February 27 issue

DROPS OF

INK

February 27, 2014 Volume 87, Issue 4

Adderall: Is an “A” all you get?

Inside: The Rise of E-Cigarettes...The Netflix Trend...Nick Minor: Ornithologist

Visit these other DOI sites for current news! www.lhsdoi/slideshows/

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Twitter: @lhsdoi Instagram: lhsdoi Facebook: Libertyville High School Drops of Ink

2013-14 Staff

Jessica Cartwright, Staff Writer Becky DeAcetis, Staff Writer Molly Downing, Staff Writer Ryan Jackson, Staff Writer Hannah Jenkins, Staff Writer Jacob Luce, Staff Writer Emily Malecha, Staff Writer Connor Polk, Staff Writer Maddie Salata, Staff Writer Shelly Schick, Staff Writer Korina Valenzuela, Staff Writer Kate Vittore, Staff Writer Nick Vittore, Staff Writer Katie Vrba, Staff Writer Mr. Michael Gluskin, Faculty Adviser

Elise Houcek, Editor-in-Chief Alex Zoellick, Editor-in-Chief Kyle Laska, News Editor Ava Polzin, Features Editor Tom Ackerman, Opinion Editor Mike Gasick, Sports Editor Tyler Skinner, Sports Editor Bailey Schmid, Photo Editor Rachael Girmscheid, Social Media Editor Emily Luce, Social Media Editor

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Instagram: lhsdoi

February 27,2014

Masthead

what’s inside

4 5 6 8 9 11-13 14-15 16-17 19-21 22-23 24-25 26 27-29 30-32 33-35

Tyler Skinner Sports Editor

letter to the readers

Writers Week Preview

Peruse the names of Libertyville students who will be featured in this year’s Writers Week.

Social Media Hack Attack

Find out about the recent hackings of two of the most popular social media sites.

New Trader Joe’s to Open in Libertyville A look inside Libertyville’s new supermarket.

What’s Trending

Find out what’s popular at LHS right now.

What’s Happening

DOI reports the world’s doings.

Adderall: A Debilitating Drug

A look at the rise of students using the drug, and the dangers associated with it.

No Light, No Problem

Are electronic cigarettes the safe alternative they claim to be?

Behind the Scenes at LHS

Take a glance at staff members who students may not recognize around school.

Or-nick-ology

A profile on junior birdwatcher Nick Minor.

Locks of Love

An in-depth peek at what Locks of Love is really about.

Netflix is the New Net Fix

A look at how some students have become addicted to movies and shows on Netflix.

Opinion: Library could benefit from changes Our staff suggests improvements for the library and their librarians.

Columns

DOI staff give their opinion on issues such as students’ selections of their teachers, social media and communication skills, and if there is too much emphasis put on college and university names.

Winter Sports Recaps

Mike Gasick Sports Editor

Dear Readers,

Bunnies, flowers, rainbows: All things that signal the start of the delightful spring season. As sports editors, we look forward to different things, such as the start of LHS spring sports, the MLB season, and the March Madness tournament.

With the conclusion of the 2014 junior/senior intramural basketball season upon us, this marks the best time of year for sports. The Bulls and Blackhawks are in playoff contention, and Team U.S.A dominated again.

With our newly designed website, we have been able to upload more sports stories than before, shortly after they take place. Readers can browse through different sports stories about the school or at the professional level easier than ever.

For the upcoming March Madness tournament, Drops of Ink will have extensive coverage of the games online.

We will have three different previews from our experts, as they give their opinions on all of the games. Throughout the tournament, be alert for game recaps of exciting finishes or previews of championship matchups going up on the website.

In this issue, we have winter sports recaps and spring sports previews. The recaps have a different style to them, as this time they are numbers-based, where we found different statistics that have stood out from the season from each sport.

Aside from the sports stories we have in this issue, we will also address students using Adderall, a profile on birdwatcher Nick Minor, and whether there is too much emphasis put on the name of colleges and universities.

We hope you continue to follow all LHS sports, and have fun reading the issue.

Sincerely,

A numbers-based roundup of LHS winter sports.

Spring Sports Previews A look ahead to spring sports and their goals for the season.

Table of Contents

February 27, 2014

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Writer’s Week

By Becky DeAcetis & Korina Valenzuela

MONDAY 3/31

TUESDAY 4/1

WEDNESDAY 4/2

THURSDAY 4/3

POETRY: with the Chicago Slam poets: Buddy Wakefield and Joel Chmara.

NOVELS/FICTION: with award-winning authors Tom Franklin (Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter) and Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers).

LOCAL: Spolights teachers, students, and possibly a local author. Teacher Matt Tooley will return to discuss his progress in writing his first book.

OTHER: Singer-songwriter David Bazan will play several songs and discuss song writing. Andy Schmidt will discuss writing for various forms of entertainment.

Writers Week, a four-day event where students and published authors share their written work, will begin the week after spring break on March 31.

Students will share poems, short-stories, songs, and other written work, and published authors will share their experiences on becoming a professional.

“There’s a lot of students that have things going on or have feelings that are hard to express… It’s great to see students share what they wouldn’t usually share,” said Mrs. Mary Kate Schoenbeck, one of the three main organizers of Writers Week.

Mrs. Schoenbeck, a Freshman Literature and Composition and American Literature Co-taught teacher, has helped organize Writers Week for the past couple of years.

“I love managing the show, I feel like I’m in my prime when I do,” said Mrs. Schoenbeck.

Writers Week first came to LHS a few years back, when Principal Dr. Marina Scott had seen the idea at other schools, including her then-high school Fremd.

“I never had a Writers Week at my high school.

However, I’ve noticed that it is now spreading to many different high schools,” said Mrs. Schoenbeck.

Writers Week has since flourished here at LHS and the group of writers gets larger every year. However, when Writers Week starts, the students feel the most pressure.

“You’re definitely going to be nervous come Writers Week,” said senior Anna Serafini, a poet participating in Writers Week. “Bring water, find someone in the crowd, and go with the flow. Be comfortable on stage.”

“You’re definitely going to be nervous come Writers Week,” said senior Anna Serafini, a poet participating in Writers Week. “Bring water, find someone in the crowd, and go with the flow. Be comfortable on stage.”

Throughout Writers Week, many students feel the pressure of trying to impress their fellow students and trying to get other students engaged in what they’re sharing.

“There’s a lot of students who have a lot of things going on and I know it’s hard to get up there and share that...

Just be brave. Put yourself out there.

Students often surprise themselves,” Mrs. Schoenbeck said on student nervousness.

During Writers Week, many English teachers take their classes to listen to students perform and authors give speeches.

Students can also listen to Writers Week participants during lunch or any other free periods they have.

Writers Week has become a well-respected event at LHS. “We have lots of support from the English teachers here at LHS as well as some other teachers from different departments. It’s grown familiar to everyone,” said Mrs. Schoenbeck.

“A lot of teachers will let you go if it’s really important to you,” said senior Sharon Li, a singer/songwriter participating in Writers Week this year and has been a part of Writers Week for the last two years.

To join, students can speak to Writers Week advisors, Mrs. Schoenbeck, Mr. Craig Schmidt, or Ms. Dyan Naslund, about participating in Writers Week or the Writers Club. “Students can either email or contact us in person about submitting their work to Writers Week or the Club. We wouldn’t turn down anyone!” said Mrs. Schoenbeck.

Social Media Hack Attack

By Maddie Salata

Social media is becoming a prominent part of our everyday lives, but just how safe is it?

Snapchat and Skype, two very popular social media platforms, were both hacked in December, leaving millions of Snapchat accounts with spam from advertisers and the official Skype accounts with false information.

Another social media platform, Skype, was hacked in a different way, with the hackers once again trying to prove a point in the lack of safety users have when using the internet-calling service. The hack, which was later admitted to have been performed by the Syrian Electronic Army, took over the official blog and social network accounts of Skype.

S.E.A. claimed that Microsoft had been selling information and passwords of Hotmail and Outlook users to the government. Microsoft, however, denied the allegations that they have been releasing this information. They responded with a tweet saying, “You may have noticed our social media properties were targeted today. No user info was compromised. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

Snapchat is a popular app among teenagers in which pictures and videos are sent back and forth but then disappear after up to ten seconds; Skype is an internet-calling service that allows people all over the world to communicate with ease.

4.6 million Snapchat accounts were hacked in an attempt to urge Snapchat to tighten its security measures and make it more private for all users. The anonymous hackers released millions of phone numbers that allowed for those accounts matched to the numbers to be spammed. The list of numbers was posted on a website, SnapchatDB.info, which made the customer information available for download.

Both of these hacking events show that no matter how safe a person may feel using a social media account, it’s easy for others to access private information that you may not want to share.

Many other social media hacks have occurred in the past, including millions of stolen passwords from sites like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Yahoo.

Sophomore Amelia Schmitt’s Snapchat account was one of the millions that was hacked; however, she chose not to keep her spammed account: “My snapchat was hacked, so I just deleted it. I haven’t made a new account or anything yet because I’ve noticed that I don’t really mind not having it!”

Senior Julia Stiber, who uses Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, says that using social media can be dangerous: “I don’t think social media is safe because random people can access your pictures and profiles. My accounts have been hacked before.”

