Devils' Advocate October 2019

DEVILS'ADVOCATE - OCTOBER 2019 -

keeping a low profile HINSDALE CENTR AL HIGH SCHOOL | VOLUME 94

keeping a low profile p. 18 Technical Difficulties p. 22

HINSDALE CENTR AL HIGH SCHOOL | VOLUME 94

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SECTION EDITORS

HEAD EDITORS

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HANNAH AHDAB — COPY EDITOR

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OLIVIA BEARGIE — HEAD OF DESIGN

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CATHERINE DOLAN — MANAGING EDITOR

CAROLINE CUBBIN

ANCHAL KUMAR — MANAGING EDITOR

RAMZEY DOUEDARI

RIMA RAFIQ —TRENDS EDITOR

GRACE ERWIN

KATIE SHARP — COPY EDITOR

LAINEY HARVEY

CONTRIBUTERS

AMMAR HUSSAIN

RANA DUBAUSKAS — NEWSFEED

CEDRA JAZAYERLI

JACK GING — NEWSFEED

DALYA LABAN AILISH LYMAN JOHN OLSEN

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05 06 14 PAGE

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LETTER FROM THE

[EDITOR]

T

here’s nothing like the start of fall: the crunch of leaves underfoot, the vibrant red and orange-tinged trees, the crisp chilly air that seems to follow you inside. From football games to pumpkin spice, there’s plenty to look forward to, but not all good things come and go with the seasons. In this month’s issue, we cover some of the unsung members of the Hinsdale Central community including our profile on Buildings and Grounds, highlighting the staff who make life at school possible. Meanwhile, in “Undefeated”, Girls Varsity Tennis discusses a lack of school recognition and their team bonding.

In light of several recent studies indicating the potentially deadly effects of vaping, “Central’s Crown Juul” explores the impact of juuling on the Hinsdale Community. Meanwhile “Keeping a Low Profile” shows a new side of apps like Life360, as Central families discuss their experiences with tracking technology. And finally, “Technical Issues” takes a look at how the one-to-one Chromebook system has come to influence the learning environment at Central.

Also in this issue, the editorial staff considers a decline in school spirit at games while the Battlegrounds writers debate the issue of minimum wage. Our food column Dished explores the best pumpkin spice drinks in the city and the new “Unsolicited Advice” column gives some pointers on how best to spend your spooky season!

We hope you enjoy this month’s October issue! Happy Halloween!

27 32 34

AROUND CAMPUS 05 DAILY DEVIL

PROFILES 06 BACKBONE OF THE BUILDING 10 UNDEFEATED

FEATURES 14 CENTRAL’S CROWN JUUL 18 KEEPING A LOW PROFILE 22 TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

PERSPECTIVES 27 28 29 30

UNSOLICITED ADVICE BATTLEGROUND DISHED EDITORIAL

BY THE NUMBERS 32 #SPOOKYSZN

TRENDS 34 MEET THE...

35 PUZZLE

MISSION STATMENT

CONTACT

ADVISER, CHERISE LOPEZ CLOPEZ@HINSDALE86.ORG 630.570.8361

Cover Design by Audrey Carter TOC photos by Sofija Buzelis & Corey Huth

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THE DAILY DEVIL Central Lends a Hand Students participate in the annual Day of Service

by Zaina Karim and Rana Dubauskas

O

n Oct. 19, Central hosted the annual Day of Service. More than 200 students participated by volunteering three to four hours of their time.

Red Devil Service Club, sponsored by Sara Pendergrass and Lisa Sopiarz, organized the event by inviting multiple clubs throughout the school to volunteer. Each club traveled to a different location and participated in various activities related to public service.

Some locations included Indian Prairie Public Library, Hansen Center, SEASPAR, and the Ray Graham Group Home.

One of the largest locations was Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to distributing food to developing countries like Uganda, Haiti, and Djibouti.

At their facility in Schaumburg, students packed and sealed bags that will be sent around the world.

“I liked the teamwork involved and thought it was extremely efficient as everyone was doing a different task,” said Moira

Martin, sophomore, attending as a part of Model UN. “I would definitely do Day of Service again.”

Martin wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the experience, as many other participants praised the different activities they were able to help with.

“I loved seeing everyone get so excited after packing their goal amount of boxes.

It was so cool to see everyone working together,” said Hannah Florence, sophomore, attending as a part of Red Devil Service.

All grade levels participated in volunteering and other service activities.

Anya Shah, a junior in BPA, said she would consider doing Day of Service again because she enjoyed volunteering and seeing the lasting impact it had.

Students who participated in Feed My Starving Children, packed 274 boxes that will feed 162 kids for a year.

Photo by Rana Debauskas

Students pack food at Feed My Starving Children on Oct. 19 as part of the annual Day of Service event.

Freshmen Debut

Freshmen perform in an adaptation of The Women of Lockerbie

T

by Audrey Carter

he lights dim and the familiar sound of bagpipes fills the air as freshman Izzy Levinthal steps into the spotlight for the first time in her high school career.

On Thursday, Oct. 17 the Drama Department debuted its performance of this year’s freshman show “The Women of Lockerbie”.

Written in 2005 by Deborah Baley, the play covers the aftermath of the historic Lockerbie Bombing, during which the transatlantic Pan Am Flight 103 crashed in the residential area of Lockerbie, Scotland after a bomb was set off on board. The crash killed 270 people, 11 of whom were from the Lockerbie community.

Taking place seven years after the original event in December of 1988, “The Women of Lockerbie” follows the parents of one of the crash’s American victims as

they grieve their son.

“There were a lot of moments in which I almost cried on stage or during rehearsal because the reality of the play hit me,” Levinthal said. “It was really interesting that it was based on a true historical event, but because of that, I felt a need to really do it justice and fit the role as perfectly as I could.”

Beyond putting on the production itself, the purpose of the freshman play is to introduce incoming Central students to the drama program, by giving them the opportunity to act in a show of solely ninthgrade cast members.

“Freshmen are so open to meeting new people, and I love that freshman play gives them an opportunity to get a feel for drama club and befriend people in their grade who have similar interests,” said Emma Gordon, assistant director of the show.

Science teacher Paul Woods directed the play.

Photo by Jack Ging

Freshmen perform in the auditorium on Thursday Oct. 17 in front of family and friends.

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Backbone of the Building Faculty and students share their appreciation of what the Building and Grounds staff do for the school

Designed by Ramzey Douedari

by turning on all the lights, unlocking all the doors and opening areas like the gym, meeting rooms, and locker rooms.

These rooms are opened first for any early morning sports or clubs to be able to access.

She usually has some time left before students arrive. With this remaining time, Skowronski cleans the team locker room, the girl’s P.E. locker room and does any setups for meetings or clubs taking place that day.

Although Skowronski’s jobs vary every day, they usually include shipping and receiving orders, setting up for school events, unloading trucks and putting out work orders from her office.

“It’s never the same thing… you never know what your job is going to entail,” Skowronski said.

Her schedule is usually nonstop from the moment she arrives to the second she leaves at 2:00 p.m. Often her schedule is so busy that she doesn’t get a break during the day and some days she doesn’t even get time to eat lunch.

“It gets stressful when you get so much put on to you, that you don’t know if

you’re coming and going [and] you don’t get a free moment,” Skowronski said.

Skowronski said she doesn’t see many negatives in her job, but one thing she dislikes is the occasional vandalism from students.

She has seen this happening a lot recently, especially in the bathrooms. Students draw, carve words, pictures and symbols into the stall doors and bathroom walls.

“You think you’re doing something nice for students and then you have these ones that disrespect everything,” Skowronski said.

One of the things she enjoys most about her job is the students. Being around them during the day is her favorite part.

“The kids, the environment, keeps me going, it’s fun to watch [the students], and... the way [their] spirits are here,” Skowronski said.

Skowronski also works with two other custodians, David Nettleton and Luis Nieto. Their main job is cleaning the school. They do the hallways during the day, and the classrooms before and after school each day. The custodians also do laundry for athletics, P.E. classes,

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Photo by Sofija Buzelis

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rom 4:30 a.m. opening the school in the morning, through every period of the day, every practice, every game, every pep rally, and every performance, until turning the lights off at 11:30 p.m., the Buildings and Grounds workers are there. Students see them walking the halls with a smile, happily doing their jobs. However, most students do not see the hard and strenuous work that they do every day behind the scenes.

The Buildings and Grounds department includes 16 custodial, maintenance and grounds workers. Each category of buildings and grounds has different jobs that all impact the school. Their wide range of responsibilities helps everything run smoothly every day.

Head Custodian Susan Skowronski started working at Central 34 years ago. For four years, she worked in the cafeteria; then, she became a custodian; and now she is the head of the department.

