Dec. 2013 | Vol. 97, Issue 5

Battle of the Sexes

DO You Know-’Jel? Feature pg. 10

In-Depth pg. 6-7

E va n s t o n i a n Friday Dec. 18, 2015

1600 Dodge Ave. Evanston, IL.

Evanston Township High School

vol. 99, issue 6

Spirit week

kicks off after

winter break

By Sam Calian News Editor

A change of spirit.

In past years, winter spirit week has always been after semester exams. However, this year it was moved to the week before exams, Jan.4 through Jan.8.

“I think the planners of spirit week do the best that they can to make spirit week a success,” said Principal Marcus Campbell.

“However, I don’t know how this change will go over with teachers. I hope it’s not an issue, but if it is, it will not happen next year.”

The date of spirit week this year was decided by Athletic Director Chris Livatino in order to coincide with the varsity boys basketball team against Glenbrook South on Friday, Jan 8.

“Spirit week is a low commitment activity that all students can do,” said Nichole Boyd, director of Student Activities. “I’m just worried that the students will forget about it because it’s right after winter break.”

This timing of spirit week ends with a pep rally on Friday, causing it to be a short day.

Photo by Emily Agnew This gives teachers even less time to prepare Senior Mo Macsai-Goren and junior Evan Stitely kickbox in Fusion Fitness, one of the classes that will be modified next year. their students for exams.

“I don’t think spirit week will really With courses designed to respond to distract the students,” said biology teacher

By Camille ALlen student needs, some are calling for more Teresa Granito. “Friday is only shortened by News Editor student voice in the process. For freshman five minutes, so it’s not such a big deal.”

Class selection just got harder.

Kimberly Jolie, student interest is central For all the students and staff involved the Seven new courses from PE to Math are to the process. “I definitely think students week is expected to be a success. in development for next school year, offershould play a role. It would allow them “It’s a great way to celebrate the end of • Science Fiction ing more choices than ever. to have a choice,” she explained. “Being our academic semester,” said Livatino. interested in a course is much of the imporWhat We Are Excited For “This year’s changes are designed to cre• Jazz Workshop ate strong pathways,” explained Peter Bavis, tance,” Jolie added.

What We’re Excited For Asst. Spt. for Curriculum and Instruction.

Creating new courses isn’t easy. Course • The Chicano Movement The decision to create the courses was a ideas first have to be approved by depart6% 16% combination of problem solving and teacher • History of African Americans ment chairs, then by a Curriculum Forum 16% initiative.

“Sometimes we need to figure out Monochroma0c Monday and the Board of Education, but previous to 1877/History of African how to Team solve a problem,” said Bavis. “But successes have shown that the work is worth Tuesday Americans Since 1877 teachersWhat-­‐Not-­‐To-­‐Wear also have great ideas.” the effort.

Wednesday 8% FirstPajama announced at the District 202 Board With efforts like the Black and Female Thursday • Programming with Java of Education meeting on Monday, Nov. Summits and the launching of the Social Orange and Blue Friday 23, the courses include Advanced Vocal Consciousness Series, students see the new 54% Ensemble, History of African Americans to courses as a shift in school culture. main focus of the new courses. In align1877, History of African Americans Since “The new courses are more inclusive to a ment with District 202’s equity goals, new Monochromatic Monday 1877, The Chicano Movement, College variety of people’s identities,” said Cameron courses like History of African Americans Algebra, PE Blender and Bilingual Physical Since 1877 are part of an initiative to foster Pajama Thursday English, junior. “These courses give more Team Tuesday Science. students the opportunity to learn about their achievement, particularly of African AmeriWhat-not-to-wear Orange and Blue Friday Increasing academic achievement is a history and culture in school.” can and Latino students.

Wednesday

Kickin’ it with class(es)

Courses in development aim to increase achievement Check out these new courses...

Real meals served up Mondays after school

By Emma Dzwierzynski News Editor

Christine Coulter serves up Afterschool Meals.

Photo by Sophie Haight

Every Monday, meals will be served after school in Boltwood Cafeteria from 2:45 to 3:30 to provide dinner to students with busy schedules or students that may not get a meal.

This new meal service is part of a national program called the Afterschool Meals Program. The program started a few years ago, but ETHS is only implementing it this year. “We’re starting with just Mondays, and if it’s successful we’ll add on more days of the week,” said Director of Nutrition Services Kim Minestra.

These meals function just as the school breakfast and lunch meals do. Students on free or reduced lunch will follow their same meal plan, but it’s open for any student. “It’s for anyone, students that are going to their practice, band, theater or that are going over to the Hub,” said Minestra. “Even students that

just want to come and go home.”

ETHS is home to students, each with different home situations and after school activities. Due to teacher meetings after school on Mondays, most practices don’t start until 4 p.m. This new meal service will fuel students for their after school activities and provide dinner to students in need.

“I’ll definitely use this resource before practice on Mondays so I can fuel my body before a hard workout,” stated junior gymnast Olivia Van Dorf-Kelch.

Right now, food will be served from the snack window, with filling meals such as a chicken sandwich, salad, pizza and sides.

According to usda.com, all meals that a school sells will be reimbursed by the government. All schools must contribute some money to pay workers, but ETHS implementing these meals won’t be a problem for the school budget.

E2

News

Dec. 18, 2015

NEWS BRIEFS

Three students chosen for

state music conference

Three students were selected to participate in the 2016 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Conference to be held in January in Peoria. The conference is the premier event of the ILMEA. Senior Seth Bearman, trumpet, received a second place award for his piece entitled Christinañana. Junior Momoko Hasselbring, French horn, will perform in the All-State Orchestra, one of the highest honors for a high school musician. Senior Maggie Bambic was selected to attend a Future Music Educators workshop in conjunction with the All-State event.

STEM learning project connects

students with industry leaders Photo courtesy of Camille Allen

Dr. Paola Sapienza speaks to WiSTEM about male domination in the classroom.

All-girls club pushes past STEM stereotypes

By Danielle Kosover News Editor

WiSTEM week for the win.

After hearing from female speakers about their experiences in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) last week, club members were set to address their own teachers in an open panel about education.

“The speakers discussed ways to make classrooms more inviting to girls,” said Kristen Perkins, Northwestern and Evanston coordinator. “The students then had the opportunity to direct their ideas to teachers, creating an open conversation about improving the future.”

Key speaker Dr. Paola Sapienza, an Economics teacher at Northwestern and ETHS parent, spoke about how to change the male-dominated culture of the classroom.

Later that week, an Evanstonian motherdaughter duo presented on Paige & Paxton, their brand of preschool and kindergarten programs whose mission is to make STEM education easily available to young children.

Mock-ups build girls’ futures

What

Given blueprints and customer

How

Brainstorm Create prototype

Students speak out about mental disorders

By Paige HAden

Managing Editor

Hello from the other side.

In high school many pressures compete for a student’s attention and with so much changing in their everyday environment, the extra stress of a social conflict or other stressor can weaken mental health.

“I think the biggest issue is that no one really has a filter anymore,” says an male sophomore at ETHS. “We claim to be a more supportive community but people throw around hurtful insults and don’t realize how one misguided comment can tear someone else down.”

Having good mental health is challenging during adolescence. According to Juneau Suicide Prevention, an organization based in Alaska, somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of youth will suffer from at least one depressive episode before they reach adulthood.

Many students claim that junior year is the make it or break it year in high school. When the pressure is on to produce stellar grades and achieve high test scores for college admissions, outside activities, sports and an ever increasing homework load from the introduction of AP classes can seem like the end of the world.

Practice

communication

make the club more relevant and prepare students for these fields,” said Perkins.

This change came from last year’s members’ request to physically work with materials, an idea set to improve their engineering abilities. According to research, building bridges and designing airports may not appeal to women as much as they do to men.

“Problems that resonate more with women are those that have a broader social impact, something with social relevance,” said Perkins.

Open Letter

Pushed to the Limit

Learn how to prototype

skills

Share

“The presentations validated everything that I and other girls in WiSTEM had noticed in our classes,” said Caitlin Westerfield, senior copresident, along with Lucy Sattler. “We learned, for example, that girls appreciate computer programming more when classroom posters relate to solving problems, like tracking a virus, rather than posters about video games.”

Beyond WiSTEM week, the club has initiated a hands-on approach to further female education.

