May Magazine by Michael Gluskin

DROPS OF INK may 18, 2017

volume 90, issue 8

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 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 Sam Nelson Kyle Patterson Tia Petrzilka Matthew Price Georgia Sampson Kelly Shinnick Matthew Smith Brandon Simberg Maya Trott Paige Ward Maddie Wasser Savanna Winiecki

the

Rea der s

Letter to

2016-2017 Staff Listing

Hey Wildcats, It’s almost summertime, can you believe it? I know...it was a long, stressful and unforgiving year, and I can attest to that. And somehow, we have gotten through all the tough times and enjoyed the good ones, and now we can look back on what a year it was at LHS and for all you. So we’re here: it’s time for The College Issue, the one I know everyone highkey has been waiting for! The scramble to the issues to see where your friends are going…I can see it now. Although this issue may seem like it is dedicated towards the seniors and their future, that doesn’t mean that it is just about them. We have a lot of different stories featured that will affect every student here at LHS and can help everyone in the future. That is our goal in this issue; it isn’t just about the seniors. As I am a senior, I have learned a lot from my four years of high school. It’s important that you pay attention in class and be diligent, but at the same time, make sure the rest of your high school career are some of the best years of your life - the ones you can look back on in the future and reminisce on the great times you had while in school. To my fellow seniors, it’s crazy to think these four years of high school are up. Good luck in your future endeavors! I know that all of you have the potential to make a difference in the world one day, no matter what profession you end up in. Juniors, next year is the year: you’ll be the seniors. You have a lot of tough decisions to make, but it will be a great year, trust me. Sophomores, junior year is the toughest, but if you buckle down and try hard in every class, you’ll set yourself up for the rest of high school, and that’s what is important. Freshmen, well, you have three more years left. It’s okay though, you’ll survive. You will be seniors one day. I hope you all enjoy this issue, and there’s more to it than just the list…please read all of it. It’s packed full of great stories that will get anyone ready for the college life. Or maybe it might scare you, I don’t know. All-in-all, I hope everyone enjoyed all of our DOI issues this year and is already anticipating the great quality to come in the future issues next year. Best of luck everyone!

Michael Gluskin, Faculty Adviser Jack Kosowski Sports Editor

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact us at doi@lhswildcats.org May 18, 2017

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8-9 Another Wildcat Graduates

10-11 Following their Passions

30-31 Meet Mason

Photo by Ben Kanches

Photo by Luke Ekdahl

Photo by Sam Nelson

Uniting LHS

News

21-23

Not every LHS student takes the same path; some students are going into the military, taking a gap year, participating in a six-year program and studying abroad.

LHS United, a club dedicated to embracing different cultures, has recently been rebranded and is gaining popularity.

2017-18 school board representatives selected

Feature What’s Trending: May This month’s what’s trending looks at summer trends, depicting what people are doing, wearing and even eating!

8-9

Another Wildcat Graduates 27

With nine years at LHS under her belt, Dr. Scott reflects on the changes and relationships she has made while at our high school.

10-11

In a slightly different take on a staff editorial, the senior staffers of DOI give advice to the students who will follow them.

So, where are you going?*

If you’ve never heard the phrase, “Oh, so where are you going to college?” you will surely be tired of hearing it after this satire.

Admission of lurking*

Should colleges use social media to look at their applicants?

Sports 7

The College List*

The beloved college list shows all of the places the LHS Class of ‘17 will be headed next year. This spread also includes several infographics with maps and majors the seniors plan to study.

Opinion The senior staff editorial*

Following their Passions

Mr. Voss’s AP Macroeconomics classes have participated in a new project this semester, focusing on topics students are passionate about.

14-19

You are what you do* This issue’s staff editorial looks at the reasons high schoolers get involved: because of passion or simply for colleges?

Student school board representatives, students who are the voice of LHS at district board of education meetings, have recently been selected for the 2017-18 school year.

Off the Beaten Path*

These infographics portrays statistics, resources and apps that graduating students should know before heading off to college.

Contents

28-29

Title IX: Striving for Equality in Sports

30-31

Meet Mason

With the recent addition of the LHS girls badminton team, Title IX, a law specifying gender equality, has come into question due to the lack of a boys team.

Staying Safe on College Campuses*

*=Focus Story Table of Contents by Hannah Hutchins Cover photo by Maria Thames; Design by Becky DeAcetis Focus cover by Paige Ward

Wildcat Stats

This edition of Wildcat Stats looks at fall, winter and spring sports’s conference finishes.

Senior Mason Reyes is a sports manager to two LHS teams, Special Olympics star, movie lover and friend to all.

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Uniting LHS By Luke Ekdahl

Photo By Rachel Dudley At a recent LHS United meeting, seniors Jennifer Graham Leal and Jaimee Johnson, an LHS United board member, share a laugh while discussing how to raise awareness and celebrate diversity at LHS. Within the past two years, a relatively new club has taken on an even newer meaning. This club is LHS United, which is dedicated to both embracing and appreciating the importance of an individual’s culture, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and individuality, while uniting all students from all backgrounds in LHS. Originally founded last year by several seniors, and called Amnesty International before that, more students have recently joined and the club is in the planning stages for next year. LHS United recognizes that “rather than different, we are united and we are connected: LHS society and Libertyville,” said Ms. Regina Odishoo, a speech and language therapist and co-advisor of LHS United. She added that they want to unite “the different races, genders, religions and cultures, because there is more than ethnicity that divides people.” Ms. Julia West, an LHS social worker and another co-advisor of LHS United, noted that the core value of LHS United is to “unite us together as one and accept us for our differences.” Both Ms. Odishoo and Ms. West said that currently the club is mostly focused on planning next year’s events; however, anyone is welcome to join this year or next at any time. They are planning on running some fundraisers, lunchtime awareness activities and some student and teacher presentations within the club. During first semester, they started some of these activities with a poster for students to sign outside the lunchroom. This semester, they made a Wakeup Wildcats video, hoping to bring more recognition to the club. “We had a poster that people signed at lunchtime, connecting us, that said ‘LHS United: if you are united, or you are feeling that we can all be