Skowronski gets to Central at 4:30 a.m. every day to open the school. She starts

By Lainey Harvey and Grace Erwin

Photo by Sofija Buzelis Abelino Escobedo cleans the cafeteria after school.

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and home economics classes. Some of their time is also spent moving furniture, delivering packages, and delivering Xerox paper as needed throughout the school.

The custodians are also responsible for setting up events such as board meetings and after school activities. Sometimes if it is a particularly large event, the custodians get extra help from the maintenance men.

The maintenance team is made up of six men who work during the day: Lee Kudia, John Kudia, Jan Smetana, Brian Wilke, Frank Wright, and John Pascual.

If anything is broken in the school, they fix it. Besides doing repairs, they also manage the plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and electrical systems.

They consistently check on these systems to make sure they are working properly and in good shape for the students.

Another one of the main jobs for the maintenance team is maintaining the pool chemicals. They make sure everything in the pool is safe for the students to use every day in physical education classes and after school athletics.

There are two other maintenance workers who cover the night shift, which is 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

When the night shift is finished, the cleaning company, GSF Cleaning Service, finishes cleaning the building and makes sure it is ready for Skowronski to open again the next day.

Another team includes the grounds workers who have many jobs, such as maintaining sports fields.

Tom Fahey, Jim Towers, and Jim Lewandoski are grounds workers who help set up the softball field in the spring.

“They are great with making sure our field is ready to go,” said Britney Zust, head softball coach.“Some schools are unfortunate where they don’t have anybody that can do their [softball] fields.”

According to Zust, during softball season, Fahey, Towers and Lewandoski go out to the field during the day to make sure it is game ready. They draw the batter’s box, pitchers mound and foul lines. They mow the grass and make sure there are no holes in the outfield. If it rains, they make sure the field is playable.

Although they do this work for softball, not all students are aware of it.

“I don’t think most people know or care that [the grounds workers] are making sure that the sports fields that matter so much to the students, are being taken care of in the best way possible by people they’ve never

“

spoken to,” said Helene Friedman, senior.

Besides sports fields, Fahey, Towers and Lewandoski handle all of the outdoor work. They pick up trash, empty the garbage cans, cut grass, snow plow in the winter, and more.

Just like with softball and every other sport, the buildings and grounds staff is a big help to the Boy’s Basketball team.

The custodians mainly help with games and practices.

“Everyone on the [buildings and grounds] staff has been helpful to our basketball program at one point or another,” said Nick Latorre, head coach.

Two of the custodians that help with basketball are Juan Almaraz and Abelino Escobedo. They help to set up for every game and practice and always make sure that the floor is clean and safe for the players.

Almaraz and Escobedo have been working here for more than 20 years.

They clean the cafeteria every day after lunch periods. They also clean in classrooms, and around the hallways throughout the day. Another one of their main jobs is doing laundry for sports teams and physical education classes.

“We try to do our best and work together,” Almaraz said.

Both Almaraz and Escobedo agreed that they like everything about their jobs, but their favorite part is the students.

As a result of them being around the school on a daily basis, many students have formed connections with them. When seniors Charlie Brubaker and Alex Ovan were running for social chair, they featured Almaraz in one of their hype videos.

According to Brubaker, they thought he was popular among students and that people would love seeing him in it. They also posted a picture of him holding one of their campaign posters. Brubaker said Almaraz was excited and happy to be a part of their video and his involvement in it attracted more people to their campaign.

“We felt he was a figure respected by many students and faculty at our school,” Brubaker said. “It helped get our image out there because he is so well known by the student population.”

Junior Max Zenner has also bonded with Almaraz and Escobedo. Whenever he sees Almaraz, they greet each other with a fist bump and often discuss the Cubs and the Bears or the Central football team.

“Everyone loves seeing Juan [Almaraz] around the school, he’s always saying hello and laughing with students,” Zenner said.

Buildings and grounds are probably some of the hardest working people in the building and I don’t think they get credit for what they do.

Britney Zust

”

Aside from just around the hallways, many students said they love seeing the custodians during their lunch period.

“I usually sit outside for lunch, and I’m always greeted by the staff out there,” said Grant Miller, freshman.

Although this is the case for some students, not everyone treats the buildings and grounds staff this way.

“There are many students who, [although are] not trying to be ignorant, walk right by [the custodians], not even noticing them,” Zust said. “Buildings and grounds are probably some of the hardest working people in the building and I don’t think they get credit for what they do.”

According to a survey of 70 students, 84.3 percent of students do not think the buildings and grounds department gets the recognition it deserves.

Rachel Tolemy, the Buildings and Grounds Administrative Assistant, said staff and parents treat the buildings and grounds staff very nicely, but the students do not always realize how much work they do and how busy they are.

Tolemy also said that most of the department has been working here for more than 15 years, and more appreciation is being expressed now than in past years.

“It sounds like there is quite a bit of recognition that the student body is showing toward them now and that is amazing,” Tolemy said.

Profiles | 8

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by John Olsen and Dalya Laban

The Girls Varsity tennis team discusses a lack of recognition, the tight bond they carry, and the pressures behind winning State

T

ennis balls bounce across the court as Central players take their positions on Lyons Township High School’s courts. Yasmina Eshac, junior player, exhales, noticing her breath linger in the crisp, fall air. The familiar feeling of adrenaline returns as she focuses her eyes on the ball and the referee sits down on the sideline.

As soon as Eshac serves, she swiftly moves her hand to release energy on the ball.

Her teammate’s eyes remain fixated on the game, rooting for the ball to cross the net over to the otherside. The ball hits the ground in front of the service line. The game continues until the last set finally arrives, and Eshac is declared the winner.

The girls’ tennis team is heading to State, undefeated in their regular season, and winning conference for the 19th year in a row. They won sectionals with 32 points, 11 more than the runner up: York. Individually, freshman player Nicole Hu finished first in singles and freshman player Prachi Shah was close behind in fourth. In doubles, Zoe Limparis and Katie Dollens, sophomore players, finished first,

with senior players Sarah Badawi and Caroline Kotarski in second. Despite the success the girls’ tennis team has reached in recent history, winning ten state titles in their last 13 seasons, many of the players’ feel they haven’t received the recognition they deserve. However, players agree that the season still gives them the opportunity to create strong connections with each

Not Enough Recognition? other. Although the excitement of winning playoffs is felt by the players, some feel that they do not get as much recognition as other sports. Some of Central’s sports, like football, have a culture that includes hype videos and social media posts made by the student body. There is usually a video made for every varsity football game, and in rivalry games against other schools like Lyons Township, boys’ basketball and boys’ soccer will get a video. Neither boys’ or girls’ tennis has had this kind of media made for them.

“No one really cares about tennis

that much because everybody only cares about football,” Kotarski said.

“Maybe the school [should] just make us a hype video like how the school made one for the football players.”

The Natoinal Football League averaged 15.8 million viewers per game in the 2018 season according to Sports Illustrated.

Tennis, in comparison, averages 3.3 million viewers according to the mens’ Wimbledon final last July. The popularity of these two sports is seen at the high school level, as varsity football games have traditionally seen good attendance at their crowds, while tennis tournaments are mainly viewed by family members of the players, according to the tennis team.

“I feel like the football league in the U.S. has been a tradition and I understand why people would [go] to one, and not come to a tennis match,” Eshac said.

However players agree that they mainly focus on creating connections in the midst of competition pressure.

The Road to State Besides a reduced media presence,

the

tennis

team

has

managed

to

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Photo by Sofija Buzelis

D

maintain an undefeated record.

“We have been winning almost every meet, and not everyone knows that our team is winning. We have won state so many times and nobody cares that much anymore,” Eshac said.

Upon looking at the accomplishments of the girls’ tennis team, they differ from any other sport because of their ongoing-streak of winning State titles.

Ansh Shah, junior boys tennis player, said that for both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams it has become an expectation that they win the state title.

“If [the girls’ tennis team] wins the title, they’re given recognition. But at the same time, it’s becoming more of a thing where people just say it’s a given,” Shah said. “If the football team won the state title, I feel that they would get much more attention.”

Girls’ tennis coach Shawna Zsinko said, “I feel like it’s almost a bad year if we don’t win state. I feel like we’ll almost get more recognition if it’s [a bad] outcome than if it is a good outcome.”

However, John Naisbitt, varsity boys’ tennis coach, says that the outside attention isn’t as important as many of the players may think. Whether it is the boys or the girls, they focus on winning.

“I don’t mind the low-key nature of it, we get very excited about winning state. Winning never gets old and the girls winning never gets old,” Naisbitt said. “It’s as exciting as it can be regardless of who pays attention. What recognition we get from the community or administration doesn’t matter. We love [competing] and we’re very hyped to win.”

Naisbitt said that the girls’ and boys’ tennis teams have a good relationship and support each other.

