Huntley High School Voice March 2019

Contents 08 10 14 18 26 30 32

NEWS

Editorial Board Emma Kubelka Editor-in-Chief

huntleyvoice.com

Global citizenship students get an opportunity to vouch for their beliefs through writing.

Madison Barr Opinion Editor

Courtesy of Janus Films

OPINION

Zachariah Szeszol touches on how theatre has helped him grow into who he is.

Ashley Reilly Social Media Manager

E. Kim Staff Writers Kyle Abruzzo, Mady Borst, Jordyn Grist, Jarrod Khoo, Riy Walker, Trevor Wolinsky Photographers Zach Isenegger, Elizabeth Kim, Sydney Laput

Jennifer Heuck tells her shares the triumphs and tragedies of her battle with breast cancer.

Dennis Brown Adviser

S. Laput

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, unrelased for 29 years finally gets a relase date in the states.

SPORTS

Student athletic trainers have become a crucial part of Huntley’s team activites.

Riley Murphy Arts & Entertainment Editor

Olivia Mack Double-Truck Editor

FEATURES A&E

Skylar Sharkey Features Editor

Danielle Rhody Sports Editor

The normalization of insensitive sucidical statements and jokes is damaging to those effected.

HUMANS OF HUNTLEY

Braden Turk Online Editor Ayman Mirkan News Editor

AT A GLANCE

Crystal Lake market, Fresh Thyme provides hot meals as well as groceries.

Faith Losbanes Print Editor

Z.Isenegger

S. Laput

Editorial Policy HHS Media are the official student-produced media of news and ingormation published/ produced by HHS Media students. HHS Media have been established as designated public forums for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be viewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers may - and should - coach and discuss content during the writing process. Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of HHS media is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself; its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete and financial liability for the content of the publication.

News Events

A hairy situation. Annual

St. Baldrick’s pep assembly is unexpectedly postponed for this year

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By Jordyn Grist St. Baldrick’s will not be returning to Huntley High School this year, and here’s why.

Every year HHS has partnered up with St. Baldrick’s via community partners, and families who have overcome and struggled with child cancer. However, due to personal issues between the community partners HHS usually pairs with, conflicts between schedule dates arose. “[The community partners] set us all up--they got all of the barbers. We wanted to stand alone and on our own, doing our thing,” Associate Principal Thomas Kempf said. “Well at that point, it was too late in the game, and they would not--they didn’t have an available date for us to have one of our [own] events like we had scheduled, and the next available date was into April, into SATs. That’s one of the things we have a hard time scheduling around.”

This year is too busy for HHS and St. Baldrick’s to collaborate to hold an event. According to Kempf, there are no hard feelings or ill will between St. Baldrick’s and HHS; the cancellation of St. Baldrick’s this year was purely because of schedule conflicts.

“I get the feeling that some people are hearing that these people in the community have screwed us over. And I don’t want that to be the message. That’s not what happened,” Kempf said. “It’s just that anytime something changes, someone’s always going to assume the worst. Like ‘why did Mr. Belin cancel St. Baldrick’s?’ Nope. He didn’t have a say or anything like that. He was an advocate for it, actually.”

Despite the disappointment coming from the cancellation of St. Baldrick’s, HHS will be working towards supporting different smaller-scale charity events. Additionally, something new may come out of this.

“Now, [St. Baldrick’s returning] is absolutely out on the table. I just want to hear from kids to see if that’s something they are still passionate about--or is it time to change it up and try some new interests? It’s just because of the natural transition that’s happening this year with the cancellation of the event,” Kempf said. “Before, I just automatically assumed that everybody wants to do St. Baldrick’s and has some passion--but I want to hear the student voice, and reach out a little bit to see kind of what the vibe is.”

The possibility for HHS to support other charities and organizations has come into light, and Kempf and his fellow board

Courtesty of HHS’s Twitter

members are now open to new ideas from all students. However, Kempf says that students should try to collaborate with a sponsor or group first.

In the aftermath of the cancellation, students who were planning to shave their head at the HHS Pep Assembly have had to find other options to join the cause. There are also much harder obstacles, such as finding people willing to donate.

“It’s kind of inconvenient [that St. Baldrick’s was cancelled]; I feel like it impairs my ability to raise money because not as many people can see [that] I’m doing this. So I can’t get the word out to as many people,” senior Olivia Recchia said.

For Recchia, who’s first time shaving will be this year, this has hindered her donations to just $537. Recchia is also disappointed she won’t be able to partner with teachers to shave together.

“I’m disappointed that we’re not going to do it through the school because we won’t be raising as much money. Because high schoolers have money, and they can donate more. It’s not necessarily about a Pep Rally, it’s about charity,” Recchia said.

Overall, the cancellation of the event has taken a toll on everyone in the HHS community. Students looking forward to the event are disappointed, and so are the staff who are dedicated to supporting the fight against cancer.

“It’s really bumming me out. I’ve shaved my head every year--I shave [my head] all the time, so that’s not really that big of a deal, but it’s about the recognition and bringing awareness to such a worthy message,” Kempf said. “It’s weighing down on me. It’s really hitting me harder than I expected it to. So just know that we are all bummed out.”

This experience is a loss to HHS, but note that the St. Baldrick’s event will still continue on March 16, and many teachers and students will still be participating.

“It’s not that we thought this is too much work to do, so we’re not going to do it. It was an emotional decision,” Kempf said.

“We were all afraid that if we tried to force something, it was going to be a low quality product that just did more harm than good. That’s really where the decision making came from.”

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News Population

“Explore teachers” brings STEM to K-5 students.

District combatting population decline with new positions

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By Braden Turk

R. Murphy On Feb. 7, the District 158 Board of Education courages collaboration, critical thinking and creativity, ” proposed the addition of several new positions at the Superintendent Scott Rowe said. elementary level. At first glance, this may appear to be Starting in the 2019-2020 school year, elementary unnecessary, but it is actually one of students will participate in an hour-long Ex“Explore will the first steps in a plan to combat the plore block each week. The program is being allow students decreased student size. to deeply engage integrated much like the existing art and music As there are fewer students in each specials. with [STEM grade, the student-to-teacher ratio Action will be taken by the board when the concepts] in a becomes smaller than necessary, but time comes for the staff restructure. Applicaproject-based instead of letting these employees go, setting that tions are currently open for teachers who want the district is restructuring the staff to encourages to take the positions. ensure as few layoffs as possible. collaboration, How the district will accommodate the de“There might have to be some critical thinking creased size in middle or high school levels is teachers that travel,” Human Resources and creativity,” yet to be seen.

Assistant Superintendent Adam Zehr “We are always keeping an eye on [effects on SCOTT ROWE said. “[But] the goal is to keep them in middle and high school] based on enrollment the same building.” numbers,” Zehr said.

These new positions include “Explore teachers” and Out of the two middle schools, Marlowe is taking the curriculum writers. Explore educators trigger curiosity bigger hit, but staff restructuring is not on their radar at in students and focus on engaging them in the mathe moment. terial; the contents are heavily linked to the district’s Over the past 10 years, this modest town has witScience, Technology, Engineering, and Math program. nessed the construction of a new hospital, its high STEM has been a major part of Huntley High School school enrollment spike to 3,000 students, and more. for a while now with its massively successful EngineerStill, it is no surprise that number is leveling out-ing Academy, and incorporating it into lower grade one village can only have so much growth. It is not yet levels has been a long time coming. clear if Huntley’s population will see another sudden The idea was expanded upon in an email sent to all resurgence; the only real way to know is to wait.

District 158 parents and students.

“Explore will allow students to deeply engage with [STEM concepts] in a project-based setting that enHUNTLEYVOICE.COM 5

News Awareness

Erin’s Law brings much needed awareness to sexual abuse

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By Emma Kubelka

Healing. Support. Trust. All are words that the Illinois founded organization Erin’s Law was built on.

34 year-old Erin Merryn reached a milestone when her law, which was created in result of her horrific childhood, won the Illinois Senate floor in 2010. Merryn, a sexual assault survivor, constructed a law in her name to protect victims of sexual violence, to bring awareness of the issue to current education systems, and to advocate for and give a voice to the voiceless.

When Merryn was younger than 12 years old, she was the victim of multiple sexual predators who haunt her to this day. As she grew older, she became stronger and soon gained the power to use her childhood trauma and pain to fight for children who would undergo horrors similar to her own.

The goal of the well respected Erin’s Law does not only teach students in grades preK- 12 appropriate techniques to recognize sexual violence, but also includes teaching facilities that informs parental figures about warning signs and resources.

The popularity of Erin’s Law grew and recently in 2018, Georgia became to 35th state to take on the education and awareness this program brings.

Huntley High School also acknowledges the importance of this law and takes Merryn’s fundamentals and beliefs seriously.

6 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

Courtesy of District 158 Website

Huntley’s social workers, counselors, administration, and students are working to create a student body culture that supports the victims of sexual violence and are currently taking measures to ensure a safe environment.

The importance of educating HHS students about the dangers of sexual assault is as crucial as any other procedure in this school. From fire drills to code red procedures, the lessons of unwanted touching and other variables of sexual assault/harassment need to be spread to all classes.

