Huntley High School Voice Newsmagazine November 2020 by Huntley Voice

NON-PROFIT NON-PROFIT ORG ORG U.S. U.S. POSTAGE POSTAGE PAID PAID PERMIT PERMIT NO. NO. 138 138 ALGONQUIN, ALGONQUIN, IL IL

THE

VOICE November 20 2020, Volume 24, Issue 3

Best One Juniors publish Direction soloists song on Spotify Staying positive during holiday season

CONTENTS NEWS 03 OPINION 13 A&E 15 HUMANS OF HUNTLEY 23 FEATURES 32 SPORTS 38 EDITORIAL 43

featured on

huntleyvoice.com

Huntley as a whole devasted by the news that Turkey Testicle Festival is pushed back a year

With the Coronavirus affecting our finals, do we need to readjust our views or get rid of them?

Staying in Shape with Shannon Shannon Magura

One Direction members incredible solo careers and how they have flourished

Olivia Tatone stresses her positivity to others and judgement free life How Buddies Club plans to continue their welcoming atmosphere in their meetings online

Ethan Kornas practices for season Kate Alvarado

Junior and softball player Reese Hunkins commits early to the Univeristy of Illinois

Even with the current pandemic, is is crucial to stay positive and find things to be thankful for

THE

EDITORIAL POLICY

OICE

Football Contact Days Syed Hasmi

Editorial Board Editor in Chief Amelia Pozniak

Managing Editor Nikki Darnall

Section Editors

Ally Berens, Alyssa Borring, Ruhi Gulati, Grace Helzer, and Ally Jorgenson

Photo Editor Sydney Laput

Marketing Editor Brooke Hamann

Social Media Manager

Molly Baker and Maggie Kirwin

Staff

Staff Writers

Parker Amato, Trevor Book, Brenden Boyle, Delaney Cairns, Sophia Coronado, Emmy Cohen, Riley Friberg, Jonathan Hani, Brooke Helle, Arianna Joob, Sarah Reilly, Lauren Schmit, Brandon Smalley, Jacey Sola, Gretchen Sweeney, Gabby Terez, and Holly Urbanzyk

Photographer Amanda Hoglind

Adviser

Dennis Brown

THE VOICE is an official student-produced medium of news and information published and produced every three weeks starting in October by Huntley High School News Media Production students (ADDRESS: 13719 Harmony Rd. Huntley, IL 60142). The Voice has been established as a designated public forum for student writers and editors to inform and educate their readers and to discuss issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of The Voice 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 staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.

news festival

Testicle festival postponed COVID pushes off popular event

By Holly Urbanczyk

he dancing, belly laughs, small giggles, and the fun, loud off-pitch singing of the customers mixed with the sounds of the bands bring pure joy to the faces of many individuals across not only Huntley but the whole world. Parkside Pub’s Turkey Testicle Festival draws crowds as large as 5,400 people, some of which come all the way from out of state and even different countries such as Germany. “One year we had people come here from 38 different states and seven or eight different countries,” co-owner JR Westberg said. People come not only for the turkey testicles but also for the fun, the music, and the atmosphere. “Everyone is happy; they want to be here and have a good time,” Westberg said. One of the waitresses at Parkside, Jessica Smart, loves her job, especially during the festival. “I love working it. All the bartenders have a blast. We wear tutus and dress up,” waitress Jessica Smart said. “Parkside started in the middle of the block pretty much where Village Inn is on May 1, 1943,” Westberg said. “Ten years later, on May 1, 1953, that owner had this structure here.” Parkside has been owned by about 12 people since 1953, but the festival began with a man named Igg. According to Westberg, the rumor is that Igg was with some electricians from Byron, Illinois. They were having a drink after work, and they convinced him to try doing a Turkey Testicle Festival as had been done in Byron during September because farmers let nothing go to waste.

Courtesy of Parkside An attendee celebrates TTF. The festival grew large with a man named Marc as the owner, but later when the current co-owners JR Westberg and Jeff Lovell owned Parkside, the size of the festival grew immensely. The two increased security and advertising, and their numbers almost doubled. They put in place more security and implemented a metal detector wand to check over people before they entered to ensure safety. They look for simple things like knives or even guns. Whether it is because of the 4-year-old security measures or just the good people, Parkside has been successful with its safety precautions. “Everybody gets along with everybody. It’s just a mixed bag that comes here, and it’s a good time,” Smart said. In order to get the numbers of attendees they had in past years, they focus on ads. To increase their advertising for the festival, the two focused on social media. However, word of mouth helps, and they put up signs too. “We are on five radio stations, we are on Google, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, [and] there is a Parkside Pub page [online],” Smart said. Not only do they come from social media, but Parkside’s advertisements also come from local radio stations and even TV interviews. In 2014, WGN attended the Turkey Testicle Festival and

interviewed people there. Parkside has also been promoted on Chicago’s Best. “Each year [there] is a range of four to six interviews. Three, maybe four of them are radio, and one or two are television,” Westberg said. “When residents migrated to Huntley 10-15 years ago, they attended the Turkey Testicle Festival, and it has gone multigenerational where now their children are attending it with Mom and Dad; it’s become tradition,” Westberg said. “I’ve waited on 21-year-olds that were brought in here as children when their families were here. I’ve waited on several people that when they turned 21, this was the first bar where they show their ID at because they were raised coming here with their families,” Smart said. In the beginning, the Turkey Testicle Festival was all inside, and mostly locals attended. Since then, it has grown significantly. This festival takes place the day before Thanksgiving, as it has been for 37 years without fail. However, due to Covid-19, this year’s Turkey Testicle Festival will have to be put on hold. “It’s very sad. I work here five days a week, and I’ve probably gotten 30 phone calls, ‘Are you having TTF?’”

see FESTIVAL page 36

huntleyvoice.com • 3

news business

Presotea reimagines drinks Unique menu gives new alternatives to coffee

By Amelia Pozniak

n the small village of Huntley, members of the community have memorized the handful of businesses easily accessible to them. It is not unusual to see a mob of Huntley’s students at the local Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. Although a drive to Crystal Lake or other surrounding towns may feel like a chore, for coffee and tea lovers, a trip to Presotea is a trip you will not regret. Presotea in Crystal Lake is a small cafe, offering sweet treats and bubble tea. Formerly known as Dingtea, they have recently updated their menu, attracting a huge amount of teenage customers with their aesthetic and customizable drinks. Presotea is the closest boba shop to the Huntley area. “We used to be a different brand. It was originally Dingtea, [which had] a fairly small menu, but they were fairly well known,” Presotea employee Brianna Winder said. “The owner decided that he wanted to introduce a larger menu with more ingredients and more drinks to bigger the business.” The tea based drink, originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s, has recently become relatively popular among the younger population. Whether it be the entertaining texture of the tapioca balls, or the variety of different drinks that can be made with the boba, “Gen Z” cannot get enough of these delightful drinks. “We make black and white [boba] at the moment. They are different, as the black one is brown sugar, and the white is just regular sugar,” Winder said. Whether it be a milky tea or a fruit smoothie, their diverse menu has options for every taste bud.

4 • the voice november 2020

S. Laput Presotea employee serves drinks to customer. “We have a large range of toppings in general which makes the drinks aside from the other typical ingredients of the tea,” Winder said. “We have jellies, sweet taro, and red bean which are traditional Asian toppings. We also have things like passion fruit, strawberry, and matcha.” Despite the adverse challenges that COVID-19 has presented for smaller chains and family-owned businesses, Presotea has successfully begun construction next door on their new restaurant: Pho Royal. “We may have had to make a few cuts here and there, but not so much where [it has] stopped business from running, says Louis Florian, financial manager of Presotea. “It’s definitely slowed things down, but I wouldn’t say it’s put us where we have to worry about keeping our doors open. We plan on opening [Pho Royal] later this month.” Pho Royal’s menu will consist of many Vietnamese dishes. “The restaurant will specialize in Pho, which is a soup that cooks for a minimum of 10 hours. We will also have a variety of Banh Mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich,” Florian said. “We will have some traditional rice dishes as well.” The modern renovated interior with

plenty of space will be perfect for dining indoors once restrictions in McHenry County are lifted. In the meantime, renovation continues, while Presotea items are available for takeout and through Grub Hub dining services. Junior Hailey Roe, a regular customer at Presotea, is thankful for their continuity to provide takeout service and looks forward to the initial opening of Pho Royal. “[Presotea] is the best boba place out here. The rest of the good places are over 30 minutes away from the Huntley area,” Roe said. “The prices aren’t high, each drink comes with a lot, and it’s really good. I’ve had such a great experience with Presotea, I look forward to trying out the restaurant as well.” Not only does Presotea’s unique menu excite customers, but their friendly staff provides a welcoming atmosphere. “The environment [inside Presotea] is very upbeat. We have a lot of young kids and high school kids come in,” Florian said. Although a quick cup of coffee from your local chain coffee shop might sound like what you need, mixing up your daily order at Huntley’s closest boba cafe is a treat that you just might want to try.

news business

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news restaurants

Local restaurant challenges Parkside Pub finds solutions to COVID

By Ally Berens

s the cold slowly creeps in and days seem shorter, it becomes very evident that winter is coming soon. This bright, white season affects many things, but with COVID happening, it might affect much more than just holiday spirit. Many small, local businesses are starting to see the effect of winter on their outdoor seating arrangements. Tents and heaters have been put up to try and preserve seating for as long as possible, but complications are sure to come as winter sets in. Parkside Pub, a local restaurant, is one of the many businesses that want to preserve their seating for outdoor dining. Although this may sound easy, many factors must be taken into consideration to make sure that the maximum time frame can be reached. “Since we have the tents out there [on the patio], the heaters can keep people warm throughout the winter seasons. We’re planning to keep them up as long as possible,” Parkside Pub waitress Cassidy O’Grady said. Going into the colder months, Parkside may consider more delivery and pick-up options. As apps like Doordash, Postmates, and Grubhub become more popular, businesses are accommodating these delivery services. Pick-up orders from businesses are also recommended as winter comes closer and seating is limited. “We’ve already seen an increase in Doordash deliveries and pickups, so it’s going to be [rising in that] direction, especially as it gets colder,” Parkside Pub owner JR Westberg said. Some restaurants that are reliant on outdoor seating have taken this as a

Courtesy of Parkside Pub

Parkside Pub’s outside seating area. sign to close down temporarily, but Parkside does not want to take that as an option. “We’ll still do to-go orders and Doordash. [We will] always [have] a possibility of delivery [as well],” said Dayna Harrison, manager and bartender at Parkside Pub. Some places of employment are also considering, or already accepted,

