November 2019 Issue

GOING GLOBAL P. 11-13

LIBERTYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL’S STUDENT NEWS PUBLICATION NOVEMBER 14, 2019 VOLUME 93, ISSUE 3

NEWS 6 LOCAL

Newcoming changes to downtown Libertyville 7 LOCAL

D128 implements new e-learning policy

18 SPORTS 20-21 COLLEGE

The Path to Playing College Sports

20-21 CONNECT

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @lhsdoi Libertyville High School Drops of Ink

@lhsdoi Visit us at lhsdoi.com

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU Contact us at doi@lhswildcats.org Contents by Sara Bogan Cover photo and illustrations by Cali Lichter

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FEATURES 8-9 PROFILE

Going Global 11-13 politics

Impeachment: How It Works 22 WHAT’S TRENDING

Things that make people happy 23 CROSSWORD PUZZLE

New Music

8-9 14 STAFF EDITORIAL

Should we celebrate Thanksgiving?

OPINION

15 COLUMN

Public shaming: all pain, no gain 16-17 COLUMN

18-19 STAFF

MOLLY BOUFFORD Online Editor

AMANDA BLACK Managing Editor

ELLA MARSDEN AND CLAIRE SALEMI

IAN COX

Editors in Chief

MOIRA DUFFY

ella.marsden@lhswildcats.org claire.salemi@lhswildcats.org

News Editor

Layout & Design Editor

CHARLOTTE PULTE Features Editor

MICHAEL GLUSKIN

ANDREW BENOIT

Faculty Adviser

Opinion Editor

Redesigning the currency 18-19 REVIEW

Official rankings of the LHS water fountains Pavan Acharya Sarah Bennett Sara Bogan Sayre DeBruler Jade Foo Mara Gregory Rowan Hornsey Brooke Hutchins Natalie Isberg Jasmine Lafita Megan Lenzi Cali Lichter

Maguire Marth Anika Raina Christian Roberts Peyton Rodriguez Lillian Williams Rayna Wuh

michael.gluskin@d128.org

NOVEMBER 2019

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LETTER TO THE READER Claire Salemi and Ella Marsden

Dear LHS, In the October Issue of Drops of Ink, we published two political cartoons that caused controversy within our school community. We’re taking the response from our readers seriously and are choosing to see this as a learning experience — both for ourselves and our readers.

We feel this situation provides us with a valuable opportunity to explain the difference between the opinion and non-opinion content in our magazine. An opinion piece in our magazine will be labeled “Opinion” in the top corner of the page and contains subjective content. In a non-opinion piece, the content is objective writing that does not contain the author’s opinion but may have opinions from quoted sources; these are labeled as news, features or sports stories. Additionally, as stated in Drops of Ink’s editorial policy, which can be found at lhsdoi.com, “All opinions in columns are solely the author’s opinions and do not represent those of the Drops of Ink staff and their advertisers, nor the District 128 staff, school board, student body or community.”

Every DOI staff member contributes story ideas during a class discussion, which is held at the beginning of each publication cycle. Our Editorial Board — comprised of the Drops of Ink editors — then meets to decide the stories we’ll include in the magazine and on our website. During our selection process, we aim to include stories that represent a variety of people and interests; when ideas are not chosen for publication, it is not because we have decided to silence a person’s beliefs and opinions. The stories that end up being published each cycle are voted on by the Editorial Board and taken into consideration by our adviser, Mr. Gluskin.

We make every effort to appeal to the varied interests of our readers. Doing this helps align our work with our core values and our purpose statement, which reads, in part, that “we aim to challenge readers to see different perspectives and gain knowledge of the world around us.”

One of our core values is to cover a variety of content for a wide audience; with a staff of 25 students, we work hard to fulfill this goal. However, we are always looking to expand our staff to be more diverse and representative of the larger Libertyville community.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Drops of Ink. We have worked hard to produce the magazine for the Libertyville community, and we hope to hear your feedback. You can reach us on our website, lhsdoi.com; on our various social media platforms; or email us at doi@lhswildcats.org.

We hope you enjoy this issue, Ella Marsden and Claire Salemi Editors-in-Chief

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New ACT changes spark questions of testing equity

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An update on the new dance studio

The Final Cut - A movie review podcast

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NOVEMBER 2019

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NEWS

LIBERTYVILLE CHANGING STORES ON MAINSTREET Molly Boufford

Sweet Home Gelato, a locally run gelato shop, is planning to move to downtown Libertyville next spring. This will be their fourth location, along with Naperville, Highland Park, and the Chicago river walk.

T

he look of downtown Libertyville is changing, with several new storefronts being added -- a new coffee shop, gelato place and personal training facility -- following the recent closures of some businesses.

Quest Personal Training has opened where the old Serendipity clothing boutique used to be; its owner is Libertyville local Aaron Manes.

Manes has been in the personal training business for 14 years although he unintentionally entered the career path. He had his last space in Vernon Hills.

“My buddy was going into an interview for XSport [Fitness] and I went with him and ended up getting the job,” said Manes on how he got involved in fitness.

The new space has undergone renovations, including color-changing lights and different areas around the room for all types of workouts for Manes’ clientele.

“The only thing we don’t have is the big machines you would see at a gym,” stated Manes.

Conscious Cup, a coffee shop, is going into the old Lovin Oven Cakery space near the Cook Memorial Library. The coffee shop already has locations in Crystal Lake, Cary and Barrington and is aiming to open in Libertyville in mid-December.