“We implemented design challenges to

Why

ETHS students are among more than 1,200 teens to participate in a collaborative project spearheaded by the Illinois Science and Technology Institute (ISTI) to bolster the state’s STEM talent pipeline.

Through an expansion of its Research and Development (R&D) STEM Learning Exchange, ISTI is working with 29 Illinois high schools to connect students to future STEM careers.

ETHS celebrates Students of the Month Twenty-two students were recognized at a breakfast on Dec. 4 as the month of November 2015. Students were commended for many attributes such as taking risks to improve learning, showing concern for others, motivating both peers and teachers to work hard, and being inquisitive.

Included were Andre Hutchins, Bryce Bias, Zachary Gayle, Aaron Motin, Eric Cadet, Keziah Yarnoff, Troy Gallimore, Allison Grimsted, James Magiera, Olivia O’Brien, Daniel Enghauser, Jasmine Brooks, John Holmes, Erin McKenzie, Natalie Merza, and Stevens Gustafson.

Students of the month not pictured: Ashley Calderon Brito, Cristina Campos, Maricia McCoy Burnley, Nimai Rawlinson, and Kimberly Velazquez.

“Junior year is when my mental disorder hit me the hardest,” explains a female senior student. “It seemed like no matter what I did I wasn’t good enough and my work could always be improved. I could never look at a mirror and feel happy. It was all stress, worry and problem areas.”

There are a lot of resources for students at ETHS to discuss mental ailments.

Students can self-refer themselves to their grade level social workers and receive support if they feel that their social and/or emotional difficulties are interfering with their success at school.

“If there’s one thing I could have told myself to do earlier that year, it would be to go see the social workers because they really want to help,” says the female senior.

Another resource for students is Erika’s Lighthouse. The ETHS chapter, started only four years ago, meets Tuesday mornings during AM support in W214 to discuss and promote awareness of mental disorders, specifically depression.

“Everyone deserves good mental health, warning signs of depression and to know how to help a friend,” says Marie Livatino, club co-sponsor.

Livatino and Karen Morris, counselor, sponsor the club and help gather supplies for events that the students organize. This past month the group created and sent around gratitude jars for the ETHS community. To promote awareness over winter break the club plans to decorate and pass out holiday cards with motivational messages.

“We started an ETHS section of Erika’s Lighthouse because we saw the need to bust the stigma (about depression) and raise awareness so that people can talk about mental health and become advocates for good mental health,” says Livatino.

The club has an open door policy, meaning that students can stop by at any time. As long as they want to help, students are always welcome. The club’s numbers have been growing exponentially; many find it a great way to help others through their own experience.

As freshman all students will take part in a teen panel with members of the club during second semester P.E. The panel will return to St. Athanasius to present there again this year. The panel has also been invited to present at District 65 middle schools this spring.

“This is a club to help students give back so others can understand that they don’t need to be alone,” stresses Livatino.

Opinion

Dec. 18, 2015

3E

We must implement free college tuition

Our View

by annie keenan Opinion Editor

Change how you act in the halls Trying to get to class is awful. We’ve all encountered a group of students blocking your way, an annoying couple making out, people walking against the flow traffic, loud music blaring from someone’s backpack and texting while walking. This needs to stop.

Trying to avoid your ex by looking at your phone seems easier than having the confrontation, but this creates tension and perpetuates poor communication skills. Saying “hi” to someone in the hallway isn’t hard and it primes you to handle awkward situations maturely outside of high school.

Putting your phone away is more than a civility; students put themselves at risk when they walk blindly. Walking through the hallways distracted leaves you at risk to bump into others and almost always makes you look an idiot.

It goes beyond manners; students must be more selfaware in the hallways. This means walking on the right side of the hallway. You would never drive a car on the left side of the highway, so don’t walk against traffic Practicing good manners shows respect to others. The same way you expect your teachers to respect you, show respect to your peers and they will return it. If students showed better manners, the hallways might actually be a pleasant place to be. When students get to high school, they want to be treated like adults and part of being treated like an adult is acting like one. Without manners, this is impossible.

Pushing your friends in the halls may seem harmless, but don’t forget the thousands of other students that need to get to class. Additionally, these seemingly harmless interactions escalate into fights, which cause unnecessary distractions and get students in trouble. Hallway fights happen way too often.

According to Matt Driscoll, director of Safety, there are no circumstances to justify fights in the hall. Any problems between students in the hallway can be talked out, and people should take a step back to think about whether or not their small quarrels are worth fighting over.

Additionally, we understand that passing periods are the few minutes during the day to stop and talk to your friends or put in your headphones and ignore others.

We at the Evanstonian believe students should show more respect in the hallway. Next time you are walking to class, put your phone away, say “hi” to a friend and hold the door open for someone. Showing respect for others will not go unnoticed.

It is imperative that we support federal action for free public education. College is treated like a mandate but priced like a luxury.

According to the College Board, the average price for a student to attend an out-of-state school for one year would be $23,898, and as the number of years it takes to earn a degree increases, the total debt sums to upwards of a hundred thousand dollars. The price is rigged to favor the wealthy, and gives an unfair disadvantage to the lower and middle class.

Eliminating this cost for our nation’s students gives them an opportunity to create a life for themselves after graduation, without drowning in the stress of financial instability. Cutting tuition will finally allow equal opportunity for all.

The high price of education caps the potential of our future’s minds. Students shy away from their dream college because their parents cannot afford it.

America is supposed to have opportunity for all, but an overpriced education is the key to opportunity. Eradicating this worry will expand the horizons for the future of our country.

Attending college pushes a student’s success further; the innovative minds of our country must stop being trumped.

Free college would be funded through taxpayers money. Less than one percent of taxes would go toward college, averaging to $33 per taxpayer per year, which is completely manageable.

It can be understood why certain people wouldn’t want to pay this tax. The pressure that college is the only option after graduation is overwhelming, and instating a tax to support the path to college might frustrate those who believe in alternatives.

Cutting tuition from public universities doesn’t change yearning for privatized education. Harvard will still cost an absurd amount of money, and this plan won’t cover

the fact that people will still want this elite and expensive education.

Although it is important to represent everyone, 33.5% of American adults have graduated from college. This means a large portion of the population is interested in furthering their education. It’s time to make this goal more accessible.

Bringing in refugees is worth the risk by eli baum

Opinion Editor Despite fears that Syrian refugees may pose a threat to Americans through Islamic State (ISIS) infiltration, the risk is small and overshadowed by the benefits of helping refugees.

The civil war in Syria and the rise of ISIS caused millions of refugees to flee Syria and enter other countries. President Obama has pledged to accept at least 100,000 refugees.

Following the attacks in Paris, many people have raised concerns that ISIS supporters may pose as Syrian refugees, get into America, and unleash terror, which was the case with one of the perpetrators of the Paris attacks.

Governors of several states, including our own Bruce Rauner, (Illinois) will not accept Syrian refugees, even though they don’t

Notable Pledges Germany: 800,000 USA: 100,000 France: 30,000 Canada: 25,00 UK: 20,000 Australia: 12,000

costitutionally have this authority.

America’s refugee screening process, which can take over three years, consists of many hurdles including fingerprint testing, personal interviews, extensive background checks and medical screening. These measures are enough to prevent nearly all ISIS threats.

This is not to say that changes are not needed in other processes of immigration. For example, more screening may be needed for foreign spouses of U.S. citizens in the wake of the recent attacks in San Bernardino.

The more refugees we let in (to a certain point), the more lives can be saved.

American lives are not more important than Syrian lives, but we should still make an effort to keep our country safe.