According to Westberg, to heat the outside tent, it costs around $100 for three to four days of heat. An expensive toll, but as long as customers are sitting outside, it is worth the expense to heat it. As winter rolls around and snow becomes more of an issue, more precautions and measures need to be put into place. Two realistic options have been concluded; either closing down the outdoor tent or taking the chance to try “Parkside may consider and melt the snow off. “The tent cannot hold more than more delivery and pick-up about two inches of snow. We’ll have to options.” either overnight heat it, so [the snow] melts and turns into water. Otherwise, if it’s too much snow, we might have to take the tents down,” Westberg said. reservations. Depending on the place, Some accommodations that Parkside reservations tend to be helpful to have the maximum number of people seated in particular have taken include: keeping tables 6 feet apart, having in the limited seating that is providheaters spaced out so each table can ed. Although it may be helpful, some be warmed, spaces in the tent are filled places, like Parkside, are too small to so a draft is not felt, and a temporary accommodate this. outdoor bar underneath the tent. The cost of operating outside also Throughout all of these changes that comes into play as businesses are preare going to be taken or are already in paring for the cold to come. Propane progress, winter will be an unexpected is a widely available and cost-efficient method of heating the tents for outside time and give new challenges to busiuse, and many restaurants have adopt- nesses. ed this mechanism. huntleyvoice.com • 7

news shopping

Holiday shopping in a pandemic Retailers plan Black Friday sales early this season

By Sophia Coronado

s Nov. 27 rolls around the corner, many are curious to see how Black Friday shopping can still occur, even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. However, with adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines, Walmart and Target each roll out their own plans for Black Friday Shopping. Huntley Grove’s Walmart will be hosting six Black Friday dates in order to disperse and lessen the usual Black Friday crowd. The online and in-store deals will take place on Nov. 4, 7, 11, 14, 25 and 27, from 5 am to 10 pm. This means shoppers will have an extra hour to shop as opposed to the usual store hours. The number of shoppers allowed in stores will not change, “there will only be restrictions on the number of shoppers if the maximum is reached,” said Walmart management. Although Walmart’s management team does not know how many customers to expect during each of the Black Friday dates, the team feels very prepared. “We are not expecting any shortages of any products,” said Walmart management. The team is confident that its plans will run smoothly. Walmart encourages its customers to plan, shop and leave as its Black Friday shopping tip. For in-store shoppers, this means short and prompt shopping trips for the safest shopping experience. The Target Supercenter located in Algonquin has slightly different plans; instead, they are offering Black Friday

8 • the voice november 2020

A. Hoglind Walmart looks to have a good holiday season in spite of the pandemic. Deals for the entire month of November and December in what is called Black Friday Now. The team is not expecting large crowds because it spread out the deals throughout each month in order to lessen the amount of customers at a time, similar to Walmart. Although Target’s management is not expecting to hit capacity, if the store reaches its maximum number of customers, Target will allow its customers to make reservations to shop. While deals will occur both in-store and online, Target recommends cyber shopping for its customers. “Shop online for the easiest, most convenient and safest experience. It will have the

best deals as well,” said Target’s management. Unfortunately, the Algonquin Target will not be able to play Christmas music during the holiday shopping season due to how the PA system works, meaning buyers will instead have to sing Chrstmas songs to themselves while shopping to get into the holiday spirit. Even though each store has differing Black Friday shopping plans, both included in-store CDC precautions like wearing masks, staying socially distanced and supplying hand sanitizer as needed. The usual Black Friday chaos will be toned down this year, but the amazing deals will remain.

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opinion ap exams

More AP exam remediations Should College Board offer students remediations for AP exams?

By Jacey Sola

P exams in the U.S. were taken electronically nationwide during the 20192020 school year. This change of plans caused many problems for students around the country, such as submission issues and connection issues. This caused many students to do poorly and not receive the college credit that they wanted. Many are hoping that the College Board would decide to offer remediation for AP exams. AP exams play a huge role in a student’s high school experience. AP exams allow students to garner recognition from colleges and even receive college credit. AP exams are expensive, costing around $90 to $100 per exam. The scoring system for the exams is out of five and scores three and above are passing grades and considered eligible scores for college credit. Electronic issues have caused many students to receive scores below three and render no credit, thus making the AP class meaningless. Offering remediation may open up more opportunities for a student who did not pass. A student will be able to get a higher score on their exam and receive valuable college credit. Students will get another chance to show colleges their expertise on the subject. Most importantly, taking a

S. Reilly difficult AP class would not have been a waste of time and effort if they were able to remediate. Remediation can also be argued to be meaningless for students. Extensive time and resources are put into preparing a student for the exam, and if they do poorly it shows that they did not put enough effort and time into that subject. Colleges may be turned away from giving students credit if they did poorly the first time. AP exam providers may require an additional payment for a separate exam, and students may not be able to afford it. Students have shared mixed opinions of supporting the offering of remediation. “Kids who take AP classes usually work hard all year and if that one test determines whether or not that hard work counts for college credit, they should have a retake option,” sophomore Megan Laird said.

Jacey Sola is a staff writer on The Voice and in his first year on the staff. He loves music and has been playing the piano ever since he was 4. In his free time Jacey likes to bike, read, and watch movies. 10 • the voice november 2020

A single test score on the exam does not prove the ability of a student and too much weight is put into a single exam. However, fellow sophomore, Yehan Subasinghe, disagrees. “I think that they shouldn’t offer a remediation because of the extensive amount of time and resources that students put into preparing for this test once,” Subasinghe said. Teachers put tremendous amounts of time and effort into preparing students for the exams and are providing them with all the resources, time, and knowledge to do well on the exams. Many teachers have disagreed with the option of offering remediation. “I think remediation is a fantastic tool to learn objectives that were missed during assessments, but I do not think it should be used to earn a higher assessment grade,” said Renee Fowler, AP Government and Politics teacher. Instead of having remediation boost the score of an exam, it could instead be used to help students learn from their mistakes and help them know what they need to do to do better on the exams. “While it is unfortunate that a single

see AP EXAMS page 16

opinion staying focused

Motivation can be a challenge Getting work done not the same when students are remote

By Gabby Terez emote learning has come with its share of adjustments, whether it’s environment or school related. Adjustments that might come to mind would be looking at a computer screen all day, handling more technology issues, and keeping up with the recently changed weekly schedule. One that might not normally come to mind would be dealing with shifts in work ethic and motivation. Because students are working from home, they now have more control over how they manage their time. That control could go two ways: either students put in the effort and try their best with the time they have or slack off and not really care about the deadlines. For some students, their work ethic fits with one of the types mentioned; for others, like junior Lauren Raupp, it can be a mix of the two. One of the reasons behind this would be the workload teachers have been putting on students. Some feel like it is lighter compared to what would be expected in a normal learning environment. “I know some of the teachers are a little bit easier on the kind of work you do. So, I feel like for some of my classes I’ve been putting in a little less effort than I have in the past just because they haven’t been as picky,” Raupp said. However, the consensus is that work ethic has changed more towards the worse. According to Raupp, she thought that she was more productive while being at school versus being at home because she could concentrate more easily if she were in the classroom. At home students can easily be dis-

S. Reilly

tracted and choose to do other things over classwork, making procrastination frequent. Not only that, students can also control their breaks in between doing assignments, whether it’s for the good or the bad. “In some classes, I hear the teachers say ‘get something done’ and then the next day they say ‘barely anyone turned it in’ or something like that. I know there’s some people who don’t take school as seriously when it’s at home,” Raupp said. “There’s some people who aren’t doing their work or they’re forgetting about it. Or it just takes them longer than it would be at school.” Motivation is also going through the same change, especially since there’s less chances for students to be held accountable by teachers to get their work done. If students don’t feel like doing their assignments during the time they have in an asynchronous class or when there’s extra time between classes, they

can choose to do them at a later time instead of feeling the pressure to do it in a class at school. “If I finish a class early, I might not necessarily work on the work for that class. I’d probably go do something else and then do it later. When you’re at school, then you have to be in that class the whole period and be working on that at school,” Raupp said. The types of motivation have also changed as remote learning is different from in person. Since students aren’t surrounded by people to help cheer them up and get them through things, they may be struggling with other components they have not struggled with before. They now have to rely on themselves to work through the hardships school comes with. “It’s more like you have to be like 'oh,

see MOTIVATION page 36

Gabby Terez is a staff writer in her second year at The Voice. Check out her vlog series “Dancing with a Passion” on huntleyvoice.com

huntleyvoice.com • 11

opinion workload

Remote learning workload Is remote learning workload too heavy?

be. Even if it was more work, the additional 45 minutes allows plenty of time to finish it up. Overwhelming evidence still points to remote work not being as much as people make it out to be. By Brooke Helle According to Huntley High School he blaring beeping of counselor Patricia Zacharias, the main the charcoal alarm clock difficulty for students working remotely signals a start to another is organization. gruesome morning. After “I have not heard students saying the minutes of laying motionlessly in the workload is more while remote than chilling sheets, junior Austin Zenaty when we were in the building,” Zacharolls over to grab his Chromebook and rias said. “Some students have also said start another tedious day of remote they have less homework remote as learning. some of their teachers give them time You have most likely heard the same in class to get homework done.” story on TikTok about teenagers all Organization is hard to maintain over the country struggling with rewhen being in a remote setting. Howmote learning. For many, school is hard ever, due to this lack of organization, enough as it is; however, is our school it makes the workload seem so much assigning too much remote work? heavier and stressful. Of course, there It seems like this question provides are some teachers who will assign an even split between those who think more work no matter the setting. it is too much and those who think it is Still, teachers seem to spend most of fine or even better. class time teaching rather than asHowever, contrary to popular TikTok signing work like they did in the initial opinion, the remote workload is not remote plan in March. too much. Students have found that teachers With the creation of the block sched- are wasting time explaining simple ule, four days of the week are spent in directions for an hour that could have only four classes rather than eight. been spent doing assignments. Logically, due to less classes in one Most teachers talk through the work day, there should be less work. Noneand expect them to be finished on time theless, the class day provides one or by the end of class. This should not hour and thirty minutes per class, mak- be a big problem as a lot of them still ing it the same duration of a regular dismiss early giving them spare time for school day. work. Even so, the class time is not a good Junior Megan Boyle thinks the work indicator of the amount of work. Just amount is not terrible and, if anything, because classes are an hour and a half, perfectly reasonable. the work is the same as it usually would “Overall the workload has been fine

Brooke Helle is a staff writer and it is her first year on staff. Check out her gaming blog “Gaming with Brooke” on huntleyvoice.com

