May Issue: The Next Generation

D

O

I

Volume 92, Issue 7 May 16, 2019

THE

NEXT GENERATION

T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N

NEWS 6

7

Asbestos, lead removed recently Two Spanish classrooms were closed after asbestos was found in the floors; these classes have been meeting in one of the school’s innovation rooms.

Businesses turn over throughout Libertyville Some changes are coming to downtown Libertyville, with clothing store Serendipity closing and Lolo’s Bowls opening soon.

OPINION 26

What Does the Future Hold?

27

Same District, Different Day

28-29

DOI’s Declassified School Survival Guide

The Drops of Ink staff discusses how our generation is different from our parents and what the future holds for Generation Z. LHS and VHHS students swapped for a day to see the differences in each school and how they compare.

The Drops of Ink seniors give their advice to underclassmen on what they learned over the past four years.

FEATURE 10-17

18-19

20-21

22-23

The Senior List

A list of all the seniors and their plans for next year.

Not Where I Expected to Be

32-33

The Blurred Line

Life doesn’t always follow a neat, predicted path, writes Mr. Gluskin, the DOI faculty adviser.

A Non-traditional Path

While many students go the traditional college route, there are still other options, including trade school, the military and going to college internationally.

Majors and Minors

Often times, art and music majors are seen as unstable and easy majors in college, but the process is much harder than one would think.

Retiring Teachers of LHS: Their Pasts and Their Futures The three LHS teachers who are retiring wave goodbye to the school and look towards what’s to come in retirement.

24-25

30

Intoxicated sex is rape. The media often influences our perception of this issue and normalizes rape culture, but the laws of consent contrast what is regularly understood or portrayed.

SPORTS 34-35

Stick It: The Success of Boys Gymnastics

Boys Gymnastics is currently the number one team in the state and competed at state after winning their sectional.

It’s as Easy as XYZ: A Walkthrough of the Four Generational Archetypes

There are four generational archetypes that recur in our society and help shape patterns throughout history; each one has specific characteristics that relate to the current world.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Contact us at doi@lhswildcats.org Contents by Molly Boufford Cover design by Ian Cox

2

Drops of Ink | Contents

S TA F F L I S T I N G Editors-In-Chief Maggie Burnetti Savanna Winiecki Matt Smith, Online Editor Molly Boufford, News Editor Olivia Gauvin, Features Editor Jacob Kemp, Features Editor Rachel Benner, Opinion Editor Maggie Evers, Sports Editor Ian Cox, Layout Editor Claire Salemi, Social Media Editor

7

Faculty Adviser Michael Gluskin

Anya Belomoina Andrew Benoit Olivia Bertaud Annika Bjorklund Amanda Black Ariella Bucio Sayre DeBruler Moira Duffy Thomas Evans Kate Felsl Jade Foo John Freberg Stephanie Gay Aliya Haddon George Hayek Grant Herbek Rowan Hornsey Benjamin Kanches Ella Marsden Benjamin Mayo Allison McLean Charlotte Pulte Kirsten Townander Carly Wagner

20-21

@lhsdoi

@lhsdoi

Libertyville High School

Visit us at lhsdoi.com

Drops of Ink

34-35

LETTER TO THE READER

ONLINE STORIES “Avengers: Endgame” and the glory of the MCU (A spoiler free review)

Dear readers, We made it! The end of the year. Summer is a blink away and a happy, stress-free life is sure to return.

As a DOI editor and an ecstatic senior, I’m pleased to present our Next Generation Issue, the last one of the year!

We, the students of Libertyville High School, are part of the next generation, soon entering the real world. Whatever your passion or post-high school plans are, we have the capability to make a significant and positive impact in the future. I can hardly wait for us.

While this issue is for everyone, seniors, this one especially goes out to you. Four years of work, and now it’s time to dip. (And for all you non-seniors, it’s okay. Your time is coming too.) Wherever you are going or whatever you are setting out to do — be it college or not — take pride in your accomplishments and celebrate making it to the end. This is huge. Check out the annual senior list starting on page 10.

But please don’t just look at the senior list and neglect the rest; this issue’s content is really worth reading. I would argue that this issue might be our best yet. And while you read the stories, make sure to check out our wonderful photos and enjoy our beautiful layouts. This publication is a team effort, it’s not just writers who make this magazine a magazine. We have incredibly talented photographers and designers, worthy of equal admiration.

I want to end by giving a shoutout to Drops of Ink. Joining sophomore year was one of the best decisions I made during my high school career. The students on staff are some of the most hardworking, creative, talented and coolest kids at LHS. The editorial board and our adviser, Mr. Gluskin, work insanely hard to make sure everything is ready for print. I’d also like to send out a good luck to the future editors and DOI staff of next year. I know you are going to do a killer job, and I’m excited for the school to see more great work from this publication.

That’s all I have to say. Enjoy the issue!

My Silent Opinion

‘Bleacher Bums’ brings America’s favorite pastime to the stage

H.A.G.S. lol,

Rachel Benner Opinions Editor

4

Drops of Ink | Letter to the Reader

Scan the QR code below to check out more stories and pictures like these on our website!

hat ’ s trending W

By Maggie Evers Illustrations by Annika Bjorklund Layout by Liv Bertaud

Printed swim trunks

Tassel earrings

Initial necklace

Flowy pants Sperrys

Platform sandals Joggers Hair scarf

Retro sunglasses

Drops of Ink | What’s Trending

5

Asbestos, lead removed recently

By Moira Duffy

Photo by Amanda Black Room 130 is one of the foreign language classrooms where asbestos was found under the floor tiles. The asbestos was discovered in early April; the classrooms are expected to be ready to use on May 20.

Libertyville High School is working to eliminate certain building-wide issues that have arisen recently, such as the presence of asbestos and lead paint, as well as update the heating and air conditioning systems. The renovation of these issues has begun and there are various dates for when specific updates will be completed.

In early April, asbestos was found under the floor tiles of classrooms 128 and 130, which are both foreign language classrooms. Building and Grounds immediately investigated to find the best solution and decided to temporarily close the two classrooms so the work to abate asbestos could be completed as soon as possible.

Rooms 128 and 130 are expected to be cleared for learning May 20, the last day of classes this semester, according to Mr. Mark Koopman, the district’s Building and Grounds director.

Asbestos, a natural mineral, is particularly present in structures built before 1980 -- mostly in old floor tiles, ceiling tiles, roof shingles and insulation -- although there may be asbestos in new buildings as well. It is particularly an issue at LHS, since the gym was built with asbestos around 1954 and has undergone various additions that also utilized asbestos. With heavy asbestos exposure, people’s lungs can be scarred, causing issues such as shortness of breath, and it can even be lethal in severe cases, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

“Our plan is to keep moving on and remove the asbestos in the building to create an asbestos-free environment,” stated Mr. Koopman. Over the years, he mentioned, asbestos has been a recurring issue at LHS that the team is working to remove, though for the most part, it is encapsulated and therefore not a threat to students and faculty.

Mr. Koopman added that information on asbestos removal is available on the

building and district websites. They are also sure to give a 10-day notification to faculty and students, then schedule work, followed by work at night when classes are not in session, though people can be in the building while the asbestos is abated.

Currently, many students taking Spanish are in one of the innovation rooms, 149, while the asbestos is removed.

Spanish teacher Mrs. Elaine Schreck, who teaches in one of the affected rooms, appreciated the fast response to the work order she put in when she first suspected her room had asbestos in the floor tiles.

“I think I put in a work order fifth period [and] by sixth period, they were in my classroom,” she said. “Right away they took precautions to make sure that we weren’t going to be in that room with tiles falling off the floor.”

Students who were moved to the innovation room had a mostly seamless transition from the Spanish room.

“I kind of like [being in the innovation room] just because all my other classrooms [have] the standard desks and rows and are just kind of boring, and I like [the innovation room] because it has the high chairs and cool tables,” mentioned junior Lexie Hille.

The innovation room was updated recently and facilitates group work and collaboration.

“I like having the extra screens that you wouldn’t find in a normal classroom, so it’s more flexible [overall],” added Mrs. Schreck. She noted that it was an adjustment at first, but for the most part, her students appreciate the room.

The work to abate asbestos in rooms 128 and 130 was preceded by the removal of chipped lead paint from the ceiling in the main gym.

Much like the presence of asbestos in language classrooms, the lead paint issue was addressed quickly; work on that issue

finished shortly after spring break. During this time, the gym was closed for nearly three weeks. Several sports teams, as a result, found other venues and/or had shortened practices. For example, the badminton teams used space at VHHS and gym classes combined and participated in a bowling unit in order to stay active during the work on the main gym.

Mr. Koopman clarified that the lead paint was not harmful unless it was ingested.

In addition to these issues, Building and Grounds will soon continue its work of updating the ventilation systems in the school, which started last summer and is set to continue the upcoming summer to fully improve each floor of LHS. According to Mr. Koopman, the Building and Grounds department was able to renovate the second floor heating and air conditioning units last summer. It was useful that summer school was at Vernon Hills High School instead of LHS so workers didn’t have to accommodate for classes in session.

This upcoming summer, Mr. Koopman and the Building and Grounds team is planning to update the heating and air conditioning units on the first floor. He is collaborating with the team at LHS to plan how they will make changes to permanently benefit the units and keep them from needing even more updates in the near future.

In total, Mr. Koopman estimates that $2 million will be spent this summer on the renovation of ventilation units.

For all issues the weathered LHS building has to face, Mr. Koopman noted Building and Grounds is diligent in their handling of the problems: “Our goal ... is to provide a safe and clean learning environment for staff, students and any guests in the building.”

