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JANUARY 26, 2017 VOLUME 90, ISSUE 4

In Memory of........................................11-14 Clubs that Care.................................18-19 Proud to be wildcats..................22

Manal Ahmed, Editor-in-Chief Becky DeAcetis, Editor-in-Chief Lola Akinlade, Online Editor Demi Glusic, Online Editor Hannah Hutchins, Features Editor Alo Garcia Escobar, Opinion Editor Jack Kosowski, Sports Editor Maria Thames, Photo Editor Olivia Griffith, Layout Editor Brianna Baez Rachel Benner Maggie Burnetti Anna DeNoia Rachel Dudley Luke Ekdahl Allie Goldman Jenna Grayson Abbey Humbert Ben Kanches Breezy Listman Kevin Loumeau Molly Magill Elizabeth Manley Colleen Mullins TJ Murbach Samantha Nelson Kyle Patterson Tia Petrzilka Matthew Price Georgia Sampson Kelly Shinnick Matthew Smith Brandon Simberg Maya Trott Paige Ward Maddie Wasser Savanna Winiecki

Hey, readers! Welcome to our first issue of 2017: The Stand Together Issue.

To put it quite bluntly, last semester we experienced five deaths in our community. In response to this, with this issue, we, the Drops of Ink staff, want to emphasize the different ways LHS stands together.

It may be unclear to you as to how we go about reporting on death and why we cover it the way we do, so I’m here to shed a bit of light on that process for you.

When the deaths of Josh Church, Fatima Durrani, Madelynn McInerney, Zachary Neir and Maryjo Robbins occurred, Drops of Ink immediately began reporting. With the immense impact that these deaths had on our community, we wanted to make sure that we gave our full attention to the stories we wrote on these individuals. As always, informing our audience is our first goal. With a topic as sensitive as death, it can be difficult for us to remember we are trying to provide news to our readers--not our emotions or bias. As journalists, it is our job to work on delivering facts and to do so accurately. Our work is based on unbiased reporting, and death is no exception to that.

Our staff wrote five news stories, one for each person who passed away, three of which you can find in this magazine. As Josh Church did not attend LHS and Maryjo Robins was a retired staff member, their stories will only be found on the DOI website.

Just as we did with our last issue, we have started a new trend of having a different focus to each magazine, and there are “focus stories,” as we call them, that encompass the overall theme. The focus stories of this issue highlight the history of the Stand Together movement, clubs that give back at LHS, how sports teams come together and in our staff editorial, how, as a staff, we are proud to be Wildcats.

I know these past couple of months have been difficult, even if you weren’t directly impacted by a death. Please know that I, along with the entire DOI staff, stand with you.

We create content for you, and want to remind you that, with this issue, all of LHS stands together.

Happy Second Semester! I hope you make it count.

Sincerely,

Michael Gluskin, Faculty Adviser

Maria Thames Photo Editor

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Contact us at doi@lhswildcats.org January 26, 2017

the

Rea der s

Letter to

2016-2017 Staff Listing

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16-17

It’s the Wildcat Way

20-21 Sports Standing

18-19 Clubs that Care

Photo by Maria Thames

Together

Photo Courtesy of Tiffany Owens

Photo Courtesy of Dona Geraty-Wallen

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Butterfield Road development still up in the air

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A new housing development may bring possible changes to enrollment and traffic, directly affecting Libertyville High School students.

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8-9 Tri to Keep Up

LHS Gives out Annual Good Citizenship Award

While some students are in the process of learning their second language, there are students at LHS who are already trilingual.

Jenna El Ghatit and Chris Haidvogel were the 2016 recipients of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution Good Citizens awards, respectively.

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16-17 It’s the Wildcat Way* An overview on the history of the Stand Together shirts and movement, and how it has changed to be what it is today.

Tributes to past LHS students

Two current students and one graduate passed away in November: Fatima Durrani, Maddy McInerney, and Zachary Neir.

18-19 Clubs that Care* Various clubs at Libertyville that volunteer and give back to the community all year round.

Opinion 22

Sports

Proud to be Wildcats*

There are many ways that students express their pride to be a Wildcat; see the reasons why the DOI staff thinks we should be proud.

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What’s Trending & What’s Happening

See what’s trending for LHS students returning from winter break, as well as various volunteer opportunities in Lake County.

20-21 Sports Standing Together* With the recent deaths in the Libertyville community, see how sports teams have come together and found hope from each other.

Politcal Cartoons

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Designed by Kyle Patterson, these graphics reflect on the Affordable Care Act and disputes between Democrats and Republicans.

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* = Focus Story Cover design by Becky DeAcetis and Olivia Griffith Table of Contents by Maggie Burnetti Contents

Wildcat Stats

With winter sports well underway, see how both teams and individuals are doing.

All-Stars

Senior twins Claire and Kelly Keefe have been inseparable since they were little and will continue their journey together in college.

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Butterfield Road development still up in the air

By Tia Petrzilka

Photos by Savanna Winiecki Land along Butterfield Road, previously owned by the archdiocese of Chicago is being cleared for the largest proposed property Libertyville has seen in years.

Over the past year, Libertyville has seen a lot of potential changes for the future in terms of housing. A particular proposal from Roanoke Group, which calls for 148 single-family homes on 40 acres of land, is the largest proposed development Libertyville has seen in years, according to the Daily Herald, and it involves property owned by the archdiocese of Chicago, along Butterfield Road.

On Monday, Jan. 9, hundreds of community members sat in for the second hearing on the development of the Butterfield Road property, at the Libertyville Civic Center.

This hearing was a continuation of one from September and was initially to be resumed back in December but was postponed again to January.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the hearing “was continued ... so developers could further research roadway connections onto Butterfield Road and possible impacts on school enrollment.”

The two main concerns from the public about the property in regards to the hearing were school enrollment and traffic changes.

At the meeting, Libertyville resident Phil Brown presented a slideshow titled “Preserve Libertyville For the Future,” which emphasized these issues among others. In particular, Brown referenced statements found in Libertyville’s Village Comprehensive Plan, which was last revised in 2005: “[any] new development respects that which already exists” and “preserves natural features.”

The majority of community members in attendance expressed displeasure with the development of the property, with concerns about traffic, school enrollment, safety and overall appearance.

In addition to those concerns, last year, the Village Board of Trustees issued a permit to the developer for the removal of around 2,500 trees, according to the Daily Herald, which were primarily from an old tree nursery. The trees themselves were inspected by certified arborists and were deemed unsafe due to their poor condition, according to senior planner Mr. David Smith of Libertyville’s Planning Division.

During the meeting, it was noted that the development of the property could affect enrollment at both District 70 and District 128 schools. The Roanoke Group had Kane, McKenna and Associates, a Chicago law firm, conduct a fiscal analysis report on the impact of this development in reference to both districts and the village in general.

The projected enrollment from the development for both Districts 70 and 128 since March of last year dropped to 142, by 2023.