Snapchat responded to the hack by releasing a statement that promises stricter safety measures, so hacks like this don’t happen again: “Over the past year we’ve implemented various safeguards to make it more difficult to do. We recently added additional counter-measures and continue to make improvements to combat spam and abuse. Happy Snapping!”

News

February 27, 2014

Schmitt, on the other hand, believes that social media can be safe if you choose to make it that way. “Personally, I think that social media is safe if you make good decisions. I don’t add people I don’t know in real life,” said Schmitt. “Also you can make your accounts private which ensures safety with your posts.”

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Trader Joe’s Now Open in Libertyville

By Tom Ackerman

Photo by Tom Ackerman The new Libertyville Trader Joe’s before opening. It is located on 1600 S. Milwaukee Ave., and it is the brand’s first store in Libertyville.

As of February 21, Trader Joe’s, which is located at the intersection of Milwaukee Ave. and Artaius Parkway, just south of competitors Jewel and Mariano’s, has joined the fierce market competition in the Libertyville area.

Regardless of many grocery businesses seemingly retreating and selling like Dominick’s, Trader Joe’s hopes to make progress by expanding, as shown by the new location in Libertyville. Libertyville store “Captain” Scott Peddicord couldn’t release information involving sales. He stated that as the chain is a “privately held company, so we don’t disclose information about our annual sales, profits or sales of our products.” Either way, the store, without a doubt, has a growing following that could mean trouble for other local grocers.

According to a Chicago Tribune article by Michael Holtz, Tom Williams, a managing partner at Paragon Real Estate, Trader Joe’s “will become an instant success in Libertyville. In its original application, Paragon estimated that the store combined with the new retail outlets would generate about $675,000 in sales-tax revenue for the village in 2013.”

In response to their potential concern with competition in the area, Peddicord stated, “We believe our presence in a market like LIbertyville gives customers additional shopping options.”

He went on to say that “we compete against ourselves and we focus constantly on trying to get better at what we do everyday.”

Regardless of the overwhelming competition, the chain proves to be a very popular market. While the arrival of this market is not likely beneficial to other local grocers, many seem to be thrilled about the change.

According to Peddicord, “We consider ourselves to be a unique neighborhood grocery store. Our stores are brimming with foods and beverages that are ideal for get-togethers and we have lots of options for quick, delicious dinners, sweets, and snacks.”

LHS students are just as excited. According to junior Christina Reszel, “I’m excited!!!! It’s the best store and I can’t wait to have it so close!”

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Junior Jordan Rule was just as enthusiastic. She commented, “ I love [Trader Joe’s]...I’m really excited because I know it will do really well.

[Trader Joe’s] is so flipping good, and they have organic yet tasty food!”

According to Peddicord, the store came to Libertyville because “it is filled with foodies. This location and community seemed like a great fit for us.”

The lot, having been a hardware store several years ago, was empty for a significant amount of time. Construction was once started for another corporation, but then seemingly abandoned. According to Holtz, “Paragon, a regional development firm, approached Libertyville officials last summer with a proposal to build the Trader Joe’s.”

February 27,2014

The Libertyville Trader Joe’s location from the recent mailer.

News

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February 27,2014

Flappy Bird *All photos taken by Shelly Schick unless otherwise stated Feature

2) The popular game “Flappy Bird,” which is known for making its players humorously angry, was deleted off of the app store on February 9. This actually led to a number of people attempting to sell their smartphones on eBay. There were bids up to as much as $100,000, but none of the sales went through because they violated eBay’s listing policies for attempting to sell copyrighted material without permission of the owner of the game (Dong Nguyen).

9) JK Rowling has recently shocked many long time Harry Potter fans by stating that she believes Ron and Hermione shouldn’t have ended up together. Hermione should have ended up with Harry. “I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That's how it was conceived, really," she stated in an interview with Emma Watson, who plays Hermione. Watson was the guest editress for Wonderland Magazine.

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

1) The famous child star Shirley Temple passed away at the age of 85 due to natural causes on February 10. After acting, she served a long career as a U.S. diplomat while successfully battling breast cancer in 1972. Temple was arguably the most famous child (or adult) during Hollywood’s golden age, appearing in more than 50 films and becoming a guest cartoon in a Disney short before retiring at the age of 22. During her acting career, her dimples and corkscrew curls became somewhat of an American icon with many young girls styling their hair after her.

9)

1)

Photo courtesy of escapist27 on Deviant Art

2)

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

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4) Wethepeople.com is a governmentrun website that serves to let the general public create and sign petitions. Because of recent events that pop star Justin Bieber has been involved in, a petition on wethepeople was created requesting the deportation of Bieber because he is originally from Canada. The petition reached over 150,000 signatures in only a week’s time, meaning that the government has to give a response because the petition made it over the 100,000 mark. According to the petition description, it was created because Bieber continues to be a bad influence on America’s youth and a danger to the general public with his recent cocaine and drunk driving incidents.

Photo Courtesy of MCT Campus

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

4)

7)

Photo courtesy of Antoine Taveneaux

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Photo courtesy of Bailey Schmid

5) Popular comedian Jimmy Fallon is taking the late night show spectrum by storm.

On Monday, February 17, Fallon became the new face of “The Tonight Show.” The show was previously hosted by Jay Leno who -- according to himself -- didn’t want to retire. Many people are saying that the reason for his being brought off the show is because he is just too old. With old pop culture references, the 63-year-old just couldn’t compete with Fallon, who is both funny and trending with younger crowds.

Feature

February 27, 2014

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

3) During the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, a set of five small, glowing, mechanical snowflakes was supposed to expand to create the five intermingling rings known to represent the Olympics, but the top right ring failed to open with the others.

8) Most high school students know exactly who Bill Nye is. He’s a science-loving, bow tie-wearing, somewhat goofy guy who occasionally was brought into the classroom for a nice mix up to the science curriculum. On February 4, Bill Nye and Ken Ham, a well-known Young Earth Creationist, had a debate on Creationism hosted at Ham’s Creationism museum. Ham stated that he truly believes that the world was made only 6,000 years ago and that all the animals that are alive today are the result of Noah’s ark rescuing them.

Nye, while not discrediting Ham’s beliefs altogether, explained how evolution works and how carbon dating can tell us that the earth is over 4.5 billion years old. Although Ham did have the home field advantage, most people believe that Nye took home a win.

7) At the People’s Choice Awards, fans pick the winners. This year, Iron Man 3 took home the prize for Favorite Movie and “2 Broke Girls” won for Best Comedy TV Show, on January 8. 12 Years a Slave won Best Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globes on January 12. Daft Punk won the Record of the Year Award at the Grammys on January 26. The Razzies is an award show specifically designed to award the worst of the year’s movie flops. This year’s big nominees for the Razzies are After Earth, Grown Ups 2, The Lone Ranger, A Madea Christmas, and Movie 43. Expect to see 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle battle is out for the most awards at the upcoming Academy Awards, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres on March 2.

6) In case you’ve been living underground these last couple months, you know that this winter has been particularly cold and snowy. Chicago has so far received 66.8 inches of snow, which is the most this area has gotten since 1952.

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A Debilitating Drug

By Emily Luce Photo by Bailey Schmid

A rise of prescription drug use increases in schools across the country. Pressures are high for students to do well in school, causing amphetamines to be misused -- and harsh side effects can often outweigh any advantages.

What is it?

Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ritalin are all common brands of what is widely referred to as “the study drug.” The drugs themselves are amphetamines.

This type of drug is a stimulant and very addictive -- it is ranked as a Class 2 controlled substance, the same ranking as cocaine and morphine, according to a New York Times article published in 2012. Although they have a medicinal purpose, they are widely abused and sold for recreational use.

What does the drug do to the body?

Amphetamines and dextroamphetamines are found in prescription drugs such as Adderall or Vyvanse. These stimulants are often helpful to those who do in fact have ADHD, because they help the patient stay focused throughout the day. The combination of stimulants are said to “change the amounts of certain natural substances, or neurotransmitters, in the brain,” according to the National Institute of Health. A Columbia Science Review article explains that Adderall has a similar chemical structure to hormones such as epinephrine, or adrenaline, and dopamine. These hormones release chemicals that make people feel happy and ecstatic, along with a rush of motivation from the adrenaline. Part of the reason why these drugs are abused so regularly is because of the euphoric feelings they provide for those few hours. This doesn’t seem too bad, until the effects of the medication begin to wear off.

What are the side effects?

It helps me stay focused on studying when my mind would normally be focused on anything besides that. I think my test scores have gone up because of it,” said one senior at LHS who would like to go unnamed due to the fact that they are not prescribed the drug and could get in trouble for taking it. This student said they began taking Vyvanse at the beginning of sophomore year.

Other students who were interviewed did not have only good things to say about the drugs.

“When I take [Adderall], I feel like I’m on top of the world. School work becomes the most interesting thing and I’m 100% motivated to get it done. But when it wears off, I get a painful headache and feel like screaming at everyone around me, so I can’t decide if it’s even worth it or not,” an anonymous junior said.

Even teens who have had the medication prescribed to them have had negative things to say about what it did to their bodies.