He personally has watched the girls compete on various occasions.

“I certainly know [Coach Zsinko] well.

I have been to several of their last state tournaments. I like to get out there and watch when they are doing well [at state],” Naisbitt said. “On the interaction between the teams themselves, I think there is mutual respect. Some of them are friends because they see each other on the so-called circuit out there playing tournaments.

They know each other. They respect each other and respect what both teams have done over the past 50 years.”

While the streak of winning State goes on, the team expresses how the pressure of winning State still exists.

According to Kotarski, she hasn’t had

the opportunity to play at State because of some unfortunate and poorly timed injuries. Last year, she got appendicitis right before the State tournament started.

“I haven’t made State yet because every year I’ve gotten injured. Hopefully this year I make it because I’ve been playing

“ I FEEL LIKE

WE’LL ALMOST GET MORE RECOGNITION IF IT’S [A BAD] OUTCOME THAN IF IT IS A GOOD OUTCOME.

”

Shawna Zsinko doubles for the past three years. I hope we win State like last year,” Kotarski said.

When asked about winning state, Coach Zsinko said that it is harder to win State than any other tournament. “[Winning state] is usually our goal. We’re pretty good at winning conference and sectionals...it will be

a hard battle at state this year, but I think we could do it,” Zsinko said.

Badawi said that the formula for success at State is very simple.

“A lot of practicing and then a lot of team bonding will prepare us for State,” Badawi said.

Team Bonding According to the Journal of Information Systems Education, the more the players practice, the better the performance. Team bonding helps players to feel comfortable with practicing together, making it easier for them to play with one another.

“We’re really closer than any other high school team. It’s not just the seniors who are close with each other or the juniors or the freshman, but it’s just that everybody is close to each other, and that’s what makes us pretty unique,” Badawi said.

Among other high schools, players have noted that their bond appears to be unique.

It has helped the team relate to each other.

“We have this special bond between us and we can relate to each other in so many different ways,” Eshac said. “We all have this one goal that we want to accomplish, whether it’s together or not together. We all have something in common that we want to accomplish.”

With team bonding comes a passion and love for the sport. Players note their connection with tennis and the effects it has on their lives.

“Playing tennis [has been] my passion... when I am having a bad day, I can practice, and let all of my anger out,” Eshac said.

Players also note that they enjoy the sport itself because it helps them get through the day and benefits their mental wellness.

“It’s going to help me become better mentally and physically because it’s just such a mental sport that gets you stronger in so many ways,” Eshac said.

Kotarski, in agreement with Eshac, notes the benefits to her health that tennis gives.

“I’ve been [playing tennis] for eight years and it’s a stress reliever for me, it’s a hobby,” Kotarski said.

Because players have a strong passion for tennis, from helping them mentally to relieving their stress, their admiration for the sport tends to reflect the outcomes of their matches.

“We’ve got some strong leaders on this team. They are very cohesive and have a good time and are good at fighting for each Profiles | 11

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Photo by Corey Huth The girls tennis team takes a group photo after an undefeated season.

other, ensuring each other,” Zsinko said.

In order to bond as a team, players organize many different events, from pasta parties to spirit wear days. Some team members cite these events as opportunities for making fun memories.

“The pasta party is so much fun because it’s how the team bonds together, which is the most important part. It is a resource that makes us a good team,” Eshac said.

While the team members bond with each other through their parties and sport spirit, they also bond with the coach. They hold an inner admiration for Coach Zsinko.

“I love Shawna and we’ve had a good bond. She just gets mad at me when I get injured because it has happened a lot, but we’re on good [terms] and she helps me a lot,” Kotarski said.

For any team, no matter how successful, there are always tough moments and bumps in the road. Zsinko makes sure that she is there for her team.

“I like to spin things in making sure that these kids fight hard and understand that even though we traditionally as a team have a lot of success, it doesn’t come because we get it handed to us. We have to work really hard,” Zsinko said. “I have been trying to make the girls understand that, and I’ve had to have quite a few of those talks this year with them because I feel like they need to toughen up.”

LIKE “WEI FEEL HAVE THIS SPECIAL BOND BETWEEN US AND WE CAN RELATE TO EACH OTHER IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.

”

According to the IHSA, the girls’ tennis team is known by many schools to be very competitive and one of the best.

“Traditionally, Central is kind of hated by a lot of teams because we have a lot of success and because we have good players,” Zsinko said.

Shah says that the girls winning state shows how advanced they are as a team and how competitive they are to win against every school.

“But at this time of the year, the girl’s team comes out and performs their best at State. I think they’re going to do that again this year. It’s going to be tight, but I think [they] have a lot of strong players on the team and the team can try to bring home another state title,” Shah said.

The girls’ tennis team ultimately took home the Runner-Up title at the state competition on Oct. 24-26. “[State] went really well,” Badawi said. “We all competed well. I’m very proud of my team and our accomplishments this season.”

Yasmina Eshac

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Central’s Crown Juul

by Hari Rao and Nate Bittner Design by Kritin Shanmugam

14 | Features VapeLord.indd 2

Photo by Sofija Buzelis

A look at the reasons teens vape and the dangers it poses

10/29/19 2:42 PM

Photo by Sofija Buzelis

T

he bell rings, and you’re on the way to your next class. During the passing period, you realize you need to use the restroom, so you stroll through to the nearest bathroom. When you enter, you see other kids suspiciously standing around, not using the restroom. If you take a glance, you may catch them putting their hand up to their mouth, inhaling the fumes from an electronic cigarette, or trying to hide the device from the many consequences that may follow its discovery.

Over the past few few years, high schools have seen a rise in the number of teens vaping. Just recently, with vaping-related deaths making headlines, there has been much discussion about the next steps to take with this new generation of cigarettes.

In a survey from 2017 to 2019, the Pew Research Center found that the amount of students vaping nicotine in the United States had just about doubled during this two year time period. They found this increase in students attending high school (from 11% to 25% for 12th graders and 8% to 20% for 10th graders), those in college, and even for kids in middle school, where the percentage of eigth graders vaping jumped from 4% to 9%.

In Central, adults around the building agree that they notice this vaping epidemic. “I do see students leave vape equipment around the building, so I absolutely know people do it,” said Michael Coughlin, a security officer. “There are vape detectors in the building too, and some students have even tried damaging them.”

Adults also are seeing this rise in teens vaping similar to when cigarettes were popular in high schools. “[Vaping] feels like a norm, and it’s scary. I can imagine that this is what it was like when my grandma talked about cigarettes, like everyone smoked,” said Allison Fish, a social worker. “It was something more expected, and I feel like that’s unfortunately the culture that we’re seeing right now with vaping.”

In an effort to find out more about students that vape at Central, the Devils’ Advocate conducted an anonymous survey, receiving 170 student responses.

In the survey, 13.5% responded that they have tried vaping before and 67.6% said they have witnessed someone vaping at school. This correlates to what PEW

found to be the high percentage of students nationwide that have started vaping.

When asked where kids are found vaping the most, 104 students said in the bathrooms. “[They’re caught] usually in the most unstructured spots: bathrooms are the number one spot,” Fish said.

“That’s part of the reason why the school’s gone to not having bathroom doors and increased hallway security.”

Some students see this as an annoyance.

“I wish the vapers wouldn’t use our stalls to do it,” said Eamonn Newton, senior.

“Personally, I have to have a mental-map of the bathrooms and know which ones

“I’ve had parents come up to me [and tell me] they have straight-A students, or nice, great kids, and even they vape.”

Officer Michael Coughlin

tend to be more crowded with vapers.”

Additionally, an overwhelming amount of respondents also said that they’ve seen students vaping in hallways, buses, and even classrooms. “Students have come up to me and said they’ve seen students vape in the classrooms,” Fish said.

One anonymous respondent said they “do it in their [sweatshirt] hoods, usually in plain sight.”

“One time I caught a kid under the staircase with a big hoodie on and he was blowing it into his arms,” Coughlin said.

When asked about the concealment of vaping and how it has affected the situation in school, student dean Steve Edsey talked about how it has made it harder for the staff to find vapers.

“Shame on the manufacturers for

making these devices concealable—the first time I ever saw an actual Juul, I thought it was a flash drive like everybody else,” Edsey said. “That’s what they’re going for, and they want people to be able to conceal it, but why would adults have to conceal it?”

When students are cough vaping, the procedure involves students getting sent to the Dean’s office, where they receive an In School Supervised-study, or ISS (if it is their first offense). Typically, they are assigned an online program educating them on the effects of vaping, and what it is that they are putting in their body.

Afterward, they are referred to a social worker’s office where they can receive counseling.

“It’s a good gateway to just ensuring that they recognize that there is support in the building,” Fish said.

