February 18 Issue

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A Picture worth A Thousand words

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Hannah Boufford, Editor-in-Chief Maddie Werner, Online Editor Gabby Struik, News Editor Tia Petrzilka, Features Editor Jake Luce, Opinion Editor Josh Bragg, Sports Editor Manal Ahmed, Entertainment Editor Kayla Fiore, Photo Editor Becky DeAcetis, Layout Editor Katie Vrba, Social Media Editor Sara Thunga, Copy Editor Jillian Ruff, Community Service Coordinator Kate Vittore, Staff Fun Director Blair Abington Lola Akinlade Brianna Baez Grace Bloom Nathan Campbell Tanner Dorow Alo Garcia-Escobar Max Friedlander Demi Glusic Jenna Grayson Olivia Griffith Abbey Humbert Hannah Hutchins Jack Kosowski Jarrett Malec Mary Kate Mieszala TJ Murbach Sam Nelson Dolores Palmieri Alyssa Stokovich Maria Thames Stephanie Thomas Hadley Van Der Bosch Carly Wegren Emma Williams Emily Yates

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Contact us at doi@lhswildcats.org Michael Gluskin, Faculty Adviser February 18, 2016

the

Rea der s

Letter to

2015-2016 Staff Listing Dear dedicated reader,

It’s quite the difficult task to get people to read this part of the magazine, as this is the forgotten section; the District 13. Many students skip over this section, and, quite honestly, it’s a shame because they miss out on the easy-to-win contest described within this letter.

Thankfully, you seem to be of a different breed … one that’s actually willing to grind through and finish the letter to the readers.

Admittedly, I could probably write about whatever I want to here and it would still go unnoticed. The cure for cancer could be here, or this could just be a bashful letter written towards the administration; who knows? Unfortunately for you, neither of those are written here, but I can assure you that you will be entertained!

With first semester in the rear-view mirror and now that we’re a month into the second, the year is slowly but surely approaching its end. Being a senior myself, I haven’t really felt the effects of senioritis kick in yet, but in May, that may not be the same story. As of the release date of this issue, there will only be a little over three months of high school left for us seniors. Only 13 more late starts. It seems like everyone is in a rush to graduate, but here at the DOI headquarters, we can’t afford to rush because we may make silly mistakes.

To fix any potential errors in the magazine, DOI scans over a large, printed proof copy of the magazine to point out any flaws. The staff fears the horrific wrath of Mr. Gluskin roasting you in the middle of class; this causes DOI members to try their very best. Competition breeds excellence at its finest. If any errors are detected within the magazine, it is written down onto a yellow post-it note and the editors/layout designers go back and make the necessary changes. So if you manage to find any tpyos within the issue, just know that it made it through 40 pairs of eyes and two waves of proof-reading. That little mistake deserved to make it through, it seems.

In addition to learning about the magazine process each issue, make sure you are participating in our contests throughout the year. Each issue, we have a key word or phrase hidden in the magazine. This month’s key phrase is “tribal turtle.” Shhh! Keep it on the DL. Once you have located the phrase, direct message us @lhsdoi on Twitter with the key phrase, article title, and page number as well as our hashtag -- #ThinkInk. Each person who does so by the end of the school day Friday, Feb. 19, will be entered into a contest to win a $10 giftcard to Chipotle.

Thank you for your time. Making it until the end is quite the impressive feat, and you have my undying support in winning the contest above. So venture forward and read about all the student tattoos and teacher couples you desire!

Sincerely,

Josh Bragg Sports Editor

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4 Remembering Willa 5 News classes for 2016-2017 7 What’s Trending 9-11 Cats with Tats 12-13 Classroom Couples 14-15 Life through the Lens 16-17 Behind the scenes of Turnabout 18 Staff Editorial: “A little air, please?”

19 What a Waste 20-21 Inside Intramurals 22-23 Spencer Baumruk: Renaissance Man 24-25 Winter Warm-Ups 26-27 Lacrosse

An obituary for beloved Fine Arts Secretary Willa Innis, who worked at Libertyville High School for 20 years.

Five new courses, in four different departments, will be offered at LHS for the 2016-2017 school year.

Check out all of the current trends that are really a blast from the past.

Students of various ages share their special tattoos and the meaning they have in their lives.

Questions and answers with three teacher couples who work together at LHS.

Junior Paige Ward has a deep passion for photography and it shows through her Instagram account, @redtides.

Student Council works hard to plan a memorable dance for the winter season.

The helicopter parenting style has some advantages, but mostly produces negative effects on students, according to our staff.

LHS may not have the best recycling habits.

Find out why intramural basketball is a popular activity for junior and senior boys.

Junior Spencer Baumruk is a skilled bowler, actor, and academically successful student.

Each winter sport has its pregame rituals that hype up the team for their big game.

Girls and boys lacrosse are not officially recognized by the IHSA, but that doesn’t stop the players from working hard, and that will show in the upcoming season.

Cover photo by Kayla Fiore; design by Kayla Fiore, Alyssa Stokovich & Becky DeAcetis Contents by Maddie Werner Contents

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Remembering Willa

By Gabby Struik

W

ithout many knowing it, one woman at Libertyville High School touched the lives of students and staff with her gentle grace and kindness for the past 20 years. While remaining nameless to most students, she tirelessly helped to put on theater productions as well as coordinate other events in the fine arts department.

Sometimes the gentle souls are the ones who must fight the bravest battles, and for Mrs. Willa Mae Innis, her time with us may have ended, but her endearing, beautiful smile and the impact her actions had on others will always live on.

Fine Arts Secretary Mrs. Innis passed away from cancer at the age of 69 on Friday, Jan. 8, at JourneyCare Hospice, in Barrington.

The estimated 400 people who attended her funeral service on Jan. 16 paid homage to the positivity and compassion that she spread amongst the community.

Innis began working at Libertyville High School around 20 years ago and served as the assistant to the Fine Arts Supervisor Mr. Dustin Helvie in the fine arts department as well as the assistant to district rentals for the past five years. In this position, she spent a lot of time dedicated to coordinating all of the many out-of-school rentals, including Dancenter North, Encore dance, and anything to do with the theater or athletic programs.

When Mr. Helvie began working at LHS in 1999, Innis was there working on requisitions for purchasing and field trips. He worked with her closely for the next 17 years. Innis was a bright light that made his transition into the supervisor position so much easier through her welcoming presence.

“Willa always had a positive outlook on life. You never knew that Willa was having a bad day, you never knew that Willa was sick.

She was very, very inspirational to me because she always was so optimistic about everything,” shared Mr. Helvie. “She was just that breath of fresh air when you were having a bad day yourself; you would come into the office and Willa would be there with a smile on her face.”

Innis was a wife and mother of three daughters and loved spending time with her family. She was also a devoted Christian who took simple pleasure in the moments that she got to spend with others.

Friends of hers can all pay tribute to her ability to make an impact on others through her thoughtfulness and generosity.

“We always celebrate each other’s birthdays with our office; we just have our own mini celebrations here, and I always remember that Willa made a banana split dessert, and, oh my gosh, it tasted so good, and we would exchange gifts and such and Willa was always able to pick out that one gift that was unique and that she knew I

“She was just that breath of fresh air when you were having a bad day yourself; you would come into the office and Willa would be there with a smile on her face.” - Mr. Helvie

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Photo courtesy of Mr. Helvie Mrs. Willa Mae Innis is survived by her husband of 46 years, Patrick, and her three daughters, Kristin Marie (Jacob) Judd, Karen Michelle (Todd) Levandowski, and Kelly Melissa Innis. would enjoy,” shared Mr. Helvie.

