” represent a frightening implication of corporations’ involvement in political affairs. When companies assign themselves to poles of the political spectrum, they alienate their own employees/contributors that do not hold the same respective beliefs, thereby establishing an unfair working environment that, in cases like Kaepernick’s, can lead to termination of employment altogether.

Consider the recent Gillette commercial. Forbes contributor Charles Taylor states that despite seemingly good intentions of highlighting our community’s problematic toleration of a “boys will be boys” philosophy, the ad is found by many to be a gross stereotype, created with underlying profit-driven motives and, most importantly, simply not appropriate considering its creator; Gilette is a corporation that stands for little more than smooth razors and shaving gels, and is not in the place to change society with a two-minute advertisement on toxic masculinity.

By the same token, Airbnb—an application enhancing the touristic experience for those who want cheap bed and breakfasts over pricey hotels—simply is not in the place to spite a temporary border closure by President Trump by advertising that they “believe no matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love or who you worship, we all belong. “ People protest in response to an observation that government is acting as an oppressive entity. But when an institution asserts a political stance, it removes itself from its individual constituents, the very people of whom, by whom, and for whom it was also created. We should not have to sacrifice Aliza Panjwani everything to believe in something.

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Set the

Adventure Devil’s Adventure: Painting a New Canvas

By Rima Rafiq

photo by Rima Rafiq

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ith spring break so close yet so far, it’s hard to stay focused in February. In addition, February’s short, rushed nature meant that many teachers have been piling up loads of tests and homework; I decided to find an adventure that would brush aside the stress.

I chose to go pottery painting, to emphasize the importance of setting aside time to relax. My friend and I made our way to Color Me Mine, located at 470 Village Center Drive in Burr Ridge. Upon arrival, we saw families and friends seated together at the studio’s paint-splattered tables, coming together to create art and spend time with each other.

It was hard to choose what we wanted to paint, but we decided on painting mugs. We picked out five paint colors to use. I wanted to make mine Valentine’s Day themed, so I picked out some nice rose colored and cherry red hues. When I started painting, I realized that it was much harder to paint on the curved surface than I thought it would be. My hearts were all messy and my lines were hardly straight. Instead of giving up, I decided to just paint over it in another color and restart my design. By the end, my mug looked much better than my first attempt. Even though I wasn’t the best at painting, I enjoyed getting to relax and focus on something new and fun.

If you aren’t an artist, you may be scared to go to Color Me Mine; however, even if you aren’t the best at something, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Trying something that isn’t your strong suit opens up the opportunity to improve, and you might even enjoy it. This ties into your

high school experience as well. At school, you can join a new club, try out for a sport, or audition for the next play. In an article

by Psychology Today, Dr. Alex Lickerman explains that trying something you’ve never done before allows you to not only enjoy something new, but also forces you to develop as a person. In addition, doing something outside your comfort zone encourages you to grow and learn. If you’re still discouraged, Color Me Mine offers easy stencils and simple designs to follow.

In addition, the benefits of art can be seen in other ways. In the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, a study on the benefits of creating art for sick patients found that not only does it make you feel better, but physical changes can be seen in your body.

Because of this, pottery painting and other artsy activities have popped up all over the country in the past few years.

In Chicago, Color Me Mine has many different locations, the nearest to the school being in Burr Ridge. The studio fee is $6, and the additional price depends on what you choose to paint. For example, the mug I chose was $17, plus the studio fee. There are many similar types of places such as Glazed Expressions and Pik A Pot N Paint Inc., located in Downers Grove and Elmhurst, respectively. Not only is it a convenient activity to do in winter, but painting is a super fun way to destress and express your true colors. The next time you need an interesting, relaxing activity to try out, head over to Color Me Mine for a great experience. And if it turns out that you have a knack for art, give Central’s many art electives and classes a try.

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SPOILER WARNING! “Glass,” the sequel to the movies “Unbreakable” and “Split” is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

It follows David Dunn (Bruce Willis), The Horde (James McAvoy), and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), three superpowered people committed to a psychiatric hospital under Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who attempts to convince them their superpowers are delusions of grandeur.

“I had high expectations for this movie,” said Matthew Kusak, senior. “I liked “Unbreakable” a lot, and I thought “Split” was pretty good, so I came in with high hopes. Unfortunately [the series] fell apart in the third act.”

As with every other Shyamalan movie, this film actively tries to subvert the audience’s expectations with the unexpected; this trademark, however, is hit-or-miss in “Glass”. Some twists, such as having the final battle in a hospital parking lot instead of on a skyscraper, are clever and refreshing.

However, this film also goes against the common, accepted wisdom of good storytelling. For example, most would agree that it is a bad idea to introduce a secret, worldwide organization in the last five minutes of a movie, only for it to be thwarted before the end of the film. Shyamalan is not most people though, and overall, this film suffers from its twisting narrative and wildly inconsistent tone.

“It felt like [Shyamalan] was trying to outdo himself with the plot twists,” Kusak said. ““Split” and “Unbreakable” 8 | Around Campus a lowkeyDevilsAdvocate_2019_Feb.indd 199055 move.indd 1 8

had very clear tones, and it seemed like this movie tried to split the difference— no pun intended.”

“Glass” tries to satisfy both the action-drama elements from “Unbreakable” and the horror elements from “Split”, while also incorporating a more self-aware, goofy, tone. Although these disparate pieces work separately, together they induce a whiplash-like effect on the viewer.

In one scene, Jackson’s character introduces himself as “First name: Mister, Last name: Glass,” acting as a stereotypical grandiose villain. In another scene, McAvoy’s character brutally cannibalizes a security guard.

This inconsistency is also present in performance. McAvoy delivers an engaging, well-realized portrayal of the many-identitied villain The Horde, while Willis seemingly sleepwalks his way through much of the film.

“Jame McAvoy’s performance was phenomenal and was definitely a highlight of the movie,” Kusak said.

“Bruce Willis’s performance was kind of average for him, but everything else seemed unremarkable to me.”

Most of the film takes place in a hospital, where the characters largely do nothing and wait for the plot to happen to them. In theory, having Paulson’s character try to convince them their powers were simply delusions is a good idea. However, it falls flat when it comes to Willis’s character. If Paulson had asked Willis if he believed himself to be a superhero, he likely would’ve said no,

resolving the conflict instantly. This unconvincing and frustrating plot thread occupies much of the middle of the film.

