Inklings april 2017

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UNDER PRESSURE Crown Point High School @InklingsCPHS April 28, 2017 Vol. 81 Issue 8

When I am thinking about a lot of things at once, it’s hard to know where to start. It gets frustrating to no end.

Jackson Bologna sophomore If I wo am s rk, tre it i sse nc re d ab inc ases out s rea my om se fo et Ky s by cus a hing le 1 M 00 nd , sa sen urph perc my w y sch ior y ent ork ool . eth ic

Stress impairs and empowers all ages

BY GRACE CLELAND KIRA SCHUELKA design editor reporter

It starts off small and continues to grow with us. Eventually it begins to consume and taunt us to the point of threatening our lives.

That culprit is stress.

April is world wide stress awareness month, recognizing how stress is not just a feeling that can be shrugged off. A recent CNN article states the high levels of stress people endure are taking a deadly toll on them. Students have been dealing with stress for a while, and as schedules become crazier, stress increases. Some students are able to manage their stress easily while others allow their stress to build.

Stress affects students of all ages. Counselor of Junior and Senior Students Ami Marcinek believes factors such as school, drama, work and lack of sleep contribute to a high school student’s stress.

“Stress is normal, and it is okay to have stress. I think (the) number one (stressor) is the pressure of school. We see the stress level of seniors go up more than normal after about January. We have a lot of students with multiple AP classes or DC classes. They are pushed to do their highest level, so that causes stress,” Marcinek said. “Girl drama, boyfriend or girlfriend drama, that can add stress.

There’s the group (of students) that work a lot outside of school, and that’s just juggling everything. Then they don’t sleep well, and if they don’t sleep well, then they have a tendency to feel stressed more.”

High school is not always an easy transition, so for some, freshman year is the first introduction to the stressed placed on them the next four years. Freshman Olivia Budzevski has lost sleep over assignments and works to find ways to calm down.

“I think that I am stressed mostly because I stress myself out. I like things to be perfect, and if they are not, I’ll try super hard to make them that way. I am my own cause for stress,” Budzevski said.

Student athletes can experience stress from their practice and game schedules along with their school work. Being up early for morning workouts or practice after a late night of studying can strain their bodies. “(Athletes) have crazy schedules. They are up early for morning workouts, and they are here at school by

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Famous Family Members: meet those related to stars

5:30 a.m. Sometimes they are not even leaving school until 10:30 at night because of after school practices and games. That could cause a lot of stress, plus they still have their schoolwork,” school nurse Carisa Oman said.

Stress may feel like it is consuming someone’s life as it accumulates overtime. It can become a struggle to balance the high school opportunities with daily life responsibilities according to senior Rachyl Adams.

“Balancing classes with extracurricular activities, sports and a social life can be super stressful. On top of all of these tangible assignments, there are also things that we have to do that aren’t actually assigned,” Adams said. “For instance, we have to find a college, scholarships and build up a resumé. Doing all of this can be difficult.”

As stress nags on students, the many activities going on within a student’s life can cause them to feel overwhelmed and burned out.

“Feeling stressed has affected me mentally a couple times because it becomes so overwhelming that I just have to take a break and tell myself to relax,” junior Nick Ryan said.

Oman often gets visits from students when their stress leads them to feel ill. She has handled many anxious students and has seen the effect stress has on students. “(Stress effects) can range anywhere from a headache, tension pain in the neck, stomach aches. Sometimes it can go into a panic attack which would be the mental part of it. Stress can cause a tension headache which would be pain in the back of the head and the neck and that could stem just from stress alone,” Oman said.

Teachers as well as students can worry about pending assignments and grades. Latin teacher Sara Wietbrock has been attempting to handle stress for most of her adult life. Her stress went so far that it caused her to get sick and miss multiple school days.

“Last year I had this syndrome that happens when you have too much stress in your body to physically deal with it. So your body shuts down, and you’re almost comatose with lots of vomiting. That’s called cyclic vomiting syndrome, and that is completely stress related. This past year I had some issues health wise probably still related to stress,” Wietbrock said. see stress on page 3

l oo ch f I’m s in r i ell e fo w n do do to ing t s e mo re b he futu gh. t e y t ou s m of m en old e d v W i ry oo r e d or tg lin an at th nd w no que hm g s c a hin ss Ja fre e t stre h T e th Stress affects me in a is negative way because I lose sleep from staying up late due to all of the assignments I have to finish.

Emily Bogordos junior

WHAT CAUSES YOUR STRESS?

SCHOOL 57.1% FAMILY 48.0% FRIENDS SPORTS 32.0% HEALTH 31.7% FINANCES 30.7% WORK 28.5% 23.8% OTHER

98.4%

WHAT HELPS YOU DEAL WITH STRESS?

71.2% SLEEP 69.0% MUSIC 53.6% FRIENDS 44.8% EXERCISE 42.9% ANIMALS 28.8% FAMILY 16.3% ART OTHER 21.9%

SENIOR year JUNIOR year 51.9%

MOST

STRESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR?

20.4%

FRESHMAN year 15.4%

SOPHOMORE year Based on 320 responses to a student poll

12.3%

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Dodgeball supports Dance Marathon

BY JILL KIDDER editor-at-large

Excalibur yearbook to be distributed on May 23 The distribution of the 2016-2017 Excalibur yearbook, “There’s always that one,” will take place during lunches on May 23. There will be a limited number of cash and carry yearbooks selling for $80, first come first serve. A supplemental yearbook for spring coverage will be distributed in August. In addition, the Excalibur staff has uploaded various pictures from previous events from this school year on the CPHS website under news.

Dodgeball- a sport played in elementary school gym class, where players on both sides ran for their lives to avoid the beaming dodgeballs. Social studies teacher Vince Lewis hosted the semi-annual dodgeball tournament on Thursday, April 20.