E v a n s t o n i a n

Executive Editors Gabe Aichholzer, Adele Gruner, Linnea Lipson Online Executive Editors Loie Gilbert, Isabella Senno Social Media Editor Matt Schroeder Managing Editor Paige Haden Layout Editors Ivy Hettinger-Roberts, Gabby Smith News Editors Camille Allen, Sam Calian, Emma Dzwierzynski, Danielle Kosover

Opinion Editors Gabby Smith, Eli Baum, Annie Keenan, Jane Mather-Glass, Lydia Melnikov Feature Editors Abrielle Claude, Trinity Collins, Simone Williams, Harrison Witt In- Depth Editors Ross Bostick, Annie Doyle, Samantha Idler, Amissa Page, Sofia Sant’Anna-Skites Entertainment Editors Chloe Roberts, Viveka Herzum, Sebastian Johnson, Margo Levitan

Sports Editors

Matt Barbato, Nate Easington, Jesse Heuer, Diego Ramos-Torrescano, Matt Schroeder, Luis Sosa, Ben Wilson

Art Editor Rena Newman Photo Editor Jada Marriott Writers, Artists, Photographers, Layout, Copy Emily Agnew, Norberto Aleman-Padilla, Jesse Bond, Jonah Charlton, Michael Colton, Katy Donati, Charlie Gruner, Will Metzler, Micah Miller, Ian Seegers, Amy Williams

Adviser Rodney K. Lowe

The Evanstonian is the official student newspaper of Evanston Township High School, 1600 Dodge Ave., Evanston IL, 60204, published as an open student forum every three weeks.

The Evanstonian welcomes comments and criticisms from its readers. Letters must be signed and delivered to The Evanstonian office. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

However, names will be witheld on request. The Evanstonian reserves the right to edit portions of letters due to space constraints.

E4

Opinion

Dec. 18, 2015

Did you know?

Although Evanston has a supermajority of democrats, only 13%

voted in a 2013

local election.

This means only about 8,973 people voted of the 69,020 adults that could.

Photo by Jada Marriott

Local restaurants like Clarke’s are a great place for people like Lauryn Marriott and Katy Donati to come together.

Living in Evanston blinds us from the real world

by Jane Mather-Glass Opinion Editor

It’s not over.

Any problems that seem like they’ve been fixed in Evanston aren’t necessarily fixed everywhere else, and it’s time for us to pay attention.

Evanston has a supermajority of democrats, meaning that the population is almost exclusively liberal. Overall, this is a good thing, but it will make for some major culture shock when we leave Evanston. It can also lead us to forget that certain problems are still very prevalent and not improving in many places. We need to move on from our successes as a community and start taking note of problems outside of the protective bubble of Evanston.

The United States has a long history of race issues and these past few months have been no exception. We’ve seen conflict with the Confederate flag, police brutality, and immigration. Evanston, like any place, has some prejudiced people but our problems are much less magnified, which leads us to forget how intense they are elsewhere.

According to David Feeley, Govern-

ment teacher, the supermajority in Evanston has also led to a decrease in voting. When people feel as if their vote doesn’t make a difference, they’re less likely to have their voice heard. In the 2013 local Evanston election, only 13% voted because many felt like they wouldn’t make a difference or they already knew the outcome of the election.

Supermajorities not only shelter us but they also cause some to dismiss valuable life experiences. In places outside of Evanston where political majorities are more split, those votes count. Living in Evanston may lead us to write off voting as something unimportant, but in reality it’s always valuable.

In Evanston, people generally tend to be aware of environmental issues. Priuses pop up everywhere and we have a well-functioning public transportation system. We’re doing things to help, so it seems surprising that the environment is not improving in the least. This is because we don’t realize that in many places people don’t acknowledge the fact that we have environmental issues.

Global warming isn’t a true concept to many Americans. So when we wonder why the environment is still doing so poorly despite our efforts, we have to remember that

many people aren’t making any efforts at all. It’s up to us to notice that people aren’t making changes and try and get the progressiveness of Evanston into other places.

Many mothers around Evanston have jobs and keep their last names and are overall independent. Obviously there are some exceptions, but women seem to be closing the inequality gap.

However, women are still paid 77 cents to a man’s dollar and in many places, men (and some women) believe that women belong at home. Sexism and misogyny are still prevalent in societies around the world, but since we don’t see as much of that in Evanston we tend to think it’s coming to an end when it really isn’t.

This is not to say that discriminatory people in Evanston are unheard of. And people who are in the position of being discriminated against are surely more aware of these things. But for those who are not, it’s easy to forget about these problems.

We have been sheltered for a long time and need to make ourselves more aware.

Evanston residents are in for some serious culture shock when and if they leave, and it’s something that we should prepare for.

Take your time to find your path

Reverse Racism

is a myth

by Gabby smith

Opinion Columnist As a person of color, when I witness mistaken students who believe that it isn’t fair for people of color to “be racist” against white people just because of skin color, I find it necessary to intervene.

Reverse racism is a phenomenon in which discrimination against a dominant racial group in a particular society takes place, for a variety of reasons. It has been described as “preferential treatment, discriminating in favor of members of underrepresented groups, which have been treated unjustly in the past.”

Racism ist social, systematic oppression.

Racism exists today because white people are the majority and have institutional power to discriminate against people of color.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on a challenge to admissions programs at the University of Texas designed to promote racial diversity among the student body on Dec. 9. White and Asian students believe that their “well-deserved” admissions opportunities were being taken away by students of color.

Affirmative action is a policy in college admissions favoring those who are racially discriminated against. In a way, it’s positive discrimination but some argue that it’s reverse racism. However, affirmative action doesn’t favor people of color, but ensures that they be considered equally.

In conversations about police brutality, racists are quick to point out the rate of black-on-white crime, and argue that these instances are hate crimes, which is simply false. Isolated incidents of black violence towards whites is not proof that people of color hate all whites.

According to an FBI study on homicide, 83 percent of white murder victims were killed by whites, while only 14 percent of white victims were murdered by blacks. But black-on-white crime is a social problem, not systemic. More than 100 unarmed blacks were killed by police in 2014. This number of deaths in comparison to white people killed is staggering.

Students believing in reverse racism aren’t completely off base. I don’t blame white people for things that happened hundreds of years ago. I hope to raise awareness of the past so that there is a general understanding that can lead to more empathy and compassion for all races.

Reverse racism does not exist, but prejudice does. It’s impossible for a blacks to discriminate against a whites, however that doesn’t justify prejudice against white people today.

Alex Coronel “The diversity makes it very accepting of different sexualities, races and religions.”

Junior

Has Evanston made you more socially aware?

Junior

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Maybe you’re pursuing your passion music, science, art, math - or maybe you just don’t know. If you’re in the latter situation, this may be tough to explain to your family over Christmas dinner. Honestly, it’s okay to not know what you want to do with your future.

80% of college students in the U.S. change their major at least once, so even those who have picked a path may end up on a different one.

and often uncontrollable. Nobody can plan on becoming an influencer- sadly, we can’t all be instafamous.

Many people have passions, like video games or ping-pong, that aren’t considered conventional career opportunities. Not knowing what professional direction to take doesn’t make someone passionless or boring.

Lastly, if you don’t know what you want to do, you can be lazy, take the day off, or try anything you want. Who needs commitment to a laborious activity with no guarantee of success? You’re in high school. Sleep in, watch a movie, who cares? You have all the time in the world to figure it out.

Senior

Opinion Editor

Colleges have come to understand that many students are not sure, giving them the option of enrolling with an undeclared major. Some universities let students wait as long as until their senior year in college to declare, and offer a surplus of general degrees to fit many job descriptions.

College may not even be necessary. The growth of social media has developed a new type of career, the influencer. Influencers include Instagram models, Youtubers, and bloggers, who make hefty salaries by exposing their followers to new brands and creating digital content. At this point, gaining an online following doesn’t require a college degree. This path to success is unpredictable

Sophomore

By Lydia Melnikov

Matters of Controversy

Vicki Kosiba “Programs like SOAR open your eyes to see the importance of diversity.”

Zoe Wilson “I get to meet a lot of different kinds of people here.”

Wally Waterloo “I’ve become more aware of the people and different groups around me.”

8 Feature

Questions “The for Ticket Man”

5E

Dec. 18, 2015

School initiative creates

by Abrielle Claude

diversity

Feature Editor

There has been a lot of emphasis on closing the racial academic achievement gap, but now ETHS is trying to unite the student body together in social situations outside of the classroom.

“It’s always good to learn across differences, but recognize that we’re all human beings and we all have shared experiences as well,” says Principal Marcus Campbell.

ETHS is one of the most racially and socioeconomically diverse high schools in the country, but the division between the student body is seen upon entering the cafeteria.

Many students will sit with

people of their own race. In the movie Mean Girls, which takes place in Evanston, this similar division is referred to as “the cafeteria tribes.”