“Rape culture and sexual violence is extremely normalized these days, it should be talked about that is not okay, it is not normal. I think it partly stems from the music and media we listen to, it becomes a norm,” sophomore Stephanie Ramirez said.

The conversation of sexual violence can easily be misunderstood by family or friends and the committee has a passion for opening a healthy dialogue regarding what bystanders or survivors can do. Victim blaming and bystander culture is an important issue to tackle for the group.

“Parents and family act on protective instinct. They want to know what happened right away, people ask ‘what happened? You can trust me’ it can push boundaries in a way that can feel like blame,” Ramirez said.

Society accepts too much as normal,

when it is not and Huntley stresses finding help when needed.

Looking to the future, the committee plans to emphasizes and honor the stories of sexual assault survivors with The Clothesline Project coming to Huntley April 5.

The project will put on display t-shirts with experiences written across the front to break the silence and enforce community support to survivors.

This heartfelt emotional experience will draw attention stories of people from the community, and will provide with students and faculty to not only read the shirts, but to make one of their own if they’re past entails a similar story of sexual abuse.

The opportunity to make a shirt will take place in the different pods across the school.

“It is beyond important for the community to not only know what Erin’s law is or to be exposed to the clothesline project but to be educated on how to help, what it means to be a bystander, and what resources are available,” Tracy Walsh said.

If you need any assistance due to sexual violence, the National Sexual Assault Hotline number is (800)-5654673 and the Center Against Sexual Assault number is (888)-802-8890. Also, there is the LoveisResepct.org website that can assist you in any forms of relationship-based abuse.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 7

News Advocacy

Write for Rights program promotes global citzenship

A

By Madison Barr

Across the globe, basic human rights that are available to us in the United States are seen as a dream scenario to some. Whether it be protesting or speaking out for what you believe in, many people are persecuted and oftentimes jailed for such actions.

Every January, Amnesty International hosts a focus program in an effort to reach out to people to fight for human rights across the globe. This program encourages people to write to their local and national governments as well as to the families of those affected by human rights violations in order to show support and push for a change.

The human rights violations that Amnesty International specifically targets are in regard to people who have stood up for their own or somebody else’s rights and have been persecuted or imprisoned for it.

“We were really looking for a way to engage kids very quickly in the Global Academy,” Anne Sharkey said. “[The program also] uses a lot of our goals that 8 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

we look at, like the idea of global and how different things can be collaboration and taking action.” elsewhere in the world.

Through the “Write for Rights” “My understanding of human program, students in Global rights has changed completely.

Citizenship within the Global I am now enlightened on how Academy have the opportunity many civil rights there actualto potentially make a change in ly are and how many are being someone’s life for the better just violated everyday,” freshman through something small like a William Johnson said. “I undersimple letter. stand the difficulty in enforcing “[Our students] aren’t helpthem and keeping them true to less in this world; they can take all people. And most important, action and they I understand why “[Our students] can make a difthey are a thing in ference,” Sharkey aren’t helpless in the first place.” said.

There is also talk this world; they While the of opening up the Global Academy can take action Write for Rights all ready has a program to stuand they can capstone project make a differdents outside of for their future Global Citizenship ence.” senior students to in the future as complete, teachwell.

Anne Sharkey ers hope to in“I kind of hope corporate similar to continue on and projects into their encourage the kids, curriculum in the near future. even if they’re not in Global Citi“Our goal is to include kind of zenship, like if they are interested a project or something similar to in this stuff and are in the Global that in every single course,” Shar- Academy, of like sending it out key said. “I’m looking for anoth- to some of the students to see if er one as well even for Global they want to continue working Citizenship for the second part on it as a project,” Sharkey said.

Students have come away with of this semester.” a better understanding of what it Coming from a United States-centric point of view, most means to be global citizens and what life is like for others who of us often take for granted the don’t have protection of their rights that we do have thanks basic human rights. to the First Amendment in the “I personally feel like my unConstitution. Thanks to Write for Rights, our students are able derstanding of human rights of those around the world has been to see how our rights do not more defined, and I think I have transfer to every other country

Provided by A. Sharkey

a firmer grasp on how lucky I am to be where I am, and how it’s my duty as a citizen to ensure everyone has those same universal rights,” freshman Jimmie Soriano said.

Students want to make a change and all they need is a push in the right direction, and the Global Academy takes these kids under their wing and shows them how exactly to do so.

“Students are interested and just need to find their way to be engaged, need to find their cause,

and that’s very hard for a high school kid to think of that greater cause, or think of how they connect to the bigger world,” Sharkey said. “A lot of kids just need that guidance, and when there’s a specific person on the other end, where you can see a picture of that person and what they went through, it’s a lot easier to connect; sometimes they just need that connection.”

By finding a way to hone their passion about changing the world for a better, students in

Global Citizenship are able to take small steps at a time to see that change potentially come about.

“Advocating for another person’s human rights give me a sense of pride knowing that even though I am only one high school student in a town in the middle of the U.S., I can still change somebody’s life for the better,” freshman Kelsey Nixon said.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 9

huntleyvoice.com at a Glance

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Opinion Students

Few spaces to work and eat restrict students’ work ethic

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By Mady Borst

During sixth hour lunch, I purchase a meal from the cafeteria. I feel relieved that I have a class period where I can eat and get my work done.

But, there are some issues: I have to rush to the cafeteria if I want to get a seat. It is also near impossible to concentrate on my work with all the noise.

So, I quickly finish my lunch and head to the Hub, where food and drinks are prohibited. It is also completely silent in the Hub; there are days when I would like to eat and work in a similar area with little background noise.

Besides the cafeteria and passive commons, Huntley High School does not have a working space where food and beverages are allowed.

Less than a year ago, there were more places to eat and complete homework. The policies regarding seating were strictly enforced in November, which put a limit on where students can sit during lunch periods.

Tom Kempf, associate principal for operations, sent out an email about the policies and informed students that they were “new procedures.”

According to Kempf, though, the seating rules existed all along.

“The policy from the beginning was no food,” Kempf said. “We don’t have the infrastructure to maintain a separate cafeteria space.”

Prior to this, students were sitting and eating in the west and east side commons by the Performing Arts Center, the upper level above door 27, and the hallway by door 25.

“Really, the rule always was no food in those locations, we just struggled to enforce it based on numbers,” Kempf said.

These areas are now off limits with regard to food and beverages. Students are completely prohibited from sitting by the PAC during all three lunch periods, even if they are just looking to utilize it to work. “[Not allowing students by the PAC] came from a couple of different avenues,” Kempf said. “It is related to lunches and garbage and things that are left down there.”

The east side was often trashed during first semester, with dirty trays on the tables and food wrappers on the floors.

“It’s the event-front of our school; any time we have a game or theatre production, that’s where people walk in,” Kempf said. “We don’t have the custodial support or infrastructure to keep it clean.”

According to Kempf, the mess left by students was not the only factor responsible for seating limitations.

“Lunch is one of the thinnest on supervision,” Kempf said. “So we had to restrict access a little bit, and that was one of the places we knew we were struggling to make sure that everyone was always safe and supervised.”

With a school of 3,072 students, it is vital to have a variety of food-permitting work locations. The seating policies are affecting the work ethic of many students.

“I think [the policy] makes things really complicated for those who are

trying to eat or work during blended [periods] because seats fill quickly enough already,” junior Alyssa Sullivan said. “When they block off certain areas during lunch hours, which are the most crowded hours, it makes things super difficult.”

Though the rules remain unchanged for the rest of the year, there is still hope for change in the future.

“I’m all for hearing for ideas and suggestions on how we can re-utilize space, but it has to come with that adequate supervision,” Kempf said.

“The struggle we keep coming back to is having an adult making sure people are safe.”

For now, students will have to alter their previous working and eating routines in a manner that follows the seating policies.

“I think it’s about splitting your time and figuring out your system, because what works for you isn’t going to work for somebody else,” Kempf said. “Maybe you spend the first 20 minutes [of your lunch period] doing your work and go to the commons by door 25.”

Though this is the adjustment that several have made, students should not have to travel to multiple locations in the school just to eat their lunch and complete their homework. Being able to remain in one place for the entire period is much more convenient.

Administration should set a goal to increase campus supervision enough where working spaces can also be meal spaces.

Also, all students do not abuse their seating privileges, so all students should not have their seating privileges taken away.

“That restricts students from finding the right environment to eat, [especially] blended students who waived lunch,” freshman Peyton Siegler said.

With freedom comes responsibility; as long as they do not cause messes and disruptions, students should be granted access to more areas of the school if they want to utilize their lunch as a meal time and work time.

Huntley High School should make it a priority to increase supervision, so that every student can work in the areas that best suit them. If someone does not act responsibly, they should get disciplined individually.

“It is important we have more freedom and can find somewhere to be productive,” Siegler said. “When I need to eat and work, the loud noise of the commons is very distracting.”

Sure, there are some individuals who trash areas in the school, but they should be the only ones receiving consequences.

Providing flexible working spaces for students should be of high value of administration. Having more security guards will not only help with this, but will help with the overall safety of each individual inside the school.