12 • the voice november 2020

Nikki Darnall

for me but I definitely have a class or two that’s totally kicking my butt. For example, I have a class where I usually have one to two hours of extra work,” Boyle said. Similarly, Gina Giuseffi agrees. “At the times where it is a bit stressful, I always have tons of time to do the work so it’s fine by me. I think that the workload can be both overwhelming and perfectly fine depending on how good your time management skills are,” Giuseffi said. As for those who think the work is too much, perhaps they are more hands-on learners rather than individuals who zoom (pun intended) through the assignments individually. Depending on the way you learn, it could make assignments a lot more difficult and longer to finish which makes it seem like more. “I think it’s a lot to handle because I am getting bombarded by Zooms and it gets stressful,” Zenaty said. Giuseffi thinks she is more of an individual learner, where Boyle thinks she is both hands-on and individual. It all depends on the class for her, which matches up with this theory. Individual learners seem to be able to efficiently handle the work, making it seem like less. Either way, everyone can agree the world’s current atmosphere with the virus, election, and a changing way of learning brings stress to all. It can only go up from here (or so we hope).

opinion finals

Helpful alternatives to finals We should consider process-based finals

mation and retaining it which proves to be helpful later on in life. “Obviously I do not think anyone is going to enjoy doing finals, but I think it is a good way to hold students accountBy Nikki Darnall able for actually learning the information s 7:30 a.m. rolls around, all instead of just knowing it to pass a test,” eyes are fixed on computer junior Zach Adams said. screens. In student’s pitch “If school is really about developing black bedrooms, they use yourself and learning, I think it is importthe palm of their hands to hold up their ant to try to solidify some of that stuff tired and heavy heads. As they try to sit permanently: finals are another way to upright in bed, they are going in and out do that rather than a test,” Adams said. of focus, drowned in the sound of their I agree with him in the sense that stuteacher talking. dents should not just memorize materiThis year has been immensely diffials for unit tests and then let themselves cult for students around the world to forget it, but sometimes that is just how be in school. They have had to learn in the cookie crumbles. a brand new environment which has “When you are thinking about how proved to be challenging for both the much it weighs into your grade, and how S. Reilly children and their parents. much information you have to rememMany families with younger children ber, and for all of our classes, you are grasp the concept. Instead of guessing that cannot attend school or be left at talking about a lot,” social studies teach- the right answer, we should move tohome alone, are now being supervised er Samantha Pennington said. wards less questions on finals but more by their parents. Some of these parents But if it is decided that finals serve explanations and areas to highlight the still need to do their job and are having a prudent purpose, then students and student’s thought process. to balance taking care of their children teachers should work together to find On the other hand, if we cannot adjust and zooming with their coworkers; givways to help students prepare for finals. these rules for our finals it may just be ing them quite the conundrum. “Maybe we just also need to focus beneficial to do away with them. In addition, because of this national more on study habits and how to go “I feel like finals are also a lot of inforcrisis, many students are feeling alone, about doing it,” Pennington said. mation in such a short amount of time. permanently unmotivated, and down. It is time to update the way the finals stressful, because you have to It is really These students are not able to go to high are formatted. Multiple choice questions remember everything for six or seven school and socialize with people, which serve their purpose but can be overused classes, depending on how many you is key to their development. Students at times and not provide the most effec- take,” junior Logan Bennett said. are simply not motivated to learn in tive way to show a student’s knowledge. If we have already missed last spring’s these conditions. Process-based finals may be a better final and will miss this semester’s final, With students struggling to grasp how way to test student’s knowledge of how what is the point in having them? to learn in their new home atmosphere, to apply concepts and solve problems. The verdict? Students are stressing too pay attention in class, and properly bal- Being able to justify an answer by showmuch over finals, but it would still be ance their work, Huntley High School has ing work and steps taken can give better beneficial for students to have some sort decided to get rid of finals. So the real statistics on how well students fully of cumulative end test. question is, should we just do away with finals for good? Are they really helpful to the students’ growth or do they just promote unnecessary stress? Nikki Darnall is a managing editor in her One reason why finals are such a possecond year on staff. Check out her vlog series itive experience for students is because “Darnall Doodles” on huntleyvoice.com of the positive stress on learning pieces of information for long term. This can help your brain adjust to learning inforhuntleyvoice.com • 13

opinion hybrid

Dangers of hybrid learning Is hybrid learning worth it?

By Delaney Cairns

earing the end of her senior year, Naomi Stange could not get out of bed. She cried, could not get dressed, and overall felt no motivation to do anything. This depressive episode is very common among students during the 201920 school year because of COVID-19 and the response to the pandemic. Due to the roller coaster of emotions and changes students went through over this past year, these responses are completely justified. Because recent events have led to these outcomes, the question of if a hybrid learning plan would do even more damage or help the situation still stands. “I was miserable. I get stressed out with not understanding things and not being able to have one on one in-person attention,” Stange said. The numerous struggles of e-learning have made many believe that going back in person will fix everything and is the best option. However, do the benefits outweigh the repercussions? Sean Kovach is a junior at Huntley High School with people close to him who are high risk of COVID-19. Kovach also struggles with mental health issues and ADHD, so he empathizes with the pain Stange has gone through. “I think a lot of people thought that going back would help their mental health because they could see friends, but I don’t think they realize that you

N. Darnall wouldn’t be able to sit with people that you want to sit with because it would be assigned,” Kovach said. The plan presented to the school board for e-learning before it was canceled due to an uptick in cases was very different than what students had previously believed it would be. “[The opinion on hybrid has] changed a lot. A month ago everyone, I included, was like ‘we want to go back, let’s go back,’ but then the plan came out and all of us were like ‘not like this… no this was not like what we were envisioning,’” Kovach said. Hybrid could be beneficial because of the social opportunities and sense of normalcy it may return to the students, but this form of hybrid would not give those things. It would not feel like school because it has never been done before. It would also not give students any consistency with the high chance of plans changing frequently. The physical effects of the pandemic are also not worth the small victories of hybrid learning. Even if a student

Delaney Cairns is a staff writer and it is her second year on staff. Check out her video blog “This Is Not Irish Dacne” on huntleyvoice.com

14 • the voice november 2020

is young and healthy, COVID-19 may cause long-term medical issues and could spread to people who are at high risk of dying from this pandemic. This pressure also weighs on students if they are worried about contracting or spreading the virus. “[Hybrid would negatively impact my mental health] because I have to carry the weight of it if I get COVID and I pass it on to any of my family members who are at high risk,” Kovach said. While hybrid can be a good source of exercise, consistent meals, social/ emotional skills, and mental health awareness and assistance, it does not outweigh the repercussions of physical wellbeing for the community. Overall, the pandemic has caused so much uncertainty throughout the country, especially in students who lack the knowledge of what is happening or may happen next. This can cause a lot of stress within the community and the minds of people everywhere. There are many ways to combat this uncertainty and anxiety in teenagers right now. Some people believe that the best option is to go back to school no matter what. “Regardless of how long or short being in school is, at least the opportu-

see HYBRID page 16

Poké Bros offers fresh food

a&e food

An insight on the newly opened restaurant

of signature bowls. Adding adjustments to the six staple bowls are also available if necessary. This makes the By Gretchen Sweeney options easy and resh and healthy ingredients. altered to your own The one thing most people taste. lack in their daily diets. The poké bowls It either comes at high prices come in a black or is not as “fresh” as the retailers plastic bowl with a express, so people are unable to conred inside and a clear sume them. plastic cover on top. But when you walk into Poké Bros, If you are still you are automatically given fresh inhungry for more, gredients that are not overly pricey. they also sell mochi The new Poké Bros in Lake in the ice cream, which is a Hills has an inviting atmosphere with Japanese originated delicious food that has you coming dessert. back for more. After one taste here, They offer 11 deyour stomach will poke for more. licious flavors, from Established in 2015, Poke Bros offers Mango to Belgian a wide selection of hawaiin-style poké bowls with a variety of fresh ingrediChocolate to even a Green Tea flavor. ents. The mochi is small and hemisphere Poké bowls are basically sushi in a shaped. The surrounding of it is a bowl. So they mainly advertise seafood colored sticky but thick substance, with but if that is not your forté, they also the inside being filled with ice cream offer other non-seafood ingredients for a unique treat. like chicken. The inside of Poké Bros is also to You can make your own poké bowl. note. It is very trendy with the interiFor making your own, you choose a or. There is a theme of teal and white base which is a type of rice, a personal throughout the restaurant. favorite is the sushi rice. Large teal walls are popping out with Second, you choose your ingredients, bubble shapes. There are white tables ranging from sweet pineapple to spicy and chairs with white high counters as jalapeño to a crab stick. well. In order to keep a balanced diet, The LED lights that line the back you get to choose a protein which are counter bring a pop of purple to the shrimp, salmon, tuna, or chicken. restaurant, adding some extra characFinally, you can choose from different ter. types of flavor and toppings that can The color purple is a very inviting make your poké bowl spicy, sweet, or a color as it represents calm and luxury. mixture of both. The look, overall, is very appealing and Think of a Subway or Chipotle style welcoming. of ordering food. If you are unfamiliar They even use environment friendly with the type of ingredients on the bowls that are recyclable and reusable. menu, you can choose from six types

G. Sweeney My family and I took our bowls home to use as containers and anyone could do the same. To prevent the spread from COVID-19, masks are mandated in the restaurant. When ordering your food, they have circles to stand on when you are in line to maintain a social distance of six feet. They also maintain that distance all around the store. Sanitation is their key in keeping their customers safe and healthy. If you are still hesitant, they also do take-out orders and delivery. Overall, Poke Bros has a very inviting atmosphere. Ranging from its food variety to the set up of the restaurant. It is perfect for a casual date night or a family dinner. They have something for everyone, but mainly the seafood or thai food lovers. But do not let that discourage you from trying it. huntleyvoice.com • 15

from HYBRID page 14

nity was given, and students can get the attention and academic support that they need,” Stange said. While this may help many students get temporary support and help, because of how short this may be, it could lead to false hope and plunging back down when losing that opportunity. “There are other ways you can manage mental health without having to risk damaging thousands of families and putting so many people in danger that don’t need to be,” Kovach said. There are a variety of support systems online right now that you can go to for free. Some small things students can do if they choose not to seek support from a website, family member, friend, or counselor are simple but effective. These include exercise, consistent food intake, joining clubs to encourage virtual socialization, and doing little things to get their mind off of stress such as “bring your pet to Zoom day.” It may also help if the high school considers increasing the connection between the school and families in a constructive, supportive, and productive way. Students need a stable support system right now more than ever before, and this needs to be addressed more.

from AP EXAMS page 10

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test can determine whether or not a student earns college credit, it is up to students to prepare and be ready for the day of the test,” AP Human Geography teacher, Megan Wheeler, said. AP teachers let students know the date of their exams months before they happen and students have plenty of time to prepare and study for their exams. While remediation can be a good opportunity for students to regain college credit from their AP exams, in the end it is actually up to the student to prepare and do everything they can to do well. Students should be responsible for studying and reaching out to their teachers if they need help.

a&e video games

Latest Xbox creates buzz

Xbox Series X is more advanced than previous releases

By Trevor Book

he Xbox gaming system was first released on Nov. 15, 2001 by Microsoft, which was 19 years ago. Microsoft, the company that owns Xbox and creates computer software, was founded on April 14, 1975 by none other than Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Bill Gates wanted to create a gaming system to make sure their personal computers were not looked over. Microsoft began a project, to be later known as the Xbox, that would mainly use personal computer technology. This new PC software would also launch the first “Halo: Combat Evolved," a first-person shooter game that would end up starting a franchise. The Xbox was a big phenomenon

“The developers revealed that this Xbox would look a little bulky compared to other models but, this is a result of combining hardwar and software to make a better, more efficient gaming console.”