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together despite our differences, sign this poster,’” Ms. West said. Ellie Cho, an LHS junior and member of the leadership board for LHS United, said that “right now, we are planning for next year, so we are planning on having events, fundraisers, Wakeup Wildcat videos and student presentations.” She further elaborated on the presentations, saying, “For example, I would present on my culture. And it doesn’t have to be just culture, it can be anything: religion, sexual orientation, or being a woman.” Aditi Medra, another LHS junior and member of the LHS United board, commented, “We have been planning for fundraisers or getting speakers to talk about different cultural or ethnic or race issues, and we are just planning right now for next year...And also, we are going to do fundraisers to donate to things like NAACP and organizations like that.” Ms. Odishoo added that when they say that LHS United is a diversity club, they do not just mean ethnicity; it means any differences. “When we talk about the diversity, we are also talking about the financial diversity, the socio economic differences, and seeing that we are connected regardless of that,” she said. Both advisors said that the club is open to new members, with Ms. Odishoo adding, “We would like to see it as a place where people start to feel connected and embraced for who they are but connected to other people as well.” The club is currently deciding on a day of the week to hold meetings next year, and students who are interested should contact Ms. Odishoo or Ms. West for information on club dates starting in the fall of 2017.

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2017-18 school board representatives selected By Molly Magill

Photo by Sam Nelson New student representatives to the school board were recently chosen. In anticipation of the 2017-18 school year. From left to right are selected members Lola Akinlade, Ellie Daly and Zachary Ford, who will all be seniors next year. Juniors Lola Akinlade, Ellie Daly and Zachary Ford were recently selected to be the LHS student representatives for the District 128 school board for the 2017-18 school year. (Akinlade is currently DOI’s online editor and Ford will be a staff member next year.) At monthly school board meetings, student representatives are responsible for presenting news that “you couldn’t read about on Twitter” about LHS students, explained current representative Emily Regan in an interview. Daly expressed her excitement in an interview, saying that “I think it’s a really important position, to have a student on the school board. If I value it that much, I might as well try to be that student.” She hopes to make students’ voices heard by the board, so as to prevent the school board from forgetting students’ concerns in new policies or decisions. Seniors Spencer Baumruk and Daniel Oh along with Regan, a junior, were the representatives for the 2016-17 school year. The three members came from various backgrounds, according to Regan, with Baumruk providing insight about theater, choir and sports at LHS; Oh bringing forth information about orchestra, various sports and clubs; and Regan, who is involved in many academic clubs. Daly hopes to bring a new voice to the school board, as she is involved in Erika’s Lighthouse and National Honor Society, and works at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. During April’s meeting, the representatives discussed the art award that was presented to Nate Sweitzer, Representative Brad Schneider’s visit to AdvoCats and the WYSE victory at state, according to Regan. Oh added that student representatives really get the opportunity to brag about what outsiders may not know about LHS students. Since most of the community members who attend the board meetings don’t usually get to spend

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a lot of time at LHS, the representatives act as a bridge between the students and the board members who make decisions for them. In addition to monthly meetings, representatives meet for lunch with Superintendent Dr. Prentiss Lea, Principal Dr. Marina Scott and other administration members at Baker’s Square, in order to discuss what’s happening in District 128 schools and the surrounding communities. Regan also shared that she finds special interest in the public commentary that happens after all regular board business that needs to be taken care of at each meeting. She explained that “there’s some people that just love the school board and they stand up and are like ‘Thank you for what you do. Thank you, this is awesome,’ and then there’s other people who will come up and accuse the school board of bid rigging and illegal activity and say that they’re so mad at the budget and accuse the school board of incompetency. It’s just interesting to see that contrasting viewpoint and to see how the school board handles and responds to that.” Oh echoed Regan’s sentiment, remarking how Libertyville is full of more diverse opinions than students are usually exposed to. Debates about budget and diversity among teachers have been brought forth to Oh, and he commented on the fact that, at LHS, he believes that students are sheltered from negative opinions about our school. Oh explained that he finds that “we have an incredible opportunity to do so well in Libertyville because we have so many resources, we have so many amazing teachers and all these things. I’ve seen the statistics in which ACT scores for LHS and Vernon Hills have been rising every year, the amount of kids taking AP classes and being able to succeed in those and do really well is increasing, and just being able to see the progress is really impressive.”

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Trending: May By Kelly Shinnick

Popsicles

Chacos Sandals

Overalls

One Piece swimsuits

Crocs

Baseball Hats

Hammocks

Pool Floats

Pool Float Photo Courtesy of Kathryn Dane Hammock Photo courtesy of Kate Speer

Feature

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By TJ Murbach and Brandon Simberg

Sports

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It ’s 4:30 in the morning and you’re sound asleep in your bed, but Dr. Scott is wide awake getting exercise.

Feature

Whether it ’s running with co-workers, practicing yoga, or cycling at a spin class, she’s getting active, before settling into her desk.