The dodgeball tournament raised about $300 that was donated to Student Council’s Dance Marathon.

Lewis chose dodgeball as a fundraiser because of its simplicity and equality for all groups of people.

“Anybody can pick up a ball and give it a heave, and just come out and have fun with the team. To me it’s the universal appeal. I don’t just want to put on something where the athletes are going to dominate, everybody can come out and do it at least try and have fun doing it,” Lewis said.

The Dodgeball tournament required six to eight people on a team, having each team pay $20 that would go toward Dance Marathon. In addition, each team was required to have a creative theme. Senior Grace Moles and her team’s theme was ‘We

Sales at Culver’s goes towards Dance Marathon

Culver’s in Crown Point will donate 10 percent of the sale made from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 5. All proceeds from Dacne Marathon goes towards Lurie Children’s Hospital. Bring in a flyer, social media post or mention Dance Marathon when ordering.

PHOTO BY JILL KIDDER Seniors Matt Krampen and Sam Surufka run toward the dodgeball base line in their golf theme attire.

PHOTO BY JILL KIDDER Sophomore Jack Zaleski runs to avoid dodgeballs from his opponent at the semi-annual tournament.

Birken Rock.’

“We originally wanted to be the Plain White T’s, so we all decided to wear white.

But then we wanted to add another element to our theme, so then we decided to do ‘We Birken Rock’ like instead of ‘We Rock’ like Birkenstocks and Crocs, so we all wore Birkenstocks and Crocs, and we all wore white,” Moles said.

Traditionally, Lewis chooses a school organization that is raising money for a certain cause. For this dodgeball tournament, Lewis decided to partner the dodgeball tournament with Student Council for their annual Dance Marathon held in the beginning of May. All proceeds were added to Dance Marathon’s goal.

“So this year for the tournament we were able to raise close to $300 which is going to get tacked on to Dance Marathon,” Lewis said. “Some of (the tournaments)

have been twice this size, but regardless of the size, we will keep doing them because it’s fun. As long as we get even a few teams to come out and contribute the money towards charity, it’s a good reason.”

Student Council president Rachyl Adams oversaw the setup of the dodgeball tournament and is planning Dance Marathon. Student Council’s fundraising goal for Dance Marathon is $10,000, and all the money will be going to Lurie’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago to help children that are ill. Recently, Adams and other Student Council officers visited Lurie’s.

“Some fellow officers and I went up to Lurie’s Children’s hospital in Chicago and did a tour,” Adams said. “We saw how awesome and interactive the hospital is, and that really confirmed that that’s the place we want all of our hard work and money going to.”

Beloved science teacher of 23 years Kelly Loving passes away

BY JACKIE HAM co-editor-in-chief

Science teacher Kelly Loving roamed the halls of CPHS for 23 years. He catered to the needs of students and teachers alike by being a teacher, jokester, baker, coworker and friend. After fighting glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, since January of last year, Loving passed away on April 5.

Senior Kira Kopman had Loving as a teacher since her sophomore year, and during his battle, she visited him in the hospital baring chocolate chip cookies for her beloved teacher.

“When we went there, he started joking around… He was still outgoing. He didn’t want to make it seem like he was sick. He wanted to be known as how he was before,” Kopman said.

Loving’s sense of humor and positive demeanor is one thing that Kopman will never forget about him. Even though he was her teacher, she saw Loving as a person

to talk to even on the worst of days.

“He would always turn bad things into good things,” Kopman said. “If you ever had a problem, even if he was in a bad mood or something, he would always be there to talk to.”

Science teacher Jerome Flewelling met Loving while he was interviewing at CPHS for a job, and ever since then, he has worked alongside him teaching physics together. Flewelling saw a side to Loving that many people may be unaware of.

“When he learned something, he would learn everything about it. If you wanted to bake something from scratch, he knew how.

If you wanted to buy a pair of Vibram toe shoes, he knew the best ones, how to measure your foot and what to look out for. If you wanted help with technology, martial arts, etc. he was your man,” Flewelling said.

While there is relief that the suffering is over for Loving, Flewelling will miss running to his colleague with a new book recommendation. Loving may be gone, but Flewelling has memories that will last a life-

time. “(I have) lots of memories. His favorite drink: Dr. Pepper. His favorite shoes: Vibrams. He always had a recommendation for a good book. His ability to write good assessment questions. His cupcakes that he so willingly shared with everyone. His personality. The list goes on,” Flewelling said.

She may have been taught in a classroom setting by Loving, but the lessons Kopman learned from Loving are not from a textbook.

“I learned that you shouldn’t keep a lot of hate, and you should always just try to make something good out of everything that happens in your life,” Kopman said.

“He didn’t hate a thing. He didn’t hate anyone. He just found something good in everything. He wanted everyday to be a good day.”

Similarly, Flewelling learned from Loving to always practice his accents because “you never know when it will come in handy,” but he also learned a lesson on how to live one’s daily life.

PHOTO BY RAYNE CHARTERS Kelly Loving speaking at the 2016 Graduation ceremony as the elected teacher speaker.

“I saw a quote once that I think summarizes Mr. Loving, and what I think he has taught me,” Flewelling said. “‘Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than be absolutely boring.’”

Thinking Ahead for May holidays

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Dance Marathon

National Teacher Day

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Best Buddies Friendship Walk

AP testing starts

All City Band Concert 6 p.m. in the Gym

Mother’s Day

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YMCA expected to build $35 million expansion in December of 2018

BY ANDREA JOHN reporter

One local branch of a worldwide organization is about to look different.

Southlake YMCA is expanding and renovating the current building located on the corner of S. Court Street and W. 125th Ave. Once construction is complete, the building will jump from 40,000 to 121,000 square feet.