It is true that many students prefer to stay within their own cliques, but SOAR (Students Organized Against Racism) is determined to get them out of their comfort zone.

“SOAR has made me look at this world differently, and by doing that I want to change it,” says senior Vicki Kosiba.

“We facilitate the taboo conversations that people want to or need to have, especially when they go to a school like ETHS that is filled with people of all backgrounds,” explains senior Michelle Pacheco.

SOAR focuses on

bringing students of all backgrounds together to talk about important racial issues facing society and our school. SOAR adopted a national initiative called Freshman Mix-It-Up day that was held during lunch periods. It gives freshmen the opportunity to meet other freshmen that they normally wouldn’t get to know. It also gives students a chance to learn about each other, without regard to race, socioeconomic status.

“We are trying to create experiences where students can really build a capacity to have these conversations in a way that keeps everyone engaged and can go on to other spaces and continue it,” says Corey Winchester, coordinator of SOAR and history teacher.

by Simone Williams Feature Editor

M

ost commonly known for being the “Ticket Man,” safety officer Mark Smith is in charge of making sure the school is safe on the outside. Since 2007, he has seen jumped cars, issued parking tickets and responded to reports of theft. Smith graduated from ETHS in 1981 and his daughter, Jessica, graduated in 2009.

Lia Nelson, Naissa Charles and Taylor Rosenthal mix it up at lunch.

Photo by Sophie Haight

Fighting for equality

1. How many parking tickets do you give out per day?

On average, I give out about 12 tickets a day.

2. What is the largest amount of tickets you’ve given out in a day?

The most tickets that I have given in one day was about 24 or 25 tickets.

3. Why has safety been so strict on parking tickets this year?

There have been problems in the past between students and staff because of unorganized parking. People were parking everywhere and we even had people who were not part of ETHS parking in the lot. We wanted to make sure there was ample parking for those who bought passes.

4. What’s the strangest excuse that you have heard from a student who has parked illegally in the lot?

One time a student told me his car wouldn’t start, but as I walked away he drove off. Also, a student actually put a mannequin in the car to make it look like someone was in it.

5. What happens when a student doesn’t pay a ticket?

If they have collected more than three tickets then the student will get a boot on their car. Actually, one student had 19 tickets and was forced to pay almost $1,000.

6. Some students believe that you’ve been too strict with your tickets. How do you react to this?

The people with this perception of me are usually the ones who are doing the wrong thing. Most of the time they don’t have a valid parking permit.

7. What is a hobby are you involved in outside of work?

I am an avid Blackhawks fan and I have loved hockey since I was 10 years old.

8. What is the most profound memory that you have as a safety officer?

One time, I did an overnight and heard a door slam on the second floor west hall, so I went to check it, but when I did, no one was there. Another time, I was outside and a woman in a wheelchair rolled up and told me that she predicted that I would have a good life. I never saw her again.

Senior Maya Crowe-Barnes and friends rally in Chicago.

Photo courtesy of Camille Allen

Students gather to protest recent racial injustices

by Harrison Witt Feature Editor

“16 shots.”

This was one of the many chants shouted at the protest for racial equality in Chicago on Nov. 27, which many ETHS students attended.

“It was a pretty unbelievable thing. Everyone was screaming about issues they had with people from Rahm Emanuel to the CPD,” comments sophomore Joe Frankel. “There were also other people just sitting and watching peacefully, taking it all in.”

A large group of students went to the protest because they want to make a change not just in Chicago, but the whole country.

The Chicago protest was inspired by the recent release of a video showing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald being shot 16 times by a member of the Chicago Police Dept. This infuriated many and they wanted to do something about it.

The protest took place along Michigan Avenue on Black Friday. It covered the whole Magnificent Mile and, according to the Chicago Tribune, the protests resulted in stores losing 25 to 50 percent in sales that day.

“People were just chanting phrases like ‘16 shots, 13 months,’ and ‘Impeach Rahm,’ and would count up to 16, but it was overall pretty peaceful and organized compared to most protests,” comments Joe. In the wake of these protests, a rally was held at ETHS to show that students stand in solidarity with students at various colleges such as the University of Missouri, Howard University and Yale University that are suffering from racial injustices. This rally was put together by students involved in groups like SOAR (Students Organized Against Racism).

“Being aware is the first step to resolving this issue. Keeping people in check about what they

say is a lifelong duty,” mentions senior Whitney Giroux.

The ETHS rally was a positive environment for students to show solidarity and to voice their opinions. Students read poems, stories, speeches and more. Many students were able to speak about situations and problems they had been through as students of color.

“I have dealt with microagressions in my life and I know that it is a problem,” says Whitney.

“I was called names like ‘oreo’ just because I am smart and play an instrument. I want people to realize that it isn’t just what they see on the outside that defines someone.”

Although ETHS is an extremely diverse school, there is a clear division among races. Many students want to see change in this area and these ETHS students are speaking out to make the change they wish to see in the world through these rallies and protests.

E6

Dec. 18, 2015

Boys fall short academically

by Samantha Idler In-Depth Editor

Girls rule, boys drool.

A series of studies show that girls test higher and get better grades than boys do.

“I think girls tend to do better in school.

They tend to be more mature, and it’s easier for them to focus. I also think they typically do a better job of doing what the teacher asks of them,” explains Rick Cardis, history teacher.

A four year study done by the Annual Statistical Report shows that girls at ETHS on average have a GPA that is .26 points higher than boys. Cardis, who teaches freshman history and AP US History, says that age also correlates to the academic achievement of boys and girls.

Cardis adds, “I think it’s even more profound at the freshman level where boys have a harder time focusing. They have a lot more energy and get distracted a lot easier than girls do and I think this is less so as students get older.”

Ryan Cunningham, junior and one of Cardis’ students, agrees, explaining that despite the fact that he does his homework and is a good student, he finds it very hard to focus in class. Cunningham, a male, explains, “I

don’t know why gender is relevant to work in my classes, I’m pretty sure we get the same amount of work.”

However, sophomore Zoe Lydon disagrees.

“I feel that my workload is fairly the same as boys. I also feel that the boys in my classes don’t stress out about grades and homework as much as girls do,” explains Lydon.

According to Atlantic Magazine, girls do better in school because of the way the school system is set up. Girls are more likely to set goals for themselves and plan ahead as well as focus on impressing themselves, their peers and their teachers.

Despite the stereotype that boys excel in math and science, girls get higher grades in all subjects. Regardless of these statistics, however, ETHS still has numerous support systems for their female students. WiSTEM is one of these programs.

“I think that programs like WiSTEM push girls to break the barrier between women and men,” explains Kyle David, sophomore.

Although the gender gap is closed within the school system, in the job market the gender gap is still alive and present. With a new wave of smart motivated girls, hopefully women will set out for more academic jobs.

In-Depth

Battle of t

It is easy to see the d boys and girls: Inconsi the dress code, boys a that emphasize female we perform in school. concerns about the ine

Gender GPA

Sarah Bogan 2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

Rape culture must be stopped But not everyone identif

by Sofia Sant’Anna-Skites In-Depth Editor

It’s more common than you think.

Sexual assault includes anything that forces a person to become involved with unwanted sexual contact. One of the most difficult issues regarding rape is consent.

“With consent, we want to make sure that it’s clear, voluntary and without force,” says Megan Blomquist, Director of Education and Training for the nonprofit organization Rape Victim Advocates. “For each step along the way, you have to make sure what you’re doing is okay. It’s important to have verbal check-ins, but it shouldn’t be robotic. Body language is also important and something to pay attention to.”

The slightest resistance to any sexual activity is a red flag in determining whether or not someone is giving consent.

According to Neighborhood Scout, a site that records data for cities and neighborhoods in the US, the crime index for Evanston is 22 (100 being the safest). This means that Evanston is safer than 22% of the cities in our country. Reports say that one in 348 people are raped in Evanston. However, these numbers do not disclose even part of the reality. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 68% of sexual assaults remain unreported to the police.

“When I go to college, I should be worried about getting a good education. I shouldn’t have to worry about rape, but I am,” says Paula Camaya, senior.

One in five assaults are committed by

“When someone says they’ve been sexually assaulted, we should take them seriously.”

-Megan Blomquist

someone known to a victim. Teens often deal with social pressures regarding sex.