Central also has partnerships with outside specialty programs where kids can receive further specialized treatment.

“Oftentimes when students get caught, we’re helping the family by connecting them to outside resources,” Fish said. “A lot of substance-use places, like Rosecrance and Presence Behavioral Health, are taking an active approach in trying to reduce usage.”

Edsey described a recent graduate who was referred to Presence Health.

“He got caught three times in a year, and he actually said to me at one point: ‘Mr. Edsey, I just can’t stop,’” Edsey said.

“The fact that he was also willing to follow up shows that there was recognition in himself that helped him overcome this.”

However, this recognition is not common among every student.

“Everyone’s different, some kids do play it off that they recognize it could be addictive, but they also may not be addicted,” Edsey said. “Giving the parents these resources that they can pursue on their own is most effective because they might have a better idea of how pervasive it is in the child’s life than I do myself.”

Fish added, “Treatments depend on a few things, like how often is the student using it, or is the student engaging in any other substance use.”

According to UptoDate, many studies on e-cigarettes found no evidence in any difference in use between genders. Additionally, when asking the Central staff, none could pinpoint a common trait with those that they’ve caught vaping or were talked about.

“I’m not seeing a certain kind of student,” Fish said. “It seems like it’s a Features | 15

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wide variety and is not targeted within certain social groups or a certain gender or any of those demographics.”

Coughlin also touched on the matter of demographics.

“Between guys and girls, I’d have to say it’s pretty close, I’ve had parents come up to me [and tell me] they have straight-A students, or nice, great kids, and even they vape,” Coughlin said.

In the survey sent out by the Devils’ Advocate, the respondents answered why they think teens choose to vape.

A large majority replied that it’s either because vapers think they are “cool” or they succumb to “peer pressure.”

On the other hand, the adult responses emphasized another common factor.

“It’s a stressful time: I feel that [students] in this school are under tremendous pressure, and some are even working on a college level in many ways,” said Iria Irlanda, infectious disease specialist and mother of Central student Lorenzo Jennings.

“It’s also a stressful time psychologically and emotionally because you’re still figuring out who you are as a person, as a sexual being, and what you stand for.”

Irlanda talked about how this draws students towards vaping.

“For that reason students are more vulnerable: a little smoke, shot of alcohol, or something else could ease away your anxiety, and it’s an easy thing to do,” Irlanda said.

Recently there have been multiple accidents and injuries involving these e-cigarettes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched an investigation on the outbreak of 24 reported deaths and 1,479 cases of vaping-related lung injuries in an effort to see if vape products and companies are responsible.

As reported in the survey sent out to students at Central, 116 students stated the most common brand of vape they know about is Juul.

Juul has made multiple headlines in the news. According to the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is going into an investigation on the developers of Juul to see if the $38 billion company had been marketing to minors.

Bloomberg Businessweek reported that this investigation has prompted plenty of lawsuits and even boycotts of the product from big retailers such as Walmart and Kroger.

The CDC also found that THC, a chemical found in marijuana, is also responsible for many of the reported injuries. Consequently, the results of possessing THC would be more severe.

“If there’s THC, which is considered an intoxicating compound, we would treat that differently,” Edsey said. “Officer Mazepa (the School Police Liaison) can test those cartridges to see if there is THC in those, and that would result in a different intervention from the school.”

The state of Illinois doesn’t tolerate minors who smoke. As a result, the law has been changed and Edsey approves of this.

The latest law that Illinois administered raised the legal age for smoking any tobacco products to 21.

“I appreciate the new law in Illinois and I think that’s a phenomenal idea,” Edsey said. “Hopefully a few more years of wisdom could help you make a more well thought-out, guided decision.”

However, many lawmakers are calling for greater action to be taken against e-cigarettes, such as a ban on flavored e-cigarettes or vapes altogether. However, no such significant law has been passed.

“If there were 100 deaths of salmonellatainted lettuce, that product would be off the market,” Irlanda said. “Stores would be telling everyone and recalling it—I don’t think they’re doing that about vaping.”

The CDC has also found that most patients are rather young. As of Oct. 1, they found 16% of the patients are under 18 years old, and 21% are 18 to 20 years old. The staff offered multiple reasons why they think teens vape.

“It’s scary because kids think they had this unfortunate preconceived notion that somehow it’s not bad for you because it’s water vapor,” Edsey said.

Coughlin, through talking to multiple families across high schools and middle schools, offered another reason.

Types of Devices Disposable Electronic Cigarette

Medium Tank Device

Large Tank Devices

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“There are some nice people who come from addictive families where it’s in their genes. So they try vaping,” Coughlin said.

Edsey commented on the recently reported, vaping-related injuries. “It’s coming out that there’s all these pain related deaths in it and all these medical complications because of the chemicals that they’re bringing in their bodies,” Edsey said.

Contrary to the studies finding a rise in e-cigarette usage among teens, some students and staff say they have seen a decline in the usage around school. “[The problem] was really bad my sophomore year, but I would say there has been a crack-down and it has gotten better my junior and senior years,” Newton said. “Although it’s still not down to a level where it’s not noticeable.”

An anonymous student who used to vape came forward to the Devils’ Advocate to give their thoughts on vaping.

“I participated in the [juuling] trend and I regret it,” an anonymous student said. “I used my will power to stop because I decided to better my health.”

Edsey, on the other hand, said he thinks that students have simply become better at concealing it.

“Just anecdotally, I would say this at this point this year, compared to this point last year, we definitely have had fewer referrals for vaping,” Edsey said. “There are smokeless vapes, flavorless vape cartridges, so I do recognize that you can mask it, but I don’t smell that sweet, smoky scent nearly

“Students are more vulnerable: a little smoke, shot of alcohol, or something else could ease away your anxiety, and it’s an easy thing to do.”

Iria Irlanda at the same level that I did last year.”

Fish, however, said she thinks that the vaping epidemic has not declined.

“I’m not sure that the behavior itself is decreasing, at least just based on student reports and what students talk about and how they converse about it,” Fish said. “I’m not sure that it’s changing very much currently.”

The CDC advises that since the specific causes of lung injuries are not known, the only way to assure one is not at risk to these injuries is to refrain from all e-cigarette or vaping products.

“People who are using vapes now are kind of like guinea pigs,” Coughlin said. “We don’t really know what’s going to happen in 10, 20, or 30 years down the road.”

Fish also agreed how little users understand about the epidemic.

Electronic Pipe

Rechargeable JUUL

“I think it’s going to take longitudinal work because it’s easy for us to deflect and say ‘it’s not that dangerous, there’s not enough out there that tell you this,’” Fish said. “I think that’s unfortunately what took place with cigarettes, it just took so long for all the results to be seen.”

Irlanda said the order of addiction has flipped for young teens, with vaping becoming the new gateway drug.

“Vaping, in the medical community, is now viewed as a gateway to smoking real cigarettes, and maybe trying other addictive substances,” Irlanda said. “[Adolescents] are the most vulnerable of the population, in terms of braindevelopment and are being targeted— the products aren’t even regulated.”

In terms of what needs to be done, there seemed to be a consensus among the adults.

“I think our health classes are hitting really big on it, recognizing that they’re always shifting their curriculum based on youth,” Fish said.

Even though a health class is taught at school during student’s sophomore year, Irlanda said she thinks the ideas need to be stressed more.

“Just because you learn some sophomore year, sometimes you need to hear it again [during] junior and senior year or you forget about it,” Irlanda said.

Fish added, “I try to get students to recognize the why and that there are healthier ways to cope. Students here do report a lot that they are stressed, so I think anything that we can do to promote positive ways of coping with that...is the concern.”

Graphics by Anchal Kumar

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Keeping a

The evolution of loca technology gives par into student lives

by Aillish Lyman and Cedra Jazayerli design by Loukas Bezanis

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a Low Profile

cation tracking arents more insight

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“K

acey Schlais arrived home” flashes on Bridget Schlais’s phone as her daughter pulls into the driveway on a late October night. A quick glance at the Life360 app and a summary of Kacey’s last trip becomes available at the click of a button. Average speed: 37 mph, duration of trip: 21 minutes, along with an accurate map of the exact route Schlais took to pick up her meal from Chick-Fil-A. Like many students at Central, being tracked is a daily occurrence for Kacey.

Many students find their technology being monitored by their parents in the forms of location tracking apps, text surveillance, and designated screen time. The recent advancements in technology have facilitated the level in which parents can receive in depth summaries of their child’s life. There are opposing perspectives on the matter; those who value technological surveillance and see i t s

benefits i n maintaining safety, and others who feel like their privacy has been violated and the technology is a form of overprotection.

According to a Devils’ Advocate survey, 74.7% of the 95 respondents have a location tracking app on their phone. Popular apps include Find my Friends, Find my iPhone and most recently, Life360.

