October 23 issue

Best Buddies 13-15

Are Chromebooks worth the hassle?

20

OCTOBER 23, 2014 VOLUME 88, ISSUE 2

A profile on Anna and Sammie Mackey 16-17

Mr. Kelly, former Minor Leaguer 25

LETTER TO THE READER DEAR READER...

2014/15 STAFF LIST Alex Zoellick, Editor in Chief Kyle Laska, News Editor Ryan Jackson, Feature Editor Mike Gasick, Sports Editor Tom Ackerman, Opinion Editor Hannah Jenkins, Opinion Editor Korina Valenzuela, Photo Editor Maddie Salata, Layout Editor Abby St. Claire, Layout Editor Katie Vrba, Social Media Editor Manal Ahmed Lola Akinlade David Black Hannah Boufford Josh Bragg Becky DeAcetis Anna Demartini Kayla Fiore Lauren Forrest Alo Garcia-Escobar Olivia Griffith Emily Hamilton Eryka Jones Conor Kennedy Jake Luce Jarrett Malec Jack Murphy Tia Petrzilka Connor Polk Jillian Ruff Puja Saha Tyler Skinner Marijke Sommer Gabrielle Struik Maria Thames Sara Thunga Jasmine Turner Kate Vittore Jake Vogt Madeline Werner Kaitlyn Zabadal

With the coming of a fresh fall season, there are so many things to be excited for, both in and out of school.

As news editor, the changing of seasons only means one thing: more news to cover. In this issue, you’ll see some great news coverage by our staff covering a variety of topics. On an LHS level, you can read all about the new “Catfe” that is being designed, along with the new 3D printer the school just bought. On a broader level, you’ll be able to keep up with the terrorist group ISIS, while also being able to read more about Emma Watson’s speech on feminism, delivered to the United Nations.

Although the magazine is an amazing way to stay updated with your news, the Drops of Ink website is continually updated with news stories, meaning you can stay informed with even more news while you anxiously wait for the new issue to come out. The website should keep you on top of everything, and you’ll be an expert on everything from changes at Brainerd to updates with Scotland.

Most importantly about the new season, this is a great time for sports. Being a sports fan, it’s exciting watching the LHS football team as they make their push for state, much like the 2004 team did when it won state, which will be revisited in this issue. We also cover some more great sports topics like the successful LHS girls’ swimming 200-medley relay team and focus on the popularity of fantasy football at the high school.

On a more professional level, October brings some of the most intriguing sports action all year. The MLB will crown a champion after the World Series, and for the 106th consecutive year, it’s not the Cubs. The NFL is just hitting the heart of its season, and once again, the Packers and Bears are neck-and-neck. New seasons will also start up, as the NHL is officially underway with the Blackhawks looking to reign as a top team. The NBA will start in just a matter of days, as the Bulls come in as a favorite in the Eastern Conference.

With Homecoming over with, it’s time to look forward to new things. Lucky for you, this is only the second of eight Drops of Ink issues this year.

SINCERELY,

Michael Gluskin, Faculty Adviser DROPS OF INK 2

KYLE

4-8 NEWS 10 WHAT’S TRENDING: HALLOWEEN EDITION 11 WHAT’S HAPPENING WATSON PUSHES FOR GENDER EQUALITY; THE U.S. STRIKES AGAINST ISIS 12 13-15 BUDDIES FOR LIFE 16-17 THE SEWING SISTERS 18-19 TEACHERS TECHING OVER 20 STAFF EDITORIAL: CHROMEBOOKS NOT WORTH THE RISK 21-23 COLUMNS 25 THE MINOR LEAGUE LIFE OF PAT KELLY 26-27 IT’S JUST A FANTASY... OR IS IT? 28-29 10 YEARS SINCE STATE TRIUMPH 30-31 THE FAB FOUR Take a look at a new cafe being brought into LHS; find out what big changes Cat-TV went through over the summer; read about the new club, Caring for Cambodia

Check out the most popular items for Halloween

Stay updated on current events throughout the world

Read about Emma Watson’s strong speech delivered to the UN; What did the US do to counteract ISIS?

Read about the extremely popular Best Buddies club and the people who make it so great

Take a look at the Mackey sisters and their passion for sewing

Find out which teachers use social media in order to keep students updated

Read about what the Drops of Ink staff thinks about every student getting Chromebooks next year

Is today’s music still music? Why don’t high schoolers trick or treat? Are kids too dependent on their phones? Read and find out

Learn all about Pat Kelly and his journey through the MLB Minor Leagues

Is fantasy football just for fun? Or is it an addiction?

Take a look back at the 2004 Wildcats team that won it all

Learn about the LHS girls relay team that can compete with the best

Cover photo by Jillian Ruff DROPS OF INK

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New Catfe on the Way?

By Tia Petrzilka

Logo created by Alex Gushulak

Old Cat, New Tricks

By David Black Wildcat Productions, once known as Cat-TV, has taken on a new name along with a new direction.

With the loss of the old sponsor, Iwona Awlasewicz, Mr. Dan Treptow, once the productions technician for the club, has taken on the role of head sponsor. Mr. Treptow provided some insight on the club’s new name, recognizing the impact of technology on the club’s medium.

“The primary medium for content to be distributed is online, so it only makes sense to have the name reflect what we do. No longer do we live in a world limited to TV or film, and the club recognizes that and answers to the greater trends and technology of the 21st century,” he said.

This year, the club has upgraded its equipment to exude a more professional standard.

“Everything is electronic and digital, and pretty much everything in general is new. We’ve also got new software and programs. We still use the Avid program to edit, but we also use Adobe Premier,” remarked senior Brendan Storiz, who has been a member of the club since his freshman year.

Taking a new direction, the crew is now aiming to be “more professional, following certain criteria while also having a lot more creative freedom,” according to Storiz. The group is looking to become more than a club; it has begun to become more of an extension of the school itself. Whether they are creating new ways for providing the students information on school events or collaborating with clubs to make something different, the influence of Wildcat Productions is spreading.

With higher goals, the club will be looking for more help than ever. Wildcat Production is still a club that anyone can join.

When asked about required experience, Storiz smiled, saying, “You don’t even need to know how to operate an iPhone camera.”

Mr. Treptow noted that “if there are any announcers, actors, or journalists out there who are interested in joining Wildcat Productions, we meet every Monday after school. The more contributors we have, whether it be graphic support, camera work, editing or anything else involved in creating content, the more we can support the entire high school in delivering their story to new audiences.”

Wildcat Productions has been responsible for creating the morning announcement videos this year. They also take pride in streaming sports and fine arts events to their website so that those who cannot attend can still take part in the activity from home.

Over the past year, the LHS club Young Entrepreneurs has been developing a plan for a student-run, affordable cafe, located in Libertyville High School. With the leadership of senior Arooj Ahmad and fellow seniors Chris Akers and Collin Apgar, the cafe could possibly be incorporated into the school as soon as this semester.

If opened, the cafe is projected to sell coffee, tea, and one type of pre-packaged food item that is favored among the students at LHS, and open at times convenient for students. According to YE club sponsor, Dr. Debra Kellum, these pre-packaged foods could possibly be Clif bars, honeybuns, or biscotti; something not terribly unhealthy, but still quick and easy.

Currently, the cafe is a work in progress, mainly supported by Dr. Kellum.

On a daily basis, both teachers and students alike can be seen with coffee, tea, and small breakfast items, whether from local chains like Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, or from the cafeteria at LHS. “What I was looking to do was to eradicate the need for students and teachers to go out of their way to get something of quality, when they could get it from the school,” explained Ahmad.

Despite the popularity of coffee among students at LHS, Dr. Kellum does not believe that the opening of the cafe will affect the sales of the cafeteria.

“We’re doing something completely different. The cafeteria is still going to have their breakfast items. They’re still going have milk and water and their zero lemonades and whatnot. They’re not going have coffee and hot tea,” explained Dr. Kellum.

While there will only be a select Photo courtesy of Wikipedia group of products available, Ahmad believes that this simplicity is the key to the cafe’s success.

According to Ahmad, profits will go back to a YE, supporting both students and the school, an offer that could be very attractive to the school.

“I think it’s important that the school gets benefitted from here (the cafe) because it would be really cool for us to be able to invest back into our students,” he said.

There are still a lot of questions that are not yet answered, including what times the cafe would be open, and where it is to be located.

The developers of the cafe are really trying to get this accomplished for the students and want it to be around for years to come.

“Making it (the cafe) something authentic and real enough to have the students be really interested in making it the best possible cafe it can be. I’m gonna need a lot of help in terms of being able to satisfy the students’ needs. They need to speak up and tell me what to do,” stated Ahmad.

A lot of work has been put into the plans for this cafe, down to following each regulation and finding an acceptable vendor to buy from.

“We’re getting really close to presenting again to the administration and once we get that going, then it would just be a matter of making sure we have adequate staffing, having a location that would be ok to use regularly, and getting the approvals. It literally could be sometime first semester, but it’s going to be a matter of getting approval,” stated Dr. Kellum.

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Printing the Future

By Maria Thames

For the past 11 years, students at LHS of horizontal layers. Once the file has been treads for the tires. We had to make our have had the privilege of using 3D printers downloaded onto the printer, it creates it own dimensions and sketches from our own to enhance their education, and use real-life into a three-dimensional object, layer by work, and then we individually made the skills to learn what it is like to be an engilayer. parts and assembled them together. As far neer.

Injection molding, the shaping of rubber as the parts, they had already been pre-made At LHS, there are four technology or plastic articles by heating material into virtually,” explained principles of engiclasses: freshmen take electronics, sopha mold, is how the students at LHS make neering student, Tyler LaRoi, a junior who omores take engineering design, juniors, various products. “Say I want to make a designed a car on the 3D printer computer principles of engineering, and seniors, cap, it’s made out of plastic. So you make software. “All those files can be used to engineering design and development, the half a mold and the other half has a hole in print something. So if you took the gear you class in which students actually make things it, so the mold shoots plastic inside of it and wanted, you just more or less send it to the with the 3D printer. when it cools, you open it up, and you’ve printer.”

Here at the high school, there In more national 3D printare three 3D printers, two located ing news, on Sept. 8-13, at the in room 002 and one in room 017.