“Growing up, we have gender roles that men and boys, and women and girls should follow,” explains Blomquist. “Those stereotypes lead to a culture that is easier for men to act violently and harder for women to be strong and use their voices.”

There are widespread misconceptions about who is to blame for rape. The arguments that a victim was drunk, provocatively dressed or unwilling to fight back do not justify rape.

“When the victim is blamed, it’s easy for them to feel hopeless and it’s also less likely that they will seek help,” explains Blomquist. “When someone says they’ve been sexually assaulted, we should take them seriously.”

Even when individuals aren’t directly involved with rape, no one should ignore it. “Although most people aren’t rapists or victims, it’s important that we all have a role in trying to end this violence,” says Blomquist.

ETHS does a good job of educating students about sexual violence. “Everyone made jokes about rape, so I would too. Then I learned that it’s a very serious thing that scars people for life. It shouldn’t be joked about,” says Eric Greenfield, junior.

The freshman health unit supplies definitions of the different types of sexual violence, dispels myths people might have about rape, and provides information about what victims and the friends of victims should do after an assault. On the eighth day of the health unit, students experience the Clothesline Project, an organization that brings awareness to the issue of violence against women. T-shirts filled with stories from affected women are displayed on a clothesline in G180.

It’s important that ETHS continues to raise awareness about the issue because it is still a prevalent topic. We don’t talk about rape enough, and talking about it is essential to the growth of our community. It happens here, it’s happening now, and we need to stop it.

• Non-binary is an umbrella identities other than male

• Evanston is the seventh c gender-neutral signs on

• ETHS has keys for gender non-binary students.

• To raise awareness, parti April 15.

Empowering Y WiSTEM

Gets female students involved in Inspir STEM fields WiSTEM week Dec. 7-11 Changes stereotypes about women in the workplace

stude to sup femal rights

In-Depth

the Sexes

difference between istent enforcement of and girls in sports, clubs e opportunity and how . These are some of the equalities.

Charlie Maxwell

fies as a girl a or boy...

a term to describe gender e or female.

city in the nation to require bathrooms.

r-neutral bathrooms for

icipate in Day of Silence on

Young Women GirlUp

ring ents pport le s

Helps girls in need in different countries Fundraises for charities and girls in need

Makes girls self-advocate for their communities

Dec. 18, 2015

7E

Students and staff divided

over sexist dress code

by Annie Doyle

By the Numbers:

In-Depth Editor While the administration believes that the dress code is a guideline that contributes to a positive learning environment, many students think the vagueness of the policy can lead to unbalanced enforcement.

“We’re here for education, and the policy helps prevent students from wearing clothing that might disrupt the school day, such as clothes that depict drug paraphernalia or are revealing,” says Dean Cynthia Bumbry.

Some students took issue with the fact that the ETHS dress code policy is much less structured than the ones they encountered in middle school. “At Haven, the rule for shorts and skirts was that the hem had to go past your fingertips,” says freshman Callie Benson-Williams. “But here, all it says is that you can’t wear short shorts and skirts. It doesn’t really give any specifics.”

According to junior Daisy Chaudruc, the vagueness of the dress code policy is the reason why she and many other students think the fairness of the enforcement of the policy should be called into question.

“In my experience, black girls get dress coded more than white girls,” says Daisy.

“If the dress code isn’t laid down, there is too much room for interpretation and it can become unfair.”

Beyond race, students have also noticed that body type makes a difference in how the dress code is enforced. Girls who have wider hips or are more developed than others are “dress-coded” more often, even when they are wearing the same clothes as girls who are less developed.

Who’s being dress coded Sept. 16 girls, 3 boys Oct.

5 girls, 0 boys

Nov. 10 girls, 2 boys Dec.

6 girls, 0 boys

“There is definitely some truth to that,” adds Bumbry. “For staff members, some outfits are okay and some are not. I think instructions are very clear, and most of the time, it’s common sense.”

The issue of dress code is prevalent within other schools in Evanston as well.

In March 2014, girls at Haven middle school protested the dress code that limited leggings or yoga pants, which the students called “sexist and unfair.” The protest gained national media coverage, including articles for the Huffington Post and Time.

While the enforcement of the ETHS dress code has had some inconsistencies this far, it was designed in hopes to foster a more positive place to learn for every student.

Girls play sports too

2,747 female vs. 2,654 male athletes

by Charlie Gruner In-Depth Editor

team, for a multitude of reasons,” says girls basketball team captain, senior Abby Rosenbaum. “It’s not that we don’t get recognition at all, but they do get a lot more than us.

They do have one of the top ranked players in the state on their team, so naturally there will be a lot more eyes on them.”

In an attempt to raise attendance at the girls basketball game against New Trier last Wednesday, the boys game was

For the last three years, ETHS has had more total female athletes than male athletes across all three seasons.

In the past three years there have been 2,747 female athletes and 2,654 male athletes participating in the fall, winter and spring. This surge of female participation can be attributed to the Girls Play Sports program, which sends ETHS female student athletes to local Elementary schools to teach the young kids young girls how to get started with the sport.

“All of the young girls who participated were very interested in high school sports,” says Christina Schumm, senior and a coach for the program. “They really looked up to everyone.”

Despite the increased participation of female athletes, attendance at girls games still doesn’t match the boys.

“Attendance at games is definitely not equitable,” says Chris Livatino, athletic director. “Unfortunately, I don’t think our students come out and support our girls teams as much as they do boys relative to the same sport.”

According to Livatino, the sport with the biggest imbalance is basketball. Given that both the girls and boys teams are very similar in their overall makeup and performance, attendance should be 2012-13 about the same, but it is not even close.

2013-14 “I believe that we are 2014-15 not treated as equally as the boys

Year

Amayah Johnson

Who plays?

Boys

869 887 898

moved to 6 p.m. with the girls right after at 7:30, the opposite of when they have tippedoff in the past.

“It’s frustrating,” says Livatino. “To our girls, to all our coaches and to me.

But I think it’s a reflection on our society as a whole. If you watch Sportscenter, the amount of coverage on women’s athletics is terrible.”

Along with basketball, the other most recognized sport in the winter season is swim and dive, with 34 more female swimmers in the last year than there were males.

The Athletic Dept. does all that it can to promote both genders equally. Both boys and girls sports get equal funding, support at pep rallies and announcements on places like Twitter (@ETHSports) and over the intercom for the entire school to hear every morning.

National sports media heavily favors men’s over women’s athletics. Even Malik Jenkins with the constant recognition of men’s sports above all on television and in the press, the ETHS community strives for equality when it comes to recognition of achievement in sports.

Girls

874 955 918

Entertainment

8 EEvanston’s

Dec. 18, 2015

Fake Instagrams to headline reveal real House of Blues personalities

own

By Sebastian Johnson Entertainment Editor

Bring the noise!

On Dec. 22, local band Manwolves will joint headline at the House of Blues in downtown Chicago.

Eli Cohen

Bassist Henry Wolf estimates that they attract a crowd of around 300 for an average show. According to the House of Blues website the facility can hold

1300 people, and they expect all tickets to sell. The Manwolves are approaching this show like any other show.

As drummer Julian Freeman explains, they are dedicating up to four hours a day practicing - something they do even when they don’t have an upcoming show.

“We treat all of our shows equally,” says Freeman.

While their preparation may not change, the band does understand the gravity of this concert.

“To date, this is our most important show because it is the House of Blues,” says guitarist Eli Cohen.

The significance may also come from how long it took to land this show. The band had been sending their music to the promoter at the House of Blues for

months. Finally, he responded saying he really liked their music and he wanted them for a show.

While the venue may be new to them, the set list won’t be a huge change from any of their previous concerts.

“We did release a single about three weeks ago, and we’re going to release music as soon as we can,” says keyboardist Ari Garfin.

“We’re really not holding anything back, it’s just that the music is not quite ready yet.”

Even if Manwolves fans don’t have a new EP or LP to look forward to, at least they can go see the Manwolves headlining with Raven Lynae the House of Blues.

Tickets are 10 dollars plus fees on Ticketmaster. You can avoid fees by contacting a band member for tickets.

Photos by Jesse Bond

Singer James McNear rehearses You; A promotional photo of Manwolves; Julian Freeman records a drum track.

By Trinity Collins Feature Editor

Finstas may be joke accounts, but they give students a chance to be real.

