12.14 issue

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Find out who won the HiLite baking contest

Should the top Jazz Bands be weighted classes?

The many effects of holiday music

HIL TE

PAGE 24

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL NEWSMAGAZINE

PAGE 34

PAGE 53

Vol. 82, No. 5 | Dec. 14, 2017

WHERE’S MY DAY OFF?

Students of non-Christian religions share their thoughts on how school schedules impact their religious celebrations

PAGE 26 | ANGELA LI, KAREN ZHANG

CONTACT INFORMATION

TA B L E O F C O N T E N TS | D E C 1 4 , 2 0 1 7

Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St. Carmel IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143 Website: www.hilite.org Email: Staff members may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org, The HiLite is a student publication distributed to students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School, with a press run of 4,500. Copies are distributed to every school in the Carmel Clay district as well as the Chamber of Commerce, City Hall and the Carmel Clay Public Library.

The paper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for both the school and the community. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of CHS nor Carmel Clay system faculty, staff or administration.

CREDENTIALS The HiLite belongs to the Indiana High School Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association.

ADVERTISING Businesses may advertise in the HiLite if their ads adhere to guidelines. The advertising policy is available in Room C147 or at www.hilite.org/ads-info.

Editor in Chief

Ads Team

15 Minutes

Manahil Nadeem

Bethlehem Daniel Rachael Tan

Social Media

Managing Editors Aditya Belamkar Kalea Miao Jessica Mo Nyssa Qiao Allen Zhang

Front Page Pranav Sriram Allen Zheng

News Emily Dexter James Yin

Feature Heidi Peng Christina Yang

Student Section

Jordyn Blakey

Cover

Hannah Glazier Julianna Kessilyas Jai Sanghani Carolyn Zhang

Entertainment

Web

Raiha Zainab Carson TerBush Alina Yu Amy Zhou

Sports Jess Canaley Agrayan Gupta

Armaan Goel Allison Li Adhi Ramkumar

Adviser Jim Streisel

Perspectives

Principal

Misha Rekhter Emily Worrell

Superintendent

Thomas Harmas Nicholas Wahl

RESPONDING TO THE HILITE Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Jan. 25 issue no later than Jan. 10. Letters may be submitted to Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to management@hilite.org or mailed to the school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published (Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SRT for him to sign). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Front photo for the Nov. 17 issue was taken by Rebecca Qin not Rebecca Li. The HiLite strives to correct its errors. If you notice any inaccuracies in this or past issues, please contact management@hilite.org.

SELENA LIU | PHOTO

CONTENTS NEWS | 6

STUDENT SECTION | 23

NEWS BRIEFS | 6

HUMANS OF CHS | 23

STARTING LATE | 7 Indiana bill decision this month could cause school to start later in 2018-19 year.

NEW REQUIREMENTS | 8 Students will have to meet certain requirements, such as jobs, to graduate in the future.

CHARTING A NEW COURSE | 10 CHS will begin offering new courses, such as Indiana studies, for students next year.

FEATURE | 12 O’ CHRISTMAS TREE | 12 With Christmas approaching, CHS students, teachers reflect on the trend of putting up Christmas decorations, celebrating Christmas, even if they are not Christians.

LOVING LITERATURE | 14 CHS students, staff describe the impact reading has on their school experience as well as future.

MINDFUL OF MINDFULNESS | 16 Students, teachers assess the merits of mindfulness as one way to alleviate stress with finals taking place next week.

WORKING IN WINTER | 18 CHS students consider the choice of working over the holiday season instead of relaxing.

These are some of the stories of CHS students.

HILITE BAKING CONTEST WINNERS | 24 HiLite presents the winning desserts from our family traditions holiday baking contest.

COVER | 26 HOMEWORK FOR THE HOLIDAYS | 26 As winter break starts closer to Christmas, students of minority religions reflect on the impact of school schedules on their holiday celebrations.

ENTERTAINMENT | 32 TWEET IT OUT | 32 Celebrities use their platforms to spread awareness to social problems, serve as role models for CHS students.

MUSIC MAGIC | 34 CHS students utilize their instruments to help others, and leverage the psychological power of holiday music.

MOVIES IN CONCERT | 36 Orchestra plays to IB film in upcoming winter concert.

44

FEATURED

DANCING WITH THE STARS Antara Deshmukh performs during a Bharatanatyam dance practice. She practices once a week with her entire dance group.

54 MUSICAL MOVIE SHOWDOWN | 38 With Pitch Perfect 3 coming out soon, lets look at another high school movie staple, High School Musical.

ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS | 39

SPORTS | 40 CONTRAST IN COACHING | 40 CHS coaches discuss similarities and differences on coaching men and women.

ACTIVE EDUCATORS | 42 Teachers at CHS discuss how they remain active in sports throughout adulthood.

BOUNCING BACK | 44 Athletes consider inherent risk that comes with playing sports.

CLEAN-UP CREW | 46 Custodians clean playing surfaces to help player hygiene.

PERSPECTIVES | 48 GIVING BACK | 48 HiLite staff discusses the drawbacks of starting winter break later in the holiday season.

DON’T IGNORE IT | 49 Student section editor Raiha Zainab explains the need to address serious issues at CHS.

WHERE IS THE LOVE? | 50 Reporter Anna Klauz discusses how winter holidays other than Christmas are neglected.

LIGHT IT DOWN | 51 Social media editor Hannah Glazier argues people should use more environmentally friendly holiday lights.

TIGHTER LEASH | 52 Perspectives editor Misha Rekhter argues gun control laws in America should be stricter.

WAITING FOR WEIGHT | 53 Beats editor Bryce Cheng argues for top jazz bands to be weighted classes.

15 MINUTES | 54

@HiLiteOnline

@hilitenews

CLASSICALLY TRAINED | 54 Sophomore Antara Deshmukh dances Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian art form.

ONLINE EXPANDING HORIZONS Despite controversy, CHS to include new African Studies elective in next year’s program of studies.

MUSIC DISCOVERY Students discover music through the Internet and streaming services.

@HiLiteOnline

@hilitenews

@hilitenews

Indiana

Every year from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, birders across the US and the world partake in the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The data they submit is used for a variety of research, such as mapping bird distributions. Here are some facts about the CBC and winter birding.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

ALLABOUTBIRDS.ORG, AUDUBON.ORG, INDIANAAUDUBON.ORG, SDAKOTABIRDS.COM, FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, EBIRD.ORG | SOURCES MICHELLE YIN | GRAPHIC

The first CBC took place on Dec. 25, 1900 at 25 locations in the US and Canada, with 27 participants and 89 species found.

It was founded as an alternative to a Christmas tradition of hunting as much as possible.

Irruptions are a phenomenon in which boreal species travel south due to a lack of food produced by forests. A superflight is when six to eight northern species enter the United States.

Observations of White-winged Crossbills in 2 years 2012-2013 (Irruption Year)

California Quail American Kestrel Male

Pygmy Nuthatch Fox Sparrow

Female

Counts from the 112th to 115th CBC have turned up a number of species, with some in great numbers.

2014-2015 (No Irruption)

Whooping Crane 30 25 20 15 10

Other irruptive species

5 0

112th 113th 114th

115th

116th

Snow Goose 100000

Red Crossbill

80000

Evening Grosbeak

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Bohemian Waxwing

Boreal Chickadee

60000

In general, participation in Indiana and Hamilton County has increased over the years.

40000 20000

112th 113th 114th 115th 116th

Loggerhead Shrike 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5

Indiana

1000

80 60 50

600

40

400

30 20

200

10

1.0

0

0.5 0.0

112th 113th 114th 115th 116th

Hamilton County

70

800

Observers

0

0

112th

113th 114th 115th Field observers

112th 113th 114th 115th 116th Species seen Feederwatchers

116th

Black and White Warbler**

From 2011-2015, the CBC has produced some new winter records for the state of Indiana.

Key

*Females illustrated **Males illustrated

Clay-colored Sparrow

116th CBC

Bobolink

Summer Tanager**

115th CBC 114th CBC 113th CBC

Ruby-throated Hummingbird* Orchard Oriole

112th CBC

Fish Crow

Location White-eyed Vireo

RANGE Summer Fall/Spring All year

N. Rough-winged Swallow

Magnolia Warbler

Not found

Little Gull

Cape May Warbler Nelson’s Sparrow

Hamilton County has contributed to record numbers of bird species seen in Indiana as well.

Great Egret

Green tailed Towhee

1 LOCAL EVENT

46

Brown Creeper

Winter Wren

Yellow-throated Warbler

8

39

Northern Bobwhite*

1,092 Horned Lark

1

Gray Catbird

10

Savannah Sparrow

1

2

Pine Warbler**

Common Redpoll

On December 30, the 117th CBC in Hamilton County will take place at the Cool Creek Nature Park from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call the Cool Creek Nature Center at (317) 7742500 to preregister and for more information.

INDIANAAUDUBON.ORG | SOURCE

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS | DEC 14, 2017

NEWS BRIEFS JULIANNA KESSILYAS | BRIEFS, PHOTO

SATURDAY

“It’s a national honor society for kids interested in social studies, and we have to have 40 hours to get distinguished grad points ... and we have a lot of events throughout the year."

Hallie Moeller, secretary of Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society and senior

Carmel Holiday Porchfest will take place in downtown Carmel from 5 to 8 p.m.

DEC. 23 TO JAN. 8 No school due to Winter Break.

RHO KAPPA SOCIAL StuDIES HONOR SOCIETY

JAN. 8 TO 12

WHEN AND WHERE: Meetings are every second and fourth Thursday after school in Room E112.

WHAT IT IS: Rho Kappa is a social studies honor society open to high-achieving social studies students in grades 11-12. Through community partnerships, outreach and volunteering, the organization hopes to increase awareness for social studies in our community and its role in modern-day society.

WHAT IS HAPPENING: Hallie Moeller, secretary of Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society and senior, said Rho Kappa is currently planning for the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Additionally, the Indiana International Relations team is practicing for a statewide contest. The annual contest is sponsored by the Indiana Council of World Affairs where schools in Indiana can send in two teams to compete. The winning team gets an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. to compete on the national level.

School Board Recognition Week.

JAN. 15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

JAN. 22

Academic transition night will take place from 5 to 8 p.m.

2017-18 Semester 1 Final Exam Schedule Here’s a small schedule to help you keep track of your finals:

Dec. 15

Dec. 18

Dec. 19

Dec. 20

Dec. 21

Dec. 22

B1 7:50 to 9:20 AM

G1 Review 7:50 to 9:20 AM

B1 Review 7:50 to 9:20 AM

B2 9:30 to 11:03 AM

G2 (SRT) 9:30 to 11:03 a.m.

B2 Review 9:30 to 11:03 a.m.

Lunch 11 to 11:30 AM

Lunch 11 to 11:30 AM

Lunch 11 to 11:30 AM

B3 11:13 AM to 1:23 PM

G3 Review 11:13 AM to 1:23 PM

B3 Review 11:13 AM to 1:23 PM

G3 Finals 11:40 AM to 1: 18 PM

B3 Finals 11:40 AM to 1: 18 PM

B1 Finals 11:40 AM to 1: 18 PM

B4 Review 1:33 to 3:05 PM

G4 Review 1:33 to 3:05 PM

B4 Finals 1:33 to 3:05 PM

G4 Finals 1:33 to 3:05 PM

G1 Finals 1:33 to 3:05 PM

B2 Finals 1:33 to 3:05 PM

Office Hours Office Hours Office Hours 7:50 to 11 AM 7:50 to 11 AM 7:50 to 11 AM

DEC 14, 2017 | LATER START

07

STARTING LATE

A bill may require school to open after the third Monday of August TARA KANDALLU | STORY

NEXT

legislative session, Jean Leising, Indiana state Republican Senator, will propose a bill that would require schools to begin after the third Monday of August in the 2018-19 school year. Currently, CHS is set to reopen on Aug. 14, a full week prior to the bill’s proposed school start date. Despite failing at the last legislative session in 2016 with a tie, Leising said she hopes the bill will succeed this upcoming year.

The bill was created in an attempt to extend the length of summer by directly targeting the rising trend in which schools move towards the balanced calendar system. The system increases the number of days in breaks by extending the school year into the traditional summer months.

Sophomore Indu Chatterjee said she supports the bill because she prefers a longer summer than longer breaks.

“It is kind of hard to get stuff done [if we had longer breaks]. One week or two weeks isn’t enough time in some cases. Some things that I plan to get done are more than a few weeks long,” she said.

On the other hand, sophomore Hari Ganeshan said he prefers to have multiple longer breaks rather than a single longer summers.

Ganeshan said, “I kind of prefer [a week long] fall break over [an extra week in] summer. I can catch up on extra-curriculars and start studying for finals. Summer is already long enough that you can do whatever you need to do. Having that break in the school year really helps.”

While students may prefer longer or shorter breaks, Joe Schaller, assis-

BY THE NUMBERS

Aug. 15 First school day for Carmel Clay District in 2017-18 year

Aug. 9 First school day for Carmel Clay District in 2016-17 year CCS.K12.IN.US | SOURCE

tant principal of operations, said if the bill was passed, the school would probably add a week at the end of the school year, rather than taking the days off of breaks or other downtimes for students and teachers. “[The bill] would create a common calendar. Maybe that is what they are trying to do, but our school board and our people should be able to determine what is best for use … there are differences and reasons why [schools] would want to start at H different times,” Schaller said.

Check out other changes to the calendar online: hilite. org/balancing-the-calendar.

Planning FOR a newer start Take a look at how the possible bill will impact the CCS district The leftover days will be added to the end of the school year

Original Start Day Proposed Start Day August 2018 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Latest school start dates in other states August 2018 Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Steps that need to be taken to implement the bill

01 Bill is passed at legislative sessions A majority of the House and Senate must vote for the bill

02

03

Bill is reviewed by CCS School Board

CCS School Board votes on method of implementation

Take into regard CCS legislative priorities and implement bill accordingly

HARI PATEL| GRAPHIC JOE SCHALLER, CCS.K12.IN.US | SOURCES

Ohio After requiring Kentucky feedback from the Florida CCS community, any Tennessee necessary changes are made

04 School calendar is changed accordingly The School Board establishes possible policies for implementing the bill

08

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS | DEC 14, 2017

NEW REQUIREMENTS

Indiana students will be required to meet new standards to graduate ANUSHKA DASGUPTA | STORY

THIS

ments" which can be fulfilled through multiple "pathway opnovember, a subcommittee of the indiana tions." According to the Indiana State Board of Education, State Board of Education, the Graduation Pathstudents will need to obtain a high school diploma, learn ways Panel, recommended new graduation requirements for and demonstrate employability skills and demonstrate postall high schoolers in Indiana. The state Board of Education secondary competencies. approved of the plan on Dec. 7, and the switch will apply to To fulfill the second pathway rethe class of 2023 and beyond. quirement, learn and demonstrate emThe plan was passed with sharp critiployability skills, there are three available cism from teachers, parents and students.