Life360 originated in 2009 after Chris Hulls and Alex Haro won Google’s 2008 Android Developer challenge and a $250,000 grant for their idea. The app has the ability to notify users when a specific member of the family moves

locations, detects and sends emergency alerts during car crashes, and records speeds and phone usage while on the road.

Social media apps also are updating and adding location features to their programs.

For instance, Snapchat introduced Snap Maps to their users in 2017. Friends on the app have the ability to see where each other are on a map, who they are with, and if they are in a car.

With the amount of information being recorded and exposed for family and friends to see, some have debated whether t h e app is more beneficial or harmful for its users.

Juniors Emma Walsh and Zeke Ware said that their parents need to trust that they will make the right decisions and they want their privacy restored.

“It makes me feel so untrustworthy. I don’t understand why I need to be tracked 24/7,” Walsh said.

Some teens at Central said they feel that their privacy is being violated. In another survey conducted by Devils’ Advocate, 81% of 169 respondents said that they feel like they have lost their right to privacy as a result of being tracked by their parents. “[Life360] is a little excessive. One time I was at a friend’s house and my parents didn’t know I was there... they sent a text to check in and because I didn’t respond immediately they set off an alarm on my phone from the app that made a super loud noise. Everyone was laughing at me and it was extremely embarrassing,” Schlais said.

However, other students don’t mind being tracked, and see the benefits that the app has to offer. Senior Kayleigh Excell, for instance, chose to have Life360 out of convenience.

“I got [Life360] because my mom doesn’t have the energy to ask where I’m going all the time,” Excell said.

“It doesn’t bother me because I tell my mom where I’m going anyway.”

Similar to friends who share their location on Snapchat, Excell said it’s easier

to already have her location provided to her mom so that she doesn’t need to constantly update her.

In recent years, apps like Life360 have seen an increase in their popularity. Life360 has grown to reach more than 20 million families worldwide, according to Life360.com.

“I think there’s been an increase because a lot of parents are really concerned about their kids, who they’re hanging out with, and what they’re doing,” said Michael Coughlin, school resource officer.

Coughlin said he believes parents look at tracking apps differently than students.

“Students may think that their parents are stalking them, but as parents, it has nothing to do with stalking and everything to do with safety and security,” Coughlin said.

He also noted that he’s already witnessed cell phone surveillance saving Central students from dangerous situations.

“A parent [from Hinsdale] went through their daughter’s text messages and found that she was planning on going away for the weekend to meet a friend. It was a grown man from Texas. The mom saw [the texts] and then notified [the police] and we were waiting outside the school that Friday and found a car with a Texas [license plate],” Coughlin said.

For parents, location apps are a tool that they can use in order to relieve stress and anxiety about where their children may or may not be and ultimately if they are safe or not. This logic is why Schlais’s mom, Bridget decided that have an universal tracking app was necessary for her family.

“I feel like it’s beneficial to be able to see where my kids are to ensure they are where they’re supposed to be or someplace familiar.

If they are driving, it’s also nice to see if they are almost home without the distraction of having to call or text,” Bridget said.

As for the weekends, Bridget said she feels like her daughter needs to be aware of the surveillance in order for her to consistently make the right decisions. She keeps tabs on her kids by using Life360 and her recently installed Ring Doorbell.

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she found a way to scheme the app; all she had to do was look it up on the Internet.

She decided to disconnect the Wi-Fi on her phone because the app only works when it’s connected to Wi-Fi, so she uses cellular data whenever she’s anywhere but her house.

“It’s honestly sad how easy it was to scheme the system,” Walsh said.

Life360 is just one form of tracking parents have available to them. The popularity of location tracking apps has made the market expand tremendously. For example, before Life360, parents utilized the automatically installed Find My iPhone app to monitor their children’s devices and whereabouts.

Ina Chess, junior, had Find my iPhone for over a year which allowed her parents to track her location. However, following

the idea of managing screen time for families. Parents have the ability to “lock” apps after a certain amount of time has surpassed in order to limit interruptions, enforce productivity, and ensure safety.

Heather Raslan, junior, is not allowed to bring her phone upstairs and must only use it occasionally during the week at home.

She said that her mom has always been strict about phone usage and monitors both herself and her brother’s technology.

“My mom makes me put my phone in the kitchen because she thinks the radiation is bad and that I’ll stay up on it all night,” Raslan said.

Raslan said she initially hated not having her phone in her room and would have it up there anyway. But then her mom

“It’s honestly sad how easy it was to scheme the system.”

Emma Walsh “If she is out on the weekend I like to check periodically, but more so when it’s getting late or I’m concerned about curfew.

I mostly use Life360 when I’m looking for the kids to come home,” Bridget said.

As for their Ring Doorbell and its app, Bridget uses it to film activity by the front door and record the audio. She said it’s specifically for when her and her husband are out of the house and want to stay updated on the status of their home.

Although Bridget said she tries to explain the benefits of the apps for her kids to understand why she uses them, her daugter still isn’t convinced.

“My mom doesn’t understand that I can take care of myself,” Schlais said.

Some students even try to manipulate the tracking apps so that they can gain more freedom and privacy from their parents.

“One time my parents went to California for the weekend and I wanted to go to Gurnee to visit my friends, but they said no.

So, I left my phone at my house and took my old phone, went to Gurnee, and drove back without getting [caught],” Ware said.

Walsh said that it wasn’t too long before

an incident over the summer where she attempted to block her parents’ ability to view her whereabouts, her family decided to increase their monitoring.

“First I had Find my iPhone, but then I turned off my location without my parents knowing,” Chess said. “But [when they asked about it,] I lied and told them I updated my phone and it turned off without me knowing.”

After this, Chess’ parents installed Life360 for the entire family.

“I was driving and didn’t want my mom to see my speed so I powered my phone all the way off, but she got a notification from the app that said my location was unavailable,” Chess said. “When I turned my phone back on, I got all these texts from my mom and was grounded for two weeks.”

Chess said she has learned her lesson trying to go around the tracking system and has decided to be more open about her location to avoid similar situations.

Another way parents keep tabs on their students’ technology comes in the form of screen time. In Apple’s iOS 12 update, released in 2018, the company introduced

changed the Netflix password in retaliation.

“So now my phone is in the kitchen still and I don’t have the Netflix password,” Raslan said.

In the end, whether students like their technology being monitored or not, they have limited choice in the matter.

Parents have advanced ways of keeping track of their children’s technology usage in the form of location tracking and screen time limits. However, many parents justify their technology controls with love and concern for their children.

“I stopped trying to fight my mom on [my phone] and just accepted it,” Raslan said.

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TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Students And Staff Discuss Their Experiences With The School Technology System

By Ammar Hussain amd Caroline Cubbin Designed by Kritin Shanmugam

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S

IES

chool

itting in her AP Physics classroom last spring, Payton Frankiewicz, senior, was nervously waiting for the bell to signal the start of her final exam. Frankiewicz had studied for hours and hours, created countless intricate study guides, and yet, still couldn’t shake the nerves.

Frankiewicz’s physics teacher told everyone to log onto the Secure Browser on their Chromebooks, the application they would be using to take the test. Frankiewicz put in her email and password, but the screen didn’t display problems about forces and kinetic energy. Instead on the screen were the words: “GATEWAY ERROR.” Frankiewicz was not the only one to face issues throughout the first year of the 1-to-1 system at Central. In the fall of 2018, the district introduced Chromebooks to students as part of the 1-to-1 technology plan, in which each student received a Chromebook for use both at school and at home. Chromebooks have been part of classrooms at Central for several years, but they were limited to a set in a classroom, as opposed to the current system, in which each student has a Chromebook.

In an age of technology, and with the majority of surrounding high schools already implementing some form of 1-to1, the district decided that it was necessary to do the same so that all students would have equal access to in-school technology.

According to Barb Deane, a technology support specialist, the Chromebook implementation was facilitated by the Technology Services and Business departments.

Prior to the introduction of the Chromebooks, a team of technology specialists evaluated several models of computers and determined that the Lenovo 500e Chromebooks were the best fit for an academic environment.

“The driving factor in that decision was that we wanted a stylus and a garage to keep the stylus in… and a touchscreen,” Deane said.

Originally planned to be implemented in 2017, the 1-to-1 program was delayed until 2018 due to concerns about the school network’s ability to support so many devices. That concern manifested during finals last spring.

Frankiewicz, like many students throughout the school that day, was unable to take her final because of a major system breakdown. School administration quickly pushed out a message to parents and students alike announcing that all classes

in which finals were online would have their finals cancelled and students grades determined solely by their quarter grades.

On the surface, the solution seemed to be a good one, and some students, like Frankiewicz, were happy that their grades were no longer dependent on an important final exam. However, the system breakdown last year caused many to question the school’s technology system.