Students are hungry for food and hungry to learn, so the school should provide us with versatile working atmospheres. Putting trust into us will bring success out of us.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 13

Opinion Culture vention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the age-adjusted suicide rate in 2017 was 14.0 per 100,000 individuals.

Oftentimes, despite the commonality of suicide, the topic is often considered taboo. This results in confusion and shame and can lead to misinterpretations.

The stigma that often surrounds mental illness leads to an unaware and uneducated environment. We can overcome these misconceptions by speaking directly and openly about suicide, and paying attention to our loved ones and their mental health.

A study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine revealed that the more time young adults spent on social media, the more they were likely to report symptoms of depression.

Though apps like Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc., may have been intended to keep us connected, they’ve seemed to have the opposite effect; we may be talking, but not all of us are listening.

“Social media and everything has created this world where we are isolating ourselves and aren’t necessarily having real conversations. You can tell when something is different with your friend or something has changed. Take them seriously. Don’t take the risk that something could be going on and just minimize it,” Associate Principal Danyce Letkewicz said. “You really

By Skylar Sharkey want to air on the side of caution. If you think that somebody is struggling with something or you notice a change, just [talk] to “I want to kill myself.” them or go directly to a counselor or social worker.”

Those five little words carry immeasurable weight. Words We all need to take each other seriously when thoughts of like those should draw attention, and turn heads. But instead, suicide occur, but it’s also important to realize that suicidphrases like this are brushed off and lost in the flow of converal statements are serious and can have deep effects on those sation. Hasn’t everyone said it at one point? around us.

Maybe you have a 5-hour shift at work tonight, or you got a By illegitimizing suicide, we are promoting the misconcepdisappointing grade on a test. Maybe you’re tired of waking up tions that mental illness is not serious and not treatable, which at the crack of dawn, or of the seemingly endless amounts of puts barriers between effective treatment and those who need it. homework you recieve.

“They’re very powerful words and I think people in general, “I want to kill myself.” when you’re not thinking before you’re saying, you have no idea We have all been frustrated and angry, tired to the point of what the impact is on the people around you who are hearing exhaustion. I am not the only one who has previously thrown it,” counselor Patricia Zacharias said. “You have no idea if they this phrase around a conversation as if it is perfectly casual. If themselves have struggled with that issue or if they are curwe know these words can carry so much anguish and pain, why rently struggling with the issue. You don’t know if they have a do we carelessly use them like it’s nothing? family member of a close friend who is struggling with that. It I’d be hard pressed to find someone who does not know anymay seem funny to the person that is saying it out loud in that one affected by suicide or has had suicidal thoughts themselves. casual way, but it can have a very, very deep impact.”

Though we may not realize it, using suicidal statements in There is no overwhelming distinction between a person who casual conversation is not only distasteful, but is also extremely has a physical illness or a mental illness; both deserve treatment hurtful to anyone who has ever been affected personally by and respect. When we make carefree jokes about wanting to mental illnesses such as depression. “kill yourself,” or “shoot yourself,” we need to take a minute and “I think that as time goes on, more and more people are think about the consequences of our words and the potential saying it on social media and saying it in person that they want pain they can cause. to kill themselves, when something little and minor happens,” If you know someone who has suicidal thoughts, or you freshman Allie Wentz said. “In reality, there are people around yourself are considering suicide, please reach out to a trusted them that could have been touched by [suicide]. If someone readult. Huntley High School employs wonderful counselors and ally means it and wants [to commit suicide] it may not be taken social workers that care about your well-being. seriously because it’s the norm and everyone is saying it now.”

You are not alone.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Pre-

The danger of normalizing suicidal statements

I

14 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

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Opinion Advice

High school survival guide What I wish I knew as a freshman

me develop into a leader and a good letting certain things go. communicator. I had to have those With all those things on top of all sleepless nights memorizing entire my classes was starting to feel overspeeches and school days where I whelmed; I wasn’t doing my homenever saw the sun to fully explore my work, my grades were dropping, I passions as well as my limits. wasn’t fully committing to anything These activities kept me motivated and I wasn’t sleeping enough. This to get through the school day espeseverely affected my happiness.

I felt like I was being pulled in every cially throughout spells where I felt particularly unmotivated during high direction and that if I wasn’t doing school. It was important to have a safe something, if I was taking a break or place where I felt at home that wasn’t letting myself sleep early, I was being irresponsible. my bed every day after school.

I knew I was overloaded. My parents However, there was a time that came were telling me, my teachers were when these things I loved stopped telling me, but I didn’t want to hear it. being fun and I was merely involved The things I did after school made me because I was chasing a feeling I

By Faith Losbanes feel happy and fulfilled in ways I hadn’t wanted to have again. I wanted to have felt before and I wanted to continue that last show, that last season, that last

By Faith Losbanes doing them even if it resulted in other victory lap finishing everything I ever When I stepped into Huntley High aspects of my life suffering. did in high school as strong as I could.

School as a fresh-faced 14-year-old, I found a home within the theatre That just wasn’t realistic. Being more than anything, I was excited. I community and I looked forward to stretched between so many things was ready to experience what what my every cold, 5 a.m. made it impossible older brother had just gone through.

Sunday morning to fully commit “It’s easy to feel He’d told me so many things about with the speech to something. As high school that I felt like I already detached and out team. I was with heavily in love I knew the place- stories about teachers my best friends was with being of the loop after he loved, school traditions, sporting doing something I on the stage and events, and the different clubs he was deciding to part loved. speech team, It involved in.

Now, these didn’t feel the ways with those I wanted to join everything. A are things that I same anymore as a month into my freshman year I had past times, but believe everyone senior. already done my first high school should experience I discovered the friends I made show and joined so many clubs that once in their high newspaper, found I can’t even remember all the names and expereiences school career. It a niche there as of them now. Art Club, tennis, FBLA, was important for I had still exist and well and wanted HOSA, Speech Team, Student Council, my growth as a to spend all my MedicalAcademy, Model UN, I even they’re important to time working on person to experijoined an a capella group. Needless to ence these things, making the best who I am today.” say, I had a lot on my plate. to do things that magazine I could I didn’t end up sticking with nearly scared me day after for the school.

FAITH LOSBANES as many clubs as I initially joined. As day.

I was given big I moved further into my high school I’m a naturally responsibility roles career, certain activities started taking introverted person, but putting myself from other activities but none I was priority over others and I felt bad for out there for judgement is what helped really thriving in other than newspa-

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16 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

per and that’s when I realized I had to make a decision.

There was a lot of expectation from many different people. Friends, coaches and especially myself. By senior year, I wanted to give my all to something and that wasn’t going to happen unless I listened to what I really wanted for myself.

Not auditioning for another show and telling my speech coach that I couldn’t continue with the season were some of the hardest things I had to do.

I didn’t want to let people down but it was ultimately necessary and I’m better for it.

It’s easy to feel detached and out of the loop after deciding to part ways with those past times but the friends I made and experiences I had still exist and they’re important to who I am today.

With only four years of high school,

it’s important to do the things that really matter. The years go by faster than you realize. Rather than stretching yourself thin to look involved for colleges or to not let anyone down, you should commit yourself to something you know you could really give your all in. You’ll be more successful in those things and have time to breathe.

Being truly committed to a few things or even one thing that you really love once you find it can be hard, but it’s the best thing I could have done for my own happiness and well being.

If you’re not naturally inclined to get involved, I encourage you to join something. It’s never too late to start something. I’ve had friends start things their junior or even start of senior year and end up loving it so much that they end up studying it in college or be a major contributor to the success of the team.

If you’re already involved and want to try something new, make the switch. High school is a period of growth and people can’t expect you to be the same person you were when you started high school, people change and so do interests.

Don’t feel like since you’ve “already made it this far” you might as well finish it even if you absolutely hate what you’re doing.

Do something that scares you because that’s where you’ll grow the most and meet the most unexpected friends.

There are cool, stereotype-breaking, and talented people in every corner of this school in the places you would least expect.

So, if you’re thinking of getting involved, go for it. If not, start thinking about it. Just make sure you can truly handle it because your well-being always comes first.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 17

humans of huntley “I know that no matter how much my life has changed theatre has been the one thing that has been there for me. Everyone there is so welcoming and accepting, I can always be myself here when I am not able to be anywhere else.”

“Why be shameful in who you are when you can be the most authentic version of yourself?”

- Zacariah Szeszol. sophomore interviewed by riyana walker // photographed by sydney laput

“So the first house that we were building that day we met the woman who we were building it for. And she was talking and [was pretty much in] tears about how we came out to help her and she’s been living in a shack almost her whole life and now she has a home. And that was kind of like ‘woah’ for me because she was just so thankful and grateful that we were there.”

“[My trip to the Dominican Republic] was amazing. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime kind of thing and if you get the chance to do it just go because it’s really amazing just seeing people who are just unbelievably happy but in the sense that they don’t have [much]. I took away the fact that, I know everyone says it but, we really do take everything for granted. Like a lot of things for granted. Just seeing it up close, it just blows your mind and it really changed the way I thought about certain things.”