DID YOU KNOW? options: obtaining project-based, serIts main objective is to better prepare qualvice-based or work-based learning expeified Indiana students.

College and careerrience. Completion requirements range Assistant Principal Brooke Watkins readiness are demonstrated from completion of a research project, said, “In July, legislation was passed that through state- or industryparticipation in a volunteer experience, we would have one diploma. A group recognized credentials. engagement in a school-based activity or was put together to determine what that Some examples of these are employment outside of school. would look like. So now, we have one American Welding Society, Similarly, to meet the third requirediploma but they created multiple pathFirefighter or Interior Design ment students can take the SAT, ACT ways and ways in which you may obtain Fundamentals. or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude that diploma.”

Battery (ASVAB) and meet a minimum Watkins said, these new requirements DOE.IN.GOV | SOURCE benchmark score. Other options include consist of three different "pathway requiretaking AP, IB or dual-credit courses, or obtaining an nonors diploma. The state will IB Courses Extracurricular Internship also qualify state- or industry-recognized Activities credentials, certifications and apprenticeship as a fulfillment of this requirement.

AP Courses Job According to senior Talha Ahmed, Applied Learning who is currently on track to obtain the College Credit Academic Honors diploma, the shift will be positive and beneficial for students.

Industry Dual Credit He said, “It’ll definitely help high or State with Ivy schoolers gain a broader focus of the New requirements Recognized Tech world because you’ll get opportunities to Work Credential volunteer and work.

Here are the parts of with Indiana As of right now, the ISTEP and Endthe new requirements.

University Credentials of-Course Assessment (ECA) exams serve Numbers in blue recognized Ex: P155 as the graduation qualifying exam for the indicate how many of W131 Class of ‘19, ‘20, ‘21 and ‘22. However, each CHS offers.

Gainful Calculus this will be discontinued and replaced by Employment Survey college admissions tests.

Post-graduation Ahmed said if Indiana were to Diploma Plan switch from ISTEP and ECA exams to college-readiness exams, it would be Core 40 with Core 40 with more practical and useful. He said, “I College Military Academic Technical had to take the ISTEP multiple times Acceptance Enlistment Honors Honors and I don’t really think it was that efLetter fective. Most people take the SAT and Core 40 General MICHELLE YIN, HARI PATEL | GRAPHIC ACT anyway, so it’s better to use that as INDYSTAR, DOE.IN.GOV, IN.GOV, CCS.K12.INUS | SOURCES a graduation (qualifying exam).”

16

120

35

13 6

66

BY THE NUMBERS

85% Students in the Class of ‘16 enrolled in a four year college

54% Students in the Class of ‘16 earned the Indiana Academic Honors Diploma

37% Students in the Class of ‘16 earned the Core 40 Diploma

88% Students in Indiana public schools graduated in 2016

89% Students in all Indiana schools graduated in 2016 CCS.K12.IN.US, DOE. IN.GOV | SOURCES

DEC 14, 2017 | GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

SPEAK UP! Do you think updating the graduation requirements is a good idea?

Why or why not?

“I think ECAs and ISTEPs aren’t as effective as they should be, because some schools don’t have the resources to teach what’s on ISTEP and ECA because it’s sort of arbitrary, but at the same time, SAT and ACT might not be the option either.”

Senior Cassidy Jiang

“I think new changes help kids with new learning opportunities. It opens up a new way of test-taking and understanding new information to succeed.”

Sophomore James Boulos

“I think it’s a good idea because it helps connect students more to getting into the workplace and getting ready for college. It helps realize more real life skills rather than test-taking, which we’ve been doing for a long time.”

Freshman Olivia Childress ANUSHKA DASGUPTA | SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS Watkins also said she believes most Carmel students are already on track to fulfill these requirements, but she said CHS needs to do additional work to make fulfilling the second requirement easier.

She said, “Most of our students definitely take the SAT or ACT… We do have a lot of students that are in AP, IB or dual credit classes and a lot of students that are meeting industry certifications too. But the other components are employability skills. I think that’s an area where we may need to do some work to make sure students are meeting that requirement.”

The panel has also proposed additional requirements for the state board’s consideration such as furthering career exploration in high school, creating a statewide diploma or having the state adopt a national college-entrance exam.

Watkins said, “I think anytime you give choices and opportunities it’s a good thing. It’s important to make sure we’re not holding people back but helping them grow and move forward and if this allows more students to successfully not just graduate high school, but have a plan and a path when they leave-whatever that looks like: military, career or college- then I think that’s a good thing. But there will definitely be some growing pains.”

H

“It’s important to make sure we’re not holding people back but helping them grow and move forward and if this allows more students to successfully not just graduate high school … I think that’s a good thing.”

Assistant Principal Brooke Watkins

Check out CHS reactions to ISTEP+ removal last year: hilite.org/indiana-toeliminate-istep-testing.

09

Step into the Past of School Testing 1987 Gov. Robert Orr and Dean Evans, superintendent of public education, institute The Indiana A+ program, which lengthened the school year and also included ISTEP+ testing.

It also created teacher evaluations and a school ratings system.

2008 ISTEP+ shift from fall testing to spring testing.

Additionally, science is also tested as a new subject.

2014 ISTEP 10+ are piloted with the intent to replace ECA exams

DOE.IN.GOV, KPC.NEW.COM, INDIANAPUBLICMEDIA. ORG | SOURCES

Here’s a quick look at the history of ISTEP+ and End of Course Assessments (ECA) exams and how they have changed over the years.

2001 Due to the No Child Left Behind Act, ISTEP+ changes to fit new standards, including starting from third grade.

2009 New graduation qualifying exams include ECA exams for Algebra I and English 10

2016 ECA exams are replaced

by ISTEP 10+ English/ Language Arts and Mathematics tests.

10

NEW CLASSES | DEC 14, 2017

charting a new course

CHS prepares to welcome six new classes to next school year’s course offerings ANGELA LI | Q&A’S, PHOTOS EMILY DEXTER | GRAPHICS

ROBOTICS DESIGN AND INNOVATION 4728 (RDI) PREREQUISITE:

APPLICATION:

Two pre-engineering courses, twoyear membership in the robotics team or teacher recommendation

OPEN TO GRADES: 9

10

How would you describe the new class?

We don’t offer a robotics course currently. We do have a robotics team, so the new course will

12

One per semester; two credits maximum

kind of align with the goals of the team, (while) going more in depth into some of those concepts of engineering that we don’t get to go into in our other classes. So it’s kind of like a more advanced, amped-up version of what you might find in your Principles of Engineering class.

The class is going to capture the entire process of designing a robot for a specific task, (including) breaking that task down and figuring out the best way to approach completing the task, and then learning about the different components, concepts and procedures that would go into creating a robot to complete that task efficiently.

How will this new class be different from similar offerings?

11

CREDIT:

What will this class add to the course offerings at CHS? It gives the kids that opportunity to use classroom time to learn more about robotics innovation and design, whereas they used to have to use SRT time or after school time or do it on their own.

Technology teacher Zachary Bonewit

CULINARY ARTS AND HOSPITALITY II-1 & II-2: Hospitality Management (5458) PREREQUISITE:

APPLICATION:

Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management 1 & 2 or principles of marketing

How would you describe the new class?

The class is designed to provide an introduction to the operations and management of not just restaurants, but hospitality outlets as a whole. The scope of the class includes restaurants, but it also includes catering facilities, tourism outlets like amusement parks and stuff like that, hotels and other types of convention places.

What should students expect from this course?

They should expect to learn quite a bit about the business operations of hospitality organizations and to understand the impact of hospitality on our national economy and local economy as well.

OPEN TO GRADES: 9

10

11

CREDIT: 12

Two regular-weight credits; dual credit through Ivy Tech Community College available

What new opportunities will this class offer students?

I’m hoping that it will give students some more options of possible career outlets as they move forward.

A lot of people get interested in culinary arts, and as they move forward, they think being a chef is the only thing they can do, but there are so many more ways to go. A lot of the people who have an interest in doing food and culinary arts also are very people-oriented kinds of folks who really like working with people, and hospitality is a great outlet for that, and it’s really a growing industry.

Culinary instructor It’s expanding by leaps and bounds; it’s projected Nicholas Carter to have double-digit increases in jobs and growth for the next 20 years.

DEC 14, 2017 | NEW CLASSES

11

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Technology Help Desk (0524) PREREQUISITE:

OPEN TO GRADES:

APPLICATION:

No prerequisite except approval

9

10

11

CREDIT: 12

One or two regularweight credits

Why is this class being introduced now?

How would you describe the new class?

The course is basically designed to offer students and staff an opportunity to have a little bit of support with different functions of a device or technology.

Now, they’re not going to get in and fix a laptop that’s broken or something like that, but if you’re having trouble with your Canvas or how to do something within Canvas or maybe (you need Theresa Ramos, to) find an app to be able to do something, to add department chair a printer (or) to get your personal device loaded for media and on Wi-Fi, (these students will be able to help with) communications some of those everyday kinds of things.

We’ve been a bring-your-own-device school for sometime, and now we’ve added in all those device carts, so now there are more opportunities for students and even teachers to be working with the technology and using it for different reasons in the classroom, plus (using) Canvas, our learning management system. When you have all of these additional pieces, we’re kind of culminating into a situation where people might need that little bit of extra support just to make sure things are running correctly for them.

african studies (1500), ethnic studies (1516), INDIANA STUDIES (1518) PREREQUISITE:

OPEN TO GRADES:

APPLICATION:

World History, AP Human Geography or AP European History are recommended for African Studies

How would you describe the new classes?

Indiana Studies will obviously focus on Indiana, the history of Indiana and its role in our federal system. Ethnic Studies will look at pluralism of United States society and how different ethnic groups comprise this AmeriJustin Quick, can culture that we’ve been able to build as a social studies country. African Studies department head will look at specifically the continent of Africa (and) its history all the way from ancient civilizations to modern states postcolonization and everywhere in between.

9

11

12

One regular-weight credit each

BY THE POLLS

JULIANNA KESSILYAS | POLL

To gauge student interest, the HiLite surveyed 406 current freshmen, sophomores and juniors on which classes they would be most interested in taking.

120 100

Females

80 60 40 20 0

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Males

150

Total

120 90

What new opportunities will these courses offer students?

In any social studies course, we hope that students understand the importance of connecting past and present, their role in society and how they fit within the greater construct of our American culture. Some of these courses offer new lenses or different avenues into exploring those ideas of being social citizens.

10

CREDIT:

60 30 0

KEY

Robotics Design and Innovation

Community Service

Culinary Arts and Hospitality II

New social studies electives

FEATURE

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS | DEC 14, 2017

O’ Christmas Tree

Students put up Christmas decorations, not necessarily for religious aspect RICHA LOUIS | STORY

LIKE

many people during this time of the year, freshman Shreya Sinha has a Christmas tree full of lights and ornaments sitting prominently in her house. But Sinha isn’t a Christian, and she said she puts up the decorations for other reasons.

“We decorate (Christmas trees) because it’s fun, and it’s a great way to spend time with our family and friends,” Sinha said.

Sinha’s not alone; a recent study

by Pew Research Center on holiday decorations shows putting up and decorating Christmas trees during the holidays is a common practice many groups, not just among religious ones. According to the survey, 73 percent of people who are not religious say they plan to have a Christmas tree this year.

The study also said, “In addition, fully eight in 10 non-Christians in America also celebrate Christmas, but most view it as a cultural holiday rather than a religious occasion.”

In this school, during this time of the year, the library is decorated with a variety of secular and religious decorations. The library

DECORATING DAYS: Sophomore Elle Nichol sets up miniature Christmas trees over her fireplace.

Nicol said she incorporates her German tradition with Christmas.

LAASYA MAMIDIPALLI | PHOTOS

brings out multiple books about different celebrations around the world. However, the most noticeable decoration is the Christmas tree at the entrance.

Theresa Ramos, department chairperson of media and communications who is also in charge of decorating the CHS media center during the holiday season, said, “For some people it’s religious, for other people it’s just what they’ve always done in their family. For

whatever reason, that’s what they’ve grown up with, whatever it may be, and so for those people it’s not a religious connotation at all it’s just what they do. I don’t know who stops to think about it anymore.”

Sinha said she agrees with Ramos that some decorate because it’s something they’ve always done.

“We decorate our tree with old ornaments that my brother and I made because it’s a memory of when we were little,” said Sinha.

TO CELEBRATE OR NOT TO CELEBRATE Americans celebrate Christmas at an increasing rate regardless of religion.

Do Americans celebrate Christmas?

1% some- 7% 92% times no yes 9% both 32% cultural holiday

Should Christian symbols be allowed in the U.S. government?

20% not allowed

51% religious holiday

44% 28% allowed allowed only with 8% other no opinion religions’ Daniel Lee I Graphic PewResearch I Source

13

DEC 14, 2017 | HOLIDAY DECORATIONS

“(I also decorate) because all my friends do it, and they come to help so it’s nice to see how they spend their holidays.”

Sophomore Elle Nichol said she celebrates Christmas for its religious aspect but also ties in her German heritage as well. She said Christmas is a big deal at her house and her family starts decorating directly after Halloween.

Along with decorating Christmas trees, Nichol said she incorporates her German traditions, such as putting a pickle on the tree. Whoever finds it first gets an extra gift.

She said, “It’s been a huge thing in my family for decades; we just want to carry on the tradition.”

While she does celebrate for the religious aspect, Nichol said, “It’s always good to know what you’re celebrating because when you’re putting up lights, you’re just putting up lights and you don’t know exactly why you’re doing it,” Nichol said. “(In the end), ChristH mas is about family.”

CHRIStMAS TREES DECORATING DAYS: (BOTTOM LEFT) Freshman Shreya Sinha looks through fake Christmas trees at Target. She said she used to make Christmas ornaments with her brother when they were younger.

(BOTTOM RIGHT) Sophomore Elle Nichol lights a candle as a small decoration in her house. She said her family starts decorating for the holiday season right after Halloween.

(BELOW) Sinha picks out a snow globe to gift to her friends. Both Nichol and Sinha said they enjoy decorating to spend time with their family.

LAASYA MAMIDIPALLI | PHOTOS

Take a look at some statistics related to Christmas trees.

Trees sold (in millions) year total 50%

‘10

35.2

‘11

40.3

‘12

35.4

‘13

47.7

‘14

40.2

‘15

38.4

‘16

46.0

100%

Total spending on trees (in millions of dollars)

artificial trees real trees

100 75 50 25

To find out more about how people who do not celebrate schedule around the school calendar, see page 26.

‘10

‘11

‘12

‘13

‘14

‘15

‘16

Daniel Lee I Graphic PewResearch I Source

14

READING OVER BREAK | DEC 14, 2017

MOST BOUGHT BOOKS

Here’s a look at some of the most purchased books of all time

Don Quixote Author: Miguel de Cervantes Copies sold: 500 million Famous Quote: “The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water.”