Despite the thorough process of choosing a Chromebook model, many students said they have faced technological issues. As a result, the school created Tech Support Internship (TSI), a class at Central in which students repair Chromebooks and get certified in tech programs, to facilitate Chromebook issues. According to a Devils’ Advocate survey of 144 respondents, 39.6% of students have had to go to TSI with Chromebook problems within their time at Central. Many students cite Wi-Fi issues, OneNote, and battery life as being some of the most prevalent.

According to the same survey, 88.9% of students use their Chromebooks regularly in at least three classes. The regularity of Chromebook use within the school paired with technological issues has caused some students to become increasingly frustrated with the malfunctions of their Chromebooks.

“I think the biggest issue with the Chromebooks is that they’re not very reliable,” said Isabel Sunderland, junior.

Sunderland frequently struggles with the Wi-Fi on her Chromebook, and also had an issue where the power button wasn’t working. She visited TSI to resolve that issue, but said that the WiFi still regularly malfunctions for her.

“Sometimes kids in my physics class have to leave the room and walk around the school so they can connect to WiFi to use OneNote,” Sunderland said.

Overall, Sunderland said that she isn’t the biggest supporter of the Chromebooks, but isn’t sure of a realistic alternative that would be cost-efficient.

Technological issues are the main factor in some students’ aversion to the Chromebooks, but Sunderland said that she also doesn’t like the Chromebooks because she prefers using the more traditional paper and pencil. “[It] inhibits my learning, especially with subjects like math and science. I just prefer paper packets,” Sunderland said.

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them integrated into their learning experience and see the value in reducing paper usage and promoting sustainability.

“Chromebooks make lessons very efficient because we use the stylus tool to take notes, which is a very effective way for us to take notes,” said one survey respondent.

The majority of teachers surveyed welcomed the implementation of the 1-to1 system last year. According to physics teacher Anna Breig, when she started at Central 26 years ago, students had to go to computer labs to work on assignments.

However, over the years, the technology at school has become faster and more efficient.

Breig has incorporated the Chromebooks into her classroom through OneNote, tests and quizzes, and online simulations.

“One thing I love about 1-to1 is that students always have their notes with them,” Breig said.

However, Breig also said that each student having their own Chromebook occasionally leads to distractions for students, which has been an issue for her when trying to teach.

“Students sometimes spend a lot of their time with their heads bent over their computers, just like with their phones,” Breig said.

While some teachers look to GoGuardian,

a monitoring program installed on every Chromebook, Breig does not use any type of classroom management software like this. She acknowledged that many students do get distracted, but they have to be selfreliant and motivated to get their work done.

“I think you’ve got to have some trust in the students and they have to decide what they want to do,” Breig said.

Breig also said that apart from the system breakdown on finals, she had a very nice experience with the technology at Central last year.

This year, however, there have been multiple issues, such as the issue mentioned by Sunderland with students not being able to connect to Wi-Fi. Andy Daniak, Systems Administrator, explained that the school is aware of the issue and the Tech Department has re-seated many of the cables in new Chromebooks to fix the problem.

Sahil Shah, senior and member of TSI, said that while most of the issues brought into TSI were fairly mundane, such as Wi-Fi problems or a broken key, more severe issues arise from time to time.

“Last year, we had a kid who ran over a Chromebook with a bike,” Shah said.

While the school offers a warranty plan

John Kaczynki, senior, fixes a broken Chromebook during TSI. Photo taken by Sofija Buzelis

for Chromebooks that covers most damages, according to the Tech department, of the almost 3,000 kids at Central, less than 25 have purchased the warranty plan. For the most part, small repairs are still of no cost to students, but when there’s external damage, like a cracked or broken screen, the student will have to pay for the repairs. While Shah attributes a lot of the issues to students’ carelessness, he said he also believes the Chromebooks themselves are at fault.

“I just wish the school would have gotten better [Chromebooks], more sturdy ones, because after having repaired at least 100 or more of these, I think it's safe to say that these are just made poorly,” Shah said.

Furthermore, after a year of an influx of cracked screens and broken Wi-Fi cards, the school determined that the current Lenovo 500e model was not working for the general student body and decided to give the incoming freshman an Acer model instead.

Deane explained that while the Acer model is quite similar, the Tech Department thinks it will be more dependable.

“We ran into some issues with these Lenovo Chromebooks… so we saw Acer had a similar type of touchscreen Chromebook with a garaged stylus, and we decided to try that one this year instead,” Deane said.

In response to the Devils’ Advocate survey, when asked for suggestions to improve the technology system, respondents advocated for allowing students to bring their own personal laptops.

“We should be allowed to bring our own computers. If kids can’t afford them we can provide them with Chromebooks, but it’s pointless to spend so much money on computers that everyone hates,” said one survey respondent.

Prior to the implementation of 1-to1, many students did bring their own personal laptops to work on during their classes and were able to use those instead of the in-class set that many classes had. Shah said he felt that this system worked well.

“I'm honestly totally [in favor of] people bringing their own laptops. They're a lot faster. It's their own issue if [the laptop] gets broken somehow...I also think it's less work on [TSI]...We didn't really have an issue [with] this when I was a freshman or sophomore,” Shah said.

Daniak, however, explained the school’s reasoning behind preventing students from connecting to the Wi-Fi on their personal devices.

“Students can bring their own laptops if they so choose, however, they are not

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allowed to be connected to the D86 network. This is due to the fact that we can’t verify if a computer is infected with a virus or malware. This would compromise the entire D86 network,” Daniak said.

Another issue brought up by numerous survey respondents was the restrictions placed on Chromebooks. For example, last year, shortly after the implementation of the 1-to-1 system, the settings were changed on Chromebooks to require students to insert their password every time the lid of their Chromebook closed.

“You want the kids to be able to be secure—that they are the only ones that can access their Chromebook

such as Spotify, to use while they work.

“I hate that I can’t log into my personal Google Drive because I wish I could work on all of my college applications during free time in school,” said Sophie Papiernik, senior.

As a result of frustrations surrounding an inability to add personal accounts, many students have resorted to manipulating their Chromebook settings in order to do so, despite it violating the Chromebook policy all students signed.

“I added my personal account [to my Chromebook] in order to find a way to kill time when we had nothing to do in class or to do things on my computer when I was at home that were

“Students were logging into their personal Gmail account, downloading apps… and that is against the Acceptable Use Policy that [students] signed,” Daniak said. “We can’t have [students] playing games in the classroom and getting off task.”

One year after the implementation of the 1-to-1 system within the school, while 80.5% of students surveyed reported a neutral or positive sentiment towards Chromebooks, students have made clear that they feel there remain problems with the Chromebooks and technology system as a whole. However, Technology Services and school administration are aware of the concerns of students and

"After having repaired at least 100 or more [Chromebooks], I think it's safe to say that these are just made poorly."

-Sahil Shah and their account,” Deane said.

The school also blocks a number of websites, also for security reasons, but many students have found that some sites have been blocked erroneously, and have prevented them from being able to access a resource they needed for an assignment.

Shah, however, said he doesn’t feel as though the blocked websites are an issue.

“On occasion there might be a blocked website if I needed a source for a paper… but I wouldn’t say it is too much [of an issue] because you can still watch YouTube videos [for example],” Shah said.

By far the biggest restriction mentioned by students was the inability to log onto their personal Google accounts on Chromebooks, whether it be to use their email, work on college applications during lunch, or download apps from the Google Play store,

completely blocked,” said an anonymously interviewed senior, who was recently caught with games and unauthorized applications on his Chromebook.

The school administration and Tech Services department have become more cognizant of students adding games to their Chromebooks and have recently implemented measures to combat it. Over the past few weeks, students have noticed that every time they close their Chromebook, it force shuts down, taking significant time to power back up and connect to the Wi-Fi. This has frustrated a number of students who questioned why the measure was necessary. Daniak explained that while it was partly a measure implemented to address OneNote syncing issues, it is also directly related to the rise in students playing games on their Chromebooks during class.

staff at the school and are implementing measures to work towards solutions.

This past summer a brand new Wi-Fi system was installed in the school and a new access point was placed in classrooms in the school.

“Every classroom got one of those new access points. It’s a brand new, faster, updated Wi-Fi [system],” Deane said.

Replacing the Wi-Fi system and choosing a new Chromebook model are only a couple of the many improvements the Tech Department has planned for the future in response to concerns by students and staff. Daniak explained that the Tech Department is currently working to improve the technology at Central over the next few years by upgrading to new servers, storage, and security upgrades, among other plans.