- Giovanna foss, senior interviewed by riley murphy // photographed by sydney laput

Features Innovation

Geometry Construction Class brings new innovation to HHS

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By Dani Rhody

The sounds of woodsaws echo throughout the freshman hallway.

The smell of wood cuts through the air. In the woods room during first and second hour, the new Geometry-Construction class is working hard on their latest projects: cabinets for the woods room and giant Jenga sets.

This is the first year of the Geometry-Construction class at Huntley High School. A lot of schools surrounding HHS have had success after implementing this class into their curriculum, such as Schaumburg High School and Palatine High School.

According to the course catalog, the Geometry-Construction class is meant for the students to get real world experience through the making of construction projects.

The class mixes Geometry and construction, and is taught through the building of the projects. It is offered to every grade level here at HHS. At the beginning of the school year, the class was very different than it is now.

“The first few weeks of this class, as far as the construction goes, were safety tests,” Allen said. “Making sure kids don’t lose fingers is important. The first three weeks, I’ll be 20 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

Z. Iseneggar

honest, were quite boring.”

Allen and industrial technology teacher William Fraser have to work the class around the weather.

“If the weather cooperates, and it’s not too crazy cold or windy, we will head outside to one of our current projects, which is a storage shed for track and field,” Allen said. “If it is not a very nice day out, we will stay in here and do a math focused lesson.”

Some of these math lessons are taught through EdPuzzle videos, created by Allen. Because they are all online, the videos allow the students to go at their own pace, and

the more independent students are able to have more time working on the construction aspect of the class, instead of the math portion.

“So their direct instructions are video based, that way in any point of time, they can use some downtime from any woodworking projects they are working on, they can pop in and watch the video,” Allen said. “They will do some hands-on math-application practice problems as a small group, whatever it might be, but it allows them more freedom where there doesn’t have to be a set math instructional time in the class.”

For the assessment portion of the

make my own that are geared more those were not,” Allen said. towards the construction aspect of Another project, the storage this class. They are a bit different, shed, came from the track and field pretty much all application based. coaches.

You usually “The storage shed, so have that one the kids aren’t haul“I joined because word problem ing things all the way I wanted to know out where they do the on your math test that is throwing, which is more on how to really difficult. the way across the do stuff, so when all This is a class football field,” Allen I’m living on my were it is all said. “That way they can word probstore various items like own, I can fix lems; all aphurdles, discus, shot things and fed for puts, all those kinds of plication type problems.” things closer to where myself.”

The students they need it.” have done a vaThe students in the Tessa Highley riety of different class joined for many projects, both different reasons. Some big and small. of the students chose “We installed some wood floorto take this course because they are ing for the weight room, where interested in becoming architects, the bench press setup goes. The while some wanted to take a Geomold wood floor was beat up, so we etry class that was different than the demoed that, put down new wood other regular classes. flooring, finished that, and brought “I joined because I wanted to it over to them,” Allen said. “We know more on how to do stuff, so are working on the Jenga sets; they when I’m living on my own, I can fix are all built, but we’ve been laser things and fend for myself,” sophoclass, the students receive a grade engraving them with our Geo-Con more Tessa Highley said. “I want to in both parts of the class. The math logo, and we might be doing the help build where they go into places portion of these assessments is grad- Huntley logo as well. So there will that have been damaged and build ed on the same scale as the other be three sets that teachers can check houses.” regular Geometry classes. out if they want it for a class activity When the students were coming “The construction side would be or something. We have done some into this class they did not realise more participation. So as long as flower beds for the courtyard, [inthe projects they were going to make you are working, asking what you cluding] the zen garden.” would help the students and faculty. can do, working with others, you’ll These projects are assigned to “Going into this class, I thought be getting full points, out of a zero, the class based on what the school that it would be small projects that one, two, three, scale. As far as the needs. One of their biggest projects we would be working on,” sophomath goes, it is graded the same way was caused by the microburst storm more Aidan Boyle said. “But after I as the standard math is. The format experienced last fall. got into the class, I found out that is the exact same as a regular geom“The baseball dugouts, one of we are building a dugout, building a etry class. They take the same type them got blown down in the storm, shed. Actual projects that matter to of tests,” Allen said. “They are difso they obviously wanted something the school.” ferent tests than regular geometry. I built, something sturdy - which HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 21

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Features Inspiration

Brendan Dowling inspires students with life experiences

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By Elizabeth Kim

Everyone who has had Brendan Dowling as a teacher will know how he tells great stories and shares his open thoughts. He has been teaching for 15 years at Huntley High School.

When you first walk into his classroom, all the desks are spaced apart. The class is comforting and always very enjoyable. The attitude that Dowling brings to the class surrounds everything with positive energy. He looks at things with an open mind and is always mindful in every situation. The vibe is not tense and students feel like they can open up with him. When students walk in, he will ask them how their day is to interact with his students and to get to know them more. He takes the time with each individual student and cares about them.

He takes the time to ask his students if they need any help. From the time Dowling was in high school his teachers impacted him and he wanted to do the same and leave a big mark on his students. In class Dowling always makes sure all of his students are having a good time in class and learning. He always wants to hear any comments and questions. He brings up jokes and everyday life examples for students to understand a math question better and has the mindset to teach differently.

A lot of the students admire Dowling’s different teaching style compared to other teachers.

“He showed me that there is more to teaching then the information in class. He shows me that there are ways you can apply it to your life and he does that in a lot of ways through his stories, his advice,” Senior Devon Marks said. “Sometimes it can take some time in class but it is really valuable. Something that I look forward to throughout the day.”

Dowling has a passion for reading and introspection. He received a masters degree in Economics and always loved to learn. Dowling started an Investing Club and always been interested in business, politics, and psychology and learning about the mind. He would describe himself has curious and adventurous. He has a huge passion of traveling and exploring new places.

A big challenge Dowling faced is when his father passed away suddenly it made him and his two older brothers step up and provide the support their mom needed. It made Dowling take responsibility.

Situations in life will always bring something you can learn.

Something Dowling learn was to not take things for granted and to always live in the moment and to cherish everything by heart. Everything in life happens for a reason. This statement is hard to believe because in life obstacles do happen for a purpose in the end. Something is better out there that is just waiting to find you.

“If we only look at the physical world around us we miss the most important part and its the impact on the hearts and minds of the people we have contact with,” Dowling said.

In life having the connections is the main purpose of life in Dowling’s eyes. He believes that in the end it does not matter what type of laptop you had, shoes, clothes, etc. What matters is the memories you make with the people in your life that you care about. That you lived up to your own expectations and you had the career of your dreams and you

E. Kim

did your best in life to explore your way to your dreams and not going up on that.

“From the school and the students, [they] update me in society and really let me see the change in the world. I see the changes in students and they really updates me the trends and all the new fun stuff coming in that generation,” Dowling said. “My stories touch upon having the courage to take chances because if you don’t take chances and believe in yourself, you can’t really create your life that allows you to completely realize your dream. Never lose faith in yourself.”

Dowling’s experiences teaching in different places have granted him a wider perspective.

“Teaching in the inner city and traveling overseas has given me a broader perspective on how some people have more obstacles to overcome than others and [how] there are a lot of great stories of people overcoming great obstacles and it takes a lot of motivation from people who have beaten the odds,” Dowling said.

When Dowling sees students striving for something from a broken home it gives him hope that everyone can pursue their dreams regardless of their origins. He believes people need to find their passion, to find what makes them excited and makes people get out of their bed and finding a way to make it into a career. Both of his older brothers are very different. One is a teacher and the other is a businessman. They helped Dowling understand how people do not always have the same ideas as him.

“You have to believe before making something to happen. Also always trust in yourself. I coached many different things but my longest sport I coached was for 15 years in football. I believe in coaching a lot of opportunities is there to speak with the players about attitude/effort focus and dedication,” Dowling said.

All of the people that impacted Dowling were always optimistic, causing Dowling to feel that it really brought him to realize what he wanted in his future.

“Optimism is key and necessary for success and happiness and you can’t let others people’s thoughts and actions impact your optimism,” Dowling said. “Your strength comes in confidence in your future knowing that you’re going to do well on your next test, having that belief in your future.”

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 23

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Features Competition

HHS’s Chess Team offers inclusive competitive environment

J

By Jarrod Khoo

Junior Raphael Wong has been playing chess for as long as he can remember. Ever since his father introduced him to the game, he has been playing and learning the secrets of this ancient exercise in military strategy.

“My dad has always liked playing chess, so naturally he got me into it and we’ve been playing together ever since,” Wong said.

When he learned of Huntley High School’s Chess Club his freshman year, he starting attending meetings right away.

“I was really excited that Huntley had a Chess Club,” Wong said. “I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to meet new people who shared a common passion with me.”

Medical Academy teacher Nicholas Glowaty has also had a long history with chess.

“This is my third year teaching here,”Glowaty said. “I played a lot of chess in high school and I thought it was really strange that a school this big didn’t also have a Chess Club, so I decided to start one myself ”.

As the Chess Club grew in popularity, Glowaty soon realized that the club members were skilled enough to enter the competitive scene.