Trevor Book

to the world and on Nov. 15 they sold over 1 million consoles. After the initial release, Microsoft then developed better accessories to deal with issues found in the first Xbox. As more Xboxes were released, the more advanced the technology became.

Courtesy of Microsoft Xbox Series X is the 10 Xbox that has been released by Microsoft. The designers have created Xbox Live and the Xbox 360 gaming system with a motion camera created by Kinect, which is now no longer available. In 2020, Microsoft was secretly building a project called “Scarlett” and at the Game Awards in 2019, Microsoft revealed the Xbox Series X. Microsoft stated that this gaming system “will represent a rather large power up that will be different from the Xbox One X,” Microsoft Developers said. Microsoft unveiled that the Xbox Series X would have a “6DDR6 RAM, 12 TFLOPS of GPU power, an NVMe SSD, and support for 8K resolution,” meaning it will include a high dynamic range and a cooling system with three air flow channels that evenly distribute the temperatures generated by the advanced internal components, keeping the console cool and quiet. Developers from Playstation also revealed aspects of the PS5, that the Xbox Series X would be marketed as the ‘world’s most powerful console’ and will have the fastest loading Xbox which is a big success on Microsoft’s part. The developers revealed that this

Xbox would look a little bulky compared to older models, but this is a result of combining hardware and software to make a better, more efficient gaming console. It will also deliver up to 120FPS included with HDR to enhance imaging. Along with that, the Xbox Series X will include a new controller that will closely resemble the Xbox One X controller, plus a directional pad that will resemble the Xbox Elite controller. Something additional that Microsoft wants to include along with the existing ‘Xbox Gaming Ultimate Membership’ is access to a gaming cloud service which will start in September of this year. This new gaming system will be a phenomenon that can be found at stores such as Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Gamestop. During COVID, not only was the Xbox Series X released but the rival company, Playstation, also released their long-awaited Playstation 5. Even though many people prefer Playstation consoles, knowing a lot about this topic with all the information provided, Xbox has really stepped up their game since their first release of the original Xbox. huntleyvoice.com • 17

a&e one direction

Nobody can drag them down A ranking of the former One Direction members’ solo careers

By Maggie Kirwin

ince 2010, the names Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan have become world-famous. When these five boys auditioned for the U.K. singing competition “The X Factor” in 2008, they had no idea how much their lives would change. When judge Simon Cowell decided to make the five boys into a band instead of going home the second round of cuts, One Direction was formed. Although they did not win “The X Factor,” One Direction went on to be a worldwide phenomenon producing five albums in five years, going on world tours, selling out stadiums, and becoming one of the most successful boy bands in history. However, in 2015, the band decided it was time to take a break and focus on themselves. Since the split, Horan, Payne, Malik, Tomlinson, and Styles have all come out with new music on their own that has done moderately well. However, some of the members have done better on their own, while a few not so much. Which former One Direction member has been the most successful since the split? Keep reading to find out. 5. Liam Payne Despite having 8.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Payne has by far had the least successful career since the band’s split. While die hard Liam Payne fans may be thinking right now, so c’c’mon you got it wrong, well, to prove I’m right I put it in writing. Payne has only produced one album,

18 • the voice november 2020

Courtesy of Wikimedia “LP1” and has had one hit song, “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo. “Strip That Down” was successful on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart for 28 weeks, peaking at #10 on the charts. Although, Payne has done practically nothing since then. Payne’s album “LP1,” released in 2019, was not worth a second listen with all of the songs being too sexual and forgettable. Songs like “Stack it Up” and “Polaroid” sound like every other song on the radio right now. In 2020, Payne released a new pop Christmas song called “Naughty List,” a new but not so good collaboration, featuring TikTok star Dixie D’Amelio. With the mediocre-at-best album and lack of music, Payne has had the least successful solo career compared with the other former members. 4. Louis Tomlinson The fourth most successful member of One Direction would have to be Louis Tomlison. While he only has about 4.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, he sang one of the biggest songs of 2017, “Back to You” featuring Bebe Rexha. Tomlinson performed this song on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” in 2017.

After the surge of popularity his single received, Tomlinson received an iHeartRadio Music Award for Best Breakout Solo in 2018. After 2018, Tomlinson stayed out of the limelight until Jan. 31, 2020, when he released his first solo album “Walls.” Two of the best songs on the album include “Too Young,” a slower paced, heartfelt ballad, and “Always You,” an upbeat love song that would have sounded perfect at a concert. However, thanks to COVID-19, Tomlinson has postpone his tour this year until 2021, like most artists. Despite having produced the same amount of new music as Payne, Tomlinson’s music has more flair and originality. Instead of going the safe route in guaranteeing him on the radio due to the rudimentary lyrics and sound, Tomlinson produced music that had a little more depth. While Tomlinson’s music has so far been successful, he has to come out with at least a second album to be able to measure up to three remaining ex-members’ solo careers. 3. Zayn Malik After being the first boy to leave the

band, Zayn Malik decided to start fresh with a solo career. After rebranding himself as just Zayn, he produced his first single “Pillowtalk” less than a year after the split. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was on it for 24 weeks. Malik also came out with two albums, “Mind of Mine” (2016) and “Icarus Falls” (2017). “Mind of Mine” was the better of the two with the song “Fool For You,” which truly showcased his powerhouse vocals with a rock-style ballad. “Icarus Falls” was not an album to write home about due to all 29 songs sounding the same. Malik has also sung for movie soundtracks like “Aladdin” (2019) and “50 Shades Darker.” Unlike Payne and Tomlinson, Malik has performed three times on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” all in 2016. In 2020, Malik has come out with a couple of singles and has won an American Music Award for Best New Artist of the Year, despite not being a new artist. Malik has had a very successful solo career and many fans are anticipating new music. 2. Niall Horan Despite barely having solos on One Direction’s “Up All Night” album, Horan has grown into a phenomenal artist. Horan not only released two albums, “Flicker” and “Heartbreak Weather,” but he also sang “Finally Free” for the 2018 animated movie “Smallfoot.” Horan’s most successful song has been “Slow Hands” from his 2017 album “Flicker.” Although the song is not his best work artistically, it is still a good song to put on a playlist. “Slow Hands” did receive an iHeartRadio Music Award for Best Lyrics and hit #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Looking at his albums, “Flicker” has songs that are more calm with a bit of folk style, while “Heartbreak Weather” is more pop. Still, Horan’s songs can not seem to get out, get out, get out of my head. Songs from “Heartbreak Weather” like “Black and White” and “Put a Little Love on Me” are the perfect to

sing at the top of your lungs in the car like there is no tomorrow. Horan has also been lucky enough to perform on “Saturday Night Live” and several times on “The Late Late Show with James Cordon” because of his close friendship with Cordon. Recently, Horan performed a live stream concert at the Royal Albert Hall to raise money for concert crew members affected by COVID-19. Horan got to perform “Moral of the Story” with Ashe for the first time since recording the song together over Facetime. While some may say Horan had a less successful solo career than Malik, fans have to take into account that Malik started his solo career a year before Horan, so he has had more music. 1. Harry Styles This should come to no surprise to fans, but Harry Styles has by far the most successful solo career. Even when One Direction was still together, it was clear that Styles was going to become the Justin Timberlake of the band. Styles came out with two albums, “Harry Styles” in 2017, and “Fine Line” in December of 2019. Due to the success of both albums, Styles has been on “Saturday Night Live” in 2017, and then as the host and

a&e one direction

performer in 2019. He is one out of the 33 celebrities who got this opportunity. Styles has also dabbled in acting as well, playing Alex in Christopher Nolan’s WWII film “Dunkirk” and soon to star in the psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” as Jack. Oh baby, this is not an illusion, Styles has won 10 awards including Brit Award for Best Video of the Year for his song “Sign of the Times” in 2018 and the Billboard Music Chart Achievement Award in 2020. What sets Styles apart from the other boys is his style of music. While some of the other members have songs that sound the same, it’s refreshing to hear Styles’s mix of pop rock on his albums. Songs like “Watermelon Sugar” would be considered more pop than “Kiwi” or “Ever Since New York,” which are more pop rock. This year, Styles has been helping fans get through quarantine by releasing music videos for songs from “Fine Line” like “Golden,” “Watermelon Sugar,” and “Falling,” and they can not wait to see what he does next. While One Direction fans remain hopeful that the band will one day reunite, they have the promising music from the members’ solo careers to pass the time.

Courtesy of Wikimedia huntleyvoice.com • 19

a&e christmas movies

One Christmas, two weddings Christmas film leaves many unsatisfied

By Emmy Cohen

hristmas is coming up and so are Christmas movies. On Nov 5. the movie, “A New York Christmas,” came out on

Netflix. This movie is about a woman, Nia Fairweather, played by Jennifer Ortiz, nicknamed Jenny, who is trying to figure out if she is actually in love with her soon to be husband, David, or her first love, Gabby, who died. As the movie began, the narrator’s voice was calming and endearing, expressed with great excitement. However, once the movie started, it was uncomfortable due to the poor acting. Some actors were shouting lines because of production reasons, as in a lack of proper equipment and acting skills. One of my first thoughts was that this was just another “Netflix Movie” which, to me, is poor quality and predictable. The opening scene is too emotionally revealing. It gives too much into Jenny’s life and an unnecessary amount of information. It felt as if the writers were trying to act instead of having it look real. The problem with this is that it was recurring throughout the entire movie. One instance being, Gabby, played by Adrianna DeMeo, had multiple lines where there was too much backstory packed into a sentence. Nothing is wrong with giving background information on a character. It is just that the way it was expressed. In the beginning, Jenny is engaged to David and meets her in-laws and they are highly intolerable. Therefore, she leaves the house, and meets a guardian angel, played by Cooper Koch. Koch takes her back in time to see if she 20 • the voice november 2020

Courtesy of Netflix would have been happy with Gabby, if she was alive. Jenny is a kind, loving woman, who puts her family first. She feels a great load of love for her dad who she gets to meet again in the alternate universe that her guardian angel puts her in. Gabby is uncontrollable and over compassionate compared to Jenny, but a great friend to all and a great fiancee

“Some actors were shouting lines because of production reasons, as in a lack of proper equipment and acting skills.” to Jenny. David, played by Otoja Abit, is important to Jenny. In the first parts of the movie, he is portrayed as weak and defenseless because he will not stand up to his degrading mom. Another instance of oversharing in this movie, is in the first couple of minutes. There is a moment where

Jenny is at work, and overshares to her boss about her past. This is obvious and shows the desperate want for the viewers to know her backstory. This movie is not necessarily bad, just sloppy with a lot of cringey moments that are uncomfortable. As negative as it sounds, it is not intended to be that way. After getting over the cringy awkward moments at the beginning, if executed correctly, there is a good storyline to the movie. Meeting the guardian angel was totally unexpected. Once that happened, I was truly excited to see what would happen next. David Anzuelo, who plays Jenny’s father, was a real supportive dad with her being in a relationship with Gabby. However, Gabby’s parents had not talked to her in a long time because they were upset with her for being gay. It is important to know that this movie was good, just had a rocky start. For those who like a movie with a guaranteed happy ending, this movie is for you. Towards the middle of the movie, it was known that no matter what, there was going to be a happy ending of some sort.