Adaptation: 2000 Film

The Lord of the Rings Author: J.R.R. Tolkien Copies sold: 150 million Famous Quote: “You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!”

Adaptation: 2001 Film

The Little Prince Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Copies sold: 142 million Famous Quote: “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Adaptation: 2015 Netflix Original Film

THE LITTLE PRINCE

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

A Tale of Two Cities

DON QUIXOTE

A Tale of Two Cities Author: Charles Dickens Copies sold: 200 million Famous Quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...”

Adaptations: - 1935 and 1958 Film - 1980 TV Film - 1989 Mini-Series

HEIDI PENG | GRAPHIC Please Note: This list excludes religious texts like The Holy Bible as well as ones for propaganda such as Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung.

LOVING LITERATURE

CHS students, staff consider how reading can impact their school life, future ANGELA QIAN | STORY

IT

all began around fifth grade for sophomore Madalyn Sailors when reading history textbooks changed the way she read for the worse. According to Sailors, reading used to be really fun, but now it’s boring and monotonous.

Sailors said, “I don’t like (reading) because a lot of times it’s just for school; I hate reading textbooks especially if there’s nothing interesting about them.”

Sailors’ story is not unusual. Some students said they feel as though school has forced them to read, and while December is Read a New Book Month, many bibliophobes said they do not plan to read at all if they can help it; their reasons are similar.

Even though she said she loves reading, Abigail “Abby” Carmichael, Teen Library Council vice president and junior, said, “Being forced to pick apart every aspect of a really good book kind of ruins the author’s purpose and that makes it a lot less fun to read.”

Still, Carmichael said although she does not enjoy analyzing books for school, “I also recognize the merit that (analysis) has on my personal reading because once you learn how to understand what the author’s trying to tell you, then you can apply it to books outside of school, and it makes them more communicative between author and reader.”

Freshman Brian Yuan said, “I used to like reading, but then we

Check out HiLite’s book blog Café Libro, as well as other online content, at https:// hilite.org/ category/ blogs/

had to read for school and it just ruined the experience.”

Yuan called reading for fun “extra work I don’t want to do.”

Along with using different parts of the brain to process text, “(Reading) gives (children) opportunities to experience other worlds and environments that are outside of their own, and I think it gives them avenues to let their imagination explore and expand the reality,” English teacher Katie Overbeck said.

Overbeck said she based her career choices on reading as well as books she’s read, but she understands when her students don’t enjoy reading as much as she does.

“I can appreciate the concept that some people don’t enjoy as much the escape that literature gives you,” Overbeck said. “Picking up a book to me is relaxing, whereas for other people, picking up a book kind of takes away from what they’d rather be doing.”

Overbeck said, “I can appreciate that not everyone loves reading, but I do think it’s good for our brains.”

DEC 14, 2017 | READING OVER BREAK

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Author: J.K. Rowling Copies sold: 107 million Famous Quote: “...If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love.

Love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark. To have been loved so deeply... will give us some protection forever.”

Adaptation: 2001 Film Trivia: The original title for this book was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

And Then There Were None Author: Agatha Christie Copies sold: 100 million Famous Quote: “Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.”

Adaptations: - 1945 Film - 2015 Mini-Series Trivia: Christie originally planned on having 12 characters, not 10.

Dream of the Red Chamber Author: Cao Xueqin Copies sold: 100 million Famous Quote: “Truth becomes fiction when the fiction’s true; Real becomes not-real when the unreal’s real.”

Adaptation: 2010 Chinese TV show Trivia: This “book” is considered one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels.

The Hobbit Author: J.R.R. Tolkien Copies sold: 100 million Famous Quote: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

Adaptation: 2012 Film Trivia: When Tolkien sold the book’s film rights, he wanted a guarantee that The Walt Disney Company would never be able to make adaptations of his work.

15

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Author: C.S. Lewis Copies sold: 100 million Famous Quote: “Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny.”

Adaptation: 2005 Film Trivia: Lewis’ friends did not like the first draft of this book, so he destroyed it.

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

THE HOBBIT

Dream of the Red Chamber

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE

GOODREADS.COM, IMDB.COM, JAMESCLEAR.COM, MENTALFLOSS.COM | SOURCES The sizes are based on how many copies were sold and are not to scale.

These book covers are all alternative or minimalistic takes on the original covers.

Sailors said she still enjoys reading, but not for school, as reading isn’t the easiest way for her to learn new information. She said she likes more student-directed reading.

“I like it when you can pick more what you read and figure out how to apply it because I think that’s how people learn best,” Sailors said, “when you can choose what you’re reading and then apply it to whatever you’re learning, so if curriculum were more like that, I think people might enjoy it and learn more.”

Overbeck said teachers often look for books that engage students at the very beginning.

“The hardest books are the ones that don’t start well or start fast because then I feel like we lose (readers) before the book even begins,” she said. “Our more reluctant readers, if the first chapter doesn’t grab them, they may never finish ever.”

Although Overbeck said it is hard to force a kid to enjoy reading a text, she said, “There are lots of things I assumed I hated, and maybe I legitimately didn’t like them at the time,

but as I’ve grown older, I think I’ve learned I have to keep going back to things and seeing if maybe my perspective has changed, so I think keep giving it a try and seeing if maybe because of the way life changes around you, maybe you are interested in reading something now.”

Overbeck said, “Looking for the right type of book that suits your interests does allow you to love reading eventually.”

Carmichael said people who hate reading are “robbing themselves of an opportunity to not only relax into fiction but also become smarter and understand the world in different and new ways.”

Although she said she often hates reading for school, Sailors recognizes the importance of reading.

She said, “Literature and English are really important. So if you have that strength, and that skill and that passion, then keep doing it, and I don’t know, figure out if you’re interested in writing yourself. Like, write in a way that makes people like me actually want to read your books.” H

A RELEVANT READ: English teacher Katie Overbeck reads The Little Prince before class begins; according to Overbeck, her International Baccalaureate (IB) classes are currently reading the book in class.

MARISSA RYAN | PHOTO

16

MINDFULNESS | DEC 14, 2017

Keep mindfulness in mind

As finals week approaches, students, teachers evaluate another way to alleviate stress: mindfulness LIN-LIN MO | STORY

EVERY

gold day, junior Aubrie Bradbury “MIND” in mindfulness 1 comfortably sits crossed-legged and See the impact of leans against large bean bags for back mindfulness on the brain 2 support during meditation exercises, directed over the speakers. She follows its directions, inhaling and exhaling when 1 Meditate told, sometimes smiling when someDorsomedial prefrontal thing unexpected interrupts the flow. cortex: enables your She folds her hands in a prayer before thoughts to focus on brightly opening her eyes again, revitalone thing ized and ready to tackle the class.

Competing in the demanding environment that is CHS, Bradbury centers herself with a skill not many have 2 Interpret heard of: mindfulness, which, accordTemporal lobe: allows ing to Bradbury, keeps her grounded a person to interpret events while managing all of the work she has positively by weakening the ‘fight to do in the little time she has. or flight’ response She said, “When I think of mindfulness, I think it’s being conscious of the present, being physically and emotionally present in SILENCE IS GOLDEN: whatever situation is going on around you, being aware Junior Aubrie of not only the situation, but the people, and taking

M

N 4 3

Christina Yang I Photo

Nonjudgmental

Prefrontal cortex: allows a person to not be judgmental, causing one to feel less mental discomfort

D

I

Bradbury practices mindfulness through meditation at the beginning of Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class.

Although breathing meditation is the most common way to practice mindfulness, there are other ways to practice it.

3

4

Hari Patel I Graphic University of California Berkeley I Source

Discover

Posterior cingulate cortex: curiosity amplifies in this region, strengthening neural connections to become more self-aware

everything into consideration when it comes to addressing certain things.”

Mindfulness is a term most familiar to International Baccalaureate (IB) students who take Theory of Knowledge (TOK) in which students learn how to practice it every class.

TOK teacher Allyson Wells-Podell said, “The biggest reason I was motivated to incorporate mindfulness into TOK is because the IB encourages a balanced student and a reflective student, and I think that mindfulness plays a big role in both of those.”

However, Bradley Sever, Assistant Principal and IB director, said, mindfulness is an ambiguous term, and in order for it to be effective, the first step is to define it.

According to the Greater Good Science Center at University of California Berkeley, mindfulness is awareness with oneself and the environment. Jon Kabat-Zinn pioneered and documented studies of its health benefits through the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) in public centers.

Bradbury said the style of MBSR fits well with her, and after experimenting with meditation as a freshman, she said she revitalized her thinking this year.

“I lost track of (it),” Bradbury said. “But, this year in classes like TOK, even in some of my other IB classes, my teachers encourage setting aside time to just sit and be present, let go of all of our (responsibilities). That really does play into mindfulness and as far as a mental

DEC 14, 2017 | MINDFULNESS

1 67

Hari Patel I Graphic Hari Patel I Sources

health standpoint, I think without it, my psyche would just suffer a lot.”

Wells-Podell said this was another reason why she implemented mindfulness in TOK. “I think a lot of classes can create some unbalance, and our students can feel stressed out and overwhelmed by their school workload and all the extracurriculars that they’re doing. But to practice mindfulness can help us stay balanced and help us feel more balanced everyday,” she said.

Furthermore, according to Frank Diaz, professor and codirector of the Mind and Music Lab at Indiana University, mindfulness has elevated the genuine reception of teaching.

Mindful Methods

Hari Patel I Graphic Apple Store I Source

The Mindfulness App - Guided meditation practice - Offers personalized meditation

MindBody - Guided post-workout meditation - Provides salon suggestions

Insight Timer

- Features over 750 meditation music tracks - Customizable meditation intervals

Sattva - Guided meditation chants - Provides mood trackers

Diaz said via email, “To me, teaching becomes mindful when it is imbued with practices that help us refine and stabilize our attention, along with developing a nonjudgmental attitude to what arises in our experience. There are numerous ways one can incorporate mindfulness into almost any learning task, but I believe it is important that teachers practice it themselves so that their applications are genuine, ethical and informed.”

This can be a target for teaching in CHS as students can improve their learning experience with sustained attention. Sever said he believes everyone can benefit from mindfulness especially as students can see the immediate value in their education.

“I think there’s two ways people can have an authentic experience,” Sever said. “One, it’s authentic to them. Two, if you can see how the content you are learning is applied to the world. When people see the connection and the application, they see the value.”

However, active mindfulness exercises in the classroom may not be for everyone.

Diaz said, “Since mindfulness is about learning to be fully aware and present for anything that arises in your body, mind and emotions, individuals with trauma, severe anxiety and clinical depression may experience negative effects from mindfulness if they are not working with a mental health professional. Although this is rare, it is something to consider when teaching mindfulness to others.”

Even so, Bradbury said she experiences the advantages mindfulness has for learning.

Bradbury said, “I feel like if I’m not giving 100 percent or if I’m constantly working on things one right after the other, I’m not taking the time to refresh my brain to switch from science to an art, to switch project to project; by having that brief moment of mindfulness of being aware of the present and being mentally ready to take on the next task. It dramatically H increases my academic scores.”

MINDFUL LINE: Theory of Knowledge (TOK) students work on their breathing meditation.

Junior Aubrie Bradbury (second from the right) said she found out about mindfulness during her freshman year, but during TOK, she got back into practicing mindfulness, which has been helpful for her.

Christina Yang I Photo

18

HOLIDAY WORKING | DEC 14, 2017

Working in Winter

Instead of relaxing over the holidays, some CHS students, staff have chosen to work RAPHAEL LI | STORY

for

many people, the holidays are a time to relax with family, but for junior Kelly Xiang, she said she’ll be spending much of her winter break working at Cold Stone Creamery.

Xiang said she will work extra hours over the break, but said she doesn’t mind the extra work because it gives her something to do.

“I like to always want to be doing something,” Xiang said.

“I feel like if I’m at home for two weeks, or however long the break is, just sitting on the couch with my computer, it’s probably not the best thing to do,” she said.

Xiang is part of the growing amount of people who will be working during the holiday season.

According to Fox News, many companies will be hiring extra workers or offering extra hours during the holiday season. For ex-

BY THE NUMBERS

23% of teenagers, worked in wholesale and retail trade in 2014 PEW RESEARCH CENTER | SOURCE

ample, companies such as United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx will hire about an extra 95,000 workers and 50,000 workers, respectively, while Walmart will offer extra hours to current employees.

Junior Marlie Mehrtens works at McAlister’s Deli and said she also plans to work over the break. Like Xiang, she said she works to keep herself busy.

“It gives me something to do. I don’t like having free time and this

Hello: my name is __________

welcome to the holiday workforce

HOLIDAY SEASON EMPLOYMENT INCREASE 250

Take a look at how the holidays impact employment

Clothing stores

PERCENTAGE OF ANNUAL SALES COMING FROM THE HOLIDAY SEASON Department stores

Jewelry stores 200

Department stores Electronics stores Sporting goods stores Clothing stores Shoe stores Furniture stores

PLACES HIRING FOR THE HOLIDAYS IN CARMEL Submit an application through their website: Kahn’s Catering Website: kahnscatering.com

Macy’s Website: macysjobs.com

Target Website: jobs.target.com

Bath & Body Works Website: careers.lb.com

Number of jobs added (thousands)

28.6% 23.7% 22.2% 21.9% 21.8% 20.1% 18.9%

Sporting goods stores 150 Electronics stores 100 Furniture stores 50

0 Jackie Hur | graphic pewresearch.org, indeed.com, nrf.com | sources

DEC 14, 2017 | HOLIDAY WORKING

19

baby It’s coldstone outside (below) Junior Kelly Xiang takes an order at Cold Stone Creamery. According to Xiang, working over break gives her something to do productively, which allows her to feel more responsible. (first right) Xiang scoops the chosen ice cream from the “display” for mixing. (second right) Xiang cleans up the work table where she mixes the toppings into the ice cream after the customer leaves. Xiang said working does not often interfere with her holiday plans.

AVERY THORPE | PHOTOS

is a set in stone way to always be busy,” Mehrtens said.

Chris Plumb, head coach for both the men’s and women’s swim team, also said a fair amount of his break is spent working.

“We have a lot of practices over break,” Plumb said. “Our championship meet starts our first week in February, so if we’re going to have a successful meet, we need to practice over break.”

Plumb said while his family doesn’t like it, they understand he needs to work.

“They understand the requirements of the job and the expectations that come along with being a swim coach.

My son is a swimmer on the team, so he is fully aware of what is takes to be a great athlete especially here at Carmel and the requirements necessary to be successful,” Plumb said.

Similarly, Xiang said her family is fine with her working over break.

“As long it doesn’t interfere with my studies or a family vacation, they are fine with it,” Xiang said.