“The second act is bogged down by focusing on the hospital stuff,” Kusak said. “[Paulson’s character] tried to convince the protagonists that they didn’t have superpowers, but I felt like they could’ve just demonstrated their superhuman abilities to her easily.”

The movie’s biggest flaw is its ill-conceived ending, which has a secret, ancient anti-superpower organization appear and kill the three lead characters. This twist would’ve made for a great cliffhanger for a potential fourth movie, but instead three supporting cast members are able to release security footage of the final battle and effectively defeat the organization less than 10 minutes after their introduction. This robs the ending of any emotional gravitas; the audience leaves the theater confused and frustrated instead of hopeful, like the film intended.

“The end felt like one twist after the next,” Kusak said. “I think the film would’ve benefitted from choosing one twist and sticking with it instead of trying to change the entire movie every five minutes.”

However, despite this movie’s numerous tonal and narrative flaws, the performances of McAvoy, Jackson, and Paulson save this film from being a total trainwreck, and elevate it to a merely below average action movie.

“INCONSISTENT IN TONE”

k M. SHYAMALAN STARRING JAMES MCAVOY, BRUCE WILLIS /SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY. A REVIEW BY CAM GARBER.

RED DEVIL RATING: 3.7/10

“GLASs”

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DEVIL IN DISGUISE An outsider’s perspective on the inner workings of a different club every month.

athered in a circle on the floor, seniors Lindsay Peters, Elisa Fridholm, Emily Goggin, Emily Condon and Michelle Shen bounce around ideas for potential Singing Valentines songs. With every new song thrown out, the girls begin singing and harmonizing, trying to find the perfect composition for their last Singing Valentines.

The tradition of Singing Valentines at Central was one that followed current choir teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Burkemper, from her previous teaching job in the Glenbard school district. “[The Glenbard District] had it as an established event. As a teacher I inherited that event and got to know it. When I came to [this school] I decided that the students and the choir program were able to put together the music on their own,” Burkemper said.

For $3, you can order a Singing Valentine and upon delivery, the recipient will get a performance from a Singing Valentine group, along with a lollipop sponsored by the National Honors Society (NHS). NHS used to sell $1 lollipops, until they joined forces with the music department.

“We’ve joined forces with NHS because they were selling the heart shaped lollipops and we said ‘let’s not compete, let’s do this together’,” Burkemper said.

Now, NHS receives one-third of the money. This year, NHS is donating their cut of the money to the People’s Resource Center in Westmont. The choir department donates most of the remaining money for the musical education of students in less fortunate schools in the Chicagoland area.

“The money goes towards music and lessons for students who don’t have music programs in their high school,” Burkemper said.

The preparation for Singing Valentines begins in early January. All Chamber Choir singers participate, and students from Women’s Chorale and HC Singers can audition as well. From those classes, students form into groups of three to five people. Some groups opt to add an instrument, like a guitar, within their performance.

“I think it helps create a fuller sound and makes it more enjoyable for the people watching us perform,” said Elisa Fridholm, who played guitar during her group’s performances.

Within their groups, the singers get to pick and arrange songs that are fitting for Valentine’s Day within a 45 second time frame.

All groups must audition one song in front of Burkemper to ensure that it’s appropriate, but many groups choose to prepare more than one song for variety. All groups are responsible for rehearsing outside of school.

“I think it’s a really fun way to spend the day and actually do something for the holiday.

I feel like you always see stuff like this in the movies so it’s really cool that we get to do something similar,” Peters said.

The day before Valentine’s Day, the groups meet together in the choir room and divide performances. The valentines are divided into groups based on location for easier transitions between performances. However, groups often trade valentines if they want to perform for certain classes or friends. Typically, each group performs six to eight times a period. On Feb. 14, students are excused from the entire

photo by Hannah Ahdab

Singing Valentines

A group of senior girls performs a Singing Valentine to an AP Language class.

school day to perform.

“We come in early in the morning to get everything set up. The community room turns into our home base and we all bring cupcakes and a bunch of Valentine’s Day candy to eat all day,” Peters said.

This year, performs sang more than 500 Singing Valentines. This year’s music included Cheerleader by OMI, DJ Got Us Falling in Love by Usher and L O V E by Michael Buble, among others. The choir department raised $1,500.

It’s the school’s continuous and positive response each year that allows the music department to keep the Singing Valentines tradition alive.

“I’m appreciative that our administration and faculty have continued to be so supportive of this event that disrupts the entire building, for a good reason obviously,” Burkemper said.

“They are super supportive and I feel like the students and the administration have all tried to keep this event as a fun positive thing and want to make sure that it stays that way.”

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The Daily Devil I

n 1957, during the Civil Rights era, the school board of Arkansas’s Little Rock Central High School chose nine AfricanAmerican students to integrate into the school based off of their excellent grades.

On Feb. 15, Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine, spoke at Central in honor of Black History Month.

Juniors listened in the auditorium, while other grade levels watched through a live stream.

LaNier discussed the difficulties she faced during the years of segregation.

She was barred from extra-curricular activities, school dances, and even zoos.

“As if the animals knew the color of my skin,” LaNier said.

In 1954, when the Brown v. Board of Education decision was announced, LaNier said she was excited. Her local white school, Little Rock Central, was well known for its educational quality. LaNier volunteered promptly to attend, to further

her dreams of becoming a doctor.

“The nine of us teenagers made a simple declaration years ago. This is the school I chose to go to,” LaNier said.

Students enjoyed LaNier’s presentation.

“I thought it was interesting how she connected her experiences to all of the experiences of the Civil Rights Movement.

Her experience wasn’t isolated, it represented a struggle during the 1960s for all minority groups,” said Addie Li, junior.

LaNier conceded that much social progress has occurred since 1957, such as the election of President Barack Obama, whose inauguration she attended. However, she said much work is still needed.

“The promise land still lies ahead for each of us,” LaNier said. “We need to have non-confrontational conversations. We need to help our country move forward. I know you will all be a part of that.”

In Love with Love/Sick

By Anuha Parvataneni

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ocking lips in a supermarket, a man and a woman kiss for what seems like five whole minutes. They disengage only to kiss again and again. This isn’t an uncomfortable situation at Target, it’s the stage in the auditorium.

The Drama community puts on a total of five plays and musicals. The winter play for this year, Love/Sick, was a combination of different duos and mini-plays mixed together to portray one larger message.

Hannah Kiperman, senior, played Woman and is the one making out when the play opens.