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humans of “Don’t care so much about how you look or how other people view you. I just, you know, found my rhythm and realized I didn’t have to impress people, I didn’t have to say the right things.”

Olivia Tatone • Junior

“I feel like smiling just boosts your serotonin. Having just positive vibes and surrounding yourself with positive people in my opinion is most important.”

interviewed by Brooke Hamann | photographed by Sydney Laput 22 • the voice november 2020

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Seth McCulloch • Junior “There’s always a way to get through something; go around or go over it. However you wanna take it, take it on the obstacle. Don’t stop, don’t go backwards, always go forwards. Everytime you move backwards it’s easier to go back than it is to keep moving forward. Impossible is in the dictionary of fools.”

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a&e thriller movie

“Kindred” haunts audience Omens, crows, and an unborn baby

Courtesy of deadline.com

By Lauren Schmit

he movie “Kindred” is an underground psychological thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat, making you feel suffocated by the suspense and the aching feeling of wanting the climax to dissolve. This film includes many forms of imagery and symbolism such as the deathly crows that set an eerie tone. The IFC film is similar to many other psychological films such as A24 films, “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.” It leaves you wondering “what just happened?” rather than feeling satisfied with the outcome of the film. Overall, “Kindred” mostly correlates with the film “Rosemary’s Baby” due to the fact that the plot revolves around a pregnant woman with people out to get her child. Director Joseph Marcantonio develops many emotions in the mix of hallucinations and odd cinematography. Actress Tamara Lawerance’s performance as Charlotte is captivating; she handles her role of being a mourning pregnant woman who is put in a fearful situation with such pride. Fiona Shaw’s performance as Margaret, a tempered, outrageous mother, shows her character wanting to adore the days of motherhood because she never appreciated her own children when she was a mother. The film goes in depth with the main characters and shows their places of struggle and vulnerability. “You cannot walk out on this place!” This psychological thriller is set in muggy Scotland in the modern-day. The setting is very elegant but in a depressing and dull way. The story begins with a happy couple, Charlotte and Ben.

They are committing to future plans with each other and planning on moving to Australia from the U.K. Ben’s unusually obsessive family does not want the couple to move away, urging them to not make a decision. Charlotte unexpectedly finds out she is pregnant, and she is uncertain whether it is a good idea to go on with her pregnancy. Once Ben’s family finds out she is pregnant, they seem to be possessive of the child. This is followed by Ben being brutally killed by a horse, leaving Charlotte alone with nothing but herself and her unborn baby. Charlotte is forced to stay at Ben’s house with his mother, Margaret, and his stepbrother, Thomas. Thomas and Margaret believe that this is the best solution to keep Charlotte’s baby safe although it seems that this is not coming from a place of love. The two seem to be poisoning Charlotte inside and out to make sure the baby will be safe in their hands. This leads to many issues surrounding what happens to Charlotte and her baby. “Maybe you should rest...Doctor’s orders.” On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 71%. The film can be seen as impersonal because the story revolves around a pregnant woman facing the mental hardships of being suffocated within the walls of her dead boyfriend’s home.

The story is not terrifying, it is more dull and disheartening. The film includes many loose ends, which makes it hard to appreciate the acting of Lawrence, Shaw, and Jack Lowden. Mental illness and insanity show through Charlotte’s character, almost making it nauseating to watch. Lawrence does an amazing job of capturing the agonizing pain that Marcantonio desires to create although at points it can be unsettling. “Don’t you realize you’re the one that’s sick!” Birds throughout the film symbolize different events happening throughout the dream sequences in the film. In the beginning of the film, Charlotte comes across a bird locked in a cage, which represents Charlotte being locked in the home of Margaret. However, later on, black crows symbolize death, dark mystery, and murder to a point where it could almost be hallucinations in Charlotte’s head. The black crows seem to nag at her mental health as she continues to be suffocated with no escape. “Kindred” is like a staircase. You step up in hopes you will finally get to the top, but then you stumble back a few steps, leaving you distraught all over again. When watching a movie, you would expect a perfect wrapped bow for the ending leaving you satisfied, but this film is not that perfect little ending you would expect. huntleyvoice.com • 25

feature veterans

Freedom comes at a cost Veterans Day symbolizes the sacrifices that come with the freedoms we have today

By Arianna Joob

ears ago, when America was first established as a country, our Founding Fathers created the U.S.

Constitution. The First Amendment states that we have the freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly. These freedoms were not handed to us, they came at a cost. The Revolutionary War, War of 1812, the Vietnam War, and Cold War have all caused many Americans to sacrifice their lives for our country. Blood was shed from innocent citizens living normal lives with normal jobs. Someone could randomly open the mailbox and get a letter from the government stating that they were going to be drafted. They would change their entire life and go off to fight for our country, away from friends and family with the possibility of never returning home. Countless stories could be written about the veterans that worked in a variety of places within and outside of America. Stories of multiple wins, losses, and experiences could be told as an individual who served in the military. For example, there is Loren Twarling, a member of the U.S. Army artillery unit in Germany. Drafted as a young man, he had no choice but to go off to Europe to serve. He worked day in and day out in the Field Direction Center, plotting points to

26 • the voice november 2020

shoot the artillery guns. He helped protect the eastern borders of Germany during the Vietnam War, far away from his friends, family, and home. And then there is Gene Progreba. He was drafted into the military as well when he was young. He went on to work in Fort Hood Texas, first attending infantry training and then cooking school in order to work in the mess hall, eventually becoming an organizer of operations. This is only a few stories about veterans who were drafted. Many people drafted into the military came back to completely different lives after doing the same job for years. Although not everyone was drafted. Bob Bacezewski saw a war memorial of the USS Arizona Battleship in Hawaii, and after high school, he decided to join the U.S. Navy. Throughout his experience in the Navy, he spent numerous days at sea traveling to places like Portsmith, England; Casa Blanca, Africa; Rota, Spain; Sicily, Italy; and the Red Sea. Surprisingly, this is just naming a few places he saw during his time in service. He worked on a battleship during the Cold War waiting for an assignment to further assist our nation. He ended up becoming a third class petty officer and working along with gunner’s mates and boat’s mates on the USS Iowa Battleship. He was awarded the Arm Forces Expeditionary Medal and Battle E Service Ribbon for operation in the Persian Gulf before operation Desert Storm. Baczewski grew up with his father as a fisherman on Lake Erie, so joining the Navy was a natural transition and a great experience for him. “It reinforced the values that I have as an American citizen and a veteran. I just love this country and felt it was my obligation to continue that tradition of

those that came before me,” Baczewski said. In addition, Kevin Haggerty, a member of the Navy for 26 years, joined while looking for an opportunity to serve. He started his time in the Navy as a nuclear reactor operator. He was on active duty during the Cold War where he helped power the submarines and aircraft carriers. “In one particular exercise, we were off the coast of Africa. We went to watch the Russians test ships and we sailed within a few hundreds of yards of those ships in order to collect intelligence. They could see us walking around on our ship and we could see them,” Haggerty said. He continued his time in the Navy as an intelligence analyst. There, Haggerty went through data and analyzed it to try to find connections and correlations. He traveled all over the world to various countries and oceans throughout his time in the Navy. Now, he is retired and currently works in Washington D.C.

“It reinforced the values that I have as an American citizen and a veteran. I just love this country and felt it was my obligation to continue that tradition of those that came before me.”

Bob Baczewski

Being in the military allowed him to travel, see different cultures, interact with different people, develop many friendships, experience new situations, and have a greater sense of accomplishment. It genuinely shaped the rest of his life. For Haggerty, Veterans Day is a time

to recognize the highs and lows that come with being in the military. It is a time to remember the victories and sacrifices. “In life, you can’t enjoy the mountaintops without walking through a valley. Veterans Day is a recognition for the appreciation of the successes of service or mountaintops and an appreciation for the time spent in the valleys,” Haggerty said. Whether or not they chose to join, they still found it a very rewarding and valuable experience in their life. “The best part about my training in the military was the training I got in leadership...I came out of the Army and I went into an apprenticeship and then supervision,” Progreba said.

The importance of remembering fallen veterans and still living is immeasurable. Each and every one of these people spent time helping keep our precious freedoms alive. Veterans Day is a time to remember, the average citizens who spent day

“Veterans Day is a recognition for the appreciation of the successes of service.”

Kevin Haggerty

after day helping all Americans. It is a time to remember the citizens who died sacrificing themselves for our

Bob Baczewski standing proudly.

feature veterans

country. It is a time to remember the people who left as just your average neighbor and returned as an honorable veteran. It is a time to remember the people who surrendered their lives and changed the world by one action, one choice, and one purpose. Words cannot express the gratitude for the people that volunteer to defend our freedom and preserve liberty in our country. Life without these freedoms is unimaginable. One veteran sums it up best. “I was born free and I want to make sure that freedom will be around for you kids and for my grandkids at some point,” Baczewski said.