“If we have a family event, they’ll tell me beforehand, and I’ll arrange my schedule to fit it. Our boss is usually very lenient with that.”

However, not everyone is as understanding. Mehrtens said her parents would rather she work fewer hours.

“They want me to have a job, but they just don’t want me to work nearly

as many hours as I do. They want me to cut in half how many hours I work,” Mehrtens said.

According to Mehrtens, she works about 30 hours a week.

And Xiang said while working over break does give her some extra money, it sometimes takes away from the holiday spirit.

“I mean, I do the same things. Obviously on Christmas and Christmas Eve, I won’t be working, so I’ll still do the Christmas traditions. Also, I can always prearrange and say I don’t want to come in to work on this day, but instead I’ll come in on this day. I can still do a lot of things. It’s just, I won’t be doing them extensively so no more nine hour marathons on Netflix.

“I guess work does take away from the holiday spirit because you might have sudden plans show up. Then you have to go to work, so it puts a damper on your day,” Xiang said. “But in general, it’s a pretty easy job, so I don’t get too disappointed. Also, I work with a lot of my friends there so we can usually do something fun.” H

Scan to be taken to HiLite’s website as well as view other stories online.

SPEAK UP!

HEIDI PENG | SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

How do you balance your work schedule with your holiday activities?

“I normally work about three days a week so I still make sure I have time to spend with my family, and I definitely made sure to have Christmas and Christmas Eve off...to relax.”

Senior Catherine Qing “I like having a break, but I also like making money. So, I don’t mind not having as much of a break by taking that time to work...In a two week period for winter break, I’ll usually work four times...so I still have a lot of a break left.”

Junior Eva Brungard

TAYLOR UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PROGRAM RANKED TOP 1% IN THE NATION. NATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY Taylor ranked beside Purdue, Texas A&M, and Arizona State.

Only 2 Indiana universities ranked top 1%.

TOP-NOTCH TEACHER PREPARATION: TAYLOR.EDU/EDUCATION

BUY YOUR YEARBOOK How to order: Type in Code 17177 at www.yearbookordercenter.com or Paper forms outside c145 Deadline: February 15, 2018 Price: $52 THINK YOU BOUGHT ONE?

check the list on our website: www.carmelYearbook.com Click Order a Yearbook

PINN CLE Carmel High school, Carmel, Ind.

STUDENT SECTION

DEC 14, 2017 | HUMANS OF CHS

humans of chs

23

RIYA CHINNI, LIVVIE HURLEY, NATALIE KHAMIS | STORIES VERONICA TEETER | PHOTOS

CHS students and faculty share their stories “It’s kind of hard to live with my grandparents, especially being the only kid living there. Because they are two generations older than me, they don’t really understand some things that parents would. Also, people get confused by my situation and always ask me to explain why I’m living with my grandparents.”

Sophomore Maddie Snyder

“I’m a Christian, and some of the best advice I’ve gotten from people is to trust God and that he has a plan for you. When I’m struggling with stuff or I have too much homework or I’m put in a situation that I don’t like, I’ll just sort of be like, ‘Oh, that’s probably just what I’m supposed to go through. It’s okay, everything will be okay, and there’ll be a better ending somewhere.’”

Freshman Jenny Chen

“I just feel like it’s not really okay to go around and be mean to people all the time. I understand saying joking things to friends and stuff, but walking up to a random person and being a jerk to them is not okay. I saw a lot of people get bullied in middle school. Even if someone does something, even if they’re being mean themselves and they’re warranting that kind of response, all it does is perpetuate more anger and hatred. Being mean and rude back at someone doesn’t really solve an issue. It just makes it worse. No one’s perfect. Everyone does things that hurt other people, but I think it’s important to try to be kind to other people.”

Senior Sam Perin

“I moved here five years ago from Greece so it was really hard for me to adjust to the life here. I thought that learning a different language would set me back from reaching my number one goal: to become successful in life.”

Junior Thea Nikolaou

“More than anything, (having adopted my daughter) forces me to create more work-life balance. It was very easy for me to focus on work, work, work. Having her, I feel like I have a lot more balance and that’s something that I want, that I like.

Sometimes you come home with stress and you’re worried about things at school and then there’s this little person, and none of it seems important in the scheme of things when you’re with family.

It minimizes the importance of the stress of things going on at work. It makes them seem less significant.”

Social Studies teacher Michelle Foutz

24

HILITE BAKING CONTEST | DEC 14, 2017

HiLite Baking contest winners

The HiLite held our second annual family traditions holiday baking contest for our December issue and these are our winners JESSICA KONRAD | STORY APURVA MANAS | PHOTOS

First Place Winner The first place winner is junior Zach Beeler for his “Buche de Noel.” Beeler’s festive dish is closely tied to his family’s holiday traditions.

Beeler said his family began the tradition of baking Buche de Noel after his sister’s trip to France. During his visit, Beeler said he learned how to make this French holiday dish and brought the recipe back to his family. Beeler said now his family’s typical tradition of decorating their Christmas tree centers around him and his sister baking Buche de Noel for the family. While waiting for the dish to cool, Beeler said he and his family put ornaments and other decorations on their Christmas tree. He said after their decorating is complete, they eat the Buche de Noel while watching the movie “Elf ” together.

H

Zach’s Buche de Noel Recipe Cake: 6 egg yolks ½ cup white sugar ⅓1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 6 egg whites ¼ cup white sugar

Filling: 2 cups heavy cream ½ cup confectioner’s sugar ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Icing: 6 teaspoons butter, softened 2 ⅔ cups confectioners’ sugar ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup milk 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whip the cream, confectioner’s sugar, ½ cup cocoa and vanilla until they are thick and stiff. Then, refrigerate.

2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and pale. Blend in ⅓ cup cocoa, 1½ teaspoons vanilla, and salt. In a large glass bowl, using clean beaters, whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Immediately fold mixture into the whites. Spread butter evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Dust a clean dish towel with confectioner’s sugar. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and turn the warm cake out onto the towel. Remove and discard parchment paper. Starting at the short edge of the cake, roll the cake up with the towel. Cool for 30 minutes.

4. For icing, place butter in a bowl and beat until creamy. Add sugar and cocoa, mixing well. Stir in milk in portions, stirring each time and then, add the vanilla.

5. Unroll the cake, and spread the filling to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll the cake up with the filling inside. Place seam side down onto a serving plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spread icing evenly on cake and drag a fork through the icing.

Refrigerate until you serve and before serving, dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar.

DEC 14, 2017 | HILITE BAKING CONTEST

Noah’s Cheesecake Banana Bread Recipe Banana Bread: 2 slightly overripe bananas 1 large egg ½ cup brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 cup flour A decent amount of vanilla ½ cup greek yogurt A dash of salt

½ cup softened butter Some baking soda Cream Cheese Filling: 2 large eggs 4 ounces cream cheese ¼ cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

25

Runner-up Our second place winner is sophomore Noah Sim for his “Cheesecake Banana Bread.”

According to Sim, his inspiration for baking this dish came to him during a fight between his sisters. He said one sister wanted to bake cheesecake and the other wanted to bake banana bread. Instead of taking sides, Sim suggested they bake a mix of the two. Although he said his first attempt with a recipe he found online was lackluster, after experimenting with his own variations on the recipe, Sim successfully baked his “Cheesecake Banana Bread.”

H

2. For the banana bread, mix together mashed banana, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, yogurt and vanilla into a large bowl. Mix in flour slowly. Then, mix in the baking soda and salt.

3. For the cream cheese filling, in a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, egg, and sugar. Add in flour slowly.

4. Pour half of banana bread mixture into a 9 inch by 5 inch bread pan. Then, pour in cream cheese filling and spread it evenly with a fork. To finish, pour in the rest of the banana bread mixture and spread evenly.

Bananas for Cheesecake: Over the years, Sim has been experimenting to make the best possible “Cheesecake Banana Bread,” and this is his current recipe.

5. Bake for 47 to 52 minutes or until it turns golden brown.

the other submissions Here is a sneak peak at some of the other HiLite baking contest submissions.

Meringue Madness: Junior Tori Moss submitted meringue cookies, which her family calls “cookies while you sleep.” She said her mom would make them after dinner and leave them overnight.

Fudge Fun: Sophomore Melina Palakal submitted her family’s fudge recipe. She said it is a tradition that she and her sister would make the fudge when she came home from college during breaks.

Cuca Craze: Junior Luana Cacula submitted a traditional coffee cake named “Cuca.” She said her mom made the recipe and she has grown up eating it.

Check out the recipes for the other baking contest entrees online: https://hilite.org/ bakingcontest/

homework for the holidays As winter break starts Dec. 23, students of minority religions reflect on holidays, the school calendar ANGELA LI, KAREN ZHANG | STORY

last

year, hannah kosc, Jewish student and junior, said she was unable to take a day off of school for an important Jewish holiday: Yom Kippur. Instead of reflecting and taking time to spend with her community, as is the tradition on the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar, Kosc came to school to take her math midterm.

“It was really unfortunate and I was pretty upset, because I wasn’t able to take the day off to attend services or spend the holiday with my family like I usually do,” Kosc said. “That was pretty hard for me because it’s something that I’ve done since I was a kid, so that affected me in a very negative way and ultimately really hindered my ability to observe the holiday.”

This year, winter break begins Dec. 23, and while many students have expressed displeasure at winter break’s proximity to Christmas, for a significant number of other students, like Kosc, school often inconveniences their religious observances.

“I take a pretty full course load and I try to avoid missing school in general because that’s like hav-

ing a full day to make up at home on top of the next day’s work,” Kosc said. “Whenever I miss school for anything, I end up having to do work while I’m gone. That’s especially awful on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, because those two holidays are really really important, and the whole thing is like you’re supposed to take a step back and just be with your family and the people who matter to you. It’s hard when I have to, I don’t know, write an English paper on the day where I’m supposed to be in temple and with my family.”

Like Kosc, Chendi Liu, Chinese student and sophomore, said she

holiday calendar

CARSON TERBUSH | GRAPHIC TIMEANDDATE.COM | SOURCE

Here is a calendar showing the holidays and days off of school that will occur in the next two months

December 2017

January 2018

Key: Muslim holiday

Orthodox holiday

Christian holiday

Federal holiday

Jewish holiday

Kwanzaa School not in session

misses school every year for a cultural holiday, Chinese New Year. Last year, Liu said she went to China for a week and a half to celebrate this holiday with her extended family.

“The celebration is actually 15 days long, but I usually don’t go to school the day of Chinese New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day,” Liu said. “It is excused because it is a cultural holiday.”

According to the student handbook, Liu is correct that recognized religious holidays are indeed excused absences and do not count against Skip-a-Final, but students are still responsible for any work they miss.

Assistant Superintendent Amy Dudley is part of the committee that makes recommendations for the school calendar. According to Dudley, there are 36 people on the calendar committee this year.

“The committee is made up of teachers, parents, administrators (and) students,” Dudley said. “We look at information, we get stakeholder feedback information and we determine that calendar.”

In regards to the decisions the calendar committee makes to determine which holidays the schedule will accommodate, both Kosc and Liu said they understand why their cultural and religious holidays are not official days off from school.

“Overall, I understand that the school is a secular organization and it isn’t religiously affiliated, and therefore shouldn’t be required to recognize these holidays, but at the same time it would be wonderful if they did and if they were more inclusive as a whole,” Kosc said.

According to Dudley, the holidays in the school calendar are those federally recognized by the government; in addition to these national observances, another aspect the committee keeps in mind is the number of instructional days for each semester, and, more broadly, the opinion of those on the calendar committee and what the community desires overall.

As far as the reason why Christmas has always been included in the winter break, Dudley said that may just be a coincidence.

Religion by region

28

Here is a breakdown of the percent of people who practice these religions in each region PEW RESEARCH CENTER | SOURCE CARSON TERBUSH | GRAPHIC

“What we try to do is make sure that the first semester ends before winter break, and the reason for that is for our students to truly go on a winter break, where they’re not thinking about studying for finals over (break),” Dudley said. “But also for our midyear graduates...we have about 50 to 60 of them, and some of those students may be going right into classes that next January, and so we want to make sure they’re finished (with high school classes). Another (reason), too, is for our students, especially our seniors. Sometimes, universities and colleges are waiting for that first semester transcript before they make a decision on acceptance or what have you, so we want to make sure we can get that

29

MENORAH MOMENT: Hannah Kosc, Jewish student and junior, demonstrates how she lights the candles on her menorah during Hanukkah. Kosc said, “We have all our family over because my mom’s grandparents all live in town, so we all get together.”

DA-HYUN HONG | PHOTO

26% <4% <1% 1%

22.8%

22% 3% 1% 1%

Indiana

Midwest

72%

wrapped up so that they can get their decisions finalized as well. That’s another parameter we do put upon ourselves as far as (planning) the calendar.”

Both Kosc and Liu said taking days off to celebrate their respective holidays has many academic consequences, mainly in the significant amount of work they need to make up upon their return.

“I think that when teachers schedule assessments on (those religious and ethnic holidays), it’s not necessarily considerate of those students who will be gone,” Kosc said.

“Teachers assign so much work on those days (that I’m gone) because they don’t necessarily think, ‘Oh yes, this kid is away for a religious

1.7% 0.9% 1.9% 73%

Check out a column about minority holiday music on page 50

Muslim Christian

U.S. 70.6%

thing so therefore I should tone it down a bit so they aren’t penalized for being a certain religion.’ But it still ends up that way because I do get back and there’s just this huge pile of work waiting for me, and sometimes I just get behind or it elevates my stress level.”

Liu said she agrees with Kosc in regards to the stress level after taking days off, and said she will not be going back to China in future years due to the amount of make-up work and because Chinese New Year falls during choir competition season.

Kosc also said because of her heavy course load, which consists of seven full-weighted classes, she doesn’t necessarily want to get an

Jewish

Other Unaffiliated

actual day off assigned by the school district; rather, she would like greater accommodation from the staff in regards to the work assigned on those religious holidays.

“I feel like it’s more of just a thing where the teachers need to be aware and be made aware by administration of these holidays and their occurrences so they don’t load on all of the assessments,” Kosc said. “I understand that a lot of teachers aren’t intentionally insensitive, but then there are things like my math midterm being scheduled on Yom Kippur and that’s a really important holiday.

People just need to be made aware of the holiday, and then it needs to be enforced. I can’t really enforce

eid al-fitr

rI Junio smail A q l

u i Li

“For Eid al-Fitr, that’s after the holy month of Ramadan; that’s basically the month where we fast for 30 days. It’s basically a celebration; it’s celebrating the end of the month. We just all get together in the morning, have a good breakfast, do a quick prayer and have a little speech from somebody.”

ee

“In the (Chinese New Year) legend, there is a monster that comes dur- Sophomore Ch ing this time of year, and e then the people would put a lot of red decorations around their house (to scare it off). There’s always a celebration gala every year in China and we watch that, and we FaceTime a lot of our relatives in China.”

nd

Chinese new year

30

What holidays do you celebrate? How do you celebrate them?

punishments for teachers for giving tests on major holidays; it’s just like an urging of staff to be aware of those kids so it’s not very exclusive in that sense.”