The expansion was announced in November of 2014, and Southlake YMCA marketing director Jill Schaffenberger recognizes the impact the structure will have on the community.

“In those two years, there was a ton of research and really making sure that (the expansion) would be the best for the community,” Schaffenberger said. “(YMCAs) in Witchita, Kansas, gave a lot of expertise to

help us be able to think about all the different needs and really make the Y something that would build community and be really great for all the people in the area for many years to come.”

Some of the features include two new indoor pools, one lap and the other warm water, as well as an outdoor pool and a licensed early learning center. Programs geared toward healthy living, youth development and social responsibility will still be offered.

This project is a 35 million dollar expansion. Construction will begin based on the capital campaign, which is an intensive way to raise money within a set amount of time for an organization. The new addition is projected to open around December of 2018.

“It all depends on when we are able to finish raising the capital campaign of

3.5 million, which is just 10 percent of the total (cost of the) project,” Schaffenberger said. “But they hope to break ground later in the summer or early fall. And then if that happens, they will have the new building built. The new building will connect to the old building that exists now.”

Junior Gabby Price is a student member of the capital campaign. She heard about the opportunity at a Pulse meeting run by 11th and 12th grade principal Russ Marcinek.

“I am on a board where I help campaign to raise money (for) the new YMCA. Right now,it’s a capital campaign which is a faster paced way of raising money in efforts to raise more in a certain period of time,” Price said.

Freshman Christian Mojica has been a member of the Southlake YMCA for three years and is looking forward to the expan-

sion.

“Most of the time I go and lift weights, but I like to go play basketball with my friends too,” Mojica said. “There will be a lot of more activities and opportunities that I can be a part of and utilize. (The expansion) would affect the community by bringing us together and bonding over attending the Y.” Price, like Mojica, believes this expansion will have a positive impact on the community.

“I feel as though having a larger YMCA will allow more people to be able to join.

It will also catch people’s eyes as they are driving or even walk by the new YMCA and hopefully make people want to check it out.”

The next step is the community phase that starts May 1. Details can be found online at crymca.org/southlakeycampaign.

stress continued from p.1 As her anxiety got increasingly worse from stress, Wietbrock said she decided to seek counseling to understand how to solve her ever present problem with stress.

“I have gone to therapy. For me, I think it is more of a personal thing than having someone else help me. Once I know why I’m stressing, I can figure out what to do,” Wietbrock said.

“I did seek help for that to make sure what I was doing to figure it out was the right thing.”

When daily stress became more than just an annoyance, junior Lauren Bunchek seeked help and was medically diagnosed with anxiety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found in their research that teen’s stress has increasingly lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Wietbrock initially attended therapy she decided to control her stress alone, whereas Bunchek still found therapy helpful.

“For the past three months, I’ve been on anxiety (and) depression medication. I think it has definitely helped my depression, but I still struggle every day with my anxiety,” Bunchek said. “I do go to therapy, usually weekly, but recently as school has gotten hectic, I had to take a break from it to focus on my classes.”

There has been an increased awareness that teens are experiencing higher levels of chronic stress disrupting their everyday classroom abilities according to New York University research on stress. While these extreme cases of stress are harmful, some stress can be beneficial to one’s health, according to the CDC. In fact, academic, athletic, social and personal challenges have been yielded as “good stress” for high school students stated in the NYU research. These stresses can be motivational and positive for students who have learned how to control it. Students, like Ryan, have found managing stress easier because they have been doing it for so long.

“Trying to balance homework with sports and work feels like I have no time to relax. Being involved in a sport actually acts as a stress reliever. It helps calm me down,” Ryan said. “Balancing sports, work and school makes you both mentally and physically tired most of the time, but I have been doing it for so long that it has become the normal way of life.”

It was early on in her first year of high school that Budzevski realized letting all her stress consume her could be unhealthy.

She put stress on herself and let it weigh her down. As it got worse, she had to figure out a way to handle stress in a safe, effective way.

“Take a break, and take deep breaths. If you stay stressed for too long, it’s not good, and don’t bottle it all up. Talk to someone about it,” Budzevski said.

If an adolescent is feeling stressed or anxious, the CDC suggests talking and staying connected to others, getting active, taking breaks from the media and taking care of oneself to avoid drugs and alcohol is important. For some, figuring out a healthy balance with school, work, sports, clubs and other life events can be difficult. Marcinek suggests students take a few minutes in their day to relax.

“Look at prioritizing. What needs to be done first? What can take a back seat while you get through what is causing the most stress? Then having ways to decompress for each student is different. Some listen to music, some meditate or just daydream,” Marcinek said. “Students may not be into the meditating, but just sitting and really doing nothing (is beneficial). Whatever it is that is just calming and relaxing for that student (helps), so find something and then find a way to make whatever the trigger is less intimidating.”

Today, Student Council sponsored its first “Destress with a Therapy Dog Day.” The event was held in hopes of creating a long lasting relationship with Therapy Dogs International (TDI) so students can relieve stress in an enjoyable way according to junior class president Annie Brigham. Therapy dogs are just one method that may work for students to relieve stress. Additionally, sophomore Molly Angel finds it beneficial to socialize and listen to music.

“I try to make time to hang out with friends, so I can have time away from thinking about my responsibilities. I listen to music a lot because it is a really good stress reliever,” Angel said.

There are multiple methods for stress management but its success is dependent upon the student. Some students find it difficult to relax and manage their stress wisely, while others already know how to deal with their stress in healthy ways. Adams has realized when she feels stressed, it is most important to focus on herself and her well-being.

“At the end of the day, my mental and physical well being takes priority over school and clubs. I think it is important to be happy before anything else,” Adams said. “When you are happy, life is incredibly less stressful. Being happy means that you look past all the deadlines and stress of the day and just take things one at a time.”