Mike Shipley, who, along with his parents, owns Conscious Cup, was not originally planning on opening a storefront in Libertyville.

“I saw the listing in August and felt that we couldn’t pass up on the space because of its rich history,” Shipley said over the phone.

Conscious Cup is driven to ethically serve all fair trade coffee and make the coffee in house. Serving coffee and pastries, everything is homemade and served fresh each day.

Shipley wants to have a warm and inviting environment for people to come and sit in with plenty of seating, especially students after

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Brooke Hutchins

A new personal trainer space has opened in the old Serendipity space. Run by Aaron Manes, this gym has an array of new equipment.

school so they can do homework with friends.

Down the road from Conscious Cup, a new gelato shop is set to open in the spring. Sweet Home Gelato is a Chicagoland company that became a franchise eight years ago, started by Kurt and Janice Bruksch. Formerly known as Frosted, the company started out in Tucson, Arizona, and was a favorite of Kurt’s parents. Kurt was a stock trader at the time and took the opportunity to franchise the brand. The Bruksches rebranded last October to call the chain Sweet Home Gelato.

“We rebranded about a year ago and have expanded as Sweet Home Gelato ever since,” explained Janice Bruksch.

The store has locations in Highland Park and downtown Chicago, and is now expanding into Libertyville.

The Bruksches both went to Carmel Catholic High School and have wanted to be back in the community but weren’t actively looking for any available spaces.

“We were asked to look at the old eclectic store on Main Street and see if it would be a good fit,” said Janice.

Janice is excited about the location, as it is right downtown and should be a good space for customers in the warm weather.

“It’s a great location with it being right next to the alley so that there can be lots of outdoor seating during the summer,” explained Janice.

Sweet Home Gelato makes all of their gelato locally with nearly all of their ingredients imported from Italy so that it can be as fresh as possible for their customers.

“Our shop in Libertyville will only be a shop and won’t have a kitchen in the back like we do [in the Highland Park] location,” explained Janice. Their main goal is to have one home base for making the gelato and then delivering it daily to the surrounding storefronts.

NEWS

D128 IMPLEMENTS NEW E-LEARNING POLICY Moira Duffy

Peyton Rodriguez

E

arlier this school year, the District 128 School Board announced that e-learning days will occur in place of canceled school days when the two emergency days built into the calendar have been used. The board is in the process of determining details for these days, such as the amount of time they will last and attendance procedures.

Considering the recent October snowfall, the Board is looking to institute the revised e-learning plan this year, if necessary. Especially due to events such as graduation and AP exams, many are in favor of not extending the school year past its scheduled end.

“I would think [e-learning days] would be few and far between, but I do like having the option of doing something like that as opposed to extending the school year,” expressed Ms. Teresa Elmore, an AP Computer Science teacher at LHS. The forthcoming changes are meant to overall improve the e-learning experience for students and staff alike. LHS already has two built-in emergency days, so an e-learning day would only happen if both of those days were used. “[We want to be] using an e-learning day on an emergency day to continue the learning that’s already happening in the classroom,” explained Dr. Rita Fischer, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Requirements for an e-learning plan, set out by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), include having a public hearing for the community to express feedback; at least a 30-day notice for teachers about how e-learning days will function; communication with staff, teachers and parents; and five hours of required school work throughout the day.

The District 128 School Board developed a plan and presented it at a public hearing prior to the Aug. 26 board meeting. At the meeting, the Board approved the plan, and it was sent to the Lake County Regional Office of Education (ROE), which was charged by ISBE to review the plan.

“This plan represents the framework that was presented to the Board [as part of] a collaborative conversation [about e-learning],” stated Dr. Fischer.

The e-learning aspect of the day refers to how class work and information is distributed, as well as how teachers and students communicate. The work assigned does not necessarily have to be online-oriented.

While e-learning days are meant to connect class learning to learning at home with the help of electronic communication, it can be difficult for teachers to alter their lesson for the day.

“It’s hard to replicate what we do in the classroom

Instead of making up snow days during or after the school year, District 128 is planning to instead start using e-learning days, where students can make up the snow days at home. with something that you’re doing online,” stated Ms. Elmore.

Some students agree, stating that the learning process itself can be more difficult.

“A lot of people work better when it’s not just learning from a screen and they’re learning from a real person because it’s more engaging, and then if they have questions, they can just ask the teacher,” shared junior Laurie Taranowski. “It’s just easier for a lot of people to learn that way.”

Dr. Fischer agreed that e-learning days are not equal to full school days, but that nevertheless, they are important in preventing add-on school days at the end of the year; she also believes they can have other benefits.

“I do think having a sound e-learning experience while in high school helps to prepare students for that future [of electronic communication], but we also know that we want to get it exactly right for our community so that’s it’s a meaningful experience for students and for teachers,” expressed Dr. Fischer.

The concept of e-learning has been in development for the past few years, and the Board is still making adjustments to how check-ins will occur, what the e-learning day schedule would look like and other specificities. The Board will take into account feedback from the community - teachers, students, and parents alike - about the e-learning day.

“Any time you try something brand new, it’s not perfect; there are going to be some glitches, but again, with this new legislation, the key is there are some components that we have to make sure that we’re hitting exactly, with our plan to be consistent with what the legislation requires,” stated Dr. Fischer.

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NEWS

Impeachment: How It Works Charlotte Pulte

Cali Lichter

Note: This story is a news piece, and the information included in here comes from the sources listed on page 9. Our goal with this story is to inform readers about how the impeachment process works and what the key details of the current situation are. We are not expressing an opinion on whether or not President Trump should be impeached.