“The first few times I took it, it was like a wonder drug. I could focus and it was really difficult to become distracted. But it was so difficult to focus on anything other than school work. I couldn’t have a conversation with anyone for the life of me and it heightened my anxiety a lot,” said an anonymous senior student. “Eventually I had to keep going higher and higher with the doses, which meant eating way less. I lost 10 pounds and completely depended on the Vyvanse to give me energy to get through the day. The worst of all was that I felt speedy and shaky and empty every day, but I couldn’t function without it. I honestly looked and felt sick after being on it for a few months, and knew I had to get off of it for the sake of my health and well being.”

“...The worst of all was that I felt speedy and shaky and empty every day, but I couldn’t function without it,” said

Like any medicinal drugs, amphetamines like Adderall have their fair share of side effects.

According to Web MD, a medicine and health informational site, side effects of Adderall include weight loss and loss of appetite, dry mouth, stomach pain, headaches, dizziness, increased blood pressure, and trouble sleeping. Aside from the physical side effects of the stimulants, depressed moods also could occur. Because of the release of dopamine in the brain, when the medication wears off, it often leaves the person feeling upset, anxious, and irritable.

Prescriptions for the amphetamines are becoming increasingly easy to obtain, according to the New York Times article.

Teens can fake the symptoms of ADHD to their parents and doctors, resulting in a prescription for a low dosage of the medication. When the “symptoms” continue, doctors will typically prescribe a higher dosage, which students deem acceptable for selling to peers and using themselves to focus on schoolwork.

an anonymous senior.

Why has it become a problem in high schools?

According to a 2012 New York Times article, this “wonder drug” has been discovered by high school aged teens across the country. When a student tries it for the first time, usually to prepare for a large exam, they become hooked on the effects it has. The drugs that usually calm people with ADHD have an opposite effect for those who do not -- keeping them awake and aware, allowing for instant recall and focus on the task at hand.

School Resource Officer Robert Uliks is aware that Adderall is used at LHS. “The Adderall usage at Libertyville High School seems to have diminished a bit. It still exists but not like it used to,” Officer Uliks said.

Students that were interviewed anonymously who use Adderall or Vyvanse all said they use the stimulants to study for and take tests, finish projects, and prepare for final exams.

“Buying Vyvanse is a pretty regular part of my test preparation routine.

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Not only can these drugs have harsh side effects, but selling them in school is a serious matter. According to Officer Uliks, selling drugs such as Adderall and Vyvanse is a Class X felony.

“Students who are caught selling or taking the drugs illegally will spend a night in jail and then have to appear before a judge. It’s Class X, which is the worst if you’re on school grounds or even within 1,000 feet of a school -- it’s classified as possession and distribution, and is even more serious than selling weed because of the schedule those drugs are in, ” Uliks said.

Aside from consuming the drugs to help with studying, teens abuse them in other ways as well. Mixing amphetamines with pills like Xanax can produce highs that are life threatening, according to Officer Uliks.

“Misusing prescription drugs can be very tragic. There was a big problem in the North Shore a couple years ago, where kids attending parties would each bring different types of pills and put them all in a bowl.

They’d grab a couple, not knowing what they were, and took them to see what would happen. It can be fatal,” Officer Uliks said.

There have been initiatives taken to prevent the distribution of these drugs in school, the most important being the random dog searches.

“Adderall, Vicodin, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, morphine, and oxyconton can all be sniffed out by the drug dog here at LHS,” Officer Uliks said.

February 27, 2014

Feature

Photos courtesy of learnstuff.org under a Creative Commons liscense.

Feature

February 27, 2014

13

No light, no problem: Are electronic cigarettes the safe alternative they claim to be?

By Alex Zoellick “There’s no tobacco so it’s not bad for you.” “It’s helping me quit.”

“It’s only water vapor.”

These are some of the few excuses heard when talking to an electronic-cigarette smoker; however, is this really the case? If so, is it so bad for high school students, under the legal age of 18, to be using e-cigarettes?

Before diving into the controversy of e-cigs, it is important to understand how they work. According to WebMD, a website that helps users diagnose health problems, a heater vaporizes liquid nicotine and the user will then inhale a hot, smoke-like vapor in their mouth through the mouthpiece. There is no tobacco at all and the entire process is completely synthetic, even the nicotine.

A national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that e-cig use in teenagers from 2011 to 2012 has more than doubled, rising from 4.7% to 10%. For sixth to eighth graders, the numbers rose from 1.4% to 2.7%, according to the New York Times.

E-cigs are illegal in Illinois for minors, anyone under 18 years of age, but what makes them so popular with high school students? Is it the countless possible flavors or is it the fact that they are smokeless? Ever Smoke, a large e-cig company in the United States, even issues a statement to teenagers.

“They are not made to appeal to children or underage people at all,” states Ever Smoke’s website. “You have to reach a certain age requirement to purchase electronic cigarettes just as you would if you were purchasing tobacco products. Nicotine is a substance not intended for

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus Photo edited by Bailey Schmid

“I’ve occasionally smoked [cigarettes].

They’re pretty raunchy though. I hate the smell and taste, but I like the little adrenaline rush it gives you. E-cigs just have less carcinogens and they don’t smell gross.” use by minors, whether it’s from tobacco products or vapor cigarettes.

Exciting flavors and attractive packaging appeal to everyone, regardless of age.”

A large appeal for many students is the fact the e-cigs are smokeless. They leave little to no trace of use and can be used indoors, unlike regular cigarettes.

“E-cigs are convenient because they don’t smell and you can use them at a restaurant or at work,” stated an anonymous senior source. “No more going outside in the cold.”

Flavors can range from chocolate to apple, and this is enticing to many kids. Who doesn’t love a candy bar? Many teens like flavored cartridges because they can mask the taste and smell of the nicotine while still getting a fix, not to mention it is designed to taste good.

“I only use flavored juices. I like them because they taste awesome,”

stated a different 17-year-old senior source who didn’t share her name for fear of getting in trouble during the college admissions process.

Regular smoking features on the ecig, like smoking cartridges without nicotine, are also loved by teenagers.

Kids enjoy “vaping,” or just smoking water vapor.

“I use it just cause vaping is fun and I love doing smoke tricks,” added 17-year-old the source. “I don’t have any nicotine in my e-cig juice so the 0% is really cool to just chill out with because I don’t get any headaches or anything from it.”

E-cigs appeal to other teenagers for different reasons than getting a nicotine fix. Many kids will use e-cigs to smoke marijuana oil or THC, commonly called dabs. According to CBS Los Angeles, THC is responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects; it can create a high 10 times stronger when smoked in an e-cig than regularly grown weed.

“Yeah, I use it to dab. You basically just have to get a [modification] and a few other things for your e-cig,” said 17-year-old the source. “Dabs are a lot stronger than regular marijuana because they’re basically concentrated THC oil.”

Additionally, many students love e-cigs because it is still smoking but without a cigarette. The cigarette has a bad rap from most people, as it is just viewed as a way to cut years off your life and they smell terrible.

“I’ve occasionally smoked [cigarettes],” admitted the source. “They’re pretty raunchy though. I hate the smell and taste, but I like the little adrenaline rush it gives you. E-cigs just have less carcinogens and they don’t smell gross. E-cigs are also customizable so it’s cool to get really cool mods for them. You can’t do

that with a regular cigarette!”

Since e-cigs don’t have the tobacco and the tar-like substance inside them, many people claim to be using them as a healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes, which is true to an extent. According to Eli Lake, a columnist for The Daily Beast, e-cigs only help a user get over his need for tobacco.

“The consensus medical research today is that while electronic cigarettes are healthier than tobacco cigarettes, and a good way to end dependency on tobacco, they are not without health risks,” wrote Lake. “Besides the nicotine, the other active ingredient in my cigarettes is propylene glycol, a substance the FDA classifies as GRAS, or ‘generally recognized as safe.’”

Lake later went on to describe propylene glycol as “chinese-made antifreeze.”

He continued by adding that it is only GRAS if ingested in food, not inhaled as a vapor. There is not yet any research regarding propylene glycol’s effect as an inhalant.

Still, the Food and Drug Administration is skeptical of e-cigs, which are, at the moment, not regulated. There have been reports to the FDA of pneumonia, congestive heart failure, disorientation, seizure, hypotension, and other health problems in e-cig users. It is not yet known if the e-cig caused these side effects, as the FDA is still researching possible problems with frequent e-cig use.

The FDA also warns e-cig users of other possible nicotine addictions.

“Additionally, it is not known if e-cigarettes may lead young people to try other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes, which are known to cause disease and lead to premature death,” stated the FDA’s website.

E-cigs are designed to be used anywhere since they are smokeless, but Chicago recently passed a citywide law giving e-cigs the same restrictions as regular cigarettes. This means they cannot be smoked in most public places or within 15 feet of a building entrance. State Senator Mattie Hunter is currently sponsoring a statewide law that will ban e-cigs in Illinois. They would no longer be sold or distributed should the law be passed.

“Electronic cigarettes have not been approved by the FDA and we don’t know what is in them or if they are safe,” said Senator Hunter in an illinoissenatedemocrats.com article regarding the bill. “Until these types of products are deemed certified or legal to sell by the FDA, they should be banned throughout Illinois.”

The e-cig movement may end before it even starts. As they gain popularity, more research is being released which, depending on the results, could help or hurt their cause. Statewide legislation could spell out a quick end to the rise in popularity of e-cigs.

“I use it just cause vaping is fun and I love doing smoke tricks. I don’t have any nicotine in my e-cig juice so the 0% is really cool to just chill out with because I don’t get any headaches or anything from it.”