HOW OFTEN DO YOU FEEL STRESSED?

DAILY OFTEN 7.2% RARELY NEVER 0.3%

29.2%

63.3%

DOES STRESS MAKE YOU FEEL EXHAUSTED?

NO PHYSICALLY MENTALLY BOTH

4.1% 2.8% 18.4%

74.7%

WHAT CAN CPHS DO TO

ALLEVIATE SCHOOL RELATED STRESS?

E Y EG K T L AP R L R O S O E E EW R T ING S C TH M S E L E R ALS HO ETT EDU TRE O S SS M NIM B H SS A LE LE SC

6 8 41 responses indicated satisfaction with the schools response to stress.

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Of 207 responses to the question, these were the most common responses.

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Based on 320 responses to a student poll

Breanna Hume freshman

‘‘

If a fire started in your lot...it is your responsibility. If it’s causing people to be forced to stay in their home, they should still be taking care of it.

Cris Chavez junior

President Trump is in support of a $1.4 billion down payment on the proposed border wall. White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway said that the wall “remains an important priority” to the President and said that the administration intends to push the issue later this year.

‘‘

‘‘

Well I am for the wall because although we have border security currently it does not seem to be working to the extent that we would like it to be.

A Malaysian schoolboy died after allegedly being beaten by a staff member at his school. The 11-year-old and other children were beaten with a water hose by the assistant warden at their private Islamic school. The child was sent into a coma and his death was confirmed on April 26.

World

‘‘

My family personally does not live close enough to that Strack. I do not really have an input on that because we shop at other stores closer to us.

A landfill in Elkhart, Indiana caught fire and residents of the area were prompted to stay in their homes.

According to the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department, the landfill is owned by Waste Management. The landfill is not intended to accept any hazardous materials. Crews worked to put out the flames, and the fire burned for several hours.

Nation

Area

Strack & Van Til has began to liquidate groceries at its Merrillville location along with four Illinois stores. Company executives made the decision to close the store that were not profitable as leases came up for renewal. The store emailed customers stating that they were sad about closing the location, but happy to offer one last deal.

Student reaction to events in our world

State

views on news

Kirsten Nielsen senior

I think that is wrong and that the teachers or staff members should not be allowed to beat the children they should find a different type of discipline besides that.

Ethan Dosen sophomore

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For what they do, it is not enough

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Ehh, I can just do it later...

How do you deal with stress?

BY ABBY SOBEK

co-associate editor

As I look through social media, I see many articles of celebrities and professional athletes making millions of dollars for premiering in movies or making the game winning point. What I do not see is the stories of surgeons, firefighters or even soldiers. Yes, there are hero stories here and there of these people saving lives, which they do everyday, but it’s barely mentioned how little they get paid. It frustrates me that a celebrity can get paid millions of dollars for a short appearance while there are doctors saving lives, and they barely get a quarter of that.

Anyone in the medical field have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to school for many years. They put their time, effort and money into this all to help others. Everyday these professions save so many lives. Surgeons and doctors spend many hours of the day going out and helping the ones in need, according to www.facs.org they are putting in over 60 hours a week. After everything they do for society, why are they getting paid so low?

This applies not only to medical careers, but to those who serve our country as well. Soldiers risk their lives every day to fight for their country. They put their blood, sweat and tears into their work. They put everything on the line so we can have our freedom.

Yes, there are quite a few benefits that come with being in the force, such as health insurance and paid education, but financial compensation is an important part of it as well. These people have bills to pay and mouths to feed. Yes, they get paid rather well, but for what they do, it is not enough.

Movies, TV shows and sports have become an important part of society. These actors and athletes do put a lot of effort into their work, and even though they do put time into the performance, it does not affect the world if we have them or not. I am not saying movies and sports are not important.

The entertainment field has a strong influence on millions of people, in some cases it is even what keeps people going. The talent among most of the stars and athletes are beyond amazing, but for what they do, it does not deserve millions.

These are not the only careers. There are many more out there. What is more important: a movie about a galaxy or saving someone’s life?

Andrew Van Der Way

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freshman

CARTOON BY ABBY SOBEK

Don’t procrastinate iew: because it adds more stress and anxiety

I can do it tomorrow. It is not due until Friday. One more episode and then I’ll get it done. These phrases are embedded in the dictionary of high school students. Procrastination has been mastered by many of us every single day, but it is also the major culprit to stress.

As a high school student, there are many circumstances that we deal with everyday: athletics, performing arts, jobs, drama. It can be very hard to balance getting good grades, extracurriculars and a social life all at once, and when it comes down to it, one will most likely choose having a social life over doing math homework. It seems like the perfect escape in the beginning, but we all know how it will end: in tears.

The worst part about putting off an assignment until the next day is that one will never truly know the amount of homework they will have for the next night. Teachers are starting to utilize the agenda option on Buzz more and more, but it usually only gives a short summary and does not tell students exactly what they will have to do for homework that night. Not doing assignments the night before might double homework for the next night, and by Friday, there are a stack of papers that are past due.

It is not rare to hear of students staying up until sunrise doing a project that they held off on doing. Teachers tend to assign big projects weeks ahead of the due date to give students extra time to minimize the stress they may have while doing it, but most of us will just push it off until the night before it is due. This not only affects one’s sleeping patterns, but also the grade one will receive which will probably be substantially lower than it could have been.

It would be so easy to say to complete an assignment right when it is given, but that is almost an impossible task. Instead, utilize block scheduling. If there is not class the next day, work on the assignments that will be due tomorrow. Instead of sitting down in study hall playing ‘Ballz’ for the entire 72 minutes, work on the assignments that can be knocked out during that time so there is time for a social life.

There is a simple solution to procrastination: just do the work.