The firm used by the village, Speer Financial, Inc., reviewed the numbers contained in the updated report “to provide an opinion as to

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the fairness and reasonableness of the numbers and conclusions” and determined that “the fiscal impact is reasonable as presented and the numbers and assumptions were fairly presented.”

The school districts, as well as the village, are projected to receive millions in tax dollars from this development.

District 128 Director of Communications, Mrs. Mary Todoric, explained the district’s view on the situation: “The [Community High School District 128] Board [of Education] has been kept apprised on the proposed development and will most likely remain neutral with regards to this development and any development proposed for D128,” she stated in an email interview.

The developer is currently asking for five zoning actions, including an amendment to the Village of the Libertyville Zoning Map, to rezone the lot for residential use rather than institutional.

In addition, implementing a traffic signal for vehicle access to the property will continue to be a challenge, according to Smith.

The next public hearing will be on Monday, Feb. 27, and will give the developer an opportunity to address the review comments from the committee’s report, as well as public concerns.

At that hearing, the Plan Commission, which Smith is a part of, can recommend approval, denial, approval with conditions or continuation into another hearing. However, the Plan Commission is a recommending body and the final decision rests in the hands of the Village Board, which is comprised of six elected officials and the mayor.

“If the comprehensive plans are approved, the village board must approve the final plot and the final plan,” said Smith. “If the village denies it there, then it is dead.”

Photo from of Google Earth/photo illustration by Savanna Winiecki The red outlined area is an aerial view of the 40-acre property. According to the Daily Herald, 2,500 trees were estimated to be torn down on the site. The majoirty of the trees removed were from an old nursery.

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LHS Gives Out Annual Good Citizen Award

By Maya Trott

Photo by Matt Smith Christopher Haidvogel and Jenna El Ghatit won the citizenship award for their constant willingness to help people, such as by picking up papers that fall in the hallway.

Seniors Jenna El Ghatit and Christopher Haidvogel received the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Good Citizen Awards, respectively, during the third week of September.

According to the DAR website, the DAR Good Citizen Award is given to one senior girl “who possess the qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities.”

Even though both of the organizations are fairly similar, the awards have slightly different criteria. Mrs. Jennifer Lund, a College Resource Center Secretary, annually sends out an email to the LHS staff outlining the awards. In this email, the SAR Good Citizen Award was described as an award that focuses on patriotism, outstanding citizenship qualities, and respect for the United States and its symbols.

In addition to the slightly different criteria, the awards themselves both offer something a little different. The SAR Good Citizen Award offers the recipient a pin and a certificate, but does not allow any further advancement.

On the other hand, the DAR Good Citizen Award allows recipients to move up in the ranks and potentially earn state and national acknowledgements. If the recipient wishes to continue with the process, they need to fill out an application.

Mrs. Lund described the application process as “kind of in depth. You have to write an essay, a timed essay that you don’t know the prompt [for] in advance.”

The selection for the DAR and SAR awards is quite different than other awards; it has been described as a “behind-the-scenes” award since it is

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voted on by staff, which includes every adult who works at the school, not just the teachers.

Although El Ghatit ended up leaving early the day they were notified that they had received the awards because she was feeling sick, she recalls receiving the award made her feel “a little less sick after.”

Both El Ghatit and Haidvogel were very happy to receive these awards, although for different reasons. Haidvogel has family who is part of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW).

“It meant a little bit to me that I was getting recognized by an organization that really takes care of veterans,” Haidvogel expressed.

El Ghatit had different reasons for being happy about receiving the recognition. “I’d say it was pretty special, it made me realize that my work at LHS has been recognized, and that when I try to be a good person and when I try to help my classmates and stuff teachers notice that, so it is a good feeling knowing that your character is being noticed,” said El Ghatit.

Mrs. Lund said that she really likes this method of selection because any adult who has “had a wonderful interaction with a student or [has] respected something the student has done here [is] able to recognize them.”

The selection process for this award starts early in the school year when Mrs. Lund receives information on the award for that year from the chapter’s local representatives. From there, she will send out an email to all staff that gives the guidelines and a list of seniors. The staff is given about a week to vote for one senior girl and one senior boy before the two are called down to the CRC to be notified that they received it.

LHS has been giving these awards since 2006. Both El Ghatit and

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peaking foreign languages can open a

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world of possibilities. For some, it

be a challenge for some people, knowing more

allows them to travel and connect to

than two is daunting.

people; for others, it’s simply a cool thing that

According to ilanguages.org, only 13 percent

someone will show off at school. However,

of the world can speak at least three languages,

speaking foreign languages for most students is

yet a few Libertyville High School students

limited to a singular class period, if that. While

have found their way into this small percentile.

SABRINA KITE While most bilingual or trilingual students speak other languages because of their family, others seek the opportunities by themselves.

Libertyville offers a wide range of language classes and some students, like senior Sabrina Kite, have used these classes to master new languages. Kite learned Spanish and German because of her interests in the world and different languages.

Although Kite said she is only fluent in English, Kite is in the highest level of Spanish and was in the highest level of German at the school.

“I’ve taken Spanish since middle school, and

then I’ve always been interested in traveling to Germany and traveling abroad in general,” Kite said. “So I thought that learning more languages would help me do that.”

Kite hopes to continue to foster this love of languages by taking more language classes in college. She plans on taking more German and Spanish courses, and possibly others if her schedule allows it.

“I’m looking [to go into] international business,” Kite mentioned. “So I wouldn’t major in any language, but I think it would definitely help me in college and in my career.”

VIVIEN ZARETSKY For some students, knowing a language besides English comes with their heritage. This applies to senior Vivien Zaretsky, who has been speaking Russian since she was born.

“My parents would always speak [Russian] in the house around me,” Zaretsky said. “And my grandmother, she doesn’t speak any English, even to this day. So I speak with her in Russian in the house all the time.”

At the age of 6, Zaretsky learned English, although it was difficult for her. “For me, the hardest [language to learn] was English. But I caught on pretty fast because I was much younger. The other ones were easy,” Zaretsky remarked.

Once she was fluent in two languages, she moved on to her third: Spanish. She started learning the language in fifth grade in school.

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“I started learning in elementary school, and I just really liked learning another language because I thought it was super cool,” Zaretsky commented. “I’ve always just loved it.”

Zaretsky noted that there were many similarities between Spanish and Russian, making it easier for her to pick up Spanish.

Zaretsky recognizes that knowing more than two languages gives her an advantage in more ways than just speaking with people who know Spanish or Russian.

“I feel that learning another language helps you connect to another culture, another way of thinking,” Zaretsky said. “If you learn another language, you understand another type of person.”

In the future, she hopes to continue studying languages and improving her vernacular by taking classes in college.

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ANNIKA MCDERMOTT-HINMAN Speaking other languages can be vital when it comes to living in another country, which was the case for senior Annika McDermott-Hinman.