International Manufacturing The first 3D printer purchased for Technology Show in Chicago, LHS cost around $30,000, and has Local Motors made history by been around for 11 years,” said Mr. 3D printing a car in a total of just Andrew Thomson, an applied tech44 hours. Constructed from carnology teacher. bon-fiber reinforced polymer, the “The printer we purchased same plastic as Legos, the Strati 11 years ago is on its last legs. It’s can drive up to 40 MPH and has getting old, they don’t last very long, about 40 parts, compared to the and we’ve been good about keeping traditional 20,000 parts found in it up. But to fix it right now is going a regular car. to cost around $4,000. 3D printers “I’m interested to see have dropped in price so much; the where they can go with it because new one we are getting is around they’ve come such a long way $6,500, does the exact same stuff as with it in such a short amount the other one, but it’s not as big,” of time. I know there’s printers said Mr. Thomson. “The other [printthat make food. The prices have er] cost about $1,500, and of course dropped a lot so I think a lot of doesn't do the same stuff as the first more things will be coming out printer, not as much detail.” that you’re going to see,” said The new printer, manufactured Mr. Thomson.

by Stratasys, one of the leading On the contrary, others may producers in 3D printers, is called not think the 3D car is all that it the Mojo, described as a “little powseems to be. erhouse” that is the most compact, “To me, it’s like Local Photo by Maria Thames Motors did it because they could. accessible way to get professional A chess piece created using the 3D printer at LHS. desktop 3D printing, according to The way 3D printing is used now Stratasys’ official website. Earlier this is that it’s more prototyping than a month, the new printer was delievfinal product. You can’t just print a ered to the high school. got that (the cap),” explained Mr. Thomson. car and assume that it’s capable of handling Students in the engineering design “When you’re doing injection molding, road conditions. It’s like they did it to prove and development class, run by Mr. Thomyou’re going to make a part out of plastic or they can make a statement,” voiced LaRoi. son, have the capability to use the two print- steel or even aluminum. You need a mold While opinions vary when it pertains ers. “What the students do is they develop made that you injected that melted material to the 3D printing of the Strati, here at LHS, a problem. Then, they design a product to into it, and you open that mold and the part the printers are used for the benefit of the find a solution for that problem,” said Mr. comes out.” students.

Thomson.

In the past, students at LHS have made “What I enjoy most about 3D After students have found a product all different kinds of useful objects, such as printing is what it allows my students to do. they’d like to construct, they have to design chess pieces, flashlights, filters, phone cases Never could they do that before. Now they a mold on the computer to create the shape to hold credit cards and money, and a pen can design something and print it out and of the object they're trying to produce. The with sharpie and marker all in one. actually have a physical form of it in their 3D printer then reads the digital file and “We had to entirely redesign a car, hands, which is pretty amazing to me,” said slices the model into hundreds of thousands all the individual axles and wheels and the Mr. Thomson.

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Muslim Students Association off the ground at LHS

By Tom Ackerman

Photo by Hannah Boufford Ms. Kolish’s board of writing tips is among the new features in the Write Place.

Write Place, Right Person

By Hannah Boufford

Through important revisions and colorful touches, new supervisor Allison Kolish has changed the Write Place to improve appointments and the atmosphere of the resource for this school year.

Although she seems to fit right into the room full of bright new colors, Ms. Kolish took over the Write Place for Anne Malecki this year, and she brought some important changes with her.

For one, appointments can now be made online, so it is easier for students to make an appointment and get the help they need.

To make an appointment, students should go to lhswildcats.org, click the link “Library,” go to “Write Place,” and then find the link “Click here to sign up” in order to make an appointment. The online sign-ups allow students to create and change appointments on any device at any time.

There are also now two English teachers, Ms Kolish and one other teacher, in the Write Place at a time; both are there to help students with appointments.Write Place student tutors also spend a couple days a week in the room to help out with extra appointments as well. The student tutors and the teachers all do the same job, according to Ms. Kolish. “[Having two English teachers] gives us more time to work with all our appointments and lets us have more appointments in general,” she said. “I would say that’s the biggest and most important change.”

As an English teacher and a previous tutor herself, Ms. Kolish does not find the one-on-one environment of appointments intimidating at all.

“I was so excited [to take over]. Writing is my thing, and I love it,” Ms. Kolish said.

The room’s comforting atmosphere, Ms. Kolish’s friendly and approachable personality, and the calming colors all give the Write Place a brand-new, welcoming feeling.

The room is open to everyone, not just those with appointments or students who need help on their English papers.

“You can come in here for any type of writing help, it doesn’t have to be an essay… It could be a paragraph for, you know, AP Art, or... a health paper,” Ms. Kolish wanted everyone to know. “I feel like a lot of times we just get English coming in here, but we can help you out with anything!”

LHS will be integrating the Muslim Student Association (MSA) as a part of the school’s clubs this year, as it continues to grow in numbers.

Headed by sophomore Areebah Wassem, the club meetings will involve religious discussions, and sometimes a game. “[We welcome] Christians, Jews, anybody. Our talks are very secular, so it doesn’t only apply to Islam,” said Wassem.

In addition to educating students and the community, Wassem hopes to correct negative stereotypes regarding Muslims, especially with the recent ISIS conflicts.

“When I was in sixth grade, my teacher once thought that I was a terrorist,” says Wassem. “[Our goal is] to educate the people of Islam and comfort people because [Muslims] aren’t bad like people think... [We also hope to] also to unite Muslim students,” stated Wassem.

Although the club is without a permanent staff advisor as of now, Wassem says that Mrs. Lauren Pothast, a social studies teacher here at LHS, is acting as the current advisor. The club still has logistics to figure out, but it is well underway to be a strong addition to the clubs at the school.

“I am currently the advisor for the club and would remain the club advisor if it weren’t for another conflict I will have on Wednesday afternoons later in the year (I am the Orchesis assistant director from November to March). There are several teachers in the Social Studies department who are interested in getting involved with the club as well,” commented Pothast.

The club has been trying to pick up speed for about a year, said Wassem. It takes determination, she said proudly.

“Right now we have five [students] who will come continuously, but there’s about 10 Muslims in the school and I’m trying to reach out to them one by one,” stated Wassem.

The group meets after school every Wednesday, although the meeting place is not yet permanent.

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Illinois voters headed to the ballot box on Nov. 4

By Puja Saha The Congressional election is approaching unrelenting in their fight for justice.

Rauner by 2.7 and 3 points, respectively. quickly on Nov. 4, and Republican challenger Meanwhile, Schneider’s opponent, Bob Ms. Holtsford is certain that one of the Bob Dold and Democratic incumbent RepDold, has also placed the economy at the top of most crucial issues facing the new governor, resentative Brad Schneider are engaged in a his list of priorities. However, Dold’s solution whomever it may be come November 4, will heated race for one of Illinois’ 18 seats in the is independent of investing in manufacturing. be balancing the need for public programs House of Representatives.

Rather than pour money into “making things,” with managing the state’s budget deficit.

Both candidates visited LHS earlier this Dold aims to create jobs by marrying “the Refurbishing Illinois’s public school system month, Mr. Dold on Thursday, Oct. 2 and Rep. fostering of a pro-business environment that and improving on its infrastructure and health Schneider on Monday, Oct. 6. These special attracts employers to invest in our communicare situations will cost the state money that it visits were organized by LHS government ties, and an education system that is in tune doesn’t have, making citizens’ concerns about teacher Ms. Amy Holtsford in an effort to with those businesses and the skills needed for both sides of the issue valid, she said. increase political awareness at the school, the jobs today.”

In conjunction with the rehauling of public especially among seniors who will be eligible In sum, Dold’s primary remedy for a programs, tax cuts and hikes have long been a to vote in November. wounded economy is simple -- close the skills highly debated issue not just in Illinois, but in According to Schneider, improving the gap between employment seekers and available the nation as a whole. It’s no secret that Illinois country’s economy is at the top of has had (and still has) financial trouhis list of critical issues. ble due to ever-increasing debt.

“If we can grow our economy...

“Both candidates will have a all the other problems become more tough time expressing a tax policy manageable,” he told LHS students. that number one, we as citizens of The best possible way to prime Illinois will like to hear, and then the economy, Schneider believes, number two, that actually will is to invest in manufacturing benefit our revenue problems,” Ms. within American borders, to refine Holtsford said. “It’s easy to say raw materials and turn them into ‘Vote for me, I want to lower your finished goods to ship around the taxes.’ It’s much harder to put that world and increase profit margins. into practice when you have bills to This, of course, is easier said than pay.” done -- while America may be rich Earlier on in his governorship, in resources, the country simply Governor Quinn had installed a doesn’t invest enough money or intemporary income tax hike that he terest into manufacturing, according believed would ease the state’s budRep. Brad Schneider (left), a Democrat, and challenger Bob Dold, Republican, are facing off get deficit. He has since permanently to Schneider.

In Congress, Schneider is a mem- in the 10th Congressional District election on Nov. 4. extended this tax hike in hopes ber of two committees -- groups of of speeding up Illinois’s recovery Representatives who share interests in similar jobs. process. This move has been met by criticism fields and work together in order to better the On ISIS, Dold asserts on his campaign and backlash by many Illinoisans. Meanwhile, situations of the people they represent in these webpage that defeating ISIS is not solely the challenger Bruce Rauner has promised to fields -- the small business committee (relating responsibility of the United States, but rather reduce the 5 percent income tax back down to his previous business consulting backthat to put an end to its terrorism, “We must to its previous rate of 3 percent, although ground), and the foreign affairs committee. mobilize the world against this existential this reduction will cost the state $8 billion in Today, foreign affairs is a highly debated threat and defeat it before it hits us here at annual revenue, which is more than the state’s topic, even among high schoolers -- it’s hard to home.” He also says that the failure of the spending in healthcare, K-12 education, higher find someone who hasn’t heard of the Islamic United States to wrap up the war in Iran and education, public safety, and human services.

State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the mayhem lead the resistance against ISIS is a direct As the races continue, Illinois waits with the extremist group has caused in the Middle indication that this mission cannot be accombated breath — the current struggle for the East. When debating how to approach the issue plished by only one country’s efforts -- to make governor’s seat has been considered by poin Congress, Schneider ultimately voted for the a difference, the United States must join forces litical analysts one of the tensest and closest authorization of aid to Syrian rebels. with its allies such as the United Kingdom and in the state’s history, as has the struggle for According to Schneider, “ISIS is a clear Australia, both of which have been blatantly the Representative seat. Tempers have flared and present danger. It is a real threat -- all you threatened by the extremist group. and opinions have clashed, but whomever the have to look at is what they did to the two U.S. In the midst of the Congressional election, new governor and representative may be come journalists.” the Illinois governor election is also underway, November will have his work cut out for When asked about a plan of action, and rarely has the state ever seen such a heated, him. With the lack of public programs on the Schneider asserted that the most effective way neck-and-neck race. As of Oct. 12, polls from governor’s agenda and a looming ISIS crisis to quash the chaos is to ensure that the native the Chicago Sun-Times and CBS News have on the representative’s agenda, both politipeople of the nations plagued by violence of shown current Democratic governor Patrick cians can be sure to never find a dull moment the radical Islamist group were proactive and Quinn ahead of Republican challenger Bruce in office.