A group of Education Support Personnel (which Innis was a part of) recently took time out of their day to discuss the wonderful memories that Innis graced them with during her time at LHS. She was a part of their little family and loved coming to work every day.

“She was a quieter person, yet at the same time she saw humor in a lot of things, like quirky things, and she always presented herself as a lovely lady. You would never think for her to say something off color, and she never did; she was just the sweetest person,” shared the Special Services Department Secretary, Mrs. Christina Kneisel.

Q-Z LST Secretary Mrs. Patty Scherrer worked down the hall from Innis for about eight years and shared a very close friendship with her, seeing her on a daily basis. They had weekly lunch dates on Fridays and vowed to never miss that lunch date despite the weather.

“I think the funniest Willa memory for me was that one time, on one of our lunch dates, we swore a tornado was going to come because branches were flying all over the place, and we were like, ‘Nope, we are still going to lunch.’ We had to get our lunch date in,” stated Mrs. Scherrer.

Innis made a shining impact on Libertyville High School and the staff members whose lives she touched will always have a piece of her in their memories.

“She was just a beautiful person,” shared transcript manager at LHS and friend, Mrs. Michelle Jones. “As much as she was going through, she always cared about what was going on with you, that’s just who she was.”

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New classes for 2016-2017

By Maddie Werner

In addition to the new gym classes that will be offered next year (check out “Yoga Pilates Fitness and Outdoor Adventures Education to be offered next school year” on lhsdoi.com), there are five new classes under the academic and music departments being offered as well. These classes are Philosophy and Film (English Department), AP Human Geography and AP World History (Social Studies Department), Guitar II (Music Department), and AP Computer Science Principles (Mathematics). Let’s take a closer look at what these classes will entail:

AP Computer Science Principles

Guitar II

AP Computer Science Principles is a completely separate course from AP Computer Science and has a completely different curriculum. This class will focus on creativity, problem solving, real-life application, how the internet works, cyber security, and will work on producing apps. AP Computer Science mainly focuses on coding in Java, so the College Board is hoping that the new course will appeal to a broader audience (not just males and majorities). “The AP Program designed AP Computer Science Principles with the goal of creating leaders in computer science fields and attracting and engaging those who are traditionally underrepresented with essential computing tools and multidisciplinary opportunities,” according to the College Board.

Ms. Teresa Elmore, math teacher at LHS, will be teaching this course and she shared that Algebra I is the only prerequisite for this course and it is available to freshmen-seniors. “A student can take AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science independent from another, but the natural progression is Computer Science Honors, AP Computer Science Principles, and then AP Computer Science,” said Elmore. For this AP test, it will consist of multiple choice and submitting artifacts (apps) to the College Board.

Guitar II is a continuation of Guitar I and will be taught by Mr. David Ness. Ness explained that LHS decided to offer this course because of the overwhelming popularity of Guitar I and because Guitar I students expressed an interest for a higher level course: “All of the students that have been in Guitar I have expressed interest in continuing in guitar II,” said Ness. Students do not need to have taken Guitar I to be in Guitar II, but Mr. Ness does recommend it to “help set the foundation of reading standard notation on the guitar and playing with correct guitar technique.” If a student feels they are apt for Guitar II and have not taken Guitar I, they will need to play for Mr. Ness to make sure they have adequate skills for the course. “Guitar II will continue to read more difficult music (two part music and music in different positions on the guitar).

They will learn more complex chords and will cover different styles of music.” If you have any questions about this course, you can contact Mr. Ness at david.ness@d128.org.

Photo from Wikipedia / CC

Philosophy and FIlm Mr. Paul Reiff, English Department Supervisor, and Mr. Craig Schmidt, English teacher, have been discussing implementing a film class at LHS for many years. Film Studies was a class that used to be offered at Libertyville about 20 years ago. Implementing the class again has been brought up periodically, but it didn’t occur to teachers until this year that the class would be better if it was a Film AND Philosophy class. This idea gained traction and the Philosophy and Film course was born. This class will show six movies that discuss or interpret a philosophy being studied by the class. For example, the class would discuss a life philosophy such as metaphysics and then watch a movie to further that understanding and better apply it. The films and philosophies will be dependent on one another and will help the students fully understand the content, according to Reiff and Schmidt. This class will be a semester class offered to juniors and seniors and will be designed so that the students question everything, according to Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Reiff stated he wants the students to ask themselves “‘how do we know this is real or how can we trust this?’” when watching the films.

AP Human Geography and AP World History Mr. Shawn McCusker, Social Studies Department Supervisor, shared that LHS decided to offer these courses because so many students take honors level courses, and excel in them, so offering these classes at the AP level is the natural next challenge. At LHS, many students are taking AP classes all throughout high school, so these are a good way to prepare for future classes. AP Human Geography was most logically offered because LHS has always had a strong geography program and it only made sense to extend the course, he said. Both classes are intended to be freshmen and sophomore classes, but can be offered to other grade levels depending on availability. Many students taking World History Honors took the AP test, but there was no course to support it, and teachers ended up putting in effort to help these kids succeed on the test. Mr. McCusker stated that a student must be independent if they want to take these courses. Mr. Matt Wahl will be teaching AP Human Geography and Mr. Matt Thompson will be teaching AP World History. These courses will have a heavy curriculum and will be designed to prepare students for the AP Exam.

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Photo from Wikimedia Commons / CC

CHECK OUT THE WEB #ThinkInk LHSDOI.COM “A Look into Libertyville”

By Maria Thames, Staff Writer

“Follow the Leader”

By Abbey Humbert, Staff Writer

Photo by Maria Thames

“Request for field hockey team most likely denied”

By Emily Yates, Staff Writer

“The Theories Awaken”

By Alejandro Garcia Escobar, Staff Writer

Photo from YouTube

Humans of Libertyville http://humansoflibertyville.blogspot.com/

Photo by Lola Akinlade

Joe Recker, sophomore, who has volunteered at the Shedd Aquarium Feature

“When I was in fourth grade, I got an aquarium for my birthday. I was always fascinated with sea life before, and I had always wanted an aquarium. After the gift I was hooked. I read all of the books on fish that I could find in the library and I became just fascinated with saltwater fish. In middle school I bought my first saltwater aquarium.

I really enjoyed it because saltwater aquariums are so difficult, I was able to learn how to solve many complex problems and keep bright and colorful saltwater fish. I now have just upgraded to a very large reef aquarium and I actually grow my own coral. I am scuba certified and love to dive in the ocean to see these animals first hand. I am also a volunteer at the Shedd Aquarium where I have been able to have a variety of neat experiences like feeding sharks. I have also been able to meet experts in things that I am extremely interested in. It is just such an awesome and interesting thing for me and I love learning more about fish!”

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What’s Trending

By Carly Wegren

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All photos courtesy of Pinterest Feature

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Huntington Learning Center 1832 E. Belvidere Rd. Grayslake, IL 60030

Drops of Ink

CAtS WItH TAts

By Grace Bloom Photos by Maria Thames / Layout by Hannah Boufford

Grant Widmark Wesley Klepac

Kaeli Martel

Rudy Pagud Tara Schneider

Emma Barina

Jacqui Widmark Kaeli Martel Emma Barina

Michael Beck

There is a handful of students who have tattoos at LHS. These tattoos can have specific meanings and varying values to each person. Here are some students’ thoughts and stories on their tattoos.