Although procrastinating may feel like an option, know that it should not be because it adds more stress than necessary. There are only a few weeks of school left, and then summer is here. This is prime procrastination time, but if the work is cranked out now, there will be more free time to go to the beach on the weekend rather than staying inside doing a English paper. Procrastination is a temporary solution for a permanent problem, and stress is the last thing that is needed now.

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Vol. 81 Issue 8 April 28, 2017 1500 S. Main St. Crown Point, IN 46307 219-663-4885 ex. 11349 fax 219-662-5663 inklings@cps.k12.in.us online: www2.cps.k12.in.us/inklings

co-editors-in-chief Jackie Ham Maria Leontaras editor-at-large N GG SS LL II N Jill Kidder Crown Point High School, IN associate editors Inklings is a student publication created by the newspaper and advanced Ally Rekitzke journalism students and distributed monthly to students, faculty and staff of Abby Sobek Crown Point High School. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of CPHS feature editor faculty, staff or administration.

Letters-to-the-editor are welcomed provided they are signed and submitted Alexia Wojciechowski one week prior to publication and do not contain personal attacks. Inklings online editor reserves the right to edit for space, clarity and legal and ethical concerns.

Jill Kidder Advertising is subject to applicable rates available by contacting Inklings. sports editor Inklings has been recognized as an Indiana High School Press Association Hoosier Star, National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker, Columbia Dominic Tomich Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown, and Quill and Scroll George H. Gallup assistant sports publication. editors

. . . .

“I play sports or hang out with my friends. It makes me feel comfortable and relaxed.”

Sofia Espinoza sophomore

“One way I like to de-stress is listening to music and also sometimes just walking outside. It’s nice to just get some fresh air.”

Kyle Bokota junior

“Usually to de-stress I’ll go outside and play basketball or ride my bike around and just do whatever I want because it helps me clear my head of school and whatever else is going on in my life.”

Halie Turich senior

“I work out a lot when I’m stressed. I ride my horse and do all the chores in my house then I do my homework. Then I feel better because I do everything in one day.”

Yousef Abdeldaiem Matt McConnell design editor Grace Cleland chief photographers Jill Kidder Ally Rekitzke art director Abby Sobek artist Destiny Kogler advertising editor Audrey Gacsy staff Jessi Alcorta-Robles

Lindsey Baeza Tabitha Beishuizen Jeremy DeBold Kiersten Hardy Andrea John Destiny Kogler Demetri Massow Kaitlyn Penkala Ashley Rekitzke Kira Schuelka Morgan Taylor Henry Withrow Jon Wolwark adviser Julie Elston

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BY JILL KIDDER editor-at-large

Now you all get to listen to a lot more students rant.

CARTOON BY ABBY SOBEK

Pro:

Commencement should have multiple speakers to celebrate everyone

BY AUDREY GACSY

Con:

One speaker would cut a previously long commencement’s time

BY JILL KIDDER editor-at-large

advertising editor

Graduation is the end of a long, eventful chapter in the lives of teenagers. From the standardized tests to the endless homework assignments, students are more than ready to have a moment of complete relief. When graduation day comes, it’s officially time to celebrate the momentous accomplishment. How could the celebration of that success be limited to only one student speech? The arduous effort of several hundred students does not equate to one voice being heard.

This year’s commencement ceremony will have one student speech. The lucky student will have a Summa Cum Laude status and will be chosen by a board. In previous years, there have been three students given the opportunity to leave their mark. At commencement, the graduates along with members of the audience deserve to hear a variety of stories, ranging from serious accounts of struggles to comical high school experiences. If only one student will have the chance to leave a lasting message, will that single message be serious? Or, will it be overly comedic? Either way, that single speech will leave the graduates and audience with only one feeling, when every high school student would agree that high school is many more emotions than that. The commencement ceremony needs and deserves more than one student speaker because the ceremony is dedicated to the successes of the students, not other administrators or popular members of the community. It’s those hundreds of graduates that have put in the countless hours of work on various subjects, so their voices deserve to have an audience.

In this world at this time in history, one’s most valuable possession is their voice. Words are influential. The words of leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. are those that are taught in school, proving that the message of a speech can leave a lasting impact. The graduating class this year will be entering a world that is full of more debate than in previous years, so letting more students share their ideas is the morally right thing to do.

Sure, additional student speakers will lengthen the time frame of the commencement ceremony this year, but as the superintendent Dr. Eineman always points out, students will have spent two million minutes in school, so what’s a few more speeches?

10 Inklings staffers agrees Colleen Fano

english teacher

14 Inklings staffers agree Lauren Massow

“Yes because I feel like students listen to students better than they listen to adults so it would be good to have someone more relatable up there.”

Michael O’Brien

Traditionally, CPHS allows three students speak at graduation. Not to mention, Dr. Eineman speaks, Mr. Pettit speaks, and a student-elected teacher speaks at graduation. In so many words, that is a lot of speakers. Perhaps too many for an already long graduation ceremony.

I have faced the misfortune of attending my brother’s four hour graduation. I was happy to support him, but to listen to each student’s name called out and receive their diploma case and to listen to six 5-10 minute speeches was over the top. Sitting through graduation is especially unbearable when each student brags about their academic achievements and how they’ve surpassed the other 600 seniors rather than uniting the senior class as a whole.

Yes, the seniors have “made it.” They have graduated and are now eligible to apply for dozens of jobs and face the world with a high school diploma. Graduation is a night to commemorate the four years they’ve spent at this school, to honor and remember the literal blood, sweat and tears they’ve put into their high school careers. However, listening to multiple students that “represent” the senior class is an unnecessary waste of time at graduation. Some want to spend graduation night with their family, the people who encouraged them on their 13 year education track, rather than spending hours at a hotel with students and parents that they have never met before. Each student deserves their two seconds of spotlight as they walk across the stage, shaking the administrators hands, as they receive their diploma case. However, allowing multiple students speaks allows room for the night to be all about the student speakers rather than each individual student.