Drops of Ink | News

6

Businesses turn over throughout Libertyville

By Ella Marsden

Photo by Jade Foo

Lovin Oven Cakery, a bakery located in downtown Libertyville, will be closing at the end of June due to economic factors.

Throughout Libertyville, several new businesses are opening while older ones have recently closed.

Pam Hume, the executive director of MainStreet Libertyville, a nonprofit organization dedicated toward promoting downtown Libertyville, explained over the phone that while it’s sad to see Libertyville businesses close their doors, the newly available storefronts allow new businesses to open.

One of the new businesses opening in Libertyville is called Lolo’s Bowls. With the help of her family, 2012 LHS graduate Lauren Schick is in the process of opening this new restaurant; they’re set to open in August. With their primary menu item being açaí bowls, Schick is also planning to serve other healthy grab-and-go options. This will include smoothies, avocado toast, peanut butter-banana toast, overnight oats and other healthy, no-bake treats, she explained.

Lolo’s is opening in Cambridge Plaza near Bagels by the Book and Panera; Schick hopes that the popularity of those restaurants will draw customers to Lolo’s. They’re hoping to target high schoolers, young kids, and people seeking post-workout meals as their primary customers, Schick said.

Schick studied kinesiology, the scientific study of human movement, at DePaul Uni-

versity. After college, she started nursing school but soon realized that she didn’t want to pursue a nursing career. Instead, she decided she’d open her own business; That’s how Lolo’s came to be.

Schick explained what she hopes her business will become: “I envision a place where people can come and I just I hope [Lolo’s] impacts people. Obviously, we’re going to have good food, but I hope it’s all centered around helping people and giving back.”

She explained that she wants to leave an impact on the world; Schick is planning on donating a portion of the company’s sales to Feed My Starving Children.

Serendipity, a popular clothing and jewelry store in downtown Libertyville, closed their physical store at the end of April. The owner, Kendra Dean, explained that the biggest reason for this is due to her family.

With her sister, Greta Dean, in her last year at LHS, they decided that it was time to continue the business only through their website and a Grayslake store, Closet Traders. Closet Traders supports women-owned small businesses by selling their products.

The girls’ mom, Kristin, opened Serendipity 13 years ago, when Kendra was in eighth grade. Until three years ago, Kendra worked as a part-time sales associate, helping out around the store. She officially

took over the company after graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2015, where she studied fashion merchandising.

As the new owner, Kendra made some changes: “I did take over three years ago and moved completely on my own and built the online website completely on my own,” she said.

But after three years of owning Serendipity, Kendra shared that she’s moving to Chicago, where she’ll still be managing the website and social media aspect of the store. She’ll be reverse-commuting from the city because the Serendipity office will still be out of Libertyville.

Kendra’s favorite aspect of the business is how it allows her to spend time with her family: “I employ my grandma…I loved working with her. I think a lot of times, especially being 25, I don’t know anyone else who gets to work with their grandma on a daily basis, and I absolutely loved it.”

A popular bakery in downtown Libertyville, Lovin Oven Cakery, is also set to close on June 30 as was recently reported by the Chicago Tribune. A combination of economic factors, like increasing rent and an increase in minimum wage passed by the state legislature, pushed the owner, Matt Slove, to close before the company begins to lose money. Slove was contacted for this article but did not respond to interview requests.

Drops of Ink | News

7

8

Drops of Ink | Advertisement

Drops of Ink | Advertisements

9

THE

By Matt Smith and Kirsten Townander Infographics by katie Felsl Header by Liv Bertaud Layout by Maggie Burnetti Photos by amanda black

The names on this list are from a survey that was sent out by the CRC.

ALABAMA auburn university Lucas Burkhardt Greta Dean Brynn Miller university of alabama Ally Becker Ryan Damenti Emma Milowski

arizona

THE SENIOR LIST 10

arizona state university Alyssa Gallo Tierney Keegan Ryan Kolaczewski Peyton Sartin

grand canyon university Yozelyn Salinas university of arizona Amanda Reinhart Gabe Vazamim

california california polytechnic state university, san luis obispo Max Faber Payton Golwas Eloise Hides point loma nazarene university Grace Bloom san diego state university Reese Dannenfeldt santa clara university Mary Murphy

university of california - berkeley Chris Fischer university of california - irvine Katie Waldvogel university of california - los angeles EJ Chen Albert Guan university of california - san diego Radu Manea university of southern california Annika Bjorklund university of redlands Allie Kuhlman

colorado colorado mesa university Brendan King

THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST

colorado state university Parker Jackim Rebecca Jozwiak Bailey Latka Sydney Marsden Celia Mendralla Marissa Mosconi Jack Muraoka Scott Patterson university of colorado - boulder Reece Davis university of denver Tess Styler

connecticut university of hartford Ashley Marshall

florida florida gulf coast university Gabe Kosciuch

georgia georgia institute of technology Taylor Filicette

florida state university Peyton Jennings university of florida Neeva Sethi

gap year Laura Hinz Isaac Rodriguez Cooper Miller Robert Mills Jack Morris

hawaii brigham young university - hawaii Charlotte Stephenson

idaho university of idaho Ed Steenkolk

illinois augustana college Emma Chandler Amanda Page bradley university Sam Bryant Erik LaRoi college of dupage Davion Thompson college of lake county Brianna Baez Trevor Barca Aidan Brown Brandon Brown Danny Chmura Kathleen Connell Kate Cook Clara Corkins Marek Fackert Crichton Farrell Danny Feroze Josh Hardy

THE SENIOR LIST 11

THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE

Brendon Haring Hannah Hartshorne Cassidy Heyer Evan Hill Matthew Holmes Ian Hooper Alex Jonas Meghan Keating Taha Khan Ethan Neir Papito Pardinas Gregory Renix Ellie Seyl Jose Mendoza-Silveyra Sergio Rocha Sebastian Stankiewicz Kevin Sugrue Anniina Walquist Andrea Wells Wesley Werdan columbia college chicago Peter Cimbalo

The infographic information was gathered through a survey sent to all seniors via email which received 134 responses.

Academics/Specific Major (38.1%) Campus Life/School Spirit (17.2%) Other (6.7%) Size (2.2%)

depaul university Natalie Brown Zach Fuhrman Justine Gacek Grant Herbek Kelsey Kurz Lancy Marcos Nicole Velazquez

loyola university - chicago Zoya Jafferbhai Xochitl Marcos

eastern illinois university Kincer Crovetti

millikin university Thomas Power

elmhurst college Ryan Berger

northern illinois university Andres Barrera Alison Krawcyzk

illinois state university Enrique Aguirre Ben Barnabee Mia Clymer Matt Feeney Thomas Fenlon Jack Ianuzzi Bianca Johnson Tanner Kelly Matt Listman Ben Mayo Connor Nelson Ryan Padilla Hannah Rubinstein Kirsten Townander Greg Yonan illinois wesleyan university Garner Werntz THE SENIOR LIST 12

Biggest deciding factor in college decision

lake forest college Zoya Hasan Reed Houcek Spencer Nassar

lewis university Emily Detlaff Saad Waheed

university of chicago Mitch Gifford university of illinois - chicago Jackson Bogus Mohamed Mostafa Angad Virk Ania Zbroja university of illinois - springfield Trinity Hutson university of illinois urbana-champaign Kat Asejo Grace Boileau Maggie Burnetti Cody Cannon Jillian Cote Kacper Dural Molly Graton Michael Gunther

Cost (20.9%) Location (14.9%)

Ahmed Hasan Connor Hayes Emma Hollinger Alex Ji Andrew Kim Daniel MacAyeal Paula Magnuszewski Luke Markuson Teague Mitchell Megan Murphy Matt Neuberger Haley Noll Jon Palmieri Kennah Porcelius Adam Psyhogios Dom Quigley Zoe Randolph Brendan Rattin Eloisa Rego Nick Rogers Max Sauers Anna Schellin Parker Schleuning Payton Schweiger Charlie Stahnke Nick Villiard northwestern university Zach El Ghatit Brian Hong Annika Larson David Lee Anne Li Jonathan Li Jorge Neira Sophie Rollins rockford university Foster Boom

LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST

indiana ball state university Emma Soderstrom Maddie Tankel butler university Bryan Bystol Lee O’Reilly Haley Van Matre indiana state university Niko Christensen Caitlin Josten indiana university - bloomington Sabine Bruncko Alex Caronis Travis Clark Anna Giardina Molly Hazen Catherine Hebbeln Dylan Heimert Connor Landmeier Johnny Lauber Jess Mehra Justin Miller Adam Nostrand Declan Olsen Nolan Porter Frances Ramirez Logan Sides Russell Skarbek Matt Smith Alex Weick Anna Yachnin purdue university Grace Albright Kora Costakis Quinn Lutz Ana Norena Ethan Robbins Jared Robbins Bruce Senter rose-hulman institute of technology Savannah Stevens Jonathan Timm university of notre dame Annie Ryan Kelly Shinnick

university of st. andrews - scotland

Carolyn Hardy

iowa coe college Tobias Cruz

maryland john hopkins university Anika Misra loyola university - maryland Brianna Reed

iowa state university Jimmy Bolas Brendan Duffy Katie Felsl Matthew Milz Brandon Schumann loras college Donny Ryan university of iowa Carter Dorow Matt Gaines Alec Goodman Kelly Higgason Noah Highsmith Kyle Junkunc Sydney Klatt Anna Legutki Nathaniel Massa Colin Rosten Chloe Wilson