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Rudy Pagud

Rudy Pagud (senior) has a family tattoo that has been passed down through generations. His tattoo symbolizes pride and has tribal markings that originate with his family.

Pagud’s father and friend went with him to get the tattoo; he said that the pain is just as bad as you would expect it to be.

Michael Beck

Michael Beck (senior) got a tattoo in remembrance of his brother who passed away. He had always admired his brother’s tattoos and when he was 16, he talked to his mom, and they ultimately went together to get a tattoo in honor of him. Beck went all the way to St. Louis to get the tattoo because minors can get tattoos there with a signature of a parent.

Beck believes people should get a tattoo that means something to them, not one that just seems “cool” now. He also gives this advice in regard to picking a design: “Whatever you want to get, get it drawn out, or get a picture of it. Put it somewhere you’re going to look every day, put it as the screen on your phone, put it on your mirror or wherever you get ready in the morning. Look at it everyday, because you are going to look at it everyday.”

TarA Schneider Tara Schneider (senior) takes a different approach to the meaning of tattoos.

When she turned 18, she went by herself and got something that she admired.

“I just really wanted a tattoo and I thought this looked cool, it doesn’t really have some elaborate meaning but that’s fine,” Schneider explained.

Schneider said that because she got her tattoo on her ribcage, that made it hurt pretty bad; when the needle hit her rib was most painful, she said.

Photo courtesy of Tara Schneider

Kaeli Martel

Kaeli Martel (senior) believes that the tattoo you get should truly have meaning to you. Martel has two tattoos that both have a family meaning behind them. Martel, along with her mother and sister, have infinity tattoos each a different style.

For her second tattoo, she had the words “I love you to the moon and back” in her mother and sister’s handwriting, and she went to get the tattoo with several of her family members.

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Emma Barina Emma Barina (senior) has two tattoos that represent her family and the bond they share.

She decided to get her first tattoo (three hearts representing her sister, mother, and father) with her cousin, and for the second tattoo, her family was present because they all got matching tattoos (a triangle design with eat family member’s initial inside the design).

Barina believes that tattoos need to be thought through and that tattoos should have value.

Wesley Klepac Wesley Klepac (junior) has a tattoo of a cross on his chest. He wrestled with what he wanted for about a year and six months; before he got the tattoo, he started looking at draw-ups and other specifics of the tattoo.

Klepac’s advice to people who want tattoos at a young age would be to “make sure you know exactly what you want to get because it’s going to be on your body for the rest of your life. It may fade, but it’s never gonna go away. [You need to] look through a thousand fonts, a thousand possibilities of designs, a thousand possibilities of shading.”

Klepac said that the pain was definitely bearable, and that the area affected gets numb during the tattooing.

He went to get the tattoo with his mom and jokingly added “on the record or off the record, I don’t care: I was squeezing my mom’s hand through the whole thing, yeah I was.”

Grant & Jacqui Widmark Grant and Jacqui Widmark (seniors) have matching tattoos to represent their sibling relationship. They both have the Chinese symbol for twin. Jacqui suggested that when getting a tattoo at a young age, get it somewhere that can be easily hidden, so it is not out in the open for everybody to see.

Jacqui’s tattoo has the symbol for twin inside of a tribal turtle, this represents her grandparents and childhood memories of loving and watching turtles. Both Widmarks said that the tattoos hurt, although the pain was tolerable.

Photos courtesy of Grant Widmark Feature

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CLASSROOM COUPLES

By Emily Yates

Photos by Stephanie Thomas

Layout by Becky DeAcetis

Most co-workers are mere acquaintances and some are close friends, but here at Libertyville High School, quite a few of the staff members are actually married.

Pairings across nearly every department have emerged and flourished, making for fun realizations among students and staff alike. ‘Tis the month of love and romance, and there’s no better time to take a closer look at a few of the many noteworthy teacher couples.

THE GOORISES

Do you have any funny stories about working together?

How did you two meet?

Mr. Gooris: People confuse us with other couples especially with Mr. Loika and Mrs. Loika because at times people thought that-

Mrs. Gooris: Well, at school we knew who each other were and then we got together with some friends outside of school, so that’s how we got to know each other a little bit better.

Mrs. Gooris: Mrs. Loika and him were engaged!

How often do you see each other throughout the day?

Mrs. Gooris: Like all the time! This has been going on since both of us started dating forever ago! So it’s pretty funny; we find that part entertaining.

Mr. Gooris: They get the pairing confused! They think Mrs. Gooris is with Mr. Loika, and Mrs. Loika is with me, or when they had their baby, someone congratulated me.

Mr. Gooris: Sometimes our students who have us in common, her for math and me for P.E., will communicate messages to us like “your wife said this” or “your husband said that.”

Mr. Gooris: This entire year we’ve had the same lunch so we get to eat lunch together, which is nice. Other times, if we don’t have a common period, I might just drop in sometimes. There’s sometimes days where we don’t see each other at all.

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Mrs. Gooris: “Can you tell your husband we want to play games today?” Like, yeah, I’ll work on that. One time, one kid was like, “I talked about hexagons in P.E., are you proud of me?”

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THE BROWNS How did you two meet?

Dr. Brown: Mrs. Brown and I both work on the fall musical. The year that we did “Cats” was the fall of 2007, our theater director, Mr. Frawley, had a motorcycle accident, so the bulk of the work fell on our shoulders to teach the music and the choreography while he was recovering. We were working very closely together, more than we had in the past. That experience sort of led to us; we started dating after “Cats” was over, and things progressed from there.

THE WIGGINSES

What’s the best part about working with your spouse?

Mrs. Brown: I don’t think there’s anybody that understands what I go through as a teacher and the passion behind all of the art that we get to do as him. He inspires me in everything that I do, and it’s great having the same vacation schedule and the same days off.

How did you two meet?

Mrs. Wiggins: Mr. Wiggins and I met here at Libertyville High School.

We were both hired here in the fall of 2004 with a lot of other teachers that are still here today, and we became really good friends for a long time, and after a while we started dating.

Do you have any funny stories about working together?

Mrs. Brown: It’s really funny when students think that I can sing andDr. Brown: That I can dance, which is not the caseMrs. Brown: And when I try to sing or when you try to dance, they laugh at us because they realize that we really can’t.

How often do you see each other throughout the day?

Dr. Brown: When the [students] see me try to dance, they’ll say “Oh no you have to stop. That does not look good.” So that is a common misconception. They also think that when we go home, Mrs. Brown teaches [our family] yoga in our living room when in fact we’re not; we’re usually just watching “The Bachelor.”

Mr. Wiggins: When Mrs. Wiggins was teaching English, her classroom was Room 206 which is at the very end of the main corridor upstairs well-off the “beaten path.” My classroom, on the other hand, is at the absolute opposite end of that main second floor corridor in Room 221.

As a result, during those years, we never saw each other at LHS unless it was in the copy room. Ever since Mrs. Wiggins began working in the library, however, I am more able to stop-in to see her because the library is more centrally located in relation to my room.

Do you have any funny stories about working together?

Mrs. Wiggins: One thing that students usually find entertaining is that on our very first date, we went to Borders, the bookstore that has now closed down, and we graded papers together. He read his geography papers, and I read my English papers, and then we had dinner after that.