Unlike most love stories, this play did not follow a traditional path with a happy ending. Rather, it touched on some deeper societal topics. For example, Kiperman played a woman with an obsessive “implusive” disorder, who struggled to find love with this challenge.

“I relate to her because doing things on a whim and acting on impulse is something I try to focus on a lot in my life, because sometimes the best things come with

impulse,” Kiperman said.

Love/Sick discussed the different moments in relationships and took the audience through all of the good and bad times people in love experience.

“Finding and keeping love can be hard and hurtful,” said Michael Tu, sophomore.

However, Charlotte Froiland, sophomore, said that while the play did illustrate some serious subjects, there was also a lighthearted tone kept throughout.

Mr. Chris Kostro, English teacher and the director of Love/Sick, was one of the factors that caused Froiland to audition.

“I had the best time learning from what he was doing and working with him,” Froiland said.

The play debuted from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23, with the next drama performance scheduled in April.

“Love/Sick has shown me the true ups and downs of love and I’m so grateful,” Kiperman said. “Drama Club has most definitely shown me the ups and I’ve had the best experience all four years.”

Carlotta Walls LaNier visited the school on Feb. 15 to discuss the Civil Rights Movement, leaving time to sign copies of her book, “A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School”, for students and staff.

photo by Lauren Lee

By Anchal Kumar and Catherine Dolan

photo by Gabby Tsamis

Little Rock Nine Member Inspires

Senior Hannah Kiperman performs as Woman in Love/Sick on Feb. 21-23 in the auditorium.

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By Cam Garber and Gabby Costello

Forensics students doublechamp at regionals

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photo by Hannah Ahdab

he school’s Forensics Team has been a fixture of Central extracurriculars for almost three decades, where students are taught speech skills—such as acting, public speaking, and poetry reading—and use them to compete at competitions on a local, state, and national level. As evidenced by the long array of plaques lining the walls of the science hallway, the Forensics Team is no stranger to success. In fact, the team recently won another state championship on Saturday, Feb. 16.

However, few students have doublechamped—or received first place in both of their events—at any competition, let alone at a regional competition. At Forensics competitions, there can be anywhere between 15 and 50 teams, wherein students perform in three randomly selected preliminary rounds. Once the rounds have concluded, a computer program calculates the scores and the top six students go into a final round. There, they compete one last time to see who wins each event. This year the Forensics team had two students, seniors Michael “Micky” Horstman and Amani Mryan, double-champ at the regional competition on Feb. 2. Horstman

Senior Amani Mryan performs extemporaneous speaking at Central’s Showcase on Feb. 8.

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photo by Hannah Ahdab

Speak of the Devil

double-champed in Prose and Poetry, Mryan in Extemporaneous Speaking and Original Oratory.

Horstman was no stranger to performance when he joined Forensics his freshman year. Since he was ten years old, Horstman has been performing in musicals for both Stage Door Fine Arts and school productions. Horstman also sang in the Show Choir at Hinsdale Middle School, and in the Central Choir.

Although Horstman had experience as an actor beforehand, he says that his time in Forensics helped him become a better, more confident speaker.

“Forensics made me more confident as a person,” Horstman said. “I had a strong background in theater going into high school, so it really helped me become more confident in the abilities I already had as well as improving them. I’m a much better public speaker, I’ve become more social, and most importantly it improved my ability to communicate effectively with others.”

Mryan’s experience in performance, by contrast, began with joining Forensics her freshman year. Initially, she believed the club to be based around acting, but the Forensics coach at her old school inspired her to join after listening to her speak in class.

“I transferred here in ninth grade,” Mryan said. “At my old school, my coach told me ‘You have a lot of opinions on things, so you should probably think about joining Forensics.’ I was hesitant at first because I didn’t like speaking in front of people, as it was nerve-wracking. But I thought to myself that it was for four years, so I’d have time to improve.”

At the Regional competition in early February, Horstman performed in two categories: Prose and Poetry. On Friday, Feb. 8, the Forensics regional competitors performed for the whole school in an event known as the Forensics Showcase.

Micky demonstrated his Prose event at the Showcase, performing the story of a gay teenager struggling to grow up in an environment which refused to accept him for who he was. Mryan’s categories were Extemporaneous Speaking and Original Oratory. In her Extemporaneous Speaking event, which she also performed at the Showcase, Mryan discussed the continuing importance of NATO and other European alliances given the rise of Russia as a political power.

“In junior year, I started doing Extemporaneous Speaking, which is when

Senior Micky Horstman performs his prose event during the Showcase at Central on Feb. 8.

I get a political question and I’m given 30 minutes to answer it,” Mryan said. “It’s pretty difficult.”

At the state competition the weekend of Feb. 15, Horstman and Mryan had another opportunity to showcase their performances to close out their senior year. While their high school speaking careers are coming to an end soon, they say their speech skills will be something they take with them for the rest of their lives.

“A lot of people don’t understand how fun [Forensics] is,” Horstman said. “Public speaking is often seen as terrifying, but we can make a career out of it. I’m majoring in political science and I want to double major in something like public relations or communications, after which I want to become a lawyer or something in the communications field.”

In his 12 years of sponsoring the Forensics team, co-sponsor Mr. Christopher Wilbur, history teacher, has coached many students and describes the experience as similar to forging a closeknit family. Forensics allows Wilbur to help students grow into better performers, but more importantly to him, to help them grow into better people.

“We all know each other from spending so much time together, and we formed a family that becomes the basis for further improvement,” Wilbur said. “Forensics is really about trying to convey a message, trying to teach people and reach into their lives. For Micky and Amani, they both started out as awesome people, but the two of them have grown and improved in every conceivable way.”

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Wanted: Student Interns

By Gayatri Thiru and Sarah Badawi

S

itting at her desk at Ms.Varney’s real estate law firm, Grace DeAngelis, senior, ignored the view of downtown Burr Ridge from her window and began sorting through the stacks of legal documents her mentor left. To some, this may not sound like the ideal summer, but for DeAngelis, it was an opportunity to gain a beneficial internship experience, with the added benefit of getting school credit. To her, it was an enjoyable addition to the typical summer experience of a high school student.

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of the many seniors who participates in a class at school called InternshipHonors .

The internship class was first introduced to the school 20 years ago when Ms. Karen Russo, a business teacher, decided to start the class to inspire students to get real work experience. There are two versions of the class offered: Internship and Internship Honors. The difference is the number of assignments students are required to turn in; however, the rigor of an internship does not necessarily equate to whether or not the class is being taken for honors credit.