“We’ve been competing at the IHSA level for two years now even though our team is really young. We have no seniors and only two juniors,” Glowaty said. “We’re really dedicated to competition and practice two hours a day, four days a week.”

In chess competitions, teams of eight play against one another at eight numbered boards, each of which are worth a set number of points. For example, board 1 is worth 12 points, board 2 is worth eight points, and so on. When all eight boards have completed their matches, the points are tallied and the team with the highest points wins the round. While chess competitions are team ventures, there is a major individual aspect as well, since players on the same team cannot interact with each other and must attempt to win their games through their own skill and merit.

Many of the Chess Team’s players seemed very satisfied their performance at this year’s state series.

“State was an exhilarating experience that I will never forget,” Wong said. “Some of my matchups were really difficult, and we even ended up having to play the 11th ranked team in the state. This season, my record was three wins, one draw, and three losses. Next season, I hope to do even better and maybe even take home a state trophy.”

Z. Iseneggar

Glowaty seemed equally impressed with his students’ performance.

“This year when we made state we ended up placing 46 out of 128 teams,” Glowaty said. “One of our players even managed to go undefeated at state. Overall we placed second place at conference. Junior varsity took third place, and several of our players even earned medals.”

The members of the Chess Club work really well together and actively enjoy being part of the team.

“It’s always really fun to play with all my teammates,” Wong said. “I think we have a really good team dynamic, and that’s what I love about the Chess Club so much.”

The team also holds their coach in high regard.

“Mr. Glowaty is a great coach,” Wong said. “He teaches us a lot of new skills and helps us when we get stuck.”

Glowaty is also very proud of his students.

“As a coach, I’ve seen the team grow from absolutely nothing to a top-ranked team,” Glowaty said. “I can’t take all of the credit. The students have this drive to win, and I think it’s really amazing.”

Overall, Huntley High School’s Chess Team has seen incredible growth in the two short years of its existence. From a fledgling after school club to a formidable state contender, the team has made exponential progress. Both the coach and the students are driven to win, but also make sure to have fun and foster meaningful and long-lasting relationships.

It is this combination of student and coach determination and sense of unity that has led the team to multiple victories at both the local and state level.

If this is the level that the team can achieve in only two years, one can only imagine what they are capable in the future. Best of luck to the Huntley High chess team in all their future endeavors.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 25

Features Determination

Jennifer Heuck perserveres through her battle with breast cancer

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By Olivia Mack

Sitting on her bed with her husband by her side for moral support, her phone rings. She anxiously picks it up, as the answer on the other side of the phone could change her life. Her doctor admits, that after a series of biopsies and mammograms, she has breast cancer. After hearing the life altering news, she recalls her whole body going numb.

Thousands of women each year are affected by breast cancer. Physical Education teacher at Huntley High School, Jennifer Heuck, stands proudly as one of the survivors. Heuck received her cancer diagnosis at the age of 44, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

DCIS is a non-invasive form of breast cancer, which grows within the ducts of the breasts. For Heuck, it was stage two. Immediately she followed up by receiving different kinds of treatments to get rid of the cancer.

“I found out Jan. 2 of 2013. The phone call,” Heuck said. “And that was it. It was a very quick process to find out that I had it.”

It was a shock for her to discover that she had breast cancer, as her family does not have a history of it. A struggle for her especially during that point in time was that Heuck’s father had been already diagnosed with colon cancer. They shared the same treatment center, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois.

By sharing a similar experience with her dad, she was able to develop a closer relationship with him. They both could understand to a point what they were going through.

As for treatment plans, she feels as if she was lucky that she did not have to go through radiation therapy.

“Surgery wise I decided to choose [to do] a double mastectomy, based on the fact that I didn’t want to chance it [spreading],” Heuck said.

Soon after that surgery, her doctors checked out other parts of her body to see if the cancer had spread; they figured out that it had spread to her lymph nodes. After that, they had to remove Heuck’s lymph nodes and then focused on starting chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy, often referred to as just chemo, is a drug taken by cancer patients to stop the constant spread of dividing cells. For Heuck, her chemo process lasted about four months. It consisted of receiving the actual chemo for three to four hours, and then later receiving antibiotics to help her body recuperate from what was happening to it. Heuck got treatment once every three weeks.

“You have to go through the chemo, then you lose your hair, and little bits and pieces just start to happen and then you just keep moving forward,” Heuck said. “All you can do is hope and pray.”

Heuck received an abundance of support from people at HHS. Heuck has been at HHS for over twenty years, and she has close relationships with a majority of the teachers in the Physical Education department.

In honor of her, on her last day of working at the school before she had her double mastectomy, the whole school was wearing pink to show support. The following fall, the entire football team did a ‘Heuck is our hero’ campaign. Just recently starting this year, the Physical Education department started a ‘Dance Out Cancer’ event in October. The admission to get in was just a dollar, and that money went to support other women with breast cancer.

26 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

Provided By J. Heuck

The support she got from the school helped her in her fight. Her family also played a huge role in giving her support. Heuck has two daughters, the oldest was a junior in high school when she was diagnosed. The youngest was in fifth grade.

“They were living it with me. Living with the chemo, living with the changes in my body, the changes in me,” Heuck said. “It was tough on them, but they were so supportive.”

People that are diagnosed with breast cancer not only have to deal with the diagnosis itself, but the physical and psychological challenges that come with it. Heuck noticed the effects of the type of treatments she received not only were a medical necessity to keep her alive, but they also came with side effects. For each individual they are different, but for Heuck she mainly notices physical restraints, such as her bones feeling weaker than before.

“The physical being of someone does not, ever, capture who they are emotionally,” Heuck said.

To treat her physical restraints, Heuck takes a mix of multivitamins and medications that she used when she actually had the cancer, which is an everyday reminder that she had breast cancer.

Heuck marks June 1 every year as her survival day, and celebrates by going out with her husband for dinner and sending out a post on Facebook.

Heuck is very open and honest about her survival with breast cancer, as well as with the hardships that came with it. Her outlook on life has changed. She realizes that life could be so easily taken for granted.

“You find out someone has cancer, and you’re crushed for them. You then find out that it’s you, and you’re like I got this. Your whole mindset changes,” Heuck said.

Note from the writer: It has been an honor writing this article about Mrs. Heuck’s fight. There are many lives lost enduring this horrendous journey, and my reason for writing this article was to pay tribute to my dear aunt, Elena Papastefan, who had passed away last year of colon cancer. This piece also pays tribute to Jennifer Heuck’s father, Joseph Flashing, who passed away years ago from colon cancer as well. Even though they are with us spiritually everyday, they are missed dearly and put up such a fight for their lives. Their memories will live on forever as they fought such a courageous battle.

A&E Film

The hidden truth behind Disney magic

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By Ayman Mirkham

see Will Smith’s attempt to be the genie from “Aladdin” as the once loved mythical character had now been turned into a horrid CGI abomination.

All jokes aside, this teaser trailer actually foreshadowed a probable trend that will come out of these live action films. The live action version of these beloved Disney icons will most likely destroy the memory of these characters we grew up with.

Will Smith is also not the only actor who is trying desperately to continue their careers through these live action movies. While his old performances were great, Danny Devito is even trying to meaninglessly continue his acting legacy as the character Medici in the new “Dumbo” remake.

The worst is yet to come as no one knows when Disney will stop with these remakes. Are we going to have a live action “Toy Story” or a live action “Finding Nemo” that no one asked for? No matter what becomes a live action film, the fans will never get to decide what film they want.

Disney classics are going to be ruined one live action film at a time and it is up to the public to ask themselves if they really want these unnecessary remakes. Fans do not want to recreate the memories for their generation, but rather want original content that can hopefully be considered classics of this time period.

Disney is the powerhouse of the movie industry and their power to create and destroy franchises is truly remarkable. From Disney princesses to the sacred “Star Wars” saga, nothing is truly safe. If they continue this route of “fast-cash movies,” the meaning Disney once had will be lost in a blink of an eye.

Disney’s net worth, $2.1 billion is still a lot of money. The sad part about it is that most The sweet memories of the movies. Everyone people do not even know that this marketing remembers the time when they first went to strategy is going on. the movie theaters, watched a movie as a kid, A lot of the general public see these films and were over-filled with happiness and exciteas innocent remakes of classics that will give ment by the amazing production of the film. “today’s kids a chance to share the memories In today’s world, we are sadly losing that bit we had as children.” The sad reality being that by bit. Though many want to recreate those this all a lie, a clever, manipulative lie. memories once more, no one would ever want What Disney is trying to do is use old a company to “recreate” our childhood memofilms and remake them to recreate childhood ries with a live action disaster. memories and then continue the cycle one Disney has been getting quite a lot of generation of consumers to the next. The plan attention with their new surplus of live action itself is not bad at all, but the consequences it films. As many know, these live action films are has takes away the Disney “magic” that all fans all remakes of precious Disney classics. With of the industry seem to love. about ten live action remakes in the works, The point of a movie being considered a many wonder why there is such a big push for classic is that the film is a masterpiece of some these films. sort and that an individual can view the movie Money, it’s always about the money. as a reference during valued times in their life.