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Checkmate!

By Emily Hamilton

Photo by Natasha Grahm Cambodian school children participating in a math class.

Thriving for change in Cambodia

By Kaitlyn Zabadal On Sept. 18, LHS’s first Caring for Cambodia club meeting occurred; the club supervisor is Mrs. Tiffany Owens and the club meets in room 2102 every other Thursday morning at 7.

Junior Brayden Monson lived in Singapore during his 8th grade year. There was a Caring for Cambodia club in his school there. Monson has had the opportunity to visit Cambodia two times to help out. He was so inspired by this experience that he wanted to bring the organization, Caring for Cambodia, to LHS. “There really is a big need in Cambodia,” Monson said. “They are one of the poorest countries in the world.”

For many years, there has been a huge amount of violence going on in Cambodia. In the late 1970s, communists tried to kill all educated middle-aged people. The genocide wiped out nearly a fourth of the population.

“Teachers, doctors, even people who wore glasses [were killed],” Mrs. Owens said.

Considering that there are now so many adults who grew up without an education, nobody is able to provide a sufficient education for the children. One of CFC’s many goals is to give free, quality education to children.

“The average household yearly income is around $300,” Mrs. Owens mentioned when talking about what the organization does when it comes to helping out the citizens who are waist-deep in poverty. “Every month we are going to try to do a different kind of fundraising.”

For the October fundraiser, they will be collecting toothbrushes. The reasoning behind collecting toothbrushes ties in with the average $300 a year income; very few families can actually afford to buy toothbrushes for themselves.

At the end of the school year, after doing (what they hope) to be a ton of fundraising, the club is going to try to help pay for club members who are interested in a trip to Cambodia to help build schools.

Mrs. Owens described the trip, along with the costs for it: “[The trip] is expensive, but we are hoping to be able to raise, at least, the cost of the flights.”

“In creating a branch of CFC at LHS,” Monson stated, “ my goals are to get the word out about the desperate need in Cambodia and make a difference in the lives of many kids who have suffered through so much.”

After school every other Wednesday, Libertyville High School’s Chess Club meets in room 239 to play chess as well as to get to know other students.

Sophomore Sage Hart started the club this year after he found out that LHS didn’t have a chess club.

“I wanted to join the chess club but later had found out that the club was not running. Because of this, I was determined to start the club and ensure its success,” he said.

Students like Chess Club for many reasons. Sophomore Jack Liang, a member of the club, said he likes the one -on- one “direct competition of pure skill” and the “mental competition”.

Liang also said that “In chess, it is important to be able to adapt to peoples play styles. The skill in chess is being good at analyzing your opponent in the game. Trying to learn tactics and techniques can be extremely helpful, but only if you can apply them well to the situation. There is no set one way to win in chess because everybody has the same exact pieces, you don’t get to build your own custom chess team, you can only win by outsmarting your opponent.”

According to Hart, “Students enjoy playing chess because it is a strategy game in that one move can cost you the game. It is very competitive as well as being a great way to connect with other people.”

In addition to all these things, Chess Club, like many other clubs, is an excellent way to meet new people from all different grades and make new friends.

“I also like the fact that it helps to bridge the grade gap as the club contains people from all years of high school. Because of that, I personally have met many different people that I would have not otherwise known,” Hart said.

Many students believe that they must be experienced players to be a part of Chess Club, however, this is not the case. Anyone can participate in Chess Club, and if students who are interested don’t know how to play chess, someone in the club can teach them.

There are some basics students may want to know before they play chess, like how each player has one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, and eight pawns and each kind of piece moves differently. The goal of the game is to capture your opponent’s king.

For now, Chess Club is not participating in any competitions, but the club may ultimately be competing against other schools.

Right now, the competitions are within the club.

The next few meetings are on Oct. 22, Nov. 5, and Nov. 19 and future meeting dates can be viewed in the school bulletin.

Photo credits to Evonne on Flikr.

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What’s Trending? by Kate Vittore

HALLOWEEN EDITION

5

Hocus Pocus

Halloween Party Songs “Ghostbusters” from Ghostbusters

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror

Basketball Player

Cowboy/Cowgirl

“Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett “Time Warp” from Rocky Horror Picture Show

Black Cat

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson

The HalloweenTown Series

Classic Halloween Specials

“This Is Halloween” from Nightmare Before Christmas

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Spook-It-Yourself Costumes

What’s Happening? by Hannah Boufford

1 2

3 Photos coutesy of MCT Campus

4 5 1. The Ebola virus has now reached the U.S. in the last couple weeks. Dallas man Thomas Eric Duncan, who contracted the virus in Liberia,

became the first man diagnosed in the U.S. and the first U.S. citizen to die of the disease on October 8. To prevent further cases, five different airports in the U.S. will begin taking the temperatures of passengers arriving from West Africa. John F. Kennedy in New York, Newark Liberty in New Jersey, Washington Dulles in Virginia, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, and Chicago O’Hare will implement this preventative measure due to their heavy traffic flow from infected areas.

2. Same-sex unions were legalized in five states after the Supreme Court declined to rule on the issue on October 6. This denial left the

rulings of lower courts to strike down the bans that were intact in five states and to grant marriages. The number of states allowing same-sex marriage may soon reach 30 after the high court’s decline to rule. However, this also means that there will be no national ruling on the issue in the near future.

3. Concerns in Hong Kong regarding the democracy of the 2017 election of the chief executive have sent tens of thousands of people to the street, including many student groups. When China’s top legislative committee decided to create a nominating committee for the election, pro-democracy activists began to protest. The committee would create a restrictive list of two or three candidates from which voters could choose. To make the list, nominees would have to gain a support rate of 50% or higher from the committee, and activists fear the committee will have too much influence over candidates found “unfit.” Though the crowds began to die down within the first weeks of October, protest leaders believe the rallies are far from over.

4. Pixar will be releasing its new motion picture, “Inside Out”, on June 19, 2015. This animated film features the emotions of an 11-year-old

girl named Riley who is going through the process of moving from the Midwest to San Francisco. Taking place in her mind, Riley’s emotions, Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, have to keep each other in check on a day-to-day basis. These “characters” attempt to avoid conflict with each other throughout Riley’s adjustment to her new life, with Joy at the forefront of the group.

5. Ukraine and Russia are still wrapped up in the conflict that began at the end of 2013. Protests of Russia’s heavy influence in the Ukrainian government gained momentum through the beginning of 2014, and the history between the two countries fueled the flames. Rallies gradually became more deadly as the Russian military began striking against demonstrations in progress. Over the summer, the European Union and U.S. announced new sanctions on Russia, who returned with a full embargo on imported food products. With the West’s preoccupation in the Middle East, Russia has been able to put pressure on Ukraine following the military advancements of the summer.

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The U.S. strikes against ISIS

By Jack Murphy Photo courtesy of recessiongrads.com

Watson pushes for gender equality

By Eryka Jones Emma Watson, the actress, fashionista, and now the Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Women, gave a speech on Sept.

20 on feminism and launched her new gender equality campaign, HeforShe. Watson spoke to women and men around the world when she touched on the controversial subject of the word “feminism,” defining it as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” Watson highlighted that the standing perception of feminism as being synonymous for “man-hating” has got to stop.

She formally invited men into her organization, not only through the title of her organization, HeforShe, but also in the speech. She hopes to obtain “as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change.”

Joey Pucino, LHS senior, agreed with Watson. “I think that the message for men was a statement that someone had to step up and make. I’ll be the first one to say that it’s my problem too.”

Alex Basler, a LHS senior, agreed with Watson and Pucino: “It’s not a problem that can be solved by just women.”

Many male celebrities are down for the cause as well, showing their support on social media. President Barack Obama, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Van Der Beek, Jared Leto, Harry Stiles, Wolf Blitzer, and many more, all took pledges and posted photos on Twitter and Instagram for the fight on gender equality, using the hashtag “HeforShe.” Ms.Watson explained that she found out many women around the world are staying silent on the debates on feminism because the word has become so “unpopular.” They percieve women who do express themselves as feminists as “aggressive, isolating, anti-men...unattractive even.”

Watson explained that “[no] country in the world can yet say that they have achieved gender equality.” Common examples of gender inequality, according to the Discovery Channel’s website,are the prevention of education, limited political freedom, the lack of freedom of marriage or divorce, feticide (sex-selective abortions), violence (domestic), etc.

Of course, the U.S. is a well-developed country, and only a few things on that list still affect women in America, such as abortion and workplace inequality, but Watson believes that every country still has a lot of work to do.

Basler believes “women in well-off countries, like ours, need to support the women in other parts of the world who have way less rights than we do. We have to support women all around the world, even if we’re content with the rights we have.”

Watson’s website, HeforShe.org, provides visitors with her mission statement, quotes from male supporters and a map of the world. Clicking on any country allows people to see how many men have pledged to be involved in the fight for gender equality.

Currently, about 180,900 men have pledged to be a part of the HeforShe campaign. With awareness of the organization skyrocketing in the media, it’s safe to say that that number will rise.

Since its formation in April of last year, ISIS has exerted its force on the Middle East and taken center stage of the worldwide news.

The expansion of the extremist group has fear touching all corners of the world: Paris and London, the United States, and even Australia.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a terrorist organization with the goal of “having an Islamic-dominated world,” according to LHS international studies teacher Mr. Brian Voss. The organization wants to form an Islamic state in the Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic religion is divided between the Shia and the Sunni; the majority of the Islamic supporters worldwide are Shias, while about 10-20 percent of the population is Sunni, like ISIS. The minority Sunnis feel that, despite their smaller size, they deserve more political power, like they had under Saddam Hussein.

LHS government teacher and department supervisor Mr. Shawn McCusker said that they want to form their Islamic state “in the spirit of the old Caliphate,” meaning that they want to return to a time “when there was a Muslim empire that was led by a Caliph and all laws were Muslim laws” and a time where “the government and the church were one.”