S. Baczewski huntleyvoice.com • 27

feature music

Confidence, talent, and tunes

Behind the popular song “Here’s to You”

By Ally Jorgenson

he sound of waves gently hitting the sand and seagulls squawking fills the air. The vibe is chill and heartwarming as a ukulele takes the stage with a simple, yet charming chord progression starting on C. “Here’s to you, the girl of my dreams” “You’ll be there to stop my suffering” “When life turns blue you’ll be there too” “When the day is through, I’ll lay next to you” The song “Here’s to You,” written and produced by juniors Lizzy Simmons and Kenny Elrod, leaves people feeling warm and light-hearted. The story follows two lovers who were soulmates from the day they were born. The song is a beautiful testimony of love and appreciation. It is almost like a wedding vow. Originally, Simmons wrote the song a year ago but never planned to do anything with it. It was only after her friends and family encouraged her to release the song that she finally decided to do something with her music. According to Simmons, her family is her number one supporter. They are the reason she felt so confident about releasing music. “I’m so proud of her. I always knew she could accomplish something like this,” her father Robert Simmons said. Simmons has always been fascinated with music and singing. She did choir all through middle school and is now in the Master Singers choir here at HHS. She even had a few solos in the choir’s virtual performances last year. “I’ve been making music for a long time. I used to sit on the swing in my backyard and I would just start singing random things and making things up 28 • the voice november 2020

S. Laput Simmons plays on her piano while brainstorming new song ideas. and I’d write them down in this little Hello Kitty notebook,” Simmons said. As she has grown up, she has become more focused on songwriting and production. Simmon’s source of inspiration stems from TikTok, lines from movies, and quotes from TV shows. “I usually find the first line on a show or something. [When] I get the first line I start playing it and recording myself until something sounds good,” Simmons said. When Elrod discovered the song she had written for him, “Here’s to You,” he told her to play it for him and was instantly inspired by the heartwarming lyrics. The two got to work right away, starting with the ukulele chords, then moving on to the harmonies. The entire process only took a week. “Lizzy wrote this song on her ukulele, so I wanted it to be the main instrument in the song. We had to make sure it was perfect since it was going to be played throughout the whole song, so it took a while,” Elrod said. Elrod has been releasing his own music for a while now, having almost 82,320 monthly listeners and over 2.6 million streams on Spotify. He has also gone viral on TikTok, having more than 193,000 followers.

After recording the main chord progression, Simmons and Elrod recorded their individual parts to create a blend of beautiful harmonies. According to Elrod, the process took a lot of time and effort to perfect. They both put their all into the production. To finish off the song, Elrod added different sound effects and instruments to bring it all together. “When Lizzy first showed me the song I knew I wanted to make it something chill and something that people could easily vibe with,” Elrod said. “I added really quiet drums for the beat and used really warm synth pads to maintain the chill vibe to the song. When listening to the song I can imagine sitting on a beach and watching the sunset and that’s exactly what I wanted to portray.” They released the song on Oct. 30 on Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes. It gained quite a bit of momentum on Tiktok and Instagram. Simmons plans on releasing more music in the future. Music is something that makes her feel talented and confident, and she will not be slowing down any time soon. Stream “Here’s to You” (feat. Kenny Elrod) by Liz Ann.

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feature thespian

Promoting positivity in theatre A theatre student’s positive attitude towards a negative situation

By Brandon Smalley

world of turmoil. Schools are closed, while a virus rampages throughout this countr. It has by far been the the most intense year the world has faced. Even with all of this negativity, nothing can stop the thespian Logan Blake from having a positive outlook on his school and personal life. Logan Blake is a senior at Huntley High School, who participates in theatre. Like every student on March 13, his world was flipped completely upside down into a disaster of e-learning, consisting of Zooms and block schedules. “I remember there was silence when we first got into the theatre workshop that day, and then suddenly there was a lot of yelling,” Blake said. Inside the theatre workshop class there was confusion coming from everyone; not just the students but athletic students and others who were not in the class. In unity, they all let out their emotions and feelings. “It was basically just silence, and then kind of a big eruption and our director/ teacher was able to get us to go one by one around the table, let out our thoughts, our anger, and everything. It was a really good way to cope because we were all in this together,” Blake said. There was healing that day, and Blake managed to keep a positive attitude towards the hardships. He was able to dedicate his time towards his hobbies and most importantly, theatre. There are still activities for theatre students to participate in, such as sonologues, where they must take a song and turn it into a monologue.

S. Laput Blake in the middle of a scene for Ghost Stories. The performances Blake participates in have been adjusted accordingly to current conditions. The Halloween one acts were performed outside of the new black box during the cold conditions of mid October. But outside of his school life, Blake finds ways to make time for all of his personal hobbies outside of school such as, collecting and painting lego figures. He is especially fond of clones

from the Star Wars franchise. But in the end, people like Blake should be taken into consideration moving forward with these strange and complex times. “It’s gonna get better, and as long as you pace yourself and give yourself time to relax, even beyond just the lunch period. You just pace yourself, take your time. Find some other hobby on the side,” Blake said. huntleyvoice.com • 31

feature buddies club

Buddies through a screen Best Buddies perservere through remote learning

By Ruhi Gulati

xhausted, she closes her Chromebook and lets out a long, deep breath. After spending an hour and a half holed up in her room, talking to a computer screen, she feels drained from the first ever online Best Buddies Club social but excited to begin organizing another one. She understands how important these socials are to the Huntley High School community. Her name is Amanda Hornung, and she is the current Chapter President of the Buddies Club. She is in charge of organizing its meetings and activities. In the past, Best Buddies helped form a connection between special education students and their peers through monthly meetings, called socials, and fun activities throughout the school year. It provided a wide range of Huntley High School students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to interact with each other and participate in fun activities, such as crafts and group games. Oftentimes, Best Buddies teamed up with clubs and sports teams to help all kinds of students bond with each other. However, remote learning presented an enormous challenge to the club. People could no longer interact with each other in person and every gathering had to be online, even in these uncertain times where social interaction is most needed. To counteract this obstacle, Hornung and other members of the editorial board planned online socials involving games, such as Kahoot and escape rooms. “It’s a lot harder because we can’t interact with the kids especially since this 32 • the voice november 2020

S. Laput Amanda Hornung gets ready for a club Zoom meeting. to move their limbs. “It’s been a struggle trying to keep them engaged and active during these Zoom calls because they respond to touch, and we obviously can’t go and hug them,” Hornung said. However, nonverbal buddies are still “It’s a lot harder because participating in these socials with the we can’t interact with the help of their parents. Parents have had kids especially since this is a huge impact on socials this year by helping their children with technology a social club.” and helping them navigate their way through the online games. Amanda Hornung Along with making the entire club online, there have been many other cause they get everyone involved. How- changes implemented in the club. ever, the biggest challenge with these There are no fundraisers this year, and peer buddies cannot meet the way they Zoom socials is involving nonverbal students and students who are unable used to. is a social club, but we are doing online games at our socials now. We’re just doing a lot of get-to-know each other activities currently,” Hornung said. These online games work best be-

Previously, peer buddies, students who are paired up with a buddy, were supposed to meet twice a month in person to participate in fun activities together. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, peer buddies must now rely on Facetiming and texting for interaction with their buddies. Currently, requirements for peer buddies have not been discussed yet. While there have been many negatives from switching to an online club, there have also been some positives from these new changes. For example, because of the shortened amount of editorial board members, there is more communication between all of the members and Hornung, making it easier for her to spread information. “This whole Zoom thing is helping me reach out to people that I haven’t seen in a while, and it’s giving us an opportunity to see people that we can’t go out

with all the time because that’s dangerous,” Hornung said. Additionally, in order to provide Buddies club members with as much variety of activities as possible, Hornung reached out to Baking Club and Art Club. Through the distribution of supplies, the editorial board plans to tie-dye T-shirts for the November social and decorate cookies for the December social. “We’re hoping to get more clubs involved other than sports teams this year too so we can branch out and expand our reach. Some of the kids don’t want to do sports; they want to bake or eat food,” Hornung said. After all, the Buddies are Hornung’s number one priority, and she just wants to help them to the best of her ability. Because of remote learning, numerous Buddies are feeling isolated and are not receiving the same amount of social

feature buddies club

interaction. “Without school, it’s been a lot harder for them to receive that type of attention and care that they need most of the time,” Horning said. “Buddies Club is actually helping them because they’re getting that attention that they normally get all of the time, and they’re getting it from that hour and a half that we’re with them.” As a result, Best Buddies is more important now than ever. No matter what experiences a student has, all students are welcome. Its sole purpose is to provide a safe space for every single Huntley High School student to interact and meet new people. “It’s a way to reach out to new people and make more friends even if it’s over Zoom,” Hornung said. “You still have that connection because we’re all trying to be friends here. We’re all trying to create a positive environment here.”

Hornung laughs during the monthly social.

S. Laput huntleyvoice.com • 33

feature academy

Behind Medical Academy Teacher Renae St. Clair’s experience

By Alyssa Borring

hat intense curiosity and attraction to the endless questions of the medical field. As young as high schoolers are, how are we supposed to feed this curiosity and silence all these questions? For the students at Huntley High School, we are very fortunate to have an academy to do this for us. This program is known as the Medical Academy. It is full of job shadows, guest speakers, volunteering, and much more. Each time you can involve yourself in something new, the closer you are to consuming that curiosity and hunger. “I want to go into medicine but am not sure exactly what career I want to pursue, so being able to listen to medical professionals speak has helped me a lot in figuring out what I am interested in,” senior Aubrey McFadden said. Many high schoolers find themselves in a similar position as McFadden. This field is full of jobs all tangled up with twists and turns like a corn maze. The ability to be exposed at such a young age to this workforce will benefit students for years to come. These job shadows can give you an intense look at the job, and they could show someone what they would or would not be interested in. “My junior year, I was able to observe a surgeon [giving] a hip replacement and a knee replacement. I was [also] able to job shadow a physical therapist for two to three hours, [seeing] what they do and being able to interact with their patients,” senior Sara Rysavy said. Experiences like this have pushed Rysavy in the right direction when figuring out what she wants to do in the future. After all, this is the purpose of the academy. Many people would not be able to narrow down their specific 34 • the voice november 2020

job desires before going to college and spending unnecessary money, so this prevents that. Rysavy is one of the many students that got to experience what this academy can do for someone. All of this would not be possible without Renae StClair. “[StClair] is so sweet. She is so funny. She is so involved and dedicated to her students [and] she is always there to give opportunities, and she will never turn down a question,” Rysavy said. She puts these opportunities on the table, but it is up to the students to take them. The students are responsible for taking advantage of every opportunity they can get. The people who decide to do this have the higher ground of exploring something they are passionate about while being in high school. Sheilagh DeLorenzo is a teacher for one of the four Project Lead The Way classes for the Medical Academy. She teaches Medical Innervations. “Ms. StClair has done a great job [with] organizing things [like the] process for kids getting accepted in the Medical Academy,” DeLorenzo said. Lisa Peterson is another teacher who is a part of the PLTW classes. She teaches Human Body Systems and BioMedical Innoventions. Many students are unaware of the countless classes and chances inside this entire program. StClair dedicates her time to ensure she organizes as many opportunites as she can. “There are a lot of little details that a lot of people do not see in the Medical Academy [like] that she is very organized and hardworking. She spends a lot of extra time figuring all of that out,” Peterson said. StClair decided to take charge of this program on her own. It all started back when she saw students involving themselves in job shadows revolved around sports medicine that gave her the idea. She found the desire to bring something like that into our school curriculum. Now, there are over 20 classes in this