According to IMDb.com, the first popular However, when a considered classic is remade live action remake that Disney produced was in 12 different ways, the merit that film once “101 Dalmations” which was released Nov. 27, had is gone.

1996. However, the word popular is not the Also, one of the worst parts about these live best way to describe the film. action remakes is the destruction of characters This film got one of the worst ratings in Diswe all once knew and loved, the best example ney history and was disowned by many fans of course being the teaser trailer for the live of the Disney community. As bad as the film action remake of “Aladdin.” was, this definitely did not stop Disney from The world was shocked and horrified to producing many more live action nightmares.

Though there were a couple of other movies that were released such as “Alice and Wonderland” and “Maleficent” during the 2010s, the film that sparked the rebirth of live action remakes was definitely Disney’s “Cinderella” of 2015.

According to Box Office Mojo, about $220 million of revenue was made out of that remake. Fans were overjoyed by the thought of getting to see one of their favorite princesses in “real-life,” but had obliviously fallen into the movie industry’s cycle of making more money out of its customers.

After the movie “Cinderella” became a huge hit in 2015, close to 12 movies have now been released or announced to come out in only a few years. According to Box Office Mojo, all of the released live action Disney films have accumulated to a net profit of $2.1 billion of box office revenue.

Though this is only a small fraction of Will Smith as the Jeanie in new “Aladdin” remake.

From IMDb

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 27

A&E Music

‘Harverd Dropout’ proves that Lil Pump should have stayed in school

as “Designer,” “Welcome to the Party,” and “Arms Around You.” Lil Pump is not only growing within himself, but other rappers are catching on to his style. He has appeared in songs with very famous rap artists such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, 2 Chain$, XXXTENTACION, Lil Uzi, Lil Yachty, and many more.

Pump has performed in a huge variety of cities and does not seem to be stopping. He recently just announced a new tour that he will be going on with Lil Skies. Starting on

By Kyle Abruzzo April 19, the “Harverd Dropout” tour will Gazzy García, better known as Lil Pump, begin all the way in Seattle. is an up-and-coming music producer and Lil Pump originally said that his new rap artist. Many may believe that he has album would be coming out in August of already reached his peak, but it looks like 2018. He had claimed that he lost his album Pump is just getting started. At just 16, he and just could not find it but this did not signed a one-year contract with Warner make sense to any of his fans and left a Bros. Records. The year after, he signed bunch of people thinking that this album again with Warner Bros. on March 13 for was just not ready. The album ended up $8 million. coming out on Feb. 22. Obviously, this was Lil Pump first started to take over the rap way later than expected. scene with some of his first songs he ever This 16-track album did not live up to the put out such as “Elementary,” “Lil Pump,” hype. There were a lot of people, including and “Drum$tick.” Pump then went on to myself, who were really excited for this release his debut album called “Lil Pump.” album to come out but then were disapThis album featured major hits such as “Gupointed when they first heard it. cci Gang,” “Boss,” “D Rose,” and “Molly.”

Lil Pump had released six out of the 16 The most popular song this album was songs earlier than the album came out. All “Gucci Gang.” This song received over 131 six of these songs have higher ratings than million plays on Soundcloud. Every single any of the other ten on the album. I think song on his debut album had exceeded at that those songs were very well produced least 4.36 million Soundcloud plays. and had actual thoughts going into them.

Pump has had even more success since But some of these new songs, such as then. He has released additional songs such

G

“Vroom Vroom Vroom” and “Nu Uh” just really have no point to them. He uses the same lines about 100 times in each song.

The word “vroom” was said a total of 52 times during “Vroom Vroom Vroom.”

Pump’s most popular new song, “Be Like Me,” featuring Lil Wayne, is the only song that has exceeded a million plays on Soundcloud. I would have to agree and say that this is his best newer release. Overall, my favorite song on his new album would be either “Esskeetit,” “Drug Addicts,” or “Racks on Racks.”

These three songs all have really catchy beats and an actual story to the lyrics.

Although the stories to these songs may not be the best, there is some meaning to them. Overall this album has left many fans unsatisfied with the quality of the content that was released.

I think he definitely needs to be a better lyricist when he is making his songs. This is only the second album Pump has ever released, so we can expect much more improvement in the future. At only 18 years old, he does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.

There is no sign from Pump that any new music will be coming out soon. However, there are rumors that there is another song in the making that would feature his tour partner, Lil Skies. We can only wait and see.

Catch Pump and Skies on tour traveling around the whole country next month.

They are both just getting started.

From Lil Pump Facebook Lil Pump’s promotional poster for “Harverd Dropout” 28 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

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HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 29

A&E Film

The movie that took 29 years to make Terry Gilliam’s passion project is finally being released

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By Braden Turk

“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” has been a dream of director Terry Gilliam since 1989. Despite his love and dedication for the project, the film did not receive funding for nine more years, and shooting in 2000 was halted after flooding and other production potholes.

Gilliam attempted to jumpstart it for several years thereafter but all of his efforts failed. It was not until 2017 that filming of the movie completed, albeit with an entirely different cast than intended; the film is dedicated to John Hurt and Jean Rochefort, both previous Don Quixote actors.

Gilliam is no stranger to production issues. One of his most popular films, the dystopian fantasy “Brazil,” was seized by the studio, edited, and given a happier ending -- this version was appropriately dubbed the “Love Conquers All” cut, removing all traces of satire from the conclusion and treating its audience like fools.

The director went so far as to present under-the-table screenings of “Brazil” to schools and critics. Unexpectedly, this paid off in full, since the Los Angeles Film Critics Association handed it Best Picture in a landmark decision that no doubt rescued it from months more of development hell. Universal Studios begrudgingly made a 132-minute version that was released to U.S. theaters, although Gilliam’s true vision only made it to the states years later in 1999.

“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” follows an advertisement director as he returns to the Spanish village he shot a “Don Quixote”-based film in years before. The lead actor, now fully convinced that he is the brave

From film’s official website Toby (Adam Driver) and Javier (Johnathan Pryce) roam the Spanish countryside.

knight Don Quixote de la Mancha, mistakes him for his squire and gleeful chaos ensues.

Adam Driver stars as Toby, the self-centered advertising mogul, while Jonathan Pryce plays the delusional “old man,” Javier.

Driver puts up an entertaining performance but the real delight is Pryce, whose acting is so convincing the viewer has to wonder if he is going insane himself. Like all great performances, his elicits multiple emotions: awe at the grandeur of the brave night, but also pity for the frail, sickly man behind the delusion.

Students who are familiar with the story of Don Quixote will get a kick out of the parallels Javier makes between the real world and his fictitious one: police sirens as wailing beasts, a malnourished horse as the valiant steed Rocinante, and, of course, windmills as giants.

The film’s major issues, however, lay where some of its strengths do as well: the screenplay. “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” clocks in at 2 hours and 13 minutes -- a runtime that overstays its welcome by nearly 30 minutes. Somewhere along its 29-year production, the movie picked up content it did not need, bloating itself an unnecessarily large amount. There are parts in the story that come to a grinding halt, especially when the forced conflict between the two leads rears its inevitable head. (To absolutely nobody’s surprise, they reconcile.)

The viewer is led down a series of byways that become increasingly frustrating as time goes on. Toby’s flirtations with his boss’ wife

and a young waitress-turned-escort are by far the least tactful moments in the movie; they serve no narrative purpose other than to move the plot forward. Every second spent on these subplots detract from the meat of the story: the relationship between Toby and Javier. Watching the former scurry around trying to keep up with his “master” is both hilarious and devastating when considering the harmful effects he has made on the village residents.

It has the makings of a great film trapped in a mediocre one. The direction is confident but lacks ferocity; the story has potential but comes out half-baked. Gilliam’s trademarks are in full force here, namely individuals versus society and the clash between reality and fiction. He should be at his most comfortable, driving the film home to make it the best he possibly can, but the final product does not reflect these intentions.

But maybe these criticisms are too hard on the work. The fact that it is being released is nothing short of a miracle, and Gilliam’s persistent attempts prove his love for the source material. For all of its pitfalls, the film is still enjoyable, with the acting, soundtrack, and base story all providing for a unique and moderately enjoyable experience.

For what the film is, a movie that was destined to never be made, “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” is still better than most anticipated.

It could have been a lot worse, and maybe that’s enough.

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 30

A&E Vieo Games

From “Apex Legends” official website Characters in “Apex Legends.”

‘Apex Legends’ brings major success to Electronic Arts

characters are Bangalore, the “professional soldier,” whose ultimate ability is rolling thunder which calls in an artillery strike that slowly creeps across the landscape.

Bloodhound the “technological tracker,” has the ultimate ability beast of the hunt which enhances your senses, allowing you to move faster and highlight your prey. Caustic the “toxic trapper” has the ultimate ability nox gas grenade which blankets a large area in nox gas. Other characters include Gibraltar the “shielded fortress,” Lifeline the “combat

By Trevor Wolinsky medic,” Mirage the “holographic trickster,” Pathfinder the “forward scout,” and Wraith Electronic Arts may have published the the “interdimensional skirmisher.” game of the year with the battle royale game The game comes from a recent history of “Apex Legends.” It was released Feb. 4 and collected an astounding player base of 50 million massively successful games in the battle royale genre. within a month of being released.

