October issue compressed

advocate E V I L S’

Hinsdale Central High School • October 2015 • Volume 88

No One Fights Alone

Students show support for loved ones battling cancer

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Tough Decisions

How students are strategizing the college admissions process

The Migrants’ Journey Students react to Syrian refugee crisis

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18

21

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table of contents

22

Up in Smoke

opinions 5 5 6 8 9

Snapthought: Students share their thoughts Cheers & Jeers: What’s good and bad this month Editorial: Face Value of presidential candidates Battleground: Faceoff about Planned Parenthood defunding The To-Do List: Saadia checks off another to-do

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Volley for a Cure: Cystic Fibrosis awareness event NHS Blood Drive: Students give back A.S. King: Author visits Central Game of the Month: IHSA cross country sectionals Ask the Athlete: Learn about this season’s stars

news

infographics

26 Strength: Stats you didn’t know about cancer 28 This month: A preview at what’s coming up

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features 14 18 22 24 30

Succeeding at Representation: Club diversity The Migrants’ Journey: Syrian refugees in America Tough Decisions: Different strategies for college apps No One Fights Alone: Cancer affects student lives The Pumpkin Patch: pumpkins around town

profiles 13 16 20 21

Committed: Brendan O’Reilly commits to U of I Tour Through Central: Ambassadors guide students On the Menu: Maddy Collanto’s instagram food blog Cutting Corners: VW manipulates emissions testing

cover photo by Haley Anderson

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A D V O S T A F F

editor in chief managing editor head design editor copy editors and heads of writers feature editors

elise martin lauren excell faith michal shannon sinwell saadia elahi arman haveric lancelot lin dana ahdab sayali amin annika luk nina molina selin turkyilmaz emma joyce ray shyrock seetha aribindi photo editors colleen martucci shiv bajaj haley anderson special report editors rina ravisundar maria harrast contributors ali ardehali • aneesh balusu • crosby becker • meg bibby • katrina blum • elizabeth bogs • steven botsoe • everett eck • shannon ging • barbara heidkamp • zeljko kospic • ellis kritzer • isha kukadia • juliana mayer • matt bradley • hana rimawi • keshav sanghani • talia sankari • madelyn studnicka • megan timmermann • serena tolani • nora wood • selina zeng

mission statement

Devils’ Advocate strives to provide its readers with a diverse forum for reporting and sharing information. It is a student-run, school-funded newsmagazine published monthly. Devils’ Advocate wishes to provide fair and balanced reporting on events by working with students, teachers, and the community. It strives to inform, educate, and improve the atmosphere and student body of Hinsdale Central High School.

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letter from the editor

If you’re anything like me, October is a blessing and a curse.

Starbucks finally brings back Pumpkin Spice Lattes; we’re forced to break out our coats and pack away the flip-flops. But more than anything, October means Halloween.

This is the only time of year that ghost hunting has any relevance. If ghost hunting was a stable profession, I could save myself a lot of time by foregoing the college application process and going straight into paranormal investigation. But, I’m a scaredy cat, and I can’t even go to Country House without being scared that I saw something in the second-floor window.

Like almost everyone else, I’m drawn in by the intrigue of ghosts, scary movies, and haunted houses (the only difference is that I can’t sleep for days afterward). I deliberately seek out haunted places around Chicagoland to see if I can catch a glimpse of the paranormal—every time I go to my cousins (who live on the intersection of Munger Road and Army Trail), I go out of my way to drive past the haunted Munger Road train tracks.

But, invariably, I chicken out before I drive over the tracks—in my mind, the prospect of seeing an actual ghost is too real to handle. One of these days, I’ll overcome my nerves, drive past the intersection of Munger and Army Trail, and park on the train tracks at midnight to brave the ghosts that haunt Munger.

Lauren Excell managing editor For every issue during the 20152016 school year, one of the Devils’ Advocate senior editors will write a letter from the editor.

contact & interact

Adviser Cherise Lopez clopez@hinsdale86.org 630-570-8361 Devils’ Advocate 55th and Grant Street Hinsdale, IL 60521 For more articles and content, visit us at hcdevilsadvocate.com, or scan the QR code.

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Everyone clubs, classes, teachers, students, parents, businesses.

can

advertise with

advocate •contact devilsadvocate@hinsdale86.org•

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4

out of

2,828

1.Favorite Halloween costume...

2.What would you write on your tombstone?

3.Most ordered drink at Starbucks...

Hunter Belvis, Freshman

Andrea Collins, Sophomore

1. Banana 2. I did it my way 3. Water

1. Raspberry 2. Rest in Pepperonis 3. Not my cup of tea

Rishi Chandra, Junior

Sophie Lekas, Senior

1. The Henchmen from Mad Max 2. I’m Hindu...we cremate 3. Hot Chocolate

1. Sharks 2. That is a deep question 3. Ice latte photos by Haley Anderson

Cheers and Jeers • Cheers to the Cubs. Perhaps Marty McFly was right after all.

• Cheers to all day breakfast at McDonald’s.

I can finally order that greasy McGriddle at any hour of the day.

• Cheers to the Boys’ and Girls’ golf teams.

Hinsdale continues the tradition of racking in the country club sports’ championships.

• Cheers to Lamar Odom waking up from his coma. We’re glad to have you back!

• Cheers to the cupcakes in the cafeteria.

Nuff ’ said.

• Jeers to No Homework Weekend for seniors. I have no excuse for not writing college essays now.

• Jeers to near freezing weather. Time to gear up for a white Halloween.

• Jeers to Halloween costumes. I used up all my good costume ideas back in elementary school.

• Jeers to grades not being updated for the end of the quarter.

• Jeers to midterms. I can only imagine how awful finals will be.

Opinions

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10/21/15 2:54 PM

Face Value

by Nina Molina and Annika Luk

T

With the boom in social media use, the image of a candidate is becoming more important than ideas

he country sat in awe. The famous John F. Kennedy versus Richard Nixon presidential debate of 1962 left Americans craving more from their candidates.

According to legend, those who watched it on TV believed dashingly handsome Kennedy won, while those who listened over the radio claimed Nixon the winner. Since the first ever televised presidential debate 50 years ago, political image continues to be important in politics. As the campaign trail blazes on towards November 2016, presidential primary candidates know the harsh reality of the importance of image as well as the well-combed orange hair of Donald Trump. Elections have always been about image. However, today, we have the presidential candidates under microscopes, especially now with social media as the instrument of choice.

We believe that this coming presidential race is mostly about image rather than ideas, especially with the increasing use of social media.

At the beginning of his presidency, Obama’s slogans began with calls for “Hope” accompanied by the iconic cartoon red and blue artwork. Throughout the Obama administration, Americans’ opinions have changed. According to a Gallop poll, at the beginning of Obama’s term in January 2008, his approval rating was 67 percent, compared to now, at 48 percent.