Not every senior graduating is graduating with high academic achievements, or involved in sports or multiple clubs. Therefore, these students want to receive their diploma and leave. If they were not deeply involved in the school, listening to additional speakers is not going to change that.

Having additional speakers only drags on the 13 years that the seniors have spent at school. Those days will be over, and it will be time to move on from the years depleted in school.

senior

“I don’t think there should be more than one student speaker at commencement because they all say things among the same lines as each other and it’s just really time consuming.”

senior

“A lot of people have differing opinions and sometimes it’s good when you’re graduating to hear those opinions before you go out into the real world where there are those opinions.”

Tom Reed

orchestra director

“No because even though there is a number of very deserving students we have to limit it due to primarily time constraints.”

Anything can be seen around the world. Anything. A child being beaten, a suicide, a murder --- anything. All through live videos. Hundreds of people watch these horrifying videos live, not to mention how many people rewatched it after it was publicized over the internet. Would these people still have committed these crimes if they didn’t have an audience? There’s no exact answer. But, as Generation Z, we need to put the phones down.

At what point does enough become enough? Even on the small scale, subtweeting causes anger, airdropping inappropriate videos fuels drama and the Facebook rants are not helping either. Our generation has become so glued to our phones, or so self involved of how people view our feeds, that we neglect the people and the environment around us. We are so self involved that we need to get ourselves involved.

The pride of CPHS is found right in the center of it: Students who want to make a difference and help others.

One student created the club CP Upscale, which is a campus beautification project that encourages students to make the school look better and keep it clean. Another student created Students Helping Students, which is a great opportunity for all that want to donate clothing and hygiene materials for others in need. All of these students, among countless of others, created these clubs because they saw a need in their community and school, and they wanted to encourage other students to join and participate.

The spirit of helping goes beyond helping someone who may lack hygiene products or is homeless, but the spirit of selflessness is about putting other’s needs before your own.

This could include donating your time and helping at a local community event while not expecting community service hours for it.

As a generation, if we want to combat selfish acts like murder, stealing, kidnapping and terrorist attacks, we have to fight it with a bond of community and selflessness. We need to stop counting the retweets and likes and need to become altruistic in our motives.

As the next couple of months become increasingly warm, put the phone down so you can give a helping hand to someone in need.

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PHOTO BY JEREMY DEBOLD

Freshman David Schutte dresses up as a medieval knight to larp. Schutte enjoys larping more than cosplaying because of the activities that happen after dressing up as the character.

Cosplay is unique form of expression

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BY MORGAN TAYLOR KAITYLNN PENKALA reporters

People all over the world have tried to find different hobbies that interest them, yet not everyone plays sports or is an artist. A fairly new hobby has come up over the past few decades that some have come to enjoy.

Live action role-playing, or larping, is a form of role play where players physically act out their characters. The players achieve goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world while interacting with each other in character.

“I would describe it as creating a persona then reacting to challenges as that persona,” freshman David Schutte said.

Cosplay is similar to larping.

Cosplay is dressing up as a character from a movie, book or video game of your liking. Although both cosplay and larping are similar, there are still recognizable differences between the two.

“The main difference is that in cosplay, making the outfit is the end of it while in larping what you do after is what is most important,” Schutte said. “I prefer larping to cosplay because in larping I’m able to fully become a different character instead of just dressing as one.”

Choosing a character is the first step to being a good cosplayer. Participants tend to pick characters that they feel best represents their personality. Freshman Anna Floyd has found cosplay and larping to be bring her confidence.

“I enjoy larping and cosplaying because it gives me confidence.

I always try to cosplay or larp as a character that is beaming with

Common

I enjoy cosplay because it gives me a chance to go out and express my art in a way that people can enjoy it with me. Cosplay to me is a way of self expression. When I go to a convention, I can be myself and not have to feel like I’m being judged.

Jennifer Toth sophomore confidence, which allows me to feel a bit better about myself for a bit. It’s also a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to meet new friends,” Floyd said.

One place to meet other larpers is at a convention like Comic Con. Floyd enjoys such activities because of the opportunities it provides.

“I like to go to conventions, enter competitions and just be around others with the same interest,” Floyd said. “At conventions I enter weapon battles, cosplay competitions, roleplays and card battles. Sometimes there will even be a rave, which is my favorite part of any convention.”

Larping has allowed many others like Floyd to feel comfortable in their own skin. It can provide a whole new sense of self confidence, making cosplay appeal to many different kinds of people.

Sophomore Jennifer Toth has found her love for cosplay, and it has allowed her to express herself in a new way.

“I enjoy cosplay because it gives me a chance to go out and express my art in a way that people

characters

The Joker, “Suicide Squad”

can enjoy it with with me. Cosplay to me is a way of self expression.

When I go to a convention, I can be myself and not have to feel like I’m being judged,” Toth said.

Costumes can be found already made and ready to buy, but some choose to make their own.

Making the perfect costume can be time consuming and expensive.

“It is absolutely time consuming and expensive, but with skillful time management and budgeting, I can usually make it work out in my favor. It usually depends on how quickly I get my supplies together. If I have them all at once, I can finish in a week. If I get them in spread out amounts of time, it can take months,” Floyd said.

Cosplay isn’t just about dressing up for fun. People show off their costumes at many conventions and can even win awards for their costume. At conventions, there are lines of people that stand and pose so that people may take pictures of them.

“My all time favorite cosplay project would have to be Umbreon (from the dark Pokemon species). The main reason would

have to be because I made all of it, and I won second place in my age division at NWI Comic Con,” Toth said.

Even though a costume maybe store bought, the articles will still have the same effect as if they were made by hand according to Floyd.