Shortly after the release of the film “The “Apex Legends” is a free-to-play battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertain- Hunger Games” in 2012, a server plug-in named “Hunger Games” (later changed to ment and published by EA. 60 players verse “Survival Games”) was developed for “Mineeach other on an island in squads of three.

One member of the squad the “squad leader” craft.” After “Minecraft” came “H1Z1 King is in charge of where they deploy on the map. of the Kill.” Then the massively successful “Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds,” followed by The teams scavenge for weapons and other supplies to battle other squads, during which “Fortnite,” then currently “Apex.”

The game is a huge success and some see it the size of the arena decreases until one squad as a turning point for EA. EA has been in hot remains. water for almost a decade now about being Respawn Entertainment is best known for one of the worst companies in America. The its development of the incredibly successful Consumerist, which runs an annual worst “Titanfall” series. Apex is very similar to “Titanfall” in many aspects including the guns company in America contest, voted EA as the worst company in the United States back to and the futuristic atmosphere. It is even so similar that many players are calling it “Titan- back in 2012 and 2013, then again in 2016.

EA has not won every year but they have been fall Battle Royale.” a contender for worst company almost every Apex Legends features eight characters to year since 2008. choose from, six are unlocked, and the final EA has earned a reputation for games two can be unlocked via microtransaction. loaded with microtransactions, resulting in Each character has a passive ability, an active an unsatisfied player base and failing games. ability, and an ultimate ability. The eight Their most previous game “Starwars Battle-

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31 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

front 2” only sold 9 million copies in its first year compared to Apex Legends having 50 million in one month.

Apex has many incredible features, but one of the most popular features is also one of the simplest. In any team game communication is key to success and the ping system in Apex has been incredibly successful.

While the game contains a voice chat which is common throughout all team games, a lot of players do not have mics, making communication difficult. While other games do have pinging systems none are like Apex. Apex’s pinging system not only allows players to ping areas on the map but agree or disagree with other pings, making it one of the most interactive communication systems of the genre.

Separately, you can ping a position to say that you are headed there. You can agree with pings, disagree, say “I can’t do that,” cancel a ping that’s no longer relevant, or accidental.

You can mark an area you are watching, you can mark a place you have spotted an enemy, and you can say that an enemy “has recently been here.” Wraith, who has a special ability that warns her when she is being aimed at, can press ‘H’ to share this information with teammates. You can ping specific items within dead players’ chests by hovering and clicking on them, you can then call dibs on pinged items, and you can thank teammates after picking up an item they have dropped.

Overall there is a reason why “Apex Legends” has amassed 50 million players in 28 days. The game is incredibly well put together for being released on such little notice, and being out for such a short period of time. The game combines the best aspects of “Fortnite,” “Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds,” and “Titanfall” to bring an enjoyable addicting experience for any user.

Sports Basketball

Overlooked Managers. Two basketball managers discuss what managers do

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By Ashley Reilly It was the last Heineman versus Marlowe rivalry game that their class would every play. Now juniors Brianna Carlson and Grace Kalichefski were at the game cheering on their Marlowe Middle School team.

Across the court they saw their prior teacher and varsity basketball coach Ryan Starnes and went over to catch up with him. Starnes asked them a question that at the time seemed like no big deal, but shaped how their high school careers would go, would Carlson and Grace be sports managers for the JV basketball team next year.

“I was just Grace’s friend at the time, but we were just talking about our lives and stuff and we started talking about basketball,” Carlson said. “He brought up managers and Grace was like ‘Oh yeah we’ll do it!’ and she looks at me and I was like ‘Yeah, sure ok’” Neither of the girls knew what they were getting into. Sports managers are often an overlooked position that doesn’t get much attention from students.

“I can tell you for basketball pretty much what we use [sports managers] for is to help us film. They show up on game days and they are responsible for all the camera equipment and filming the game,” Starnes said. “It’s such an important part of our team and our success having them there. We 32 THE VOICE MARCH 2019

watch the film every single day.”

After the games, the films are taken and analyzed. Both the Huntley teams skills and the opposing team’s skills are carefully considered in order to better our team. Often times we play another school twice and this film can be crucial in predicting how the other team will play.

As Kalichefski and Carlson continue to film these games, the more into it they get.

They cheer on the players, make comments about the game, and often get more into the game than filming.

As two of the basketball teams biggest supporters, Kalichefski and Carlson make their best effort to be at every single game.

“Grace and Bri are very very dependable, I remember sometimes when I forgot to text them when the bus was and they would reach out to me and be like ‘Game tonight, when’s the bus,’” Starnes said.

As managers, Kalishefski and Carlson both show great dedication and are always there for the team. In times that they can’t be, like for work, they make sure that the other person will be there or that they find a friend to go and film for them. For all three years they have been managers they have never once left a game without someone to film for them.

The basketball team benefits in so many ways from these managers, they get their film and are able to better themselves all thanks to the managers. Many people see these positives, but many don’t realize all the positives the managers themselves get.

“I just love being a part of something. I’m not a sporty person, I don’t do clubs. I feel special being there because I’m a part of the team. I love doing it,” Carlson said.

Being someone who wasn’t always out and about, Carlson is able to involve herself in the school in a way that is comfortable for her and fun. She is important and valuable because of the things she does for this team and she knows it, the coaches know it, and the team knows it.

Being a part of a team greatly improves the social skills and self value of teenagers in high school. For some students joining a sport in high school can be very scary, especially if they have never done that sport before. Being a manager is a way to be a part of a team and benefit Huntley all while being inside your own comfort zone.

Carlson and Kalichefski spend so much time with their team and build strong relationships with the coaches and the players, but also with one another. Being friends for six years, they have obviously had their ups and downs, but always find their way back to one another.

“We both agree we’re only friends because of basketball. We’ve gotten in arguments before and worked them out because of basketball,” Kalichefski said. “We are together for like an hour on the bus and everyone sits in their own seats and even if there are 10 empty seats we sit together and just talk about whatever and catch up on everything.

We don’t have any classes together or lunch together and both work after school, so we don’t have any time to see each other.”

Without being managers, their friendship may have gone from six strong years, to only three. With school work, jobs, clubs, and more, high school students have little to no time to hang out with friends. Being a sports manager carves out a time for students to build great relationships with one another.

Their time as sports managers has done nothing but better Carlson and Kalischefskis’ lives. They encourage any student to reach out to a coach and become a sports manager. It may bring you experiences you never expected.

Sports Lacrosse school and club level. She has been a great ambassador for the sport, whether it be through helping new players, exposing others to the sport, or just remaining optimistic when the going gets rough.

“On and off the field [Brooke] has a positive attitude towards everything. With me being a freshman on varsity last year, she welcomed me to the team and pushed me to get better,” sophomore Isabella Wiechec said. “Playing with her, you can tell she is determined to win and wants to make sure everyone is on the same page.”

Borchart’s hard work and determination has led to her being able seeking out lacrosse opportunities following high school. She spent the short break in Feb visiting a number of colleges she’d be interested in, and even ended up with a few scholarship offers from a number of different Illinois universities.

“My future with the sport is to, of course, play in college,” Borchart said. “I am undecided as to where I want to attend right now, but I have been looking into some absolutely fantastic schools and I am very excited to continue the search.”

By Austin Stadie As is with most things in life, Borchart couldn’t achieve all of this on her own. Both club, True Lacrosse, where I would play year Ever since she was young, junior Brooke of her parents help and support her with Borchart had been dancing. The decision was round lacrosse, which would eventually help anything thing she decides to pursue, along me land a spot on varsity for the high school largely her mother’s, and she wasn’t such a with the friends who are always there when my sophomore year.” huge fan initially. With time, however, she she needs them the most.

All wasn’t perfect, of course; even though grew fond of dancing and it became her sport “I am only where I am today due to the supshe began playing lacrosse, and loved it, from second grade up until the end ninth port from my family, friends, and coaching she was confused about whether or not she grade. staff at both Huntley High School and True should remain in dance too. At this point, Unfortunately, during her 2017 season, Lacrosse,” Borchart said. “The constant sacriBorchart would fall out of love with the sport she had to attend both dance and lacrosse practice, while maintaining a balance with her fices my parents have made for me has gotten she had dedicated years to, largely in part to me to the level I am at today. Their constant school and social life as well. This lasted for all that she and her team had accomplished the duration of freshman year, until she finally support will help me continue to grow and the year prior. In her eyes, between winning strengthen myself in this sport and in life.” made her decision. nationals and even worlds, all her first times Lacrosse has influenced Borchart’s life in “I felt very conflicted and was, at times, were spent. Around this time, she would also more ways than one; it may be through meetnot sure if I was be introduced ing new friends, having better opportunities, making a good to lacrosse by a or just being healthier. Without lacrosse, the transitional friend of hers, choice for myself. course of her life would be completely differand she would Of course, I even- ent, and that’s a large part of the reason she instantly become tually decided to encourages anyone interested to give it a shot. a fan of the sport.