Danial Tajwer, Muslim student and junior, said he agrees with Kosc.

“Teachers generally treat (a religious holiday) as a sick day, like, ‘Okay, you have to do work.’ There are some teachers that understand, but I feel like teachers have to understand flexibility won’t kill you,” Tajwer said.

“If teachers are just willing to sit down and understand people going to religious holidays are not trying to skip school, it’s actually an important part of our faith and practices. What we need in this community is dialogue:

CHINESE TRADITIONS: Sophomore Chendi Liu displays the red envelopes she receives money in during Chinese New Year. Liu said she used to travel to China to celebrate this holiday, but an increased workload at school prevented her from going this year.

DA-HYUN HONG | PHOTO

dialogue between students and dialogue between students and teachers, because one size does not fit all, and if people just talk about the differences and how they can plan around things, it will work a lot better—better for teachers and better for students.”

Dudley said while there are no religious holidays off in the school calendar, administrators are cognizant of religious holidays and do what they can to make sure staff members are aware of these holidays and when they fall in consideration of the academics of the students.

“Other holidays, we don’t take those days off, but students do take religious holidays off, and that is certainly something they have the

right to do; it doesn’t count against their attendance,” Dudley said. “As far as planning times, what we try to do is we look at the different religious holidays and we try not to plan major tests on those days and things like that so that when students take that off, they don’t come back and feel like, ‘Oh my goodness, I missed all of this stuff.’ We try to be very conscious of all of the different religious holidays so that students may take those (days off). We want to make sure that we’re being very conscious so that they’re not feeling like they’re coming back and are really far behind. ” Tajwer said overall, students and staff alike need to understand both religion and academics are important and students should not be forced to choose between the two.

“You have to understand that academics are essential to a good student’s life, but religion is just as important for someone’s mental and spiritual well-being,” Tajwer said. “Severing that link and not taking (off) that actual day one day to be able to fulfill your religious rites and stuff like that, it kind of feels like a sense of faith is lost because you aren’t able to be a part and practice everything like it ought to be, so I personally feel like taking one day off isn’t that big of a deal, but those religious memories, those experiences and events, are irreplaceable, and you aren’t going to make that up 10 days off the line.”

Liu said she agreed with the statement and said she believes both culture and academics are important.

However, Liu said what matters most

Junior Han

na

Eid al-fitr

sc Ko

“After a month of being deprived of food because you’re not able to eat during the day (during Ramadan), on Eid al-Fitr after you go through the morning prayers, we all just kind of feast together; it’s a day for meeting family ... Wonderful food is made because you’re kind of holding back on that during Ramadan.”

DA-HYUN HONG | SPEAK-UPS

is not the school’s opinion, but rather the student’s priorities.

“The school doesn’t do anything to stop you (from missing school for religious reasons), and it’s written in the school handbook that (religious and ethnic holidays) are an excused absence, so the school doesn’t do anything,” Liu said. “I think a lot of it is just determining (the holiday’s) importance to yourself. If you think it’s important, you’re going to put in

the effort before and afterwards to get your homework done and stuff.”

Ultimately, Tajwer said he wants CHS staff and students to understand the differences between religions and have greater acknowledgement for students of all religions and ethnicities.

Tajwer said, “I feel like for the people who are upset about (winter break being so close to Christmas), they need to understand that it’s not really a rare thing for people

“Teachers need to be made aware by administration of these holidays and their occurrences so they don’t load on all of the assessments.”

Junior Hannah Kosc

T

SPEAK UP!

who aren’t Christians to have to sort of do some juggling and sort of have to plan around things with school and sort of have to deal with awkward dates. While they do have the right to complain about the whole thing and talk about how maybe it shouldn’t be right before Christmas, they also need to understand other people have been doing this for the longest time with their H religious holidays.”

AMBERLY XIE | GRAPHIC DIVERSITYBESTPRACTICES.COM | SOURCE

holidays during school

MENORAH: represents light, wisdom and divine inspiration, used to spread light

Here is a brief description of some holidays that occur on school days

YOM KIPPUR

MARDI GRAS

Sept. 18, 2018 DATE: 10th day of Jewish month of Tishrei (sometime between September and October) CELEBRATED BY: Jews DESCRIPTION: The holiest day on the Jewish calendar, a day of atonement marked with fasting and ceremonial repentance

Feb. 13, 2018 DATE: Day before Ash Wednesday (sometime in February) CELEBRATED BY: Christians DESCRIPTION: Also known as “Fat Tuesday,” last day of feasting before Lent

HANUKKAH

CHALLAH: Jewish holiday bread surrounded by folklore and traditon, the three braids symbolize truth, peace, and justice

Junior Danial

er ajw

“We play big family games of dreidel. Most people play with money; that’s usually what it is, but my family plays with dark chocolate M&M’s....

We get Hanukkah trees; we have hibiscus trees, and so we put lights on them like a lot of people would do Christmas trees.”

h

hANUKKAH

31

Dec. 12-20, 2017 DATE: 25th day of Jewish month of Kislev (anywhere from late November to late December) CELEBRATED BY: Jews DESCRIPTION: An eight-day holiday recognizing the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

KING CAKE: Cake eaten during Carnival, often has a small plastic baby (representing baby Jesus) hidden inside and whoever gets it has various obligations to fulfill

ENTERTAINMENT

CELEBRITIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA | DEC 14, 2017

TWEET IT OUT

CHS students discuss the importance of public figures using social media platforms to bring awareness to social issues DA-HYUN HONG | STORY

BY THE NUMBERS

94.5 million people follow Katy Perry, the most-followed person on Twitter. Of the top ten most-followed people of 2016, only one was not a celebrity.

BTS

one of the most representative korean pop (K-pop) boy bands, launched their “LOVE MYSELF” campaign to support UNICEF’s prevention of violence against children and teens this year.

According to the K-pop group, the meaning behind the trending hashtag is to “Find love in myself, embrace people and society in a larger sense with love.” According to the campaign’s website, BTS donated $500,000 and will be donating a portion of their income from album and merchandise sales to the campaign.

PLATFORM POWER

Take a look at some celebrities using social media to support their beliefs

80.1 million people follow Barack Obama’s personal account, who is the only non-celebrity on the top ten most followed people of 2016.

In comparison, the POTUS account has only 12 million followers.

70.6 people follow YouTube on Twitter, the eight mostfollowed account.

TWITTERCOUNTER | SOURCES

@sirpatstew

@emmawatson

Uses social media to Uses social media to protest promote gender equality domestic violence

3.03 M

27.3 M

@ddlovato

Uses social media to raise @tyleroakley awareness for mental Uses social media to support health issues suicide prevention for LGBQT youth

5.6 M

52.1 M

@leodicaprio

Uses social media to fight climate change

18.9 M FORBES.COM, THEMIGHTY.COM, TRIPLEPUNDIT.COM | SOURCES JACKIE HUR | GRAPHIC

Shubhi Sinha, UNICEF club president and senior, said that she thinks it’s important for public figures to bring awareness to important causes.

“It helps the campaigns that UNICEF starts gain global impact and reach audiences that might not have heard about their campaign previously,” she said. “Especially with social media and the entertainment world, they have a lot of power on their platform to advertise for things like this and it helps a younger audience understand it better.”

The influence celebrities like BTS have on this generation can be partially credited to the extensive reach of social media. December is Universal Human Rights Month, and some question whether public figures should use social media platforms to spread awareness on different social issues regarding human rights such as violence against children and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) rights.

UNICEF officer and sophomore Viha Bynagari said after discovering BTS on YouTube and from her friends, she became a fan of them over the past several months.

She shares a similar perspective to Sinha’s and said she loves that the K-pop group is spreading awareness and getting involved with UNICEF. “I do think (spreading awareness) is important because the more aware people are the more willing they are to make an effort to resolve any issues and the more willing they are to make an effort to make things better,” Bynagari said.

BTS is also the first Korean artist group to raise funds as part of a social fund for a global campaign.

Sinha said, “I think (international support) is important because in the past, (UNICEF) had a lot of celebrities that are based in America or Europe so to have a global impact and a global reach, it helps UNICEF and campaigns like this really reach a more holistic audience than just a specific country.”

According to student services coordinator Britney Coats, a licensed social worker at Clay Middle School, awareness is not just important because it allows people to be more educated, but it also helps people learn how to help and support the campaigns themselves.

“There are times where there are different tragedies in the world and people want to be able to help, but they’re not aware of how they can so sometimes different public figures who are in support of different organiza-

DEC 14, 2017 | CELEBRITIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA

33

tions can be helpful. That brings awareness to people as you like it or not, you learn a lot in school and a lot of to what they can do to be able to help as well,” Coats what you learn in school you take with you,” Birhiray said. The effect celebrities have on fans contributes to said. “I think that if you have a positive school environthis awareness as fans hope to support the same interest ment and the school educates you about different kinds of their favorite artists. of people, different communities and lets you know the Another organization celebrities widely endorse is the information that those communities want you to know, H Human Rights Campaign, which is focused on bringing then you can be more well educated.” equality to all members of the LGBTQ+ community. According to its website, numerous celebrity supporters such as Lady Gaga, Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg and Caitlyn Jenner use “their place in the public eye to advance the movement for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans.”

Dan Savage started Maya Birhiray, Gay-Straight CRC listed the “It Gets Better” Alliance co-president and senior, bullying as the campaign to support said, “I definitely think (celebrinumber four LGBT youths. ties) should (support organizaconcern for tions). I think that bringing light teenagers. and starting a dialogue is what’s Michelle Obama teams really important because a lot of up with Beyoncé for the people look up to celebrities, and Childhood obesity “Let’s Move”campaign, an it’s really important for those peois ranked as effort to raise awareness ple to start dialogue and let their the number one for childhood obesity and followers know that ‘I support health concern for promote healthy lifestyles. this cause and you should too for children in the U.S. ‘xyz’ reasons.’”

Sinha, Bynagari, Birhiray and Coats all said that celebrities have In a 2016 poll conducted BTS recently teamed up with the the capability to influence young

by C.S. Mott Children’s Korean Committee for UNICEF minds through their social media Hospital, 45% of all adults and pledged 500 million dollars platforms and awareness should be were concerned about over the next two years in spread throughout schools as well child abuse and neglect. efforts to spread awareness of in order to achieve a more acceptchildhood violence. ing and educated student body.

AMY ZHOU | GRAPHIC “School is the building block MASHABLE, CRCHEALTH, BILLBOARD |SOURCES for the rest of your life. Whether

MAKE

GE

BE

A CHA

NGE

AN H C E TH

IMPACTING THE WORLD

Take a look at the difference in followers between celebrities and accounts dedicated specifically to help social problems

AMY ZHOU | GRAPHIC WASHINGTONPOST, TWITTER | SOURCES HUMAN rights campaign (818k) vs Viola Davis (1.06m) UNICEF (6.87M) vs BTS (10.8m) Laci Greene (278.8k) vs Emma Watson (27.5 m)

0

5M

10M

15M

20M

25M

30M

34

MUSIC MAGIC | DEC 14, 2017

SCALING IT: Senior Emma Hedrick plays scales on the piano as part of her morning warmup for Jazz Ensemble.

Hedrick is a member of Share the Music and also sings and plays jazz music for the club.

AMY ZHOU | PHOTO

Check out a story on Emma and her jazz band at https://hilite. org/jazz

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CHRISTMAS MUSIC YOUANDYOURAMAZINGBRAIN, NEUROSCIENTIFICALLYCHALLENGED | SOURCE AMY ZHOU | GRAPHIC

HYPOTHALAMUS: According to CBS, playing Christmas music too early could trigger stress in this part of the brain due to thoughts of holiday preparations.

SPEAK UP!

PITUARY GLAND: This is the part of the brain that triggers a certain hormone to travel to the adrenal glands, which release a final stress hormone.

VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA: This is the part of the brain that controls feelings of appreciation when listening to holiday music.

AMY ZHOU | SPEAK UPS

How do you feel about holiday music?

I like holiday music. I mean, it’s everyone’s opinion whether you like it or not. I really like all the classic ones like “Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer,” all those. I think the people who like it, it makes them happy. If you enjoy it, then there’s no reason (not to listen).

Junior Alli Mann

I love Christmas music. It’s really fun to listen to because it prepares you for Christmas and Christmas is my favorite holiday. I think that not everyone has to like Christmas music because sometimes Christmas music can go against your religion. You can listen to Christmas music, but you don’t have to celebrate Christmas.

Freshman Sydney Morris

DEC 14, 2017 | MUSIC MAGIC

35

MUSIC MAGIC

CHS students use music to help others; the psychological effects of holiday music HANNAH GLAZIER | STORY

share

the music club, a club that performs a variety of music pieces at nursing homes, will host its annual Winter Benefit Concert at 4 p.m. tomorrow. Typically, the club dedicates all of the ticket funds to charities such as Save the Music Foundation to the Gleaners Food Bank; however, this year the club intends to donate all of the funds to Smile Train, an organization that raises funds for medical procedures for children born with cleft lips and palates.

Yet the underlying charitable intentions of Share the Music’s Winter benefit concert do not end at just the funds raised for Smile Train. For Anna Li, Share the Music co-president and senior, the widespread benefits and influence of music extend throughout the Carmel community.

“I am currently reading a book called that talks about how some patients with Parkinson’s disease — one that paralyzes people — start to move or free up when they hear the sound of music,” Li said. “I have started to notice that, too, when I play at nursing homes. At one nursing home, many

residents are handicapped. But then when I start playing, I see their heads sway and feel the music. It’s nice knowing that although they can’t express it, they’re feeling and appreciating what you’re playing.”

Li’s experiences with music and the elderly are not isolated events.

In fact, according to the National Association of Music Merchants, a foundation that promotes active participation in music through philanthropic and public service programs, involvement in participatory arts programs has been shown to have a positive effect on mental health, physical health and social functioning in older adults, regardless of their ability.

Similarly, Maggie Hite, Share the Music club sponsor, said she notices the widespread psychological benefits Share the Music has on citizens within the community. According to Hilt, the benefits of Share the Music are multifaceted. On one hand, the music brightens the lives of many community members, and on the other, the music is therapeutic to many senior living residents

It’s such a trivial thing and it makes people happy so I don’t get upset by it anymore. I just think people like it so much because they’re getting hyped up for the holidays.

I think it’s fine. I’m Jewish so I really have no attachment to Christmas music, but I don’t get upset when people sing in front of me because I’m not offended. You can do whatever you want.

Senior Mitch Korolev

who have undergone trauma or suffer from memory loss.