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life through the lens

By Lola Akinlade

Layout by Becky DeAcetis

Photos courtesy of Paige Ward Junior Paige Ward discovers unique places to capture photos.

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A page on paige

W

hile many art works may take years to create, within fractions of a second Paige Ward is able to encapsulate a beautiful moment in time.

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ning to get recognition around the world. Her photographs have been featured four times on “waitingontheworld,” an Instagram photography features account, which has more than half a million followers, and also on “beachfilm,” another photography features account, which has more than 200,000 followers.

“It’s really gratifying to be featured on accounts like those because it’s recognition, and it’s people that are commenting and liking like 10,000, [to] 12,000 times, and I’m like ‘this is nuts.’ I don’t try to have a huge following on Instagram because it’s not a goal of mine to create photos for Instagram, but it’s still really cool to get that recognition,” Ward stated.

Originality is one of the hardest barriers that artists have to overcome. This is growing increasingly more difficult as photography becomes one of the more popular forms of art.

Ward describes this as the hardest challenge she faces.

“The challenge I hit the most is originality because there are so many photographers, and, especially with our new digital world, a lot of people are taking photos. A lot of people are switching to that medium because it translates more than I guess you could say than painting and drawing at this point in time. So, a lot of people are doing it because it’s there and it’s

“

A good photographer,

first and foremost, understands composition and how to organize an image in a way that makes best use of design to communicate his or her statement, decisive moment or not.

“

E

ver since the sixth grade, Ward has been taking pictures, but like all others, her skill took time to develop.

“I got my first camera when I was probably in sixth grade, and it was this little tiny thing, and I just took it to the zoo, the thing that normal kids do, and then I got a real one when I was in eighth grade as a present for my graduation.

So, that’s when I really started to pick up with it, and I was terrible at first. Then, it took off from there,” Ward, a junior, explained.

There are several factors that go into becoming a good photographer. Ms. Allison Molloy, Ward’s AP photo teacher at LHS, described the key attributes of being a good photographer.

These include being open to circumstances, being observant of the world, using light properly, and making a statement that might connect or offend people.

“A good photographer, first and foremost, understands composition and how to organize an image in a way that makes best use of design to communicate his or her statement, decisive moment or not,” Molloy explained.

Like all types of art, photography is subjective, and it can be difficult to decipher what specifically makes someone a good artist.

However, Ward possesses certain aptitudes that make her a talented photographer.

“Paige approaches her photo shoots with a vision, yet she’s open to what may happen during the shoot with her models,” Molloy stated.

“She connects with her models, which is not a trait everyone has as a photographer. She also understands how important lighting, color and tone is in creating dynamic and aesthetically pleasing images,” Molloy explained.

For any LHS student who spends time aimlessly scrolling through Instagram, it’s hard to miss a photo of their peers captured in time on Ward’s photography account, “redtides.”

“I used to follow photography accounts for inspiration when I was just starting out and eventually made my own,” explained Ward.

Ward’s enchanting photographs are begin-

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accessible, and so you have to find what you do so your photos are recognizable to other people and they’re your photos, your ideas, and your creativity in a picture,” Ward said.

Although not as difficult as combating originality, another struggle for Ward is finding a model that fits her vision.

“I do struggle to find models because I have a specific look for my photos, so for example, like maybe a photo I want to take I want someone that has red hair and a lot freckles. It’s because of an aesthetics thing and background thing or something else, and I usually pull from my friends because doing that with strangers is a lot harder to manage. So, that’s definitely a problem for me sometimes, and accessibility is a huge issue because people in high school are busy,” she said.

Becca Smrz is a junior who is a friend and model of Ward’s. She described a typical day in one of Ward’s photoshoot.

“Basically I’ll just go over to her house, and we’ll get ready. I’ll probably fix my makeup up and change, and we’ll go outside and go where she wants to go, and she’ll get her camera ready and take a few pictures to make sure the settings are good. Then we’ll shoot, and it ranges from 15 minutes to an hour depending on if we find other cool places to go. Like, Lake Forest we’ll go [to], and it will take about an hour,” Smrz stated.

In addition to being a talented photographer, Ward is also a known for being a pleasant person to be around, according to her friends and teachers. Smrz describes her as an “awesome,” “outgoing” and “funny” person.

Ms. Molloy describes her as “forthright and blunt, but in the best way. She speaks her mind and takes constructive criticism, using it to her advantage. She has high standards for her photography, yet she also doesn’t take herself too seriously. I think this guarded yet playful approach to life makes her approachable and open to new people, especially models in front of her camera.”

Drops of Ink

All About Turnabout

By Gabby Struik Photos by Sam Nelson Layout by Olivia Griffith

This Saturday, Libertyville High School students will be blasted out of this world for the annual Turnabout dance. The entire production includes festivities that not only occur on the day of the dance, but also the week prior to it. Yet, as our school is decorated from top to bottom with each class’s theme, you may wonder, ‘Who actually puts the magic together?’ Let’s take a journey behind the scenes to give credit to the wizards who make all of your Turnabout wishes come true.

The Student Council Executive Board is responsible for the behind the scenes of planning dances and events, such as this upcoming “Out of This World” turnabout.

Members of the Student Council Executive Board meet to discuss the upcoming Turnabout dance during their third period Student Council class.

The discussion of Turnabout actually begins around two weeks after Homecoming because there is so much that is included in the package of the dance. The decision process for the overall theme of the dance begins during all-council meetings (which include the Executive Board along with the boards from each grade) every other Wednesday after first semester starts.

According to the Student Council Executive Board, eventually Student Council has an all-council meeting where boards from each grade level design a Powerpoint with possible themes and in the end, the entire council is handed slips of paper and votes on the one that they want.

Three years ago, this process was actually different, in that the entire student body was allowed to vote in the process, but it was changed to make the decision making easier. This year’s theme, “Out of this World,” was chosen over other themes, which included “Alice in Wonderland” and travel.

Once the theme is chosen, the Student Council Executive

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Board begins to work on planning the assembly, Wake-up Wildcat videos regarding the dance, spirit days, and school decorations. The group is assisted by Student Activities Director Mrs. Jennifer Uliks and Student Council Advisors Mrs. Andrea Lara, Ms. Amanda Wine, and Mrs. Margaret Nicholson.

This group of advisers plans meetings with a huge amount of assistance from the Building and Grounds staff at school. Buildings and Grounds helps to set up the decorations in the gym for the actual dance.

“For the dance itself, we also have to figure out what kind of staging we want, along with deciding what DJ and lights would work best,” shared senior Student Council Co-head of Broadcasting Alyssa Seefeldt.

The StuCo group also has to plan out spirit days and make sure that they go along with the overall theme. This year, they tried to bring back spirit days that had already been requested for

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Decision process for theme begins

Discussion of TB begins

Exec Board begins planning assembly

Student Council theme presentation meeting

homecoming, including a pajama day, which they converted into a “Goodnight Moon Day” to go with the “Out of this World” theme.

Though the Student Council Exec Board helps to organize most parts of the dance, the entire Student Council body took part in DIY Day on Feb. 11, where they decorated the halls for Turnabout.

“Beforehand with the meetings that we do with the entire StuCo events, the council plans what kind of decorations we want to do out in the hallways,” shared junior Executive Board member Daniel Oh. “So on DIY day, everyone comes in and helps decorate to make sure everything is nice and space-themed.”