“Though all of the articles may not be handmade, the ensemble will still look amazing. My cosplays are usually a mix of store bought and handmade items. For big projects, I like to start with a base and modify it with smaller details,” Floyd said.

Most costumes consist of a pattern, a fabric to follow, and many accessories to sew onto at the end. Making a costume by hand not only takes time, but it also takes great dexterity.

“It depends cost wise. Most of the time I buy things to make it myself, and that can cost me a lot of money in the long run,” Toth said. “My last cosplay, Umbreon, cost me around $100 and over nine hours to create it. But if you buy the costume premade, it’ll cost more than making it.”

Cosplaying can also serve as a fun and creative way to relieve stress. Floyd has found cosplaying to be an important aspect of her life and has learned a lot from the experiences she has had.

“Cosplay, to me, is a way to cope or even relieve stress because I feel excited, yet at ease. I tend to share some qualities with the characters I cosplay, and I really like to emphasize on those depending on who it is,” Floyd said. “Most importantly, I’ve learned a lot of important life lessons through good and bad friends I have met through cosplay.”

Daenerys Targaryen, “Game of Thrones”

Deadpool, “Deadpool”

By

The

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people attended the first Comic-Con in March 1970 at the U.S. Grant Hotel.

2.8 million dollars of tax revenues are expected to flow to the city.

3,000 reporters, bloggers and other media registered to cover Comic-Con.

135.9 million dollars projected economical boon tied to Comic Con. Statistics provided by http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/ topics/economy/comic-con-bythe-numbers/

Kylo Ren, “The Force Awakens”

Factss provided by http://www.imdb.com/comic-con/2016-most-popular-characters/ls063117351

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Relatively famous

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Local families connect to prominent people

BY AUDREY GACSY advertising editor

They are the subjects of documentaries, on the front of magazines and the headlining names of Hollywood events. They leave legacies. The famous are examples of what is possible. The world looks at celebrities as the untouchable, but what about a celebrity’s family members? For relatives, celebrities are simply a part of their lineage. Some of these people hear about their celebrity relatives on the television, but others celebrate the holidays with them.

On the outside, it seems like famous people are endlessly far away, but in actuality, they are closer than what may be assumed. Senior Faoilean Cosgrove is related to an actor that the world has seen on the big screen. John C. Reilly was known to us through animation as the voice of WreckIt Ralph and on the big screen, he became Cal Naughton in “Talladega Nights.” For Cosgrove, he is not only an actor, but her uncle as well.

“He is actually my mom’s brother, so we are pretty close. Our families have spent a lot of time together,” Cosgrove said. “A lot of my summers were spent hanging out with him and his family in Michigan where our family has a cabin.”

Cosgrove’s knowledge of her uncle’s fame has been a part of her life since she was a young child, but it is integrated into the person that she sees him as.

“I’ve always known that he was famous.

It was when I was little, though, that he got really famous. In 2002 he was an Academy Award nominee, so when I was little, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s so cool,’” Cosgrove said. “I liked it, but I didn’t realize why it was different until I told others about it and saw the looks on their faces.

They would always have the most surprised look.”

While Cosgrove considers her relationship to her uncle very normal, there are some aspects of his life that make their relationship unique.

“He’s a very private person, so when we are all together in Michigan, he keeps his identity private. His family isn’t into the whole talk show and paparazzi thing.

We try not to ever go out somewhere where people will recognize him. If we do, it gets kind of nuts,” Cosgrove said.

Acting, however, isn’t something that ends with Reilly; Cosgrove’s entire family has the drive. For Cosgrove, her uncle is more than a famous Hollywood actor.

He has served as a role model that has enhanced her love of theater, shown by her ac-

?

Have

you

heard

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAOILEAN COSGROVE

Senior Faoilean Cosgrove and friends, seniors Liz Deyoung and Tara Lugo, pose with Cosgrove’s uncle John C. Reilly. Reilly starred in “Talladega Nights” and “Step Brothers.” Reilly prefers to keep his life private according to Cosgrove.

ceptance into New York University’s theater and acting program.

“I would definitely say that acting runs in my family. My family on that side is super artistic, like photographers and actors.

His wife is a producer, so it has always been a really creative environment,” Cosgrove said. “I’m so thankful that arts are encouraged in my family. Obviously my uncle has impacted my life because I’ve always had someone so successful to look up to. It’s nice to see someone be so successful in the field because a lot of people don’t make it.”

For other people, their celebrity relative isn’t a Hollywood name. Junior Ashley Reed’s distant cousin is the outlaw Jesse James. While Reed obviously has never had the opportunity to have a relationship with James, his life is still very intriguing to her and very much a part of her own life.

“When I was younger, I used to do school projects about him, and it would be very cool to hear people get so excited about it. I really do think that it’s important to know who you’re related to, so when I found out that I was related to Jesse

John C. Reilly

Facts provided by http://www.10-facts-about. com/John-C.-Reilly/id/571

Jay Cutler

Facts provided by http://bleacherreport.com/ articles/578920-jay-cutler-15-fascinating-factsabout-the-intensely-private-chicago-bears-qb

Jesse James

Facts provided by http://www.history.com/ news/history-lists/7-things-you-might-not-knowabout-jesse-james

James the outlaw, I thought that it was the coolest thing ever,” Reed said.

It wasn’t until Reed was in middle school that she found out about her shared lineage with the famous outlaw. For her, finding out about her famous relative came as a complete surprise.

“I actually found out about it for the first time when I was with my grandma. We were watching a show about famous people, and I remember telling my grandma that I thought it would be very interesting to be related to a famous person,” Reed said.

“I never expected that she would tell me that we actually were, and that it was Jesse James. I was in middle school, and we had been learning about outlaws, so it was perfect timing.”