Kansas university of kansas Colin Boe Annie Gallup

kentucky university of kentucky Alex Black Matthew Bechtold Hannah Hiscox Anthony Hughes Ben Moody Amanda Peter

massachusetts northeastern university Jake Duffy Jacob Kemp gordon college Sergio Hurtado

michigan grand valley state university Toni Butler Niko Bougiotopoulos

THE SENIOR LIST

valparaiso university Elias Anderson Ryan Klainos Daniel Ritz

international

western kentucky university Maxi Von Holten

13

THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE

michigan state university Michelle Collier John Freberg James Grayson Kylee Kraus Adam Luburich Sammy Schneider Carter Smith Brian Wilterdink northern michigan university Nicholas Belluomini Stefan Dupor university of michigan Maddie Jacobs Kevin Kaya Evan Rasmussen Linh Tran Anna Wolski

Military united states air force academy Bennett Whitney united states naval academy Thomas Pearson united states military academy Ben Lopez united states navy Mark Baquiran Juan Pelayo united states marine corps Kurt Feiereisel Brandon Gardner

minnesota university of minnesota - twin cities Luke Barrile Matt Chyna Katie DeAcetis Sophia Fisher Marissa Mazzetta Ian Smith Kate Speer

mississippi university of mississippi Sawyer Abington

missouri saint louis university Olivia Johnson Erin McCane Lila Babat Alexis DeLongchamp missouri university of science and technology Erin Scheuneman university of missouri - columbia Garrison Bennett Maggie Evers Jonah Kincaid Gigi Ori Bryce Pinsel Tara Recana Hannah Schuler Alexa Tierney washington university Christine Zhang

New Hampshire university of new hampshire - durham Julia DeNoia

New mexico university of new mexico Van Laughlin

new york fordham university Rachel Benner Qianyu Hong syracuse university Lillian McGowen

North carolina belmont abbey college Charlie Foltz

Montana montana state university Ashley Pignone

nebraska university of nebraska - lincoln Joanie Wood

high point university Madi Hartwig Kylie Skie meredith college Julia Forrest duke university Matthew Huang Lisa Zhao wake forest Tate Constable wake technical community college Sydney Donovan

creighton university Jacob Damocles

ohio THE SENIOR LIST 14

cedarville university Ben Johnson

LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST

kent state university Erin Leese miami university - oxford Matt Apgar Matthew Beckman Ally McLean Julia Sahagian Julia Zinkewich

pennsylvania bucknell university Charlie Land duquesne university Tess Aumuller

oberlin college of arts and sciences Jay McClendon

lehigh university

ohio state university Alex Houser Nate Rezell Carly Wagner Mason Williams

pennsylvania state university Tanner Blacker Nick Guarino Elle Imm

ohio university Kate Mauer university of cincinatti Audrey Black university of dayton Reed DeLude Katie Hay Dan Schroedle the college of wooster Matt Engfer Helena Janczak

clemson university Lindsey Burke Mikaila Corrigan Connor Lortz Nick Otto

Aliya Haddon

south carolina charleston southern university Ben Kanches university of south carolina Ellie Barnett Olivia Cherry Emma Halpin Jessica McLennan Scott Wagner

Tennessee university of tennessee - knoxville Layan Abdo Kevin Aquadro Brianna Burns Jenn Formica Kyle Krakowski Sara Leese vanderbilt university Alice Lillydahl

texas texas a&m university Kate Miller

oklahoma oklahoma state university Max Wood spartan college of aeronautics and technology Henry Kolterman university of oklahoma George Hayek Francesca Losh

oregon oregon state university Jack McDonnell university of oregon Emma Saucedo THE SENIOR LIST 15

THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE

texas christian university Stephanie Gay Kate Gilllespie Becca Neil David Robertson McKenna Rudolphi Jack VanDixhorn

utah brigham young university Clarisse Austin Sadie Eyre utah state university Tori Lex

trade school united brotherhood of carpenters David Serrecchia

virginia college of william and mary James Davies

THE SENIOR LIST 16

liberty university Josh Steinhaus washington and lee university Annalisa Waddick

washington university of washington Matt Wagner washington state university Ethan Schultz

LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST THE SENIOR LIST

washington D.c. american university Olivia Gauvin Grace Gold george washington university Carrie Jeffrey Christine Perritano Margaux Scally

west virginia west virginia university Brendan Bowlby Bailey Geidner

wisconsin carroll university Abby Paglia carthage college Kyle Baldwin Katie Drummond Thomas Edgar Hayden Friese

Alexander Herring Peter Kafkis Ally Kline Andrew Kline Mitchie Main Albaraa Mohammad lawrence university Alyssa Sorensen Jason Lenz marquette university Chloe Bleck Neil Chhikara Ivan Espinoza Kayleen Gillespie Thomas Guiard Mackenzie Kallison Katie Kotzan Lisa Lamb Jacob Lawrence Victoria Parker Mariel Sebby Savanna Winiecki milwaukee school of engineering George Kacos university of wisconsin - milwaukee Anya Belomoina Tim Keating Grace Knuteson Camryn Giles Connor Nekich Richie Rush Madison Seale

university of wisconsin - madison Derek Calamari Meagan Carney Elizabeth Chapin Abby Cima Joe Eads Lauren Gadek Taylor Heimert Shane Kearns Corey Kuchler Emily Loizzo Milica Lukic Ava Pakosta Matthew Richardson Charlie Schmitt Lily Slater Madeline Spaulding Hannah Thurau Jack Turco Andrew Zemeske university of wisconsin - la crosse Brandon Murphy university of wisconsin - parkside Jaren Seay university of wisconsin - osh kosh Spencer Agee Ryan Fisher Lucas Vla university of wisconsin - stevens point Harley Baskin university of wisconsin - stout Prachi Arons university of wisconsin - whitewater Nate Barca Nicolas Comella Elise Doctor Suzanne Hogan Jacob Ivers

work force Emili Ford

wyoming university of wyoming Will Conley Emma Muller THE SENIOR LIST 17

A NON-TRADITIONAL PATH While most students at LHS attend a four-year college in the United States, there are always a few students who decide to follow in a non-traditional path after they graduate high school.

Some students decide to take a gap year and some enter the military, for example. There’s also the option of attending a trade school, cosmetology school or even going to a different country for college.

Here are some of the students graduating this month who have chosen one of those paths.

Brandon Gardner Marine Corps San Diego, CA

After Brandon Gardner graduates, he won’t immediately go to college.

Instead, he’ll be heading to San Diego, where he will be joining the Marine Corps. Joining the military in Gardner’s family isn’t a tradition, but it isn’t new either. His grandfather was in the Navy, and his great uncle was in the Marines.

Gardner noted that he hopes to be deployed in Asia, however, he will not know where he will be officially 18

Drops of Ink | Feature

deployed until after his military occupational specialty training. What he does know is that while he is deployed, his specialty involves logistics or, more specifically, supply chain maintenance. He will be “trained in the application of Automated Information Systems, known as AIS,” which is the assembly of computer hardware, as stated

by The Balance Careers website.

He will also partake in humanitarian aid missions. Gardner stated that during and after a natural disaster, he and his team will “always be the first [people] to go and help out.” While on these missions, he will be short-term help, until the government is able to dish out long-term assistance. Gardner stated that he hopes “to take advantage of some of those opportunities and help people out.”

After Gardner leaves the Marine Corps in 2023, he does plan to attend college. At the moment, he is thinking of Michigan State University, where he might study business administration. However, he is not certain as to exactly what he will be doing or where he will be going, as he is giving himself more time to make a choice than most seniors.

Juan Pelayo The Navy Juan Pelayo will be embarking on a journey similar to Gardner’s plan this fall. Pelayo will be “joining the Navy and [is] planning on being an engineer.”

By Sayre DeBruler Photos by Aliya Haddon Layout by Ian Cox

Pelayo said that a main factor in his decision was that when he was a kid, he knew a lot of people who were in the military, and he always looked up to them. After that, Pelayo “never really had any more ideas of what [he] wanted to do.”

Pelayo stated that the training for the Navy is “meant to make you quit so they can see who is loyal and dedicated.” Military.com gives a detailed list on what to expect during the training, which includes, but definitely is not limited to, controlled sit-ups, curl-ups, and push-ups for a period of one to two minutes.

After Pelayo’s deployment ends in 2023, he plans to attend Michigan State University, which is what he said his parents had wanted him to do originally. Pelayo said he had a tough time convincing his parents that joining the military was the best option for him. They had even nearly convinced Pelayo himself to not join. However, in the end, Pelayo was able to get “them to understand that [the Navy was] what I wanted.”

Cooper Miller

Carolyn Hardy

Gap Year Nepal & Japan

University of St Andrews St. Andrews, Scotland While Carolyn Hardy does plan to attend a four-year school, she will be doing so in Scotland. However, going to the University of St Andrews was not Hardy’s original plan.

She had been thinking about taking a gap year, but that did not work out the way she initially thought. Then, when Hardy was applying to colleges, she wasn’t too hooked on St. Andrews because she didn’t want to go there if she didn’t visit the school first. So, St. Andrews was the last school she applied to.

When Hardy’s parents were in London, they decided they would fly her out to meet them, and the three of them would visit St. Andrews together. While the family toured the college, Hardy stated that her parents “said that I seemed happier there than any other school that I visited.” Therefore, they were not too surprised when Hardy made St. Andrews her final decision.

Hardy plans to study German, history, and international relations for two years, and then her junior year, she will choose one or two to major in. She has expressed immense excitement while talking about St. Andrews, stating that the entire town of St. Andrews “looks like the Harry Potter World in Orlando.” The town is littered with castle ruins, and you can even see the entire town on top of one of the tower ruins. The university’s student population is roughly 8,000, which, for Hardy, “felt like it was like a perfect fit.”