Today, few of the candidates for 2016 are anti-establishment, or non-career politicians. According to a continually updated poll of the status of Republican candidates by the Huffington Post, Donald Trump, celebrity and businessman; Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon; and Carly Fiorina, businesswoman and former CEO of HP Computers, lead in the Republican primary polls. All three candidates are neither White House insiders nor career politicians.

The Democratic Party does not have any anti-establishment candidates running thus far.

The primaries for the Republican and Democratic nominees edge closer with the primaries starting in February. The image dilemma for the 2016 elections seems to be the battle between the anti-establishment candidates versus the career politician.

“I heard a good analogy recently, ‘Trump is the conservative Bernie Sanders.’ Both are pretty anti-establishment and aren’t satisfied with the current direction of their parties,” said Will Coker, senior. He has been following the past two Republican debates, the most recent one on CNN, Sept. 16, which reached 24 million viewers.

6

The Apprentice celebrity continues to be one of the most controversial candidates on the playing field. With his opinions on how he would like to deport refugees from Syria and his plans to build a wall between Mexico and the United States, Trump never fails to leave the media hanging on to his every word. His name recognition and “Make America Great Again” rally cry fuel his campaign further. However, his unfiltered style of delivering and his “I don’t need your money because I’m rich” slogans may be attempting to make up for his failure to perform in the debates.

According to conservative analyst Mercedes Schlapp, “Trump was silent for more than 30 minutes of discussion of serious policy issues.”

“There was a point when he was speechless,” she said. “You could tell he was so uncomfortable talking about any of the issues except for immigration.”

Students also noted his silence during these debates. “[Trump] doesn’t care about political correctness. He just says what he thinks. I feel like our country needs that to an extent. With the amount of money he has made, it’s obvious he knows how to run something. He can be too direct at times, but there’ll never be a perfect candidate,” said Alexa Haffe, junior.

The political scene feels to gravitate towards Trump and his controversies, while a dark horse races to the front: Carly Fiorina.

The cancer-survivor, businesswoman and mother made her debut this year, claiming the female votes on the Republican side. In her response to Trump’s negative comments about her face she said, “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said,” erupting a loud applause from the audience during the latest CNN debate.

Being the new woman candidate to face against Clinton, Fiorina has shaken up the race bringing her vitality and feisty comebacks. Clinton claims the Democratic vote from women. However, with the recently surfaced e-mail scandal she faces, Clinton is also rapidly losing support. Clinton’s built-up image of strength and political involvement as a career politician may prove insufficient to win the Democratic nomination. Her image continues to be tarnished by e-mail scandals revealing trust and corruption issues.

Most seniors and a handful of juniors will be eighteen by November 2016 and will be able to vote for the final two candidates remaining, who will have their faces and images plastered all over social media. Keep one thing in mind: focus on the issues because image does not always speak the truth.

Editorial

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Qu

Trump

ot

e’s

o P Affect on

s l l

On immigration control: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best.

They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems.”

Megan Kelly remark: “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.”

D o w n

D o w n 3%

8%

Sanders

5% U p On Hillary Clinton’s e-mails: “…the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.”

Fiorina

3%

5%

U p

U p

Her response to Trump about her face: “‘Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?’ I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”

Clinton

6%

On Planned Parenthood videos: “I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes.

Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.”

U p Clinton plays up gender card: “Being the first woman president would be quite a change.”

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Battleground:

Matt Matt Bradley bradley

-2.7 million patients -700 Health centers -3 percent of services provided are abortions -327,653 abortions were performed in 2013 Facts from CNN.com

Women have control of their bodies. It’s the 21st century. We’re no longer stuck in a 19th century Victorian England mentality. Rather, as the romantic would claim, we are in an era of unprecedented progress and prosperity, challenging traditional norms and redefining antiquated perspectives and knowledge in the name of the common good.

But as the tides of change wash over America, they crash into levies erected as a product of our polarized country torn over the idea of abortion.

It’s a tricky hot button topic so often diluted in politics and exterior agendas that it’s easy to get lost in the chaos surrounding it. Should we fund Planned Parenthood? Maybe. Is abortion bad? Yes, but does that give us the right to deprive Americans of that ability depending on the circumstance? Possibly not. Answers to these questions are extremely hard to come by.

The ethics of these polarizing issues lie in the matter of whether or not abortions should be provided or indirectly funded by the government.

Abortion is not so easily resolved. As noted in the BBC, “there’s no agreement in medicine, philosophy or theology” as to define the time period where a unborn child would gain “the right to life.” In other words, there is nothing but arbitrary personal judgments to when the transition of control takes place and the unborn child would become independent from the mother and instantly be constitutionally protected as like any other citizen.

No one, Planned Parenthood included, can dispatch a legal citizen.

When Hilary Clinton claims she is pro-choice because “I want people to make their own choices,” and anything else would be an assault on women’s autonomy, the answer to “if ”for this contentious debate shouldn’t rest on that topic of empowerment, but ultimately on if it is actually the individual’s decision to make versus that of the law’s nondiscriminatory protection towards all, which, at some point, includes any unborn children.

For society’s lack of a better answer in specifying when that transition takes place, the idea of defunding Planned Parenthood rests not in deliberate deprivation, but in composed restraint.

When does this procedure turn from acceptable toward reprehensible, and can our government simply wash its hands in the water and claim either innocence or ignorance toward society and future generations? I believe the risk isn’t one the government should take, and rolling the dice on domestic policy ethics to the tune of roughly a $500 million payout is a dangerous precedent. My advice? Find another health care organization for women to fund.

8

Serena Tolani

photo by Haley Anderson

photo by Shiv Bajaj

Should Planned Parenthood be defunded?

In recent weeks, certain groups in Congress threatened a government shutdown due to federal funding of Planned Parenthood in light of videos recorded of Planned Parenthood executives by anti-abortion groups.This debate often seems to boil down to the morality of abortion; however, defunding Planned Parenthood wouldn’t decrease the abortion rate like the anti-abortion activists and Republican candidates expect.

Planned Parenthood receives around 41 percent of its funding from the federal government, which makes government money absolutely vital to the success of the organization. However, due to the Hyde Amendment in 1976, government funding is banned from being used in abortions for most cases. In actuality, federal money is only used for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is endangered in result or in conjunction with the pregnancy.The organization uses money from other sources to fund abortions that do not fit these conditions.

Contrary to popular belief, Planned Parenthood does not just provide abortion; the organization only uses about 3 percent of its funding and revenue on abortion services. Even if the U.S. government stopped funding Planned Parenthood, it wouldn’t do much to stop abortion services, since abortions are generally privately funded.

However, it would cut into funding for many important female health issues. Although Jeb Bush, one of the top Republican candidates who opposes funding of Planned Parenthood, has stated “I’m not sure we need half a billion dollars for women’s health issues,” he and other anti-abortion activists have been crowing about their success since abortion rates have been reported as declining.