Graph by Alex Zoellick

BEHIND THE SCENES AT LH S

BY EMILY MALECHA AB B Y S T . C LAI R E

A few of the faces of the I.T. Department and Buildings and Grounds

B&G

J

Eli Kelly

Photos taken by Abby St. Claire

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February 27, 2014

Chris Stancil

Russ Hendricks

I.T.

ust as every movie has a production

crew, our school is maintained by many behind-the-scenes workers. The staff that you don’t see on a day-to-day basis are the ones working the hardest, doing everything to keep this school running. On extra snowy days, the Buildings and Grounds crew is out at early hours making sure the surroundings are safe for the students. The IT employees make sure all of the technology is running smoothly and fixing all of the issues that the teachers and students have. Although the students don’t notice the work of these people, their hard work benefits the school and the people who call it home. We, at Drops of Ink, want to highlight a few of these people.

Temple Murphy Feature

B&G

With this years’ excessive snow and steam leak problems, and last year’s school flood, the Buildings and Grounds department has been working overtime. Here at LHS, you could catch the B&G staff on shifts from Midnight to 6 a.m., 8 a.m to 6 p.m, or anytime in between, working split shifts to salt sidewalks, repair broken B U I L D I N G S & G R O U N D S pipes, or doing something else vital to keeping the school up and running.

Director of Buildings and Grounds, Mr. Chris Stancil, says that in times of need, he has worked 19-hour shifts. Though he tries not to stay too late each day, he comes to school early to see what business the day will bring. With 57 employees under him, Mr. Stancil mostly oversees larger, long-term projects and the things you don’t really notice going on around the hallways.

With all the snow this year, LHS relied on what Mr. Stancil likes to call “Snow Command,” a branch of the Buildings and Grounds department that takes care of pre-planning based on weather forecasts, coming in early and making sure everything, including Brainerd and Diamond, is plowed, in addition to salting the ice on the sidewalks and street.

“We have used 100 tons of rock salt this winter, along with 25,000 pounds of salt mix,” said Mr. Stancil. “It’s safety first when it comes to the students and staff at LHS. We can afford salt, but we can’t afford anyone getting hurt.”

Mr. Russ Hendricks, a former helicopter mechanic and 9-year LHS staff member, works alongside Mr. Stancil, keeping department schedules, organizing state inspections, taking buses to get their oil changed, and making sure the fire and sprinkler system testing goes smoothly.

Though Mr. Hendricks is a bit older than some of the other Buildings and Grounds staff, that doesn’t stop him from working 6 a.m - 2:30 p.m. each day, staying exceptionally organized and keeping a schedule for the people working around him.

“I’ve been in this line of work since 1970,” said Mr. Hendricks. “I’m 70 years old and still get around just as well as the younger guys I’m working with. I enjoy my job.”

When it comes to appreciation of the B&G department, Mr. Hendricks agrees that students don’t realize what’s going on behind the scenes at their own school.

“Teachers know what we do, and they thank us, students don’t appreciate it as much,” said Hendricks.

That being said, like Mr. Kelly in the tech department (see below), Mr. Stancil agrees and says, “This is a service industry.

You know when you’re doing a good job when no one complains and you don’t hear anything negative.”

Outside of LHS, Mr. Stancil likes to ride and build motorcycles and work on mechanics projects with his son and daughter, as well as take out his 1969 Cutlass. Mr. Hendricks, on the other hand, likes playing cards and traveling with his wife to places like South Dakota and Canada.

I.T.

It’s not hard to see that technology has become a central focus in our daily life as students. What we don’t see is the people behind the technology, making sure everything we’re logging onto throughout the day is running smoothly.

Here at LHS, we have about 20 people on the Information Technology staff, making sure we are able to access all of the computers, Chromebooks, iPads, overhead projectors, Smart Boards and more.

For example, Mr. Temple Murphy, LHS’s network manager, is in I N F O R MATI O N TE C H N O LO GY charge of making sure our school network is always secure and up and running. Whenever you log onto a device at LHS, Mr. Murphy has made sure that that device is running smoothly and safely.

Mr. Murphy admits to not having much student interaction, but when he does, it is mainly at the beginning of the school year when students are having the most trouble logging into technology around the school.

As for Murphy’s favorite part of the job, he really enjoys the people and the dynamics of the job itself.

“I work with a really great group of people. That’s one of my favorite aspects of the job,” said Mr. Murphy. “Things are always changing in IT and that’s what keeps it interesting.”

Alongside Mr. Murphy, Mr. Eli Kelly is our desktop support, making sure that every Smart Board, computer, or other piece of technology is operating smoothly. From 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. each day, Mr. Kelly runs a help desk system that lets teachers and students report any technology troubles they may be having, big or small. In addition to that, he makes suggestions and recommendations for new technology that he thinks would be beneficial to LHS, such as the new Chromebooks we got last year.

As for students, Kelly commented that he hasn’t had much student interaction throughout his seven years here at LHS, but does say that when he does, he gets positive feedback the majority of the time.

“We’re used to working behind the scenes, so when we don’t hear anything, we know we’re doing a good job and no one is complaining,” said Kelly.

Outside of their jobs here at LHS, Mr. Kelly likes to record music and he plays at a jazz festival in New Orleans each year. Mr. Murphy likes to spend time with his family and volunteer with his son at Boy Scouts.

Feature

February 27, 2014

17

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By Ava Polzin

What’s nagging Nick?

the study of a fledgling ornithologist

Despite grade-school struggles (“when you have weird interests in “It’s like asking what your favorite child grade school, you get a lot of s---”), Minor adapted much like his avian counterparts. Says Minor, “I realized that my bird thing is what’s the is? … I would say all 10,000-some of basis of my personality to other people. My reputation. I was always them.” the bird guy. I was always the science guy, and I love it because I don’t -On choosing of his ‘favorite’ bird. have to come up with anything else, you know?”

From there, his passion (and pursuit of that passion) grew. “He sought out like-minded individuals, tapping into and building upon real and Junior Nick Minor, known for his active virtual social networks, associating himself with novices and experts, seeking examples of excellence,” his father, Ed Minor related. “He is obsession with birds, began his foray already doing college and professional level work in many ways. His into science at the tender age of three: momentum is undeniable, his focus is appropriate, and I have no doubt “I just started making up and drawing birds… I always knew I wanted to be a that his goals are more than feasible. His goals are being actualized…

It is the pursuit of knowledge and the sharing of knowledge that puts biologist.” This early, seemingly unremarkable tendency would shape the way Nick into position to be a successful young scientist and more Minor looks at and is seen by the world. importantly, an amazing young man

At this point, Minor (the younger) authors a regularly updated blog (scienceofbirds.blogspot.com), tweets ornithological observations under the handle @nmbirder14, and has been published by Cornell University’s Young Birder’s Network, the Lake County Audubon Society and the Illinois Ornithological Society. All of this in addition to his work at Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan Scout Reservation and Chicago’s own Field Museum.

His posts and publications are a condensation and simplification of potentially more complex, daunting or dense articles and studies. Minor hopes that by presenting it in a new way, he can interest those people who might not otherwise give ornithology, or birds, for that matter, another thought. In targeting these audiences, he lends more credence to the image of him as a teacher or professor, something he just knows he will do eventually, but, he hopes, only after “[doing] research for 30 years or something.”

His Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan and Field Museum work are both related to education.

As an intern in the Birds Division at the museum last summer, Minor was responsible for about 400 dioramas that were created for use in the classroom and other educational ventures. Minor ultimately corrected around 30 of the dioramas’ fact sheets, which, using information from the time of their creation (Minor dates this to “the 1920s-ish”), had fallen out of step with current scientific understanding. His updates to the fact sheets were made primarily with his own personal knowledge (with just the smallest amount of internet accompaniment for clarification).

Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan is a different story: Minor is actually immersed in a teaching environment, explaining to younger Boy Scouts all he knows of birds. His former counselor and current supervisor at the camp, Joe Marshall, laughs when recalling, “I actually taught Nick ‘Bird Studies’… but he really taught the class more than me… his love for it is kind of contagious… he had the whole [Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan] staff into birding.”

That same type of contagion is really the impetus for Minor’s own educational interests. He attributes much of his fascination with learning to his father’s experiences: “By having a dad who’s going through education and learning about what the education process should be and how that best works, it taught me a lot about how to be a really good learner and how to never stop learning.”

Photo courtesy of Ed Minor Minor sits with a stuffed eagle at a 2010 hawk watch.

Simply put, Minor loves birds. Complexly, though, Minor wishes to incorporate taxonomy, behavior, evolution, and everything else that goes into ethology [what Miriam Webster calls “the scientific and objective study of animal behavior especially under natural conditions”] into a study of his passion so that he can “motivate or inspire people to look more into science.” He elaborates, “I like having a scientific reputation, and the more I can inspire people to look at science differently, or to look at the natural world differently, or to look at themselves differently, it goes back to that thing of trying to inspire people to be the best version of themselves.”

Minor describes himself as “excitable, passionate, excessive, obsessive, exceptional (Oh, wow, I try not to be cocky), cocky, or vain, guy who laughs at everything…” while his friend, mentor and contact at the Field Museum, Josh Engel, describes him as “friendly, outgoing, personable…” Marshall, one of his other mentor/friends, calls him “cheerful and energetic, but also very determined… a perfect blend of the three.”