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D M S

Dr. Marina Scott

ANOTHER S E T A U D A R WILDCAT G

by matt smith photo by bEN KANCHES LAYOUT By Kevin Loumeau

An Excellent Environment

wanting to get better and better and better and just that positive energy that is generated from all of that [was one of my favorite parts at LHS],” expressed Dr. Scott. In addition, the people at LHS are what influenced her life a lot as well. “I feel like I’ve been impacted by getting to know so many people, to understand what it’s like to be a student, to be a teacher, to be a parent in changing times. To feel the pressure on [students] whether it’s getting good grades or going to college or getting involved, you know, all those kinds of things. It’s impacted me every single day,” said Dr. Scott. In addition to the people at LHS, Dr. Scott will miss the relationships she shared with these people. While at the district office, she felt a little far removed from the all the relationships at the school. “[The students] were always at the forefront of everything that revolved around the school. Any decision that she was having to look at, that had always came back to, ‘How can I help? How can I help the students in the building? Or help someone to do something that they want to do?’” expressed Mr. Albin. Throughout her tenure as principal, her interactions with the people around LHS put her in many different roles. “I think that the responsibility is that you have to be everybody’s boss, you have to try to be their friend, try to be their colleague, you try to be their mentor, so I think she had to do each of those roles,” explained Mr. Mix. “So, at times she was a tough leader and sometimes she would try to be your friend and sometimes she was a collaborator, so I think I saw a little bit of everything.” One way Dr. Scott made these relationships was by going to different school events. “She went to more events than I think people realize. There wasn’t a fine arts event or an athletic event, or activity, a major activites event, that she wasn’t here for,” expressed Mr. Albin. “I don’t know how she was able to fit them all in, but she was in the background and in all the things that happened around here, Dr. Scott was ever present. She wanted to know what was going on and not just be told about it; she wanted to experience it herself.” Dr. Scott also had a lot of interactions with students at LHS. According to Dr. Scott, her favorite thing about interactions with students was that “you’re constantly learning. You’re constantly problem solving, so it’s challenging. You’re constantly looking at ways to make something that is already good better, so that’s a good position to be in.” Dr. Scott especially enjoyed being able to celebrate the success of everyone -- she instituted the state championship marches -- whether it’s just personal accomplishments, athletics or academics. Come June, when she ends her time in education, she will miss the One thing Dr. Scott is going to miss the most is the people in and around job. “It’s really not like work in some cases,” she said. “I mean, it’s long LHS: “I’ll drive by the building, and I’ll be like, ‘Ahh,’ but the people in hours, but when you enjoy it and you enjoy the benefits of it, it’s really it...are what touch your lives and change them,” explained Dr. Scott. “People [at LHS] are so receptive, people are so hardworking, people are not like work anymore. I think that’s what I like best about this job.” Nine years ago, when Dr. Marina Scott first arrived at Libertyville High School after serving as the associate superintendent in the District 128 office, she instantly fell in love with the environment that LHS had to offer. When Dr. Scott came here, there wasn’t much she wanted to change, she said; her main goal was to create an environment for students to continue excelling in. “I think when you’re a leader, it’s not what you want, it’s not what you’re doing. It’s that you create the environment where everyone can be their best self,” expressed Dr. Scott. Dr. Scott put in a lot of dedication in order to achieve this environment. “Her enthusiasm was pretty contagious and I think that she genuinely loved running the school and working with the kids. That’s always helpful as a teacher that the leadership is doing that,” recalled LHS social studies teacher Mr. Bill Mix. Teachers like Mr. Mix could tell that maintaining a positive environment was one of Dr. Scott’s main goals. “I think everything she tried to put forward, she did it with [this kind of environment] in mind and tried to put students first,” he said. Because students were already succeeding in the LHS environment, Dr. Scott made an effort to bring more student leadership into the school. “I see student leadership in student organizations. I see student ideas coming forward in classrooms and I’m proud of that. It’s not me that’s doing that, it’s the environment that we created together,” said Dr. Scott. Mr. Ray Albin, an assistant principal who works closely with Dr. Scott, confirmed that greater student leadership was a goal of hers: “Allowing greater student voice within the school, [the] best example there would be our assemblies that we have here. Very rare[ly], if ever, do we have adults that are talking. They’re student-led and they’re student-run, through some amazing leadership.” In addition, the Link Crew program, which promotes student leadership by allowing upperclassmen to teach freshman about LHS, began during Dr. Scott’s time here . Link Crew also ended up helping the freshmen be more included, as freshmen started to be invited into the student section during Friday night football games. According to Dr. Scott, she cites the creation of the current environment of LHS, as well as the involvement of more students in leadership positions, as the biggest accomplishments of her tenure.

Lasting Relationships

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[Following their Passions]

By Hannah Hutchins

Photos by Luke Ekdahl

Layout by Manal Ahmed

exual assault. Texting and driving. Energy efficiency. Standardization of education. Police positivity. These topics, and more, are being explored as part of Mr. Brian Voss’s passion project assignment in his Advanced Placement Macroeconomics Class.

initiative

Many of the recent changes that have come about at LHS originally began at a district level. This past year, the D128 Innovation Team started to meet and formulate ideas on improving both District 128 schools. This team, facilitated by Dr. Rita Fischer, the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, is made up of teachers and administrators from Libertyville and Vernon Hills High Schools. Many changes have come out of the team meetings, such as the creation of groups that look at innovative learning spaces, problem-based learn-

Project

As Mr. Voss’s second semester AP Macro classes began, the passion project assignment was introduced. During first semester, one of Mr. Voss’s sociology classes created a “social movement,” bringing awareness to sexual assault. After the interest and the success of the movement, Mr. Voss decided to introduce the passion project this semester. “The only expectation for my students is [that] I want them to create something — find a problem, create a solution,” Mr. Voss said. “The passion project is a chance for students to create a project about something they are interested in. It allows them to take part in something that is bigger than themselves.” Mr. Voss’s assignment had two requirements: one, that the project result in an end product and two, that it aligned to one of the 17 UN global goals. These goals look at problems global leaders hope to eradicate by the year 2030, leading to accomplishments like gender equality, quality education, and no poverty, to name a few. The goals are so vast that really any topic students were interested in was able to fall under one of these categories.

ing, service-based learning, later start time, as well as several other ideas that are currently in the works. “These team meetings, they simply provide a space for innovative teachers to meet. It is because of them that we are able to do what we do,” Dr. Fischer said. These teachers, teachers like Mr. Voss, allow their students to imagine, explore and create possibilities they otherwise would not have. Mr. Voss has implemented this idea in the form of a new assignment: a passion project.