The class shirts that go along with the theme of the dance were designed by Seefeldt and printed by Mrs. Kim Reimers from her LHS spirit wear store, Customized Garb.

When planning the assembly, the Student Council Board has to take a lot into consideration. The group writes a script that is separated by the minute but also makes sure to leave some room for mistakes in case a video or walk-in for the Select 16 takes longer than it should.

“In planning the assembly, everything is super, super close-cut, down to the minute. Basically we can’t get out after the bell

Wake up Wildcat videos regarding dance and spirit days begin

rings, so we have to fit everything in before 2:50,” shared senior Student Body President Cam Chen.

The Executive Board also worked to promote the dance through their weekly Wake-up Wildcats videos and the live feed that announced the Select 16 on Feb. 1. Junior Kien Tran and Seefeldt are mainly responsible for writing the scripts of the videos. They also receive a lot of help in filming from TV/Audio Technician Mr. Daniel Treptow, the advisor for Wildcat Productions.

The ballots for voting for the Select 16 were created by one of the Exec Board Advisors, Mrs. Nicholson and emailed out to students through a Google form.

“We do a dinner with the Select 16 in the art gallery the Friday before Turnabout,” shared Student Activities Director Mrs. Jennifer Uliks. “The Select 16 also go to the grade schools and serve as mystery readers during the week before the dance.”

Student Council also partners with Men’s Warehouse for the dance and receives complimentary tux rentals for the Select 16.

This serves as a showcase for possible tux options for prom.

Last year Student Council said around 1,000 students attended Turnabout. The group hopes to bring in an even higher attendance this year.

Planet-inspired decorations are hung up in the front foyer in preperation for the “Out of this World” themed turnabout.

Student Council members work together to decorate the lights near the cafeteria.

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Assembly and then Turnabout!

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“A little air, please?”

Staff Editorial

Cartoon by Alex Pagura Whether it be tracking one’s whereabouts, monitoring food intake, or checking texts, parents staying involved in the lives of their kids is becoming easier and easier. It’s easy to see how parents could be tempted to participate in what the Drops of Ink staff believes to be an overprotective interest in their child: helicopter parenting.

As far as the intentions of parents when it comes to why they have such a large presence in their child’s life, DOI resolved that many parents’ intentions for their kids are good, wanting the best for their kids. Although DOI believes that the overinvolvement stems from love, many staff members think that the overinvolvement could hinder kids. This is especially true if the parent is forcing their kids to do things they did as a kid or wished they did without taking the child’s wants into consideration. If the kid can never decide what he or she wants to do, how will they be able to find what they really enjoy?

Many DOI members also stated that when parents get too involved in their kid’s life, it can put an unneeded amount of pressure on the child, eventually leading to burning the child out by the time they get to the end of high school - both socially and emotionally. If a child who has a helicopter parent receives a 50 percent on a pop quiz in math that was only worth two points and they know it won’t make a huge impact on their grade, they may obsess over it, worried about what their parents will think.

Conversely, some staff members also noted that parents who are always on top of everything their kids do could lead to positive

effects in the future like teaching kids to always stay on top of their own work, staying proactive so they could be ready for their parents. But DOI believes, one way or another, children should take their own initiative.

But how can kids take initiative when they aren’t given much responsibility? And how much responsibility is too much vs. not enough. Our staff concluded that the amount of responsibility for things like going out on their own and keeping track of their own grades should be given to kids gradually.

Furthermore, the presence of parents should not be one extreme or another; there shouldn’t be a lack of parental guidance or the other extreme of helicopter parenting. This would also let kids learn on their own, which many members on staff believed to be more meaningful. By gradually giving kids more and more responsibility, students will still receive guidance from their parents, but they will also learn to be independent on their own, a skill that the DOI staff finds very important especially by the time they get to college.

Deciding how much and how fast to turn over that responsibility differs on a case-by-case basis. We believe that students who continually prove themselves to be capable of gaining new responsibilities should be rewarded with new freedoms.

Overall, DOI concluded that the presence of parents in their child’s life should not be one extreme or another; an authoritative view on parenting is the best, allowing for kids’ mistakes and aiding in the learning process that follows mistakes.

Note: As this piece is a staff editorial, it is representative of the opinions of the Drops of Ink staff as a whole. The staff is comprised of LHS students from each grade level and spans a wide range of opinions from two class periods, with 40 students total. The author(s) of this piece did not place their personal opinions in the story; they merely reflected the staff’s thoughts.

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What a Waste

By Tia Petrzilka

Photo by Tia Petrzilka While LHS has recycling throughout the school, it is often times misused or not utilzed whatsoever.

It’s peak hour in the cafeteria: students scrambling for their seats, the food lines filled with hungry teenagers on the prowl.

After they scarf down all their goodies and the bell sounds to end the period, they scramble to their classes; they filter out, throwing their trash in the cans strategically placed around the perimeter of the cafeteria for smooth access.

Everything goes in: you throw your french fry box in completely empty, your greased pizza plate, and toss your Vitamin Water bottle daintily into the garbage can.

Now, what’s so terrible about cleaning up after yourself? That’s what you’re supposed to do, right? So, what’s missing? An efficient recycling system.

Over my three years so far at LHS, I’ve noticed that recycling could be improved in a major way. On a daily basis, I witness students and teachers alike throwing their materials in the improper bin or choosing not to recycle even though the bin is right next to the trash can. Is this because they’re in a rush, because they’re uninformed, or because people simply do not care about the issue?

Another question is whose job is it to monitor the bins? To put things simply, it’s not necessarily a teacher’s responsibility; it’s everyone’s.

Breaking the habit of not recycling is what matters -- the more people who choose to utilize the recycling we already have at LHS, the better.

But what about the cafeteria, our prime space with the most traffic of recyclable materials, almost all of which end up in the dark abyss of trash cans? Only a few hidden tiny bins that most don’t know are even there.

According to English teacher and LEAF advisor Mr. Dave Lapish, LHS used to have legitimate recycling in the cafeteria but students failed to utilize the bins correctly.

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“When I first started working here -- maybe a few years after that -- we did have recycling in the cafeteria. They [had] the same problem that we have in all the classroom recycling bins, in that people who put the wrong thing in there and actually in the cafeteria they would even put a higher percentage of non-recyclables in with the recyclables and it became such a hassle from what I understand from brief conversations I had with maintenance guys, that they just couldn’t handle sorting out all of the right stuff from the wrong stuff,” he explained. “At some point they just realized they couldn’t do it anymore.”

Despite the fact that some people will choose not to recycle even if a better system was established, whether out of carelessness or out of habit, improvement of a situation, even in the smallest numbers is progress.

According to the Columbia Water Center, at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York, “More than 80 percent of recyclable plastic bottles end up in landfills each year.” These bottles release toxic chemicals and cannot break down naturally.

Breaking a habit is hard and requires repetitive actions to change. If someone never recycles at their own household or does not have a recycling system in their neighborhood, they probably don’t think too much of it at school.

While money is necessary to provide labor and grand-scale recycling bins, all of the bottles we waste every day within our own walls should be enough of a reason to spend the money.

Next time when you walk past the recycling bins in your LST, your chemistry class or wherever it may be, read the signs that tell you exactly what goes in what bin, and take the extra second to place your bottle, can, paper, box, or whatever it may be in the proper place. It’s not rocket science, it’s recycling.