According to the Constitution of the United States, Congress is permitted to remove elected officials from office if two-thirds of lawmakers vote to say that they committed “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

“High crimes and misdemeanors” is an abuse of power by a high-level public official and does not necessarily have to be criminal in nature.

Impeachment does not always mean that the official will be removed from office.

It is just a step in the process of removal.

Key Players President of the United States Donald Trump President of the United States and a member of the Republican Party. Facing an impeachment inquiry after a recent whistleblower complaint.

The Whistleblower Someone who informs authorities about sensitive information to expose something considered unethical or illegal and remains anonymous to grant them protection from potential retaliation. The whistleblower in this situation filed a complaint alleging that President Trump asked Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 presidential election by investigating the Bidens.

Former Vice President Joe Biden Former Vice President of the United States during the Obama administration. Currently campaigning for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

House Intellegence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) One of the lead investigators in President Trump’s impeachment inquiry. Has served in the House of Representatives since 2013.

Attorney General William Barr Top law enforcement officer and head of the U.S. Department of Justice. The whistleblower complaint alleged that Barr “appears to be involved” with President Trump’s alleged efforts to pressure the Ukranian government. Barr’s potential involvement has raised questions to his impartiality towards those involved with the inquiry.

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Rudy Giuliani President Trump’s personal lawyer and former mayor of New York City. The whistleblower complaint describes Giuliani as a “central figure” in Trump’s alleged attempts to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky On the other end of President Trump’s phone call that initiated the whistleblower’s complaint.

Comedian who previously played the President of Ukraine on television.

Hunter Biden Joe Biden’s son and paid board member for a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, from 2014 until April 2019. In 2014, Burisma’s owner was investigated for money laundering, but the case was officially thrown out in 2017 due to insufficient evidence.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) First women elected to be speaker. Highest-ranking elected woman in US history. Formalized impeachment inquiry procedures on Oct. 31.

Former Ukrainian Prosecuter General Viktor Shokin On his phone call with Zelensky, Trump claimed that Shokin was fired after Joe Biden allegedly pressured the Ukraine government to remove him in an attempt to stop an investigation of Burisma, a company tied to his son. Ukraine claims that he was actually fired as a result of Shokin not pursuing corruption among Ukraine’s politicians.

NEWS

The Process The House begins the process by referring the inquiry to a committee, usually the House Committee on Rules or the House Committee on the Judiciary.

If one charge or more passes by a simple majority, the president is impeached and trial proceedings begin.

The impeachment trial begins in the Senate, where selected members of the House act as the prosecution. Senators act as both judge and jury.

The chosen committee reviews accusations and examines evidence until they issue a recommendation.

If the committee finds sufficient evidence of misconduct to proceed, the House holds a separate vote on each charge brought against the president, known as the Articles of Impeachment.

Conviction requires a two-thirds majority and results in removal from power.

Current House Inquiry (as of Nov. 6) 1. President Trump made a phone call on July 25 to President Zelensky and asked for a favor: to look into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, who is connected to a Ukrainian energy company. At the time of the phone call, Biden was the democratic frontrunner to run against Trump in 2020.

2. The transcript of this call was made classified and not placed in the government’s usual archive.

3. A White House official was concerned that the president crossed a line on the phone call and wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Senate about the situation.

4. On Oct. 31, the House of Representatives passed a resolution that formalized the rules of the impeachment inquiry.

5. The inquiry is being headed by Representative Adam Schiff, who has begun issuing subpoena documents and calling witnesses.

6. After the inquiry is completed, the House Judiciary Committee must decide if they will draw up articles of impeachment based on the inquiry’s findings, and if so, an impeachment vote -- and possible trial -- will occur.

Previous Impeachments

Two presidents in our country’s history have been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.

Andrew Johnson Impeached 1868

President Johnson was impeached after violating the Tenure of Office Act, which barred changes to cabinet members without Senate approval, due to his belief that the law was unconstitutional. Johnson was acquitted by one vote.

Bill Clinton Impeached 1998

President Clinton was impeached on two counts: perjury (lying under oath) and obstruction of justice.

Clinton was acquitted on both counts.

Richard Nixon Resigned 1974

The House Judiciary Committee passed one of five articles of impeachment against President Nixon, charging him with obstruction of justice in the Watergate Scandal. Nixon resigned after the controversial tapes were released.

The following sources were used for this article: NPR, Time, Washington Post, The History Channel, The House of Representatives Archive NOVEMBER 2019

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10 DROPS OF INK

Going Global Sayre DeBruler

Brooke Hutchins

Jade Foo

Y

FEATURE ou’ve just arrived in a new country. This is a completely new experience for you, and you can’t wait to start exploring. The only problem: you don’t speak the native language; this makes you nervous. How will you communicate with the locals? What will the locals think of you? How will you manage to get around this new place?

There is a way to avoid facing this problem. The answer: learn a foreign language. Taking a language in either high school, college or even through private lessons online or with a tutor, can help you when traveling to another country or when encountering a visitor from another country who travels here.

Benefits of Learning a Language Judith Kroll, a professor of psychology at Penn State University, reports that learning

one or more languages “can build better brains.” She stated that “recent research indicates that bilinguists can outperform monolinguals (people who speak only one language) in certain mental abilities, such as editing out irrelevant information and focusing on important information.” This means that biligulists are “better at prioritizing tasks and working on multiple projects at one time.”