When she was 3 years old, her mother started speaking German to her younger sister, which McDermott-Hinman picked up immediately.

This came in handy when she was in third grade while her family spent a year in Germany. Since then, Annika has been speaking German with her family and is fluent.

However, McDermott-Hinman began speaking French by taking classes through the school. She went on the French exchange, and said she “was able to understand what people were saying and communicating to me.” She currently is in the Advanced Placement French V class.

“French was obviously harder [to learn] because it was in class, but I do think it was easier to learn because I already had another language to base it off of,” said McDermott-Hinman. “In terms of structure, there’s some similar structures

[in German] that don’t exist in English so it was easier to [understand] the French [structure].”

McDermott-Hinman is grateful for the languages she has been taught because it allows her to relate to people she wouldn’t normally connect with.

“It helps you kind of understand different perspectives. I’ve seen studies that say people who are bilingual [or trilingual] are better at understanding or empathizing with other people because it’s easier to understand people with a different point of view,” she remarked.

In the future, McDermott-Hinman plans to continue using her linguistic talents by potentially living in Germany or communicating with those in different countries in a science-based field.

“In a lot of the sciences, there is obviously a [big] international community,” McDermott-Hinman explained. “So, it’d be really useful to speak with people from other countries and communicate.”

MELISSA MOUBAYED Most students learn languages through family, traveling or classes. Sophomore Melissa Moubayed combined all of these.

Moubayed started learning three languages as soon as she was born. From her mother, she learned Armenian, which she speaks to her and her sister, and from Moubayed’s father, she learned French. Moubayed noted that when they are all together as a family, they strictly speak English.

“My grandma knew [Armenian], so she taught my mom,” Moubayed said. “My dad doesn’t speak Armenian, he just speaks French and English because he grew up in Quebec.”

After learning French, Armenian and English, in that order, the three languages stuck for Moubayed.

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Although Moubayed was born in Armenia, she is a Canadian citizen. Her family has moved between Canada and the United States, and she hopes to return to Quebec after college. She continues to study French at Libertyville, but said “French class [is] pretty easy.” She studies in order to “have some French around every year” and continually keep up with French.

Moubayed’s favorite language to speak is Armenian because not as many people are fluent in it. It is more of a rarity to meet people who speak Armenian, whereas Moubayed feels French is more common. She appreciates communicating with people who also speak Armenian, even though the occurrence is rare. Moubayed hopes to teach her future children Armenian, French and English as well.

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By Rachel Benner & Georgia Sampson Photos By Sam Nelson Layout By Kevin Loumeau

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in memory of Two months ago, over the span of three days, Libertyville High School lost three of its students, two current and one former. Parts of their stories are told in the pages to come.

The losses of Fatima Durrani, Madelynn McInerney, and Zachary Neir have been felt throughout the school and community. Here, we remember their lives and we stand together through the hardships.

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Layout by Becky DeAcetis Photos courtesy of Visual Image Photography Drops of Ink

Fatima Durrani

By Rachel Benner

When she was younger, Fatima Durrani went down to her village in Pakistan to purchase notebooks, stationery and a chalkboard. Eight to 12 school kids would later gather around to learn different subjects taught by Fatima and would be rewarded with little gifts if they got good grades. She went back every summer for four years.

When Fatima was 11 years old, her family moved here from Pakistan.

She began the seventh grade at Oak Grove Elementary School.

At the end of May, Fatima, a sophomore, started to get ill. In July, she was diagnosed with Pemphigus vulgaris, a rare autoimmune disease that causes blistering of the skin. “She suffered four months with unbearable pain and high doses of medication,” Mrs. Samina Durrani, Fatima’s mother, explained over email. “Even in her illness, she maintained a smile and positive attitude. I never heard her complain about her illness or anything in her life; she was always thankful.”

After missing school at the beginning of the year, Fatima began to feel better and returned in October. In early November, however, she started to get sick again and was eventually hospitalized on Nov. 23. She was later moved to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where she died from liver failure on Nov. 26.

Fatima, 15, was cherished by many in the LHS community as well as her family and friends. Although she was known to be very shy by her friends and teachers, she impacted those who met her through her kindness and compassion.

“I think the one thing I will always remember about Fatima is her gentleness; a person who was super gentle with people. She had a kind heart and a kind spirit about her towards other people,” Mrs. Mary Kate Schoenbeck, her former English teacher, remarked sentimentally.

Fatima was always very focused on family. Her younger sister Aleema, who is 3 years old, was a very important part of her life, her mom said. “[Fatima] happily took on the responsibility of caring for Aleema: from changing her diapers to buying her clothes and organizing her birthdays.

Fatima was looking forward to arranging a big birthday party last year for Aleema, who turned 3 on Dec. 20. Aleema is still confused and misses her sister. She says, ‘Fatima open the sky,’ so that she can see and play with her,” Mrs. Durrani expressed.

Mr. Ryan Ebling, Fatima’s English teacher this year, added, “She would always talk about her sister. As long as I knew Fatima, almost any chance she got to talk about her sister, she did.”

Fatima was diligent and valued her education. Her favorite subject was science, and she hoped to become a dentist one day, her mother said.

Fatima worked hard to perform well and put in lots of effort to everything she accomplished.

This was evident when Fatima was named a Student of the Month for December by the A-F LST. Although she had been out of school in the beginning of the year, it didn’t stop her from pursuing her studies.

“Upon her return to school this fall, Fatima displayed maturity, grace, unprecedented perseverance and dedication. Her hard work, conscientiousness, positive attitude, and determination shined through every single day she conquered the transition back to class,” Mrs. Meagan Silverberg, dean of students for the A-F LST, wrote in her nomination.

“Her resilience and positivity is truly an inspiration to us all.”

Her teachers and friends repeatedly mentioned the sweetness Fatima displayed through her daily life to everyone she interacted with. Mrs. Schoenbeck reflected on this, saying, “She cared about people. She cared

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about her family, she cared about her friends. She cared about her education, and I think she just cared about being a good person and living life with those values in mind.”

Multiple friends recalled how trustworthy Fatima was.

“I went to her for just someone to talk to last year because I could trust her with anything I told her and I knew she wouldn’t tell anyone else,” Maddie Tankel, a sophomore, said over a text interview. “She was my ‘safe person’ that I would pour my heart out to.”

Mrs. Durrani remains filled with pride for Fatima: “I am proud of having her in my life for 15 years. Those were the best years of my life.

She wasn’t only my daughter, but also my best friend. The top things I will remember about Fatima [were] her positive attitude, her love for her baby sister, and her mature attitude [that kept] the whole family happily intact. But I want to keep her name alive and let the whole school know how a short-lived Fatima positively fought her illness and peacefully lived her life spreading happiness, kindness, and love.”

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Madelynn McInerney

By Hannah Hutchins

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light,” Helen Keller once said. Madelynn McInerney, known to her friends as Maddy, who was a junior at Libertyville High School, repeated this in a speech she gave in October regarding the positive attitude she had maintained after being diagnosed with cancer.