According to Mr. Minor, “The timing of my own education ran parallel with, and perhaps added fuel to, his own flame.”

“It’s all time in the field, and it’s passion, and it’s concentration.”

-On what birding really is

[left, above, and far right] Minor birds using audio and visual cues, at times offering his own replicated bird calls to attract his subjects.

Photos by Ava Polzin unless otherwise noted.

These disparate, yet intertwined definitions of the same person serve as evidence of one of Minor’s more lauded qualities: his “brain is always going crazy all the time,” he remarks. This frenetic activity lends itself to the life of a teenager who keeps up with his schoolwork (“it’s so hard when you have a heavy school workload, which I do”), reads extensively on ornithology and birds, works in multiple capacities to further already fledgling networking, publishes his own work, manages to go birding and finds time for the normal teen distractions of media, sleep and a social life (“I have other things because I’m working towards a future, and I’m trying to grow myself individually, and I have all of these things I want to do with my time. And being social doesn’t always work into that… but… I’m not, like, that isolated either. I’m a social guy. I like talking with people.”).

This is all part of the master plan, though. The sacrifices and the stress of a full schedule and full potential help Minor to pursue his love of birds with a fervor bordering on obsession.

“That means there’s a sighting.”

Learn about LHS’s resident birdbrain, junior Nick Minor:

Born:

Eugene, OR

Places of work: Minor is employed at both

Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan Scout Reservation and Chicago’s Field Museum.

Pearson, WI

-In explanation of his phone’s intermittent ‘chirping’ ringtone

Minor’s participation in the LHS band is, though somewhat underacknowledged for its influence, great ear training for a venture of his that is both “impossible” and necessary. The differentiation of birds by their calls/songs — a skill that his scientific idol, the deceased ornithologist, Ted Parker possessed — is helped by music because as Minor comments, “I’m so auditory, and that’s an advantage with birds, because sounds are a lot of times more useful in identifying than visual cues… It is an advantage especially if you have a good auditory memory and you can pick out subtleties in sounds. So music does help with that.”

Sometimes, though, even the ability to identify more birds doesn’t help in actually finding them. Minor is disappointed by his lack of “good birds” on his list (a term birders use to define their comprehensive account of species seen).

He partially attributes this to a heavy school load that precludes him from spending some of the necessary time, but he puts more weight on the fact that he hasn’t traveled. Minor notes, “I haven’t traveled outside the Midwest ever, except I was born in Oregon – whoops, so it’s hard, but I think snowy owls are up there (They’re erupting this year, so kids might actually have a solid opportunity to see them before the end of this winter.) …”

This typical digression is part of what makes Nick Minor who he is. Every opportunity he can, he works a lesson, whether for his own benefit or the direct benefit of others, into his discussions. “Nick is a very enthusiastic person, and I really like it because a lot of people aren’t so passionate about the things that they like,” says junior Mikaella Faber, a long-time friend of Minor.

His passion manifests itself in these impromptu lessons and in his dogged pursuit of his dreams. Continues Faber, “He’s involved with ‘the birding community,’ he likes to call it. So, I feel like definitely in the future he’ll be still more involved with that, maybe do some research or something for a college, when he’s in college. Or after, in a job, or something, maybe find new species… something like that.”

Faber’s notion of Minor is that of an intellectual explorer, a role that he happily inhabits. Minor may be a student, a teacher, a birder and a band kid, but he is also the fledgling ornithologist that everyone has come to expect and that he (among others) wishes to groom into an accomplished researcher and then teacher. Minor’s aspirations are as grounded as his preferred subjects of study are lofty, and with his combination of energy, aptitude and focus, Minor seems securely on his way to being that ornithologist of note.

Chicago, IL

Projected migrations: Looking to the future, Minor has admired programs at both Cornell University and the University of Michigan.

Ann Arbor, MI

Ithaca, NY

Locks of Love A look inside the organization itself and students at LHS who have donated their locks to the less fortunate.

By Rachael Girmscheid I was about 17 years old when I first decided to chop off all of my hair because I wanted a change. I ended up walking into the Mundelein Great Clips just waiting to get a regular haircut, but I ended up walking out that day helping a disadvantaged child. I always knew what Locks of Love was, but I never knew how powerful it was to other children and how helpful it is to them.

I sat in the chair looking at my long, tangled hair, playing with it before it was all gone. The girl who cut my hair had to braid and measure it to see if it was long enough. The minimum length of the hair donated has to be at least 10 inches. She ended up chopping 11 inches off that day. I was nervous. I’ve always had long hair, and I didn’t know what to expect. But then I thought of the benefits. I thought of the millions of disadvantaged children who lose their hair from a certain diagnosis. I thought what I would wish for if I was that child and how I would feel more comfortable and that is to feel good in my own body with hair to match. These children are not just losing their hair, but they’re often losing their self-esteem as well.

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children, under age 21, suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Most of the children who need the hair suffer from a disorder called alopecia areata, which causes the hair follicles to shut down. Regular wigs that the children could possibly use are made for adults and need glue or tape to keep them from falling off of their heads. The Locks of Love hair prosthetics are custom made for each child. They retail from $3,500 to $6,000. The hair piece is almost like a suction cup, and it does not need glue or tape to stay on, as said on the Locks of Love website.

The hair loss that the children experience is permanent and there is no cure. Some of them are victims to severe burns, experience radiation treatment for cancer or suffer from skin disorders that cause their hair to be gone forever.

Senior Paige McCarthy who decided to donate her locks last year, ended up getting 10 inches chopped off. “I love my hair short now. Not only that, but I love the fact that I got to help out children in the process. I couldn’t of been happy with my decision,” she said.

Abbie Bennett, another senior from LHS, donated her hair as well, making a random and spontaneous appointment. Last year, she had 10 inches cut off at a Mario Tricoci salon.

“Locks of Love is pretty cool. I’m really glad they’re helping out a bunch of kids to make them feel confident,” she said.

For more information about the organization go to: www.locksoflove.org Photo courtesy of Rachael Girmscheid When I got my hair cut and donated 11 inches.

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February 27, 2014

Feature

For Locks of Love, you don’t have to be sitting in the chair at a hair cut place; you can cut your own hair and mail it to the organization.

It still has to be 10 inches and the hair must be in a ponytail or braid when you cut it. They do accept colored and permed hair, as mine and others were colored, but no bleached hair.

Junior Alissa Clemens shared a fascinating story that many people don’t usually do. “It was sort of a spontaneous thing, really...I was at a New Year’s party and a few minutes before midnight, I had this impulsive urge to do something dramatically different to my appearance, so I handed my friend the sharpest pair of scissors I could find and he tied it back and chopped it all off for me. It was so liberating, after being weighed down by all that hair for so many years, to shake it free and feel nothing.”

It is a common perception that only girls grow out their long locks and donate it, but guys can donate as well. Senior Mickey Price donated his hair in eighth grade. He got about 10 inches cut off that day and stated, “If you’re cutting your hair and it meets the criteria, I don’t see why you wouldn’t donate it.”

The aftermath of all of this is hopefully receiving acknowledgment for your donation. Some are not as lucky as others. For me, I still have not received a postcard of some sort and it may not ever come. An acknowledgment is supposed to be sent to each donor within 60 days from the date Locks of Love receives your donation, according to their website. But, in the end, you still know you have helped out a child that is suffering from more than a diagnosis. It’s a sense of pride that you feel you’ve reached in order to help out as many children in the world as possible.

Although senior Danielle Brooks chose Pantene, another organization where you can donate your hair, instead of Locks of Love, she still made the decision of donating her hair to the young children.

“To me [it] is giving more than just hair. It’s giving someone the opportunity to live their life with one more opportunity that they didn’t have before,” she said.

On the Locks of Love website, they state, “While wearing a hairpiece is certainly not a cure for these children, it can help restore some of the normalcy to their everyday lives that most of us take for granted. It is our goal to help provide a foundation on which they can begin to rebuild their self-esteem.”

Photo courtesy of Alissa Clemens

Photo courtesy of Rachael Girmscheid After my hair was breaded, it was measured and cut.

Feature

This picture was taken on New Year’s when Clemens decided randomly to chop off her locks.

February 27, 2014

23

DOI’s Top Netflix Picks Tom Ackerman watches

Netflix is The New Net Fix

By Kate Vittore According to its website, the number of homes streaming Netflix on a regular basis has increased 20 percent in the last year. On average, one in four houses has Netflix. As Netflix has adapted to the new ways people are able to stream video, including smart phones, tablets, and more, Netflix and its concepts truly hold the next big idea in web-streaming media.

Korina Valenzuela watches

Netflix is a streaming video service that offers a vast selection of movies and television shows. With new shows being added constantly, there is always something to watch. Each account can hold up to five profiles individualized to each person’s interests in television and movies. Charges range from $6.99 to $11.99 per month, depending on a preference of how many screens can be streaming at a time on an account. Customers can stream on television through devices such as Apple TV and gaming consoles, as well as on smart phones and other devices that use internet.

Connor Polk watches

Netflix was created by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph back in 1997 in Scotts Valley, California. As one of the company’s CEOs and founders, Randolph left the board of directors in the company in 2004, but Hastings remains at the top, also working on the directors’ board of Facebook, Microsoft, and other technology companies.