In actuality, most political experts agree that abortion rates have declined by 12 percent since 2010 due to easier access to lower-failure birth control. Due to organizations like Planned Parenthood providing contraception and the Affordable Care Act, which forced insurance companies to cover the full cost of birth control, women have been able to prevent unplanned pregnancies and reduce the abortion rate through more responsible actions.

So, if the federal government cuts funding to Planned Parenthood, it will not be decreasing the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood, and by cutting funding to the part of Planned Parenthood that funds contraception, defunding may actually result in an increased rate of abortions that take place in the future as women lose access to birth control.

Opinions

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The To-Do List

by Saadia Elahi

September: Go all out for dress up days October: Fall into Autumn ’ve always struggled to find anything appealing about autumn. I associate this season with the start of school, the departure of summer relaxation, and the bite of the chilly fall wind. Needless to say, I’ve never been too excited about the arrival of fall.

It’s not to say that there aren’t some positive aspects of this season. I absolutely adore pumpkin pie and hot chocolate. My closet is overflowing with sweaters, and fuzzy socks make my life complete. I just wish, sometimes, that the weather wouldn’t get so cold that I need to take them out.

The thing I’ve always hated the most about autumn is how short-lived it is. One of my favorite things to do with my family in the fall is take my camera to Morton Arboretum and capture the incredible, vibrant colors of the transitioning leaves. But the fact that they turn brown and mushy so quickly has always bothered me. I feel like the entire season is just teasing me, saying, Oh, calm down.

It’s not even that cold. And then BOOM--it’s snowing a week later.

However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that everything transient needs to be appreciated while it exists. The whole point is that autumn is only beautiful for a short time; I need to take advantage of the adventures

photo by Shiv Bajaj

I

and delights it offers before they’re gone and replaced by the tundra that is Chiberia.

This October, I’m going to go apple picking (You should too! Check out Apples on Oak in Lockport or Garden Patch Farms in Homer Glen). I’ll visit a pumpkin patch, consume copious amounts of coffee and hot chocolate, and have as much pumpkin pie as my groaning stomach will contain. My sweater collection will keep growing and growing (sorry, Mom and Dad), and I’m going to enjoy the gorgeous orange and red leaves for as long as I can.

The beauty of this season doesn’t last long. But that’s why it should be treasured so much more.

This month, I’m going to fall into autumn.

Elahi happily poses with what she thought was a baby pumpkin. She later discovered that it was really a gourd.

Opinions

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monthly

News

ask the author

photo by Elizabeth Bogs

by Ali Ardehali Author A.S. King is coming to Hinsdale Central during the morning of Nov. 10.

King is a realistic fiction and magical fiction author. Her books are widely known, especially Ask the Passengers, which received a Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2012, and Please Ignore Vera Dietz which received the Michael L. Printz Award in 2011.

King will provide students interested in writing books and who have written books a guideline from her experiences. Students will also have the opportunity to ask her questions.

“She will be sharing what her inspiration is, and she may get into what it is like to publish a book,” said Leah Giarritano, a librarian. “We have many students who are writing books so we know that’s of high interest to many of our students.”

King will give students information about her life and her experience writing books. She will be at school during that Tuesday morning, but will be there to discuss during second and third periods.

briefs

wanted: Blood

by Juliana Mayer Central’s blood drive this year will be run by National Honors Society (NHS) instead of Business Professionals of America (BPA) on Thursday, Oct. 22.

No major changes other than this will occur in the event.

However, the switch was made in an effort to allow more student leaders in charge of the blood drive to participate.

“BPA has many younger members who are not eligible to sign up on their own to donate, with or without parent permission, so it seemed to make more sense to have students running the event who could also make the choice to donate as well,” said Ms. Katie Janicek, NHS sponsor.

BPA is also primarily a competition based organization, so this switch allows more time for organizing and preparing for the blood drive.

“Though it was a worthy cause, the blood drive took up the majority of a month’s meetings,” said Matthew Medick, senior and NHS and BPA member.

In previous years, a little over 100 students donated. This year, NHS hopes to raise that number by having more students, rather than just authority figures, advertise for it.

“Our avid NHS students will get more participants and will spread awareness about the benefits of donating blood,” Ms. Janicek said.

Students interested in participating must be 16, have a parent’s permission, have a valid ID, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and have no flu-like or active cold symptoms on the day of the drive.

by Maddie Studnicka This October, the Hinsdale Central girls’ volleyball teams decided to shift the focus of their fundraising efforts from breast cancer to cystic fibrosis.

In the past, the girls’ volleyball teams of Hinsdale Central partnered up with Hinsdale South’s teams to participate in the Volley for the Cure™ fundraiser during October to raise awareness and funds for the life threatening disease.

This year, Central plans to bring a change by supporting cystic fibrosis, an inherited life-threatening disorder that damages the lungs and digestive system.

“The focus has changed this year because I felt like this was an opportunity to bring awareness and raise money for a different cause,” said Mike Konrad, girls’ varsity volleyball coach. “I loved the way the two schools come together to support a great cause and was hoping we could spread our generosity to something different.”

On the boys’ volleyball team at Central, a senior player lives with the reality of cystic fibrosis. In this way, the volleyball teams can support and personally help their local community.

“I’m really excited about this new focus,” said Molly Schwarz, a sophomore on the team. “It’s an opportunity to support the

photo by Elizabeth Bogs

volley for a new cure

Freshmen Allison Bogs, Autumn Zumpano, and Isabelle Lail use volleyball to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis.

immediate community, and I feel like I’ll be able to make a bigger impact now.”

The team’s efforts culminate in Cystic Fibrosis Night, held in the main gym at Hinsdale Central on Oct. 21. All proceeds will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

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game of

Sports

the month

Cross country prepares for sectionals

Cross country girls participated in an early October invitational.

The girls cross country team also carries a similar mentality. They say that their key to success is to have all the girls run their hardest and try their best and the chips will fall where they may. Junior Molly Caveney cites the home course advantage that the girls get as a big plus.

“We’re excited to have the home course advantage because it’s a tough course that a lot of other teams are scared of,” Caveney said. “We train a lot at [Katherine Legge Memorial Park] so we’re used to the hills and running through the creek.”

As for their expectations, the girls have been training since the beginning of summer for state, so this is just another step towards getting to Peoria and racing their best.

Ask the Athlete Nora Stack Varsity Volleyball

Wells Douraghy Varsity Soccer

Favorite movie?

Sandlot

Good Will Hunting

Hercules

Favorite sport to watch?

Hockey

Soccer

Basketball

Outgoing

Optimistic

Friendly

One word to describe yourself?

Grace Kennedy Varsity Tennis

photos by Barbara Heidkamp

As the season hits the home stretch, the boys and girls cross country teams are preparing for the big sectional tournament on Oct. 31. This tournament is an opportunity for both teams to gain some serious momentum going into the state championship on Nov. 7. Winning the sectional won’t exactly be a jog in the park for the two-time defending state champions.