This attitude lightened the spirit of many of her friends, even throughout her illness.

“She was the light in every room and constantly making jokes and filling the room with laughter. She was such a beautiful soul and was a beautiful person inside and out,” said Grace Walsh, a junior at LHS and a friend of Maddy’s.

Maddy died on Friday, Nov. 25 after her two-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer that causes tumors in the brain. She was 17 years old and a junior at LHS. Sophie Pearson, another friend of Maddy’s and a junior at LHS, also mentioned the effects Maddy had on the people around her.

“One of the most unique things about her was her ability to make an impact on everyone she met and above everything, she had the biggest heart.”

Maddy’s “big heart” translated in many aspects of her life, not just her ability to meet people. Prior to her diagnosis, at the ages of both 13 and 14, Maddy shaved her head for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer.

After she was diagnosed, Maddy, as well as her family, friends, and fellow community members, participated in two walks for awareness. The first one, which took place in May 2015, was held by “Voices Against Brain Cancer” and participants walked with “Team Maddy.” The second walk, held in October 2016, was through the organization “BrainUp” and this time, “Maddy’s Voice” was the designated team name. “‘Maddy’s Voice,’ that’s what it’s all about; you could hear her voice over everyone, and it was surely the loudest in the room,” Walsh said of the team name.

Both walks were held to bring awareness and raise money to find better treatments for brain cancer. Collectively, Maddy was able to raise more than $20,000, not including the money individual participants on her team raised. At her first walk, Maddy won a Courage Award due to the optimistic attitude she had regarding her diagnosis.

“Throughout her whole journey, Maddy just showed so much courage.

She was obviously afraid, but she didn’t show it, and she was so strong.

I think she is a great role model for everyone to see just how brave you can be,” said Kaitlin Sartin, a close friend of Maddy’s and a junior at LHS, over the phone.

Maddy was very active throughout the school and community, another reason her death affected so many. Through the school, Maddy was involved with cheerleading, bowling, Best Buddies, and choir. The Bel Canto choir, of which Maddy was formerly a part of, even sang at her funeral, along with other students in the choir program.

Mrs. Leigh Anne McInerney, Maddy’s mom, mentioned how much her daughter would have loved it: “Maddy loved the choir; it’s not so much she liked to sing, I mean, she didn’t have a bad voice, she just loved people. For her, [choir] was a class where you not only sang and got credit for it, but you could be a part of a group. That’s all she really wanted.”

Because of Maddy’s involvement, as well as her general attitude and personality, her passing has been felt by many. Mrs. McInerney and Pearson both agree that Maddy’s death should -- and will -- have a

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lasting impact.

“What can be learned from her passing is how having a great attitude towards life and such positive and optimistic views about things can make very tough situations more manageable. Her strength gave me and others the strength to do great things,” Pearson said.

Mrs. McInerney hoped that the way her daughter lived her life would show others something about kindness: “I think the one good thing that could come out of this would be if people are more kind to one another and good to one another, no matter who you are or who your friends are.

She had a lot of different friends, different groups in different places. She got along with everybody. And I think that’s what she would want for everybody else: for everyone to be happy.”

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Zachary Neir

By Matthew Smith

When a person passes away, people remember them for many different reasons. It could be for their personality, their hobbies or their effect on the people they met. Zachary Neir will be remembered by many as a kind friend, someone who was accepting to everyone and everything.

On Friday, Nov. 25, Class of 2016 graduate Zach Neir, who attended the College of Lake County, died at his home due to complications with duchenne muscular dystrophy. He was 19 years old.

Neir began his time at LHS being right alongside LHS special services worker Kathleen Geryol, who was the main person in charge of accompanying Neir to all his classes. When he was a freshman, he was a little afraid of being in the halls: “I’d say to him, one of these days he’s gonna be the mayor of these halls,” said Ms. Geryol.

During his time at Libertyville, Neir enjoyed many aspects about the school, one of those being graphics class; he took four graphic classes. “[Zach] and Mr. (Jeremy) Gerlach (graphics teacher) had a good relationship, and it was just a fun environment,” said LHS special services worker Mr. Kevin Gorell, who accompanied Zach to the class. “Like every other kid taking the class, he enjoyed taking something home that he made.”

At CLC, Neir was taking a graphic design class, one of his favorite things to do, while also going through a transition program through LHS. The program was helping him transition from high school into college.

Neir often enjoyed spending time with the teachers of a class more than the subject itself. “[Zach] loved the teachers that were funny, the teachers that made him laugh,” explained Ms. Geryol. “He knew they were going to make him laugh. They were fun to be around and not real strict.”

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness; it is one of nine types of muscular dystrophy.

According to his brother, sophomore Ethan Neir, Zachary began to have trouble walking in sixth grade and was placed in a wheelchair while he was in eighth grade. Then, in the 2015-2016 school year, he began to have breathing and heart issues.

“He made us thankful for the little things in life, as little as walking,” expressed Ethan in an interview over text message.

LHS special services worker Alice Leafblad, who worked with Neir his junior and senior years, added, “He sometimes wouldn’t be able to write for a certain amount of time, like his muscles would get weak and not be able to feed himself.” .

Outside of school, Neir enjoyed playing videos games: “If a game was coming out the next day, he would get it, and I know he’d go home and play the entire weekend,” said Mr. Gorell. “His graphics projects were stuff from different games: ‘Halo,’ ‘Destiny,’ stuff like that.”

Ethan shared a passion for video games with his brother; Ethan recalled his favorite memory with his brother was when they played “Halo 3” all day to try and beat the game for the second time. Their goal was to try and unlock the secret level of the game.

Ethan bonded with his brother due to their love of video games: “I wish he was here to play ‘Mass Effect Andromeda’ (Zachary’s favorite game) with me,” expressed Ethan.

Overall, Neir was an easy going, fun-loving kid: “He was everyone’s good friend, he had no enemies,” explained Ms. Geryol.

Neir always wanted to do the right thing, and above all, he wanted to follow the rules: “He didn’t know if he could chew gum, coming from eighth grade,” expressed Ms. Geryol, laughing. “The fact that he always did the right thing always inspired me.”

Ms. Leafblad said that her favorite part about working with Neir was

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that “he wasn’t an easy kid to get laughing, so every time I got him to get laughing, it was a personal victory of mine.”

Neir was ready to talk to anyone and was open to anyone. He was a normal teenager; he enjoyed not receiving homework, and he enjoyed “teasing me about the kind of music I liked, and we can go on recording saying that I love the Beatles, and he used to tease me about the Beatles,” explained Ms. Geryol.

Above all, Neir just wanted to have fun and enjoy life. “I loved his smile, I loved his humor,” expressed Ms. Geryol. “I loved the conversations we had.”