“I think a Finstagram adds a personal layer,” says Amanda Elliott, writer of the article Finstagram: I Want To Be Myself on Social Media. “You can share things that others would not understand or would judge you on.”

According to Urban Dictionary, a Finstagram, or Finsta for short, is a fake Instagram account. Finsta allows people to post any pictures that they want.

For the most part they are embarrassing or funny.

Instead of following the steps of posting a normal Instagram post, users can just take a quick ugly selfie and post it.

When you post on a Finsta account, it involves less thinking.

You can just take an embarrassing picture of yourself, find a meme that you think is funny, or share an inside joke with your close friends without worrying how many likes you get on it.

“It doesn’t really matter what I post,” says Riley Hughes, junior.

“It’s fun posting random pictures without thinking about likes.”

Photos by Jesse Bond (Above) Katherine Metzner works on her latest piece. (Top right) Maggie Coutré and Emma Rosengarten sketch a new project. (Bottom Right) An award winning piece from Norberto Aleman-Padilla.

AP Studio Art creates unique experiences for student artists

By Margo Levitan

Entertainment Editor A different outlet.

With a diversity of techniques and prompts offered, AP Studio Art allows students to experience and interpret art at a depth that is rarely offered in a traditional school setting.

Although there is no written final exam, these students are creating weekly art projects to build their portfolios to present to the class at the end of the semester. In May, students will submit a portfolio of 24 works to the College Board for scoring.

“The assignments are open ended and the students have choices as to how they approach the solutions for the different prompts,” says Marla Seibold, AP Studio Art teacher.

“They have to show a range of approaches like still- life, portrait, perspective, as well as a range of materials like

charcoal, graphite, paint, collage.”

The students are encouraged to utilize all of the materials that are provided, giving them the tools to truly bring their art to the next level.

“I like the freedom of the class, and I can often use whatever materials I like and express myself in any way,” says Zim Zeisler, senior. “There are no limitations to what you can do here, just general guidelines.”

At the end of the year students are expected to have completed 12-16 pieces to present to the class. It may seem like a challenge, but the artists are completely prepared.

“It’s an art piece a week which is a rigorous schedule, the expectation being a few hours every week outside of class are spent on our artwork,” says Quinn Tucker, senior. “With the grading being college level, it really pushes you because it’s difficult to get a good grade.”

With options such as digital art, sculpting, ceramics and painting, students are exposed to numerous techniques

that helps them expand their art portfolios for college while expanding their skill and experience.

“I joined this class because I wanted to advance my art skills as much as I could, and taking this class was the next step,” says senior Darya Geary. “Since I want to do something art related in college, this will look great to some art schools I’m applying to.”

With midterms coming up, this pressure only intensifies.

Instead of a formal test, the students are expected to have completed 12-16 pieces that they began this year and present them to the class. It may seem like a challenge, but these talented artists are completely prepared.

AP Studio Art is an advanced and rigorous art class, but it is worth it for students who are really invested in art and those who want to pursue it at a professional level. With fast paced work and high expectations, this class is pushing student-artists to reach their highest potential.

Entertainment

T

Dec. 18, 2015

Around E-Town

Media fails to promote

body positivity

Turn around.

by Chloe Roberts

With a new name and a new outlook, the ETHS Dance Company, formerly known as ESANDE, is back and stronger than ever.

Entertainment Columnist

by Viveka Herzum

Entertainment Editor The first event of the season, on Saturday, Jan. 9, held at the University of Illinois, Chicago, will be the Universal Dance Association Competition. The second, held at Barrington High School, will be the Giordano Dance Project, on Jan 30.

On Jan. 23, company members will lead a Wildkit Winter Dance Workshop for kids in pre-K up to incoming freshmen as part of an effort to further integrate its performances into the school and community. At the workshop, participants will be taught different styles of dance according to grade level, including hip hop, musical theater, contemporary ballet and repertory.

“The workshop offers younger students a chance to perform and develop creativity,” explains Jennifer Foss, program director.

“Our company members are instructing the workshop, which gives them the opportunity to reach out to future wildkits and learn leadership and responsibility.”

In contrast with last year’s program, the Company now has a year round schedule and has extended the program to include both a competitive and a non-competitive company.

“The team is exciting for me because I’m doing a different type of dance,” says Essence Elise, a senior and member of the competitive company. “I was on Pomkits for 3 seasons, and that’s straight hip hop. But

Photo by Sophie Haight

Mariko Dowling practices for the Universal Dance Association Competition. now I’m doing different styles like contemporary and jazz, and I love being able to broaden my technique.”

According to Foss, both the competitive and non competitive companies help teach creativity, focus, communication, and responsibility.

“Most importantly, both (companies) help our students come in and learn confidence, problem solving, and how to step out of their comfort zone.”

Moving forward, Foss hopes to have dances performed at basketball games and Pep Assemblies and to integrate dance fur-

ther into the athletic department.

“We are growing the dance opportunities within the PE Dept. by offering Dance Performance and Choreography and Semantics, in addition to the Global Dance course,” says Foss. “We also started a National Honor Society so that seniors can graduate with honors in dance, opening them up to scholarships and opportunities all over the nation.”

With all the new changes, it is evident that the ETHS Dance Company will grow to become an even more vibrant part of the ETHS sports and fine arts community.

School of Rock builds valuable life skills among young musicians

by Michael Colton

Entertainment Writer

act of performing.

The school features two programs, one for newer and more inexperienced musicians, known as the Garage Rock program, and one for those who have been with the school for longer, called the Performance Program.

“We teach music to our students the way that native speakers learn English. We focus less on the classical way of teaching music, and instead allow the kids to work with one

another to learn the material,” says Maggie Weber, the general manager of School of Rock Evanston.

Kayan Waikar, sophomore and five year member of School of Rock, says that doing this not only helps his playing, but his work ethic.

“The added difficulty of live performance has definitely made me a better guitarist, in addition to teaching me more about performance art.”

Take them to school

Practice makes professional.

Leading up to several shows in January, School of Rock in Evanston is teaching musical skills, confidence and teamwork to any young musician interested in performance art.

While still teaching the basics of music, School of Rock brings a unique addition to the learning process for their students: the

9E

School of Rock students rehearse for three shows coming in late January.

Photo by Micah Miller

Every gender, race, and age comes with unrealistic beauty expectations, and the new wave of body positivity in the media is supposedly trying to change that.

Unfortunately, they’re not doing enough.

According to the Today Show and AOL 2014 survey, 63 percent of men and 82 percent of women say they always feel like they could lose weight. Look at the media and it’s not hard to see why.

Billboards, magazines, commercials, advertisements, movie screens, you name it, there’s probably a good-looking, thin person looking back at you. Sure there are a few stars who look more realistic, but even they tend to feel the pressure to look “better.”

During a 60 Minutes interview, Sam Smith, a Grammy award-winning artist, said that insults about his weight hurt him more than insults about his sexuality. If this momentously successful man cannot find comfort in his own body, the rest of us can hardly be expected to.

Some companies have tried to include more realistic body types in their advertisements. The most successful is probably Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign, which features women of all shapes and sizes accepting their appearances. For men to see various body types in an underwear campaign, we have to go all the way to Europe. A Norwegian underwear company, Dressmann, has a campaign called #justthewayyouare that promotes underwear ‘not just for the perfect man’. Sadly, these inspiring campaigns are so rare that they seem like outliers.

For the media to even begin to break its decades of unrealistic standards, we need to be able to see people who look similar to us as much as we see people who don’t. We are so used to seeing the image of perfection that we need to be constantly reminded that our weight (provided it’s not dangerous to our health) is something that we can be content with and even enjoy about our appearance (can you imagine?).

Of course it’s good that companies and celebrities are even considering making their consumers feel better about themselves, and changing the media is not going to be instantaneous. I applaud any company making an effort to start the body positivity movement, but using thin, toned and spotless people isn’t going to cut it.

Campaigns like Aerie’s or L’Oréal’s feature celebrities who go “un-retouched,” but still look beyond incredible.

Just waiting for the media to change isn’t going to cut it. What we can do is pay attention to the campaigns and celebrities that rock. Read Zendaya’s anti-photoshop post or sift through the #speakbeautiful. And the next time you pick yourself apart in the mirror—I know I do—remember the good stuff! If the media’s just showing you people you’d never look like, give them the mental middle finger and move on.