“It’s the most competitive sectional in the state. It has the number one ranked team in the US: Sandburg,” said Yuji Cusick, senior. “It also has LT and Central, the third and fifth best teams in the state of Illinois respectively. So, it’s going to be tough.”

This surprisingly high concentration of top ranked teams from Illinois is a result of what senior Chris Brenk hails as “the Golden Age of Running” in the state of Illinois.

“We’re the two-time defending state champions, and the seniors Andrew Irvine, Graham Reid, Nathan Hill, Yuji Cusick, Michael Gates, Daniel Hu, Ruiling Ge and myself have a lot to live up to. But our mentality hasn’t changed a bit,” Brenk said. “Every day, we run 8 plus miles not to win a title, but to just do our absolute best for each other. We hold each other to a very high standard.”

So, the boys are preparing long and hard. They already have a strategy for the sectional in order to beat out their tough competition.

“If we want to win we have to put five men in front of LT’s and Sandburg’s fifth man,” Cusick said.

photo by Nora Wood

by Selina Zeng and Ellis Kritzer

12 News

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10/21/15 2:55 PM

photos by Barbara Heidkamp

COMM TTED Golfer Brendan O’Reilly commits to the University of Illinois

by Maria Harrast

B

rendan O’Reilly, junior, aligns his 30-foot putt, analyzing the slope and visualizing his Titleist rolling into the hole. He pulls back the putter and strikes the ball, sending it spinning across the green with just enough speed to arrive at his target.

With low scores and shots like these, O’Reilly is a sought after player in the recruitment process, and, at the end of September, he officially committed to the University of Illinois.

O’Reilly has been golfing for 12 years and has the success to prove it. In major tournaments, O’Reilly has won 14 times. His career low is a six-under-par 64 at the Maple Meadows IJGA District County Junior Classic, and he is currently playing the number one position on Central’s state-winning team.

“I follow the 12 to 13 and 13 to 14-year-old golf tours in the summer to get an idea of who might be coming up and how good they might be. I knew about Brendan via the golf community…so his ability and potential were not unknown to me,” said Jess Krueger, the team’s varsity coach.

With O’Reilly’s national ranking from competitive tournaments over the summer, colleges were also well aware of his capabilities as a freshman. Although he only committed recently, O’Reilly was recruited by the University of Illinois two years ago.

“It [wasn’t] totally a surprise. I played well enough to get on their radar, I showed interest back, and I actually had an offer for a while before I took it,” O’Reilly said. “[Recruitment] is a really fun process… but it always becomes hard when you have to narrow it down to one school.”

O’Reilly was not the only one to celebrate when he heard the news.

“The entire team was ecstatic,” said John Stojka, junior. “Brendan is without a doubt the hardest working, most determined, and competitive guy on the team. Going to Illinois to play golf is the equivalent of playing basketball at Duke, so we can’t wait to see what he’ll do in the next few years.”

For now, O’Reilly is focused on finishing high school.

Brendan O’Reilly poses for an individual photo at the start of the season.

photo by Red Devil Athletics

h

“I want to help my team win [the next] state championship,” O’Reilly said. “I want to practice hard and make sure my game, fitness, and every other aspect of being a college golfer is prepared for college.”

He believes that the support of his community has helped him develop into the player that he is today.

“I want to thank my family, friends, teachers, coaches, and everyone else that has been a part of my journey as a player,” O’Reilly said. “I thank my parents for how they raised me and for every opportunity they give me every day, I thank my friends for helping me get away from golf sometimes; I thank my coach, Mike Carbray, who I have been working with for five years now, for always believing in me and giving me all of his knowledge, and [I thank] my teachers and role models [for being people that] I look up to. This is just the start [of] something I want to keep doing for a while.”

Profiles

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succeeding at

representation Central’s clubs and activities strive for diversity

by Emma Joyce and Selin Turkyilmaz

A

pplause erupts in the gymnasium as one by one, names are called announcing the 2015 Homecoming court. Amidst the sea of red and white, the 24 nominated students stand in the middle of the room.

These students, elected by the senior class, represent the responsibility, kindness, and citizenship found throughout Hinsdale Central. But do they also represent the racial demographics of the school?

According to the Chicago Tribune, approximately 75.8 percent of Central’s student body is white, while 2.6 percent is African American, 4 percent is Hispanic, 14.8 percent is Asian, .2 percent is Native American, and 2.4 percent is multiracial. When applied to the racial breakdown of Homecoming court, these statistics mean approximately 18 of the nominees should be white, four should be Asian, one should be Hispanic, and one should be African American. In reality, however, only three members of Central’s Homecoming court were not white. This left some students wondering if the school clubs and activities embody diversity.

As a member of J. Kyle Braid, National Art Honor Society, and National Honor Society, Gabi Seo, senior, believes leadership positions are roughly representative of the school’s racial diversity.

“We live in a pretty homogenous community, so we have to acknowledge the demographics of our student body at Central,” Seo said. “We aren’t the most racially diverse school as a whole, but I think the diversity we [do] have is reflected in our clubs and teams.”

Mr. Chris Wilbur, sponsor of J. Kyle Braid, believes the club is inclusive of everyone.

“The selection process for JKB involves a lot of people around the building,” Mr. Wilbur said. “In fact, any of the adults in the building are allowed to nominate students to be a part of it.”

Students on JKB can also nominate people they know to join the club.

“We cast the widest net possible that we can—we’re certainly not exclusive to any one particular group,” Mr. Wilbur said.

Peter Ren, senior, sees racial diversity vary from club to club.

“If you look at one part of, say, Student Council, these positions of leadership are generally held by white people, but that’s not to say that other clubs do not have other races represented,” Ren said.

Eric Chang, junior, also agreed that some activities hold more racial representation than others.

“There is racial representation on soccer and Mock Trial,” Chang said. “But it all comes down to whether a particular student wants to participate in a given activity.”

Nick Kopolovic, junior, views diversity as subjective to whether certain students want to join different activities.

“Those that wanted to have positions in things like Student Council and Homecoming court worked for it,” Kopolovic said.

Many students recognize that the school has succeeded in diversity throughout school programs and activities, which is emphasized by the school administration.

“We want everyone to be represented appropriately,” said Dr. Mark Kolkman, principal of Hinsdale Central. “If we feel for any reason that a certain population of students are underrepresented, we try to find ways to open doors and be supportive of things in that regard.”

Many students agree that Central’s leaders positively represent the school.

“Leaders aren’t identified by the student body or faculty because of race, or gender, or height, for that matter,” Seo said.

“These are all things we could evaluate among leaders, but it wouldn’t give those qualities meaning in terms of correlation and causation.”

For Rewo Oshe, junior, the fact that the majority of the racial population at Central is white does not mean other races aren’t represented in clubs and teams.