The reason behind bilinguals having better mental processing capabilities stems from

the fact that their brains are able to differentiate between two different languages at once.

Another advantage of being bilingual is that it helps people age slower than most others. Dr. Thomas Bak, a professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, found that bilinguals have improved cognitive abilities, or brain-based skills, which in turn allow their brains to function longer and therefore lengthen their lives.

Mr. Guiard, a French teacher, also explained certain benefits of learning another language. He stated that learning another language can “help you connect with people [in] a more personal way.” He even mentioned that when people — students, colleagues, friends — speak in French with him, it makes him feel good. He enjoys how people are making an attempt to make him more comfortable, and he appreciates the effort people put into those conversations.

Mr. Guiard also said that when learning to speak another language, one also learns

A group of 24 LHS students, led by Mr. Guiard, travelled to France this past summer, where they spent the majority of the trip learning about the culture and mastering the language. They stayed with local families and were immersed in the French culture.

(Photo courtesy of Camden Edmunds) 12 DROPS OF INK

FEATURE about the culture. Each country has a culture of its own, and their language is an important part of it. Learning about a whole new culture “opens one’s horizons,” Mr. Guiard said, and allows them to see that their culture is not the only one out there.

This allows for another benefit of learning a new language.

A study conducted by Concordia University shows that bilinguals are typically more openminded than others.

According to the study, being open-minded means that someone is less likely to be biased towards specific viewpoints, and they can more accurately weigh different opinions to form one of their own.

Nine students from the south of Spain came to Libertyville and surrounding towns in 2017 to see the different lifestyles in the United States. They had the opportunity to go to different landmarks, including downtown Chicago, different museums, and the drive-in theater.

Studying Abroad Something that is also worth noting is that when students take a language, in high school or in college, they have the chance to travel to a country that speaks the language they are studying for a study abroad program.

Ben Leonard, a senior, took part in the German exchange program this past summer. During his stay in Germany, he attended 15 to 20 days of school. He would attend most of his classes with the other Amercian exchange students, but every other day, he was able to attend classes with a fellow exchange student. He even had the opportunity to help teach their English classes.

One of Leonard’s most vivid memories of his time in Germany happened after his host family picked him up from the airport; they took him to meet their grandparents, who lived nearby. According to Leonard, his host brother’s grandparents both had bright blue eyes, as did his host mother. When he tried to tell them that their eyes were alike, he said “‘your eggs are alike,’ but I meant to say ‘your eyes are alike.’” Their response was to laugh, and then politely correct him.

Leonard expressed that the people he met in Germany were some of the nicest people he has ever met, and he can’t wait for the chance to go back.

Leonard hopes to minor in German in college, “if my schedule allows it,” and he believes that learning German, or any language, is not only beneficial, but also an extremely fun experience.

I thought [it] was so cool because [the kids in the Dominican Republic] didn’t really speak any English, so I had to trust my Spanish skills to talk.

- Rachel Bond -

Rachel Bond, also a senior, is currently taking AP Spanish. Bond said she decided to take Spanish because “I knew it would

help me later in life,” and when her mom mentioned that so many people in America speak Spanish, Bond thought it would be really awesome if she could communicate with them.

Bond added that she was able to be a doctor, and she “wouldn’t only be serving English-speaking people. I would be serving Spanish-speaking people, so I thought [knowing Spanish would] be really valuable.”

Bond was one of the students on the school’s trip to Spain two summers ago. She said that one of her favorite places they got to visit was Bilbao, which is situated in the Basque Country in Northern Spain.

According to Bond, in addition to speaking Spanish, the citizens of Bilbao also speak the language of Basque. This is interesting to Bond because Basque “is not traced to any other language in the world,” and only about 660,000 people speak the language globally.

Bond has also traveled to the Dominican Republic through the school. Even though this trip was sponsored by the science department, she was still able to use her knowledge of the Spanish language while on the trip. This trip was a service trip, which led to Bond mostly working with and around kids who didn’t speak English, “which I thought was so cool because they didn’t really speak any English, so I had to trust my Spanish skills to talk.”

NOVEMBER 2019 13

OPINION

SHOULD WE CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING?

Megan Lenzi

Maguire Marth

S

ince before any Drops of Ink staff member was born — possibly even before their ancestors had immigrated to America — the fourth Thursday of November has been celebrated across America to remember a pivotal moment in our country’s history: The First Thanksgiving. This feast, in October of 1621, celebrated the connection forged between pilgrims and Native Americans after the pilgrims’ first successful harvest, thanks in large part to the assistance of the Indigenous people.

Though we all don’t share exactly the same motivations for celebrating this holiday, the theme of giving thanks remains prevalent today. Rather than being a celebration of the pilgrims’ accomplishments, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to spend time with extended family we’re often not able to see.

Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to take a step back and evaluate your life as a whole; there’s so much to be grateful for that we don’t recognize in the bustle of our day-to-day lives.

Aside from its symbolic meaning as a holiday of gratitude, Thanksgiving is an excuse to stuff ourselves full of food.

While individual food preferences vary, the act of making Thanksgiving dinner can positively contribute to one’s overall experience of the holiday. Spending hours in the kitchen may not always sound appealing, but on Thanksgiving, it’s another excuse to spend time with friends and family.