Every Friday, students were given a full period to work on their projects. They are graded based on their effort and progress on these work days, as well as anywhere from 30 to 50 points for their final product. Due to the autonomous nature of this project, Mr. Voss found it fitting to allow students to create their own rubric and decide how many points they wanted for the project. To end the project, Mr. Voss’s AP Macro students will be hosting a presentation similar to a TED Talk, in which each student gets 10 minutes to tell the world (or the LHS auditorium, in this case) about their findings and products. These presentations will be open to everyone and will take place on May 22 and 23 during periods 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8 in the Studio Theater. Mr. Voss isn’t entirely sure how the project will play out; however, he has confidence in his students. “It’s a huge risk for a teacher to go into something not knowing the end result and accepting that this could be an epic failure,” he said. “I know my students are motivated to do something, and as long as they are motivated, something great is going to come out of this.”

Students

Since this project is so student-based, it seemed only fitting to mention a few of the projects that are being worked on by a few of the seniors at LHS.

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[Addy Arnold]

“Although education has come leaps and bounds from where it used to be, there are still a lot of issues. I wanted to create a new program to show how other students can learn. Basically the plan is making sure that education is standardized throughout the world to help developing countries have better education programs. It is about effective education in addition to universal education.”

[Amy dykstra]

“I saw this video a while back about a girl getting in an accident because of someone texting and driving and I thought, ‘Wow, when I’m at a stoplight, sometimes I send a text,’ and I would never want [any sort of accident] to happen to someone else. If other people knew that looking at your phone while you are behind the wheel is illegal, maybe I could reduce the statistics for texting and driving, even just a little. I put up a couple posters before spring break and I’m going to try and find some other way to reduce the statistics for texting and driving.”

[rachel tobler]

[James Scheuneman]

“I am a strong believer in having confidence that your police force in your community is going to do their job correctly and all of the controversy surrounding the job made me want to show the good that exists too. The idea is to create a Facebook page to share the stories and it would be a public page that anyone that wanted to share a positive story, from anywhere in the world. I want to show people that all police officers are not bad and they are doing their job serving and protecting and even going above and beyond the call of duty.”

“The purpose of [Healthy Relationships Week] is to promote healthy relationships between yourself, others and your community. It’s teaching people to respect yourself, respect others, understand consent and know how to have healthy relationships with others, which is such an important topic.”

[gavin watson] “We are taking Piezoelectric tiles, which basically convert kinetic energy into electric energy. We can use the movements of people to power the school. Me and my partner Jonathan [Rogin] wanted to create something that would help with efficient energy and how it could improve our school.”

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Most Popular Majors

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH Traditionally at LHS, students graduate high school and attend a four-year college. Some students, however, decide to take a different path. By taking a gap year, enrolling in military programs, attending college outside of the country or by combining their undergraduate and graduate experiences, these seven students decided to deviate from the post-high school norm.

By Colleen mullins and maya trott photos by jenna grayson layout by kevin loumeau

GABBY BASLER

BECCA SMRZ

ABROAD When it comes to choosing a college, many people feel as though going to college outside of the midwest is too far away from home. For some, this is not the case; even leaving the United States is not too far. This is how Becca Smrz felt when deciding where to go to college. When she attended the College of Lake County college fair, Smrz talked to a representative from University College Dublin (UCD), located in Dublin, Ireland. “[The representative] talked about a lot of U.S. students and how [the school is] trying to expand international students,” Smrz said. One of the reasons Smrz was interested in UCD was because the school gives out extensive scholarship money. Smrz was also drawn to the geology program at UCD: “ I didn’t want to take [general education requirements], and I don’t want to have to take lit when I wasn’t even going to major in lit.” The transition between living in Libertyville to living in Dublin will be significant, as Smrz explained she will be living in an entirely different time zone and will have to change things such as her cell phone plan. Despite these large changes, Smrz is ready “to get out of the Libertyville bubble.”

Since middle school, Gabby Basler has had an interest in studying abroad, and since her mom speaks Italian, applying to school in Rome seemed to be a smart choice. Basler applied to the American University of Rome (AUR), as well as a few colleges in the United States. When trying to make a final decision, AUR ended up being the cheapest option, despite its distance from the United States. In addition, AUR was the best fit for Basler: “I can’t really see myself at a normal college; I want to travel.” One of the things that drew Basler to AUR was her plan to major in film, since they have a film program that is “one of the best for Italy.” Although Basler did admit that she will probably get homesick next year, she explained that “I’ll be homesick anywhere I go because it’s the first time I’ll be gone.” One of the most difficult aspects of moving to a foreign country is the inability to speak the language. Since it is an American university, classes are taught in English. Because the students are living in Rome, “you have to take Italian, so you can live in the city.”

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IMA WASEMANN

SERVICE WORK In a culture that is so college-driven, people tend to forget there are options other than attending college right after graduation. Ima Hogberg-Wasemann decided to take advantage of this and took the initiative to take a gap year following the end of high school. Although she had always had a gap year on her radar, “it wasn’t until the school trip last summer, for the Caring for Cambodia club, that I realized that that’s what I wanted to be doing,” Wasemann explained. Her plan is to volunteer at schools in the capital of Cambodia, Siem Reap, for the duration of next year. Despite Wasemann’s often indecisive nature, it was not difficult for her to decideon a gap year: “I think after being there, it just clicked, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” Wasemann does plan on attending college after her gap year, although she is unsure of where she’ll attend. Even though it is often possible to defer enrollment for a year in order to take a gap year, Wasemann decided not to apply to any schools prior to her trip. “I figured after a year, I’ll have a better idea of what I want to do, or where I want to go. I think I’m going to change so much after a year that I’m probably going to apply to different schools that I wouldn’t now,” Wasemann said.