Competitors can’t seem to keep up with Netflix; sites like Hulu and Amazon have attempted to get in on the trend of expanding their ways to offer streaming video, but in a national poll conducted by Sound&Vision in November of last year, Netflix has double the percentage of people streaming in their homes compared to Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime, which, combined, don’t come near Netflix’s statistics.

Molly Downing watches

Sophomore Eva Mattioli has Netflix and feels that it’s a great way to pass time. “If I have nothing to watch on regular TV, I can always start a new series and have something new to watch. It’s exciting. My favorite thing about Netflix is that I have the freedom to watch any show at any time with the touch of a button. I can use it on all of my devices and pick up anywhere in a show or series. When I start a new show, they give me recommendations and I just get more and more to watch,” she said. “Other than when my internet connection is down and whatever I’m watching starts buffering, I’m really happy with Netflix.”

With the statistics Netflix has, it is no shock that conversation about different shows and actors is heard among the halls in LHS. Some students even watch shows during free periods on their cell phones and computers. While many students voice their opinions about how much they enjoy having Netflix’s services, sophomore Kelly Waldvogel is opposed to the services.

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February 27, 2014

Feature

“I need to maintain my grades and I feel like if I had access to all these wonderful shows I would be distracted and I wouldn’t do anything else. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, but if my grades started dropping because of Netflix, I would know that that’s the problem,” she said. “I would enjoy having it at my disposal, but it would not benefit me in the long run, so really, what good would come out of it?”

In July 2011, Netflix announced that subscription prices were changing.

DVD rental prices would be decreased by around 20%, but free streaming would start being charged, resulting in the price being increased by 60%.

Another increase in prices for a Netflix subscription comes from the option of having DVDs come right to your door with Netflix DVD. With an additional charge of $7.99 a month, customers have the option of ordering movies or television shows on DVD to anywhere in the U.S. DVDs are delivered in approximately two to three days, and they are delivered and returned in the order of a queue that is found on each Netflix account. Customers can arrange their queues as they wish to receive DVDs and also track shipments and deliveries.

When this change was announced, some members were aggravated to see that their favorite shows, which they could once see for free, were now being moved as an extra way for the company to make more money.

According to its website, as the world’s leading Internet television network, Netflix has over 44 million members in 41 different countries around the world. Members enjoy over a billion hours of TV shows and movies every month, including original series exclusive to the site such as “Hemlock Grove,” “Derek,” and the Emmy-winning “House of Cards.”

According to USA Today and Nielsen Ratings, 38% of Americans use or subscribe to Netflix as of January 2014, compared to the statistics back in 2013 that showed that the previous year held only 31%. Last year, Hulu expanded into Hulu Plus to compete as another subscription streaming service, but didn’t see the same statistics for themselves, coming in at 12% for the free version, and 6% for subscription nationwide.

With its track record, Netflix is only gaining popularity day by day. The past three years have topped their company’s statistics since it was created in 1997.

With how much success the company has seen, the future looks bright.

Jessica leider: Nuts for netflix

By Jessica Cartwright

“Netflix is life,” said Leider.

“Eat, sleep, Netflix!”

Feature

Jessica Leider, a junior here at LHS, is just one of many high schoolers obsessed with Netflix.

When asked about how many hours a week she spends on Netflix, Leider responded with, “There’s too many to count…I honestly wouldn’t even be able to make a guess.”

Leider likes to watch a lot of different shows on Netflix, but her favorites are “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pretty Little Liars,” and “The Walking Dead.”

Leider likes to escape her school life through watching Netflix. She feels that while watching, everything else just fades away. “It always gets in the way of my schoolwork,” she said. “But that doesn’t stop me.”

Leider isn’t the only one in her group of friends to watch Netflix. Actually, all her friends do. “We all watch Netflix,” she said rather proudly.

“It’s our life!”

Leider plans on continuing to watch Netflix throughout her entire life.

As long as she can pay for it, she will enjoy it.

February 27, 2014

25

Staff Editorial

Library Could Benefit from Changes The thought of a traditional library conjures different feelings for different people. For some, the thought of peace and serenity as you take a seat in the padded chair and bury your nose in a book is wonderful. For others, however, the library brings thoughts of overwhelming silence, oppressive librarians, and a boring atmosphere. The library at LHS is this exact way, finding itself in both favor and disfavor with students.

The library was designed as a place for students to go and work in silence.

Students could go there and avoid their chattering classmates in an attempt to escape into tranquility. The understanding upon entering the resource area is that you are willing to comply with its rules. Common rules such as whispering and no running around are often accepted without being told.

However, the Drops of Ink has questions about some rules we believe to be unnecessary . At LHS, the library has consistently enforced a rule of no standing before the bell rings. If a student is to stand, they will be swiftly told to take a seat again, even if there is no noise being made. This rule is most commonly enforced in the minutes before the end of the period. In a library such as Cook Memorial Library in downtown Libertyville, getting up at any time is perfectly okay. People are free to walk around and stand, as long as they aren’t causing a disturbance. Students should have the freedom to get up and move after being forced to sit for hours throughout the day. While studying, students should be able to stretch and take a break.

Another rule that has DOI staff members scratching their heads is the policy of only four chairs to a table. The library has tables of four spread out neatly throughout the room, making for efficient group work, while also some privacy. However, when there is a group of five, it is time to exclude someone and push them to a table all alone. This could be for keeping walkways clear, or even for trying to reduce clutter, but the fact is that an extra student at a table isn’t going to cause significant problems for anyone else. If the table is following the rules, such as being quiet and respectful, there should be no reason to exclude someone from their friends.

When in school for seven hours, students are going to get hungry. Lunch, while an efficient time to eat and relieve the hunger, does not suffice for many students. When at home and eating whenever a student feels hungry, it is difficult to come to school and all of the sudden shift the eating schedule to center around the school day. The library, a place meant for people to relax and study, does not allow people to eat and drink anything but water, which must be kept on the floor. The basic idea of keeping the library clean is understood, but eating a granola bar and taking a sip of a Gatorade isn’t going to cause irreversible damage to the library itself. This rule is doing the exact opposite of what

Opinion

the library was set to do. Instead of pushing students to relax, they are actually causing problems that affect the ability to focus and study. Students are now forced to hold their hunger for 50 minutes, while being “efficient” workers.

While these rules seem strange and unnecessary, there are possible explanations for them. Many DOI staffers believe that because students are told not to get up and move around, it cuts out distractions and allows them to study more effectively. Without being able to talk louder than a whisper, students are able to solely focus on the task at hand, and get done all the work that they need to do. Places such as the drop-in lab and the cafeteria allow for talking, so students who escape that for the quiet of a library appreciate all the librarians do to keep the sense of a study first atmosphere prevalent.

The library has also been successful with their organization and collection of books. The books in the library cover a wide variety and are assorted with convenience in mind. Magazines are put in their own area, and are displayed in a colorful manner. Their collection of computers and databases is also impressive. Websites are laid out by librarians for specific class projects, which are often made accessible on the school website. The computers are put in rows, with so many that entire classes are able to come and work at one time.

The big discussion on what is wrong or right with the library came down to librarians. The DOI staff decided that while the librarians mean well, the constant circling and punishing of students creates a stressful environment.

When a student goes to study at the library, the librarians attempt to make it as great a place to study as possible. Unfortunately, this attempt comes off as rude and harsh to some students. Students who stand a minute before the bell are scolded and told to immediately sit down. Students who are hungry and pull out food are told immediately to put it away or throw it out. Students who speak above the appropriate decibel level are quickly hushed and threatened to be moved.

The librarians are only trying to keep the library a place for those who need to study, but instead they are chastising those who attempt to act outside the role of the perfect student. As soon as they see a slight disturbance that could potentially have a slight effect on any other student, they are quick to squash it, no matter the situation.

The library is always going to be that place of silent study and of private reading. However, it doesn’t have to be so intimidating. The library can afford to be clean, while giving leeway on the food policy. The library can continue to be efficient without limiting four to a table. The library can keep being quiet without punishing someone for talking. The library will always be effective for studies, but with some changes, it could be more effective for all students.

February 27, 2014

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Hannah Jenkins Staff Writer

Should Course Selection Include Teacher Selection?

Students would love if they could pick teachers. Almost every kid has a favorite teacher, or a group of them, so they would adore the fact that they could select that teacher again, especially because many teachers instruct more than one type of class. However, if Libertyville High School students would be able to pick their teachers for classes, it would cause havoc.

In theory, it seems like an innocently brilliant idea: kids are able to have more of a say in what type of teaching style benefits them the most, thus, being able to learn better and easier.

Yet, there are problems with this, because kids would pick loopholes into the delicate system.

tutor if they get confused.

However, this would defeat the whole purpose of the freedom to pick a teacher in addition to the class.

Choosing teachers would allow students to pick a teacher they feel teaches the ideal way of learning that a student needs so they can absorb more from the class (and miraculously) have some fun. The student would be able to

It wouldn’t be fair for only some students to get their suggestion met, especially since the counselors would have to find out how they would meet the students’ suggestions, either by first come first served or by random selection, or another process.

Currently, students at LHS can’t pick their teachers; according to page 15 of the student handbook, “It is the school’s philosophy that students select their courses, not their teachers.”