The organization has taken to terrorism to show the world they do not intend on succumbing to the United States and the rest of the world; they are committed to the formation of their Islamic state.

Since the beheading of American journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley on video on September 2, ISIS has been active around the globe. They have been steady with their attacks in Iraq, Syria and the rest of the Middle East, as well as claiming to be planning an attack on all states fighting the Islamic State, specifically the “US, UK, France, Australia, and Germany,” according to the International Business Times.

Most recently, ISIS has set its sights on the city of Kobani, along the Syrian and Turkish border. This city is very valuable as it gives the Islamic State a stretch of 62 miles that they hold; according to CNN, the United States cannot stop the taking of Kobani because ISIS has already taken a large majority of the city and the airstrikes cannot not stop protect Kobani.

With the U.S. leading airstrikes, countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Australia are also helping the anti-ISIS cause. Powerhouses Great Britain and France have also recently begun the anti-ISIS cause, as the British and French participated as an act to fight ISIS killing its hostages.

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Militants on the march The US has begun air strikes in Iraq against Islamic militants advancing on the northern city of Irbil. Fighters from the Islamic State (IS), have been advancing east and seized Qaraqosh, Iraq’s biggest Christian town, earlier this week.

TURKEY

Irbil

Tal Afar

Baiji Rawah Qaim Anah Walid

JORDAN

Rutba

Kirkuk

Kurdistan Regional Government

Tikrit Ramadi Taji Fallujah

Tarbil

IRAQ

75 km

Territory, cities controlled

by IS

Qaraqosh Mosul

Mt. Sinjar

SYRIA

Airstrike

Baquba

IRAN

Baghdad Tigris R.

Euphrates R.

75 miles

SAUDI ARABIA Source: BBC Graphic: Staff

© 2014 MCT

Buddies for Life

By Alex Zoellick

T

he eighth period bell rings to end a typical Thursday. Students hurry out of the school to practice, work, or just go home. The hallways are abuzz with students chatting about weekend plans or how hard that math test was. The congested hallways, stuffed up like an LHS student during allergy season, turn lifeless, like the parking lot on a cold, winter break day. Except for about 160 students, that is.

These 160 students aren’t worried about the weekend yet. They don’t run to Brainerd to move their cars to the school before football starts.

Instead, their tired trods through the hallways become energized strides.

They mosey their way down into room 019, the Link Crew room, where all baggage is checked at the door in an exciting, non-judgmental environment. Here, within the walls of the dungeon, 160 students become more than students, they become Buddies, Peer Buddies and Associate Buddies.

“It is a normal friendship. Everyone involved is nice and genuine and empathetic,” said Faculty Advisor Mrs. Lindsay Recsetar. “It is just a feel-good place. I never walk in and have problems with the students. Everyone is there because they care and they want to be there. If I am having a bad day, I have so much energy by the time I get there because everyone is all so excited and happy. You can tell it is a safe place for everyone that attends the meetings, which is pretty cool.”

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Photo by Korina Valenzuela Senior Trevor Fuhrman, donning his Best Buddies shirt, tunes in at one of the club’s early meetings this year.

A club of friendship Best Buddies is a club for students with intellectual disabilities at LHS. These students, nicknamed “Buddies” by the club, meet up with their “Peer Buddies,” other students who elect to join the club. Buddies and Peer Buddies share a two-way relationship where they are constantly learning from one another.

To help facilitate these friendships, Best Buddies has chapter meetings every other Thursday. That gives everyone the chance to walk around and meet new people.

“The biggest thing at meetings is that we like to let everyone get to know each other,” said senior and co-president Ryan Behm. “That way people are socializing and meeting each other. We try to limit the structure so that they are laid back.”

Photo courtesy of Best Buddies In order to keep meetings new and exciting, Best Buddies met on the baseball field in September for activities like the parachute.

The Head Honchos Mrs. Recsetar stressed that leadership is key to the club’s success in planning activities. She attests the overwhelming popularity of the carnival to incredible leadership from the club’s co-presidents in 2011. She sees that same motivation and dedication in seniors Cassie Isaacs and Ryan Behm, this year’s co-presidents, and the club’s executive board (made up of positions like vice president and social media advisor).

“When it comes to the actual meetings I try not to do a lot,” said Mrs. Recsetar. “I think it is more powerful when it comes from our presidents and board members. I think students listen to their peers more than they listen to people like me. This year they have been super comfortable with it so it’s been super easy and they go for it. This year it has been no problem.”

Over the summer, Behm and Isaacs took advantage of attending the Best Buddies Conference at Indiana University. Both accredited the conference for enhancing their abilities to lead and creating new ideas to keep the club active.

“It was very cool because we got to talk to schools from all around,” said Isaacs. “We got ideas from all over and we got more ideas on how to run the club. Like [adding] associate members in the club, they aren’t matched with a Buddy so it is hard to keep them involved. So we put them on committees to keep them coming to the meetings and make sure they are still involved.”

Behm also found that collaboration with other Best Buddies presidents in the area helped generate new and unique ideas.

“I got to get to know the presidents from around here, Vernon Hills and Stevenson, so it is just a cool way to collaborate with people from different chapters,” said Behm. “Because each chapter is a little bit different with what works and doesn’t work.”

The club’s huge numbers can also be attributed to the strong leadership of the club. More than 160 people signed up at the first meeting, and according to Behm, the club averages 60 at each meeting. Isaacs and Mrs. Recsetar each stressed the importance of social media in the strong numbers. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram each allow the club to share their current activity with the community. Mrs. Recsetar also believes that the activities, the buddies themselves, and word of mouth also help the club grow on a yearly basis. Their goal moving forward, according to Mrs. Recsetar, is to reach an even wider audience than they currently do.

“The social media that we use [has helped the club grow],” said Isaacs. “We have an instagram this year and we have a lot of followers.

We found the twitter password so we can use it this year. We can reach a greater span of people.”

Strong leadership within the club really allows for the friendships to grow. The best part about the relationships is how they are always a two-way street. Buddies and Peer Buddies work with one another to form something special.

“I think the best part of the club is that you learn so much,” said Mrs. Recsetar. “Whether you are a Peer Buddy learning from a Buddy and if you are a Buddy you learn so much from your Peer Buddy.

Behm shares similar views with Mrs. Recsetar but further elaborates on the club’s ability to help the school.

“The best part about being in the club is seeing what it gives back to everybody because you immediately see it,” said Behm. “Whether it is just hanging out with someone else who is in the club, you are seeing an immediate positive impact at LHS. Some of those kids who have disabilities and feel excluded in certain situations are automatically included. Something as simple as saying ‘hi’ to someone in the hallway can make their day and that is really cool to see.”

Photo by Korina Valenzuela Behm and Isaacs are applying what they learned at this summer’s Best Buddies Leadership Conference to the club’s activites this year.

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Keeping busy In order to keep things new and interesting, often times the meetings will change. For instance, a at the end of September, the club took advantage of the sunny weather and spacious baseball field to hold a meeting. Members played games like Baggo, Ladder Ball and Frisbee.

Other than chapter meetings, the club utilizes its time for larger scale get-togethers. Libertyville Best Buddies’ large chapter project is the Best Buddies Carnival, held in the spring. At the carnival, kids transform into animals with crazy facepaint, players become winners in engaging games and everyone has a good time.

“I also like the carnival, it is a lot fun,” said sophomore Mason Reyes, one of the club’s fifteen buddies. “We have the game where you throw the ball into the bucket and other fun ones.”

Expanding the club’s activities doesn’t stop just at a new style of meeting or the carnival. According to Mrs. Recsetar, each month the club tries to do something new and interesting. In October, Peer

Buddies took regular pumpkins and made them into art at the pumpkin painting meeting. Shortly after that, there will be a Best Buddies Halloween Party. Instead of watching “Elf” around the holidays, as done in years past, the club will actually take a trip to the movie theater as a group to see the latest holiday themed film. As usual, there will also be a Best Buddies Talent show in May. The club would also like to add a friendship walk in the spring. The idea of the walk is similar to a charity 5k: the participants take part in a three mile “race.” Only instead of racing, the participants all walk the course together, in one large group.

Sometimes, ideas for activities come from the Buddies. Reyes had a few suggestions of his own.

“I would want to go to Great America,” suggested Reyes. “Goliath is fun. I also want to have a night you spend with your best buddies. Go swimming, have pizza. ‘Best Buddies Night Out!’ That’s it.”

Match Made In Heaven The unbreakable bond between the Buddy and Peer Buddy is apparent with Reyes. According to Behm, several Peer Buddies wanted to buddy up with Reyes; however, over his time at LHS, he has formed a special relationship with seniors Nick Tasiopoulos and Sammy Papas, who are his Peer Buddies. Reyes loves to spend time with the always-entertaining duo, claiming that his favorite thing to do with them is spend the day at the mall, something that they do frequently.

To make the best possible Peer Buddy matches, there is a lengthy process to follow. The first step is for the presidents and advisors to lay out the expectations of being a Peer Buddy, like how often you should spend time with your Buddy. Shortly after, those interested will apply to be Peer Buddies, making sure to list their interests and hobbies. The presidents and advisors go through an interview process to gauge the applicants’ personalities. Matches are then based off of personality, age and interests. Commonly, there are two Peer Buddies per Buddy.

Tasiopoulos first joined Best Buddies because he remembered how much fun it was when he spent time with his two older sisters’ buddies.

Papas, Tasiopoulos’ cousin, joined for the same reason. “[Mason’s] freshmen year we were in the same gym class, integrated PE,” Tasiopoulos said. “I remember him telling me that he went in and asked Mrs. Recsetar if we could be Peer Buddies with Sammy cause he really liked us. We are pretty close.”

When it comes down to the their match, Papas, Reyes and Tasiopoulos seem to be a match made in heaven. They try to hang out once a week. They all admit to loving the mall, where they frequently go to window shop. Movies, music and Chipotle are other common interests the trio has. Recently they saw “Fast and Furious” together and on the way there, they listened to their favorite artist, A$AP Rocky. One of their favorite things to do is sing along to the song “Bass” but instead of singing the real lyrics, sing “Big Mase” (Reyes’ nickname).

Photo by Korina Valenzuela Tasiopoulos, Reyes and Papas became quick friends because of their similar interests, like music.