“I teach by bringing in real-life context into the curriculum. This is done in my

project based marketing classes and in the internship program,” Ms. Russo said.

The program itself does not involve a classroom or a teacher for guidance.

Instead, it is categorized as an 11th period course that automatically becomes a part of a student’s existing schedule, with all work being completed outside of school. Students are required to choose an internship they would like to pursue, working on it either during the summer or during a semester, and completing various assignments during the course of the actual internship.

The class follows a deadline-based curriculum where students write biweekly

photo by Safi Qadir

Students discuss the ways in which the “Internship” and “Internship Honors” classes benefit students

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journal feeds and turn in a five page essay at the end of their internship. The grading procedure of the class is divided into two major sections: 50 percent is based off of the mentor’s evaluation of the student while they are on the job and the other 50 percent depends on a research paper.

“With the paper being one of the bigger grades in the class, it has to be very thorough and match the description the mentor gives for a student’s work,” DeAngelis said. “We have to include things like the technical things we learned and knowledge specific to the field of our internship. Some kids even write research papers to submit to competitions if they conducted research.”

Over the years, the class has attracted more students as Russo has started delivering pitches for the course to students taking other classes in the business department.

“A couple years after I started the class, I asked the business department to pitch the class to their class periods,” Russo said. “I believe it has really helped grow the number of students from around ten students a year a couple years ago to almost 25 students each year now.”

The business teachers and the program of studies are the primary ways in which students are given information about the class.

“I found out about the class after one of my teachers gave a pitch about it. I also remembered seeing a description of the class in the program of studies,” DeAngelis said.

However, the class has also become popular among students outside of business classes. This may in part be due to the advantage that internships provide in the college admissions process. According to the Princeton Review, the “structured opportunity to work” provided by an internship can serve as a boost in competitive college admissions.

DeAngelis wanted her experience in the internship program to help her with finding potential employment in the future. She used her internship as a sample for her portfolio, as well as for part of her college essay. “[The firm] offered me a contact for the future in case I wanted to go into the field of real estate law and needed work,” DeAngelis said. “I know this will help me even when I’m in college since the firm has the option of conducting work from college, similar to a work from home setup.”

On the other hand, some students do their internships solely for work experience, regardless to their impact on college admissions. Taylor Ward, junior, started her

internship with a veterinary office to help her decide if she wanted to go into the line of work that she had previously aspired to be in.

“The class is helpful if you don’t know what you want to do in a field, and I think it gives you a feel for what working will be like in the future,” Ward said “I had always wanted to be a veterinarian, and so I chose to work with a vet to get a picture of what that actually feels like.’’

Ward is not the only example of students pursuing internships in careers outside of business. Nader Mujtaba, senior, underwent a science internship to determine whether or not he wanted to pursue being a doctor.

“My internship was based on research for finding new immunotherapies for patients with autoimmune disorders,” said Nader Mujtaba, senior. “After this internship I was even more interested in pursuing a career in medicine.”

Regardless of the nature of their internship, all students follow similar deadlines to complete it, which were provided by the class. However, there are some small distinctions between some of the internships that have been completed

by Central students. One such distinction is a salary.

Receiving a salary from an internship is usually determined by the firm or organization that a student works with.

The student will find out whether a salary is included in their internship before taking on the offer.

“Working at the law firm gave me an opportunity to make some money that I could save for future expenditures,” DeAngelis said. “Because of the class I also learned about how income gets taxed and how to do official paperwork for things like legal documents and housing information.”

For Ward, a salary was not included in her internship and the content of her work served more to continue her interest in the class and a veterinary career.

“I was generally interested in working with animals and did not really mind if I received a salary,” Ward said. “Many veterinary assistants in high school do not get paid and do it to highlight their experience in their applications to veterinary schools.”

While students like Ward and DeAngelis found their internships based on their previous interests, the class also provides guidance for students who seek to use the class as a conduit for finding their passion.

“Most students who enroll in the course having an idea of what they would like to do,” Russo said. “I ask for a list of

jobs they may like to pursue. I may not find them a placement in their top choice but usually can find one in their top three.

Most honor level students find their own internship placements.”

Through networking and emailing potential mentors in real estate law in her local area, DeAngelis was able to secure her internship with her firm. Ward, on the other hand, had a slightly different experience in finding her mentor.

“I found my internship through talking about different options with my teacher and researching on my own to find a vet who would take me on as an intern,” Ward said.

One aspect of the class that allows many students to join is its flexibility in the time in

“The class is helpful if you don’t know what you want to do in a field, and I think it gives you a feel for what working will be like in the future .”

— Taylor Ward which an internship is completed.

“I did my internship over the summer, which was nice since my schedule tends to get busy during the school year, and the hours and commute worked better for me when there was less pressure from school,” DeAngelis said.

Both the regular Internship course and its honors component are offered year-round so that other responsibilities do not necessarily have to limit a student’s engagement in the class. This feature also caters to students who may want to do more than one internship during high school as well.

“One of the best parts of this class of not having the typical classroom-teacher structure is that if a student is deciding between two career choices, they can intern in one during their junior year and another their senior year—making this class truly experience-driven rather than gradedriven,” Russo said.s deciding between two career choices, they can intern in one during Profiles | 13

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HIDDEN HEARTBE During National Heart Month students come forward about their heart conditions and discuss the importance of heart awareness

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photo by Safi Qadir

TBEATS

By Olivia Beargie & Katie Sharp

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I

n eighth grade Rheana Montesantos determined to get out of her biology test, faked what she called an “episode” consisting of nausea, dizziness, and a rapid heart beat. Though undiagnosed, these symptoms were a common occurrence in Montesantos routine, and she knew faking them would give her the best opportunity of getting picked up from school.

Sure enough, when her mom was given the news of Montesantos “illness” she rushed to pick her up. What Montesantos didn’t predict was a trip to the emergency room. Tired of worrying about Montesantos’ constant episodes, her mom brought her to see a doctor.

After being given an EKG, Montesantos foundoutthatwhatshehadbeenexperiencing was Supraventricular tachycardia, a rapid heart rate caused when the electrical impulses in the heart are erratic. The test also led to her diagnosis of Wolff-ParkinsonWhite Syndrome. Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome is a condition which involves an extra electrical pathway in the heart causing a rapid heartbeat. Montesantos’ heart surgery synged the extra pathway, however, there is a continuous risk of it growing back on its own.