But, the page goes on to explain, that if the student has had or a sibling has had a teacher before and that student doesn’t want to have that teacher again, their parent/ guardian must write why they don’t want that teacher and the counselors will do their best to meet that student’s request.

However, that doesn’t provide all the solutions students would want since they always crave to have friends in their classes. Therefore, they would start to pick out the same classes and teachers as their friends so they would have a better chance of being with them.

When students are in the same class as their friend, they get to have more fun, create everlasting inside jokes, always have a person to shine their eyes on when the teacher says to partner up and continually have a personal

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demand than supply of the amount of classes a certain teacher teaches; thus, some students wouldn’t have their selections honored. And that would upset many since it isn’t just a process that the school makes. It involves students’ suggestions, therefore, students would be aware of what other classmates put for the teachers they wanted, so some students might feel like the counselors made decisions based on how well-liked or how hardworking the student is.

comprehend better, therefore, being able to achieve more, in order to get better grades.

Yet many students wouldn’t see this side of a wonderful opportunity of choosing a teacher because many would be stuck on the fact that they might have a bigger chance to be with their friends. Or, kids could get swayed into picking a teacher based on what their peers have said about them. Therefore, they might find the way the teacher instructs difficult to follow, so the kid might end up doing worse off, which is the complete opposite of what this system would be designed to be: to make the learning easier for the student.

In addition, there could easily be a bigger

February, 27 2014

Involving students in this process would complicate things, majorly. It is complicated enough to meet the selections of all the students’ courses.

The counselors have to find a spot for every class applied to for the 2,000 plus kids that go to LHS. It can be near impossible to switch classes, as it is, if a student wants to switch to a different class since the slots are already filled. Trying to add teachers as another detail to course selection would make it impossible to meet everyone’s likings.

Plus, even though it sounds corny, it’s true: it’s good to meet new people and make new friends. And by tricking the system and getting yourself into the same class as your friend, you’re more likely to spend all your time talking with your friend, which keeps you from meeting new faces. And although many enjoy being in their comfort zone by sticking with known friends, sometimes you make the best of friends outside your comfort zone.

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Jake Luce Staff Writer

Social (Media) Skills?

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There could be certain advantages with social media, however. Sociology teacher and social media user Mr. Brian Voss thinks positively of social media.

“I think it actually helps [communication skills],” stated Mr. Voss.

“It gives you a chance to chat in a different method and practice social skills even when you’re not with people. It can also open up the amount of people you can socialize with.”

With all of those facts in mind, these are a few tips for children and teenagers to practice in order to keep their social skills in tact while still being able to use social media occasionally: 1. Participate in Class. Although this seems like a somewhat simple task, it helps your social skills tremendously. If you have practice speaking in front of a large group of people, then face-to-face conversations, and even job interviews, will become much less scary.

2. Talk on the Phone Instead of Texting. Again, this is a very easy task to practice, and it will cause you to be more alert to questions, and it will help you think on your feet. When you text someone, they have time to reply with a well thought-out response, but when you talk on the phone, the person must answer more quickly and give a more honest answer.

3. Think Before you Post Something on Social Media. If you use social media often, you may end up posting something offensive or inappropriate. If you do this, other people can see it and have a different outlook on you. Face-to-face interaction is better because you know exactly who is listening to you and there are fewer misunderstandings.

Facebook and Twitter Members Over the Years

Members (millions)

Ever since social media became popular, people have pondered its impact on young people’s communication skills. Although these sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are used for communicating, they could actually be hurting the social skills of children.

Social media can take away a child’s ability to engage in face-to-face interactions, thus causing them to be socially awkward.

Nowadays, young kids are receiving cell phones pretty early in their childhood. My baby cousin, who is only three years old, already has an iPad and knows how to unlock and play on iPhones. Thankfully, he is still a social kid, but later in life, his technological habits may come back to hurt him. If he continues to use technology instead of personal interaction, he could grow up to be antisocial.

Social media hurts communication skills because children are not practicing face-to- face interactions. Also, when children are used to talking to people through a cell phone, they could be intimidated by real conversations. This could lead to poor public speaking skills and poor job interviews.

According to Facebook, the site now has more than 1.3 billion monthly users, and 7.5 million of them are children under the age of 13! Twitter has more than 600 million users, and Instagram has more than 150 million users, according to techcrunch.com. Because social media hurts children’s social skills, we may have an entire generation of socially awkward people.

According to a study conducted by the website Badoo in 2012, 39% of Americans spend more time communicating via social media rather than face-to-face conversations. Also, 20% of Americans prefer to communicate through text message or e-mail instead of personal interaction. With these numbers on the rise, the next generation of children will use technology as their primary source of communication.

This fact is quite concerning due to the many downsides of technology. For instance, when someone sends a text message, their tone could be misinterpreted and it could cause miscommunication. While a person may try being sarcastic in a text, the person reading it could think it was meant to be serious. Another disadvantage of technology is how people can lie much more easily. When you cannot watch a person’s body language or eye contact, determining the truth of a statement is incredibly difficult.

Social media can also cause the habit of using abbreviations while speaking. Many children and teenagers will say “OMG, LOL, ROFL,” and many other annoying phrases in their everyday speech.

This is caused by repetitive use of the abbreviations while texting and using various social media sites, and it makes the speaker of the abbreviations seem unintelligent and elementary.

With these complications being present in technology, the younger children will be put at a severe disadvantage, and they will not even realize it. As they grow older and their brains develop, they will lose most of their communication skills and develop bad habits thanks to social media. In a study conducted by Courtney Turnbull of Elon University, it was found that the quality of interpersonal conversation is decreasing due to social networking. If the trend continues, no one will have the right social skills to have a normal conversation.

February 27, 2014

Year

Facebook Twitter Opinion

Elise Houcek Editor-in-Chief

Poison Ivy The description of “success” is one that has bound itself to contention. Often, and perhaps regularly, we are sure ask ourselves: where and to what extent will I find my ultimate achievement? As students considering the future of our intellectual, social, and emotional being, the debate over what it means to be successful is frightening and near.

The truth of the matter is, our social paradigm is defined by economic and status-based distinction. This means three things: students are taught to compete, to succeed, and to flaunt their level of achievement (this last one may be less readily received but is inevitable given the former).

Our recognition of superiority is perhaps most evidently displayed in the sector of university education. For many students, the decision as to where to continue one’s scholastic adventure is, unfortunately, steered far too seriously by the reputation of a particular school. Here, the student must make arguably the most critical decision of their life (one that often establishes a career), and yet sometimes the most pressing concern is that of whether or not the university brands an acceptable air of prestige. If you hold the perception that an admittance to Harvard is the ultimate ratification of your personal self-worth, I urge you to reconsider.

Our first concern is associated with a compromise in confidence. Perhaps one of the most valuable assets a student can have is a sense of assurance in their talents and a certainty that through these, they can achieve all aims. In clinging to the theory that the name of a school is detrimental to one’s future success, a student disposes of the inner confidence that often drives entrepreneurialship, innovation, and creative progress. The mentality that the

OpinionNews

“Ivys” are a singular and direct mode to the worthy application of one’s skill will inevitably devaluate the very ability that makes a student talented in the first place.

The next deals with the fact that prestigious universities often stifle students’ individuality. As cynical as it may seem, the majority of elite schools place much more empnn yusis

requires creativity; entrepreneurship requires a willingness to break the rules. The jam packed, highly structured days of elite children are carefully calculated to create Ivy League-worthy resumes. They reinforce habits of discipline and conformity, programming remarkably well-rounded and often superb young people…

These are the students that I see in my Princeton classes; I am often in awe of their accomplishments and teaching them is a joy. But I strongly suspect that they will not be the inventors of the next ‘new thing.’”

Further, with the mindset that students must maintain excellence in every subject, universities misplace the individual as beings whose gifts are not necessarily uniform. With so much focus on high achievement, one may be forced to spend less time and energy on what they are good at and more in areas where they lack passion or obvious expertise.

And finally there are the logistical losses, such as cost and invested time. The excessive and incomparable financial investment that comes with an elite education is enough to deter any prospective applicant. It is also essential to consider the fact that the quality of education and rate of student achievement is by no means bound to the upper echelon schools. I, for one, can name countless “successful” people whose fame is not tied to Princeton or Yale.

Furthermore, if it is true Illustration by April Dejon that a student can reach on the output of wealth than they do on their goals without an elite the cultivation of young people as complex, degree (and perhaps out of their own motivaproprietary creatures. As professor of politics tion and ingenuity), then the amount of time and international affairs at Princeton Universuch students are forced to spend behind bars sity Anne-Marie Slaughter put it, “Innovation begins to appear inane.

February 27, 2014

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Winter Sports Recaps

By The Numbers 1.3 8.9 43 33 2 81 500 100

By Mike Gasick and Ryan Jackson

Girls Basketball

Points per game for freshman Claire Keefe

Steals per game for senior Rosie Lynch

Assists by senior guard Sydney Mudd

Offensive rebounds for junior Becky Deichl

number of individual champions in the Dvorak Invitational

Free-throw percentage for sophomore Maggie Piazzi

number of career wins Coach Dale Eggert attained on January 4

number of wins seniors Kayne MacCallum, Chris McDermand, and Steve Polakowski attained during the season.

75

lopsided margin of victory over Lake Forest photo by Ava Polzin Junior Joey Gunther wrestles his Lake Forest opponent.

courtesy of Amy Keefe Freshman Claire Keefe shoots a jumper.