Drops of Ink

It Goes Down in the IM

by Josh Bragg

Photo by Josh Bragg The athletes in the intamural basketball league are all about the W. Libertyville High School is a school of many traditions. From the senior water balloon fight to the Homecoming and Turnabout walkouts, the ‘Ville is known for its unique customs. But starting at 6 p.m. in the main gym on chilly winter nights, you can hear the sound of hard-working athletes battling like gladiators in a coliseum. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world of intramural basketball.

There’s nothing quite like going home after school and getting your swag ready. Headband, shooting sleeves, leggings, and flashy kicks … all features of only the greatest ball players. If you wore this nonsense out in public, people would certainly give you a funny look, and even Russell Westbrook would be skeptical.

The players have worked long and hard for this moment; most players haven’t touched a basketball in months, but rest assured: this an intentional, effective strategy.

The players might show up late on a day-to-day basis, but as Coach Schinto would say, “I’m just glad you’re here.” Or they don’t show up at all … and your team is either forced to forfeit or play with a man down. The four-man team is at quite the disadvantage, but win and it would be the greatest upset since David downed Goliath.

As is the case with any professional sport these days, there has been quite a bit controversy in the 2016 season. The gameplay really stretches the limits of the word “basketball” sometimes. Occasionally, you might confuse the event with a wrestling match.

The last two minutes of the game are the biggest hack-fest since Snowden’s WikiLeaks scandal. Choosing referees that are already

Opinion

on rosters within the league couldn’t possibly lead to any issues, could it?

The crowd during intramurals is truly one of a kind. The Jungle really lives up to its name; the fan base consists of rival teams waiting for their chance and the occasional coach, dressed in his classy suit & tie and clipboard at hand, who has no knowledge of basketball whatsoever.

You know it’s telling when the room is more lit than the crowd is. Nonetheless, the fans give the players energy. The energy the players need to compete at a high level and prepare for the biggest stage: the Turnabout assembly. Or now, rather, the crowd prepares the players to sit in the stands just like everyone else on that Friday afternoon.

Although some people decided it would be a good idea to remove LHS’s greatest tradition from the Turnabout assembly, intramural basketball will not be forgotten. It was thoughtful, however, for the LHS administration to look out for their trusted teachers; you wouldn’t want the intramural champs to embarrass the staff in front of the whole school, would you? The sprinkler system might go off and ruin the whole spectacle after it starts raining threes. Now, the championship trophy is simply the glory of getting triple-digit likes on your squad’s celebratory Instagram post.

As of when this is written and when this issue is released, the regular season will be complete. Tonight, a champion will be named. After the victors receive their prize, they will be the next names added to a long list of champions on the walls and in the halls of LHS.

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INSIDE INTRAMURALS Interviews by Max Friedlander

Layout by Josh Bragg

The intramural basketball season is a highly competitive scene full of exceptional athletes. These athletes have trained and competed tirelessly for months, and one team will soon be named the 2016 Champion, one of LHS’s greatest honors. At the beginning of the season, I decided to sit down oneon-one with a few of Libertyville’s finest ballers in order to get a quick glimpse inside their head.

What are your thoughts on the season so far?

“Right now, I’m pretty sure my team is gonna win the championship.”

- Jack Bloom, Thunder “I think my team is looking very solid. We put the smackdown on Kevin Reilly’s team. Let the record show that it was 39-13. I’m confident in our team.” - Devin Seth, 76ers “I’m confident in our team if we can get everyone to show up.”

- Kevin Reilly, Nuggets “We thought it was going to be tough, but it’s been kinda easy. The Spurs, we ball out; we’ve got a lot of chemistry on the team.” - Ryan Gibbs, Spurs

Is there anything you want to say to your competition?

“I think that teams should look out for us because we’re not afraid to throw ‘bows and play a little rough.” - Kevin Reilly, Nuggets “The Cavs were talking smack in the locker room, but they’re going to get the smackdown, especially ‘cause none of them can dribble or shoot the ball; it’s all tall guys. And then the Thunder have some ex-scrubs from our team last year … there’s some beef there.”

- Devin Seth, 76ers “We beat the Lakers by one after they started holding the ball with five minutes left.

They deserve to lose.” - Brant Kym, Bobcats “Honestly, every team compared to us kinda stinks. I mean, competition is good, but we’re just at a different level. I want to call out Garrett Feiereisel. I’m gonna take it down the paint and throw it down over him; he has no chance.” - Jack Bloom, Thunder

What would winning a championship mean to you?

“It would mean the world to go out on top in the intramurals, it would be the greatest feeling on Earth. I’d be able to say ‘I’m going to Disney World.’”

- Matt Friello, Nuggets “It means more to me than a [soccer] state championship, man. I want to get a ring.” - Brant Kym, Bobcats [pauses in deep, contemplative thought] “I mean, senior year, winning the championship, that’d just be… that’d be the best thing. To be able to go out at the end of the year and say that I was a champion? Not that many people can say that. It proves that I’m an elite player out here in the intramural league.” - Jack Bloom, Thunder “It would be great just to end senior year with a ring, an intramural ring. Rock my jersey around school. Go to college and show off my ring to all my roommates.”

- Sam Kim, Supersonics

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Earlier this season, Baumruk bowled a career-best 279 in one game.

Bowling photos courtesy of VIP

Photos courtesy of Spencer Baumruk Baumruk performs in ‘Starlight Express.’

Baumruk played ‘Hip Hopper 2’ in the fall musical.

Spencer Baumruk: Renaissance Man

By Jake Luce

Spencer Baumruk. Maybe you recognize his name from Briant Kelly’s emails about the LHS athletes of the week. Perhaps you’ve seen him in one of Libertyville’s theatrical performances. Or you may share a certain honors or AP class with him.

Between his bowling connoisseurship, his theatrical talent, and his academic excellence, Baumruk, an LHS junior, is someone we should all be acquainted with.

Bowling Prodigy

Baumruk’s bowling career began at the young age of 4. According to Baumruk, his father had been a bowler since high school, so it was one of the first sports that both Spencer and his brother, Jack, played during their childhood.

“We tried basketball, soccer, baseball, gymnastics, but bowling was the one we stuck with the most -- probably because it was the least physical,” he joked.

This season was Baumruk’s best one yet. Both he and teammate Jason Giza made it to the sectional meet after helping their team finish in sixth place at regionals. Unfortunately, neither of the two bowlers made it past the sectional meet, but Baumruk still thought of it as a great experience.

“Sectionals was probably my most fond bowling memory,” Baumruk stated. “We had a hotel room, and we got to ride down in the Driver’s Ed van

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Layout by Blair Abington Drops of Ink

with the coaches and Jason. I still had a great time even though I performed poorly.”

In addition to the accomplishment of making it to the sectional meet, Baumruk also rolled his highest score ever during the season. He rolled a 279 in the third game of a meet at Stevenson, needing only one more strike for a perfect game of 300.

“My rival is on that team; he’s a guy who I really wanted to beat,” stated Baumruk. “I was actually pretty nervous so I was throwing the ball poorly, but I got lucky a lot.”

In addition to being a talented bowler, Baumruk is dedicated and coachable as well. Libertyville head bowling coach, Mr. Robert Sweno, is complimentary of Baumruk’s work ethic.

“He is a student of the game and is always looking to learn, improve, and grow,” Mr. Sweno remarked. “At practice, he puts a solid effort forward no matter what the activity, drill, or contest may be.”