“It was shocking. I think I cried,” Montesantos said. “I’ve never seen my dad so worried in his life. It was a small procedure but he was definitely the most affected.”

For student athletes, heart conditions can put them at an extra risk anytime they exercise, and the effects of these conditions go beyond practice. Because of this, many organizations try to spread awareness about the dangers and frequency of heart defects for teenagers and young adults, especially during February, which is recognized as National Heart Month. One such organization that spreads awareness year round is the Just1Mike Foundation.

According to this organization, sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer for student athletes and the number one cause of death on school campuses nationwide.

“It’s important to use the numbers,” said Kristine Brindley, a founder of Just1Mike.

“Part of our mission is to raise awareness about this happening because people just don’t know about it.”

The Just1Mike Foundation was started in 2016 in dedication of a Central student, Michael Brindley, who was supposed to graduate in 2018, but passed away at the age of 16 after going into sudden cardiac arrest due to an unknown heart defect.

The foundation now works to sponsor schoolwide EKG screenings so that “everyone can discover this potentially silent killer.”

On September 7, 2017, out of the 2,767 students at school, almost 1,900 filed into the fieldhouse to take advantage of these free EKG tests. For five students, this short test potentially saved their lives.

The EKG test, or an electrocardiogram, is performed on a student as they lie across an examination table. Volunteers attach electrodes with adhesive pads to the students and record electrical impulses through their hearts. These recordings are then taken to on-staff doctors who review the tests and later inform students, along with their parents, about any concerns.

According to the Just1Mike Foundation, last year doctors found 13 abnormal EKGs, in which five were diagnosed with “definitive heart conditions that are associated with sudden cardiac death.”

Without these accessible tests, dangerous conditions can go undiagnosed.

Dan Jones, athletic director for 17 years, voiced his support for the recent partnership between the Just1Mike foundation and the school.

“I think it has a tremendous impact on students,” Jones said. “I know we have had students with some sort of heart murmur or defect that had not been previously detected and now they can see their doctor and get that taken care of instead of it becoming something that is much more serious.”

The Just1Mike Foundation has been able to conduct three free EKG screenings at high schools in Illinois. More than 3,000 students have been tested and 26 have been

“It messes with you

because they talk about how there’s a risk of

death.”

Rheana Montesantos identified as being at risk. One of these more serious risks include sudden cardiac death, an abrupt loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness. This condition is usually initiated by an electrical disruption of the heart, interrupting the pumping action and preventing blood flow.

“I hope that it is already and will continue [having] a tremendous impact on student athletes,” Brindley said. “It’s my hope that all students will be screened with an EKG and that will become something that will be a routine part of a physical.”

Unlike in Montesantos’ case, some heart conditions can be determined without an EKG. Madison Charlier, senior, was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect at birth. This condition is characterized by a hole in the heart wall that divides the ventricles and allows blood to pass through. This hole forces her heart to work harder in order to circulate oxygenrich blood. Charlier said she believes in the Just1Mike foundation’s goal to bring awareness to heart conditions and she has seen, firsthand, its influence on students.

“I think it’s good to be aware,” Charlier said. “My friend that played basketball with me took [the EKG], and then couldn’t play anymore because she found out that she has something where, if she were to continue playing, she possibly could have died. They would not have caught it otherwise.”

For athletes, not all heart conditions mean that they cannot work out to their full ability. Some conditions can also be treated and have little effect on the student’s athletics.

“I’m lucky,” Charlier said. “ I only have to make sure that I don’t push it way too hard.”

Montesantos, on the other hand, faces the risk of going into Supraventricular tachycardia (her “episode”) everytime she goes to dance.

“Everytime [I’m] exercising there’s a risk of going into SVT, and [I] could have a heart attack,” Montesantos said. “So if the synging heals and I’m dancing, that’s a very high risk, but I keep myself in check and I know that I have to be healthy to continue dancing.”

For both Montesantos and Charlier, it is important they keep a close watch on their conditions themselves as they only visit a doctor a couple times a year.

“My heart pumps a lot more than [the average] heart to make sure it gets enough blood to fulfill my body’s needs,” Charlier said. “I have to make sure [my heart’s] not enlarged. Since it’s working harder, it’ll get bigger, which is dangerous. You could die from that.”

Lela Matthews, junior, has Pulmonary Valve Stenosis, meaning that the pulmonary valve in her heart is too narrow, leading to a reduction of blood flow to the

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lungs. Matthews had surgery as a child and can now put her focus towards dancing.

“A lot of people think that people with heart conditions are always at risk when that really isn’t the case,” Matthews said.

“We do have a higher risk factor but it’s not like we are afraid of exercising.”

While all three of these athletes know how to monitor their symptoms, it is still important for the school to be aware of athletes at risk.

“The state requires that every athlete provide a sports physical and then if there is anything that is important for a coach to know such as a heart condition, they will be notified,” Jones said.

However, a sports physical alone cannot determine if an athlete is as risk. Many experts recommend that a standard EKG should become mandatory in order to pass a sports physical.

According to a 2006 study from a region in Italy where EKG screening of athletes has been mandatory since 1982, there has been a nearly 90 percent drop in sudden cardiac deaths since the program began.

“It is the doctor’s and parents’ responsibility to disclose information on that school physical. If, for some reason, the parent or student decided not to disclose that information, they are risking their own livelihood,” said Missey Geibel, school nurse for three years.

Although none of these athletes have had to seek out medical attention while in school so far, Geibel is still prepared to manage potential emergencies if necessary.

“If a student does have any type of cardiac event, the trainer and/or coach, besides calling 911, has access to AEDs around the school. Typically, once we are radioed over the walkie talkie, we ask for a wheelchair just to be on the safe side,” Geibel said.

Although Geibel confesses she only had to go through this procedure once throughout her years at Central, student athletes face emergencies outside of school as well. Not long after her surgery, Montesantos was rushed to the hospital during dance class due to overexertion of her heart. Since then, Montesantos has learned to cope with the reality that her body cannot be pushed to the same limits as people without a heart condition.

“Getting back into [dancing] was definitely the hardest thing because you get down on yourself. It definitely made me think of quitting,” Montesantos said. “It messes with you because they talk about

how there’s a risk of death, risk of having a heart pacer and you’re like woah. You think about life and [you] don’t know if dancing is important.”