While we think Thanksgiving should continue to be celebrated, the focus should be on the modern meaning it’s developed — one of gratitude and community. Instead of celebrating a feast shared between pilgrims and Native Americans (whom white settlers would later massacre), we should celebrate a chance to spend time with family and friends.

Though the holiday itself shouldn’t be changed, the way it is taught should.

When we learned about the pilgrims’ settlement of the New World, there was a lack of emphasis on the negative effects of white civilization.

There’s nothing inherently bad about teaching children the positive aspects of early American settlement. It is inherently bad, however, to deprive children

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The Drops of Ink staff generally agreed that Thanksgiving should be celebrated with family and lots of food, not by focusing on the pilgrims’ accomplishments. People should be educated and informed about what actually happened in the discovery of the New World. of knowledge that challenges this way of thinking. Accounts of Native genocide and white settlers’ acts based on their feelings of racial superiority should no longer be overlooked.

In addition to teaching young Americans about the successes of the pilgrims, they should be taught about the effect American civilization had on Indigenous groups. The information currently given to students is too sugar-coated. Now, this isn’t to say that we should be teaching 10 year olds about the gory details of Native genocide. But, it should not be ignored.

Instead of indoctrinating a generation of Americans to glorify the pilgrims, we should let them formulate an opinion of their own. This is only possible if students are provided with all of the information, not just that which reflects positively upon the pilgrims.

While Thanksgiving should continue to be a day to spend time with friends and family while practicing gratitude, Columbus Day, another holiday related to white explorers’ relations with Indigenous people, is much more problematic.

We feel strongly that Columbus Day should no longer — or shouldn’t have to begin with — have a place on the American calendar. Columbus Day inadvertently glorifies the native genocide

that Christopher Columbus was directly (but not solely) responsible for. For this reason, he is not a role model who should be celebrated. In fact, Columbus never actually stepped foot on what would later become the United States of America.

Columbus should not be erased from history completely; whether or not you’re a fan of Columbus himself, it’s an indisputable fact that he initiated a connection between the New World and the Old World, proving that there was, in fact, more out there than once thought.

Instead, the American education system should no longer glorify him and his actions. We should no longer overlook the blood on his hands but instead appropriately incorporate those aspects of his life into the education children receive.

A new California state law recently declared the second Monday in October (which was previously celebrated as Columbus Day) Indigenous People’s Day from now on; this should be a nationwide change.

Note: As this piece is a staff editorial, it is representative of the opinions of the 25 students 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.

Public shaming: all pain, no gain Amanda Black

Natalie Isberg

OPINION

Maguire Marth

W

e’ve all seen that photo of the kid rating kids based on grades for discussions, participate in future discussions for fear of from the 1950s sitting in the corner making kids feel stupid for asking questions, getting something wrong. of a classroom with a dunce cap on his head. teachers telling the class who had the best In my three years of high school so far, I Although few schools still use public shamgrade on tests, publicly attributing the laghave rarely experienced teachers who use ing in such a blatant fashion, other, less-obging progress of a group to an individual. shame to teach. However, it has happened, vious forms still occur.

Although teachers may not realize it, and it made me feel awful. I hated going to In elementary school, my fourth-grade these sorts of comments and actions can that class every day, and I stopped asking teacher had a poster on the side of her make students feel horrible about themquestions, even if I had no idea what was room with different sections. Our names selves. For some, it might motivate them to happening, because the teacher would rewere written on clothespins, connected to try harder and get an even better score on spond in a rude, condescending way that just the middle section. Based on your behavior the next test. For others, it can make them made me feel stupid. during the day, the pin with your name could feel like they should give up.

This teaching “technique” is very harmful be moved up, down or stay in the neutral Teachers who purposefully use shame to to kids. Not only can it cause long-term section. If the teacher deemed your actions “motivate” their students are few in number, resentment toward the teacher and school disrespectful, your name was moved down. and the teachers who don’t are the ones in general, but in severe cases, it causes If you did something “good,” your name teaching classes the students have a better depression and isolation. Education Week, an could be moved up. opportunity to enjoy because they’re able to independent news organization that covers I can understand that this could teach express what they think without the fear of education, provided a teacher account on young children about the importance of being made fun of. this topic, from an educator who has used being considerate and mindful of their beTeachers may use shame if the same stushame while teaching and has learned how havior. However, fear from one mistake may dents are consistently answering all of the harmful it is for students: they often withaffect a child for a long time. questions, as a way to encourage engagedraw and “shut down;” sometimes they give The embarrassment of making a mistake ment, to make sure students are listening up because they don’t care and “they can’t and moving down to a lower level can cause and comprehending what’s being taught, or be hurt by humiliation,” this teacher said. a kid to isolate him or herself. This isolation just to shame.

Not to mention, this teaches kids that it’s could prevent the child from finding their To a certain extent, I understand ranokay to make fun of others if they make a interests and showing their true personality, domly calling on kids, especially if the same mistake. These are not the lessons about the which can often have a negative effect on four students are regularly answering all “golden rule” schools claim to want to teach one’s social development. the questions, but if a kid doesn’t know an their students.

I was one of those kids. answer, instead of moving on, some teachWhen teachers intentionally shame stuI was absolutely terrified of having my name ers make them feel bad about it in front dents, this raises the question of why some moved down, so I never talked. I had always of the whole class. This can make kids feel teachers feel the need to shame them. Some been quiet to begin with, but I was so scared embarrassed, especially when their classmay think it’s an effective way to gain control, of giving a wrong answer and getting in troumates laugh, making him or her not want to or they’re over compensating for their own ble in front of my entire class. lack of self-confidence, or the Even in middle school, I was teacher thinks the student acstill timid and found myself tually deserves to feel shameful, overthinking what I would say according to Edutopia, a foundabefore speaking, although there tion devoted to improving social was no actual “penalty” for saying and emotional learning. something wrong.