Neir had a really good relationship with everyone he worked with: “[Zach] was caring. He’d ask about what we had going on. I mean being there with him, we’d know what was going on with him and he knew a little bit about what was going on with us,” said Mr. Gorell.

Ms. Geryol said if she had one word to describe him, it would be “amazing.”

Ms. Leafblad, through tears, mournfully added: “He had a pretty deep impact on me as a teacher, and how I view kids with this disability, and I’m happy that I had my time with him and I’ll never ever forget him.”

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Drops of Ink

Although the new year brings new changes, some things stay the same. We would like to focus on one of those constants, namely, Libertyville High School’s unfailing truth: Stand Together. What started as a campaign of solidarity has become an intrinsic part of the character of Libertyville High School. It’s showcased in the variety of clubs LHS offers that are designed to give back to the community. It’s emphasized in the way sports teams come together to support their teammates in times of need. It’s made abundantly clear in students’ appreciation for their school and its commitment of leaving no one behind. The word “solidarity” signifies unity or mutual support within a group. And there’s no better way to describe the spirit of Libertyville High School.

Here is how we Stand Together.

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Drops of Ink

By Anna DeNoia & Rachel Dudley

Layout by Manal Ahmed

Photos by Maria Thames

It’s tHE WILDCAT WAY

A

s iconic as the wildcat itself, there is one thing that unites all LHS students, and staff as not just a community, but a family.

STAND In the fall of 2014, the football team was looking for a way to help a teammate who was struggling financially. The teammate remained anonymous for privacy reasons. With the help of some of the players’ moms, they came up with the idea of the Stand Together t-shirts.

Mr. Mike Jones, the head coach of the football team, explained the importance of not only raising the money for the player, but also showing support for him and his family.

“The football team and school community is a family, and we should be able to count on each other in times of need. It’s the idea of being able to be part of something that is bigger than yourself,” Mr. Jones said.

The team and WFPA, the Wildcat Football Parent Association, wanted the writing on the shirt to symbolize their support and unity.

Therefore, they chose to put “Stand Together” on the front and “we are family” on the back.

“I think the appeal of stand together is that it can apply [to] a lot of different situations.” The “we are family” saying is meant to reflect that there is always a family who people can count on in difficult times in Libertyville, Mr. Jones added.

After coming up with the idea of the t-shirt, WFPA reached out to Student Council to help spread the word. Ms. Andrea Lara, one of the Student Council faculty advisors,

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met with WFPA and they started to come up with ideas on how to sell the shirts as well as how the profit would benefit students. According to Ms. Lara, Student Council would only get involved with the shirts if they benefited all students.

This led to a change in the fundraiser. A portion of the funds raised from the shirts went to the particular student on the football team, and another portion went to a newly created fund, called the Wildcat Fund, which gave Dr. Marina Scott, the LHS principal, the ability to anonymously support any students at LHS. With the help of the Spirit Store and Student Council, the shirts were in high demand at LHS. The white shirts became the theme of the 2014 Homecoming football game. Before the game, shirts were sold outside of the cafeteria by football parents and in the Spirit Store. At the game, the student section was “Standing Together” in support of all students in need of financial assistance.

The shirts’ success has continued at LHS since their creation. Today, the funds from the Stand Together shirts go to Parent Cats, an organization of LHS parents whose goal is to improve the school-home communication in order to support the students and staff at school. They use those funds to give physical donations to the school, such as a new piano, and to help student centered organizations at LHS, such as the “Brain Up” fundraiser, to continue to benefit students at LHS.

Drops of Ink

Photo by Maria Thames Ever since their first appearance in 2014, the Stand Together t-shirts have become popular in the LHS community. Worn by students and faculty alike, they symbolize that LHS stands together.

TOGETHER Since its incarnation three years ago, the “Stand Together” initiative has evolved and expanded at a mind-boggling rate. Today, if you walk through the doors of LHS, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll see a student or faculty member sporting their support.

In an interview with the LHS Student Executive Board this December, Emily Regan recalled, “[When it first began], it was just a huge community-wide effort that we wore these white shirts to the football games, and I just remember everyone buying one, just lined up outside the cafeteria, people were grabbing them...but I think it’s expanded to a larger movement.”

And she’s right. “Stand Together” has since spread far beyond a line outside the LHS cafeteria. Besides the well-known white, there are now several variations of the classic shirt, including a pink version for Breast

Cancer Awareness and green one for St. Patrick’s Day. The mantra has even extended beyond just the high school. “It’s not just the students,” shared Executive Board member Haley Holson.

“Teachers wear it and families wear it, like I think my mom even got one. It’s the Libertyville community, not necessarily just LHS.” It’s not just the shirts themselves that have changed, however, but the meaning behind them as well. This new meaning, just like the phrase itself, is two-fold.

1) Stand. When something tragic happens in a community, it is often difficult to know what to say. In the midst of grieving and loss, the line between support and intrusion, a kind word and an unwelcomed interruption, can become blurred. How can you let your community know you care? Executive Board President Daniel Oh shared, “In the hard times like we’ve had for the past couple weeks, it’s very difficult to see what people are thinking or how they’re feeling because emotions are on the inside and you just can’t tell, but just something as easy as the white shirt that says ‘Stand Together,’ you can tell that everyone who is wearing it is in support of each other, and I think that visual representation is very comforting in a sense that, ‘Hey, everyone’s here for you and we’re all in this together.’”

2) Together. Each member of the Libertyville community is unique, and yet the students find it hard to deny a sense of unity. “...All of us, no matter what grade we are, what race, age, gender, or anything like that, we can all stand together as a school and be united in that sense because we’re all students here, we’re all part of the Libertyville community,” Oh explained. “Regardless of what happens in this community, [Stand Together] is showing that we as Libertyville High School students are always unified and that we’re always supportive of each other.”

Although “Stand Together” began with a specific meaning and purpose in mind, the movement has developed a life of its own. More than a shirt, more than a phrase, “Stand Together” is now a feeling.

As Executive Board member Bridget Horvath said, “‘Stand Together’ is not necessarily the shirt or the quote or the phrase, it’s the feeling that you get with the whole community of Libertyville coming together.

That’s what ‘Stand Together’ is.”

“

‘Stand Together’ is not necessarily the shirt or the quote or the phrase, it’s the feeling that you get with the whole community of Libertyville coming together. That’s what ‘Stand Together’ is.

“

-Bridget Horvath Focus Feature

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Drops of Ink

Clubs that Care

By Breezy Listman and Molly Magill

Photos by Colleen Mullins

Layout by Hannah Hutchins

S

tudents at LHS give back to their community in so many ways. From the school-wide W.I.S.H. project to volunteering for a few hours on the weekend, LHS students care for others in different ways. The four clubs featured in this article are service-based at their core, and they are populated with Wildcats who care.

Topcats helping Topkids About 20 times a year, members of Topcats meet to mentor, play and build lasting relationships with kids who have been labeled as “at risk.”