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10/28/19 2:04 PM

Unsolicited Advice

by Anchal Kumar & Catherine Dolan

1

Pillowcases are the best bags for treats

2

Cute costumes are fun, warm costumes are better

3

Only take one piece of candy from the bowl

Pillowcases are always the way to go. They are capable of holding more candy than any other containers. In addition, pillowcases have an amazing ability to garner more goodies when hiking from house to house. The bigger the pillowcase, the fewer treats distributors will think you have...and the more they will give you!

So you want to be a mermaid. That’s cool. However, you know what’s not cool? Getting hypothermia on a freezing October night. Listen to your mom and wear a long sleeve t-shirt under your outfit. Better yet, put on that ugly, big fleece jacket. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll be able to get more candy too. When all the other neighborhood kids complain, give up, and go inside, you will relentlessly trudge on. At the end of the day, being comfortable is a lot better than walking around in the October chill.

Taking more than one piece from anyone’s bowl is NEVER cool. As someone who has been on the other side (not trickor-treating), it is rude and a complete hassle. It is annoying to find an empty container filled only a half an hour before.

It’s ill-advised for the trick-or-treaters themselves. First of all, if all trick or treaters did this then everyone would suffer because no one would get as much candy. Second, even if kind families choose to refill their bowls, the remaining supply may not be as great. Furthermore, if this continues to happen, houses might shut down their trick-or-treating participation altogether leaving future Halloween nights dry. Bottom line: trying to cheat the system ruins it for everyone else...DON’T ruin it for everyone else.

Photo by Catherine Dolan

Perspectives | 27

BATTLEGROUND MINIMUM WAGE

CONTEXT—Earlier this year, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill to raise the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, starting with an increase to $10 by July 1, 2020 and an additional dollar a year until 2025. Wages for teenage workers, who as a demographic are more likely to earn minimum wage, will increase to $13 per hour. But the economics behind a minimum wage isn’t conclusive, with some arguing it actually hurts the economy. So, is this wage increase beneficial to Illinois workers and the economy?

First, the economics. The main argument against a higher minimum wage is that it hurts the very families it attempts to help. If wages are artificially high, the reasoning goes: employers will avoid hiring more low-skilled workers because it costs more than they’re worth. But does this idea really play out in the real world? Are wage increases unproductive?

Well, in a word, no. A 2017 paper from the University of Massachusetts analyzed 137 minimum wage increases in U.S. states and localities and found minimal negative effects. Obviously, jobs paying below the new wage all but disappeared, but most of them simply migrated to or just above the new minimum. The advantages of this study were that it used a large number of cases to minimize outliers and ignored large wage increases, which aren’t relevant to Illinois’s gradual approach. Clearly, smaller minimum wage hikes don’t have nearly as great an impact as many fear, and yet still provide workers with more pay.

Illinois’s law, meanwhile, is designed to minimize any of those negative effects that do arise. First off, the minimum wage rises gradually, about a dollar a year. It won’t hit $15 until 2025. Economists Alan Krueger and David Card demonstrated in 1994 that gradual and reasonable minimum wage increases have have minimal effect on employment, something the author of the Illinois bill clearly took into account. This gives businesses more time to adjust to the necessary changes in production and finances. And small businesses, a constant worry for higher-wage detractors, will have some help—firms with less than 50 employees can claim a 25% tax credit that will gradually scale back. Finally, teenage workers, who often work part time in unskilled jobs, will have a lower minimum wage ($13) to avoid pricing them out of the labor market. This bill is clearly well thought out.

Furthermore, to really understand the issue, we need to go beyond the economics. If you are earning the current Illinois minimum wage, your standard of living is not high. In fact, you qualify for Medicare, and likely other welfare programs as well if you have a dependent. Sure, by the free market alone, the value of your labor is not worth minimum wage. But the market system does not acknowledge ideas of respect or fairness. Are we really comfortable saying to every low-skilled worker that they are stuck earning a salary they can barely survive upon? It’s not just economics. It’s dignity.

We as a society should not consign anyone to near-poverty if they work a full time job.

Inequality is a growing issue in society and focusing on the market value for labor only increases the wealth disparity. Without an increased minimum wage, low-wage workers would lack the income and bargaining power to correct this potential imbalance. If, after all of this, a significant population of skilled individuals cannot find decent-paying jobs then the problem is not wages, it’s education.

AVA SEVERTS 28 | Perspectives

Battleground September 4.indd 1

In a perfect world, the fight for $15 wouldn’t even be a fight, it would be a reality, but this isn’t a perfect world: pigs don’t fly and communism doesn’t work. According to the Employment Policies Institute, 72 percent of economists oppose a $15 minimum wage.

Raising the minimum wage has economic repercussions for both individuals and businesses, and it’s irresponsible for the government to pass nearsighted, illogical laws at the prospect of appearing “progressive.”

Raising the minimum wage is a backdoor tax on businesses for welfare and DAVID GUST this redistributed money doesn’t grow on trees, businesses have to account for it. According to Forbes, this can be done in two ways: raising prices or cutting costs. Raising prices leads to inflation while cutting costs can lead to outsourcing, unemployment, or decreasing quality of products. The issue is when a recession hits, the artificial minimum wage creates a positive feedback loop. Businesses will not be able to afford the lofty $15 minimum wage, forcing them to lay off a large portion of their workforce and worsen the recession.

This is a case of supply side economics: by utilizing laissez-faire policies-- low regulation and low taxes-- businesses will make more money, and therefore, will be able to pay higher wages. Companies such as Amazon, Costco, and Target offer starting wages of $15, but employees earn what the business can afford, which is often lower than $15. Facts don’t care about your feelings, and the fact of the matter is the free market decides what your labor is worth, not the government.

Furthermore, price floors on labor, especially at $15, decrease the labor demanded and put thousands of Americans out of work. An automated kiosk is significantly cheaper than $15 per hour, and this artificially high minimum wage puts Americans willing to work for less out of work and risks automation of jobs. A study by the University of Washington found during Seattle’s minimum wage hike, due to employers being forced to reduce hours and lay off employees, the average low-wage worker in the city lost $125 a month relative to their previous wages-- thwarting the fight for $15’s main objective.

This state cannot afford another economic loss— from 2017 to 2018, 114,000 Americans left Illinois. CNBC ranks Illinois’s economy 45th in the nation, and 40th for business friendliness, hence the thousands of Americans leaving the state. It’s bad enough here: politicians are entrenched in corruption and there are taxes on everything from gasoline to soda; we cannot afford to drive businesses out of state with the false assumption of “helping” those in poverty.

America is the land of the free and social mobility, not a hierarchy of the bourgeoisie: these minimum wage jobs incentivize Americans to climb the ladder rather than stay content with slightly “above poverty line” wages. World renowned economist Milton Friedman once said, “A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.”

Illustrations by Audrey Carter

10/29/19 1:37 PM

DISHED

by Rima Rafiq

This Week's Dish

Photos by Hannah Ahdab

With fall comes leaves, halloween, and a spooky season, and what better way to kick off the season than with some of autumn’s signature foods. Love them or hate them, pumpkin-themed drinks are an essential part of this season’s most popular foods; for this reason, I decided that they would be the perfect fall treat for this month.

Starbucks

Starbucks is one of those coffee shops that is convenient and easy to rely on for drinks. One of their most popular drinks during the fall is the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Personally, I find the PSL to be overrated, so I was excited to try one of the newer pumpkin drinks on their menu instead.

Made with cold brew coffee and topped with a pumpkin cream cold foam, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is surprisingly good. It has a really distinct taste from the refreshing balance between the coffee and cream, which sets it aside from other drinks. Unlike the PSL, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew isn’t overbearingly sweet and is the perfect fall drink.

Tall Pumpkin Cold Brew cost: $4.55

Dunkin' Donuts

While Dunkin Donuts is usually pretty reliable for their donuts and coffee, their Iced Pumpkin Latte left much to be desired.

When Hannah Ahdab, one of the other Head Editors, and I took our first sip, we both felt disappointed to say the least. The Iced Pumpkin Latte tastes like watered down coffee with several pumps of artificial pumpkin syrup. Half the cup was filled with whipped cream, which was probably a good thing since it helped distract from the poor taste of the drink itself. We actually ended up throwing out our coffees because it really wasn’t worth drinking. While I enjoy some of the other items from Dunkin, I wouldn’t buy the Iced Pumpkin Latte again.

Small Iced Pumpkin Latte cost: $3.69

Owl & Lark

Owl & Lark is a local cafe located in La Grange that specializes in drinks and healthy breakfast items. With only a few locations, Owl & Lark is a well known town favorite because of their unique treats. When I first smelled their Iced Pumpkin Pie Latte, I was reminded of fall candles and ginger cookies.