But teachers need to unObviously, not every kid was derstand that the way they affected by this choice of teachteach a class can make or break ing as profoundly as I was, but the it for students. If students are fact that some kids did feel the scared of being made fun of by same way is not okay. Teachers the teacher, they automaticalshould not have the power to ly create a tense atmosphere, make kids fear stating their opinmaking students dislike the ions, especially little kids who are class. If teachers respectfully trying to figure out who they are. respond to all answers, including Now, even in high school, wrong ones, students will be public shaming is still present: more open to talking, creating a While a teacher could be the one to single students out for a wrong calling randomly on students, comfortable atmosphere, which answer or for giving an “I don’t know” answer, the feeling of calling kids out for cheating in embarrassment afterwards is often magnified by the condescending allows students to feel more attitude of peers, making students feel much worse overall. front of the whole class, sepaaccepted and confident.

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NEIL ARMSTRONG

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any Americans no longer care about physical money like bills or coins. As time goes on, more and more people turn to digital currency, through cards and services like Apple Pay or Venmo.

While some may believe that as the world becomes more digitized, the importance of physical money diminishes, money exists to establish trade and commerce and is more than a few numbers in a bank account or a virtual wallet. Physical money feels more significant when people are deciding whether or not to make a purchase, since they are handing over actual, hard-earned cash.

I believe the U.S. currency should be redesigned to better fit with modern society, make it more appealing for consumers and make it easier for all people to conveniently use. I created my own redesigns, which are featured on these two pages.

Many countries throughout the world, such as Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and Latvia, update their currency to match the culture and present time of their society, but not the United States. There have been several redesigns of U.S. currency over the years, but none of them have been significant. Instead of periodically updating the look of the currency, the United States just updates the security features to decrease the threat of counterfeiting.

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The U.S. currency leaving the U.S. Treasury today looks shockingly similar to what was being printed decades ago. Some of the reasons for the older design of present-day U.S. currency have to do with security. There are several security features implemented within the currency, such as security threads and color-changing ink. If you look on a $100 bill, for example, you will see a textured, blue strip that is designed to make it more difficult for counterfeiters. If you ever look at the brown bell on the right side of this security strip, you will notice that it changes color if it is tilted. Additionally, $100 bills of today include four different shades of ink, which gives them their green color. This makes it extremely difficult for counterfeiters to replicate American currency. U.S. currency can still be more simplified in its design yet maintain the same security features.

U.S. currency includes portraits of past presidents and other notable individuals, like Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton.

Ulysses S. Grant, on the $50 note, is the most modern person on any of the currency, even though he was the 18th president, serving from 1869 to 1877. Given the significance of numerous events and people between Grant’s era and now, American currency needs an update.

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Even though the majority of the people featured on U.S. currency are early presidents, it doesn’t need to be that way. Some very significant people who were not politicians have made significant advances for the country and the world as a whole. People like Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Eleanor Roosevelt made notable advances in advocating for equal rights for all ethnic groups. Harriet Tubman is well known for helping and supporting escaped slaves through the Underground Railroad. Neil Armstrong was the first person to step foot on the Moon, and the Wright Brothers invented the first airplane. The work of Samuel Morse with the telegraph and Morse code was frequently used during war times for secure communication. Without the work of these significant American figures, the country may be a very different place today, which is why I have featured them on my redesigns.

The front of my bills feature a historically significant figure in U.S. history, such as Rosa Parks on the $1, Samuel Morse on the $5, and Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. The back of the bills feature a modern picture that relates to the person or people on the front of the bill to provide that modern touch to the bills.

Other than the number or the portrait on the bill, there is little indication as to the denomination of a bill. Because of this, one of my ideas for redesigning the currency is to have color-coded bills based on their denomination. In my redesign, each denomination has a different color, which makes it easier for people to quickly differentiate between the different bills, which could also greatly speed up the process of cash transactions. Additionally, these colors can be identifiable by color-blind people by using colors that can be differentiated between each other.

Another feature of my currency redesign is that the bills have braille stamps, which presses the denomination into the bill in braille, so blind people can easily differentiate between the bills without being able to see.

These currency redesigns better fit with modern society, make it more appealing for consumers and make it easier for all people to conveniently use. In addition to my currency redesigns found on these two pages, see more online at lhsdoi.com/currency. Submit your own currency redesign ideas at lhsdoi.com/submit for a chance to be featured online.

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MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

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OPINION

OFFICIAL RANKINGS OF

THE LHS WATER FOUNTAINS Christian Roberts

Rowan Hornsey

Ian Cox

Libertyville High School is home to 30 water fountains. Some provide cold water, some spew lukewarm water, some don’t work at all and some I couldn’t even find. With so many fountains to choose from, a common question is posed by students in the hallways: Which water fountain is the best?

I hoped to definitively answer this question by ranking the water fountains in the school. Each fountain received a ranking from zero to 10 in three different categories: water pressure, temperature and taste, while extra points were also awarded for unique appearances or features. The maximum score a fountain could receive was 32. Here are the important highlights.

Note: All of the water fountains are not included in these rankings.

Additionally, some rankings represent a group of water fountains that are located near each other and have similar features.