As for next year, Baumruk hopes to carry his team all the way to state.

“Jason Giza and I gave sectionals our all, but unfortunately the momentum didn’t carry. We’re really looking forward to going to state next year and showing what the Wildcats can do.”

Baumruk on Broadway

In addition to his love of bowling, Baumruk also has a passion for theatre. After his first performance as one of the lead roles in the eighth grade play at Oak Grove School, Baumruk enjoyed it thoroughly. In the summer following the eighth grade play, Baumruk performed in a play for Encore Theatre, and he was hooked.

During his first semester at LHS, Baumruk auditioned and made it onto the cast of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Even though he was just a freshman who was not very familiar with theatrical performances, LHS theatre instructor, Mr. Christopher Thomas, was very complimentary of his performance.

“Spencer created an iconic representation of the Rabbi in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ that we wanted to bring it back for ‘Spamalot,’” Mr. Thomas noted.

“It became such a humorous and fun memory for all of us involved on the cast.”

Baumruk’s favorite performance was the recent LHS production of “Starlight Express.” He especially enjoyed that the entire play was performed on roller skates.

“It was a great experience not only to act and dance and sing, but to also roller skate,” Baumruk stated.

Baumruk does not just love theatre for the performances; he has formed a great group of friends with others involved in theatre.

“When I auditioned and made it onto ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ I found the coolest group of people,” Baumruk explained. His most fond memory of theatre came from a tradition called “Guys Girls Night,” a night in which the male and female students involved with the school play have prank wars involving water guns, shaving cream, and more.

“The cops actually showed up at one point and thought we had assault rifles so they told us to put our hands up. One of us had to explain to them what was going on,” Baumruk said.

“Spencer is a kid you would want on any cast,” Mr. Thomas stated “He is talented, reflective, and actor who makes good decisions. He knows how to use his skills on stage both vocally and physically. All around he’s a great guy, a leader among his peers, enjoyable, and very unique.”

Academic Excellence

Another aspect of Baumruk’s life that sets him apart from the crowd is his academic excellence. All throughout elementary and middle school, Baumruk was regarded as being one of the most intelligent students in the Class of 2017. Many Oak Grove teachers would actually come to Baum-

reflective, and actor “ Hewhois talented, makes good decisions. He

knows how to use his skills on stage both vocally and physically.

All around he’s a great guy, a leader among his peers, enjoyable, and very unique.

-Mr. Thomas, LHS theatre instructor

”

ruk when they were having technical difficulties or needed help with a computer function.

This year, Baumruk is enrolled in three AP classes and one honors class. He is taking AP Physics, AP Language, AP U.S. History, and precalculus honors, in addition to taking choir and Dance III. And although he has a difficult schedule, Spencer is enjoying the challenge.

“I’ve been doing well in pretty much all of my classes, and I almost got straight A’s last semester,” Baumruk explained. “The classwork is challenging but not too challenging.”

Baumruk has yet to decide where he will attend college, but he has a few options in mind.

“I’ve been looking at Vanderbilt in Nashville. Nashville has a really cool vibe so that’s probably my first choice,” Baumruk stated. “I’ve also been looking at the University of Dayton in Ohio. It seems like a really nice, small college town, and [CRC counselor] Ms. Belstra thinks I can get a lot of money if I go there.”

Along with his difficult academic schedule, Baumruk finds time to run a website design business out of his home. According to Baumruk, he has been interested in coding since the third grade, and he recently got the opportunity to utilize his talent.

“This summer, my neighbor invited me to do some computer work at his accounting firm. I then realized that I could use my skills to make some extra money, and I’ve been designing websites for small businesses ever since,” Baumruk explained. “It gets stressful, especially during the musical season, but it’s really rewarding to use my skills in the real world.”

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Drops of Ink

Winter Warm-ups

By Dolores Palmieri

If there is one thing everyone is trying to do during the winter season, it is warming up. Whether it is by rubbing your hands together, wrapping yourself up in a fuzzy blanket or drinking hot chocolate, everyone warms up in their own way. The same goes for winter sports. Each team does something different before they beginning their games, matches and competitions.

Allison Nelson-Cheer “Right before we compete, we form a circle, where we cross our fingers and hold hands. Then Kenzie [Cook] says all our goals for the week and what we want to do well. Then we all shout out words of encouragement and we ‘spin to win.’ Then we go in the middle and all put our hands in and Hannah Boufford (also on Drops of Ink) does the ‘What team? Wildcats!’ cheer from ‘High School Musical.’”

Photo by Alyssa Stokovich Cheerleaders from the 2015-2016 season gather arm-in-arm on the football field at Northern Illinois University.

Jabari Quigley-Boys Basketball “Before our basketball games, what we like to do as a team is to turn on some rap music and hype music, and we kinda start dancing and messing around in the locker room. Even though it kind of seems like it would be distracting, it kind of gives us an energy to start out the game right.”

Photo by Tanner Dorow Players from the 2015-2016 season put their hands in the middle before the starting lineups are announced.

Erin Dunleavy-Girls Basketball

“We usually get there early to shoot around in the field house for about 45 minutes. After shoot around, we go back and watch the JV team play for a bit before we go to the locker room. In the locker room, Coach Pedersen has written down the starting line up and what we should focus on during the game. But, before he comes in there is usually a bit of screaming and dancing. Then after the line up is called, we all yell ‘D-up’ as a team joke, but it gets us pumped up.”

Photo by Tanner Dorow Players from the 2015-2016 season get hyped before their game against Grant.

Nina Reiter-Poms

“Before a competition, we all get in a circle and put our hands on each other’s backs, and we put our right leg [in] and point our right foot. The captains say what we need to focus on for the team, and once we are done giving words of encouragement, we do the “What team?, Wildcats!” cheer.

After that, we all grab hands and count, 5, 6, 7, 8, and then we all drop. [The cheer] started two years ago, and the team has always done the circle up with the captains talking.”

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Photo courtesty of Kelsey Schweiger Dancers from the 2015-2016 season gather in the field house for a practice for their annual UDA summer camp.

Drops of Ink

Amy Flanagan-Gymnastics “Before the meets, we all huddle in a circle, and then the coaches give us a pep talk and give us all high fives. Then, the seniors make a mini circle in the middle, and they start the cheer by screaming the first part of it. Then the rest of the team joins in and all does the cheer.”

“The cheer was originated when our coach (Mrs. Owens) was a gymnast and it has been going

Photo courtesy of Amy Flanagan ever since.”

Gymnasts from the 2014-2015 season gather in their traditional huddle surrounding the seniors.

Jack Glenn-Hockey

“We get there about an hour before, and we usually stretch as a team along with calisthenics.

Then we all get dressed in the locker room as a team. We all listen to [a song], and someone does a dance to it. That started last year, someone just played that song and everyone danced to it.”

Photo courtesy of Brandon Peter Players from the 2015-2016 season gather outside in Glencoe before their outdoor game earlier in the season.

Jordan Mitchell-Boys Swimming and Diving

“Before every swim meet we will do a team cheer, and it consists of something called breakdowns. It is really cool, and it gets everyone hyped and really loud. On weekends when we have a meet, we will go out to breakfast before the actual swim meet.”

Photo courtesy of Michael Cunningham Varsity swimmers and staff from the 2015-2016 season pose for a team picture by the LHS pool.