Similar to Montesantos’ frequent and unexpected supraventricular tachycardia, sudden cardiac death can happen at any time, and is hard to stop once it has begun.

“Someone who has one of these, when it happens, many times there are no symptoms,” Brindley said. “The first symptom is death.”

According to the American Heart Association, the survival rate of out of hospital cardiac arrests was 7.8 percent among children. This emphasizes the need for EKG testing, as it is proven to be the most likely way to catch the condition before it can have dire consequences.

“I think it’s important for people to get things checked out,” Matthews said. “I’m grateful that my doctors were able to find it before it could become super deadly.”

While Just1Mike started off testing only school athletes, recently it has been opened up to nonathletes in an effort to combat the staggering total of cardiac arrest related deaths. It is estimated by AED.com that

cardiac arrest claims 1,000 people a day or one person every two minutes.

Jones commented on this inclusivity, adding that the “non- invasive, easy, and pain-free” test is one that every student should participate in if possible.

“Originally, we started just testing athletes and then this past year we opened it up to all students,” Jones said. “It is a great organization and it is one that will hopefully save lives.”

Being able to create something positive out of Michael’s death has helped Mrs. Brindley keep his memory alive. Every day, EKG testing prevents the sudden death of a student, athlete or not, and this is something extremely special to Brindley.

“It means everything to me because Michael’s life is my heart, my life, our family’s life, and all the goodness and joy and love that he shared with so many people, and his genuine concern and compassion for other people, is being carried forward and being remembered in a way that will help save lives of other people,” Brindley said. “It means everything to me to stay involved and be connected to Michael in this way.”

Rheana Montesantos, senior, practices for an upcoming routine at Salt Creek Ballet.

photo courtesy of Rheana Montesantos

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[ In the Frame ] On Feb. 8, students attended the all-school Pep Rally during ninth period in honor of the Pack the Place Hinsdale Central v. Lyons Township boys’ basketball game on the same day. The cheerleaders and Pommers performed routines to get the crowd hyped.

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FROM THE OTHER SIDE HINSDALE SOUTH’S VIEW OF THE DISTRICT 86 REFERENDUM PART TWO OF A SERIES TITLED “A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL”

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In part one of A Deal With the Devil, we discussed the fallout of the November Referendum and how its failure could come to affect the community of District 86. Students and faculty alike responded to how life at Central may be influenced by program cuts, as well as to related issues of equity and board communication. With the proposal of the April Referendum, we also explored how the budget and strategy of the April Referendum has been changed and why the previous plan failed. Given the distinct divide among voters within Central and South attendance areas, in this month’s article we will examine the November and April Referendums from South’s perspective to gain a better view of how the two are similar, and how they are different.

T

he failure of the November Referendum has had widespread effects on students at both Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South.

As a result, the D86 Board of Education implemented a series of cuts to extracurricular activities at both of its high schools. Programs including football, swimming, marching band, and class boards have been eliminated for the 20192020 school year districtwide. Although both schools have undergone cuts and will benefit from renovations should the April Referendum succeed, there are differences in the impact on each school.

The cuts favor Central in regards to the value cut from each school. In order to fund the $42 million infrastructural updates required by law, the District 86 Board deemed it necessary to acquire $2.1 million in additional revenue, in combination with the $1.8 million dedicated annually to construction projects. The series of program cuts imposed on the 2019-2020 school year has been the Board’s only method of obtaining this money. In total, the Board voted to eliminate $3.6 million from the two schools’ budgets. At Central, the elimination of athletics, activities, and marching band programs summed $556,845. At South, this same value was $79,550 greater at $636,395.

“I think everyone at South would agree with me that Hinsdale South…is such a great place to get your education because you’re not only there in the classroom, you’re there from 7:00 to 8:00 in the morning at a club [or] meeting with your teachers. You’re there after school at practice. You’re going to a club meeting. You’re volunteering,” said Aimee Puz, senior at South and former student liaison to the Board of Education. “It worries me that kids won’t be able to get those opportunities and [won’t] be able to grow as a student... as much as they potentially could.”

According to a survey by Devils’ Advocate of 84 respondents, 79.8 percent of South students participate in an extracurricular activity that has been cut, 7.2 percent more

HUSSAIN

than those affected at Central.

The April Referendum also proposes to spend $20.1 million more on Central’s facilities, an amount that has decreased in response to the November plan’s failure, which allocated $101.5 million to Central of the $166.4 million total.

According to the Devils’ Advocate survey, 47.6 percent of South students believe Central has better facilities than South. However, of the two buildings, South is the younger by 15 years.

“The buildings definitely need a lot of work [and] all of it’s going to benefit the students and that’s really what the school is all about,” said

“ what’s the

point of high

school without football?

”

Kerry Glimco Lily Bone, senior at Hinsdale South and current liaison to the board.

The Hinsdalean newspaper found South areas have shown greater opposition to the Referendum. While the November plan passed in all of Central’s attendance precincts, it failed in all of South’s. Such sentiments were mirrored in the Devils’ Advocate survey with 46.4 percent of South students supporting the November Referendum in contrast to 61.9 percent of Central students.

Community members have speculated on the reasoning behind this trend. Of the different opinions, some students believe it was a lack of information about the policy.

“I didn’t really know about it much then, I knew something was going on, but I didn’t know what it was,” Glimco said.

“I feel like not a lot of people knew about it until after it happened, [when] we talked about it in a bunch of my classes.”

Others point to the amount of money requested for why some were less inclined to vote yes.

“Too much money was asked [for],” explained one anonymous survey respondent. “I don’t want [to pay] any more taxes on top of what we, as people from a state [that already] taxes its citizens beyond belief, have to pay. There are alternate solutions like redoing borders. Central ’s overpopulated and South’s underpopulated. One problem can be fixed by moving kids to make the schools equal in population.”

According to the District 86 website, 65 percent of the district’s students go to Central, 35 percent attend South.

District 86 comprises the majority of students in the Hinsdale voting area; however, it is not required to attend a district 86 school in order to cast a vote.

According to the Chicago Tribune, 144 Hinsdale high school-aged residents attend private schools in the area.

“There are a lot of people that go to Catholic [private] schools and they don’t want to pay for a school they don’t go to,” said Kerry Glimco, junior, cheerleader, and varsity soccer player at South.

While statistics indicate that a majority of South’s students opposed the November Referendum, a greater number have come to support April.