“My grandma, when we played music together would always remember song lyrics because she fit them together with the melody,” Hite said. I think there is really a power there, and I think that music is more than just pleasant sounds, it’s really a powerful thing that can bring people together and touch H people on a deep level.”

DO RE MI: Share the Music member Aimee Lee warms up by playing percussion.

Members of the club comprise of musicians from all CHS performing arts groups.

AMY ZHOU | PHOTO

(I’ll listen to holiday music) occasionally with my family, but not before the summer. I think it’s really annoying (when people listen to holiday music early) but I get it, they’re excited about Christmas, it’s understandable. Go ahead, listen to it, it’s music.

Senior Ben Underwood

36

ORCHESTRA FILM | DEC 14, 2017

Movies in Concert

CHS orchestras, IB film students join forces to create joint winter concert HANNAH GRETZ | STORY

tonight

starting at 6 p.m., ib film and orchestra students will display a unique collaboration, as silent videos will play behind the music. The concert is scheduled to start with the two freshman orchestras, followed by an intermission and other orchestra performances at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for high school students and senior citizens. Middle school students and younger get in free.

“A former director of orchestras always had this idea. His idea cost a lot of money though, so we talked about the top students in IB film producing a video with snippets of music and use every orchestra class to play their pieces with the film,” director of orchestras, Elisabeth Ohly-Davis, said.

Each orchestra will play three pieces, one of which is with film. The music speed and dynamics will match the film, along with different effects.

A TEMPO: Tom Chen, assistant director of orchestras conducts the cello section through a part of their music. In order to match the movie, elements such as style and tempo had to be taken into consideration.

RICHA LOUIS | PHOTO

“There is large variety of music for this concert,” Hailey Adams, Sinfonia orchestra student and senior, said.

“We usually have more classical types of pieces, but these pieces feel much more memorable and upbeat.”

Adams said during the concert, those in the audience can expect to hear music described as “bubbly,” “active” and “tropical.”

As a director of this film project, senior Justin Park said he’s excited about this pairing.

“Before this idea publicly announced itself, I thought that it would be cool to have a silent film play behind the music,” Park said. “It was always in my head when I watched the orchestra perform. I think it’s very cool that they made this offer.”

When preparing for this concert, performers and directors took the film and music portion of this concert into consideration.

“My main consideration was to pick music that fit the range of the students in orchestra,” Ohly-Davis said. There are six levels of orchestras and we did not want anything to be too difficult. Also, we did not want to overwhelm the film students or make the pieces too long, so we tried our best to pick pieces that were shorter,” Besides the music and video, those viewing the concert can also observe another aspect of the concert: the lights.

“We will practice with the lights on and off, as it is to happen during the concert. We have glow-in-the-dark batons and we will conduct in the dark along with having stand lights,” Ohly-Davis said.

Ohly-Davis said, as a first time collaboration between these two programs, this is a learning experience.

“I think we will learn a lot from this and I think it would be fun to do in a couple years because we have the opportunity; let’s use it. It’s a trend in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and it is an awesome opportunity for students,” Ohly-Davis said.

According to Park, there are many aspects to consider while preparing for this concert.

“We have been preparing by listening to the pieces and getting the emotion and atmosphere behind the music,”

BY THE NUMBERS

18 total pieces to be played at the winter concert.

7 of those pieces will be from a well-known movie..

6 of those pieces will be accompanied with an IB film.

MARGARET HITE | SOURCE

DEC 14, 2017 | ORCHESTRA FILM

37

IN FOCUS: (Left) Junior Selin Oh plays the music going along the IB film on her cello.

In order to prepare for the concert, Symphony focused on musicality in order to portray IB film students’ desired effects.

RICHA LOUIS | PHOTO

Park said. “We thought about the kind of story that would embody the emotion the piece evokes. We then add details and put the film together.”

While watching the film, viewers can expect to see individual films for each orchestra, which match the music, creating a distinctive story for each performance. Adams, along with many other students in the many levels of orchestra, said they feel a connection to the music and are building anticipation for the concert.

“Music is a tool to push the idea forward,” Adams said. “Most times you can’t watch a movie without music and it’s so interesting because we forget that without music, we wouldn’t feel. If you ever listen to a silent film, you might think it’s so dramatic but with the orchestra playing in the background, you feel something and it disH plays a universal message.”

IN SYNC: The Symphony orchestra cello section practices the film music for the upcoming winter concert. The section has the lower voices in the music.

RICHA LOUIS | PHOTO

Music in concert “Les Toréadors” from the opera, “Carmen”

Here’s Symphony orchestra’s pieces at the upcoming winter concert.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” (a medley)

“Theme from E.T.”

38

MOVIE MUSICALS | DEC 14, 2017

Movie Musical Showdown

With Pitch Perfect movie coming out, students compare it with known movie series, High School Musical KRIS OTTEN | STORY

After

two movies, “Pitch Perfect” will be coming out with a third film on Dec. 22. According to BuzzFeed, since its first release in 2012, “Pitch Perfect” has made over $100 million with a $17 million budget. People often contribute this popularity to the rise of incorporating singing and dancing after High School Musical, as modern movies have become more popular throughout the years.

While “High School Musical” takes place in a high school, centered around the relationship of young lovers Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, “Pitch Perfect” is set in a college, following the journey of an all-girls

a capella group named the “Barden Bellas.” Although many movies, like “The Cheetah Girls” and “Teen Beach Movie,” incorporate singing and dancing into teenage lives, “Pitch Perfect” is one of the only movies featuring a capella as the main musical component of the movie.

“I love the unique plot; I haven’t seen a major movie based on a capella other than this,” said sophomore Aidan O’Nan. According to Fortune, the Walt Disney Company made an estimated $1 billion from the “High School Musical” franchise in 2006 and 2007.

“I like that they’re cheesy and silly without being super unrealistic,

like an entire high school isn’t going to break out into song in real life, but nobody in the movies turns into an alien or something,” sophomore Natalie Crispin said.

No matter the statistics, movie musicals such as “High School Musical” and “Pitch Perfect” are very popular among all ages. Director of choirs Kathrine Kouns said she sees this popularity increase amongst her students.

Kouns said, “I think music is one of those things that is an inherently human thing. Singing connects humanity; it’s just a creative process that is a lot of fun. I think you take modern day musicals, and it really becomes someH thing that everyone loves.”

vs.

Here’s a comparison of the movie trilogies, High School Musical and Pitch Perfect Gabriella Montez: Vanessa Hudgens Role in movie: Joins school’s decathlon team, auditions with Troy for school musical, “rival” of Sharpay Evans

TOTAL REVENUE: $253 million

TOTAL REVENUE: $134 million

SYNOPSIS: High schoolers Troy and Gabriella discover their love of music through Troy Bolton: auditioning for a Zac Efron Role in movie: Captain musical of school’s basketball team, auditions with Gabriella for the school musical

SYNOPSIS: A musical comedy film that follows Barden University’s all girl a capella group

Beca Mitchell: Anna Kendrick Role in movie: Joins Barden Bellas to please father and ends up becoming their new leader Patricia “Fat Amy”: Rebel Wilson Role in movie: Comical member in Barden Bellas, enjoys horizontal running

ROTTEN TOMATOES RATING

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

56%

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2

57%

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3

64%

PITCH PERFECT 2

66%

PITCH PERFECT

80%

AMBERLY XIE | GRAPHIC IMDB, ROTTEN TOMATOES | GRAPHIC

DEC 14, 2017 | BRIEFS

entertainment briefs

ALINA YU | BRIEFS

Ballet Theatre of Carmel’s performances of The Nutcracker will take place tomorrow at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Freshman Lindsey Thole, who poses in arabesque will play a mirliton in the dance. The performances will be held the Dale E. Graham auditorium.

BALLETTHEATREOFCARMEL.COM | SOURCES CARSON TERBUSH | PHOTO

Visit the new Carmel Christkindlmarkt.

The market includes shops and an outdoor ice rink, as well as live music.

Be sure to check out Main Street Jazz Band tomorrow, with senior Emma Hedrick and sophomores Luke Belcher and Will Rice.

CARMEL CHRISTKINDLMARKT| SOURCE RICHA LOUIS | PHOTOS

The Center for Performing Arts presents its annual New Year’s Extravaganza on Dec. 31 in the Palladium. Live entertainment will feature Scott Routenberg Jazz Trio, DJ Futon John, Stacie Sandoval and SCOTT HALL | SUBMITTED PHOTOS Salsa. her Orquesta

SCOTT HALL | SUBMITTED PHOTOS CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS | SOURCE SCOTT HALL | SUBMITTED PHOTOS

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SPORTS

COACHING DIFFERENCES | DEC 14, 2017

contrast in coaching

CHS coaches discuss differences between coaching females and males ADAM SPENSELY, JESS CANALEY | STORIES

Tod

windlan, head girls’ basketball coach, has dealt with both genders as a coach.

Windlan said the biggest difference between the two is the dynamic and chemistry within the team.

“The difference is girls are a little bit more emotional in aspects of their life and stuff like that, but in retrospect, the emotion aspect makes them more coachable,” Windlan said.

Chris Plumb, head swimming and diving coach, said there isn’t much of a difference in regards to actual training and practices; he makes sure to keep his coaching individualized enough to aid the needs of all his athletes.

“I try to, more importantly, address the individual and who they are and coach them by who I think they

can be. Although gender plays into it, it’s not an overriding factor,” Plumb said.

Windlan said he agrees and also added that coaching girls’ basketball isn’t much different from coaching boys’ basketball when it comes to the fundamentals and the techniques involved.

“I’ve coached (both boys and girls teams) in my career, and they’re a little bit different, but I don’t see it as a big difference. I pretty much have coached my girls teams just like I used to do the boys teams,” Windlan said.

Plumb and Windlan have methods they use that have brought their teams success in the past and present.

Windlan says he believes it is more effective to coach boys and girls teams in a similar manner.

“In the end it is the same game and so I feel like the girls' game has evolved so much in the past 15-20 years, and it’s a well played game now, and I just don’t see trying to be any different with them than I would be with H a boys team,” Windlan said.

GIRL POWER: Assistant coach Rhiannon Sheets talks to some of her swimmers during a warm up before practice. Sheets is one of two female coaches.

JESS CANALEY | PHOTO

Plumb

admits there are not as many differences between coaching males and females as one may think. He said the main contrasts drawn between coaching is the physical factor in boys versus girls.

“I would say that there’s a lot more things in common than different, but if there are some differences I do think that it would probably be the physical part of it,” said Plumb. “Generally I think guys are a little more muscular and probably have different needs there.”

According to a Psychology Today article, “men are physically stronger than women, who have, on average, less total muscle mass, both in absolute terms and relative to total body mass.” To account for this difference, Plumb said he uses a method for resting his male swimmers.

“At the end of the season I think [the boys’] tapers are a little different, I give them more time off and more rest because they have more muscle and need more rest from the work that they’ve been doing. Girls, probably,

BY THE NUMBERS

34% of girls in all grades said sports were a big part of their life.

28% of girls in grades 9-12 said the same thing about sports in their lives.

ESPN | SOURCE

POINT BLANK: Chris Plumb, head swimming coach, reads over the practice schedule and team stats. The boys’ swimming team has won three state titles in a row, with Plumb as the coach for all three wins.

generally get a little less rest, but I think you’ve gotta' be individualized in terms of who you’re resting and what events they’re resting for and the work they’ve put in, but generally speaking we rest boys more than girls,” H Plumb said.

AGRAYAN GUPTA | PHOTO

DEC 14, 2017 | COACHING DIFFERENCES

41

women vs. men in athletics and competition Females tend to like to understand why they are performing certain tasks and what they are achieving by doing so.

Women’s bodies are less muscular, but their joints are more flexible, which gives them greater range of motion Females are good technical athletes but may tend to lack the competitive edge, or the “fire in your belly”.

Women tend to match the strength of men more closely in lower body muscles than in upper body muscles.

1

Males tend to understand and process things by building systems to explain their purpose in doing something.

2

Testosterone enables men to develop larger skeletal muscles as well as larger hearts.

3

Boys are very competitive and act on gut reactions, so the technical aspect of a sport can be hard to teach.

4

On average, men have greater upper body strength and capabilities compared to women in proportion to body type and weight.

JESS CANALEY | GRAPHIC SIRC.CA, LIVESTRONG.COM | SOURCES

FRIENDLY COMPETITION: Members of the swim team senior Drew Kibler (left), junior Kelly Pash (middle), and junior Andrew Rafalko (right) pose for a photo during warm ups. The three look forward to hopefully winning a state title this season.

SELENA LIU | PHOTO

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TEACHER ATHLETES | DEC 14, 2017

active educators

Teachers at CHS discuss their experiences in sports from childhood through adulthood BEN TRAYLOR | STORY

when

science teacher Drew Grimes laces up his skates before a hockey game at the Carmel Ice Skadium, stressors associated with teaching at school and dilemmas at home fade into an excitement for the matchup ahead. Grimes, along with other long-time friends in the league, have found new longevity by staying active in a sport years after their prime.

“The exercise and staying active is an important aspect of it all, but more importantly, it’s a fun group of guys and the camaraderie between all of us, as friends, is nice,” Grimes said.

Getting out of the house once a week to compete with friends is one of the most rewarding parts of playing in an adult league, as Grimes said it gives him an opportunity to regularly play with people of a similar skill level.

“It’s hard to be getting old,” Grimes said. “(The hardest part is) being able to skate and the other hardest part is just mental. Every year, you’re just a little bit slower. Every year, you fall down a little bit more and you just learn to be okay with that.”

Long after players peak in athleticism, the competitive drive that pushed them to play years before sticks around, driving them to return to the sports they love.

“Playing in a competitive league with good players and just being around those kind of people is always good and helps me stay young as I get older,” AP Biology teacher Eric Rauch said. “It’s a great way to stay healthy mentally and physically and to take the edge off. It’s the same reason you play any game— because you enjoy it.”

Rauch, who coached Westfield High School’s men’s basketball team for

Q & A What sports did you play in high school and how did they effect your job today?

Strength and Conditioning Coach Aaron Bosket

How do you stay active as an adult?

I definitely still train, use the weight room. I would say outside the weight room, I have three kids, so it’s more like chasing them around. Helping them with their sport is how I stay active.

I played football and baseball...

Around eighth grade, I was exposed to the training process and lifting weights. I think that further spurred my interest in doing what I do now.

What advice would you give to kids and adults alike on how to stay active?

Try a lot of things and have an open mind to it. Try to stick to a schedule, whatever you can devote to it, but the main thing is you have to enjoy what you do.

JESS CANALEY | Q & A, PHOTO

20 years, said he currently participates in recreational volleyball, basketball and golf leagues.

A 2010 study by Dr. Keith Zullig, chairperson of the department of behavioral sciences at West Virginia University, and Dr. Rebecca White, research fellow at the University of Chicago, found that U.S. adolescents who participated in team sports rated both their life satisfaction and physical health higher than their peers who did not participate in team sports.