Cooper Miller will be heading over to Nepal with an organization for students on gap years called Where There Be Dragons.

On their official website, they state that during the Nepal trip, students will “experience the mysticism of the Himalayas: trek on the roof of the world, study traditional arts with local masters [and] live in a farming village and sit for a Buddhist meditation retreat.”

The trip will stretch for 84 days from August to December.

Then, for December and January, Miller will be in Florida with his family. Currently, he doesn’t “know what [he’s] going to do other than family stuff,” however he does hope to eventually find something more to do than just relax.

His second gap-year trip takes him to Japan from January all the way until August 2020. There, Miller will take part in an internship program with a professor at Stanford University. He will be doing research, which will “most likely compare the educational systems of American and Japanese schools,” Miller said. This research will be conducted with one of Stanford’s professors, which in turn “might [give him] a good chance of being accepted” in applying to Stanford after the internship is finished.

Deciding to go on a gap year was not always Miller’s intention.

When applying to colleges, Miller said he realized that he was not sure what he wanted to do, or even where he really wanted to go and “didn’t want to waste money on tuition to figure that out, [or] bouncing around to different majors for the first year.” In the end, the option to take a gap year was his ultimate decision, and he resolved to attend school afterwards.

19 Drops of Ink | Feature 12

Majors and Minors

By Olivia Gauvin

Photos by Anya Belomonia Layout by Jade Foo

As students conclude the 2018-19 school year, many are beginning to discover their passions and future career interests. For some, the sciences are the foundations for their passions; maybe they aim to study engineering or medicine. For others, social studies are the driving forces behind their goals for future careers, like history or international affairs.

But for a select number of graduating seniors, their futures are paved by different paths. These students have found their passions in the arts, whether it be in graphic design, the trumpet or even fashion. Let’s take a look at the unique education of these artists and musicians, starting with their majors and minors.

Pursuing their Passions For senior Elias Anderson, studying music after high school was something he found interest in after his experiences in pit orchestra. A dedicated trumpet player, Anderson knew that he wanted his studies at Valparaiso University to not only consist of an engineering major but also a music minor.

“Throughout high school, I’ve had really great experiences playing in the pit orchestra, wind ensemble and jazz band.

I just want to keep on [playing music] past high school,” he explained.

Anderson underlined how important it is for him to keep on playing music, and he noted that “getting a minor [in music] would allow me to further my education, which would also make me a better musician. If I want to keep playing in other groups after college, I would have a stronger foundation to do so.”

Senior David Lee, a clarinetist, empha20

Drops of Ink | Feature

sized a different inspiration for furthering his musical career. Lee, who will be double majoring in clarinet performance and chemistry at Northwestern University this fall, explained that furthering his musical education is one of his top priorities because of his teachers.

“One of my biggest inspirations is my band director, Mr. [Adam] Gohr. I’ve never seen someone with so much passion in music, and he just really inspired me. I really wanted to continue my education in music because of him,” Lee noted. “I always wanted to go into the medical field, but I decided to double major with music because of my private lesson teacher, Mr. Ember Miller, and Mr. Gohr constantly supporting me.”

If Lee decides to pursue music after college, he hopes to use his major towards performing for professional orchestras, though he emphasized that “the most important goal I have in regards to music is loving music more and just spreading love to others.”

And while Anderson and Lee aren’t the only students who are studying music after high school, they are just two of the 13 LHS graduates pursuing a music major or minor in college. Mr. Gohr, the band director at LHS, noted that many students do not choose to study music at the collegiate level because of how difficult it can be.

“I’ll always tell my students, you will have days in college where the last thing you want to be doing is waking up and playing your instrument. A music major is work; it is hard work. If there isn’t a day where you want to go and just throw your instrument against the wall, you’re not working hard enough,” Mr. Gohr added.

However, all of the music students interviewed individually emphasized that their

all-encompassing love and passion for studying music is truly what drives their motivation for hard work. For Anderson and Lee, having the opportunity to practice their instruments every day in LHS band directed them towards their majors and minors in college. For senior Ally Kline, pursuing a major in music education at Carthage College stemmed from her family’s constant involvement in the musical arts throughout her childhood.

“I’ve been around music my whole life.

My mom was a music major, she did piano performance, so [music] is something I’ve always done,” Kline explained. “It’s what I’m passionate about, and I knew that I wanted to do something with music, but I also really like teaching too, so it’s kind of the best of both worlds.”

Mr. Matthew Karnstedt, a band director at LHS, also majored in music education in college and emphasized how well his studies worked for him because “music education [has] good career options: “A music major is work; it is hard work. If there isn’t a day where you want to go and just throw your instrument against the wall, you’re not working hard enough.”

- Mr. Adam Gohr

you can go into teaching, you can teach lessons, you can go into arts advocacy.

There are a lot of things you can do with a music education degree that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to do with a music performance degree.”

Mr. Gohr noted that any and all studies in music are important to humans, not just because of what music has provided individuals in the past but for what music will continue to provide in the future.

“Music makes you a complete person.

It’s something everyone needs to have.

We seek it out as humans; we seek out music,” Mr. Gohr concluded. “It’s something that makes us whole as people. It is fundamental to our human nature. I think we have a cultural obligation to continue playing music, to continue moving forward.”

Art in many Forms The artistic majors that some LHS students will be studying aren’t solely limited to music. In fact, some seniors will be dedicating their tertiary educations to the visual and physical arts, such as film and even fashion.

Kate Speer, who plans on majoring in apparel design and merchandising at the University of Minnesota, explained that her aspirations towards art and fashion were influenced quite heavily by her grandmother.

“What started my love for art was my grandma. She always liked to do arts and crafts with us [grandchildren] when we were younger, and I guess that’s why I love it,” Speer explained. “[Fashion] is something I’m really passionate about, and I love doing it, so why not turn something I’m passionate about into a job?”

Kelsey Kurz, a senior who will be studying film and television at DePaul University, joked that growing up, she always empha-

Kate Speer is one of the few senior students planning to study visual or physical arts in college. Speer plans to study apparel design and merchandising at the University of Minnesota. sized that she would attend an art school, but her love for film and cinematography inspired her to enroll at DePaul.

Kurz didn’t know exactly what specific art she wanted to study until her senior year of high school, when she began to dedicate much of her time to exploring cinematography.

“It kind of started when I finally became comfortable going to the movies alone, and that was when I really started to fall in love with film. It’s like its own little world or universe,” she described.

Kurz explained that she has big dreams for her future and hopes to work in film in New York City someday. She emphasized that her love for everything art-related is truly what shaped her decision to study film and television.

Senior Ashley Pignone feels the same about her future as an art major. As she prepares to study graphic design and

Senior Elias Anderson, who plans on minoring in music at Valparaiso University, mentioned that his interest in studying music after high school stemmed from his experiences in the LHS pit orchestra.

visual communication at Montana State University, Pignone explained that many of her future career aspirations are inspired by her wishes to involve art into her everyday life.

“I didn’t want to choose a major that I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied in,” she emphasized. “I thought that graphic design was the perfect in-between. I’m able to do something I’m interested in, and [graphic design] is up-and-coming, I know I’m going to be able to be productive in that field.”

Despite the variety of art majors or career opportunities colleges across the country have to offer, artists like Pignone feel that many people don’t understand how complex such studies can be. Mr. Ray Gossell, an art teacher at LHS, expressed similar sentiments.

“As an artist, you have to be on social media, you have to promote yourself, you have to keep on developing your portfolio, you have to send out the right things to the right people, you have to network — you have to go out and sell yourself,” he explained.

And for Pignone, many people don’t take art seriously to begin with, let alone understand its complexities as a career path.

“I get so annoyed. I just think it’s so pathetic that people think their idea or opinion of success is what’s right. You can never predict an artist’s success,” Pignone concluded.

Though, Mr. Gossell noted, despite what others may say, all different forms of art make up the world around us.

“Most jobs today have some sort of art background. Everything is visual, the internet, everything is visual, so you have creative visual artists creating all of this stuff. Anything you touch is industrial design; everything you use, it’s designed by someone — it’s art” he concluded.

Drops of Ink | Feature

21

Retiring Teachers of LHS: Their pasts & their futures

By George Hayek Photos by Grant Herbek Layout by Savanna Winiecki At the end of this school year, three teachers will be retiring from the full-time staff at LHS: Mrs. Cheryl Monken and Mr. Ron Russ from the physical welfare department and Ms. Amy Holtsford from the social studies department.

These teachers, who have spent a large part of their lives working at this school, have left an impact on the community, as teachers, coaches and friends. They’ve forged bonds with other staff, taught thousands of students and learned from their experiences as well.

The following is a closer look at each of these teacher’s lives at LHS and their plans for the future.

Mrs. Monken and Ms. Holtsford wrote farewell letters to LHS that can be found on lhsdoi.com.

Mrs. Cheryl Monken Mrs. Cheryl Monken began working at LHS in 1984, making this her 35th year teaching. She has taught several different physical education classes, including every level of Regular PE, Total Body Fitness and Yoga-Pilates Fitness.

Recalling her favorite memories from working at the school, Mrs. Monken said, “There’s just too many things to say…Just seeing kids having fun and smiling and talking to them and getting to know them.

I can’t think of a single [favorite memory].

I’ve loved my career, and there’s just too many.”

While Mrs. Monken does plan on returning to school to work as a substitute teacher, she has not made any concrete

22

Drops of Ink | Feature

plans for the future.

“Other than [substitute teaching], I honestly don’t know. I don’t really have any passions for anything right now, although I [like] photography,” she said. “Sports, people in general and fitness have been my life.”