Senior Emily Baumstark, a four-year member, is proud of the connection that she has made with the kids. Baumstark describes the role of high school students in the club as “being a positive role model (for the kids) to look up to from an educational standpoint.”

Topcats has two branches, one of which centers on students’ studies at Oakdale Elementary School. Baumstark described this as a more educational focus, helping students with classes they’re struggling with, or even just assisting them in thoroughly completing their homework.

The second location is in Waukegan, at the Genesee location of the Boys and Girls Club, which is a “big open gym” according to Baumstark. At this location, Topcats members play games, talk, and do group activities with the kids, either outside or

Focus Feature

inside.

Faculty adviser Mrs. Audrey Glenn emphasized that “not only have statistics born out the fact that the students in both after-school programs have improved their grades, reading and writing skills, [but] they have improved their social skills, communication abilities and confidence as well.” Mrs. Glenn spoke on the fact that Topcats has to turn students away from joining the club every year because they can only take as many as can fit on the bus.

Topcats members and the students they mentor are incredibly close. Baumstark worked with the same kids from her freshman year to junior year. Upon graduating from fifth grade, therefore graduating from the program, the kids told Baumstark that they didn’t want to go on to middle school because they loved being a part of the program. Some kids even wrote cards to members before the holidays or at the end of the year, in addition to thank-you cards for four-year Topcats members.

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Topcats helps tutor and mentor kids through the Boys and Girls Club in Waukegan after school on Tuesdays.

Drops of Ink

Cats who Care for Cambodia

Photo courtesy of Tiffany Owens Caring for Cambodia traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia last June to help pave roads at an elementary school.

Caring for Cambodia is one of the most well-known philanthropic groups in the school.

Traveling to another country to help improve not only the physical school, but the experience for the children who attend the school, is a rare chance to take part in.

Anyone is welcome to join, and the way many people hear about it is through the announcements.

That is exactly how senior Allison Prey got a couple friends to go to a meeting with her in September of 2015, and they immediately “became very involved” with fundraising for their trip this past summer. The biggest fundraiser the club does is their annual Ugly Sweater 5k Run around LHS. Those who sign up for the 5k are there to run, but they are also able to donate before or after it is over.

The 5k isn’t all they do, either: “We also have a

car wash at Pizzeria Uno, we participate in Feed My Starving Children and have a school supply drive,” stated Prey.

The goal of all of this was to raise money to help build the road and area for bikes at the school they were working with. Although they were there to improve the school itself, Caring for Cambodia was also able to work hand-inhand with the students who attended the school.

The members participated in ESL, or English as a Second Language, by creating games to help the children at the school become better at speaking English.

As Caring for Cambodia is such a large organization beyond LHS, they have already built schools all over Cambodia. Prey stated that she “participate[d] because it is for such a good cause, helping these kids who don’t have anything.”

Interact with the community Unknown to many but impactful to all, Interact is a service club at Libertyville High School that focuses on giving back to the community. With between 80 and 90 students involved, Interact’s focus revolves around getting people involved in helping others.

This simple creed attracted senior Emily Moubayed to join when she moved to Libertyville halfway through her freshman year.

“I hadn’t volunteered this much before and I just really loved it. You gain experience, leadership skills, you kinda meet new people too,” Moubayed said.

From volunteering at Feed My Starving Children to planning the W.I.S.H. dinner, Interact makes a difference not only within LHS, but in the surrounding community too.

Club faculty advisor Mrs. Jennifer Uliks

said that “what is unique about the club is that students can pick and choose which service projects are meaningful to them throughout the school year.” From working with children to the military, to even sending blankets to the Sioux Indian Reservation, club members are free to work on what they’re passionate about.

Interact is not difficult to be a part of: members of the club only have to participate in three service events per semester. Senior Wendy Bornhoeft joined her junior year because “it is an amazing way to give back to the community.”

Anyone can volunteer with Interact; to get involved, contact Mrs. Uliks about volunteering at the PADS shelter every Wednesday, and to receive information about yet-tobe determined future events.

Interact participates in a variety of volunteer activities, including Feed My Starving Children, PADS shelter, and Bernie’s Book Bank.

STUCOmmunity Service

Photo by Sam Nelson On November 2, Student Council held a canned food drive. A total of 10,042 cans were collected.

Focus Feature

Everyone sees them around school. They do the announcements and organize school events.

They are the Exec Board, and they do more than many students at LHS know.

A two-year member of the board, senior Daniel Oh, has participated in a number of philanthropy events organized by the group.

The Canned Food Drive and the Color Run are the biggest tasks Student Council takes on.

In doing these two events, there are upwards of 104 hours of service. “The Canned Food Drive was about 32 hours of service this year, and last year the Color Run was about 72 hours of service,” stated Oh. Each event that they do outside of this, such

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as WISH and Highway Cleanup Day, takes usually 2-4 hours of service. All together, this means the Exec Board does over 112 hours of work for our school. Their end goal “is to leave a positive impact on the school and community,” Oh explained.

Student Council also hosts a night where all students at LHS are invited to Feed My Starving Children. This night is fun for those who go and it helps children around the world avoid hunger. The more people who attend, the more people that are helped.

All in all, Exec Board and StuCo spend hours on end making a difference, not only for the school, but for people in the community and around the world.

Drops of Ink

By Luke Ekdahl and Jack Kosowski Layout by Olivia Griffith

Through the mourning of student losses over Thanksgiving break, there has been much support from LHS, including therapy dogs, the paper crane project and many more activities that have allowed for students to cope with all the grief they may have been overcome with. Winter sports teams showed their support by doing different activities to help them demonstrate how much they care about those in their community and to help those who were closely affected.

Cheerleading

The varsity girls cheerleading teams wore their “Stand Together” and “Maddy Brain Up” shirts in order to unite in remembrance of Maddy McInerney.

The cheer team wore their shirts during the boys basketball game following the week of Thanksgiving, and then had a private gathering for the McInerney family, in which cheerleaders and friends attended.

“Being together as a program is what has been most important for the cheerleaders,” commented cheer head varsity cheer coach Ms. Erin Vance over email., on how coming together has helped the team remember Maddy, “They support each other in every way possible and they are just some of the most genuine and great kids I have ever worked with as a coach.”

Over the past several months, sports teams, and the students within them, have shown their remembrance of the students that have passedt, in acts big and small, all coming together in memory of these students.

These teams, in a time where sadness could have drawn them apart, they each helped each other and came together as a team.

Photo courtesy of Dona Geraty-Wallen The varsity cheerleaders wore Stand Together shirts during the varsity basketball game against Lake Forest Academy on Nov. 30.

Girls Bowling

Maddy McInerney passed away in November from brain cancer at the age of 17sixteen. Maddy was on the bowling team last year, and many of this year’s players knew her personally. Varsity Head Coach Ms. Lindsay Siegel said “It was a very somber time, but I think once we got it out there, then we could really feel the energy and we could feel Maddy’s energy and everybody picked up on that. The team bonded and it helped us introduce some of the newer girls to the team as the older girls took them under their wings”.