daniel oh

SIX - YEAR PROGRAM Daniel Oh has wanted to be a doctor ever since middle school. As a child, Oh had asthma and allergies to an abundance of foods and animals, so he was at the doctor’s office a lot. He said he would not have the same success today had it not been for the doctors: “I’m here today because of medicine, and I just want to pay that forward in order to help other people who are not as fortunate as me and who are struggling to be able to reach their full potential.” Oh has been involved in various programs involving medicine, including volunteering at Advocate Condell Medical Center, the Penwasciz program at Condell, shadowing doctors and researching at Rosalind Franklin University. “Each of these things strengthened my passion for medicine and made me realize how much I love working for people and how much I’m just passionate about this,” he said. Oh decided to go into the six-year program rather than college and medical school because he knew that getting into medical school “was an incredibly stressful process, so I just wanted to take that out of the picture, and if I could get into medical school now straight out of high school, I wouldn’t have to worry about that.” In the fall, Oh will be attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City. At the end of his six years there, he will have a bachelor’s degree and a medical degree. However, getting into UMKC was not easy. First, each applicant needed to submit an application, including six letters of recommendation. About 1,000 high school students applied, but only 250 were taken to UMKC for the chemistry placement test and the interview process, where each applicant was given 10 situations to respond to. From there, about 100 students were chosen, Oh being one of them. Oh applied to several programs and eventually decided on UMKC because it gave him a guaranteed spot in the medical school. At UMKC, Oh said, “you are able to be in a hospital treating patients and helping people out in your first week of class, which I was very shocked and pretty excited to be a part of.”

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ANNE HONG

Anne Hong will be attending a six-year program at Rutgers University to study pharmacy. She first heard of the program after living in New Jersey, the college’s location, for eight years. Hong applied to several four-year programs, but after analyzing her options, the six-year program looked the best. “The six-year program would save time. And I would be able to get in the job sooner than if I had just gone in a regular undergraduate four-year and then applied,” she said. Financially, the program Hong is attending offered her more money than others: “For me, this college gave me a very large merit scholarship compared to the other ones. And after calculating everything, six years at that school would cost me much less than four years at another school.” Rutgers allows their applicants to apply for several schools within their college. “I applied for school of engineering and pharmacy to see which ones would accept me and how much they would be, and the pharmacy for me I thought was more worth it,” Hong said. The first two years of the program are pre-professional, and the students enter their professional period the third year. Hong describes Rutgers’ six-year program as “intensive.” She cannot change her classes, and she explained that “for six years and during the summers you’re expected to do internships and practice…their goal is to get you the degree in that short amount of time.” After six years, Hong will have earned her Doctorate of Pharmacy.

ALlie HANSEN

RYAN O’MALLEY

MILITARY

Although some people would be scared to go into the military, Ryan O’Malley feels differently: “I’ve personally already come to the realization that there’s a danger factor in whatever, but [going into the Army’s] a certain ambition that I have.” O’Malley has not always been interested in the military; he originally committed to play football at University of Illinois but decommitted once the coaching staff changed. That’s when he received an offer from Army West Point. “Up until that point, I hadn’t really considered it, but you know, if someone’s going to give you a full-ride scholarship, you should at least give them the decency to look and know what their school’s all about,” O’Malley said. “And when I started looking into Army West Point, I just immediately fell in love, and the big thing is when I was at that school taking my official visits, I could see myself there, so it was a pretty easy decision from then on.” After four years of college, O’Malley will graduate as an officer and is required to serve five years in the Army. One position he will serve in is a platoon leader, where he will help the enlisted soldiers learn what they are doing, work them out and be accountable for them. O’Malley also hopes to become a United States Army Ranger. “You can join a ranger regiment, which is unbelievably prestigious, which is probably what I want to shoot for in the fact that they do small-man missions,” he said. “They’re basically the army version of the Navy Seals. Everybody’s seen Navy Seal movies where they’re six-man squads, they can do assassinations, they can do hostage rescue, they can do counterterrorism--all these different crazy things.” O’Malley said committing to the Army “may be unique and may be out of the norm, but it’s just something that I am personally driven to do.”

Enlisting in the military or going to a military academy are not the only ways to join the military. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a program common on college campuses that prepares students to join the military after college is over. While during one’s freshman and sophomore year there is no requirement to give service, starting a student’s junior year, they must contract with the military. Allie Hansen will join the Army ROTC next year at Xavier University, where she’s studying nursing. Hansen came to the decision to join the Army ROTC since “I wanted to deal more with trauma because I’m going into nursing.” Part of the advantage to joining ROTC rather than enlisting, Hansen explained, is that “you’re automatically entered into the officer corps.” ROTC also offers extensive scholarships to students in the program. While members have the choice of joining the reserves or doing active duty, Hansen wants to do active duty following her college graduation. “There’s a really big hospital in Germany that I really want to go to. I think that’d be really cool, especially to live in a different country for a year or two,” Hansen said. Being a part of ROTC also prevents Hansen from dealing with many of the struggles college students have after graduation: “I’d have a job going out of college and no student debt.”