“The students and faculty of Hinsdale Central are open and accepting,” Oshe said. “Clubs at Hinsdale Central allow people of all races to fulfill their talent and passion.”

For instance, many students have likely seen the celebration of Dia de los Muertos in the world languages hallway, which showcases the Latino culture of honoring the dead during the Halloween season. “[Dia de los Muertos] helps American students to see what is valuable to other countries and it helps [teachers] to be able to bring something a little more realistic to the classroom,” said Ms. Rebecca O’Connor, Spanish teacher.

During the month of April, Ethnic Fair celebrates the traditions of various cultures. And German Club hosts its annual Oktoberfest where members showcase pretzels and root beer during the cafeteria, the event falling on Oct. 29 this year. Ultimately, club members agree that Central activities welcome and celebrate diversity.

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TAKE A LOOK AT THE STATISTICS THE DIVERSITY OF CENTRAL the breakdown of the demographics

white asian

bla

hispanic african american multiracial/ethnic native american/hawaiian

75.8% statistics from the Illinois State Board of Education 2014 school report card

ACCORDING TO THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, APPROXIMATELY 75.8 PERCENT OF hinsdale CENTRAL’S STUDENT BODY IS WHITE.

75.8% 14.8%

photo by Shiv Bajaj

4% 2.6% 2.4%

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Tour through Central The Ambassadors Club shows transfer students the Red Devil Way

by Zeljko Kospic and Meg Bibby

The Ambassadors Club at Hinsdale Central greets many new transfer students each year. The members of the club dedicate their time to teach new students the Red Devil way and ease their transition into a whole new community.

Ambassadee Nicko Ledesma, junior, recalls his struggles to fit into a new environment when he moved here last year.

“Coming from a private Catholic school, the whole giant public school scene was new,” Ledesma said. “And I was terrified.”

However, with help from his ambassador, he soon found his way.

“My first friend was my ambassador, and the people in the club became like my family,” Ledesma said. “They really helped me transition and open up so I could meet new people.”

Ambassadors have been doing this for new students for years. Students in the club are assigned a new transfer student to look after throughout the year.

“We approach most of our new students over the summer, or right before school starts,” said ambassador Mita Ramani, senior. “We reach out to them with a phone call and then invite them to upcoming events.”

In many new students’ opinions, the most helpful thing that ambassadors do is show them around the school.

“My school in Serbia was a lot smaller so it definitely took me some time to get used to Hinsdale Central,” said Djordje Takov, senior. “But, my ambassador helped me with getting around, and made it much easier.”

Ambassadors agree that showing new students around school is very helpful, but some, like Ramani, think that the most valuable part is showing their new students around outside of school.

“In my personal experience, the best thing I’ve done with a new student is taking her out on a weekend in downtown Hinsdale,” Ramani said. “It was great to show her around the community and run into people she had met at school.”

In addition to showing new students around the school, ambassadors help their new students by introducing them to the sports and activities that then can get involved with, and help them develop friendships.

“My ambassador mostly helped me by introducing me to the activities available here and by explaining how the school works,” Takov said. “She also helped me by taking me to my classes in the first couple of days and was there to help me with all the questions I had.”

Takov agrees that the ambassadors are integral figures in the transition into a new school.

“I would definitely not have been able to get around without my ambassador’s help,” Takov said. “This school is really big and if my ambassador was not there for me, I would have had lots of problems.”

In the end, the goal of the Ambassadors Club is to help new students out. “We help new students wherever they need us, both in school and out,” Ramani said. “We are the support system for every new student at Central and are there to serve their needs.”

“

My first friend was my Ambassador, and the people in the club became like my family.

“

photo by Nora Wood

Nicko Ledesma

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Auditing • Consulting • Financial Advisory • Enterprise Risk 111 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606 (312) 486-1000

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Photos by Wikimedia Commons

the migrants’ journey the united states’ refugee policy

by Arman Haveric & Lancelot Lin

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n Sept. 20, the Obama administration announced that it would be raising the amount of migrants allowed into the United States to 100,000 by 2017.

The announcement comes at a critical time when the number of migrants fleeing violence in their home countries is at an all-time high. In 2015 alone, an estimated half-million migrants were said to have reached Europe. A majority of these migrants are refugees from Syria, which has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011.

The war in Syria started off during the larger Arab Spring of 2011, in which people across the Arab world took to the streets in demand of democracy. The protests in Syria started as a pro-democracy movement against Syria’s authoritarian president, Bashar al-Assad, and his regime. The violence escalated rapidly. Since the initial protests in March of 2011, more than 220,000 people have been killed, many of them civilians, and more than four million have fled the country.

In 2013, the UN named the Syrian conflict the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.

“

There are Syrian refugees living around us. The refugees and their families, or at least their direct relatives, are suffering.

“

- Kareem Jabri Although the crisis in Syria is happening halfway across the world, there are students who feel the impact of the war here. Kareem Jabri, senior, who is Syrian-American and whose parents immigrated to the United States from Syria in the 1980s, has not been to Syria in years because of the violence.

“I used to go [to Syria] almost every summer until 2011, when it became unsafe to go,” Jabri said. “I have about seven aunts and uncles and their kids who live there, and many of them had to flee, but some are still there. The war has affected me by separating me from my family, as I haven’t been able to see them in four years, and it has forced my cousins to flee to Hungary because it’s not safe to go to school anymore.”

Another Syrian-American student, Rand Abyad, junior, who lived in Syria until 2012, shared a similar story.

“The [war in Syria] has affected me because I barely get to see or communicate with my family and friends [in Syria] anymore,” Abyad said. “Also, my family lost acres of lands and a villa they worked on for years due a bombing in that area.”

With the overwhelming number of refugees fleeing Syria,

many are torn as to the role the United States government should play in allowing the refugees to come to America.

“I believe that [accepting 100,000 refugees by 2017] is sufficient,” Abyad said.

On the other hand, some Central students argue that there is more the United States could be doing to help the refugees in need.

“I think [the US plan to accept refugees] is a step in the right direction for sure, but it’s the bare minimum,” Jabri said. “[Our government] can do a lot more . . . There are just so many [Syrians] who need a new place to live.”

He specified that the US should provide aid to the Syrian refugees who come to this country.

“There needs to be accommodations for learning English and finding a job [for refugees],” Jabri said.

Some politicians have been less welcoming to the idea of accommodating refugees. During a speech on Sept.

30, presidential candidate Donald Trump, currently the frontrunner for the Republican party, said, “If I win, [the Syrian refugees] are going back home.” His comments stirred up controversy among Republicans and Democrats alike.

“I think it’s unfair of [Trump] to say so,” Abyad said. “I think he’s being ignorant because the refugees literally have nowhere else to go. He has to help them according to international law.”

Mr. Wilbur, a social studies teacher at Central, shed light on some of the worries Americans may have about the growing number of Syrian refugees.