This trend applies to older generations as well, according to Grimes.

Year after year, he has returned to the ice for the companionship he has come to expect with the other men he competes with, regardless of their personal or collective skill in the game.

ICE HOUND: Science teacher Drew Grimes as a child, pictured posing for a team photo.

Grimes played hockey through high school and currently plays on and adult league on Monday nights at the Carmel Ice Skadium.

DREW GRIMES | SUBMITTED PHOTO

DEC 14, 2017 | TEACHER ATHLETES

43

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Considering taking it easy later in life? Quiz your knowledge on physical activity through adulthood.

1. Physical activity prevents coronary hear disease, depression, types of cancer, and diabetes.

True or False

3. Less than five percent of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity a day.

True or False

2. 200 minutes a week of activity is recommended for people over age 18.

True or False

4. More than 90% of adults don’t meet the benchmark for aerobic requirements.

True or False

“I’m pretty terrible at hockey and I know that; we all know that. I play with a bunch of old guys who maybe used to be good, but (for) most of us, not really. There’s a good mix in the league I’m in because there are different tiers of play for different skill levels," Grimes said.

Beyond Grimes’ limited skill in competing in hockey, he said he always has put forth the best example for his children when playing the game.

“When my kids watch me, I hope to set an example that it’s not about aspiring to be that one percent who will move on and play in college,” Grimes said. “But for the rest of us, I want them to see that it’s all about having fun and being to still play when you’re old.

Playing and getting all you can out of an activity when you’re older is more important than being the very best at age 16.”

While Grimes and Rauch competed as high school athletes years ago, the look and feel of the game has remained constant even after their hiatus from the game.

“I hope I set a good example when any younger guys see me play,” Rauch said. “It’s really something you can do for a long period of time and the healthy lifestyle that comes with this participation is important.”

In participating in these leagues for years, both Rauch and Grimes said they intend to keep playing for

5. Examples of physical activity include: A. Household chores B. Running C. Dancing D. All of the above

JESS CANALEY | QUIZ WHO.INT, HHS.ORG | SOURCE

1. True, 2. False (150 minutes), 3. True 4. False (80%), 5. D

years to come and not slow down with age.

“A couple of the guys I play with are in their 60s, some even in their 70s,” Grimes said. “A dream of mine is to just keep playing until I physically can’t, or I fall down too much, break a hip one too many times. It’s about having fun; that’s not going to H change.”

PATIENT PLAYERS Members of the adult hockey team wait to be subbed in for their counterparts on the ice. The adult league is a casual, fun, and competitive way to stay active, according to Grimes.

JESS CANALEY | PHOTO

44

INJURIES | DEC 14, 2017

BOUNcing back Injured athletes follow an arduous process to fully recover, prevent future injuries KELLY TRUAX | STORY

AT

one school practice last November, Eddie Gill, basketball player and senior, took a fall that caused an injury that will keep him off of the court until the middle of January.

“After we shot free throws, I was walking to the water fountain and I just took a step and my knee kind of gave out. Then, when I got it checked out, I got an MRI and everything, and it turned out that there was a stress

fracture there and it had just been building up over time,” Gill said.

Gill said he had to have surgery on his knee and has since then been icing his knee every hour and doing exercises to regain mobility several times a day. He said the injury was an accident, and he has had problems with the same knee before.

With this injury, Gill has been working with the athletic trainers and the basketball program to get

EXPERT HELP: Athletic Trainer Anna Foster helps Eddie Gill, varsity basketball player and senior, in the training room. Foster said she likes helping athletes recover to pre-injury form.

AGRAYAN GUPTA | PHOTO

back to playing for the final half of his senior season.

Athletic Trainer Anna Foster explained the general protocol that an injured athlete must take when visiting the trainer. She said trainers will alter the process depending on the injury and the speed of its recovery.

“Essentially what happens is when a kid gets injured, they’ll come in to see us. We’ll do an initial evaluation to determine what

45

we think their injury is. If we think that it’s something a little more minor that we can take care (of ), we don’t typically send them out to get any X-rays or to see a physician. We take care of all of that in here, in our office, and we’ll do all the rehab and get them back onto the court, field as fast as we can,” Foster said. “If it takes usually more than ten days to two weeks, where a kid is just not getting better or it’s not doing well, then we will determine that there is probably a little more anatomy issues than we determined to begin with. At that point, we get our physicians involved and have (the student) see one of our team physicians and then we kind of take our steps from there with X-ray, MRI, whatever the injury may need.”

Alex Baldwin, student Athletic Trainer and junior, helps the adult Athletic Trainers during different sports seasons and said he witnesses what trainers typically say to an athlete who goes to the trainers with an injury.

“They just let (the athlete) know that they are going to be okay, and they run them through what exactly happened to them. It teaches them about their injury, what they need to know, how to treat it, how to get better, what they need to do therapywise, and overall, they just help them work through it,” Baldwin said.

Foster said the recovery process may take longer because the trainers try to get the athletes back to the court as soon as possible while also being safe and making sure that an injury is healing properly.

“What could be a short-term injury—like an ankle sprain that typically takes ten days of complete rest to heal—would be better but we don’t get to work with that type of time,” Foster said. “We try to get them out there a little bit faster, but we know that that’s going to delay their healing time a little bit, but as long as we’re doing that safely we’re okay with that.”

In order to heal, Gill said he does a series of exercises multiple times a day to regain mobility in his knee. “(For) one exercise, I have to sit on the floor with my back up against the

Stressful fractures Eddie Gill, varsity basketball player and senior, slipped during practice and suffered a stress fracture in his tibia plateau AGRAYAN GUPTA | GRAPHIC SPORTSINJURYCLINIC.NET | SOURCE

Femur (Thigh Bone)

Tibia

Depressed fracture of the tibia plateau

Fibula

wall and flex my toes and then point them to get my shin and calf muscles stronger. Another one, it’s called an active straight leg raise, is where I have my back up against the wall and I just have to lift my leg up and do three sets of ten,” Gill said.

Foster said before an athlete returns to his or her sport, she talks to them about injury prevention, especially about how the athlete can prevent an injury in the same area.

Foster said, “So a lot of people think athletic trainers are people that go out on the court or on the field when someone is injured, but we do a lot of preventative type of medicine as well. There are things we will work with after an injury in accordance with our strength and conditioning coach and work with them in the weight room, give them exercises that we expect them to continue to do even though they’ve reached their full return to participation. So we have that expectation for them to continue their rehab and (continue) a great strength and H conditioning protocol.”

PAINFUL PLAY: Head Coach Ryan Osborn assists Eddie Gill, varsity basketball player and senior, after Gill slipped on the floor during practice. Gill said he suffered a stress fracture in his right lateral tibia plateau.

AGRAYAN GUPTA | PHOTO

Game ready A look at the Game Ready system, used by many athletes to heal injuries AGRAYAN GUPTA | GRAPHIC GAMEREADY.CO.UK | SOURCE

Ice Reservoir

Connector Hose Anatomical Wrap What is Game Ready?

A system that combines compression and cold therapy to assist in athlete recovery and rehabilitation.

How does it work?

Cold water is continuously circulated from the ice reservoir to the anatomical wrap via a connector hose.

What are the benefits?

It stimulates healing, reduces swelling, provides cold therapy and increases blood flow.

46

CUSTODIANS | DEC 14, 2017

Clean-up crew Custodians play an essential role in maintaining clean equipment for athletes CALEB SHAFFER | STORY

The

wrestling team practices Monday through Friday, and after every practices, the wrestling mats are usually covered with a lot of sweat, leaving many germs around the wrestling gym.

According to wrestler and junior Joseph Steele, the practices can get very sweaty.

He said, “A lot of the players sweat a lot because first of all, there’s not a lot of air conditioning in the room so it’s very hot and humid. We also do a lot of conditioning in our practices so a lot of sweat is involved. A lot of times (the sweat) gets on the mat and that’s when the custodians come into play.”

Custodian David Hays has worked here for 36 years and is responsible for cleaning the wrestling room. Hays

cleans everything off of the wrestling mats including blood and sweat.

Hays said, “The stuff we use is called Re-Juv-Nal. It’s a disinfectant and we use it for blood and we use that on the mats because it will kill (the germs) on the mats and it’ll help disinfect it and clean it.”

Steele said he believes wrestling produces more germs than other sports.

Steele said, “I think wrestling spreads more germs because it’s full skin on skin contact, a lot of sweat is involved; it is one the most sweat grueling sports.”

After each practice, Hays sprays the Re-Juv-Nal on the mat, and uses black fiber pads to clean the sweat and blood off the wrestling mats. The custodians must clean the wrestling

BY THE NUMBERS

1.5 gallons of ReJuv-Nal spray used for each mat cleaning

55.5 gallons of Re-Juv-Nal concentrate used every year by CHS RUSTY CREECH | SOURCE

Dangerous Diseases Take a look at some of the skin diseases wrestlers are exposed to on the mat IMPETIGO MRSA is a infection caused by staph bacteria that’s resistant to most antibiotics.

If left untreated, MRSA can infect blood and organs. The CDC says wrestlers are more prone to MRSA compared to other athletes.

Occurs as lesions Caused by Methicillinresistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain Lesions have red or purple border SCABIES Occurs in skin creases Caused by scabies mite, a tiny bug under the skin Red, bumpy rash

AGRAYAN GUPTA | GRAPHIC CDC.GOV, CHILDRENSCOLORADO.ORG | SOURCE

RING WORM Occurs almost everywhere on skin Caused by fungus Round pink patch

HERPES Occurs at the genitals Spread by skinto-skin contact Lesions soon appear

mats after each practice to prevent the wrestlers from getting certain skin infections. According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, some common skin infections that occur through wrestling are ringworm, impetigo, MRSA and herpetic lesions.

Wrestling Head Coach Edward Pendoski said he believes the custodians do a good job of thoroughly cleaning the wrestling mats so the wrestling team can conduct practices in a clean environment.

Pendoski said, “I think the custodians try hard and do everything they possibly can to clean anything.”

According to Hays, a big challenge that comes with cleaning the mats is getting them clean before the wrestlers have to practice. After school, Hays sometimes has time restraints when it comes to cleaning the wrestling mat and he has to work quickly to get them ready in time for the practices.

Hays said, “Last week there was a CPR class on the wrestling mats, and I had to clean the mats before the practice. I had to get them done by 3:30, so that made it tough.”

Despite the challenges, Hays said he feels that by cleaning the mats he has an important role in making sure the wrestlers have a clean environment to practice in.

Hays said, “(My role is important) because I have to make sure those mats are clean for the wrestling team.

I make sure the mats are cleaned and disinfected and dried before the wrestlers get on with practice.”

Pendoski said the custodians try hard to make sure everything is cleaned correctly, and added that without the custodial program, CHS athletic programs would be negatively affected.

Pendoski said, “The custodians who clean the wrestling room also

LEFT: Custodian David Hays mops the wrestling mat.

Hays said he sometime faces time constraints due to afterschool activities.

BOTTOM LEFT: Joseph Steele, wrestler and junior, wrestles with a teammate during practice.

Steele said he believes wrestling produces more germs than any other sport.

RIGHT: Hays sprays the mat with Re-JuvNal spray. Hays said Re-Juv-Nal disinfects and cleans the mats.

AGRAYAN GUPTA | PHOTOS

clean the weight room, they clean the other sports facilities and I think if you took away the greatness of our custodian program you’d run into a whole bunch of problems.”

Despite all the hard work the custodians do around this school, Steele said they are not always properly honored for their hard work.

He said he believes students do not appreciate how helpful the custodial staff is to the high school.

Steele said, “I believe (the custodians) are underrecognized. A lot of

people do not recognize that their job is as helpful as many other jobs even though it does play a big part in our school.”

However, Pendoski said the wrestling program is very grateful for the custodians at here.

Pendoski said, “I can’t speak for many people outside of the wrestling program, but I can tell you there’s not a day that goes past that the wrestling program isn’t thankful for what the custodians do for all of H Carmel High School.”

PERSPECTIVES

DONATING | DEC 14, 2017

giving back

Donating to others is important all year round, not just during holiday season HILITE STAFF | EDITORIAL

care

to share, the annual holiday fundgiving. We reflect on our own general well-being as the raiser sponsored by the student senate, year comes to a close, and as a result, we are reminded of starts in November and ends right before finals week. families who are less fortunate. Thus, we feel a bigger urge Senate assigns the SRTs a goal value of money raised to contribute during the festive season. and collect funds throughout the entire month. SRTs And that’s not a bad thing; in fact, it is most definitely then use money to buy gifts such as encouraged. The problem is that the clothes and toys for people in need. holiday season isn’t the only time we OUR VIEW In the end, students take the gifts should give. Just because we think of back to school, and the Senate disthose who are fortunate during Christtributes them to local people just in Students should make an effort mas time doesn’t mean they are less fortime for the holidays. only during Christmas. Giving to donate to others throughout tunate During the holiday season, it’s back should be a year-round activity. common for students to be encour- the entire year, not just during As 2017 comes to a close, the aged to participate in these fundraisers HiLite staff encourages students to a specific season. and give to the community. However, think about not only what they’ve while fundraisers like Care to Share endone these past few months, but what joy huge success, other efforts later in they’ve done this whole year. Don’t the school year often fail to garner as forget about fundraisers at other times much enthusiasm and response. of the year as the need is still great durWhy? The answer lies with timing. People often feel ing months other than November and December. No matmore thankful and obligated to give back during the ter the time of year or event, students should always be open Christmas holiday season, which starts right after Thanksto giving back to their community.

H

SPEAK UP!

BY THE NUMBERS

1,521,052 charitable organizations in the United States

63 million Americans volunteer (25 percent of the adult population) NPTRUST.ORG | SOURCE

EMILY WORRELL | SPEAK UPS, PHOTOS

Do you think the school does enough to give back to the community?

“I feel it would if (the school) organized more ways to volunteer just for the sake of being kind. A lot of people volunteer for hours and things like that, but I feel like it’d be better if it was more out of the kindness of your heart.”

Senior Ikoojo “Iko” Agada

“Yeah, I think they do because there are a lot of charity events which students are able to get involved with like Dance Marathon for Riley.”

Junior Emily Brimer

“No, not really. I think they kind of choose one charity and that’s it. It’s a good charity; it’s just that there are other charities out there that we could further donate to.”

Senior Janine Holmes

DEC 14, 2017 | CONTROVERSIES IN CARMEL

49

don’t ignore it

CHS students should address, not ignore controversial issues RAIHA ZAINAB | COLUMN

here

in our lovely city of Carmel, everything has always looked appealing and attractive. After all, we live in the number one city in America. We go to a great school. Everyone seems to be rich and happy. Everything is just perfect.

Except it isn’t.