Though her passion for teaching physical education keeps her tied to the school, Mrs. Monken did admit that travel has recently begun to sound more interesting as an option for her after retirement.

Mrs. Monken made her decision to retire largely because of outside factors occurring at the school and within the state.

“About four years ago, when I put in [for retirement], I was at a place where we were doing a lot of changing of our evaluation system of teachers; I was kind of freaking out about it,” she said. “I was starting to think how long my body would last, running all over the place and trying to be a good role model.”

Furthermore, she expressed her sorrow at leaving the full-time staff, saying that the thing she would miss the most would be “[the students], for sure, the relationships [and] the staff.

This truly is a huge

community, and I know people say that all the time and it sounds cliché, but it’s true.

As they say with teaching, the students keep you young, and it’s understated.”

Mrs. Monken noted that she was looking forward to subbing for different types of classes, as it would give her opportunities to get to know more of the staff and more students.

Ms. Patti Mascia, the Physical Education Department Supervisor, has worked with Mrs. Monken for 19 years. Prior to knowing Mrs. Monken as a fellow teacher, both of them were softball coaches, which Ms. Mascia said made it easier to get to know Mrs. Monken.

“Over time, when you start working with someone initially and then you spend almost 20 years together, you end up having a special bond. [Mrs. Monken and I] have become friends. We share in each other’s personal lives, what happens in and outside these walls,” Ms. Mascia said.

Ms. Amy Holtsford Ms. Amy Holtsford started working at LHS in 1986, marking this as her 33rd year teaching at the school. Throughout her time at the school, Ms. Holtsford has taught all levels of Government, United States History, Current Issues and Law. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and her Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College.

On her process of becoming a teacher, she remembered, “I had just finished at

[the University of Illinois], and I applied to three or four schools. I went to two interviews and got two job offers. I chose Libertyville over the other job offer because I thought I would be in a better place for job security, and here I am 33 years later.”

As with Mrs. Monken, it was difficult for Ms. Holtsford to recall any specific one memory that stood out more than the others.

“Usually my favorite memories come down to an important, invaluable connection with students. I’ve had a lot of memories where students confided in me and have leaned on me for advice or help,” she said. “I just think part of the human experience is to be able to help others.”

Ms. Holtsford also remembered some fun memories from her classes, like a dance party with a six-foot sandwich during her homeroom class. As she stated, her fondest memories come from positive experiences with students, as well as making friendships with other staff.

One such friend is Mr. Kevin O’Neill, another teacher in the social studies department. Mr. O’Neill has worked with Ms. Holtsford for 17 years. Both teachers described their relationship as a mentor-mentee relationship, with Ms. Holtsford offering Mr. O’Neill advice when he needed it.

“Over the years, our relationship has changed into a peer relationship… My respect for her has grown,” he said. “While I still lean heavily on her intellect, I feel like I at least offer something in return now.”

Senior Alice Lillydahl, who is currently taking Ms. Holtsford’s AP Government class, admires her teacher’s enthusiasm for and quality of teaching: “I like how she takes what we’re learning and applies it to the real world, both history and current events… You can tell how much she [enjoys] teaching what she loves.”

Ms. Holtsford’s plans for retirement include continuing to coach girls basketball, traveling to Washington D.C. to watch oral arguments in the Supreme Court, traveling

to Europe, and volunteering with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program at the Lake County courthouse.

As Ms. Holtsford described in an email, the work of the CASA program is about giving a voice to children in the court system, and it largely includes “helping kids transition from a home with family members or parents to foster care - and depending on the situation - back to parents.”

On what she was looking forward to about retirement, Ms. Holtsford mentioned, “I certainly will miss this building. I will miss the students, I will miss teaching, I will miss being in the classroom, and I will miss my friends. Yet at the same time, this is such a rushed, hectic job, and I feel like my mind can never turn off. I feel like I will appreciate a little downtime. Even with summer, it’s still hectic. I’m often working on curriculum or busy with basketball…

So to have my plate not as full, I think I’m looking forward to that.”

Mr. Ron Russ Mr. Ron Russ began working at LHS in 1984. As of this year, he has taught Driver’s Education, Regular PE, Health and Sports Medicine. In addition to teaching, he is also responsible for the administration of the Sports Medicine program.

According to the LHS website, Mr. Russ is a Certified Athletic Trainer by the Na-

tional Athletic Trainers’ Association. Clinically, he has worked for Physical Therapy Services, Ltd. and treated athletes from the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls and Sting, a former professional soccer team. His extensive career also gave him an opportunity to appear in the Warner Brothers movie “Wildcats” with Goldie Hawn.

Although Mr. Russ said he will miss the students, trainers, staff and maintenance crew, he does look forward to hunting and fishing during his retirement. He also plans on travelling to different states, namely Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, and Indiana. After a long career of teaching and training, Mr. Russ is glad to have “more time for [himself].”

Ms. Mascia, who spoke of both Mrs. Monken and Mr. Russ, applauded their determination in their work: “They both share a very similar trait, which is their dedication and their tenacity. What they give to their students day in and day out is amazing… Retiring from a place that they’ve worked for most of their careers, they could’ve gone out with an ‘I don’t care’ attitude, but neither one of them are going out that way.”

Social studies teacher Mr. Kim, while not retiring, is also leaving LHS this year. Learn why and read his farewell letter by scanning the QR code below.

By Jacob Kemp Illustration by Amanda Black Layout by Annika Bjorklund

A

ccording to Generations, a book written by two of the world’s leading generational theorists, Neil Howe and William Strauss, there are four generational archetypes that repeat cyclically throughout history: Prophets, Nomads, Heroes and Artists. Howe and Strauss’s research and findings are the basis for this article and will be referenced frequently throughout. And though each generation is unique and each one was subject to different societal conditions, public figures, cultural shifts and world events during their formative years, the patterns seem to repeat.

Prophets. Nomads. Heroes. Artists. We see these traits in today’s generations: the Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, Millennials and the Homelanders. Let’s dive in, become generational experts ourselves, and learn more about how these archetypes fit into our everyday life.

Born after a great war or crisis, generations who fit the Prophet archetype are theorized to be raised during a time of revitalized community life and a transition to new foundational values in their society. The period of affluence and cultural success, they are raised in leads to their midlife development as moralistic, value-obsessed leaders. Over time, they tend to steer future generations into the next crisis or war, often unintentionally, but many times due to their strict adherence to values. Prophets tend to be very idealistic, having grown up in a so-called societal high, with low crime, high optimism and lots of focus on the indulgence of children and families.

Some of the best examples of Prophets — according to LifeCourse associates, a publishing and speaking company founded by Howe and Strauss — are John Winthrop, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. These leaders were dedicated to their principles and waged wars when they felt it was necessary to protect certain values; LifeCourse found that they grew to be “revered more for their inspiring words than for their grand deeds.”

The most recent example of a Prophet generation is the Baby Boomers. Estimated to be born between 1943 to 1960, these individuals were raised in the post-World War II era. Growing up in a society focused on perfection, suburban conformity and the family ideals of Dr. Benjamin Spock (an influential American pediatrician), they grew quickly to break out of these lines and rebel against their parents as “flower power” authorities. According to the West Midland Family center, a family conflict-resolving organization, they are often negatively depicted as being “greedy, materialistic and ambitious” in the media, but in the workplace they are “driven, loyal, and unafraid to challenge authority.”

24

Drops of Ink | Feature

The Nomad generation grows and matures during a time of spiritual revolution, where changing ideals and spiritual agendas result in youth pushback against the established institutional order. These groups tend to begin as underprotected, exposed children during this awakening, grow as rebellious teenagers, and come of age as isolated, security-focused young adults. Eventually, they calm into some of the most pragmatic, realistic leaders in the post-awakening world.

There are many examples of strong, pragmatic Nomad leaders, such as Nathaniel Bacon, George Washington, John Adams, Ulysses Grant, Dwight Eisenhower, and Barack Obama. Leading as focused, dedicated realists, this generation’s leaders tend to be cunning, direct and dedicated to fixing any problem they encounter.

As Howe and Strauss continued to explain, Generation X, born between 1961 and 1981, is the most recent example of a Nomad generation. This group grew independently, many of them developing as latchkey kids in divorced or working households, returning from school to an empty house. Due to the frightening AIDS epidemic and the sexual turmoil of the late 20th century, Generations noted that members of Generation X tended to date and marry cautiously.

As both parents and political participants, they tend to be pragmatic and rely on their personal opinions over the directions of others. Entering the workforce and leadership positions, this group appears less like victorious winners and more like survivors with an edge, seeking the corporate and familial safety they lacked as children. However, due to their position between two media-focused demographics (Baby Boomers and Millennials), Forbes noted that this generation is often hailed as “forgotten,” but they are also well-positioned to become the wealthiest generation within the next few years.

Following Howe and Strauss’s research, next comes the Hero generation. This group is often born to overprotective parents after a spiritual awakening and “during a time of individual pragmatism, self-reliance, laissez-faire, and national chauvinism.” Chauvinism is aggressive or exaggerated patriotism, and laissez-faire is a governmental “hands-off” attitude of letting things take their own course without interfering. According to the LifeCourse website, this position in history means such generations tend to be remembered for their collective coming-of-age triumphs and their prideful elder conflict against the next spiritual awakening. Advancements made by this demographic generally are in the fields of technologsy, community and economic reform.

Heroes come of age during a time of great crisis. Howe calls them Heroes because they resolve that crisis, an accomplishment that then defines the rest of their lives.