“There are international norms for trying to deal with crises and countries working together but [the Syrian war] is an especially sticky situation because Europeans can’t afford to support all [the refugees],” Mr. Wilbur said. “I mean, look what happened to Greece over the past year. Greece is getting a huge influx of these refugees and they can’t even support their own government. And of course, you’ve got the terrorism issue. How do we know that a refugee from Syria isn’t a Bashar al-Assad loyalist or someone in ISIS? It’s hard to tell.”

In spite of the controversy over whether the US should accept refugees, one thing is clear: the passage that many migrants face is an arduous, and often deadly, one. In August, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that 2,500 migrants had died or gone missing in 2015 alone while trying to make the journey to Europe. Many of the refugees drowned in the Mediterranean when their boats sank or capsized.

“Here are some reasons people should care: People are being murdered,” Jabri said. “There are Syrian refugees living around us. Some go to or have gone to Central. The refugees and their families, or at least their direct relatives, are suffering.”

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A Healthy Outside Starts From the Inside

Hinsdale Central student, blogger, and connoisseur’s hot new food blog

by Hana Rimawi and Isha Kukadia

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ties it could bring me,” Collanto said. “Eventually I want to gain a bigger following for the blog... and share recipes I’ve already created and make original recipes as well.”

Collanto’s blog is focused on both environmental health and personal health. Her followers can see the blog growing in the future.

“Everything is healthy both for the Earth and for yourself,” said Erin Bruns, senior. “I can definitely see her continuing her blog in the future, and even making a career out of it.”

The blog has many benefits for Collanto’s friends and followers.

“She definitely motivated me to try to start eating more natural and healthy foods,” said Giana Scarpiniti, senior. “Let’s be real, who doesn’t want a friend that’s really into making food?”

Many students at Central follow Collanto’s blog, especially since it’s geared towards people of Collanto’s own age group.

“I want to make it relatable to people my age, [so it] would include both quick recipes and recipes that could be challenging but fun to make for everyone,” Collanto said.

If you want a tasty recipe idea, follow Collanto on Instagram and Pinterest (@ontodaysmenu), on Twitter (@on_todaysmenu), and on her website, https://ontodaysmenublog.wordpress.com.

Until then, the senior simply wants to enjoy cooking and being creative, because just like the rest of the students, Collanto is known to say, “I love food.”

photos by Maddy Collanto

ook up @ontodaysmenu on Instagram, and here’s what you’ll see: fluffy pancakes, berry frozen yogurt bites, fresh smoothies, and delicious potatoes and butternut squash.

Garnering more than 330 Instagram followers in three weeks, senior Madeleine Collanto’s food blog, ‘On Today’s Menu,’ is quickly rising in popularity. By posting healthy and creative recipes on her blog, Collanto hopes to share some great food with friends and family and get feedback along the way.

Collanto’s passion for food surfaced and inspired a blog when she became a pescatarian. After giving up all meat but fish, Collanto started to follow other food blogs on the Internet, especially on Pinterest. Some of her favorite dishes push the limits on the mundane.

“My personal favorites that I’ve made so far are the oven roasted tomato basil soup and roasted butternut squash served with quinoa,” Collanto said.

The food blog is a place for Collanto’s imagination to meet the three square meals a day.

“I saw it as an opportunity to be both creative and healthy at the same time,” Collanto said. “I also may or may not have an obsession with kitchenware.”

Although ‘On Today’s Menu’ started out as a side hobby, Collanto hopes to expand it as time goes on.

“Since I started this [blog], I’ve come up with many opportuni-

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Cutting Corners Volkswagen recalls almost a half million vehicles in emissions scandal

by Aneesh Balusu and Steven Botsoe

During an investigation in September, the EPA discovered that Volkswagen and Audi were outfitting several of the four-cylinder diesel cars that had been made between 2009 and 2015 with “defeat devices” to influence readings of their emissions levels. A violation of the Clean Air Act, this affected models include the Jetta, Audi A3, and two of the company’s most popular vehicles, the Beetle and the Passat, with roughly 482,000 cars sold in the United States alone.

Volkswagen’s defeat device was discovered following analysis by researchers at West Virginia University, who, after receiving unusual results while examining Volkswagen’s diesel engine, requested a larger investigation. After questioning by the EPA, Volkswagen officials admitted to the use of manipulation through the car’s software: the defeat device would switch the vehicle’s emissions controls fully on during testing and turn them off under normal driving conditions, resulting in emissions of nitrogen oxides up to forty times above federal standards.

While such cases of government deception are not uncommon in the auto-industry, this one is particularly notable for the threat that untracked nitrogen oxide emissions poses. The EPA reports that nitrogen oxide emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter, exposure to which has been linked with increased asthma attacks and premature death due to respiratory-related or cardiovascular-related effects, among other things.

“What Volkswagen did is unacceptable, but not a unique occurence in the car industry,” said Sarah Pencak, senior. “The world as a whole needs to step it up.”

However, Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation, has assured the public that “While the diesel vehicles do not meet air pollution standards, they continue to be safe and legal to drive.”

Meanwhile the EPA has maintained that “owners of cars of these models and years do not need to take any action at this time.”

During a company meeting, Volkswagen AG’s chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch told employees that the scandal represented “an existence-threatening crisis for the company,” and this threat is evident in the hits to the company’s stock.

“It’s false advertising. I think it’s bad because they consciously lied to us, and in the future it’ll be harder to trust them and companies like them,” said Jake Liu, senior.

As of Oct. 4, two weeks after the announcement, Volkswagen’s stock had fallen almost 55 percent. Volkswagen is additionally threatened with $18 billion in fines from the US government, with VW stating that it has set aside nearly $7.2 billion to pay reparations. The corporation has also agreed to refit the nearly 11 million vehicles worldwide at an additional cost.

Ultmately, this can affect the diesel industry, as investors anticipate that more money will be invested into electrical transportation ventures like that of Tesla, and it’s unclear how VW, the world’s largest automaker, will fare in the end.

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TOUGH DECISIONS Students weigh in on college applications

by Dana Ahdab and Sayali Amin

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constant reminder pounds in the back of the minds of current seniors. College applications.

Homework, sports practices, and club meetings drone on, but there it remains in the back. For the students who are applying early decision or early action, Nov. 1 crawls closer and closer.

Early decision (ED) and early action (EA) are two different types of college admissions. Their pools tend to be smaller than regular decision pools, thereby giving an advantage to the applicant. In the case of ED, the decision is binding, meaning that the student is required to attend that college if he or she is accepted, whereas EA is non-binding.

“Colleges are taking a larger number of their early decision and early action pools. So, if students decide that’s the place they want to go to, it can be helpful in the process because these colleges are tending to take more kids,” said Mr. Ed Formanski, a guidance counselor.

Paco Soto, senior, plans on applying ED to college.

“I think that colleges like when students ED because it shows them that you’re picking them over any other school,” Soto said.