Brian Vickers-Wrestling

“Since we all do not go at the same time, we warm up together before any matches start. And at home meets, after walk outs, we do a little team meeting, pump-up talk.”

“After the matches, we have a team meeting with our coach and talk about what went right and what went wrong, and what we can do better.”

Photo by Alyssa Stokovich Varsity wrestlers from the 2015-2016 season huddle on the mat before matches begin on Alumni Night.

Jason Giza-Boys Bowling

“As a team we gather and huddle around the coaches and one our teammates, Nathan Campbell [also on Drops of Ink], gives a speech and a word of the day. Then we say “wildcats on three” and start the meet.”

Photo courtesy of Suzanne Baumruk Varsity bowlers from the 2015-2016 season gather around head coach Robert Sweno before a meet.

Taylor Sloan-Girls Bowling “Before our matches, we do warmups, and then after that we have practice. Once that is done, we do a big team cheer, and we always have one person do a motivational speech. We have always done the warmups before the matches, but the motivation thing is something that started this year.”

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Photo courtesy of Lindsey Siegel Members of the 2015-2016 girls bowling tcccceam pose for a picture before a match at Lakeside Lanes in Mundelein.

Drops of Ink

LACROSSE

Story by Mary Kate Mieszala Layout by Katie Vrba Photos by Nathan Campbell The sport of lacrosse is rising in popularity, and Libertyville’s girls and boys teams will start their season in March.

BOYS

Coming off an early playoff defeat last year, the boys varsity lacrosse team is looking to rekindle their talent and prove themselves as a championship contender this year.

“I don’t think any of us were satisfied with the results last year,” head coach Brady Sullivan expressed.

Libertyville finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 13-7, falling in the second round of the playoffs.

This year, the team will travel to Kentucky and Indiana over spring break to play some pre-season games before they launch into conference play. Once April comes around, Libertyville will meet up with anticipated competition in the North Suburban Conference.

“Grayslake North is in our conference and they were a talented young team last year, so I expect them to be tough,” Coach Sullivan exclaimed.

Lake Forest is also expected to be a top-notch competitor, who has always battled alongside Libertyville for the conference championship. Due to the large size of the North Suburban Conference, which consists of the normal schools plus Grayslake North and Central, the team only plays six non-conference games a year.

“We have our traditional rivals that we play every year, so we actually only have a couple games that change each season,” Coach Sullivan commented.

Several seniors graduated last year, but according to Coach Sullivan, it is not going to be a rebuilding year. “A lot of our top contributors are back. So while we graduated a lot of seniors, our leading scorer, Noah Moderwell, goalie, Walker Hare, and one of our top defenders, Brandon Boulger, are back. Plus, our whole second line of midfielders are back, and they were playing really well at the end of last year.

The girls varsity “We graduated a lot, but we are returning a lot of talented players. JV players will fill up lacrosse team is ready the varsity roster and see the field,” he said. to continue their success Three players are currently committed to play lacrosse at the collegiate level. Hare has into the 2016 season. committed to Rochester Institute of Technology; Boulger will be attending Milwaukee Overall, head coach Andra School of Engineering; and Kyle Smith will be attending Southern Virginia University.

Dalton was pleased with how last year Moderwell, who has division one options, is still undecided on whether he is going went: “We had a successful season last to take up his athletic opportunities or focus solely on academics. “It’s just going year. We had a relatively young team and I to be what’s the best fit for him academically and if he can make lacrosse work. look forward to seeing what they accomplish That’s always our goal,” Coach Sullivan stated. this season.”

The players have been very busy in preparation for tryouts and the season.

Libertyville will bounce right into their sea“Our offseason work ethic and commitment is what makes Libertyville son with hopes of making their mark in the North lacrosse different than most team sports. From the time our spring season Suburban Conference this year. Dalton is anticipating at LHS ends, we transition directly into playing in summer tournathe games against Stevenson and Warren to be highly ments for the Libertyville Warriors,” junior Noah Giles stated. competitive.

Open gyms are held twice a week, and several athletes have been “I look forward to the veteran leadership that is returning at cross training through different sports in the fall and winter. the varsity level this year. Maddie Burns and Liz Stevens were Giles expressed that the players train individually on co-captains last year and critical to our success, as well as Maggie strength, speed, and stick skills throughout the fall, then Piazzi. We also had several other players who added to our success beare put on a regular lifting regimen in the winter while cause of their versatility and willingness to play anywhere on the field,” Coach keeping their focus on becoming the best versions of Dalton stated. themselves by the start of the season.

In preparation for the season, several players participated in the Libertyville With the season rapidly approaching, the Warriors club lacrosse team. Dalton expressed that there has been a strong turnout of lacrosse team is ready to prove itself as a players at the weekly open gyms at LHS. legitimate state championship contender.

The new turf field at Brainerd will be a major asset in the practice schedule for the girls “Our goal is always to win our last lacrosse team. “We hope to be over there as much as possible,” Dalton shared. “It will be game. That’s always the goal,” Coach an additional space that we can use when Butterfield isn’t usable. I think the athletes are Sullivan said. excited to be there, too.”

The varsity boys opening home The spring is on its way and the Libertyville varsity lacrosse team will be pursuing their goal to game will be Thursday, March “make it further in the playoffs than the previous year,” Dalton stated.

17, at 4:45 p.m against The girls’ first matchup will be on March 15 at Glenbrook North.

St. Charles North at the “We’re really excited for this upcoming season, and I think this is going to be a good year for us. We stadium. lost a lot of seniors last year, but our program has grown so much in the last year, that there’s no doubt that we will have the depth necessary to bounce back,” Stevens stated.

GIRLS

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The boys and girls lacrosse teams have been working hard throughout the offseason by holding open gyms and workouts so they can get ready for the upcoming seasons.

Top left photo by Kris Kucera

ON THE RISE Lacrosse is considered an emerging sport through the Illinois High School Association. Its classification as “emerging” has to do with the number of schools that participate in the sport. There are currently 80 schools that offer boys lacrosse and 55 schools that offer girls lacrosse in the state.

There is a policy set forth by the IHSA Board of Directors to be considered a sport for the IHSA. This policy states that “The Board will entertain proposals to add a new state series when ten percent of the member schools engage in regularly scheduled competition in the sport or activity.” As of now, lacrosse does not meet this standard.

“Currently, the number of schools in Illinois that participate in lacrosse is below the 10 percent threshold. There are some schools in Illinois that only have lacrosse as a true club sport, so that is one of the reasons that the number of schools stays lower,” athletic director Briant Kelly stated.

Despite the sport not meeting the requirements, the IHSA Board may consider adding lacrosse as a sport, Mr. Kelly commented. Dalton expressed that “it would be beneficial if more schools had a girls lacrosse team. If more teams are added, then [it] can become an IHSA sport.”

As a result of its emerging status, the sport requires higher dues to the LHS athletic department, where the players pay $260 to play lacrosse, which is about $200 more than other high school sports, like soccer and football.

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We are your friendly neighbor!

Just a minute or two away for a quick lunch or relaxing snack after school or the game.

From LHS go East on Park Avenue, turn right on Milwaukee Avenue and very soon you will see our street side sign featuring the daily special.

You can even order ahead by phone or online.

Show your current Student ID Card Decide if you’d rather have a Regular Menu 15% Discount or Free Fries with a Sandwich Purchase.

Regular and catering menus at www.fodraks.com 327 South Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville 847-816-8111