E 10

Feature

Dec. 18, 2015

MVP Nojel Eastern returns

after suffering major ankle injury

D

By Katy Donati

Sports Reporter espite junior captain Nojel Eastern’s basketball career getting derailed last year due to a severe ankle injury, he’s back on the court and ready to prove that he is still number one in the North Shore.

“Long, hard, and extremely frustrating,” is how Nojel describes his road to recovery.

In addition to dislocating his ankle, Nojel also broke his tibia and fibula during an AAU game in Kentucky last April. This left him off the court for five and a half months.

“The benefit of Nojel’s injury was that he had a chance to break down some individual skills of his game this summer, specifically shooting,” says head basketball coach Michael Ellis.

Nojel has played on the varsity team all three years and has received interest from major division one schools. Nojel has also had the opportunity to try out for the USA team.

“Nojel has such a repertoire of skills that every player on the team can learn from,” says cocaptain Charlie Maxwell. “He creates a competitive environment where every

player wants to put his best up against him.”

“Nojel is probably one of the most talented and unselfish players I have ever coached,” adds Ellis. “When we get to our games he will be faced with different opportunities. When we’re in a tight game and we need a play to be made the ball will definitely find it’s way to his hands, and were counting on him to make the right reads.”

This type of high pressure has never affected Nojel’s mindset or his play.

“I don’t think about it much,” explains Nojel. “I go out there and play how I know how to play. I try and do what captains do and that’s leading the team to victory, it has never really affected me at all.”

With a strong team backing him and good outside support, the 6’5” shooting guard sets his sights high as he aims to achieve the title of Evanston’s all-­time win leader.

“We believe it is something that is within his grasp, to try and graduate here having won more varsity basketball games than any other student in the history of the high school,” adds Ellis.

So far this season, Nojel has averaged about 15 points per game. According to ESPN, he is the number 87 player in the country for the class of 2017.

...the facts

Do you

“Know”

‘Jel?

Born May 26 1999 Played basketball since age three Played football and volleyball growing up Favorite music: R&B Favorite NBA team: Los Angeles Clippers MVP at Thanksgiving tournament this year

My

My

Teaches Mom Dad

Wynne and Mary Collins Mom: “I think it’s important that Wynne has her own experience separate from my workplace. I try not to be a “helicopter mom!”’

Wynne: “Everyone is always asking me about community service opportunities, but I like having her in the building because I get to relax in her office and enjoy free snacks.”

At My School

Steven and Max Newman

Jamilah and Leighah-Amori Wool

Dad: “I love having him in the building and I love that we have a shared experience. He never embarrasses me. I hope I don’t embarass him. But, there was this one time, when he was 5 years old . . .”

Mom: “I have tried to teach Amori how to be accountable for her grades and actions, by giving her several strategies to help with her success in school, independent of me.”

some place to always fall back on.”

having parent- teacher conferences everyday.”

Max: “The greatest part about having my dad in the school is having

Leighah-Amori: “Having BOTH of my parents in the building is like

Cole and Michael Ellis

Peter Iachini and Teresa Granito

Rudy and Rafael Salinas

Dad: “I don’t want my position in the building to be a factor for any of

Mom: “I do have some of his friends in class and find it a bit hard to resist talking to them about some of their common experiences.”

Dad: “I appreciate the areas where I can contribute to Rafael’s

his achievements. It’s my belief this will prepare him the most for life.”

Cole: “It’s helpful having my dad in the building because I can just walk down the hall and he’s in his office and I can just chill there during my lunch.”

Peter: “It is hard being rushed out of the house and getting to school before AM Support. It is also nice to have a resource for me to ask questions.”

experience. Our family values are pressure enough for the both of us. I think it works both ways.”

Rafael: “I like being able to get advice while in school and being able to mess with a teacher, my dad of course, without getting in trouble.”

Sports

Dec. 18, 2015

11E

From the Stands

Athletes should

continue to get

admission benefits

By Matt Schroeder Sports Columnist

Senior Trevon Marshall drives past a Niles West player in the Kits’ 61-26 win over the Wolves.

Photo by Jada Marriott

Kits hit the road for Christmas tourney

Academy (TN).

Brentwood features two • 323 miles to tournament all state players, one of them being 5’9 point guard ETHS Holiday hoops.

• 5.5 hour bus ride Darius Garland, a five star Boys basketball travels Miami Senior High School • 1,077 miles to tournament recruit in the 2018 recruiting to Fairdale, KY tonight class. for the annual King of the (Miami, Fl) • 16 hour bus ride “We just have to stay Bluegrass Holiday Classic, • 179 miles to tournament focused and stick to our Brentwood Academy where they will play some game plan,” said junior of the nation’s top high • 3 hour bus ride (Brentwood, TN) Elyjah Williams. If we let school teams in front of college coaches.

• 426 miles to tournament the hype get to our heads Gainseville HIgh School we’ll really struggle,” “There will be probably (Gainseville, GA) • 7 hour bus ride “The bottom line is for be up to about 100 Division great team chemistry you 1 coaches visiting in and junior Zach Brown transferring to Miami have to have great relationships,” Ellis out depending on the day,” said coach Mike High. According to ESPN 60 rankings, the explained. “It’s more than putting the ball Ellis. “There will also be representatives of 7’ 260 pound center is the eighteenth best in the basket. This is the kind of trip to do McDonald’s All American selections.” player in the nation for the 2017 recruiting those things for us.”

The field includes 16 teams. 12 are from class.

The Kits got a taste of the type of talent Kentucky. 11 of those are ranked in the top The Kits are looking forward to the they’ll see over the holidays in their 71-59 25 of the state, according to Kentucky Prep challenge and they believe it’ll bring them loss to top-ranked Morgan Park on Dec. Hoops. closer as a unit.

5. The Kits were never able to grab the The boys will open the tournament “We will be tested and if we want to momentum in the game, with the team tomorrow at 9 p.m. against Florida win, we all have to come together as one giving up 20 turnovers. powerhouse Miami Senior High School, and be on the same page,” said junior Malik The boys come into Holiday Classic with who has won 18 state championships, the Jenkins. a 6-1 record—and a ninth place ranking in most in Florida history.

If the Kits advance to the second round Illinois according to Mike Helfgot of the The Stings haven’t won a championship of the tournament, they will face the winner Chicago Tribune. since 2005, but things are changing with of Gainesville (GA) versus Brentwood

by Jesse Heuer Sports Editor

Teams at the Tourney

Boys hockey Gymnastics competes at NW, NT takes on Latin By Nate Easington

By DIEGO RAMOS-TORRESCANO Sports Editor

Time to face off.

The boys hockey team hopes to continue their winning ways when they match up against the Romans of Latin, at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow.

This will be the third meeting between the teams this season. The previous game on Nov. 11, 2015 ended in the Wildkits favor as they captured an exciting 4-1 win.

The Romans are coached by Blake Sorensen, who led the team to the IHSHL League Playoffs semifinals, along with a 18-10 record in the 2014-15 season.

The deadly forward line of Robert James, Isaiah Ricketts and Nick Lydon will be key for the Kits. The three of them are responsible for 13 points, according to IHSHL stats, and always seem to come through with clutch goals for the Kits.

Ricketts leads the team in points with 6.

The boys may be without all-star senior goalie Charlie Bailey, who is recovering from a procedure done on Tuesday.

Bailey leads the Champions Division in GAA (the average goals allowed per game) with 1.57.

However, senior Elliot Foley is up to the task of replacing Bailey.

Sports Editor

The Kits travel to Niles West tonight for the “A Star is Born Classic” and then to New Trier on Saturday Dec. 19 for the New Trier Invite. Led by senior Hillary Vickman on Vault, the team hopes to beat these two gymnastics powerhouses and conference rivals today and tomorrow.

“Even though we have a lot of injuries right now, Hillary has done a lot to help push the team further,” commented head coach Meghan Koons on Vickman’s performance up to this point in the season.

While the Kits have played well against Niles West, beating them three times in the past five years, Niles West has the upper hand going into the meet as the Wolves have Photo by Jesse Bond beaten the Kits two years in a row.

Freshman Lillian Magid practices her routine.