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Drops of Ink

You are what you do Staff Editorial

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons/Photo illustration by Abbey Humbert Students are always trying new activities but there is a question of whether they are doing them because of passion or because it looks good to a college and that in the long run, they are useful towards school work. Test scores. AP classes. Extracurriculars. Jobs. Social life? Passion? Happiness? There’s no doubt that high school is a means of preparation for college: it’s a time to learn, to grow, and a time to dabble into potential career paths. A lot of emphasis — from parents, friends and the community — is put on having great test scores, consistent extracurriculars and academic achievement across all subjects. And they’re not wrong. Upon browsing almost any college’s admissions recommendations, one can find these very same credentials, many of which coincide with standard high school graduation requirements, but they are described with flair such as “weight of course load” or “academic rigor.” However, in today’s competitive environment, extracurriculars can be just as crucial to one’s college process. Many DOI staff members concur that extracurriculars provide a greater image of a student’s genuine interests and who they are as a person...at least in the eyes of college admissions. There’s a definite pressure to take classes and extracurriculars under the mindset of I’m just doing this so I can put it on my application. Followed by Ugh. More volunteer hours... to get every edge one can get on their application. For those who already know what they want to do, it is important to take preparatory classes; if you’re going to be competing for a specific program (whether it’s pre-med or music), it’s equally important to have extracurriculars that provide the best opportunity to develop in this area, such as volunteering at a hospital or being a part of band. Regardless of what it is you pursue during high school, these are the memories and experiences that shape your future. Challenging yourself to take a class out of your comfort zone can be a good experience, and extracurriculars provide opportunities to learn life skills and figure out your strengths as a person. And honestly, if going to one of the most selective schools is what matters to you, the sometimes-overwhelming schedule that students take may prepare for them for the real world, but it’s not for everyone. Do we focus too much on getting into college rather than discovering

things we enjoy? Should we do things for college or passion? Hopefully the peers and adults in your life have encouraged you to find your “balance.” Some DOI members found a rigorous college to be their goal, while others preferred a more balanced version (emphasizing partaking in activities equally for passion and for college or taking a lighter schedule with a bit more room for hobbies and passions). Some DOI members even wished they had been adult enough to drop an excruciating AP class. Even fewer spoke strictly of passion as being the deciding factor in their college decision. Some members concluded that upon choosing a college, the college environment (opportunities, vibe, etc.) is more important than the school’s rank, while others disagreed. It’s okay to not know exactly what you want out of life as aspirations can change after new experiences (no worries, we won’t be talking about starting families and marriage quite yet). The beautiful (or scary) part is that you may not know what your plan is and you may have not found anything you’re really passionate about. Maybe you’d rather not pursue your passion in terms of career (whether it’s gaming or writing), but given the opportunity to make a passion a part of your life, we believe it is important to make room for it. This means that what you did, or didn’t do, in high school matters, but there’s still a whole life ahead with new opportunities: jobs, internships, relationships, leadership roles, times to put yourself out there, times to take a risk or go for the more comfortable option. We ultimately are the things we actually decide to do. Maybe all the required NHS hours actually gave you a passion for volunteering. Maybe you got into that great engineering program at that great school and you cannot wait to be a part of the new research going on. Maybe you’re already feverishly writing one-acts and your portfolio landed you a great opportunity. So check in with yourself every now and again. Find time for your hobbies (they help keep your sanity) and consider weaseling your passions into your bigger choices as you discover what they are.

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 36 students total. The author(s) of this piece did not place their personal opinions in the story; they merely reflect the staff ’s thoughts.

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Drops of Ink

The Senior Staff Editorial Layout by Allie Goldman

Dear younglings, There’s a weird sense of nostalgia walking through the halls and seeing the microscopic freshmen — it’s kind of an oh-my-god-that-was-me feeling. Better yet, it’s lurking through the school to see terrified sophomores on their way to Driver’s Ed. It’s overhearing juniors’ conversations about anything (e.g. test scores, relationships, sleep schedules, literally anything) and thanking the lord that you’re no longer a junior. And now we’re here: the end of senior year. The seniors of Drops of Ink wanted to share our thoughts so that when your time does come to graduate, you bow out with pride in the person you are and the memories you’ve made. We will be honest: there is no substitute for experience, but maybe the words around will help shape the way you pursue new experiences. Who knows? For what’s it worth, we wish you the best of luck here at LHS. Enjoy every second, friends. Sincerely,

The seniors of Drops of Ink

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Drops of Ink

So, where are you going?

By Demi Glusic

Photo by Kyle Patterson Read below and you’ll never have to hear that dreaded question again! Dear high school students, are you fearing those big family gatherings knowing that everybody and their cousin will come up to ask that one dreaded question? Do you know what question I’m talking about? Let me give you a hint, it typically it begins with “Hi ____, long time, no see! So… Do you know where you are going to school yet?” Don’t worry, it’s all too common. The topic is almost unavoidable and most of us are in the same boat. Freshmen, they don’t have it so bad quite yet; it’s still early in the game. But be warned, the minute the bell rings for first period sophomore year, it has begun. Now every single social event you go to, be prepared for the bombardment of that one. darn. question. Junior year, the fire only picks up. I can’t begin to think how many times I’ve been asked this just these past few months alone. Like please, just take a chill pill. I haven’t even begun to look at schools yet, and I bet I’m not the only one who hasn’t either! Boy, I can’t even imagine how bad the seniors have it, yet at least by then, most students have at least some idea as to where they might be going. Unlike me, the only place I know I’m going for sure is to the fridge. (I will right after typing this sentence; I’m starving.) Ok, that was a good snack. Now, where was I? Oh right! This question is asked so many times that I have practically come up with an automated response. And to be honest, half of the time people who ask aren’t genuinely interested; they ask because it’s the only thing that can think to talk about with us. I could probably say “I’m living abroad among polar bears while studying the effects of leopard seals eating fish,” because the topic goes past so quickly, nor do they actually always care or listen.

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Even the third cousin of my grandfather’s adopted niece twice removed asks that persistent question. I don’t even know who you are and you’re asking me! I bet everyone thinks that they are being unique by asking such a question. Friendly newsflash, you’re not! Hate to break it to you, but that’s the truth. It’s a neverending stream of asking where we are going or what we plan to do. Some of you underclassmen who are reading this are like, “Hey! That sounds like me!” Well then, here is a solution: it’s super simple and only requires three materials. Cardboard, a black marker, and a string or cord of some type. All you need to do is write on the cardboard: “I’m going to *insert school here* and I am interested in *insert career path here.*” Then, tie the string onto the cardboard and hang the sign around your neck. Now, if anyone approaches you and was wondering, PRESTO! No need to explain yourself because they can read your response right then and there. Now they can ask more pressing, less stressful questions like “How is your dog doing?” or “Where are your shoes from?” Don’t get me wrong: I and others, I’m sure, do appreciate the interest in our futures that everyone is curious about, but sometimes it just gets to be too much to handle ourselves. That doesn’t mean stop asking us about our future plans, but perhaps there are alternative ways to find out the information you are seeking. For example, ask our parents or siblings. They don’t get bothered by these questions, so I’m sure they’d be happy to assist you if they know the answer! And if they do begin to get annoyed, I give you my permission to continue pestering anyways; better them than us!