Courtesy of StClair StClair in front of academy sign. academy with hundreds of opportunities and experiences. This is her passion, but she does have one ultimate goal at the end of her day. “My primary goal and passion are to try to give you every opportunity possible to find your path. Helping them find their path even if it is not a medical one,” StClair said. She is always here to lend a hand and help students find their path. Just because all students are remote, her plans have not changed. The Medical Academy students appreciate everything she has done to help with their future. People may be afraid to approach her at first like how Bella DeMonica was. However, now DeMonica runs the online zoom calls that allow us to continue getting points when quarantined. “I was at first very intimidated by her. When I had her as a teacher, she expected nothing less [than what] she knew everyone was capable of. She has always been one of my favorites since then,” DeMonica said. There is nothing like this academy or its leader. Other schools are in awe when they hear about this. Nothing can stress how valuable this academy can be for a high school student. Taking advantage of this could reroute your entire path.

sports winter

Sports change for winter HHS winter sports adapt to COVID

By Molly Baker

s senior Kamsi Nwogu walks into the high school for basketball practice, she is greeted with the half-covered faces of her teammates. She is only able to see her teammates on the designated contact days that the high school has allowed. Her senior season has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been a similar experience for many student-athletes this year. Almost all sports have been altered or canceled due to the pandemic. For fall sports, boys soccer and football were pushed to the spring. For winter sports, boys and girls basketball and wrestling were scheduled to be in the winter but got canceled. Sports that will be running this winter will be boys swimming and diving, boys bowling, cheerleading, and the dance team. The sports that will be continuing will be very different this year. All sports have to follow the IHSA mandated restrictions, as well as the restrictions that have been put in place by the district. For student-athletes, many had high expectations for this season but are let down with the cancelations. “I am looking forward to being able to play my last high school season with my friends. I am disappointed [that] this is my senior season. Our team made a lot of progress last year and some of us never thought [this] would be our last season of playing high school basketball,” Nwogu said. With the season being canceled and the ongoing pandemic, it is very hard for athletes to keep their spirits high. With no season to prove themselves, students like Nwogu also struggle to get recruited. With coaches not being able

S. Laput Huntley’s basketball players wear masks during pratice. to travel and campuses being closed, it is hard for students to plan for their future. “I am trying to get recruited [but] it’s been hard because I haven’t been able to visit any campuses, which I think is a big factor when it comes to picking a school,” Nwogu said. “There were fewer opportunities to get seen by coaches over the summer since a lot of tournaments were canceled and did not allow many spectators.” This pandemic has affected many student’s futures and it does not just affect one sport. The pandemic has affected coaches as well. Boys and girls swimming coach Jenna Gaudio is just one of the many coaches strained. “We will not be having invitationals all around the suburbs this year. While we have new and additional health guidelines and sanitation processes, I am so excited to work with the swimmers,” Gaudio said. “The boys season will look very similar to the girls season that we just finished. We did have to make changes, directed by IHSA, such as no relays and limiting numbers of swim-

mers per lane, etc.” It is hard to know when things will be back to normal. The pandemic has canceled so many sports already and has caused teams to switch up their season. With seasons being canceled, coaches and schools have seen the mental effect on students, but it also has a physical effect. “Typically most of our boys swim on club teams, so when they start our high school season they are in shape, however with COVID restrictions most of the boys did not have the opportunity to swim from March to about mid-August,” Gaudio said. “Training will require additional stretching and cross-training to strengthen swimmers without causing injury.” With students having limited access to practice and no access to their sports outside of school, it is very hard for students to be at their best for their upcoming season. Coaches and players have to adapt to the new regulations, and it is hard for some to stay positive. For other athletes, they are ready for

see WINTER SPORTS page 36

huntleyvoice.com • 35

“We support HHS and all the middle schools within D158. so the teachers, the faculty, the students alike, they all

from FESTIVAL page 3

Smart said. “It’s a unique event. Our ability to stay afloat during wintertime is because of the Turkey Testicle Festival,” Westberg “Support your community said. and your local businesses, On top of that, their numbers of customers have been 30-40% less than whether it’s Parkside or the expected. American Legion, However, Westberg is confident that or Pub 47.” the Huntley community has Parkside’s back. JR Westberg “Our community’s really good. We really have positioned ourselves as the come and support us,” Westberg said. local restaurant for almost all the athAs for the future of Parkside, we will letes, band members, you name it.”

just have to wait and see how Covid affects the business; it is too soon to see a significant impact. However, small businesses are in need. “Support your community and your local businesses, whether it’s Parkside or the American Legion or Pub47, there’s a lot at stake with the staff, and they need to pay their bills too.” “If you can spare an extra few minutes rather than going to the drivethrough of a McDonalds or Burger King, stop in and see a small business.” “We’ll try to make your food as quickly as possible, and you can preorder over the phone,” Westberg said.

from WINTER SPORTS page 35

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the new season. Senior Jerik Alcasid is excited. “This season, I am looking forward to making it to state again to redeem myself from last year,” Alcasid said. With sports like bowling, they can have safe, socially-distanced playing. Although this season will be different, most are excited to compete. “Some of us never thought that this might be our last year playing high school basketball, but we will make it work,” Nwogu said.

from MOTIVATION page 11

this all my work I have to do. I have to make sure I go to my classes on time.” You have to be a lot more independent. At school, you can rely on someone like the other people around you for certain things,” Raupp said. If remote learning goes on longer, students’ work ethic and motivation may go down more. Therefore, it would be a good idea to go back to an in-person setting at some point in the school year so students can get back on track with their work. However, there are some things that the district can not control. So for now, students will have to find different ways to motivate themselves and maintain what they feel helps them until it is safe to go back to school again. 36 • the voice november 2020

Soccer teams face delays

sports soccer

Soccer coaches attempt to adjust to new guidelines

By Riley Friberg

rass uprooting from the ground, wet dirt sticking to the prongs of cleats, and the faint scent of mildew melting to condensation. Shoulders brushing and colliding, calves bruising and aching, all while the look of determination shone through the sweat on faces. As the pandemic spreads, the less people play and more families become strict with contact and relations with others. COVID-19 has affected all sports and other contact activities all year round. Having to start and end a year in the midst of a pandemic was not how the world suspected things would end. To be safe, rules have been put in place due to limited-contact, but this has caused many changes that need to be accommodated. Contact sports have been restricted to limited opportunities, such as soccer. Soccer is a heavy contact sport, much like football, and it will be very difficult to maintain a recommended 6 foot distance. During a soccer game, the team consists of 11 members on the field, and it is the coach’s responsibility to set up proper placements and positions. A team has offensive players, defenders, midfielders, strikers, and the goalkeeper. The job of the offense is to bring the ball to the opponent’s goal and the strikers are primarily responsible for scoring. Defenders are the main source of defense, while midfielders remain around center field to bring it to the offenders or help defend the back row. In the far back, in the goal is the goalkeeper. The job

S. Laput Player goes to shoot a goal. of the goalkeeper is simple; to stop the ball from being scored. Each of those positions require contact with the opposing team, or contact with the ball. Taking precautions is the best move to make. “The plans that we put in place, as coaches, are based on how our school is responding to what is going on with the pandemic and more importantly how the governor and state are deciding what we can and can’t do,” said Daniel Regan, a soccer coach for the freshman/sophomore team. The coaches are keeping open ears for new information as it is being released, and are making effective decisions as time goes by. Regan is not only a coach for soccer but also for basketball who’s season is up in the air. His prediction for the soccer season, if it continues, is that there might be limited games and opportunities for the teams to play or waivers given to students that allow

them to play with the risk of getting COVID. As a coach and teacher, he encourages students and athletes to continue to practice their designated sport and not allow the pandemic to cut off all contact with it. “As of right now, the [Illinois High School Association] has moved the boys season to the spring (Feb. 15 - May 1) and the girls season to the summer (April 19 -June 26). I’m hopeful that we will be able to have both seasons, but I can’t predict the future,” girls varsity soccer coach Edward Philpot said. Seasons have been maneuvered to ensure a possibility of a continuing season; however it has not officially been decided. Philpot continues to say that if soccer continues, the games will be against other schools but it depends on the geographical location of the schools they wish to have a game against. huntleyvoice.com • 37

sports softball

Hunkins commits to D1 Reese Hunkins signs with University of Illinois for softball

Urbana-Champaign. “College softball has been a dream and goal of mine since I first started playing,” Hunkins said. “The journey has been the best of the best times and the worst of the worst times. Practices, workouts, and missing school was normal for me because By Grace Helzer of all the devotion and time I put into ooking out at the pitcher and softball,” Hunkins said. then to her third base coach, “Long car rides to practices over junior Reese Hunkins steps an hour away and to tournaments in forward into the batter’s box. different states began to become every As she begins her normal at-bat routine, weekend, sometimes weekday thing. she looks out to the nine players on the The sweat, tears, and hours I put into field, prepared to dominate whatever the sport was all worth it in the end beball she may hit. cause I achieved the goal I had dreamed Hunkins taps her bat across the plate, swings it forward, and then moves the “I had a great feeling that bat behind her ear and lets it rest on her shoulder. All at once, Hunkins’ mind the school was a perfect goes blank as her eyes focus on the fit for me, which made my pitcher’s hip where she will release the choice very easy.” ball. Hunkins takes a few deep breaths to clear her mind and settle her nerves. Reese Hunkins Once the pitcher begins her windup, Hunkins readies herself. about every day up. It still doesn’t feel The pressure of the crowd, her coach, real,” Hunkins said. and her teammates cracks down on An interesting twist was taken on Hunkins. Within a millisecond, she must Hunkins’ softball season due to the decide whether to swing the bat at the global pandemic. ball that is pitched or take it. “COVID kind of hit hard right off the Hunkins locks her eyes on the pitchbat [no pun intended] when the high er’s hip as the ball is soaring through school softball season was canceled. the air at a cutting 75 miles per hour. Coming off a state championship from She swings with all her might and the previous year, the team was even shoots the ball to left field. Hunkins more excited for the season to start but drops her bat and sprints as fast as her that came to a devastating end pretty legs can take her. quickly,” Hunkins said. Sacrificing herself, she sends her body As if losing her high school season sliding across the dirt and into second was not enough heartbreak for Hunkbase. Hunkins looks over at her smiling ins, she also was not able to participate coach as he gives her a thumbs up. in any college showcases over the sumEvery game, every weekday, every mer with her travel team. weekend, Hunkins repeats this cycle “We typically travel around the counover and over, fighting for a Division try to Colorado and California where 1 offer from a college. Lucky for her, we would play in front of many college Reese Hunkins’ hopes and dreams have coaches. More news came that become true as she has verbally comcause of COVID, none of this would be mitted to the University of Illinois at

38 • the voice november 2020

happening, and no colleges could come and watch at all during the summer,” Hunkins said. “This was hard on the recruiting process for me, my teammates, and many of the colleges because they could not watch us play in person. Fast forward to the present time, I am not allowed to go on any visits to colleges, even the one I committed to, until January [for now]. In a normal world, this would not be the case,” Hunkins said. Not only was getting college exposure hard for Hunkins this year, but the recruitment process was very different due to COVID. “Usually once Sep. 1 hits of your junior year in high school, any college coach can talk to you via text, email, and call to set up visits to their campus and to start to get to know you as a person. Under the circumstances this year, the coach could contact us, but they were not allowed to invite us to the college’s campus to get a tour,” Hunkins said. “With U of I specifically, I did a virtual tour of the campus and loved everything about the school, softball program, and what they had in store for me. I talked with the coaches on text, call, and Zoom,” Hunkins said. Hunkins is very grateful for the opportunity to be playing the sport she loves in college. Specifically, she is thankful for her biggest influence, her father. “He has always been my biggest supporter [when it comes to] reaching my goals. He has pushed me and did everything [he could so I could get what] I needed to succeed as an individual,” Hunkins said. Hunkins is ecstatic about her recent commitment to the University of Illinois. “I had a great feeling that the school was a perfect fit for me, which made my choice very easy. So, I took the offer they gave to me and became part of the Illini family,” Hunkins said.

sports softball S. Laput

“The sweat, tears, and hours I put into the sport were all worth it in the end because I achieved the goal I had dreamed about every day up until it became a reality.”