The girls varsity bowling team wore “Stand Together” shirts in remembrance of the students who have recently passed, including their former teammate Photo by Abbey Humbert Maddy McInerney. Some of the newer players on The bowling team came together at practice by wearing their Stand Together shirts the team were shown by returning players who were teammates with Maddy helped those who didn’t unto remember their former teammate, Maddy. derstand the magnitude of the situation and it allowed for the whole team to stand together as one.

The girls varsity bowling head coach Lindsay Siegel said of the match in which they discussed Maddy by stating, “We definitely spoke about her and how she meant to all us and the team and took a moment of silence. We then huddled up together and everyone supported one another through it.”

Ally Doherty, a senior and captain on the team commented by saying “Our first match of the year was [home] against Warren, and Mr. [Briant] Kelly (the athletic director) came and talked to us, [with]and one of the social workers, Mr. [Greg] Loika, and talked to us about how losing a friend is hard, and how there is a lot of support around us and [then] Mr. Kelly let us take a moment of silence, in honor of Maddy.”

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Drops of Ink

Boys Basketball

Photo courtesy of Dona Geraty-Wallen On Nov. 30, the varsity basketball team stood together by wearing Maddy Strong shirts in their game against Lake Forest Academy.

The boys varsity basketball team took it into their own hands to come together. Senior Brandon Rule was a leader that stood out from the rest of the team in organizing team activities, with some of the playerteams’ moms being the ones who created the “Maddy Strong” shirts that they had woren in pre-game warmups in their game against Lake Forest. “ I feel like the shirts weren’t as much for the team but the community. It was an act to show that this is bigger than basketball and bigger than the team,” commented Brandon Rule, “The guys really wanted to show that we are a community first and a team second.”

Varsity Head Coach Mr. Brent Mork addedsaid of his team, “I think our whole team is a good collection of guys and this generation, it’s been proven that they think about others more than any other previous generation.”.

From a coach’s perspective, seeing the team rallying together without any coach involvement really demonstrates the amount of selflessness and togetherness the

team holds.

“With situations like this, you can either come together or separate, and this team grew closer,” Mork emphasized about how he viewed the team’s attitude.

“I believe [wearing the shirts] also brought the team closer in the sense that now we play for an even bigger purpose than before,” commented Brandon Rule on wearing the “Maddy Strong” shirts, “We always try to play for the community but in these circumstances, we got to play for the individuals who passed. I felt it was an honor to play for those students and I’m sure the rest of the team felt the same.”

Boys Swimming The boys varsity swim team came together after a hard time as a fellow swimmer, Josh Church of Warren Township High School, passed away from a pre-existing heart condition that had never been found before by doctors.

The team came together by having an event to remember Church, as well as making shirts, warm-ups, and swim caps, to honor him on their senior night.

“Senior night was an emotional night for everyone.

There are some swimmers that knew Josh a little more [than others] but everyone supported each other at this difficult time,” said Ms. Amanda Pechauer, head coach of the boys swimming team. “The team has really come together at this time, showing their respects by making Photo courtesy of Amanda Pechauer their senior night about showing respect for Josh.”

The swim team made swim caps and shirts to show On Dec. 9, the LHS swim team came together to remember Josh Church by wearing their respect to Josh, as well as to wear at senior night Warren-colored swim caps. and throughout the season.

“They organized wearing blue t-shirts with ‘Josh Church’ on the front and ‘In Loving Memory’ on the back,” commented Coach Pechauer over email. “We had swim caps made to also wear that evening.

[They had] Warren’s school colors with our paw print on it and ‘JC’ in it.”

“It was great showing the Church family what Josh meant to the Wildcats, having the family there meant a lot to the boys,” wrote Coach Pechauer. “This was their way of celebrating Josh’s life and showing how many of them he has touched over the years.”

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Drops of Ink

Proud to be Wildcats

Staff Editorial

Photo by Matthew Price Safety, happiness and acceptance are some of the qualities that make students proud to be Wildcats, according to Drops of Ink staff members.

As you walk down the halls of Libertyville High School, there’s a lot to see. Strangers smile and give compliments, students wear LHS gear, and lockers have been decorated by friends and clubs.

LHS tries to ensure that every student feels comfortable, which can be seen in the safety stickers for the LGBTQ community on teacher’s doorways as well as the free compliments put around the school to brighten days.

Libertyville High School has many opportunities and support for it’s students, and sometimes students take this for granted. Despite some students doubts, there’s a reason that parents proudly display Wildcat signs in their front lawns.

LHS academics are better than almost anywhere else in America.

According to the District 128 website, Niche has ranked our district 1st in the nation.

DOI staff members agree that we have all been able to find academic courses and extracurricular activities that we are passionate about due to the wide range of options LHS provides. If a club doesn’t exist, we always have the ability to create one.

In addition to academics, there is a sense of love and support in the LHS community. As a staff, we agree that we are proud to be Wildcats because of how accepting everyone is. There are many steps taken by students and faculty to ensure that every Wildcat feels safe. Our school celebrates weeks that recognize depression, provides stickers to show solidarity for all identities, and has installed All Genders bathrooms.

Here at LHS, the students and teachers work hard to take care of

one another. Teachers make an effort to get to know the students personally, and in light of tragic events, are accepting and do their best to support their students in any way that they can. After the deaths of several LHS students, teachers tried to accommodate the grief by pushing back deadlines and comforting students.

Additionally, the school cares about the wellbeing of its students, and works to help them the best they can. For example, the school brought in service dogs for stressed students to relax. This concern for student health was also proved in the reactions of LHS members after the presidential election. Teachers and students wore safety pins to signify that they were willing to support and comfort others distressed by the results of the election.

Furthermore, another amazing quality specific to LHS is that individuality is encouraged and supported. DOI especially appreciates events like Writers Week, a way for students to showcase their creativity. Going off of this, unlike other high schools, LHS supports more than just sports teams. Musicals are sold out, band concerts are packed, and friends and family but artwork at the art shows to support their program.

As LHS students, we have experienced a shared sense of unity.

This is highlighted by our turnouts to events and celebrations.

LHS clothing is common around the school, which shows how proud we are to go here. We even have our own language, which is pretty bayd.

Looking around LHS, it is clear to the DOI staff: We are proud to be Wildcats.

Note: As this piece is a staff editorial, it is representative of the opinions of 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 37 students total. The author(s) of this piece did not place their personal opinions in the story; they merely reflect the staff ’s thoughts.

Feature Opinion

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Political Cartoons

By Kyle Patterson

Opinion

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By Manal Ahmed

Photos by Paige Ward

Layout by Becky DeAcetis

ALL-STARS

Nonidentical twins with nonidentical paths, seniors Claire and Kelly Keefe have spent 18 years inseparable, doing everything from shopping, traveling, going to school, and endless other activities together except one — sports. Although Claire has been playing basketball since fourth grade and Kelly joined LHS cross country as a sophomore, these twins have still stood side-by-side throughout the past 18 years, sharing an unbreakable bond.