Spending so much time with Reyes has really rubbed off on Tasiopoulos and Papas. They describe his kindness as infectious and there is never a dull moment when all three are together.

“Mason is always nice to everyone,” Papas said. “He is always making people smile. I see him in the hallway; I think he is the most popular kid in the school right now, he is always talking to everybody, making them laugh. It rubs off on us.”

Even if everything seems to be going wrong one day, just being with Reyes seems to make everything right.

“Especially if you are having a bad day and you see Mason in the hallway, everything will be better,” Tasiopoulos said.

A Changed Perspective Buddies are so involved in the club that when it is coming time for their tenure to end, it is often hard to leave. Mallory Marvin, senior and member of this year’s homecoming queen, will see her time in the club end at graduation this year.

“I really enjoy doing Best Buddies and I really like it,” said Marvin. “ I wish I was doing it next year. I’m really disappointed I can’t come back next year.”

Best Buddies can have a much greater effect on those involved than just being involved in another club or sport around the school. It is a

unique experience that often changes members’ views of the disabled for life.

“For me the biggest thing is having that experience to be in high school and to get to know my peers with disabilities is rewarding,” said Behm. “People are intimidated by that and you really get a sense of acceptance; you see that just because someone has a disability it doesn’t make them different than anyone else. It has really opened up my views about people.”

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the

SEWING sisters

by Jillian Ruff

The Sewing Sisterhood, better known as senior and junior sisters Sammie and Anna Mackey, have passionately rocketed through LHS’s clothing construction classes as well as various regional and state sewing competitions throughout their high school journey.

Free People, Brandy Melville, BCBG... Mackey. Whether it is stuffed animals, blouses, pajama pants, or even homecoming dresses, the Mackey sisters have made it their passion to do it all. Collecting supplies from Jo-Ann’s Fabric, these innovative sisters have cranked out various one-of-a-kind items that look as if they could be found on department store shelves or worn on the red carpet.

“People always ask if we make the fabric, and I find it hilarious. JoAnn’s is where it’s at!” stated Sammie Mackey.

Anna jokingly added, “It’s not like we sit at a loom all day!”

With thread and fabric in hand, Sammie and Anna use their sewing machine skills to carry out designs that are unequivocal fashion ideas that encompass cutting-edge style. Yet, the question still looms, how did these two sisters become so creative?

The answer is simple: “Patterns are bought at Jo-Ann’s Fabric that give us an idea of what we are creating. We tweak each pattern based on what we like, but we don’t design

Sewing Sisters Anna and Sammie Mackey; joined with teacher Mrs. Patterson below.

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them, we simply create,” Anna cheerfully stated.

This creating takes place as much as possible throughout the sisters’ everyday lives at LHS. “Class time as well as lunch periods are always utilized and spent inside the sewing room,” stated Mrs. Monica Patterson, the clothing construction teacher.

Projects do not simply cease at the end of the school day for the Mackeys. Their basement has been transformed into a work area where these two bright and budding stars continue their work on the many projects they have started. Sewing, for the sisters, is not a new hobby. It began far before their high school years.

Sammie recalls making dresses out of Sunset shopping bags when she was young and having Anna model her paper bag designs, but it was in third grade when Sammie’s interest grew and was transformed into formal sewing classes. Anna, on the other hand, was influenced by Sammie’s creations, which inspired her to follow in her footsteps.

“I wanted to be able to make the stuffed animals and cute things Sammie was doing,” stated Anna.

Both girls remember sewing items such as Capri Sun bags and various themed projects in their sewing classes at Highland Middle School, but it was not until they met Mrs. Patterson that their abilities blossomed through her caring and knowledgeable guidance.

“Under Mrs. Patterson, I was the first freshman ever at LHS to do the regional sewing competition. I came in at a high second place honor but was able to advance to state. There I received a first place for individuality. I had made a peacoat,” Sammie recalls.

It was later, in her sophomore year, that Sammie took both first place awards for most outstanding design at regionals. Sammie credits the instruction of Mrs. Patterson for her achievements.

“Mrs. Patterson and I have had every day together at LHS. We are even going to graduate together due to her retirement this year. She is an unbelievable teacher,” Sammie exclaimed. Anna too has experienced the fame that regionals can bring.

“I didn’t start taking sewing courses at LHS until sophomore year due to my schedule of classes, but I remember my competition at regionals.

I created a dress that was maroon on the bottom with lace-like sleeves. I just remember being so excited about going there and walking around in front of all the graders when I was asked to stop so they could take a picture because the dress looked like it could have been in Titanic. I just remember how that made my day just thinking they wanted a picture of something I made. It’s just really cool,” Anna stated.

Both sisters have achieved outstanding awards and first-place finishes at the regional and state level last year. These competitions boast more than 150 competitors with only 10 outstanding awards given, three of which went to LHS. Awards not only included ribbons, but plaques, which the girls have been awarded on numerous occasions. Both girls are excitedly looking forward to this year’s competitions.

In addition to competing at the regional and state levels, the sisters

are also heavily involved with theater. As the co-heads of the costume crew for this year’s LHS play, “Spamalot,” the girls are busy creating numerous intricate costumes. The play will require more than 40 costumes incorporating big skirts with hoops, broqued material and basically Elizabethan clothing worthy of a knight. Even for these two sewing experts, this task is a big undertaking. The costumes will be not only be challenging, but time-consuming.

“The costumes cannot be whipped out in an hour. It takes a while,” Anna explained.

Adding to this, Sammie included, “Every day after school for at least three hours [we are] designing and sewing and six hours on Saturdays.

It’s intense, but seeing your costumes on stage is so cool.

You can say, ‘I made that!’”

An interesting fact about theater costume design is that these two ambitious students are also responsible for the many quick costume changes that occur during a performance.

“You have to stay calm because the actors are already freaking out,” Sammie said while laughing.

Anna remembered a time when she was rolled onto stage in a closet during the play “Legally Blonde” to help a fellow castmate change.

“I would be in a closet dressed in black. They would pretend to go into the closet and I would help them change. It was so fun and nerve wracking at the same time.”

To date, Sammie has done the clothing design for every LHS play since seventh grade.

The Mackey creations can be found in the LHS sewing room, behind the display case located by the drop-in lab and in the Fine Arts Production of “Spamalot”.

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Teachers Teching Over

By Manal Ahmed

With the recent outbreak of social media spreading throughout schools, teachers have managed to step in by utilizing different forms of social networking sites with the sole purpose of improving education.

“They (social media pages) help a lot because when you are sick, you can check what your classmates did in class and what assignments are so you don’t fall behind,” sophomore Nida Ahmad stated.

According to internet marketer Jeff Bullas, 72 percent of all internet users are now active on social media. 23 percent of Facebook users login at least five times a day. And 215 million monthly active users exist on Twitter.

Because of these stats, educators are now trying to incorporate different forms of social networking sites into their curriculum. A recent survey conducted by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development shows that 61 percent of teachers or any sort of school faculty are present in at least one form of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google+, and others.

“I use my Twitter for my World History classes and Model UN. I mostly use it to post homework assignments, as well as additional articles that might be of interest for students,” history teacher Matt Thompson stated.

Many teachers throughout LHS have attempted to add social media into their curriculum. For example, chemistry teacher Margaret Faulkner tweets class reminders and information about extracurriculars, such as Student Council. Also, social studies teacher Brian Voss tweets out amusing links and memes to his macroeconomics and sociology classes.

Students like teachers who have a wide range of assignments and class information on their website or social media pages.

“I like when teachers have a Moodle page because they can easily attach the documents and have everything together on one page. Also, I like how you can go to the website and a majority of your teacher’s documents and attachments are on that page,” Ahmad said It’s helpful to have review guides, notes that students have missed in class, and the help from teachers and classmates right at your fingertips.

Teachers who use social media within their classes present students with an opportunity to always get a hold of a missing assignment or to quickly tweet or post a question.

“They (social media pages) can be beneficial because it is just another way to access and share information with a platform that students are familiar with and use,” Mr. Thompson said.

Connecting with teachers and students over social media is effective and easy. Yes, email is a good way to communicate with teachers, but many high school students do not actively use their emails. Social networks allow teachers to post updates at top speed, right when they’re needed. Students actively check social media, so they are bound to see the newest update.

“Social media helps if I have a general question because my peers can help,” sophomore Arthi Sekharan proclaimed.

While communicating with a teacher is helpful, it’s also beneficial to interact over social media with peers, who might have the same questions and concerns. For example, when a student posts a question on Mr. Kevin O’Neill’s AP Euro Facebook page, chances are that someone had the same exact question.

“Usually I use these pages to ask questions and get updates. It’s easier to get help from my peers on a larger scale rather than just trying to figure it out myself,” Sekharan said.

High school students create, communicate, and collaborate over the internet. Social media allows them to share their thoughts and promote their ideas with fellow classmates.

“I hope that they (students) use it (social media pages) to share tweets that I have sent out with other students that don’t follow me,” Thompson declared.

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“When teachers use social media to help their students, not only does it give us an opportunity to see how their teaching translates into something that kids nowadays understand, but it also makes me, as a student, want to get more involved during, and outside of class.”

-Arthi Sekharan So how do teachers exactly use social media in classrooms? Many teachers encourage students to share work online. For example, on Moodle, students have the possibility to answer different discussion questions. Within these different questions, students reply to each other and can agree or disagree with what each other says. This gets a conversation going on throughout the class and allows everyone to be involved.

U.S. history teacher Andrea Lara often tweets about class announcements such as homework, review guides, and the newest updates on Student Council. She also posts different pictures and fun YouTube videos pertaining to what students are learning in class.

When there was homework confusion within Ms. Lara’s class, she tweeted, “Hey HUSHERS! Ignore the calendar that says something about a ‘homework packet’! Just read and define bolded terms!”

A lot of classes also have YouTube channels that are used for teachers to post different podcasts or online lectures. Math teacher Mr. John Taylor posts algebra video lessons online that students follow along and take notes on. YouTube is not as interactive and hands-on as other social networks, but it allows the feel of a “flipped classroom” in which the student watching basically gets taught at home.

“Teachers putting up videos really help me because I can watch the videos at home and take my time to write down notes and comprehend what teachers are teaching instead of rushing through the content,” Ahmad stated.

Teachers would love to have easy-to-access information that all students can get a hold of and social media allows them to do so.

“Since social media is such a widespread platform, it encourages students to take advantage of the media given. I think that students find interactive approaches to learning more appealing, especially with social media, because it is something that we cherish and use so often,” Sekharan proclaimed.