Reese Hunkins

huntleyvoice.com • 39

sports football & wrestling

The life of a dual athlete Junior Tyler Cerny succeeds in football and wrestling

By Brenden Boyle

fter getting up at 5 a.m., junior Tyler Cerny gets ready for the gym, eager to hit the weight room. Cerny has been playing football since fourth grade where he played on the Elgin Crusaders. He took a small break in seventh grade to focus on wrestling, and eventually he played with the Huntley Red Raiders during his freshman year. However, when Cerny is not playing football, he is getting ready for wrestling practice. “Time management is not the easiest during the seasons since football is mostly five to six days of the week,” Cerny said. “Same with wrestling. Sometimes the five to six days of wrestling a week are fun and all, but school work gets tiring afterwards.” Like with football, Tyler has been wrestling since fourth grade. He explains that it is hard prioritizing one of the two sports, but sometimes it is necessary to do so. “Wrestling has always been what [I am] better at, but it is a hard choice at times [to decide] which is more important. Wrestling has had some greater moments in general over football,” Cerny said. Being a dual athlete has impacted Cerny positively too. Since the conditioning for wrestling and football are very similar, Cerny is able to get a head start on the other sport since he is already prepared from the previous season. He has also highlighted some of his favorite memories while playing the two sports. Cerny was able to successfully make it into the state tournament 40 • the voice november 2020

S. Laput Tyle Cerny prepares to throw the football to his friends. for wrestling in seventh grade, where he faced off against his old rival. He vividly remembers the intensity of the moment while facing off against someone who has beat him all season. After a tough match, Cerny was able to pull the victory for the team. This is something that has stuck with Tyler for a long time and motivates him to this day. As for football, his favorite memory was when he faced off against Cary during his freshman year. “It was one of the best games of my career,” Cerny said. He finished off with four tackles, two of them being sacks. COVID has dramatically changed Cerny’s life, and his career in sports.

“It has impacted my football career [since there’s] as much time to play and be with my team and friends. I think everyone misses Friday Night Lights. Wrestling has been more major since there might not be a wrestling season at all, which is unfortunate,” Cerny said. Most, if not all, students miss the Friday football games at the high school. We do not get to see the athletes play. Although, they are still putting in work. Cerny, along with lots of other dual athletes, puts in an enormous amount of time and effort into the sports he plays. Currently, Cerny hopes he is able to play football and wrestle past high school. It will take even more time and effort, but he is ready to give it.

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sports wrestling

Jakowitsch’s comeback After a long recovery, Jeremy Jakowitsch is back on the mat

By Parker Amato

untley High School’s 4-year varsity wrestler, Jeremy Jakowitsch, is making a comeback after his ACL tear last February. Jakowistch was injured during a match at the IHSA State Finals, and he has gone through a very long and draining recovery process. “My recovery took a total of six months. I had to get surgery and go to physical therapy for five of those months,” Jakowitsch said. His injury occured during his final match at state. During the match Jakowitsh said he felt two things. “At the end of the first period it felt like I injured my knee, but I kept wrestling. Then I felt a pop and this is where I knew something was wrong. I was in a lot of pain but I kept going and ended up winning the match,” Jakowitsch said. He finished his match although he was in excruciating pain and placed third in the state at his weight class of 138 pounds. Jakowitsch has been dying to get back onto the mat after his injury, and he finally was able to do just that at the Super 32 Tournament. It was his first time wrestling in months and he had a record of 2-2. He was satisfied with his record because it was his first time wrestling after his injury. “I was cleared by my doctor only two weeks before the tournament so I really had to focus on getting my knee to do things it hadn’t done in months. I practiced as much as I could,” Jakowitsch said. He is disappointed that there is no season this school year. He was looking 42 • the voice november 2020

S. Laput Jakowitsch in a wrestling match last season, before his torn ACL. forward to wrestling with his teammates his senior year. Jakowitsch was confident that he would make it to the State Finals again and he was really looking forward to competing. “State is when all of the hard work

“The kid just knows how to bring it when he needs to bring it and that is something that not everybody has.”

Erick Lachel

pays off and I am upset that it is most likely not going to happen this year,” Jakowitsch said. Jakowitsch has gotten many college offers but, he has still not decided if he wants to continue his athletic career in wrestling. “I have gotten offers from North Dakota State and Cambell, but I am still undecided,” Jakowitsch said. Jakowitsch’s coaches have been a huge help and they have taught him a lot. He has been part of Huntley High School’s wrestling team all four years and has spent countless hours with his teammates and coaches. When Jakow-

itsch came in his freshman year it was clear he wanted to make it to the top. Both of his coaches, Benjamin James Bertelsman and Erik Lachel, could see that. “Jeremy camein as a freshman and you could see that he was eager to get in there and go at it. He wanted to compete at the highest level and he progressed in his own way,” Bertelsman said. Jakowitsch put in a lot of hard work and dedication in order to get to where he is today. Bertelsman and Lachel both agree that Jakowitsch will find success if he takes his wrestling career to the next level. “If Jeremy decides to wrestle in college he is going to have to get a little more offensive and when it comes to riding, continue to throw in those legs and get a good crab ride. I think he will find success,” Lachel said. Both coaches were very impressed with Jakowitsch’s third place finish at State considering he had to push through a very serious injury. “The kid just knows how to bring it when he needs to bring it and that’s something that not everybody has. That’s why I think he will find success at the next level,” Lachel said.

editorial

Positivity during a pandemic Find positivity and stay thankful for the little things, even in these trying times

our daily routine is probably starting to become a little repetitive. Students get out of bed each morning, brush their teeth, and plop down at their desks for yet another day of Zoom classes. Teachers arrive at their empty classrooms, forced to distance themselves from their coworkers.

No matter who you are, you are probably becoming exhausted with the predictability of each day. Students are becoming unmotivated, as their lack of social interaction is significantly affecting them. Even the exciting holiday seasons that we look forward to seem to be taken over by health guidelines and restrictions; however, nothing is ever as bad as it seems. Although this year has felt a bit isolated, we at The Voice want to remind you that behind every difficult circumstance is a silver lining. Although it may seem impossible to find the good in these unprecedented hardships, many students and staff members have reminded us that optimism is important. Despite the lack of in-person interaction students have had with teachers and vise-versa, much of our community claims that they have learned more about others than they would have if remote-learning had never occurred. The amount of support and understanding between everyone during these difficult times has essentially created more empathetic and personal relationships between student and staff. “I would say over the past month or so, I’ve started to have some of those normal class interactions; it just took a little bit longer. But, getting to know kids, and you get kids that are super great in the chat and quick with jokes and stuff,” math teacher James Allen said. “I can be a kinda sarcastic person and joke around, get the class roasts going. [When] you find a way to do that kinda stuff within emails and memes or the chat and even jokes in class, you start to get to know kids.” As teachers are forced to take advantage of the technology that they do have, many have benefited from these tools when it comes to getting to know students in an informal way. “At the beginning of the year I had asked my students to do a Flipgrid and send a video back of themselves. I just thought when I was watching them, like, ‘this is the coolest thing!’ I

would have never thought to do this in another year,” math teacher Eric Moore said. Quarantine has also given students and teachers the opportunity to explore their own personal interests and grow closer to their families. As parents and their children often have different and hectic schedules, the pandemic slowed things down a bit, granting families time to be together. Many realized how important it is to not take things for granted, as we lost access to many of our favorite things and activities during this pandemic. Despite being a freshman and losing out on her ‘typical’ first year of high school, Riley Dobrolinsky took quarantine and remote learning as a way to better herself physically and mentally. “I worked on myself and feel [that I have] mentally and physically grown over that period of time. Remote learning has made me realize to not take anything for granted,” Dobrolinsky said. “[It] has also made me appreciate our teachers more than I already [had].” As COVID-19 has drastically changed our school year, there is no doubt that our personal lives have been impacted as well. Social gatherings and public settings are limited to access, forcing us to stay home and unable to see the ones we love; however, during the upcoming holiday season, members of our community claim that maintaining holiday spirit is possible and can be done safely. Although science teacher Jennifer Drozt has chosen to delay her Thanksgiving celebration for her family’s safety, her excitement for the holiday remains the same. The celebration may look a little bit different for many families this year, but that does not mean it cannot be enjoyable. Celebrating at home can be seen as some time to unwind. “[Thanksgiving] is my favorite holiday, so I won’t give that one up even if it’s two weeks late. It’s nice to relax over Christmas break and hangout with my kids,” Drozt said. “They’re all relieved because they’re done with their college stuff. It’s destress time [for everybody].” COVID-19 has presented challenges for nearly every family. Whether it be work or school, we understand that your life has probably drastically changed over this past year. Al-though the majority of changes seem negative, you would not believe the amount of things you have probably learned about yourself and others during this pandemic. You may not realize it, but this time period is shaping you to be the best version of yourself. And The Voice is so proud of you. huntleyvoice.com • 43

one last

VOICE Lisa Tankov

Instructional Coach Ambitious Compassionate Witty Looking back on your life, what have you done that has given you the most satisfaction? I think the thing that gave me the most satisfaction would be all the chances I took. I’m glad that I took my time. I did a lot of little things and I think each little chance and adventure that I took led me to where I am today which overall, has been pretty cool. What legacy do you want people to remember about you after you’re gone? I hope I leave this world where it’s a little less stressed. I really hope that the people I encounter, when they move on from me, I hope that I have influenced them and reduced their stress level in some way. Which member of your family do you feel closest to and why? I’m actually strangely closest to my uncle. The reason him and I have a connection is he’s the first person that took me to Europe. We would travel, and it was fun. He would talk about growing up, what my dad was like, and about my grandparents.

Interviewed by Brooke Hamann Photographed by Sydney Laput