According to the Devils’ Advocate survey, 8.7 percent of South’s students hope that the upcoming plan will pass.

“Personally I want [the April referendum] to pass because I feel like, what’s the point of high school without football?” Glimco said. “I would try to force my parents to let me transfer [if it doesn’t pass].”

Ultimately, neither South nor Central’s students know what the Referendum will hold, but students from both schools have expressed their predictions on the outcome.

“I’m really hoping that it will pass,” Bone said. “I think students are still in denial, which is scary because [the threat of cuts] is very real and [ will affect] the future of our schools if we don’t take care of it.”

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Snow School? e

Instead of holding traditional emergency days, schools are investing in e-learning. During bad weather, students will log into virtual school.

By Catherine Dolan and Anand Yallapraganda

S

chool is cancelled. Genny O’Bryon, junior, hears this announcement from her friends in the morning. Suddenly, to her, the day seems full of possibilities.

No school means no work and O’Bryon takes full advantage of this opportunity.

She makes her favorite comfort food: macaroni and cheese. Then she curls up in a warm blanket and turns on a few movies. The experience of a snow day is something all Central students have felt.

However, at school, the traditional snow day experience may skid to a halt.

In the Chicagoland area, the snowfall required for a snow day is a minimum of 12 inches , according to ABC7 Eyewitness News. Additionally, temperatures must be

dangerously cold for school to be put off, which often means below -25 degrees. Just this past January, students experienced both of these extreme conditions with two days off due to the polar vortex and one regular snow day in the same week.

Illinois schools are considering what to do in case of similar situations in the future. If more days need to be canceled in the future because of severe weather, new Illinois policy may change the traditional snow day into a virtual school day, also known as an e-learning day. At school, this policy would mean a change to the previous ways of handling the effects of unsafe weather on classroom curriculum.

Students will soon be partaking in remote

learning to ensure they continue their education even when the commute to school is deemed unsafe.

Currently, a school day is defined by the Evidence-Based Funding Act as five hours of attendance to an educational facility per day for 176 days per year. According to the Center for Digital Education and the Chicago Tribune, several other Illinois school districts, including Wilmette School District 39, Avoca School District 37, Glencoe School District 35, and Libertyville School District 70 have been granted increasing flexibility with this definition by the Illinois State Board of Education. These schools, along with Central, now have the possibility of remote learning days becoming a legitimate alternative to traditional instruction on the school’s calendar.

While some schools will continue to use emergency/contingency days to preserve the integrity of the traditional snow day, Central will not be one of them.

Mr. Ruben Rodriguez is a Social Studies teacher, and moreover, he is an “Instructional Innovation Coach” and helps other teachers build adequate skills for e-learning days. Rodriguez cites the complications teachers face from reworking their schedules as a clear reason for implementing virtual school.

“It’s tough to alter. Having a number of days off in a row [this month] really threw a wrench in a lot of people’s schedules,” Rodriguez said. “If you’re an AP teacher where you have a limited amount of days, and you have set dates when you have to prepare students for a test, all of a sudden you have to cover the same amount of

How would you feel about a “Virtual School Day” replacing a traditional snow day?

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content in less days. There are some teachers who are in a crunch right now, and have to make some decisions like ‘What am I going to do to still get all that information to my students?’”.

O’Bryon echoed many of these concerns. Currently, O’Bryon takes AP U.S. History, among other AP classes.

With all the canceled days, she thinks keeping up with the schedule and getting everything done by the May exam is going to present a challenge for many. In her opinion, however, her class is an exception.

“My class was ahead of the other classes so that makes it a lot less difficult to get through material when missing days. It was easier to keep up with the schedule and be on time for everything, and get everything in before the AP exam,” O’Bryon said.

If virtual learning days are to be adopted, they will not resemble a normal school day entirely. There will be different ways of teaching lessons, collecting work, and managing attendance. Rodriguez insisted that the teachers are to be mindful of students when deciding the activities and difficulty of their work.

“We do want virtual school to be meaningful, [but]at the same time, we don’t want to assign a gargantuan assignment that’s impossible to finish on a snow or remote learning day,” Rodriguez said.

Some examples of potential online tasks range from Actively Learn articles/ videos and EdPuzzle video quizzes to textbook readings or even discussion boards. The variety of possible virtual lessons is limited by the capacities of Canvas, the medium by which all of this online instruction will be conducted.

Mr. Dave Lapetino is the Director of Instructional Innovation for District 86.

Currently, he’s working on the logistics of virtual school. Lapetino states that instructional coaches are available to teachers and will help them personalize their e-learning curriculum. Additionally, Lapetino helped lead three weeks of training on virtual education. Teachers could choose to attend one or multiple training sessions, which aimed to help educators understand the expectations of virtual school and what the structure of the day would look like.

“I think there was a lot of enthusiasm for e-learning,” Lapetino said. A lot of teachers were very interested, especially when we hit that patch of cold days.

Overall, there’s enthusiasm. But there’s

also a little trepidation. I think it’s mostly on behalf of students. [Some teachers are saying], ‘I’m not sure how well they’ll do with this,’ or ‘Do they know what’s expected of them?’ I think giving ourselves the time that we need now to do this right will make us more prepared.”

Just as the teachers have split opinions on the implementation of the virtual school days, so to do their pupils. According to an email survey, the student body has mixed feelings on the employment of e-learning days.

“I think that it’s a nuisance, and I would rather just have my snow days be days off of school, instead of doing school

“We do want virtual school to be meaningful. And at the same time, we don’t want to assign a gargantuan assignment that’s impossible to finish on a snow or remote learning day.”

Ruben Rodriguez at home,” O’Bryon said.

On the other hand, Isaac Brorson, junior, is open to the change. He finds that he often procrastinates on snow days because it puts his brain in “break mode”. While the addition of school days at the end of the year does not affect him specifically, he would prefer to not have them.

“I completely support virtual school days because that way we don’t have to add school days onto the end of the year, and we can still stay home from school when the weather is bad,” Brorson said.

Besides the sentiments concerning the adoption of virtual learning days, there are also other aspects that must be considered. Taking attendance online is one of the bigger concerns. Illinois schools are mandated by law to take

attendance of the student population on school days, but with the less rigid legal definition of a school day, it may be unclear whether schools are accountable for students who are in the comfort of their own homes.

A popular argument in favor of remote learning days is a simple comparison to working from home, which is viewed by the Fair Labor Standards Act as a viable substitute to coming to the office for many American employees. Unfortunately, the education process requires a much more controlled environment, according to Lapetino.