Although social networking provides an interactive, easy-tofollow learning experience, it is also a valuable teaching tool when it comes to the rapidly growing forms of communication.

It is extremely important for students to recognize the changes going on around them and even more important for them to know how to properly utilize these resources.

There is a fine line between what students do at school on social media and what they do at home on social media. At school, students use social networking sites for educational purposes and at home, students use social media for leisure and entertainment. However, both situations require responsible actions and the use of social media at school helps students to identify their boundaries.

Because of the immense outbreak of social media and teachers incorporating it into education, students and teachers are faced with numerous opportunities to add forms of technology and social networking into their typical school-life.

Sekharan expressed that, “When teachers use social media to help their students, not only does it give us an opportunity to see how their teaching translates into something that kids nowadays understand, but it also makes me, as a student, want to get more involved during, and outside of class.”

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Chromebooks Not Worth the Risk Staff Editorial

Next school year, each LHS student will receive their own personal Chromebook.

The goal is for the Chromebook to “support learning goals,” meaning they will be used to incorporate the many new-and-exciting learning tools that are found online into lesson plans. They will also allow for students to have all necessary materials in one spot.

While this idea makes sense in this technology-driven world, the Drops of Ink staff is not entirely on board with the dependence on the laptops. While there are positives to receiving Chromebooks, the staff thinks that there are many more negatives.

Everyone with a cell phone knows the problems that can arise from a poor wi-fi connection. Without any wi-fi, it becomes impossible to access any information or data from the internet. With so much dependence lying on programs like Google Drive, poor wi-fi connection could prove to be a giant issue next year. A wi-fi-driven device, like the Chromebook, can only connect to the internet within a certain range of a wireless network. The wireless network is set up by the school and is controlled by different routers set up in the school. However, almost everyone in the school who has used a Chromebook before has dealt with internet issues. If poor internet connection occurs, or students are out of range of the connection,

students are unable to keep up with the class and are then unable to do the necessary work.

This means that students can easily become confused and behind in lessons.

Another issue that arises is charging the Chromebooks. A fully charged Chromebook can last for an average of 6.5 hours, according to the Google Chromebook website.

Students won’t be using them for every class, like P.E. and lunch, so they should be able to hold up for an entire day. However, what would happen if a student forgets to charge their Chromebook one day? The laptop would be, in a sense, useless. Without battery, students would be unable to access anything from the device. They might also be unable to participate in class activities.

A possible solution to this includes having charging strips or outlets accessible for students to charge during class. However, if students are dependent on charging in class, it could disrupt the flow of class with students moving around and being stuck next to a place where they can charge the Chromebook. To the DOI staff, it doesn’t seem likely that each student can remember to charge their laptop each and every night.

Not all problems can be blamed on the Chromebooks, however. One major problem that the DOI staff sees comes with distractions. In the staff’s opinion, it’s hard to imag-

ine a scenario in which students are able to go 50 minutes without checking social media or without playing their favorite games. Not to mention the fact that students could easily work on other homework and assignments.

This temptation is alive now, but it becomes much easier when those assignments are on the same Chromebook in which you are supposed to have out. Another major issue is cheating. Cheating now comes at the click of a “share” button. Assignments can be sent back and forth. Students can have group chats open during class to talk or share answers.

The possibilities are endless, and with so many possibilities, there’s bound to be some problems.

In the staff’s opinion, Chromebooks being given to each student isn’t a good idea. It comes with too many issues and problems, and will only complicate the process of learning. However, the staff isn’t oblivious to positives. Students are now able to take everything home in a lightweight laptop. Having this instead of books saves a ton of paper, and having everything organized into folders at the click of a button makes keeping track of everything extremely easy. However, the negatives that come with the books outweigh the positives by too much. Chromebooks serve a great purpose as an additional learning tool, but they should not become the focus.

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus DROPS OF INK 20

Because Music Deserves Better

By Tom Ackerman

Novelist Chuck Palahniuk once said that “the first step --especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money --- the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art.”

We are in the midst of a generation that is dominated by a plethora of music at the touch of our fingertips. We live in a world that no longer values the notion of sitting down and listening to an album through and through. With the excess technology in the modern world and the unnatural convenience it often provides us with, many people are forgetting to appreciate music as it rightfully deserves.

The music industry is changing, whether we as listeners like it or not. It’s a market that relies on good looks and action-packed music and videos for young audiences. And with songs constantly available on our phones and computers, the physical platforms for music have become close to extinction. Aside from a few die-hard music aficionados and history buffs, the eras of the turntable, the cassette, and even the iPod, are seemingly becoming less and less noteworthy.

Remember when every kid had a boombox in their room in grade school? Granted, it may have been “Now That’s What I Call Music” playing, but it was a time when kids would sit around together and listen to lyrics, observe the emotion in a song, and maybe even pick through the artwork in the CD case.

Lately, you’d be lucky to find a radio station on the air that has DJs selecting their own music that isn’t the commercial auto-tuned electronic garbage that has become all too popular.

In this modern world of impatience and constant busyness, pop and dance music have become hugely popular, especially amongst younger audiences. Whatever happened to the edgy music that had something to say? Punk, rock, soul, and countless significant others are being discarded without a chance by too many people. While this new music may be enjoyable to have as background noise in your car on the go, one could argue that it lacks a certain human aspect that music should have. Often auto-tuned, written by a hired lyricist, and usually without traditional instruments, this growing genre seems to increasingly lose artistic personality and the minor imperfections that make a song human and give it a soul.

I’m not discrediting modern music altogether, but I believe surrounding yourself with music that has lyrical meaning and trueness gives you a better understanding of the world around you and allows you to relate to others---music that changes people, and music that shapes the culture and inspires revolutions. So whatever music it is that you like, try to fit in a spot to take a break, turn on a song, and actually listen. Listen to what the artist is saying, and listen to how they portray their mood through the music. Let music do what it was intended to do. You won’t regret it.

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Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

Trick or Retreat?

By Ryan Jackson

With Halloween quickly approaching, the age-old question inevitably presents itself yet another year: are high schoolers too old to trick-or-treat?

To say that high school-age kids are too old to trick-or-treat is like saying that we’re too old to ride a bike, go to Chuck-E-Cheese, or wear Pull-Ups to sleep just to be safe. (A little added security never killed anyone.) Age is nothing but a number, and to let a simple quantification of time hold us back from trick-or-treating is a disservice to society.

“Is it a little awkward knowing that you’re a decade older than most of the kids out there?” asked senior Hal O. Wein. “Absolutely. But I would go to the ends of the earth to get one last bite of Kit-Kat.” And Hal isn’t the only one. Halloween night presents high schoolers the perfect opportunity to scavenge for seasonal treats. And yes, those are the same treats that you can get at the grocery store year-round for under five dollars.

“For me, it’s all about the chocolate,” offered sophomore Candee Barr. “Where else can you get your hands on a Snickers bar these days? I mean other than grocery stores, gas stations, checkout lines, and vending machines.”

Others enjoy trick-or-treating more for the experience itself than the bag of delectables that often go preserved until the middle of January.

High schoolers display their creative flair in the form of costumes all over the town on October 31. Junior Frank N. Stein still beams about last year’s ghoulish getup.

“So like, I wore a black sweatshirt with jeans around with my friends. But I had this mask on so it was all good,” he explained.

Fresh, exciting costumes like Frank’s often lead to fabled high school costume parties. While young freshmen can only conjure up images of Halloween bashes of “Project X” proportions in their little heads, upperclassmen like Ray Jerr get to live the dream.

“Halloween was on a Thursday last year,” he said. “But my buddy had like nine people over on November 2 to celebrate. It was alright, I guess.”

Some Libertyville students prefer to bypass trick-ortreating in favor of other celebrated fall activities, like visiting a haunted house, finding their way out of a corn maze, or sampling some of fall’s best pumpkin-flavored snacks.

“I can’t get enough of the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks,” said Avery Gurl.

However high schoolers spend their Halloween this year, there is no inappropriate way to do it, even though many believe that trick-or-treating in particular has an age restriction. Sure, you may be bigger than the adults handing you your candy. Sure, your werewolf costume may be frighteningly realistic with authentic chest and back hair. But at the end of the day, this is a chance for high schoolers to walk around in uncomfortably cold conditions and earn copious amounts of candy that will eventually wind up in the garbage. And opportunities like that shouldn’t be passed up.

Freshman Jack O’Lanturn said it best: “There’s no better way to appreciate fall than by thoroughly intimidating every small child on the block.”

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Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

The New Addiction

by Tyler Skinner

Are kids too dependent on their phones? Well, has Derrick Rose had knee surgery?

Let me take you through a strenuous start to the morning that every Libertyville student has nightmares about.

6:00 a.m- My phone alarm goes off for school. I glance over at the phone, check to see if I have any messages, nope. Snapchats? Four of them. But when I try to return them, my room is too dark to send a clear enough message.

Oh well, I’ll respond later, nobody is awake yet anyway.

Facebook? Lol, who uses Facebook? Well, that was a lot of work… snooze the alarm for a while longer.

6:10 a.m.- That was like two seconds. Snooze it again.

Wait, let me see what Instagram is looking like. Wow, that Chipotle looks really good, she looks really bad in that dress, are they dating? I don’t care, snooze.

6:30 a.m.- Snooze.

7:00 a.m.- School starts in 30 minutes and I am in bed.

I have to get ready! But wait, no way! I got three more followers on the Twittersphere last night! Who are they?

Two people I have never heard of, and one person that I had a class with freshman year. Nah, I’m not going to follow

them back. Need my sweatpants and favorite hoodie. Send a tweet about how unmotivated I am to go to school.

7:25 a.m.- Stop at McDonald’s to get my morning coffee. That coffee looks good, better get that on Insta.

7:31 a.m.- I swear I wasn’t late! It is only one minute! I promise I’ll be on time from now on, just not another tardy.

Snapchat the picture of the clock and how I am getting a tardy for one minute late. Phone taken away for texting during class.

7:45 a.m.- Twitching due to lack of phone.

8:00 a.m.- Foaming at mouth.

8:10 a.m.- Passed out on desk.

8:20 a.m.- Best moment ever! Phone back. Send four texts about how I just got my phone taken away for the most ridiculous reason. But, I survived 50 minutes without it! I swear, I am not kidding, I didn’t have it for 50 minutes!