“It was a year of milestones.�

-head coach Dale Eggert

Boys Basketball 7 35 10 93

number of LHS players who have scored doubledigits in a game this year lowest amount of points scored by an LHS opponent in a game this year (vs. Warren)

number of rebounds Joe Borcia averages in a game

photo by Ava Polzin Senior Johnny Vernasco guards his opponent against Stevenson.

Sports

highest points scored by LHS this year in a game (vs. Mundelein)

75.7 average height, in inches, of the basketball players

February 27, 2014

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Boys Swimming

50.37

hours per day, on average, spent at school for swimmers

Alex Snarski’s time in the 100 Butterfly

3:12.89 400 Freestyle Relay’s time

13

1:27.12

200 Freestyle’s relay time

1:36.80

200-yard medley relay’s time

courtesy of Alex Snarski Senior Alex Snarski

“We are running for a state title and we don’t plan to quit. We work our tails off every day knowing that a state title is on the line.” -Bob Snader

3

overall place in the North Suburban Conference

32

Girls Gymnastics

7

margin of victory over a tough Stevenson squad on December 18

31

Hockey

number of years head coach Mrs. Tiffany Owens has been in the sport of gymnastics, including her years competing for LHS

5

days the team was undefeated in the month of November

9

seeding for the State Tournament in the combined Division Senior Mariah Lee’s place in the All-Around at conference

30

129 goals scored on

1.15

the year in 41 games

points per game for junior Bryan Constable

“It’s a great group of guys and everyone fits in.

There are no dominant egos in the locker room, and we all get along really well” -Junior captain Jack Murphy February 27, 2014

courtesy of Daniel Nekich Senior Daniel Nekich Sports

Boys Bowling

702

3

High series this season

by Duncan Hughes

1362

Day 1 total in 7 games at State Finals for Jack Baumruk

279

2

Girls Bowling

number of players who qualified for the State finals (juniors Duncan Hughes and Alex Price, and senior Jack Baumruk)

game bowled by Jack Baumruk at the State finals

Poms 4 71

consecutive appearances in state

average place in the 4 invitationals that their jazz routine took

percent of the team coming back next year

6

place in state

7

consecutive wins during the month of December

1 3

place in North Suburban Conference place for sophomore Emma Davellis at Conference

262

12

high game bowled by sophomore Taylor Sloan at the Fenton Invitational

Cheerleading

athletes that returned for this year’s season

84.27

score at sectionals, finishing in 8th place overall

4

place of the team in the Stevenson invite

81

score of the cheerleading team in their first competition

courtesy of Lauren Brennan Lauren Brennan

courtesy of Bethany Chang The poms team performs their routine at halftime.

Sports

Emma Davelis

February 27, 2014

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Spring Sports Previews

By Connor Polk and Katie Vrba

Boys Water Polo 2013 record: 19-11-1 Expectations for the 2014 season: “Our teamwork was spot on last year, and we developed into a strong team that never backs down from a challenge. This year I hope to make it further into sectionals and beat Stevenson. We were so close to advancing, but with a little more hard work I know we can make it.”

-Senior Jason Voelker Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Benjamin Callan, Brian Fink, Adam King, Patrick King, William McDermott, Mitchell Salata, Robert Snader, Jason Voelker Juniors: Alex Kratcoski, Samuel O’Brien, Thomas Watson Sophomores: Andrew Fink

Photo courtesy of Jason Voelker Jason Voelker

Girls Water Polo 2013 record: 20-9 Expectation for the 2014 season: “Last year we made it to the second round of sectionals for the first time. This year we are striving to make it even farther and go to semifinals of sectionals.”-Senior Devika Joshi Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Maddie Griffith, Devika Joshi, Mack Ryan Juniors: Sarah Durnin Photo courtesy of Devika Joshi Devika Joshi

Girls Lacrosse 2013 Record: 16-3 Expectation for the 2014 season: “We have a new coach and basically a brand new team. I think we can be really good this year if we just set our minds to it.” -Senior Casey Ryan Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Grace Ahlgrim, Tara Eyre, Emily Prey, Casey Ryan Juniors: Kate Collins, Morgan Schmid, Ryan Wonderlic Sophomore: Courtney Daugerdas

Photo courtesy of Casey Ryan Casey Ryan (right)

Boys Lacrosse 2013 record: 13-5 Expectations for the 2014 season: “I hope the best for this season. Since we have 17 open spots to fill, it will be interesting to see how the team will turn out, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind the upcoming JV players from last year will be able to compete.

This season will be a blast as always and I hope to go out with a bang!” -Senior Cole Blazer Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Sam Pantle, Jeffrey Mack, Jake Kimpler, Nick Bagatti, Jack Piazzi, Scott Metzger, Sam Wilson, John Duguid, Cole Blazer, Patrick Santi, Spencer Liberman, Ethan Miller, Jake Norman Photo Courtesy of Cole Blazer Juniors: Brett Becker, Justin Laue, Tristan Stelzner

Cole Blazer (Goalie, Number 32) Sports

February 27, 2014

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Girls Softball 2013 record: 18-16 Expectations for the 2014 season: “I think we have the potential to have a successful season.

Since it’s basically the same team, I think everyone will be used to playing with each other.”

-Senior Taylor Zoellick Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Tayler Oberman, Haley Alban, Andi Katz, Taylor Zoellick, Carlie Haraden, Michelina Caffero, TJ Freberg Juniors: Michaela Mooney, Madi Dembinski Sophomore: Jamie Stevens

Taylor Zoellick

Boys Baseball 2013 record: 24-11-1 Expectations for the 2014 season: “We have many returning varsity players this year, but more importantly, we’re highly motivated to go on the journey again to the State finals. After falling just short of the state championship last year, I’m anxious to see what our team can come back and do this year!”

-Senior Pat Wales Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Matt Reed, Evan Skoug, Hunter Van Wagner, Ian Grant, Noah Greenberg, Pat Wales, Adam Formento, Andrew Mack, Connor Simpson, Jeff Barton Juniors: Jimmy Govern, Sean Ferraro, Ryan Jackson, Nick Rossetti, Derek Feiereisel, Mitch Townsend Sophomores: Riley Lees Boys Track and Field Last Season’s Record: 4-2 Expectations for the 2014 season: “As long as we stay healthy and run well, I think we’ll have a pretty solid season.” -Junior Max Roberts Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Lionello Bardina, Tyler Chen, Patrick Humen Griffin Maldonado, Evan Mazurek, Atticus Rush Juniors: Patrick Quinn, Max Roberts, Geoffrey Wilson, Alex Zoellick

Max Roberts

Girls Track and Field Last Season’s Record: 6-1 Expectations for the 2014 season: “My goals for this season are to improve my pole vault height by a foot and for my overall team to do well.”-Sophomore Lily Moore Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Maddie Hansen, Rachel Metcalf, Raissa Spencer Photo courtesy of Lily Moore Juniors: Kristi DelPrato, Ria Sangsomwong, Jasmine Turner Lily Moore Sophomore: Erin Dunleavy, Hannah Manetsch, Lily Moore Sports

February 27, 2014

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Girls Soccer 2013 Record: 11-5-1 Expectations for the 2014 season: “My only goals for the season is to have a really great, tight knit team because if the team works well together, we could get a lot done and go far.” - Senior Ali Urbanski Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Stephanie Bauer, Sydney Mudd, Kathleen Graham, Ali Urbanski, Cecilia Serb, Lauryn Such, Krista Erlandson Juniors: Izzie Griffith, Sabie Ramirez, Emily Boyd Sophomores: Annie Thompson, Ellie Daugerdas

Ali Urbanski

Boys Gymnastics 2013 record: 14-34 Expectations for the 2014 season: “I expect that our gymnastics team will most likely perform better than last year. We’ve had another great year of training and we have the addition of some very skilled gymnasts.” -Sophomore Adrian Metcalf Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Jack Burke, Rob McCormick, Christian Womack, Ben Reichert Juniors: Ryan Flores, Mark Pickar Sophomore: Adrian Metcalf Photo courtesy of Adrian Metcalf Adrian Metcalf

Boys Tennis 2013 record: 11-4 Expectations for the 2014 season: “This year could be the best year ever for Libertyville tennis. We lost a lot of seniors but are gaining a few freshmen that will be key contributors to our team.” -Junior Ben VanDixhorn Varsity Returnees: Senior: Nick Vittore Juniors: Brent Cao, Hao Chen, Michael Gasick, Ben VanDixhorn Sophomores: Scott Daluga, Julian Janczak Ben VanDixhorn

Boys Volleyball 2013 record: 12-25 Expectations for the 2014 season: “The season last year was a tough sort of transition period.

We had a very young team and pulled a lot of kids from different age levels so it unfortunately didn’t work out. Our expectations are high for this year. Volleyball is really dependent of chemistry on the court and the group we have this year has proven that it can win with a balanced team effort time and time again.” -Junior Peter Feely

Peter Feely

Sports

Varsity Returnees: Seniors: Eric Zacher, Alex Mills, Michael Axe, Adam Sachs, Mark Sutter, Ryan Smrz, Tony Saia, Sebastian Yates Juniors: Zac Hauser, Chris Akers, Jake Kumorowicz, Peter Feely

February 27, 2014

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