THE WORST Language Cube, First Floor - 1/32 If the Miami Dolphins were a water fountain, this would be it. Coming in at last place is the water fountain located in the language cube. Not only does no water actually come out, the bottom half of the fountain is simply falling apart. With nothing to evaluate, one pity point was awarded out of kindness. This water fountain should simply be renamed “The Worst Water Fountain Ever.”

Second-to-last Main hall, second floor outside the girls bathroom - 2/32 If you’re quick enough, you might be able to get half a sip of water before the stream of both water fountains dwindles down to nothing. Countless minutes of people’s time must be wasted waiting for this water fountain to decide if it wants to work or not, and by then, you’re already late to your next class.

If possible, avoid these two water fountains, as they barely ever work. When asked why they choose not to dispense any water, both water fountains declined to comment.

New pool - 5/32 Being the two newest water fountains in the whole school, theoretically these two should be the most advanced in water fountain technology and taste. Sadly, that’s not even close to being true. One might be confused when they realize the water tastes like it actually came from the new pool.

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Main Gym, Fieldhouse, and weight room - 9/32 With two water fountains in each gym and one in the weight room, you would think you could at least get some refreshing water at one of the five fountains.

You would be wrong. With perhaps the most average tasting, warm water of any water fountain in the state of Illinois, these water fountains more than likely won’t satisfy your thirst after running sprints or getting a new personal best of 95 pounds on the bench press. The rating would be lower, but thankfully for their sake, they all have a cool-looking handle to dispense the water.

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THE BEST Orchestra/Choir/Guitar room - 32/32

Sophomore Marcus Graham summarized this water fountain best: “This water could make a blind man see.” With possibly the best-tasting water in human history, it’s clear to see why people have nicknamed it “The Iceberg,” thanks to its freezing cold water. I tried time and time again to find something wrong with this water fountain, but there are simply no flaws. It is perfect.

Outside the all-gender restroom by the library - 29/32 I was having a bad day when I tested this water fountain, and after I tasted it, I was suddenly having the best day ever. This water fountain is overlooked by most because of its isolated location, but it spews some of the best-tasting water you’ll ever have. However, it is kind of tall, so short people may have to use the water fountain located next to it, which is why three points were removed.

Sorry, short people.

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Near the Green Room - 28/32

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A fan favorite among theater kids.

This water was cold and had a strong stream to go along with it.

If I hadn’t needed to get a custodian to unlock three doors just so I could taste this water fountain, it might have been higher in the rankings. However, most people don’t want to spend 10 minutes trying to get to a water fountain, which docked four points from its otherwise perfect score.

Cafeteria, on the wall near the main gym - 13/32 Said by some to be the best water fountain in the school, I found myself looking around to see if perhaps I was testing the wrong water fountain. The water came out with immense power, but what it possessed in technical ability, it lacked in the quality of the water. It was warm and left me dazed with one of the weirdest aftertastes of any water fountain I’ve ever tried before.

Art room - 12/32 Before purposely going out of my way to taste test all the water fountains on school grounds, I didn’t know this one even existed. I wouldn’t be surprised if no one else knew it existed either. Located in the “dungeon,” this water fountain is older but still provides tasteful water. However, it is overshadowed by two water fountains located down the hall by the Link Crew room.

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West Gym - 23/32 With a look like it came out of a private school in Beverly Hills to go along with the cold water, these two water fountains are the only pair in the whole school that taste the same as their counterpart. With a good location for games and practices, these water fountains are perfect for tired athletes or people looking for some high-quality water.

Auditorium and outside the DOI room - 10/32 These two water fountains would have much higher ratings if they weren’t practically hidden away from the average student. With lukewarm water, okay taste and a pretty decent rate of release, these water fountains will get the job done. However, you’ll probably find the gate to Narnia before you find either of these water fountains.

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SPORTS

the path to playing college sports Claire Salemi

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any children dream of being a college athlete. But continuing to play a varsity level sport in college happens for one in 14 high school athletes, according to the National College Athletic Association. For that seven percent of student-athletes, they go through a long and complex recruitment process.

This typically starts with the athlete contacting coaches of schools they are interested in. The potential recruit needs to keep their grades above a certain level, depending on what division they aim to play in: Division I players need a 2.3 or higher GPA and to take 16 core academic courses, and Division II and III players need a 2.2 or higher GPA and to take 16 core academic courses, the NCAA’s website states.

Then, the process proceeds with athletes going to camps or showcases so the college coaches can evaluate and see them play in person, or the coach will come to an interested player’s game. Finally, the hopeful athlete waits for offers from universities. If given an offer from a Division I or II school, the player will verbally commit to the university and will officially be a part of the team once they sign a National Letter of Intent.

Depending on the athlete, the recruiting process could start as early as middle school or not until one’s junior year, and it could last anywhere from a few months or years in length.

The recruitment process for college sports has rapidly changed since the rise of the internet and social media.

College coaches are able to search online for potential recruits and will receive interest emails with videos directly from the athletes.

Senior Hunter Lynch describes how important the emailing process was for him. After realizing that he wanted to continue his career as a soccer goalie in college, Lynch emailed multiple universities his club soccer schedule and some game

Megan Lenzi film during his junior year.

“You never know when someone will respond,” Lynch stated regarding the number of emails he sent. He did get responses from multiple schools, but in the end, Lynch committed to Carroll University, a Division III school in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Similarly, Kristine Kropp, who signed to the University of Detroit Mercy’s women’s lacrosse team, stressed the amount of times she reached out to universities. After getting looked at by Division I, II and III schools, Kropp ultimately decided to play for the Titans, a Division I team, due to liking the coach, team and school’s academic opportunities.