Drops of Ink

Admission of lurking

By Lola Akinlade

Illustration By Demi Glusic Recently there has been a rise in finstas: fake Instagram accounts. Finstas are an open space for students to post whatever they want without the fear of potential colleges or teachers or parents or judgemental peers looking at their posts. These accounts are private, so only people they trust can follow them. Some feature posts of them doing illegal stuff, such as smoking pot and drinking at the most recent house party, while others choose to post on their finstas as an open forum to express their feelings. Whatever the reason, there is one commonality that most finsta users can agree on: they do not want prospective colleges to see their accounts. According to U.S. News & World Report, in a 2017 Kaplan Test Prep survey of more than 350 college admissions officers in the U.S., 35 percent of officers polled reported having looked at applicants’ social media accounts to learn more about them. This number is only growing, evidence that this is a rational fear among many students. At times, the information admissions officers discover from students’ applications won’t suffice. So, what better way to judge a person than by seeing how they portray themselves on social media? Well, um, that’s the problem. It’s hard to judge a person by how they portray themselves on social media because that is not their true self. Sure, if they post pictures of them smoking pot and drinking alcohol, they may not be the best candidate for that specific college. However, at the same time, just because a person posts a picture of themselves with debate medals and Model U.N. awards does not mean that they are automatically smarter than the person who posts pictures of the beach. What a person chooses to post on their social media should not automatically influence the merit of that specific candidate. Applying for college is stressful. Even though I’m a junior, I’ve felt

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the stress radiate onto me through my senior peers. Students already have so much to worry about with college applications, and adding social media is another layer of stress to this process. It’s not right for a student’s dream of attending their number-one college to hinge on a post they made when they were 16 and drinking alcohol. What if they were drinking legally in a foreign country? Could an admissions officer possibly know this? Social media can never tell the true story and for colleges to deny someone’s acceptance influenced by one photo is cruel. Let me paint a scenario for you. A student attended a Halloween party and students were drinking alcohol. The student decided to post a picture even though that student wasn’t drinking but people in the picture were. A college saw the post and saw that person in the picture and didn’t accept them because of it. Some may argue that this rarely happens, but a 2013 Kaplan study reported that 12 percent of college admission applicants were rejected because of what the college saw on social media, as said on HLN, a national news network. So this does happen and just because that student may have made a rash decision to post that inappropriate photo doesn’t mean that other students aren’t doing that same inappropriate thing but instead choosing to post it on their finstas, for example. It’s a blurry line. Some may argue that it was that person’s fault for posting the photo, and I agree — but does that mean their whole future should be jeopardized? Social media is hazy, and it’s difficult to decipher fact from fiction. If college admissions officers have to stalk a potential candidate to narrow down their choices, then okay. However, there need to be rules so that one person’s future isn’t entirely ruined by a photo they took four years before or in a different country or in a haze of confusion.

Drops of Ink

Title : ix By Rachel Benner

Striving for equality in sports

Photo by Maria Thames Layout by Hannah Hutchins

In 1972, a law called Title IX was established to eliminate sex discrimination in school environments. It is still prevalent today, specifically in the realm of sports. It states:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” -Education Amendments Act of 1972

What Does that mean? There are three aspects to the law, and if a school meets all of them, then they are properly obeying it. The first component is called the “three-prong test,” which was created in 1980 to provide clarification on sports offerings. The school must meet all three of the goals. First, a school needs to have a substantial proportionality for its students, which means the number of male and female athletes is proportionate to the number of sports offered. The second prong states that there is a required history and continuing practice of program expansion for female athletes. The third piece is the full and effective accommodations of athletics, interests and abilities. Component two calls for equality in financial assistance for all genders. Financial aid granted to male recipients must be strictly proportionate to female recipients. This

Sports

helps defend the underrepresented gender’s opportunities. The third component covers everything else that the first and second don’t. Equality amongst sports equipment, protection, locker rooms, practice facilities, travel budgets, coaching assignments, marketing, game and practice times and scheduling fall under this component, to name a few. “Basically [component three asks], are you giving the same opportunities whether it’s facility-wise, whether it’s funding-wise, whether it’s how you set up practices and competitions,” explained Athletic Director Briant Kelly. Title IX does not apply to female students only, but it does advocate for them more. In past years, women have not been given as many opportunities in sports as males. Title IX is trying to close that gap.

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Title ix at lhs LHS follows Title IX in all of the three components, according to Mr. Kelly. For almost every male sport, there is an equivalent female sport. Softball and baseball are considered equivalent, as well as girls and boys lacrosse. Regardless of gender or required equipment, these sports get equal funding; however, because of how the budget is organized, they might not all receive the same amount in one year, Mr. Kelly said. Cheer and poms are considered female sports and football and wrestling are considered male sports, even though someone from an opposite gender can go out for the sport. Presently, there are 18 female sports and 16 male sports, if cheer and poms are counted for both fall and winter. The Athletic Department records how many students participate each season by gender. When added up, this past year had 974 seasons played in male-dominant sports and 872 for female-dominant sports (these numbers include athletes who play

multiple sports). Over the past 15 years, the amount of female participants has about doubled with the new opportunities they have been given. LHS policy states for sports that have an equal gender-equivalent sport, students will play on the team that they identify with. In the case of a student who is transgender and/or gender non-conformist, LHS will adhere to a process set up by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). This procedure includes the student and/or parent contacting the school administration to inform them of the different identity than was stated on their birth certificate. The school collects the student’s registration records, medical documents (including hormonal treatments, sexual reassignment surgery and counseling records), and gender identity related advantages for approved participation and sends them to the IHSA office as a request for a student’s participation. IHSA then reviews the documents with an established group of medical personnel and makes a ruling.