8:21 a.m.- Walk to second period while sending out some Snapchats to friends who were concerned for my safety because they didn’t get a response throughout ALL of first period.

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24

The Minor League life of Pat Kelly

By Jake Vogt Klesko, and Vinny Castilla. Kelly also had the opportunity to play against Current LHS security guard and lunch monitor Mr. Pat Kelly has not future MLB All-Stars: Shawn Greene, Carlos Delgado and Derek Jeter. always been patrolling the hallways keeping kids in line. Before LiberDuring Kelly’s career, he won two minor league championships, one tyville, Mr. Kelly had the opportunity to play professional baseball. with AA Greenville Braves in 1992, a team he considered the best he Kelly played seven seasons in Minor League Baseball, playing for had ever played for, and another two years later with AAA Richmond the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. Kelly attended Braves. high school locally at Waukegan East, “You knew every time you took the graduating in 1985, before receiving field you were going to win,” said Kelly a scholarship to play baseball at Iowa about both teams.

State University. He then transferred The MLB strike during the 1994to Triton College for his sophomore 1995 led to many teams releasing minor season, having his best season, which leaguers who did not qualify for guargave him the possibility of being draftanteed contracts. Kelly was one of the ed. Although he was not selected in the many players who were released due draft, he received another scholarship to to the strike. After being released by finish his collegiate career at Missouri the Braves, Kelly was picked up by the State University.

Toronto Blue Jays ,where he finished After going undrafted out of his professional career.

Missouri State, Kelly signed with the After spending almost seven full Atlanta Braves to play professional seasons in the Minor Leagues and baseball. Primarily a second baseman becoming a free agent (after six full throughout college, Kelly made the seasons in the minor leagues, a player transition to third base his first year becomes a free agent), 29-year-old in the minors because the Braves had Kelly decided to hang up the cleats: “I selected a young second baseman the knew in my heart that I wanted to start year prior. a family at some point...So I made the Mr. Kelly started his professiondecision that I was done, I knew I had al career in short season A ball but given it my best; it was just time to worked his way up through the minor move on,” said Kelly. leagues, eventually spending two years “Getting the opportunity to play in AAA, the highest level of minor professional baseball opened my eyes, league baseball. Hard work and deteroverall I was glad I did it and it is mination were the keys to his success something I will remember for the rest in baseball: “Being an undrafted free of my life,” said Gooris. agent, I had to take advantage of every Looking back, there is nothing he opportunity given to me, because there would want to change about his basewas no money invested in me,” said ball career.

Kelly.

“My college coach at Triton told me The minor leagues have a reputato go with my heart and once I made tion of being a hard life, with teams my decision to not look back, and that’s playing more than 140 games in about kind of the way I have lived the rest of as many days. Players generally get my life. So I don’t think I would have to the ballpark more than seven hours Photo taken by Jake Vogt done anything differently,” said Kelly. before game time to prepare. These Although he no longer plays, Mr. Kelly continues his baseball career coaching at Slammers Although he was just short of reaching long days in the late summer months, Baseball Academy in Lake Forest. the Majors, Kelly was content with his commonly known as the dog days, professional career. test one’s love of the game. But KelAfter baseball, Kelly was offered a job ly viewed it in a different way. from a childhood friend working at the “It was like being in a bubble.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange, trading in the S&P 500 futures pit. He You don’t think about a lot of things besides baseball… When you are worked at the Mercantile Exchange for 10 years before moving to the playing baseball every day and fans are coming out to watch you, you Chicago Board of Trade for six more years. kind of lose touch with the real world,” said Kelly. “I enjoyed it though After 16 years working in Chicago, Mr. Kelly decided it was time for because I felt like I was always getting better the more I practiced and a change. When the opportunity presented itself to take a job at LHS played.” two years ago, Kelly was eager to take advantage.

Coach Dan Gooris, who played two seasons in the minors said, “The His passion for working with kids drew him to Libertyville so he season definitely wears on you, but as long as you take care of yourself could work closely with a wider range of students. Kelly also enjoys and your body then it’s really not that bad.” sharing his knowledge of sports with the athletes at the school, working Through the years, Kelly had the opportunity to play alongside some with them to develop a strong character and work ethic. incredible players, including Hall of Famer-to-be Chipper Jones, Ryan DROPS OF INK 25

It’s Just a Fantasy...Or is it?

By Mike Gasick and Jarrett Malec What would teachers want their students doing on a Sunday afternoon?

Completing their homework or studying for an upcoming exam would be the most probable answers. Maybe it would even be catching up on a good book to enhance their vocabulary for future use on the ACT or SAT. But at two o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, teachers may be upset to hear that many of their students are not studying; instead, they are on their laptops feverishly biting their nails over an NFL game that could determine the outcome of their fantasy football matchups.

Fantasy football is an online game in which players compete against each other to try to win their leagues. Before the start of the NFL season, participants attend a draft to select which players they want on their teams. In an ESPN standard league, a team has to consist of at least one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one flex (option of a running back, wide receiver or tight end), a kicker, and a team defense. The rest of the drafted players--usually five to six players--are put on the team’s bench.

There are many different types of leagues in the fantasy football world; it really all depends on what league commissioners want. They can decide whether their leagues can have more positions than the standard league, how many members can be in the league, and other different rules that members have to be aware are in effect.

A typical regular season lasts roughly 10 weeks, with the final weeks of the season resulting in the fantasy playoffs--a stressful time for many participants. Depending on the league, usually the top two or three in each division make the playoffs.

Fantasy football is not just a hobby for teenagers and high school students: it has become tremendously popular across the country in the last decade. The NFL’s sky high TV ratings and subsequent revenue dominance can be directly attributed to its legion of fantasy gamers.

The first fantasy football league was created in 1962. photo courtesy of MCT Campus During that time, the NFL DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys leads all did not even crack the top 20 in the Nielsen TV running backs in fantasy points this season. ratings for the entire year.

The actual inventors were three men from Oakland: Bill Winkenbach, an Oakland Raiders partner, Scotty Sterling, an Oakland news writer, and Bill Tunnel, who worked with the Raiders and public relations. The first fantasy football league name was the “Greater Oakland Pigskin Prognosticators League.”

“I had no idea it would explode into the kind of mania that exists today,” Stirling told the Fantasy Football Index in 1994.

As the years went on and technology advanced, fantasy football kept on growing, and so did the NFL’s popularity. Now in 2014, there are an estimated 33 million people participating in fantasy football, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. In the NFL, there are 32 teams and 53 players for each team, making 1,696 players. Divide that statistic by 33 million and that equals out to 19,000 fantasy owners per NFL player. It’s safe to say that fantasy football is on the rise and not slowing down.

With the Major League Baseball postseason getting underway, many people would think that most people would be drawn to that on a Thursday night, However, it’s quite the opposite according to the Nielsen ratings. Game one of the American League Division Series between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels drew a 2.7 final rating, which equates to 4.2 million viewers. The Thursday night NFL game that same night, which was in no way a must-see game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, absolutely crushed the postseason tilt between the Royals and Angels in the ratings. 16.5 million people tuned into CBS and the NFL Network to watch the Packers put a licking on the Vikings, 42-14. Why DROPS OF INK 26

is it that this lousy game was so highly viewed?

Here’s your answer: Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and Eddie Lacy. These star fantasy players are counted on by some 33 million hopeful fantasy owners to contribute each and every week. With money and bragging rights on the line at the end of the season, people are more intrigued to watch any game they can with their various players included. With a combined total of 504,700 people in both Green Bay and Minneapolis, that is a very small fraction of the total viewers.

At LHS, fantasy football has become a reality for many students and staff.

Darren Black, commissioner of the United Owners of Fantasy Football League (yes, he gave an official name for his league), is proud to take on such a responsibility. Black is so devoted to his league that he made 37 amendments to prevent any cheating from happening. photo courtesy of MCT Campus “When a [league member] gave his password to [another league A few fantasy football fans anxiously refresh their computers in hopes of a victory on a Sunday member], it led to other players complaining all of the time about during the NFL and fantasy football seasons. how unfair it was,” stated Black.

Peter Feely, proud owner of his 2-4 “Hatching Pete” team, is a member of Black’s league. Feely is appreciative of how much work Black puts into the league. “I mean, he put together amendments and a ‘Bill of Fantasy’; I”d say he is pretty devoted,” stated Feely.

One very competitive league that has been together for a solid five years has always been exciting to play in for students here at LHS. It’s not just the fantasy football that makes the “Football is Beast” league a joy to be a part of.

“Just beating one of your buddies is one of the best feelings, and then having bragging rights that whole week is awesome,” junior Cam Shaffer exclaimed.

Fantasy football is not always easy on the soul either. Many times, people find themselves having their best fantasy players on rival teams of their favorite NFL squad. When this occurs, major loyalty questions come into play.

“My loyalty to my favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, has affected my fantasy because I get nervous when I have players on my team that are against the Packers, and I will end up not putting them in my lineup in order to prevent having to root for them.” Ms. Greenswag, a member of a couples league, stated.

If devotion and competition are too high for fantasy owners, simply watching a Bears or Packers game on Sunday can be gut-wrenching at times. Ms. Greenswag and other fantasy players will stay true to their hometown team, but when 10 very competitive high school boys and friends are brought together to battle it out in the world of fantasy, how far does loyalty go?

“I would rather have my favorite team win than my fantasy team, but at times I would cheer for my fantasy players because of my desire to beat my opponent that week. It’s really tough when you have to root for both sides and hope that your fantasy team and your favorite team wins,” stated Jack Koch, owner of the struggling 2-4 AIR ROMO team.

“I’d personally prefer to see my favorite team win because I don’t have to worry about my elite fantasy team on account of it being good. I also know that whoever I’m playing against, I am positive that I’m winning,” said junior Nick Neumann confidently.

As football popularity continues to increase, more and more fantasy leagues will be created, meaning countless love/hate relationships with NFL stars and more shattered computers.

Fantasy Football

By The Numbers

33

number (in millions) of people playing fantasy football

3 average number of hours a week participants spend on mangaging their teams 20 percent of all participants in fantasy leagues who are female 1.2 billions of dollars of productivity lost in the workplace per week due to fantasy 1962 year fantasy football was created by Wilfred Winkenbach DROPS OF INK 27

statistics courtesy of graphic from visaul.ly

10 Years Since State Triumph In November of 2004, Libertyville High School was buzzing. For the first time in school history, the football team could achieve a perfect record. The talented Wildcat team won every game in the regular season by 10 points or more. And despite a close, last-second win against Mundelein in the first round of the playoffs, the team pressed on and won their next three games. They were 13-0 with only one game to go: the championship, which was being held in Champaign, Illinois In the previous season, the Wildcats team also maintained a perfect record throughout the regular season and the playoffs. However, they were handed a crushing defeat in the state championship. The team faced Oswego, and they ended up losing 28-21 in double overtime. But instead of taking that defeat and giving up, the team made a goal to reach the championship again next year, and this time, they would win.