Last year, Northwestern University accepted roughly 50 percent of its class of 2019 through its early decision program.

Students can increase their chances of getting accepted in a top-tier university by choosing to apply through ED or EA programs.

“We are finding that there are students who would be a 5.3 or 5.4 on our scale who are getting in to certain schools because they applied early decision,” Mr. Formanski said. “And then there are students with 5.7s who aren’t getting in to those same schools because they applied regular decision.”

Soto believes that applying ED will help him get accepted to a more selective school because the school is more lenient with GPA and standardized testing scores.

“I feel like I am less stressed applying ED than I would be applying regular decision. It feels like a huge weight is off my shoulders knowing what school I want to go to now and I love that I’ll know if I’m accepted or not by December instead of March,” Soto said.

ED and EA programs are not the only ways in which Central students are speeding up their application process. Some schools, like Indiana University, work on a rolling admissions schedule. This means that students can apply at any time and receive their acceptances within a few weeks.

Nicole Burjek, senior, took advantage of Indiana

NOV 1

DEC 15

Early Decision and Early Action applications are due for most colleges.

Many colleges announce acceptances for ED and EA candidates.

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olle yC b o t

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University’s priority deadline program by applying during the first week of school.

“I have known I wanted to go to Indiana since the fourth or fifth grade. It has been my top school since a young age and it was always my goal to get accepted into the university so I wanted to submit my application as soon as possible,” Burjek said.

Burjek has already been accepted to Indiana University and plans to attend there in the fall. Her strategy was to finish her applications early before school and sports could interfere.

Some athletes who plan on playing their sport in college already have an idea of where they’re going next fall.

Jake Ryder, senior, is planning to play baseball for Pomona-Pitzer next fall.

“I’ve wanted to play professionally since kindergarten so this felt like a natural step in that process,” Ryder said.

Both Ryder and Burjek agree that the college application process was easier for them than for the average student.

“In my opinion, if you know where you want to go to college, don’t wait to apply, get it done right away. A lot of colleges are rolling admissions, so the earlier you submit your application, the earlier a school will tell you if you are accepted,” Burjek said.

Ryder will only have to submit one college application.

Although the application process may have been easier for him, recruitment is difficult. He began the process during his sophomore year.

“It differs from sport to sport but for baseball it mainly starts around sophomore or junior year when coaches begin to show interest,” Ryder said. “Going to camps and showcases gets you in front of them. After they see you, it’s very important to keep in contact with them over e-mail and schedule visits and send academic information to them.”

Oftentimes, playing a sport can increase an athlete’s chances of getting into a selective school.

“I was offered opportunities to play at schools where I would have no chance otherwise to get into. If a coach is really interested in you then they can pull the strings with admissions to help get you in,” Ryder said.

Early decision, rolling admission, and commitment through sports are a few of the strategies used by senior students to increase chances of acceptance. By May 1, the deadline for committing to colleges, the seniors will have decided where they will attend next fall.

JAN 1

MAY 1

Regular Decision applications are due for most colleges.

“College t-shirt day” Deadline for committing to a college.

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NOfights ONE ALONE

Hinsdale Central students reflect on their experiences with childhood cancer

by Seetha Aribindi and Ray Shryock

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n August 5, 2015 Celia Balderston, a junior, was called into her dad’s office. A week earlier she had been given a tumor biopsy; her doctor had called with her results. Her cells had tested positive for cancer. At 16 years old, Balderston was diagnosed with a rare tumor called an Esthesioneuroblastoma, which attacks the nerves leading from the nose to the brain.

“When we got the call I was in the room with my mom and dad. When they told me that I had cancer, I didn’t know how to feel,” Balderston said.

Two months after her diagnosis, Balderston has learned to see another side to her cancer; it’s the side that is usually forgotten amongst dismal stories about surgeries and chemotherapy.

“I have noticed that I don’t care so much about the little worries in life,” Balderston said. “I have been very fortunate in the sense that I don’t feel sick all the time. I definitely feel fatigued and I often have to sit out of activities I love. Losing my hair was really hard, but in a weird way, I almost feel empowered by it.”

Michael Murray, a junior who is in remission, struggled with losing his hair from chemotherapy the same way Balderston did.

Murray was diagnosed with a stage 1 Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in April of 2013 at the end of his eighth grade year.

“Losing my hair was probably the worst part [of having cancer] because I loved my hair. I think that’s what I was most upset about at first. When I went out in public, I wore a hat because I didn’t like people staring at my shiny head, but I learned to live with it because I knew it would grow back again,” Murray said.

Murray also underwent surgery to remove the tumor in his knee, and he has had to adjust to the many physical effects cancer has had on his body which prevent him from playing sports he used to enjoy like basketball.

“My surgeries mangled my leg, but I didn’t care about that as much [as losing my hair] because I had to keep my leg wrapped anyway. Now, I think [my] scars look cool,” Murray said.

Emily Park, a senior, lost her older brother, Andrew Park, a former Hinsdale Central student, on Jun. 30 in 2012 at the age of 17 to stage 1 Leukemia. Park remembered the physical hardships her brother experienced after his diagnosis in March of 2009. He

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experienced fevers frequently and threw up and urinated blood, so the Park family visited the Children’s Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago often.

“Whenever my brother was home it always made me sad to see him suffer emotionally, physically, and mentally,” Park said.

Balderston and Murray both expressed that their friends and family, their support system, made a big difference in their lives after their diagnosis. Love and support was helpful during the physically draining treatment processes that they went through.

“When I was home, my friends were pretty good about understanding that I didn’t want to do much, so they were fine just hanging out in my room while I rested,” Murray said. “Being happy and optimistic helped me get through all I had to.”

Balderston’s friends now find themselves in the same position Murray’s friends were in after his diagnosis. They are doing what they can to help their friend through her treatment.

“When Celia told me that her biopsy had come back malignant, I felt shocked. Having a friend with cancer made it real and I was just scared at first. I was hoping I misheard what she said,” said Laura Libera, junior.

Park had a different experience with her brother’s cancer diagnosis. Learning of her brother’s leukemia at a young age, she found she was unable to process the severity of the situation.

“I was very young, in late elementary school, and to be honest I didn’t fully understand how serious my brother’s illness was. I was always really close with him, but when he was going through chemotherapy he was constantly in the hospital,” Park said.

After learning of Balderston’s diagnosis, Libera and others decided to shave their heads in support. Balderston’s friends also made ‘Celia Strong’ bracelets and t-shirts to spread awareness for their friend’s cause.

“My friends and family have been amazing. I am so honored to have such amazing people in my life,” Balderston said.

Shortly following his passing, the Hinsdale Central community honored Park’s memory by tying red ribbons around trees and leaving messages on fences throughout the community saying ‘Andrew lives on’.

Both Balderston and Murray’s diagnoses meant limitations on

the activities that they could do. The physical exhaustion that goes along with battling cancer means patients are fatigued, and at times in their treatment, unable to go to public spaces because of their weakened immune systems.