As for the Trevians, the meetings improved,” explained Koons. between our teams are friendly, but New So far, the team has shown great Trier has dominated recently, beating the Kits improvement in the balance beam, which is five years in a row. one of four events that takes place during a However, the team still feels they can meet. The beam was their best event in their pose a serious challenge to the Trevians. The losses to Maine East and GBS. Kits are coming off a close loss to Maine “We have been putting in a lot of work in East on Dec 1 and a junior varsity and freshmen team victory over Glenbrook South all events,” stressed coach Koons. “But when I give the girls the chance to chose an event on Dec. 9. during practice, they always seem to go to “We had a great opening meet, even Beam, which is great because it is usually a though we lost, I think many of the girls very scary event.” surprised themselves at how much they had

If you think the benefits that otherwise academically unqualified athletes get when applying to college are unfair, you are ignoring the holistic review that your own application will receive.

As an athlete myself, I understand that athletes who are talented enough to play collegiately have worked their butts off to get to that point. The commitment to athletics--just like Student Council, YAMO, Community Service, band, etc.--takes up countless hours of free time which the average student would otherwise to do school work.

Luckily, the college admissions process is a holistic review, which means colleges look at more than just the standardized test scores and GPA. This holistic review is given to all students at all schools: the common student, athletes, actors and musicians alike.

Obviously, students with good grades and standardized test scores will get into top schools, just like students with elite athletic ability and potential will play in top athletic programs. Students with outstanding acting ability will go to top theatre schools, just like students with incredible math ability will go to top math programs. You get the point.

Athletes are also a major asset to the university--especially major D1 football programs. In recent years, the revenue of the University of Alabama football team exceeded 80 million dollars annually. 80.

Million. Dollars. Not only are athletes a financial asset to the school, elite men’s basketball and football programs significantly raise the numbers of applications a school receives. This allows the school to raise its selectivity and become more competitive in admissions.

A recent study on the matter by marketing expert Doug J. Chung concludes “when a school rises from mediocre to great on the (football field), applications increase by 18.7 percent.”

Athletes also help their college as they are an appealing prospect to graduate schools. Athletes have learned superior time management skills, leadership ability, and teamwork skills--off the field talents which are also important outside the classroom.

Colleges understand that.

I must acknowledge that, on average, student-athletes have slightly lower GPAs than non-athletes. Some will struggle in the classroom. Some will probably even struggle so much that they have no choice but to transfer.

To that point, colleges are attempting to fix the issue. The core academic standards that athletes have to meet to play in college have risen in the past couple of years. It is getting academically harder to play in college.

To all you naysayers, stop whining about the just benefits that athletes get. It’s not going to change anytime soon. Colleges understand that, and so should you.

E 12

Sports

Dec. 18, 2015

Gunning for a W

Kits host Spartans in

early-season match up

BY Ben Wilson Sports Editor

5:30 p.m. at the pool.

The boys swim team will host GBN, still seeking their first win of the season.

“We haven’t had a lot of trouble against GBN in the past few years,” said senior freestyler Axel LafontMueller. “They’re not a powerhouse like New Trier or GBS, but they’re solid enough to pose a threat.”

The Kits picked up a 118-67 victory against the Spartans in last year’s meet, but the loss of several talented seniors from last year’s team could hurt the Kits in this year’s match-up.

Seniors Richard Alonso and Axel’s twin brother, Adrian, along with Zach Grossman-Torres will be the core four for this year’s team. Their combination of chemistry and exposure to high-level competition at the club level for the McGaw YMCA program makes them an experienced group of players.

The boys have gotten off to a bit of a slower start than they hoped. They lost to powerhouse Naperville Central 119-67 in their first meet of the season on Dec. 4. A week later, they placed fourth in the top division at the Bronco Relays in Barrington last weekend, only three points short of a third place finish.

Divers Harel Anolick, Turner Dobbs and Trevor Nelson all had strong performances at the Bronco Relays, picking up first place in diving with a total score 441.30.

“The divers are a big help,” said coach Kevin Auger. “Let’s face it, if we can go from instead being down 20 or 30 points to being up 20 or 30 points, that helps.”

Anolick has already broken the individual sophomore diving record with a score of 284.55 against Naperville Central.

“We are emphasizing more strength, turn speed, and our underwater swim,” said Auger. “As a result we

Photo by Amy Williams

Senior Zach Grossman-Torres swims backstroke against Naperville Central. are trying to go harder. We are lifting more.”

Normally, they would focus on a more aerobiccentered workout, but Auger made a strategic move to focus on the fifth stroke, that is the underwater dolphin

kick.

“A lot of our success will have to come from the different training we’ve been doing this winter,” added captain and breaststroker Alonso.

The real competition for

the team will come up when they face New Trier and GBS, who have dominated the CSL over the past few years and look very strong this season.

“I think we can scare a team like GBS at a confer-

ence or a dual meet situation,” said Auger. Coach Auger believes that their top swimmers are better than our best, but in terms of overall team depth, the Kits have the advantage.

Girls hoops will be put to the test at

Montini High School Tournament

BY Matt barbato Sports Editor

Photo by Emily Agnew

Freshman Dylan Koll pushes senior David Rivera-Kohr around in practice.

Wrestling seeks to bag another tournament

win today vs Glenbrook South Titans

BY Luis sosa

Sports Editor Wrestling will take part in the Russ Erb Tournament tonight at GBS, but a back to back to back schedule could threaten their unbeaten record to start the season.

“It’s taken its toll,” said coach Rudy Salinas. “We’re exhausted and a little banged up.”

The boys will take their 4-0 record into tonight’s match. It will be their second match in two days, with a third to follow tomorrow.

“If all goes well we’re looking to have half of our team individually placed,” said Salinas, “but if we can

get four or five we’ve done a good job.”

“This is one of the tougher tournaments in the state,” added Salinas. “We’ll have some state-ranked teams and some state-ranked individuals, which is always a good challenge early in the season.”

Some of the schools included in this tournament are Grant, Octavia and Wheeling. Wheeling is also undefeated thus far, boasting a 6-0 record.

The Kits will be rely on players like senior David Rivera-Kohr, who represents the Kits in the 126-weight class, junior Chris Rivera, 110 weight class, and sopho-

more Izzy Fox, 160 weight class.

Rivera-Kohr surpassed Shannyn Gillespie’s previous all-time total of 136 victories at the Vernon Hills Invitational dual meet tournament, extending his unbeaten streak this season to 13 wins.

“David is looking to win it all,” said Salinas. “He has already beaten ranked guys, but has also lost to ranked guys in the past.”

Rivera will head into the tournament with a 20-1 record, after getting his first loss last Saturday during the Evanston Quad. “It was a tough match, and I came up short,” said Rivera.

Even with 13 of the top 20 teams in the state present, girls basketball will ride their early season momentum into the Montini Holiday Tournament in Lombard on Dec. 26.

“We’ve been at Dundee Crown [Holiday Tournament] for about 12 years, but I made the switch to the Montini Tournament to really challenge these girls against the best teams in the state to see where we’re at,” said coach Elliot Whitefield.

The Lady Kits are stacking up to be one of the best Evanston teams ever. They are also proving it after going 5-0 to win their first tournament in Schaumburg.

This Montini Tournament will be a wake up call for the Kits, as they’ll be going head to head with some of the best talent in the area.

“I wanted to prepare them for later in the season,” said Whitefield. “I think it’s always good to play against the best, and for us, if we want to be the best we’ve got to compete against the best. When we are playing well and playing as a team, we can compete with anyone.”

It appears that this team knows what they are up

Photo by Amy Williams

Kits refocus during the Maine South game.

The Stats Leighah Wool Forward

11.7 points per game

4.6 rebounds

Savannah Norfleet Forward

14.9

points per game

1.9 rebounds

against, and are ready to work hard enough to be prepared.

“We are giving extra effort and energy everyday at practice, knowing that this tournament will be a challenge for us,” said senior Helen Enghauser.

Leighah Wool and Savannah Norfleet have been the two most consistent

Leah Robinson Center

5.0 points per game

4.9 rebounds

scorers for the Kits thus far, Wool averaging 11.7 points per game, and Norfleet 14.9.

Norfleet scored a game high 17 points in a come from behind victory against Maine South in their home opener.

Whitefield expects these two to continue their high level of performance.