As the team boarded the bus to leave for Champaign, there were 80 milk jugs with candles inside laying in front of the high school. Each milk jug had the name and number of a specific player on it. As they left the high school parking lot, hundreds of fans lined the street of Route 176 to bid farewell to the team and to wish them good luck.

The good luck wishes must have paid off, because the 2004 Wildcat team ended up winning the state championship. They defeated CaryGrove in a 13-3 victory. The Cary-Grove team they faced had been known for their offensive prowess. However, Libertyville’s defense stepped up and held them to a total of 116 offensive yards. The win, which included a strong wind that made throwing the football very difficult, was far from pretty. But despite this, Libertyville still managed to become champions. The team reached a perfect 14-0 record and won Libertyville’s first ever state title.

Throughout the entirety of the season, the Wildcats team had a great

By Jake Luce

fan base. They were supported not only by the students of LHS, but the parents, staff, alumni, and LIbertyville residents as well. The team even had fans driving all the way out to Champaign to support the team in the championship. After they won the championship, there was a parade down Milwaukee Avenue in downtown Libertyville.

The team was led by their head coach, Randy Kuceyeski, otherwise referred to as Coach Kuz. He was Libertyville’s head coach from 1994-2011 and was very successful during his career. Coach Kuz was incredibly complimentary of this particular team.

“They were hard-working, athletic, and knew when to have fun and when to be serious,” Coach Kuz stated. “When you put this all together with an amazing student body and community, it was hard to lose.”

This year’s Wildcat football team is also fairly impressive, with a 5-2 record thus far. However, there are many differences between the 2004 team and the 2014 team.

Head coach of the 2014 team, Mike Jones, was also an assistant coach of the 2004 team. Coach Jones believes that both this year’s team, and the ‘04 team, had a good amount of talent and speed, but he also believes that the two teams had a very different playing style. “[10 years ago], teams could play more players on the defensive line, because the passing games were not as sophisticated,” Coach Jones explained. “This year, things are more spread out, and we look to have more balance in the run and pass games.”

Another difference between the ‘04 team and the ‘14 team is the age of the players.

“The ‘04 team was very senior-heavy,” Coach Jones stated. “There were only a couple of juniors who started on that team, two on offense and two on defense.”

Photo courtesy of Randy Kuceyeski The 2004 football team was interviewed after its state championship win.

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Question and Answer Head Coach, Randy Kuceyeski

Captain John Kuceyeski (Strong Safety)

Q. What was the most memorable part of the season?

A. “There are so many memories that I have taken from that year. “Football Fridays” were just so much fun as the student body and faculty would be pumped up all day in preparation for the game, which was always standing room only. Two other memories involved my family. It was a great thrill to coach my son John, who was one of the captains. And to stand on the podium to receive our championship medals together was an unbelievable experience, both as a coach and even better as a dad. I also remember riding home on the bus with one arm wrapped around my wife Martha, and one wrapped around the state championship trophy!”

Q. What made your team successful?

A. “We were successful because of the comradery of our group. We had been playing together since sixth grade, so we knew each other well. We also had a common goal of winning the championship, because we had lost the year before.”

Q. What was the most memorable part of your season?

A. “The most memorable part was when we played Mundelein in the first round of the playoffs. We had beaten them by a lot in the regular season, but during the playoffs it was a very close game. We led a fourth quarter comeback to beat them by 8 points.”

Q. What are you doing now?

A. “I have been retired for three years now and spend my time traveling with my wife Martha, watching Toledo Rocket Football every weekend where our son John coaches, and fishing on my bass boat.”

Q. What did you do after high school?

A. “I went to Penn State University and got my degree in finance. I was also a student coach for their football team. I am now the head [football] recruiter for the University of Toledo.”

Captain David Romito (Cornerback) Captain Jeff Fontana (Running Back) Q. What made your team successful?

A. “Our team was successful because of our compatibility. We were a tight bunch of guys with a lot of chemistry. We cared for one another. We were also a very hard-working and talented team.¨ Q. What was the most memorable part of the season?

A. “Winning the title and going undefeated was a very memorable part of the season.”

Q. What did you do after high school?

A. “I received a full scholarship to Northern Illinois University, and I played football there for four years. I am now recently married and have a job as a surgical supplies salesman.”

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Q. What made your team successful?

A. “The team was a family built on hard work, respect, and integrity. Coach Kuceyeski and the entire coaching staff had the ability to relate to us, believe in us, and challenge us beyond measure. There was a natural competitive spirit and unique chemistry that channeled trust, courage, and an individual commitment to a team effort. We took great pride in representing our community, high school, family, and friends. Winning was just the result.

Q. What was the most memorable part of your season?

A. “The journey as a whole was just very memorable. Having an undefeated season is not an easy task, but we managed to achieve it.”

Q. What did you do after high school?

A. “I played four years of football at Carthage College, then I went on to play a year of arena football. I now reside in Chicago with my wife, Jenna, and my dog, Pia.”

FOUR FAB

THE

By Katie Vrba Photos By Korina Valenzuela

What can you do in a minute and 48 seconds?

Maybe post a picture on Instagram, brush your teeth, or microwave your macaroni and cheese. There’s not much you can do in that short of time, but four of the varsity swimmers manage to swim 200 yards in that time.

The 200-medley relay team is made up of four talented, dedicated, and hard-working girls all striving for the same goal of success. The relay consists of all four strokes, one after the other. Sophomore Meredith Robbins starts off the race in the water, swimming

backstroke. Next to pounce off the block is junior Macey Neubauer, swimming breaststroke.

As Neubauer touches the wall, junior Staci Herchenbach jumps off the block swimming butterfly. Finally, the newest addition and anchor of the team, sophomore Emma Richert, slices through the water swimming freestyle.

Individually, these four girls are the fastest on the varsity team at their respective strokes.

However, as good as those times may be, the odds of them placing high individually at the state meet are lower than the 200-medley relay.

For most relay teams, it’s very difficult to find four swimmers with top times because most schools only have one or two swimmers with the top

The relay team from left to right: Staci Herchenbach, Emma Richert, Macey Neubauer, and Meredith Robbins.

time at state. Therefore, when combined as one, their skills and motivation make the LHS relay team a force to be reckoned with.

“The idea that collectively they can do more than any of them can do individually, it’s kind of cool,” said varsity head coach Mr. Erik Rogers.

As of now, the relay team is ranked first in state, an impressive achievement for the girls.

So far this season, they placed second against Fremd and first in their last four dual meets, against St. Viator, Vernon Hills, Lake Forest, and Zion-Benton.

The previous year was the start of the 200-medley relay for three out of the four girls: Neubauer, Herchenbach, and Robbins.

According to Coach Rogers, the team was discovered by accident after trying out different combinations of swimmers. When they tested Neubauer, Herchenbach, Robbins, and Sophia Lex, they rose to the occasion, swimming only tenths off the pool record.

Neubauer swims breaststroke in the relay at the Zion-Benton meet.

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“It just caught us totally by surprise.

After that happened, we [the coaches] were like, there might be something here,” said Rogers, laughing.

The 200-medley relay team placed ninth at state, finishing off their year with a bang.

After Lex, the former freestyle swimmer on the relay team, graduated, Coach Rogers had to find a replacement.

The search for a strong freestyle swimmer began. Coach Rogers tried out several girls in order to find the right fit. The race finally came to an end when Richert swam freestyle in the relay. She has become a great addition to their team, helping continue the winning streak.

The relay team attributes their success to the many hours they dedicate at practice.

Their usual practice schedule consists of eight practices a week, before and after school, for around two to three hours. Three sessions out of the eight, the team lifts weights to build strength. On the other days, they’re in the pool practicing starts, turns, and other skills that have to do with racing. Mr. Rogers doesn’t believe that’s the only thing that is important, though.

“When you’re racing, you’re going to

hurt,and the person next to you is going to hurt, and a lot of times, it’s who can handle that pain better is who ends up winning. So a lot of what we’re doing here is building mental toughness,” Mr. Rogers explained.

“She [Richert] has stepped up and swam really well every single time in the relay,” Neubauer boasted.

One important thing the girls do before each race is huddle together and mentally prepare themselves.

What differentiates their relay team from others is that although they push each other to do better, there is no competition between them.

“We [the 200 medley relay team] always huddle together before to say like, ‘This is a big meet, we’re gonna do awesome’ or ‘We’re gonna kick butt.’ After, we always hug cause it’s really exciting,” said Herchenbach.

“I think that we work well together because on the other relays, it’s really competitive on who’s going to be first or who’s going to be last and anchor. For us it’s always the same spots and we’re all in different strokes so it’s not competitive between us. [For us] it’s working towards this one goal of making this time better,” said Robbins.

“It’s crazy during the meets. Everyone stands and cheers; the entire team is going crazy,” said Richert.

Being on the relay team can be a ton of fun, but it also comes with a lot of pressure.

Sectionals is one of the most important races of the season other than state. Swimmers have one chance to get the time they need to qualify for state and if they don’t, then they can’t go. This year, Sectionals is on November 15, a week before state.

“If we get disqualified at Sectionals, we could not swim at state. You only get one chance, even if you already have the time.

That’s why sectionals is so intense because even if you swim horrible at state, you still made it to state,” said Robbins.

With that in mind, the girls work extremely hard to prepare themselves before sectionals and state. Last year’s goal was just to place at state. This year, their goals have increased.

“We’re hoping to do top three in state. At the beginning, our goal was top six, but now it’s definitely top three,” exclaimed Herchenbach.

One part of the meets the girls especially love is their cheering section. According to Richert, her teammates and the parents are all very supportive of their success.

“When you’re racing, you’re going to hurt, and the person next to you is going to hurt, and a lot of times, it’s who can handle that pain better is who ends up winning.”

-Varsity Coach Erik Rogers As a relay team, the girls are currently ranked first in the state.

Freestyle is the last stroke of the relay.

DROPS OF INK 31

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