Causing a Racquet This year, LHS created a girls badminton team, comprised of 36 female participants. According to Mr. Kelly, the team was started after the school “had interest level through some of our open gyms, through some of the surveys that I’ve done in the past for our students and then also when we went to our new conference of eight schools, the majority of the schools were going to have badminton already.” Badminton is considered by the IHSA as a girls sport. Unlike predominantly male sports such as football and wrestling, where females are welcome to join, boys were unable to try out for the LHS team, despite their curiosity for the sport. “The reason a boy cannot try out for a girls team is because Title IX protects the underrepresented gender,” elaborated IHSA Assistant Executive Director Stacy Lambert in an email. “Allowing a boy to participate on a girls team would potentially

take the place of a girl who wanted to participate and therefore not protect the underrepresented gender.” There was only a small interest level in a boys badminton team. According to an email from A-F LST counselor and girls badminton coach Mrs. Judi Neuberger, she received “a couple of emails and a couple of phone calls as well as two or three students that stopped by to ask about the possibility of boys playing badminton.” Several factors prevent a boys badminton team at this time: There is not enough interest to form a team, IHSA does not currently offer boys badminton as an official sport and there are no other teams in the conference that have created a boys badminton team. However, boys are encouraged to become managers for the girls team next spring season according to Mrs. Neuberger.

At LHS, Title IX permits girls to play football (traditionally a male-dominated sport) and does not permit boys to play badminton (there is only a girls team offered here). Sports

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Sports

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Senior Grace Hurley, a Capernaum leader, said her favorite thing about the group “is it gives the idea that [students with special needs] are just as worthy as those who aren’t special needs.” Over the summer of 2016, she attended the camp for Capernaum in Michigan where Reyes was her buddy. They participated in activities such as lake activities and dance parties, and Hurley even had a pie thrown in her face by Reyes.

Crazy about Capernaum:

For the past four years, Reyes has been a member of Capernaum and for one year, a part of Young Life, both Christian-based youth groups for high schoolers. The goal of Capernaum is to help educate young adults with special needs about their religion. Capernaum derives from Young Life and the club meets every other Friday. Young Life has a similar goal but is open to all high schoolers.

Movie Man: If Reyes is known for one thing more than any other, it would be his love of movies. His love of movies is shown on his Instagram account (@ragingfurious), where he posts photos and reviews of movies he has recently seen. When asked, Reyes explained that “Fast and Furious 8” was his favorite movie. Ryan Gibbs, a senior at LHS and a buddy of Reyes’s from Best Buddies, said the two spend a lot of time together. They have seen at least a dozen movies together, including “Going Out in Style” and “Batman v. Superman.” “He always makes sure everyone is having fun,” Gibbs explained. Mason the Manager: For two years, Reyes was the manager of the varsity boys basketball team. Former LHS student Jabari Quigley had asked him to be their manager. Quigley explained that a few of his teammates and himself knew Reyes from school and saw his interest in the team. When asked what his favorite sport to manage was, Reyes responded right away with basketball “because of the outings, like laser tag. I became really good friends with some of [the players].” Quigley stated that his favorite part of having Reyes around for the team was the way he was able to help the team bounce back from a hard loss or a long practice at the end of the night. “Mason knows how to make light of a situation,” Quigley explained. In addition to being the manager for basketball, Reyes also manages the girls junior varsity and varsity water polo teams. As a first time manager for water polo, Reyes has made some amazing friends. Hurley was the one to ask him to be their manager and he just couldn’t refuse. “I am close with a few of them,” Reyes stated. “I am going to prom with Jess Lanty and I went with Grace [Hurley] last year.” Lanty, a senior and member of the varsity girls water polo team, noted that “[Reyes] has been a huge help during the games.” The team constantly has music ready for Reyes so he can show off his dance moves and create a fun atmosphere during a long practice. Special Olympics Superstar: Reyes has competed in Special Olympics ever since he started high school. Special Olympics is an organization created in 1968 and has the purpose of allowing those with special needs to play team and individual sports. This past year, he was able to score a gold in bocce ball singles and a silver in doubles, qualifying him for state. However, he is unable to attend the state competition due to a family wedding. Through the years, Reyes has consistently gotten better at what he competes in, whether it be track and field or bocce ball. Coach Andy Compton remarked in an email that Reyes is a “great individual with a great heart and he likes to have fun.” The first year Reyes started with the team, he was timid and unsure of his skills. As a senior, he now participates in a number of events and excels in them. “[Reyes] is becoming a leader on the field and in practice,” stated Compton. A Buddy to All: As a four-year member, Reyes has become an icon for the club at LHS. The club consists of the special needs students at LHS and anyone else who wants to be a part of it. They are then paired with a buddy and do activities in the club and outside of school together. Being as outgoing as he is, Reyes is always the first to hop up and get the games going, which in turn gets others to participate. “Mason embodies the spirit of Best Buddies and makes other people show up to meetings,” Hurley stated. They have never been paired together but they still find ways to bond. Best Buddies has helped Reyes feel like he is part of the school and meet new people that he may never have had the chance to know otherwise.

Council Contributor: Being a part of Student Council, Reyes is able to give his ideas and have a say in what the school does. A senior member of the club, Michael Kotzan, described Reyes as having many great ideas that make decisions such as themes for school dances so much harder. “There isn’t a day in Student Council that [Reyes] isn’t ready to contribute,” explained Kotzan over an interview via text. Reyes is at every meeting ready to go with ideas and he urges his peers to do the same.

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