When I first tried it, however, I was surprised that the actual flavor was fairly weak. The taste was grainy, and it almost felt as though I could taste unblended pie in the drink. It smelled great, it looked good, but I was missing a strong pumpkin flavor. It was definitely a high quality drink made with more fresh ingredients than Starbucks or Dunkin', but it wouldn’t be my first choice drink given the lack of flavor.

16 ounce Iced Pumpkin Pie Latte cost: $5.95

The Verdict

As a coffee enthusiast, I was really excited to try these pumpkin themed drinks from Owl & Lark, Starbucks, and Dunkin' Donuts. Each coffee shop had a unique take on a seemingly straightforward drink. For example, Owl & Lark had a more subtle pumpkin taste, while Starbucks had the perfect balance of pumpkin and coffee. Dunkin' Donuts didn’t put a lot of effort into their Iced Pumpkin Latte, and it showed clearly from the lack in both pumpkin flavor and overall taste. Both Starbucks and Owl & Lark hit the spot, but, given the choice between the two, I’d definitely order the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew over the Pumpkin Pie Latte.

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10/29/19 2:08 PM

STAFF EDITORIAL Illustration by Audrey Carter

Smells Like School Spirit?

.

O

n Oct. 4, Social Chair Alex Ovan finally reached his tipping point.

He took to Snapchat to share this message on his story: “Just a wake up call to everyone. We have a football team ranked #3 in our class by NBCSports and none of you are showing up to games. I don’t want to hear anyone talking about how they miss football season when the season is over if they weren’t willing to make a 15 minute drive to watch a really good game tonight. There [are] four games left in the regular season for you guys to show up to and I honestly feel bad for all of you because this has been really exciting stuff.”

The response was overwhelming. Ovan says he had football players swiping up on his story thanking him for finally saying what needed to be said. On Monday, people were coming up to Ovan in the hallways apologizing and explaining to him why they were absent from the game. But it

never should have reached this point.

Somewhere along the line, it has become “lame” to participate in school spirit. At Hinsdale Central, we are lucky enough to have amazing athletes, coaches, and highly ranked programs amongst us. We have an abundance of state winning sports and highly successful teams. We are lucky enough to have amazing games to watch every weekend, but we don’t take advantage of it. Our time in high school is limited, and so is our number of pep rallies, games, and dress days. School spirit is an important part of school unity, for both students and athletes, and it is important that we take advantage of these opportunities to show school pride in order to make the best of our experience at Central.

Not only is school spirit important in the stands, but also in the classroom.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, students with

school spirit “perform better academically, are more engaged in social and civic matters, and are happier in general.”

Last spring, as the Referendum was in full swing, one of the most prominent activities on the chopping block was football. An argument heard a lot was “without football what will we do on our Friday nights?” Social media flooded with vote yes propaganda. As summer came to an end, countless people got excited to get back to football season. But here we are, back in the season, and no one is showing up to games, no one is participating in dress days, and no one is showing school spirit.

“As a freshman...I remember those senior classes were always on the fence the entire game to the point where we couldn’t leave because they were blocking the exits,” Ovan said.

People are willing to make up any excuse to not go to the game, but football season is only a handful of weeks in the year. There

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10/29/19 1:29 PM

Illustration by Audrey Carter

are so many other opportunities to hang out with friends. For seniors, they constantly use the excuse of college applications, but it’s hard to believe that people are actually slaving over essays on a Friday night. Football games are only a few hours long, yet people are still reluctant to put aside a small amount of time to watch the sport that they fought so hard to keep just a few months ago.

“Football season is only a couple of months so it’s frustrating for the team when people don’t take a few hours out of their night to come out and support,” said Christian Letts, senior football player.

Ovan talked about how he tried to create easier dress days like Pink Out, Black Out and Neon Day in hopes of attracting more seniors to participate. Despite these efforts, however, senior participation is still low. The executive board understands that these items aren’t always easily accessible, so they are giving us numerous options. For

example, on Oct. 18, the senior class was given two dress day options: Aspen Ski or Country Club, yet participation was low.

“It’s to the point where if you’re getting excited for stuff to do at the school you’re not ‘in’, and that’s never been a problem here before,” Ovan said.

The whole culture around school spirit at Central has grown less and less prevalent almost every year. Despite the continued efforts from social chairs, class board, student council, and other clubs, it seems nearly impossible to return our Friday night crowd numbers to what they once were.

Ovan said that they have even received praise toward their hype videos and the time they dedicate to them from other schools’ social chairs. Yet, there is little other direct result as the videos seem to elicit little in terms of crowd turnout.

“It’s almost to the point where at our school it’s not cool to be involved,”

Ovan said. “And I want people to know that’s not how it is everywhere else.”

In comparison to nearby schools, Central is visibly lacking in terms of bleacher rows filled each Friday night. Ovan recalled the Central vs. South game this year, in which the social chairs and class board did more than usual throughout the week to promote the game, posting stories and videos, but to no avail. The small section reserved for Central students did not get crowded. Ovan said we even received backlash from the South section as they teased us for our meager crowd.

Our time at Central is limited. You only get so many games, meets and matches, yet we spend them finding any minor excuse not to go. With the number of games and spirit days left quickly dwindling, we must turn our spirit around before it’s too late.

As the Red Devil Nation’s Instagram bio says, “treat every game like it’s your last.”

Perspectives | 31

Editorial.indd 3

10/29/19 1:29 PM

#SPOOKYSZN students voice their opinions on Halloween

based on 233 student responses

What is your thing about

Do you carve pumpkins with friends or family for the fall season?

68.3% 31.7%

>YES!

14.9%

>No.

What is the most important factor when deciding your costume?

36.3% 27.4% 26.3% 10.1%

3.9%

Apple pi

Pumpkin Flavored everything

16% 12.7% scary movies

>It Must Be unique! >It Must Be CUTE!

Haunted house

>It Must Be Funny!

>It Must Be SCARY!

32 | By The Numbers Infographic 2.indd 2

10/29/19 1:22 PM

Do you go trick or treating?

46.9%

your favorite out october?

3.9%

Apple picking

red

52.5% Fall weather

%

houses

answered yes

What is your favorite halloween movie to watch?

18.9% the nightmare before christmas 16% IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN 13.6% GHOSTBUSTERS 11.2% HALLOWEEN TOWN 8.3% HALLOWEEN 7.7% HOCUS POCUS 6.5% The addams family 5.9% Beetlejuice 5.9% goosebumps 2.4%casper 1.8% haunted mansion 1.2% bewitched 0.6% Warm bodies

By The Numbers | 33

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10/29/19 1:22 PM

MEET THE...

Q&A with TEAM MANAGERS Q1: If you played on the sport you managed, what position would you be?

Q2: What is your favorite duty as a team manager?

Maya Wolff & Molly Schneiders

Carl Hinchman & Chloe Opler

Q1 Schneiders: Center Midfielder Wolff: Defender

Q1 Hinchman: Linebacker Opler: Defensive Back

Q2 Schneiders: Getting the pizza after home games Wolff: Being with the team and hanging out with them

Q2 Hinchman: Driving the golf carts to get equipment Opler: Doing sideline water during games

Katie Sharp* & Melina Slone

Isabella Martirano & Kate Venis

Q1 Sharp: Player Slone: Player

Q1 Venis: Face-off Martirano: Defense

Q2 Venis: Filing up water bottles Martirano: Going to the games and supporting the players

Q2

Sharp: Baking brownies for team parties Slone: Being able to spend time with the team every week at practice and keep scores

34 | Trends

Photos by Sofia Buzelis *Copy Editor of Devils’ Advocate

Trends CROSSWORD

OVERHEARD AT CENTRAL Comical Quotes Heard In the Halls of Central

“

Trick or Treat

With Halloween coming up, it’s time to stock up on our favorite candies. Take this puzzle to test your knowledge!

So I was at Popeyes at 2 a.m. with my mom and I swear I thought I was in Hogwarts.

”

No offense dude, but you’re like 10 times more attractive now that you have the new iPhone.

“

If reincarnation is real, what if I’m Julius Caesar? That would be sick.

”

Where is the best lighting in the school to make a Tik Tok?”

If you’d like to be featured in next issue’s Overheard at Central direct message @ DevilsAdvocate_HC on Instagram

Clues Across 2. Every year, about 1 million miles of this candy are produced.

4. Which candy is one of the poorest selling treats in the U.S.?

5. This popular chocolate bar has many flavors, including matcha and strawberry.

6. This chocolate candy is the most purchased Halloween treat.

7. Over 200 million pieces of this candy are produced daily.

Down

1. This animal—shaped, gummy candy is actually certified vegan.

3. This candy bar was named after the creator’s favorite racing horse.

Answers 1. Swedish Fish 2. Twizzlers 3. Snickers 4. Candy Corn 5. Kitkat 6. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups 7. Skittles

Trends | 35 crossword/overheard 32.indd 1

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