She is also excited to continue to play and room with a girl who is on her club lacrosse team.

Kropp, who plans to work in the medical field, specifically enjoys that within the athletic program at the University of Detroit Mercy, there is built-in study time: “You have to clock in and study for a total of five hours per week, so it really helps you stay on top of your stuff, which I really need.”

Another factor that Kropp took into account was the social aspect of playing a sport in college. “I’ll have a built-in group of people that I already know and I can go to,” Kropp explained when asked what she was most excited about for college.

Like Kropp and Lynch, junior volleyball player Peyton O’Brien received help from her parents and coaches, but all of them took the lead into looking at schools. For instance, volleyball recruitment rules don’t allow for college recruiters to reach out directly to players, so O’Brien had to communicate through her coaches in order to go through the process, and she used a website called SportsRecruitment to showcase herself.

On that site, O’Brien was contacted, through her coach, by the University of Mississippi. O’Brien then went down to the school, instead of going to her sophomore homecoming

““I think that athletic scholarships are ‘gifts that keep on giving’ as higher education is a priceless benefIt “ - -Ms..Amy Belstra”

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dance, to play in front of the coach, which led to an offer that weekend. She committed that same weekend to the Division I school as a sophomore in high school.

Although O’Brien verbally committed three years before she is able to actually play, 2019 brought about a new NCAA rule that states that it is illegal for universities to offer scholarships to players until Sept. 1 of an athlete’s junior year in high school.

Similar to volleyball’s recruitment rules, coaches can now only contact a player via their coach until that Sept. 1 date.

In the near future, the recruitment process will likely continue to evolve due to a new NCAA rule allowing college athletes to make money, which will come into effect within each division in January 2021. A player can get paid based on “their name, image and likeness in a manner consistent with the collegiate model,” according to the NCAA, and they later reference that “athletes are students first and choose to play a sport they love against other students while earning a degree.”

The rule was changed in part due to California instituting the “Fair Pay to Play” law that, in 2023, makes it illegal for colleges to punish athletes for taking endorsement money. About a dozen more states, including Illinois, are considering passing a similar law. The NCAA decided on Oct. 29 to adjust their policy on athletics and sponsorships since it would be unfair to students who go to schools in states other than California, according to ESPN. O’Brien shared that she agrees with the rule change since “with athletes, there is not any time for [them] to get a job... so there’s no way that [athletes] can make money besides scholarship.”

While the NCAA has expressed that they want to “protect the recruitment environment,” speculation over the internet says that universities will use how much their players make as a way to get high school kids to commit to that school rather than others. USA Today reported that high school coaches who have a lot of experience with the recruitment process will encourage recruits to play closer to home so they are known by the community, which could allow them to make more money compared to how much they could make at different schools.

“I think that athletic scholarships are ‘gifts that keep on giving’ as higher education is a priceless benefit, but I do think that today’s college athletes, especially on a D1 and D2 level, are doing more than they used to,” said College Resource Counselor Ms. Amy Belstra in an email. “If your face is used in a video game, it’s flattering, yes, but shouldn’t you be compensated in some way for that?”

Senior Kristine Kropp verbally committed to the University of Detroit Mercy’s Division I women’s lacrosse team. .

Senior Hunter Lynch committed to Carroll University to continue his soccer goalie career in college.

Junior Peyton O’Brien committed to the University of Mississippi to play Division I volleyball as a sophomore in high school.

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FEATURE

what’s trending:

Music

things that make people Happy Amanda Black

Jade Foo

sports

For this edition of What’s Trending, 30 random students in the hallway, the MASH, the library and the LSTs were asked what makes them happy on a daily basis. The top two responses were food and dogs, with family a close third. Here are 10 of the objects or activities that make students at LHS happy.

food

Photo by Christian Roberts

friends sleep

family money

theater

Photo by Tracy O, used under CC By 2.0

dogs

Photo by Sara Bogan

eating mashed potatoes while watching the live action “scooby doo” “Scooby Doo” photo by Mark Anderson, used under CC BY 2.0/cut out

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CROSSWORD

NEW MUSIC Rayna Wuh

SCAN THIS TO LISTEN TO A SPOTIFY PLAYLIST OF NEW SONGS RELATED TO THE PUZZLE!!

Across 2. Camila Cabello’s announced second solo studio album 7. Artist featured on BTS’s “Make It Right” for a bilingual collaboration 9. Harry Styles’ first single released since 2017 10. Singer featured on a remix of Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” 11. Long-awaited Kanye West gospel album relased after several delays 12. Artist who announced a new album and released the single “It Might Be Time” 14. Justin _____ promised to release his album before Christmas if his Instagram post receives 20 million likes.

Down 1. Artist returning to pop for album “High Road,” to be available next year 3. Single released by Maroon 5 in early October 4. New Tyga song with the same name as a Jason Derulo song released earlier this year 5. Artist who released her first single in four years—“Lose You to Love Me” 6. New Coldplay album to be released in late November 8. Tenth song released by Why Don’t We as a part of their year of monthly songs 12. Major Lazer and Khalid’s single for the soundtrack of the upcoming video game “Death Stranding” 13. Rex Orange County’s first full-length album

Answers can be found online at lhsdoi.com NOVEMBER 2019 23