Well-known leaders of these generations include Thomas Jefferson, John Kennedy, Malala Yousafzai, Prince William, Priyanka Chopra and Mark Zuckerberg. According to Forbes, Hero-characterized leaders become institutionally powerful in midlife and remain focused on meeting and overcoming great challenges, partially due to their generation’s success with a great crisis when they were younger. Many have been passionate advocates of economic prosperity, public optimism and accomplish their jobs competently.

Millennials (also occasionally referred to as Gen Y), the current Hero generation, are thought to be born between 1982 and 2004, though many generational theorists agree that exact years dividing generations can’t be accurately estimated until decades later. As delineated by Generations, Millennials entered a world where babies were beginning to be seen as “special” again, as child safety and child abuse became hot topics of debate among “obsessive” parents.

According to an article by The Mission, an accelerated learning magazine, Millennials have close relationships with their parents, and roughly half say that it is important to them to live close to family, compared with 29 percent of Baby Boomers and 40 percent of Generation Xers.

As the Millennial generation reached adolescence teens in the late 1990s, youth volunteering and community service skyrocketed (according to the Millennial Impact Report, 46 percent of millennials volunteered for a cause affiliated with a social issue they care about in the past month) while teen rates of drinking, smoking and violent crime had a heavy decline.

According to data compiled by Philadelphia-based writer and Pacific Standard contributor Malcolm Harris, “Millennials carry most of the burden of the nation’s $1.4 trillion student-loan debt crisis, their unemployment rate is more than

double the national average, they earn 20 percent less than Generation X, and Millennial employees face a higher level of depression than any other generation.” Today, even as they live with or near their parents, Millennials are an overall optimistic generation, despite looming record levels of youth unemployment and the crisis of their generation, global climate change.

Artist generations are born during a great crisis, usually a war or some other historical crisis. Artists grow up with overprotected, crisis-concerned parents, become sensitive, socially-focused adults, develop as indecisive leaders during another generation’s spiritual awakening, and grow old as the empathetic, wise elders during a spiritual awakening.

Colloquially, many call the most recent Artist generation Generation Z. However, according to Howe, after they ran a poll among their readers and fellow generational experts asking what to call the generation that follows the Millennials, “Homeland Generation became the ultimate winner, apparently because the decade of the 2000s was marked by 9/11, the War on Terror, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and a sense that the ‘homeland’ was no longer safe.”

He also explained that the word also more accurately fits, since this generation of children is literally kept more at “home” (with multiple digital platforms) than any earlier generation of kids, thanks to the protective, hands-on parenting style of Gen Xers. 2005 was chosen as the tentative dividing line because kids born after won’t remember a time before Barack Obama’s presidency, the financial crisis of 2008 and the Great Recession that followed. So far, though little data is available on this new group, many expect that this new group will be sensitive, compassionate, community-focused and change-oriented. According to Forbes, Homelanders will be the “most ethnically and racially diverse generation in history,” largely consisting of children of Gen Xers, the largest immigrant generation per capita born in the 20th century.

Drops of Ink | Feature

25

What does the future hold?

Staff Editorial Photo by Ben Kanches Layout by Ian Cox

W

ill our generation be better off than our parents? What will this generation do for the world? As the school year closes, we pondered these questions.

Problems like terrorism in the post-9/11 world, school shootings, climate change and political divisions have raised people our age; many of these issues are problems that previous generations never had to deal with. While some of these events have created a surge of activism among today’s young people, the repeating events also cause young adults to turn a blind eye and become fatigued from it all. Ignoring the situations is detrimental to changing these causes, but there is hope with the newly found activism through social media platforms, while older generations mainly show their support for causes through monetary donations.

From the national school walkout to the Stand for the 2nd walkout, this generation has already used its voice to show what is important to them.

Possibly because our generation is the most diverse of them all, according to the Pew Research Center, our generation has a wide variety of beliefs and passions on topics such as climate change, education, mental health, equality and more. Unlike previous generations, kids have the world at their fingertips. The new way of sharing opinions makes it easier for a person to hide behind a screen instead of interacting, but it also sparks new ideas and the ability to organize just about anything with a tap on a screen.

The internet has also led to a greater awareness of the importance of mental health. This generation has accepted and confronted the mental health epidemic, which is very different than any other

26

Drops of Ink | Opinion

generation from the past. Increased awareness across the internet and social media has helped to end the stigma behind mental health and also influenced the surge of people seeking help for mental health problems.

While the internet has been around our entire lives, past generations have been introduced to it at varying points in their lives. As a result of that, some students’ parents lack trust in the security of technology, but others find it to be a nice convenience. However, most teens trust technology almost too much, whether it is speaking to a device called Alexa or sharing their locations at all times on Snapchat. The oversharing of information can negatively affect the security of people.

Moreover, our generation faces a huge amount of stress that is put on teens today. Not only have college admissions proved to be harder over the last couple of years, but the rigor of work has also greatly increased. The high-stress situations that this generation has experienced will make our generation more easy-going as parents, according to some of us.

What defines this generation? Will we continue to go down the path of activism and use technology to use our voice?

Only the future can tell.

“A lot of the differences in our generation is the way that we are involved.”

Note: As this piece is a staff editorial, it is representative of the opinions of the Drops of Ink staff as a whole. The staff is comprised of LHS students from each grade level and spans a wide range of opinions from one class period, with 34 students total. The author(s) of this piece did not place their personal opinions in the story; they merely reflected the staff’s thoughts.

Same District, Different Day

By Ally Mclean

Layout by Stephanie Gay

Photo by Ally Mclean

Last month, I had the opportunity to shadow a student from Vernon Hills High School in order to better understand how the students in the other half of District 128 went about their school days. For a day, I followed around one of the publication’s Editors-in-Chief, Luc Gudmundson, navigating the layout of the campus, participating in his classes, and embracing the Cougar spirit. I wasn’t too sure what to expect out of this experience, but it ended up being a day filled with memorable moments, a few of which stuck out most to me.

Study Hall

After easily finding a parking spot in one of the student lots on campus, Luc and I headed from the main foyer upstairs to the upper commons, or the “UC” as the cool kids call it. It was there that I was introduced to his outgoing friends. Most memorable of the bunch was Francis, a fellow senior who I learned grew up in Canada and spoke fluent French. I also discovered that he’s deathly afraid of ladybugs. It was there and then that I decided I wanted to spend the day with Francis instead.

Just kidding, Luc. One of the boys told me that he would frequently Tech Deck on the railings of the UC but one day the Tech Decking came to a tragic halt when he dropped the miniature skateboard onto the security desk below, where it was then confiscated. Seems like exactly what you’d expect to be going down in a study hall dominated by hyperactive teenage boys, right?

AP Macro

This class might as well have been taught in a different language.

As I sat in the front row of desks in a classroom of just eight students (small class sizes are not uncommon at VH), I felt more lost than I had ever been in school. Unlike Luc, I prefer to collect my mandatory consumer credit in Consumer Management class, where I make quesadillas and try my best to grasp the concept of mortgages. Before this small brush with Macro, I had never in my life seen a market model or even heard of an LRAS curve. But for Luc and the rest of the class, this seemed to be elementary information.

Following along as the class wrote the answers to their homework on the whiteboard, I tried my best to comprehend any of the complex problems. I can proudly say that I caught on after a while, but I can’t say that I’d do too well on the AP test.

My tour guide for the day, Luc Gudmundson, takes a partner quiz in his Strength and Conditioning class.

The Scratching Post (Newspaper)

I am infinitely fascinated with other schools’ publications.

I’ll admit to hoarding free copies of student newspapers at the National High School Journalism Convention and spending countless hours browsing high school magazines online, so to witness and experience the workings behind another publication firsthand was captivating. The number of TSP staff members was just half that of DOI, yet they turn out consistently impressive, 30+ page issues each month. Whether it be through capturing intriguing photos, writing stories that matter or designing intricate layouts to tie the publication all together, each staffer I met demonstrated their own specialty and poured their talent into all of their work. The class itself seemed lawless in nature to an outsider, but as I became more familiar with the students and their processes, I realize that they worked in an environment of organized chaos. It was truly something.

I went into this exchange with the notion that Libertyville and Vernon Hills were two different worlds. Although they are run under the same school district, I truly believed that a rift existed between the schools. After spending the day in the shoes of a busy VH student, I learned that they were more alike than ever. Both schools are filled with insanely smart kids and devoted artists. High energy radiates off every classroom wall. Administrators and educators strive to make meaningful connections with their students. Both exemplify the quintessential high school experience, rowdy teenage boys and all.

27

DOI’S

A SENIOR STAFF EDITORIAL

SCHOOL SURVIVAL

Guide

F

or us seniors, it feels like it was just last month that we casually peeked at the school map in our backpacks on the first day to see where our next class was. It feels like it was just last week that we entered the school with a new load of confidence as we were no longer the lost freshmen, but the sophomores who knew their way around.

It feels like yesterday when we were filling in those bubble sheets on the ACT and going to every college fair trying to make a list of possible schools. And now, today, we’re here participating in the ABC countdown and picking up our cap and gown.

The Drops of Ink seniors gathered together to reminisce on some of our experiences and lessons learned during our time at LHS and want to share them with you to hopefully guide you through your time in high school and maybe even beyond.

Libertyville High School… where to begin? For starters, it’s a school that seems to never sleep. There’s always an event going on, which allows for many opportunities to get involved. As seniors who recently finished the college application process, it seems to be said often that you should participate in certain things because “it looks good on college applications.” While college applications are important, we want you to take part in the things that make you happy, not those that add more stress because you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

While it may be intimidating to go out of your comfort zone and be the newbie in the room, you never know what could strike a passion. Also, just because your friends don’t do it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. If there isn’t an activity that jumps out at you, grab some friends, talk to a teacher and get a club started.