“It’s very challenging to create a structure that hits all the notes of what the interaction between teachers to students and peers to peers can achieve in in-person learning,” Lapetino said.

However, more needs to be done before schools can adopt e-learning as a reliable alternative. For now teachers will continue to be trained, and more information will be coming out within the next few months. In addition, the district will hold pilot days on April 9 and 10, in which teachers and students will simulate a remote learning day.

These days were chosen because they feature schoolwide testing. Grade levels will have the opportunity to experience e-learning at different times. Over these two days, the school will explain the process and run a schoolwide experiment with the virtual school.

“We are going to explain to students the things that they are going to be expected to do. And then the next day, you would actually do it. [The teachers would] say ‘OK. Go home. We won’t see you tomorrow. But you know what you’re supposed to do,’” Lapetino said.

While Central students have a wide range of feelings towards the implementation of the virtual learning day, the district is set on replacing snow days with e-learning days. So far, District 86 has only the feedback from teachers to work with, but following the pilot days it will have a much more complete picture on the viability of a remote learning day.

“We are excited to be able to do something that will help mitigate some of the angst over having no school for multiple days,” Lapetino said. “[We are] hoping to standardize that a little bit so that the expectations are a little bit less daunting.”

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GUESSES

Student Perspectiv GUESSES Inspired by Black History Month

1857 508 102 54

1/2

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WHITE

LATINO

BLACK

NATIVE

32

ASIAN

Central students think we should have more conversations about diversity.

guesses based on a survey of 65 students 2/26/19 2/25/19 3:01 3:43 PM

real* numb

pectives: Diversity REAL* 2/5

Most students rated Central a 2/5 on diversity.

6 70 440

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By the Numbers | 25 2/25/19 3:01 2/26/19 3:43 PM

Catherine’s Strawberry Cake Start to finish: 3 hours (45 minutes active) Servings: 12

Heat oven to 350 F.

Cool for 10 minutes in pans and then transfer to a cooling

INGREDIENTS •

2 1/2 cups (5 sticks)

Grease and flour three

rack. Freeze cake layers for

salted butter, at room

8-inch cake pans.

two hours, or until firm, to

temperature

In a large bowl, cream the white sugar and 1 ½ cup

allow for easier assembly.

In a blender, grind 1 cup of

of the butter together for 2

freeze dried strawberries.

minutes until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, use

•

2 1/4 cups white sugar

•

4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

•

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Add egg whites (discard

an electric mixer to beat

egg yolks) and 1 teaspoon

the cream cheese and the

•

3 cups all-purpose flour

of vanilla extract and beat

remaining 1 cup of butter on

•

1/4 teaspoon baking

for 1 minute. Set aside.

high speed for 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk

Add remaining 1 teaspoon

together the flour, baking

of vanilla extract and mix

soda and baking powder.

until combined.

Set aside.

In a blender, puree ½

confectioners’ sugar and freeze-dried strawberries

until smooth. Transfer to a

and beat on medium speed

measuring cup and add the

for 2 to 3 minutes or until light

milk. Set aside.

and fluffy. If too thick, add 1

the flour mixture and the

Transfer to a piping bag.

Assemble cake by piping

butter mixture. Beat until

frosting between each layer

incorporated.

and top with strawberries.

Divide the batter into for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

26 | In Our Community cake makign.indd 199055 DevilsAdvocate_2019_Feb.indd 2 26

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

•

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

•

1/2 cup fresh strawberries

•

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

•

2 pounds confectioners sugar

tablespoon of heavy cream.

strawberry puree to the

the three pans and bake

•

Slowly fold in

cup of fresh strawberries

Alternate folding in

soda

•

1/2 cup ground freezedried strawberries

•

1 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)

photo & recipe brought to you by our very own Catherine Dolan

INSTRUCTIONS

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LOTS OF LOVE

What kind of romantic are you based on how you spent your snow days?

What’s your go-to plan on a snow day? Which kind of snow do you like the most?

A. Stay in all day and do absolutely nothing B. Team practice, I don’t get any days off C. Spend the whole day with my friends— sledding, movies, and card games, oh my!

A. Fluffy snow— the thick type that piles high when it lands B. Icy snow—slippery but shiny, perfect for sledding C. Dusty snow—a powdery layer of soft snow

Cupid (Mostly A’s)

You love everything about love! When Valentine’s Day comes around, you won’t be caught in any colors but pink and red.

You’re the matchmaker of your group, and the best part of your day is setting up your best friends with people you think they are perfect for. You thrive on double dates— sometimes even triple!

Hopeless Romantic (Mostly B’s)

If you don’t have anything to do after school you most likely…

How do you feel about the Singing Valentines?

A. Go straight home and take a nap B. Get a head start on homework C. Go out and get food with my friends

A. I’m in choir, and I love it!

B. There is nothing I hate more—they sound good but anything love related on v-day is a no for me C. I think it’s funny to send them to my friends and teachers

You can’t remember the last time you weren’t in a relationship and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You take pride in treating your special someone like royalty—which you learned from your favorite romantic novels. You spent your extra days off this year with your second half. If you were trapped in by snow and couldn’t see them in person, you probably were on the phone with them instead.

Do you have an after school job?

After school on Valentine’s Day you...

Anti-Valentines day (Mostly C’s)

A. No, but I need one B. Yeah, it’s kinda brutal C. School is already a full-time committment

A. Proceed through your day as normal B. Eat your heart out in candy and watch romantic comedies...and cry C. Have a whole day planned out with your significant other

Do you like snow?

What’s your favorite kind of nonattendance day?

A. Not after the holiday season B. Absolutely not, it’s mushy and gross C. I love snow, it’s gorgeous

Why was Valentine’s Day ever created?

It’s not even a real holiday, it’s just a way for stores to sell you chocolate, flowers, and jewelry. You spent your day after school warm at home, watching your favorite Netflix movie. For you, the best part of this holiday is the marked down candy on Feb. 15—your rightful reward for putting up with everyone’s annoying relationships.

A. Impromptu cold days B. Institute Days C. Personal days, aka days my parents are nice enough to let me stay home

Cheers & Jeers Cheers to all the snow days

Jeers to record-breaking cold

Cheers to athletes committing

Jeers to Dr. Law resigning

Cheers to the Black History Month

Jeers to PDA during this month

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