“As a team, we share all of the wins and pursue [lacrosse], “I went to a lalosses, and all of the good times and bad and it has been crosse game with times, and I believe it has really turned us the best choice a friend the suminto a family,” Borchart said. “These experiof my life so far, ” mer going into BROOKE BORCHART ences have not only helped make me who I Borchart said. freshman year am today, but have also opened up so many Borchart has and I absolutely always been determined and set on her goals, opportunities for me, both present and future. loved it. It inspired me to attend the Huntley The experiences I’m having now are ones that while remaining kind and helpful. This has High School summer camp for lacrosse, and I believe I will be looking back on with fondallowed her to have a tremendous impact that is where I got to get a real feel for the ness and happiness in the future, and that’s on her teams and programs at both the high sport,” Borchart said. “After that, I joined a something I will always be grateful for.”

Switching Direction. Junior Brooke Borchart joins the girls lacrosse team

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“The constant sacrifices my parents have made for me has gotten me to the level I am at today.”

HUNTLEYVOICE.COM 33

Editorial

The Vanguard Vision What you should know about the new competency-based pilot program A cultural gap exists between the four Vanguard classrooms tucked away at the far end of the freshmen hallway and the rest of the school. Many students and faculty outside of the program know very little about what is happening behind the Vanguard doors.

Behind the colorful furniture and coffee makers, students have complete control of their education, but does this make it harder for them to succeed?

Vanguard implements a program that aligns with competency-based learning. This style of learning allows students to develop all aspects of their education- academic, social, and emotional. This dynamic program allows students to meet learning targets at their own pace by incorporating their interests with the subjects they are learning. “[Vanguard] is teaching [students] the expectations, and I am a firm believer that if you give students an expectation that they’ll rise to the occasion to meet it,” Principal Marcus Belin said.

Vanguard students start off their day by going through what is called a flex schedule. According to Belin, students schedule time to go to sessions that are offered at specific times for their core classes.

The students go to lunch and soon after they are able to go to their electives and gym classes. They have a different bell schedule than that of traditional students and within these sessions that they have to take, they have the ability to choose what class they want to go to each day for the first four periods of the day. If the students need more time to focus on a specific subject, such as math, they have the ability to alter which session they go to, and go to two sessions of math instead. The next day they can compensate for the class that they missed by focusing on that for a few hours of their day.

The teachers of Vanguard are currently Lana Johnson, Kris Grabner, Ellysa Cassier, and Zachary Davidson. Vanguard students are currently only freshmen, but there are plans to expand the Vanguard program through all four years of high school.

The Vanguard program seems to be every educator’s ideal THE VOICE MARCH 2019 34

classroom setting where students get to create their own flexible learning path.

The community in each room is strong and the students are focused on applying what they are learning to real life. If a student is specifically struggling in a subject, they have the opportunity to take the entire day, if needed, and dedicate it towards their struggles. This gives them the time to ask questions, learn more, and possibly make up or relearn a lesson that they did not understand.

Not only does this benefit a student academically, but allows them to build a strong relationship with their teachers. Being so closely acquainted with these teachers allows for each student in the program to have a concrete support system.

“I will tell you those four teachers that are there right now know those students as if they were their own kids,” Belin said.

In a typical classroom setting, students are often not offered the same one on one support that Vanguard students have.

These individualised opportunities ultimately lead to a strong relationship and foundational support system between the teacher and the student. Students in Vanguard not only know their teachers well, but they know them to an extent where they are not intimidated to open up about their struggles about academics or their personal lives.

“For me, I think teachers just teach me and then they’re done. But with these [teachers], they’re so understanding,” freshman Gina Giuseffi said. “They are more like friends to me than teachers. I can tell them my problems sometimes, they do so much for me.”

Because of the seclusion of Vanguard, students have the ability to form closer bonds with their peers. They get to work side-by-side with them and have the constant ability to collaborate for projects and work on new ideas.

With these new projects comes an outlet for more creativity and for the students to grow.

“The kids that our pilot speak to are the kids who have lost their way in the traditional world that don’t like conforming to what teachers want them to do and don’t like jumping through hoops,” Superintendent Scott Rowe said.

While there are many positive, appealing aspects of Vanguard there are also quite a few flaws that cannot go unmentioned. Because the Vanguard program is in its pilot stage, there is always room for improvement and the administration is working to fix the issues that the program is facing.

While the program has its own strong community, it is very isolated from the rest of the freshmen class and the student body in general. The school needs to do a better job of incorporating the traditional student body with the Vanguard student body.

“Even with freshmen academy the freshmen are self contained a little bit,” Vanguard English teacher Lana Johnson said. “Except when they go out and take electives. So, we push them out to their electives. We really encourage their involvement, but I think part of that separation is because they’re freshmen.”

Just as the Vanguard freshman can easily feel separated from the rest of the student body, teachers and traditional students at HHS can also feel astray from the Vanguard program. To many teachers, Vanguard is a mystery.

“I think that we have not had a great opportunity to work with our other teachers, and I wish that were better. Because, as a former senior teacher, I was in the midst of everything, and I feel kind of secluded from my colleagues,” Johnson said.

“I take every chance I get to talk about within the English department, and yet, we haven’t had a great opportunity to talk about it outside of the four of us.”

Though there are various social and educational barriers between Vanguard and the rest of the student body, the community at HHS needs to make integrating Vanguard students and teachers into the regular student body a priority. How do we do this? By educating ourselves.

Both students and teachers who are on the traditional learning path need to take responsibility in being open to the benefits of Vanguard.

That being said, the Vanguard community needs to be attentive and make sure that they are measuring their progress against the basic standards of learning for each subject, as well as understand and respect the traditional learning paths that other students take.

With a completely different grading scale, students should still be aware of how their progress compares to their outside peers. Students should have more regular updates about how their proficiencies translate into traditional high school creditotherwise students may be shocked to learn how well or poorly they are truly doing on a scale that they are used to.

It is important to acknowledge that there are valid concerns

about joining a program that is very much in its early stages.

Families looking into joining Vanguard should be aware of the fact that the learning style requires heavy participation and responsibility on the part of the student. The program provides students with extremely flexible learning opportunities, meaning it is easy to fall behind or to become distracted which ends up being the case for many students. Students should acknowledge and weigh the concerns of the program equally to the positives.

You cannot succeed in Vanguard without self-discipline.

It’s an opportunity for students who have difficulty with a traditional setting to find what works for them. There’s not one mold that a student in Vanguard needs to fit- advanced students, regular students, students with learning disabilitiesthey all make up a representative portion of the Vanguard program.

While all types of students can benefit from competency-based learning, a student’s success is ultimately up to their own determination.

Though all of us learn in different ways, we are all students trying to expand our level of knowledge and understanding.

Everything aside, traditional and Vanguard, we are all a part of a growing Huntley High School community and mutual respect for both programs will only benefit our school culture.

The classroom setting Vanguard has is relaxed and if students have poor time management stills, like anything new, they are likely to struggle in the beginning.

The concerns surrounded the Vanguard program should not go unaddressed. The students are graded using words like “proficient” and “exemplary” rather than numeric grades. This opens the discussion of ‘what is proficient?’ and ‘what if I am not proficient?’ And in all honesty, it seems these questions still have developing answers.

But, we trust that the administration and the teachers involved in Vanguard will work to resolve each flaw. Despite all worries, students who fall behind or slip up will receive encouragement and nourishment as a learner.

The Vanguard community acknowledges every benefit and flaw within the program. They are aware of the development needed in certain areas, but they are also celebrating the fact that they are taking part in a pilot program that embraces individualized student learning and innovative educational opportunities.

Vanguard is a non-traditional form of learning and can be confusing when it comes to the way their grading scale and learning style functions. However, that does not mean we should disregard the potential benefits it can have on students who do not flourish under the current learning structure.

THE VOICE MARCH 2019 35

onelastvoice Kelli Swanson THE SPANISH I AND II TEACHER WHO STUDIED ABROAD THREE TIMES WHILE STUDYING AT NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY What is one thing you can’t live without ?

My family, just because they’re always there for me. When I’m going through something, they’re always there in any situation and with three sisters it’s like having 3 built in best friends.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

Ireland and Sweden if i had to pick one over the other it would be Sweden just because I have so much family there and the whole culture there interests me.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

If I could live anywhere I think I would go back to Spain because it is so different compared to hear their whole lifestyle is no as fast pace, I think I adapt really well to their culture because they have built in nap time and you get things done on your own time.

What do you believe your spirit animal is? wish it was a giraffe because I love giraffes but I’m not tall. A lot of people say I’m like a dog because I’m very loyal and always there to cheer people up!

What’s your favorite season?

I would say It’s probably summer, because not only because I like warm weather but because I love spending time outside and since we have a lake house, it’s just an easy way to get peoWhat social stigma does society need to get over?

People can sit here and fake happy as well as fake emotions. Everyone is so infatuated with social media but really they’re just on the outside looking in.

As a result, people are very quick to judge instead of understanding what it really is going on with people. Making assumptions and not really getting to know people is something that today’s society should work on.

Interviewed by Riy Walker and Riley Murphy// Photographed by Elizabeth Kim