Extracurriculars and school events build connections as they introduce us to people we would not have met otherwise. Although many times it seems like we’re all very different from each other, it only takes one similarity to bring us

photo by Amanda Black layout by rachel benner

together. Get to know people beyond just their name. Talk to the person who sits next to you in math or say “hi” to the underclassmen in your sports program. Pro tip: Get to know your teachers and those who work in your LST. Not only are they amazing people beyond their job, but you never know when you’ll need help or might have to ask for a favor (letters of recommendation!).

LHS creates a very strong community -- a family feel that encourages and supports all those within it. It’s important to realize that everyone in Libertyville wants you to succeed and there are endless resources that can help you get there with people being one of the top ones. Build and maintain those relationships, and it all starts by just smiling and saying “Hi!” Over the course of four years here at LHS, a lot happens. The only thing that is constant is change, and it’s inevitable. People change. Relationships change. Priorities, friends, likes, dislikes, grades, the list goes on. Even you will change, which is good; you’ll grow and discover your identity. Just be sure that external factors like those around you aren’t forcing change upon you. Never surrender who you are to fit someone else’s mold.

With so much pressure to fit the “perfect model,” high school is honestly really tough, but it’s more important that you stay true to yourself and do what YOU want to do. To be successful and happy, you must embrace the change instead of fighting it. Even if it doesn’t seem ideal at the time, know that it will all work out in the end; in the grand scheme of life, a lot of things won’t matter in the future.

We are sad to say goodbye to the Jungle, yet forever grateful to have been a part of it. We know that you all have different journeys to follow, but we hope our advice can maybe make some parts a little easier. Good luck and enjoy your years as a Wildcat because they don’t last forever. Live in the present. It’s easy to get too focused on what’s next.

Note: As this piece is a senior staff editorial, it is representative of the opinions of the 20 seniors on the Drops of Ink staff. The author(s) of this piece did not place their personal opinions in this story; they merely reflect the students’ thoughts.

28 Drops of Ink | Opinion

SURVIVAL TIPS Take time to take care of your physical and mental health: sleep, eat right, exercise, and find your happiness.

Use failures as a learning experience. They are just stepping stones to your goal.

If 10 seconds of your day are filled with negativity, don’t let them ruin the 86,390 others.

You never know what someone else is going through. Be kind and understanding.

Bad days, like the good ones, are just a part of the journey.

The seniors of Drops of Ink

NOT WHERE I EXPECTED TO BE

By Michael Gluskin

Photo by Grant Herbek

Layout by Ian Cox

I

did not get all A’s in high school English. I struggled to provide more analysis than summary in my essays and wasn’t strong at decoding an author’s use of symbolism. In fact, if you would have told me I’d be a high school English teacher one day, I would have laughed (and probably made some sort of sarcastic remark).

But here I am, in a job that I love, getting the opportunity to work with talented, intelligent and motivated students every day. And one of those students, an editor for Drops of Ink, suggested I write a column giving advice, and the other editors agreed it should be published. This isn’t some shameless self-promotion attempt on my part; it’s the first time I’ve written something for Drops of Ink in my eight years as the publication’s adviser.

Over the last few years, it’s become especially prevalent that there’s a superfluous amount of pressure put on teenagers today, specifically when it relates to the future. You’re supposed to know which college you’re attending, what you’re studying there and how that will lead you to secure a high-paying job after graduation. On top of that, you should engage in a spiritual quest to “find yourself” and learn to pursue your truth.

While I never felt this same level of pressure — the inception of social media and societal changes have only increased our stress — I did have a plan: I would attend a college that had a strong journalism program, study sports journalism and become a sports writer.

30

Drops of Ink | Opinion

And that’s exactly what I did. I went to the University of Maryland and got a great journalism education; after graduating, I remember thinking that I would never be in a classroom again (the irony!). When I got a job as a sports writer soon after graduation, I thought I was set.

But as I covered high school sports for a daily newspaper, I developed an interest in working with high school students rather than writing about them. So I stepped off what I had perceived to be my path and decided to attend graduate school to get certified to be a teacher — a social studies teacher. Aside from pursuing journalism in college, I also majored in political science.

I did this because I have always enjoyed learning about politics and history, not because I expected it to benefit my career somehow in the future. I just wanted to learn.

Because of my undergraduate experience, I was qualified to pursue my teaching certification in either English or social studies. Based on my high school English experiences, I chose the latter. But when it came to applying for jobs, I sought opportunities in both areas to increase my chances of getting hired.

While this theoretically may have helped my odds, it didn’t seem like it after I finished my certification program and didn’t have a job; I struggled to even get interviews. A month before the 2009-10 school year started, a position at LHS opened up that was responsible for teaching several senior English electives, one of which was journalistic writing, which is part of what made me a good fit for the position. I also received a really strong recommendation from the man who was my ACT reading tutor in high school.

I stayed in touch with him over the years, especially when I shifted careers to pursue education; his help, similar to my political science major, was another example of how my past actions and behaviors unexpectedly benefitted me.

The constants for me have been my desire to learn and pursue what interests me, not what others believe I should be doing. Looking back on the journey that’s led me to today, I clearly see how my path — despite its unexpected detours — has been paved by these attributes.

So, whether you’re a graduating senior or a freshman who just finished their first year, know that you don’t have to have it all figured out just yet. Don’t stress too much if you’re an “undecided” major or if you don’t have an internship lined up yet for the summer of 2020. Even if you think you do have everything perfectly planned, your life may go in a different direction than what you’ve meticulously mapped out.

And that’s OK! Have trust and confidence in yourself and your decisions.

06/31/19*

Drops of Ink | Advertisements

31

The Blurred Line

EDITORS’ NOTE: This column is written anonymously by an LHS student. The writer is anonymous to protect their identity and their friends who have been affected by the sensitive nature of the content described. This anonymity was granted by the editorial board as an exception to our publication’s usual policy. This is an opinion piece, meaning the view expressed here is only the perspective of the writer, not that of the DOI staff as a whole. While we understand the photo is revealing and could be unsettling, we believe it is powerful and serves as a strong supplement to this story.

T

hey told me how they couldn’t remember anything that happened that night. They were too drunk.

They woke up in a bed naked and violated by someone that they had “slept” with the night before. They were taken advantage of. They were raped.

I’ve been told by about a dozen high schoolers, case after case, about who sexually assaulted them, how it happened and how it affected them. Sometimes they were blamed by their peers when they told them about what had happened, even though they are a survivor, not an assailant. They were told things such as, “You wanted it at the time, but you just regret it now” or “You’re being dramatic” or “You’re lying. That didn’t really happen to you.”

Please remember as you read this column that sexual assault and rape do occur, and that they happen to people in real life. In fact, it has most likely happened to people that you know. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about one in six boys and one in four girls are sexually assaulted before they turn the age of 18. That means that in your classroom right now, several teenagers could have already become victims of sexual assault.

Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of sexual assault that occurs is not done violently by an armed stranger but rather by a person that the survivor directly knows. As reported by The National Institute of Justice, a research agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, “About 85 to 90 percent of sexual assaults reported by college women are perpetrated by someone known to the victim; about half occur on a date.”

32

Drops of Ink | Opinion

Factors commonly associated with acquaintance rape include the presence of alcohol, no obvious physical injury and no weapon involved, states NIJ. The Office on Women’s Health, a government-run organization, explains that a person is not able to give consent if they are drunk, high or drugged. In reality, intoxicated sex is rape.

Throughout our childhood, intoxicated rape has been disguised as consensual sex in social media and pop culture. There are countless movies that depict teenagers going to a high school party and then stumbling upstairs to have sex in a bed-

“It

may be hard to read about consent, especially if you have misunderstood the laws in past experiences, but what we can change is our present and future actions.” room. These movies glorify and normalize intoxicated rape, making it appear fun and casual. What these movies do not show is that those teenagers were impaired by substances and therefore cannot consent.

They also do not show what the teenagers were thinking or how they felt about the encounter the next day.

The promotion of intoxicated rape also

occurs in the music we hear. For example, the familiar pop song “Animals” by Maroon 5 normalizes rape culture, yet it still played on the radio for months and even ranked at number 3 on the Billboard charts in 2014. In the music video, a young woman is shown drinking at a bar and getting stalked by a young man who she clearly does not show interest in. The video switches between clips of her and clips of blood and animal meat.

While the video continues and becomes increasingly disturbing, the lyrics sing, “Baby I’m preying on you tonight, hunt you down eat you alive, just like animals... maybe you think that you can hide, but I can smell your scent for miles...you can’t stay away from me.” Other popular songs that glorify intoxicated rape include “Timber,” “Glad You Came” and “Blurred Lines.” It is no wonder that teenagers get confused growing up watching movies and listening to music that normalize rape culture.

Because of the media, when I was younger, I thought that casual sex at parties with drunk and high teenagers was acceptable. It wasn’t until I had seen how many people these actions had traumatized that I realized the media was wrong.

I was misled, like many people in our generation.

Confusion around consent can lead to devastation for both people involved.

An intoxicated and uneducated person can rape someone else, meanwhile believing that what they are doing is okay and normal. Because the concept of consent is so often misunderstood, the assailant could be devastated after hearing an experience that they thought was consensual was actually traumatic for the person they ex-

perienced it with. The next day, valid and accurate accusations of sexual assault and rape may occur, and both of the people involved can suffer tremendously.

I saw this happen to my friend. At the time, he didn’t understand that what he did was not okay. He was never taught what consent looked like, and he struggled immensely because of it. He had to learn to cope with knowing what he did, the anguish that he caused to another person, despite never having the intention to hurt anyone. I hope that by writing this article, I can prevent someone from making a life-changing mistake that hurts multiple people like he did.