Moving to Carmel in seventh grade, I had a certain image of what Carmel was: a nice, small, suburban city where everyone, for the most part, lives a good life. And for a while, that image held true. Indeed, many people are well off and there are a lot of great aspects of living here. However, after getting to know people and the community better, I quickly learned that not everything is as perfect as it seems. Despite its beautiful facade, Carmel has issues just like residents in other cities.

What makes Carmel unique is that it works hard to camouflage those problems, but it’s important to take a closer look at those issues so we can work as a community to help.

We think all people in Carmel are affluent, and while many are, according to U.S. News, 11 percent of students are on the free or reduced lunch programs. That amounts to about 550 students at this school. Carmel is thought to be a happy city, but according to the Association for Children’s Mental Health, one in five children and adolescents face mental health issues.

At Carmel, that would be just over 1,000

students who actively face or have faced mental health issues. Carmel, in general, is thought to have a low crime rate. While this is true, that doesn’t mean people don’t deal with issues such as abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and more. In fact, according to a 2013 study by the Avon Foundation for Women, one in three women and one in seven men will experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. R.A.I.N.N., the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, found that people from ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely to experience sexual violence. These numbers don’t exclude Carmel. To put these numbers in perspective, that would mean 625 girls and 357 boys from our current high school population have experienced or will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes.

These problems exist, but by not talking about them we create a culture of isolating people and ignoring important issues that occur every day. Therefore, it is crucial that we open up dialogue, share our stories and talk about uncomfortable topics. Carmel, just like any city, is not perfect, and that is okay. It is a great place to live, not because of the fancy houses and wealth, but because of all the different stories and people who coexist here.

H The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Raiha Zainab at rzainab@hilite.org.

TOO BUSY

DID YOU KNOW? Carmel is... #1 best place to live (Niche, 2017) #3 best place to live (Money Magazine, 2014) #1 best place to live (CNN Money, 2012) Recipient of City Livability Award for roundabouts (2006) Recipient of Gold Leaf Award (2002) NICHE, MONEY, CNN MONEY | SOURCE

here in carmel, we have...

EMILY WORRELL | GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE Creepily realistic statues!

Overly fancy roundabouts!

problems

Ridiculously huge schools! aaand nothing to see here....

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HOLIDAY MUSIC | DEC 14, 2017

Where is the love?

Retail stores should consider transitioning into a more culturally diverse music playlist during the holidays ANNA KLAUZ | COLUMN

in

the spirit of the holiday season, the overplayed Christmas music craze has commenced. From “Santa Baby” to “White Christmas,” most of us can admit to songs like these being stuck in our heads at one point or another when coming out from our favorite retail or grocery stores.

As an ethnic Jew, I find that Hanukkah hits home for me during December. But we hum along to different songs while spinning the dreidel, a game popularly played as a Jewish holiday festivity.

According to Pew Research Center, 70.6 percent of the U.S. population practices Christianity, making the Christmas holiday one of the most widely celebrated in the United States.

However, with Christmas so highly commercialized, holidays practiced by the other 30 percent of U.S. citizens get lost under the Christmas rush. The other 30 percent take part in less publicized holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, amongst many others, which all have their own rituals, songs and cuisines.

However, the holiday months are retailer’s biggest income bracket, with their primary goal to generate as much revenue as they can. Therefore, playing Christmas music in their stores appeals to about 70 percent of the shoppers, tackling their biggest circle of consumers. By doing this, stores can reach the hearts of many as the music puts them in the Christmas spirit of giving, which in turn means spending. But with all of these marketing strategies and the religious demographics of the United States, another question arises; where is the love?

America is the melting pot of today’s society, it’s built on a multitude of ethnic cultures, and we as Americans should celebrate our cultural differences and diversity. Therefore, businesses should consider a shift to a more diverse playlist of holiday music to create a more accepting and neutral atmosphere for all consumers regardless of H their origin.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Anna Klauz at aklauz@ hilite.org.

DID YOU KNOW? This year, Hanukkah begins Dec. 12 and ends Dec. 18.

The dates of Hanukkah change year to year because they are based on the Jewish calendar which is different from the American calendar. Kwanzaa occurs December 26 to January 1 every year.

OURJEWISHCOMMUNITY.ORG, TIMEANDDATE.COM | SOURCE

holiday mix up MISHA REKHTER | GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

You’ve got the wrong house. The Johnsons are next door.

NO REGRETS Edward Johnson, a business associate of Thomas Edison, electrically lights a Christmas tree for the first time.

holiday history MISHA REKHTER | GRAPHIC OLDCHRISTMASTREELIGHTS.COM | SOURCE

“Joy to the World” is written

1839 A brief history of Holiday music and lights

1850

“Jingle Bells” is written

1882

1895

The first electrically lighted Christmas tree was displayed in the White House.

DEC 14, 2017 | HOLIDAY LIGHTS

51

Light it Down

People should use more environmentally friendly Christmas lights HANNAH GLAZIER | COLUMN

despite

light locations MISHA REKHTER | GRAPHIC INDYSTAR.COM | SOURCE

Where to find large light displays in Indiana

name

address

date

price

Christmas at the Zoo (Indianapolis)

1200 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46222

Winterlights at Newsfield

4000 Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46208

Nov. 19 to Jan. 7

$8 to $20, free for children 5 and under

Lights at the Brickyard

4790 W 16th St, Indianapolis, IN 46222

Nov. 17 to Dec. 30

$25 Monday to Wednesday, $30 Thursday to Saturday

Reynolds 12501 Reynolds Farm Drive, Fishers, IN Christmas light display

Nov. 21 to Jan. 1

Free, donations accepted

Nov. 24-26, Admission 29-30; Dec. is $9.95 for 1-3, 6-10, 13- children and $12.95 for 23, 26-30 adults

my jewish faith, I love everything about Christmas. However, this year, one defining characteristic of this special season raises a point of concern for me: Christmas lights.

Last year, I took AP Environmental Science and closely studied the significant amount of nonrenewable energy it takes to power electricity. Preserving Earth’s resources is especially important to me, which leaves me feeling conflicted regarding the tradition of decorating with Christmas lights.

It saddens me to hear that in a survey conducted by the price comparison site GoCompare.com, 52 percent of British respondents who intended to display 100 five-watt bulbs for six hours a day would consume an estimated 207 kilowatts per household, which is the equivalent of 22.8 days of the average household electricity consumption.

To be clear, I love the multicolored, twinkling lights that illuminate Carmel, so I refuse to condemn them.

However, I do believe it is important for students to take the environmental impact of Christmas lights into consideration and take extra steps towards reducing the environmental footprint Christmas lights leave behind.

To do this, I urge families in Carmel to consider reducing the size of their outdoor lighting displays, but if that is not an option, families should decorate using LED lights. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, widespread use of LED lighting has the greatest potential impact on energy savings in the United States.

Compared to traditional holiday light bulbs, LED lights are safer, last longer and are easier to install. As an added bonus, over a 30-day period, lighting 500 traditional holiday lights will cost about $18 while the same number of LED lights costs only $0.19. Taking part in the holiday spirit and saving money, I️ call that a win-win. H The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Hannah Glazier at hglazier@ hilite.org.

SAVE THE BEES Figural Christmas lights were introduced in the United States.

1906

General Electric introduced its new candle shaped lamps. These lamps had a major disadvantage in that a circular burn spot occurred in the lamp.

1934 The tune “Winter Wonderland” was first recorded by Guy Lombardo.

1935

Americans begin lighting their trees almost exclusively with imported miniature lights.

1942 “White Christmas” is written by Irving Berling.

1975

52

GUN LAWS | DEC 14, 2017

tighter leash

CHS students should consider stricter gun control laws MISHA REKHTER | COLUMN

As

an american citizen, i recognize the inherent freedom to protect oneself that all Americans possess. It is this freedom that has prompted the stockpile of weaponry in American homes; gun owners endlessly cite the Second Amendment as justification for the possession of these firearms. However, in the wake of today’s fifth anniversary of the tragic Sandy Hook shootings, gun violence remains prevalent. Since that time, two solutions have formed regarding combating gun violence: increase weaponry in all settings or tighten gun control laws.

As a citizen concerned with the widespread ownership and use of weaponry, I’m alarmed that a genuine response to gun violence is the former argument.

While it may appear comforting to own a gun for selfprotection purposes, it’s ultimately dangerous. It is strikingly simple to purchase a weapon in the United States as the requirements are entirely surface level. According to CNN, this manifests itself in that the number of civilian-owned firearms in the United States is estimated around 310 million. That’s nearly one firearm for every man, woman and child in this country. The second-largest civilian firearm stockpile belongs to India, a country with more than 1.3 billion people, with 46 million. As such, in comparison to other developed nations, American gun control laws are laughable.

The relative ease of owning and operating weaponry in America correlates to its frequent use. According to NPR, the United States had 3.85 deaths due to gun violence per 100,000 people in 2016, a rate eight times higher than the

too many shots

GUNS BAD GOT GUAC? DID YOU KNOW? As of Jan. 1, 2017, 19 states and Washington D.C. passed a new law requiring background checks for all handgun sales.

DOSOMETHING.ORG | SOURCE

Canadian rate and 27 times higher than the Danish rate. It becomes frighteningly obvious the United States has rampant gun control and violence issues that cannot be resolved by pumping more firearms into the arms of civilians.

It’s time to clamp down on gun control laws using similar steps to those taken in other nations. For example, in Australia after the Port Arthur mass shooting in 1996, where Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded 23 more, immediate action was taken to tighten gun control laws. The government implemented laws that required a genuine reason for gun ownership, such as hunting, and it introduced a national gun-buyback policy that resulted in the melting down of more than 650,000 firearms. The evidence for the success of these actions is rather obvious: there have been zero mass shootings since Australia took these steps. The United States should consider successful tactics such as the ones used in Australia and other countries to stem gun violence here.

America bears the troubling honor of being the home of most of the deadliest mass shootings in the world and a severely inflated number of gun-related deaths.

With stricter gun laws, this violence can be sedated and reduced but it’s up to the citizens of the United States to realize these are the necessary steps. It’s time to get a grasp on gun control laws and transform the United H States into the safe country it needs to be.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Misha Rekhter at mrekhter@hilite.org.

BRIAN ZHANG | GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

Mass shootings directly proportional to gun ownership in a country

Mass Shootings

USA

free guns UK China

Sweden Philippines India Italy Russia

USA

USA

Guns

DEC 14, 2017 | JAZZ BAND

Waiting for weight

finals week: expectations vs reality EMILY WORRELL | GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

11:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

7:50 a.m.

reality

53

Top jazz bands should be weighted

expectations

BRYCE CHENG | COLUMN

going

into my fourth and final year of the jazz program at CHS, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but feel excited and sad at the same time. From the talented group of musicians to the dedicated directors, this program has nurtured a valuable progression both in my musicianship and overall character. With that being said, however, there is still one aspect of our jazz program that I think should be reconsidered: its weighting system.

During my freshman year, I was fortunate enough to audition into the second highest jazz band. I was particularly excited because I knew it was going to be challenging. Moreover, I was told that the top jazz bands would be weighted. As the year progressed, I began to think this rumor had to be true; on top of all of our other classes, we were introduced to difficult skills such as improvisation, given little time to perfect a multitude of interesting but also demanding jazz literature and required to spend much time out of and before and after school practicing. I quickly came to realize that succeeding in a top jazz band requires the time and effort on par with the top wind symphonies and other fully weighted classes.

Given all of that I was crushed as a freshman and I will be crushed again this year as senior when my director asks me if I want to be in this class because it is not weighted at all. What constitutes whether a class should be weighted or not should depend on the rigor as well as the effort and time required, all of which our top jazz bands require both in and out of school. At least comparable in difficulty to the other weighted performing arts classes, the jazz program offers not only complex but also intricate literature. Therefore, I stand for a re-evaluation of the value of the jazz program here at CHS; action needs to be taken to give the credit that is deserved to our top jazz band musicians. H The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Bryce Cheng at bcheng@ hilite.org.

YA LIKE JAZZ?

15 MINUTES

C L A S S I C A L LY T R A I N E D | D E C 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 FLASHING FEET: (LEFT) Sophomore Antara Deshmukh rehearses her dance.

She said when she dances, she tells stories of how kings, queens and gods came to be.

(TOP) Deshmukh rehearses the story about the god Brahma.

She said that it is a 14 minute dance. (BOTTOM) Deshmukh demonstrates the Matsya mudra. She said, “I think (Bharatanatyam) shows me where I came from,my culture.”

CLASSICALLY TRAINED

Sophomore Antara Deshmukh participates in the classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam JORDYN BLAKEY | Q&A MAY ZHANG | PHOTOS

D E C 1 4 , 2 0 1 7 | C L A S S I C A L LY T R A I N E D

55

When did you start dancing?

I started dancing when I was five. My mom wanted to get me more involved in Indian culture, so she signed me up and I’ve been dancing ever since.

Could you describe what type of dancing you do?

It’s more like classical; it’s not like stuff you would see in pop culture today in India, but it’s classical, super old. At first, it was like a dance that people would do to show their affection towards gods and other people in high power, (and) it just turned into an artform.

What’s your favorite part about Bharatanatyam?

I dance once a week and a lot of my close friends I met through dance. I think it’s just a really fun environment to go and dance and do something that’s super meaningful to us.

What’s the hardest part about this dance?

The dances are really long. They’re close to 10 or 14 minutes. It’s not a lot of technical stuff, but it’s art and we’re telling a lot of stories through the dance.

I think trying to remember the stories and execute them properly is the hardest part.

What are you currently working on?

It’s a story about the god Brahma, and it’s a 14 minute dance. We just started it; we’re not that far into it but it’s one of the more difficult dances that we’ve done. (It’s) me and six other girls, and we’re trying to portray the story of him.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future, with this dance?

At the end there’s a final performance, which shows that you’ve gone through everything and that you’ve completed the steps. It’s a two hour performance, just you by yourself doing it. I want to show everyone how far I’ve come since I’ve first H started dancing.

SPIRITUAL SYMBOLS A mudra is a symbol in Hinduism that influences the energies of the body. Here are a few mudras: Chakra Hasta: This mudra symbolizes a wheel. In Sanskrit, Chakra means a circle or wheel.

Pataaka: This mudra means flag, but it is also used to represent clouds, night and moonlight.

JORDYN BLAKEY|GRAPHIC ONLINEBHARATANATYAM | SOURCE

LITEBOX

S P E C TAC U L A R S O N G | D E C 1 4 , 2 0 1 7

L I TEBOX

SPECTACULAR SONG Grace Plaskett, Accents member and senior, sings with the rest of the choirs during Holiday Spectacular rehearsal on Dec. 5 in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium. Holiday Spec performances ended on Dec. 10, and choirs will now be preparing for competitions in the spring.

REBECCA QIN | PHOTO