“I wasn’t able to go to school much, so catching up with the school work was hard. When I was either sick or on bedrest I couldn’t leave my house, so it was hard not being able to do things like go to sports games,” Murray said.

Cancer also affects relationships. “[Cancer] took a big toll on my relationship with my brother because I never saw him, and when I did, he was too sick to talk to anyone, or he was at the hospital,” Park said.

Though her brother’s diagnosis was dismal for the most part, Park remembered the good memories she shared with him.

“One good memory my brother and I had at the hospital is that we would always lay in his huge hospital bed together and watch T.V. and order tons and tons of food when he wasn’t nauseated,” Park said. “When he was going through remission, it was just like any other normal day. He was fine, and we would do things together all the time.”

Early on in his diagnosis, Murray realized that cancer would change his lifestyle and relationships. He discovered that people like teachers were dedicated to helping him adjust to the changes. “[I learned] to not get stressed out about small things like school work. Teachers understand if you would rather lay in bed than work. Sometimes trying to do too much would make me feel worse,” Murray said.

These students’ battles with cancer have shown the community that cancer is best fought with others by their side.

“If there is anyone who is going through any sort of illness or disease, the best thing you can do is to be by their side. That person may not need you all the time, but having support will make them feel worlds better,” Balderston said.

After posting on social media like Facebook and Instagram about her cancer diagnosis, Balderston has received overwhelming support. Friends and family have showered her family with baked goods and meals to help out. And Balderston, with her team ‘Celia Strong’, raised more than $8,000 to fund research at the

photo by Celia Balderston

Celia Balderston, junior, participates in the Race for the Kids 5K event on Oct. 4 to raise money for cancer research .

Race for the Kids 5K on Oct. 4.

“Being Celia’s friend has made me realize that it’s not shaving heads or wearing t-shirts and bracelets that’s important. What’s important is showing support and being there,” Libera said.

Although those diagnosed with cancer are the ones usually commended for strength, their families can also grow stronger with a life changing diagnosis.

“Despite [it being] cliche, the saying ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ really is true. I wish my brother was here and having a great time in college, but this whole experience has truly made me and my family stronger,” Park said.

Balderston, Murray, and Park have realized through their experiences the importance of informing students at Hinsdale Central about cancer to clear up myths about the disease.

“Cancer does not cross a person’s mind until it directly affects them. When someone does have cancer people try not to talk about the person’s diagnosis because they are afraid to hurt their feelings,” Balderston said. “Cancer is real and it is scary. Everyone should have an idea of what battling cancer is like.”

With her brother’s diagnosis, Park witnessed firsthand the frightening reality of childhood cancer.

“When my brother was diagnosed with Leukemia, I hid my feelings,” Park said. “It’s one thing to see someone older in pain and dying because you know they’ve lived their lives, but in my brother’s case he barely went to high school, and he barely got to do anything he wanted because he was sick the majority of the time. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy seeing what my brother had to go through.”

Although a cancer diagnosis can make huge changes in the life of a high school student, as a survivor, Murray said he wants people to know he has moved past the short but important period in his life when he had cancer.

“When I tell people I had cancer now, they usually don’t believe me, so I either have to show them a picture of me bald or the scars on my leg,” Murray said. “People assume that it is something that sticks with you the rest of your life. I went through this in only about a year and half. I am now cancer free and doing almost everything I did before I was diagnosed.”

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While cigarette smoking is the main cause, lung cancer can result from second hand smoke and also air pollution.

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in the United States.

Strength Statistics about cancer taken from: http://www.cancer.net http://www.cdc.gov http://www.takepart.com

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Most children and teenagers diagnosed with cancer can be treated successfully. From 1970 to 2011, the number of deaths from childhood cancer has decreased steadily by 67%.

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In general, cancer in children and teenagers is uncommon, accounting for less than 1% of all cancer cases in the United States.

Leading Causes of Death (Ages 10-24) Unintentional Injury Suicide

Homicide Cancer

Heart Disease

Congenital Malformations Stroke CLRD

40,290 women have died from breast cancer in 2015 alone.

Influenza & Pneumonia Diabetes Other

.7% .7% .6% 15.2% .7% 1.7% 3.5% 6.4% 14.9%

40.7%

15%

The most common childhood cancer is leukemia.

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Where to be this month october - november

STATESVILLE OCTOBER -NOVEMBER

FRIGHT FEST OCToBER 31

HALLOWEEN NOVEMBER 6

THE WEEKND + BANKS NOVEMBER 17

PARENT PARTICIPATION

What to eat this month

PREVIEW of STATESVILLE READ IF YOU DARE

When: October - November 2015

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pproaching their 20th year, Statesville Haunted Prison has been voted “#1 Scariest Haunted Attraction around Chicago” by Impulcity.

With more than 150 live actors and 40 horrifically detailed rooms, you are guaranteed an average time of 40-50 minutes to get through the oppressive walls of Statesville Haunted Prison. From attractions such as “City of the Dead” to events such as “Zombie Sniper Paintball” rides, Statesville is bound to make you feel as if you’re in a horror movie with their cutting edge effects and attention to detail.

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by Rina Ravisundar

Time: 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Sunday - Thursday

7:00 - 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday

*visitors in lot by closing will be admitted*

Where: Statesville Haunted Prison 17250 S. Weber Road Cresthill, Illinois 60441

Tickets: $30 General Admission

$21 Group Tickets (15 or more)

photos courtesy of creativecommons.org

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MENU OF THE MONTH: PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE STARBUCKS EDITION

DIRECTIONS: 1. Brew coffee 2. In a small saucepan, combine pumpkin, almond milk, vanilla, sugar, and heat over medium heat until steaming - do not boil.

3. Pour pumpkin mixture over coffee and top off with whipped cream and cinnamon if desired.

4. For a special touch, purchase a Starbucks cup and pour drink into cup.

INGREDIENTS: ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and ¾ cup brewed coffee 3 tbsp pumpkin puree and 1 tsp pumpkin spice 1½ tbsp light brown sugar

light whipped cream and cinnamon music photos courtesy of creativecommons.org

recipe photos by Rina Ravisundar

1 tsp vanilla extract

MUSIC MANIA OF THE month “The Hills” by The Weeknd: No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“What Do You Mean” by Justin Bieber: No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

MOVIE MADNESS OF THE month

THE MARTIAN

MOCKINGJAY

steve jobs

in theaters now

NOVEMBER 20

in theaters now

Infographic

October Month FINAL.indd 3

29

10/21/15 2:48 PM

The

Pumpkin pATCH

photos by Haley Anderson, Shiv Bajaj, and Colleen Martucci 3031.indd 2

10/19/15 4:46 PM

3031.indd 3

10/19/15 4:46 PM

A V tabel.indd 4

D O 10/19/15 4:07 PM