Obviously, rape is usually detrimental for the survivor of the assault. Sexual assault can lead to depression, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, selfharm, substance abuse, eating disorders, sleep disorders, suicide, as well as many other conditions, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

When alcohol, marijuana or other substances are involved, the line of consent becomes even more indistinct than it was before. There is no way to assume the position of the intoxicated person. There is no way to know whether or not the intoxicated person will remember that night.

There is no way for the perpetrator to

know if the intoxicated person truly wants to partake in the activity. Intoxicated sex is rape.

Likewise, waiting for a person to become drunk so they will be “willing” to have sex also qualifies as rape. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states, “[The aggressor] may take advantage of a victim who has already been drinking or encourage [them] to drink more than [they] might normally drink.

If someone sexually assaulted you while you were drunk or passed out, they have committed a crime, no matter how much you had to drink or how old you are.”

Many teenagers have heard the phrase “no means no,” but what they haven’t necessarily heard is that silence is not the equivalent of giving consent or saying “yes.” According to the Health and Human Services department, “Consent is a clear ‘yes’ to sexual activity.”

Furthermore, consenting to an activity once does not mean that consent has been given for future instances. The choice can also be changed mid-activity; for example, if a person gives consent to have sex and once the activity has started they change their mind, they can tell the other person to stop and that request needs to be respected. Additionally, it is considered rape if someone is “threatened, forced,

Photo and photo illustration by Aliya Haddon

coerced, or manipulated into agreeing” to participate in intercourse, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. All people involved should be willing and active participants in the activity.

Although the laws of consent can be confusing at first, it is important that all people educate themselves. It may be hard to read about consent, especially if you have misunderstood the laws in past experiences, but what we can change is our present and future actions. Educate yourself on consent, not only to protect yourself, but also to protect the people that you care about. Do not risk crossing the blurred line between consent and sexual assault. Knowing the difference between the two can prevent lifelong consequences.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, support can be found through the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center in Gurnee, which can be reached at (847) 244-1187 or zcenter. org. You can also contact your counselor or social worker in your LST. Additionally, you can call RAINN’s 24-hour sexual assault hotline at (800) 656-4673.

Drops of Ink | Opinion

33

Stick It: The success of boys gymnastics

By Charlotte Pulte and Savanna Winiecki Photos by Anya Belomoina Layout by John Freberg

B

efore entering the gymnastics gym, echoes of cheering fans, teammates and coaches are heard roaming down the hall. Chalk coats the entirety of the mats, as well as the gymnasts’ hands, arms and pants, making the air thicker.

The springboards and cheers compete for which is louder, while jittery gymnasts prepare for their next routine. Daunting judges in suits watch each and every move.

There’s a pause between routines as the judges decide on scoring, for what seemingly feels like hours, as each gymnast waits for their score and next turn. After each routine, you will see the Libertyville boys gymnastics team encouragingly applaud each other with a variety of chalk-dusted hand shakes.

This is gymnastics.

Practice Makes Perfect “The point of gymnastics is to make it look easy when it is incredibly difficult ...

I think a lot of people don’t realize that they train so much,” said Boys Gymnastics Assistant Coach and LHS math teacher Mr. John Taylor. He was a gymnast at Prospect High School, walked onto the team at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has been coaching for 14 years.

They train six days a week, both before and after school. Due to the new late-

start schedule, mandatory program-wide conditioning is held before school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays run by the only in-school coach, Mr. Taylor.

“I do think I feel closer to this group than I have in a while,” said Coach Taylor. He said he enjoys the fact he gets to bond with gymnasts in the entire program, instead of just the JV competitors during the regular season, since he’s in charge of morning workouts.

During those workouts, the boys focus on strength conditioning for 45 minutes, like running stairs, rope climbs, pullups and abdominal conditioning. Compared to past seasons when conditioning took place at the end of afternoon practices, the team now devotes their two-hour afternoon practice to stretching, skills and routines. According to Coach Taylor, the team’s focus shifts to perfecting routines and building endurance around the time after spring break since they’re no longer learning new skills.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had the amount of talent we have this year,” said Coach Taylor.

That talent has produced strong results.

The team was ranked first in state prior to the sectional competition earlier this month, which LHS hosted and won; their success earned them the opportunity to compete at the state meet on May 10-11.

(This magazine was sent for publication prior to the competition; results can be found in an updated version of this story on lhsdoi.com) Coach Taylor also emphasized the athletes’ abilities to have the patience and coachability to focus on making small changes before they lead to a large change in their skills.

“I think they understand what it means to listen and to actually take in what their coaches are saying,” expressed Coach Taylor.

He also thinks the gymnasts’ work during the offseason has contributed to their success, since within a short three-month season, it can be difficult to get everyone in shape.

“It’s kind of training year-round at the varsity level. Especially if you want to be competitive, you have to train over the summer to keep your game up high,” said senior Max Faber, who has been a gymnast since he was 8 years old.

A common theme among the gymnasts was the understanding that work needs to get done during practice.

“It’s a pretty relaxed atmosphere when it comes down to it. The coaches are willing to joke around, you can take breaks when you need them, but when it comes to getting things done, they get done,” said Faber.

Sophomore Robert Cartwright echoed this, saying the combination of a competitive and relaxed atmosphere results in an ideal situation to push each other.

Coach Taylor said he tries to instill in the gymnasts to take practice seriously and to take advantage of the time they have to prepare since it will transfer over during competitions.

No ‘I’ in Team

Ranked first in state prior to sectionals and the state competition, which they competed in on May 10-11, the LHS boys gymnastics team has had great success this season.

34

Drops of Ink | Feature

“A huge part of gymnastics is everybody pushing each other to be better, so everybody’s there and watching you and supporting you,” said Faber.

Many of the gymnasts interviewed for this story highlighted the close-knit family feel of this team, which contributes to their encouraging atmosphere because they all truly want their teammates to succeed.

A key contributor to the team’s success is senior Matthew Richardson, who this year competed with LHS for the first time in his gymnastics career. Richardson previously competed in club gymnastics outside of school and joined the LHS team after coming back from an injury. As a model for the other gymnasts in the program, Richard-

Senior Tyler Kukula competes at Sectionals on May 1 on the parallel bars; he earned 5th place with a score of 8.80.

son’s skills show the underclassmen what they could do in the future, according to Mr. Taylor.

Coach Taylor referenced a specific example that happened earlier this season with Cartwright, who was just messing around during practice on pommel horse, when he mastered a skill in 15 minutes that would normally take other gymnasts months to achieve, according to Coach Taylor. He described Cartwright’s energy as “contagious,” which inspired the whole team to work hard at practice.

“I love teaching the guys new tricks and when they get it, [I love to see] the excitement in their face; you can just tell they love the sport because they keep working at it, working at it, working at it, and then, they just get it,” described Coach Taylor.

The gymnasts all generally described their coaches as being able to guide them and support them, while simultaneously pushing them to be the best they can be.

Cartwright added that the coaches value the opinions of the gymnasts and pay attention to how the gymnasts feel. This can help create the hard-working environment that surrounds the team.

According to freshman Grady Georgia, “I try my hardest to improve and to try to encourage other teammates. I hope they’re working their hardest and trying their best.”

Love for the Sport “Not being afraid is one of the biggest things that you learn in gymnastics because if you’re scared of falling, if you’re scared of getting hurt, if you’re scared of failing, you’re never going to progress in gymnastics,” explained Faber.

Above all else, most of the gymnasts

described the empowering feeling they get after mastering a certain skill. The time and work put into the gymnasts’ routines creates a love for the rewarding feeling after perfecting skills. Coach Taylor emphasized that many gymnasts feel that way because their routines get points deducted for every mistake they make.

“I think people should know how much fun it is. The first time you get a new skill, how exciting that is … and to have everyone cheering you on,” said Georgia.

According to the gymnasts, gymnastics not only creates a gratifying personal feeling but also a sense of community as the teammates all encourage each other to reach their goals.

“Club gymnastics is a lot more competitive, and it’s a lot more focused on the individual, whereas when you go to high school gymnastics, there’s a huge team focus and a lot of it is just comradery that you don’t experience in club,” said Faber.

Faber also explained how the trust and low-pressure atmosphere within the team make it easier to do well at competitions.

“I know that other people have my back if I fall. I know that it’s not the end of the world if I don’t do well,” commented Faber. He later added that not letting his teammates down is one of his main motivators.

A couple gymnasts commented on the nerves they feel during competitions since “you only get one shot,” said Georgia.

Many of the gymnasts emphasized the idea that it’s never too late to join gymnastics, even if you have little or no prior experience. Georgia added that he thinks more students should try gymnastics, especially since the team “is a bit small and people don’t realize how much fun the sport is.”

Successes

They were ranked #1 in the state prior to sectionals and the state competition.

The varsity team was 7-0 in conference meets (8-0 including all meets) and they took first place at conference.

On May 1, they competed in Sectionals, earning the following scores.

Team placed 1st with a score of 159.75 All-Around: 1st - Matthew Richardson 55.15 Floor: 1st - Matthew Richardson 9.65 Pommel Horse: 2nd - Matthew Richardson 9.40, 5th - Max Faber 8.45 Still Rings: 1st - Max Faber 9.30, 3rd - Matthew Richardson 9.25, 4th - Tyler Kukla 8.85 Vault: 3rd - Max Faber 9.20, 4th Matthew Richardson 9.10, 4th Robert Cartwright 9.10 Parallel Bars: 5th - Tyler Kukula 8.80 High Bar: 1st - Matthew Richardson 9.25, 5th - 8.70

Drops of Ink | Feature

35