Claire Although Claire is a highly acclaimed basketball player at LHS, she did not always play basketball. When she was in elementary school, Claire played soccer as a goalie. However, when Kelly joined basketball in fourth grade at Rockland Elementary School, Claire also joined as a means of supporting her. It was that year when Claire fell in love with the sport and dropped soccer, and she has played basketball ever since.

Throughout her high school basketball career, Claire has played for the LHS girls varsity basketball team and has also been a part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, which allows her to travel across the U.S. to participate in various showcases and tournaments throughout the year in places such as Atlanta and Nashville.

Her coaches and teammates at LHS view Claire as an incredibly competitive player and strong captain yet one with a friendly and compassionate personality.

“She’s always been fun to be around. She works so hard that you always respect the effort that she gives. She just has such a good sense of humor and a good disposition, so it’s always just fun [to be] around her,” Mr. Greg Pedersen, Claire’s basketball coach of four years, stated.

“We just enjoy coaching her [and] I know her teammates enjoy playing with her.”

Sophomore Maddie Spaulding, one of Claire’s current teammates, agreed.

“Claire is always a team player and she helps everyone work together. The whole team knows how passionate Claire is about basketball, and we know she’s always willing and ready to work hard and play her best,” she expressed in an interview conducted over email.

According to Claire, her senior year basketball season has been her most memorable, and important, season.

In a recent game on Jan. 7, the Wildcats defeated the Mundelein Mustangs, 42-30, at Mundelein. Prior to this game, Claire was hospitalized for three days because of a case of peritonsillar abscess, an infection in the tonsils.

However, she was able to quickly recover and lead the Wildcats to victory, scoring 17 points and greatly helping “the team win a big game,” according to Spaulding.

Although Claire originally was set on playing Division I basketball in college or training for the Navy, she ultimately decided to play Division III basketball for the DePauw Tigers. Playing DI basketball and attending the Naval Academy would both consist of intense training and minimal time at home for about a year, something Claire did not want to do. Starting next year, Claire will be attending DePauw University, located in Greencastle, Indiana, and majoring in pre-law.

“I went to [Depauw] and visited and knew I wanted to go there. I knew my sister could go there too, and the coaching staff was wonderful, and they’re pretty good [at basketball]!” Claire exclaimed. “They won a championship… I think three times in a row.”

When asked why she loves basketball so much, and why she will continue to play in college, Claire responded,“ I just [feel] very stable when I [play basketball], like very competitive -- I love being competitive; it’s one of my favorite things.”

Rockland Elementary School (grades 4-5) Kessel Heat (grades 4-7) House League (grade 5) Lady Cats (grades 6-8) Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (grades 9-12) LHS Girls Varsity Basketball (grades 9-12)

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All-Conference Honorable Mention (grade 9) All-Conference (grades 10, 11) All-State Honorable Mention (grade 11) All-Academic (grades 11, 12)

Drops of Ink

Did you know we are a less-than five-minute-drive from LHS?

Where you park and traffic may make a slight difference in time, but Fodrak’s is your hunger-fighting neighbor always ready to help.

Choices Include Award-Winning Gyros, Black Angus Burgers, Chicago Style Hot Dogs, Hand-cut Fries, and many more.

Regular and catering menus www.fodraks.com LHS students show student ID for 15% discount or free fries with sandwich purchase Eat well the rest of the school year at Fodrak's!

327 South Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville 847-816-8111

“I would describe me and my sister’s relationship as one and the same. We balance each other perfectly, with her fun, light-hearted personality and my competitive edge,” Claire expressed. “She is my best friend and I don’t picture my life without her.”

-Claire

Kelly At the age of 9, senior Kelly Keefe decided to join basketball at Rockland Elementary school because she had not started playing a sport yet. Little did she know basketball would become such a significant part of her life over the next few years throughout middle school.

However, Kelly was born with two spine problems: scoliosis, which is a sideways-curved spine, and spina bifida, which is a condition that leaves gaps in one’s spinal cord.

In eighth grade, Kelly was tying her shoe at a basketball tournament when a disk slipped from her vertebral column, causing pinched nerves and resulting in such severe pain that stopped her from going to school on occasion.

Because of this, Kelly had to undergo a spinal fusion, an extensive and invasive spinal surgery that permanently connects two or more vertebrae in one’s spine, during November of her freshman year. Even though her surgery had a lengthy recovery process and resulted in Kelly having to quit playing basketball, she says that it was “one of the best things that could have happened to me” because before

her surgery, Kelly had to live with constant pain that infringed on her daily life. Today, Kelly does not face any more back problems.

“Since [my surgery], I’ve become a stronger person...I kind of had to start over because basketball was my life when I was younger,” Kelly expressed. “[After] being home schooled for three months from my spinal surgery, I kind of became a new person. I’m a lot happier, a lot more confident, and I joined the cross country team my sophomore year. I’ve been on that ever since.”

Kelly ran all events at invitational and dual meets on cross country for three years, finishing her last season in October. She was also one of three captains this year for the girls cross country team. According to senior Audrey Paglia, one of Kelly’s co-captains for cross country, each member of the team nominated up to five people who they thought would be fit to be captain at the start of the season.

“Something kind of unique to Kelly is that when she ran [2-3] mile races, her feet would go completely numb; she couldn’t feel them when she finished. [This] just struck me as so amazing. Here’s this young woman running, when her body literally didn’t want her to or was stopping her from doing it, but she did it. She never ever sat out of a race [and] she never used anything as an excuse,” said Mrs. Kristen Hawver, Kelly’s former cross country coach.

Next year, Kelly will be attending DePauw University with her sister, and she is planning to major in Spanish. She is not going to continue her running career but has found a recent love for yoga, which, according to Kelly, acts as “an outlet I use when I have a rough day and need to clear my mind.” Kelly is looking forward to continuing taking yoga classes and possibly getting her yoga license in forthcoming years.

As for next year, Kelly and Claire recently made the decision to attend the same college and room together after spending some time apart.

“Well, [Claire and I] didn’t [want to go school together] in the beginning actually because we both thought that we needed to do our own thing. And then I went to Spain for 10 days, and then I missed her a lot; I couldn’t handle it….best trip of my life, but not being with her made me sad…”

Kelly stated. “So that’s when we decided that we were starting over.”

Rockland Elementary School (grades 4-5) Kessel Heat (grades 4-7) House League (grade 5) Lady Cats (grades 6-8) Highland Middle School (grades 7-8) Manager for LHS Girls Varsity Basketball (grade 9)

Sports

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All-Academic (grades 11, 12) ACE Cross Country Leadership (grade 12) Cross Country Captain (grade 12)

Drops of Ink