Through that revelation, Reed found out that James wasn’t the only famous relative of hers. James had a gang of outlaws that worked with him, and a member of the gang was another one of her relatives.

“After asking more questions about him, I learned that another one of my distant cousins has helped plan James’ crimes.

At one point, someone wrote an entire book about Jesse James and his gang, so it’s awesome to think that in some way, that book is about my family,” Reed said.

On the other hand, senior Noah Cornett has no desire to meet his famous relative. Jay Cutler, Cornett’s distant cousin, is not the type of family member that Cornett has an interest in bonding with.

“I’ve never met him, and from what I hear from my family, he honestly sounds like an awful person in real life. That’s according to my grandma, so it says a lot. I’m perfectly fine not knowing him personally,” Cornett said.

Similarly to Reed, Cornett found out about his famous cousin from his grandma. However, for Cornett, making the connection was more obvious.

“Well, my grandma’s maiden name is Cutler, so one day I asked her if we were related to him thinking that it was some kind of coincidence,” Cornett said. “She told me then that we are actually distantly related. His grandpa and my great grandpa are brothers.”

For Cornett and his family, sports are an integral part of what they love regardless of their athletic relative. Cornett has been playing soccer since he was young, and his father is an avid football fan.

“I’ve been playing soccer for the high school, so you could say that in my immediate family, sports are very important. We love watching soccer, football and baseball together,” Cornett said. “We are also Bears fans, so it is kind of cool to think that I’m related to the quarterback. I just wish that he was a nicer guy and a better player.”

As for having any connections with his famous relative, Cornett has reached out to Cutler in the past with no success of contacting him.

“One time, I wrote him a letter when I was in the fifth grade, but other than that, he isn’t a part of my life. I just watch him play horribly on TV,” Cornett said.

It is a different experience for every relative of a famous person. Sometimes it is an honor and enjoyment, but other times, it is something that is kept quiet. Whatever the relationship between the famous and their families, the idea of being related to someone special is intriguing.

“I’ve had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of a movie set, which was a really cool experience. It’s a unique perspective from behind the camera,” Cosgrove said.

“I guess it’s things like that that make me understand how nice it is to have (Reilly) for my uncle.”

• In 2003, three of the five films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards featured Reilly.

• Reilly is a huge Chicago White Sox fan and is very open about how much he admires and supports the team.

• Cutler was born in Santa Claus, Indiana, and grew up rooting for the Chicago Bears.

• Cutler was a volunteer in the Best Buddies program with Vanderbilt.

• James’ father was Robert James, a Baptist minister.

• James killed the bank’s cashier in an act of revenge, thinking the man was Samuel Cox, commander of the pro-Union militia troops who had murdered guerilla leader Bloody Bill Anderson.

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An elementary school field trip to the apple orchard is so much more than picking fruit off of a tree. Children crowd around boxes of buzzing bees as a beekeeper explains the functions of a hive. Each kid gets a stick of honey and is sent on their way to pick some apples. This entire experience can become extinct if the bees do, too.

blueberries cherries grapes peaches raspberries watermelon Facts provided by http://www.bees.technoscience.ca/english/bees/pollination/fooddepends-on-bees.php PHOTO BY ALLY REKITZKE

Aspiring beekeeper, sophomore Grace Fleszewski prepares the box she will use to house her bees below an old playset in her yard. She has not received the bees she will keep, but Fleszewski is excited to begin her beekeeping escapades. She built the boxes she will use by hand at home in her garage and school with her woodshop teacher. Fleszewski decided to keep bees after she observed them while growing pumpkins in her garden.

Bees are dying at alarming rate; community looks to preserve population

BY MARIA LEONTARAS TABITHA BEISHUIZEN co-editor-in-chief reporter

An intense wave of pizza craving hits. Papa John’s is the first pizza place to come to mind.

After a quick call, it’s on its way. It arrives. Someone opens the box and one of the things that makes Papa John’s great is missing: the garlic dip. Discouraged, tastes turn towards a PHOTO BY ALLY REKITZKE healthier option of fruit salad. A quick drive to the grocery Sophomore Grace Fleszewski prepares to keep her bees by pulling on store leaves another alarming discovery. There is no fruit to elbow-length gloves and a veil to protect herself from potential bee stings. be found.

A potential reason why these can’t be found? The decreasing population of bees.

Bees pollinate, or transfer pollen from one plant to another, many crops that some see as key to human life. The lack of production of said crops that would accompany the demise of bees could be alarming according to AP environLet congress know that mental science teacher Joseph Correa. the bees mean some“They pollinate crops for 30 percent of our grocery stores. The human population survives off a set number of thing to the average food right now, and 30 percent of that comes from the citizen. Sign a petition bee pollination, which is a pretty significant amount if you think about how many people currently don’t to ban a bee killing have food and don’t have the ability to get food near pesticide at http://acthem globally,” Correa said. tion.panna.org/p/dia/ More than 700 North American bee species Stay away from pesare headed towards extinction according to action/public/?action_ ticides and chemicals TIME, and Correa believes one major reason KEY=5370. for this decline is a chemical called neonicwhen treating your otinoids, lawn. They can conwhich can be taminate the pollen, be

HOW TO

HELP Be Cautious

Join a local beekeeper’s association and learn how to start your own hive. Take classes and meet other beekeepers to be confident in your own abilities to save the bees.

Facts provided by http://www.queenofthesun.com/ get-involved/10-things-you-can-do-to-help-bees/

taken back to the hive and poison the bees and honey.

Be Friendly

Leave a small bowl of fresh water for the thirsty bees that come to your yard.

SAY BYE apples

Tom Reed beekeeper, orchestra director

Be a Keeper

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TO THESE GUYS

There are certain flowers that really attract bees. If they like the color, they go to the flowers. So there are different flowers that you can plant either by seed or, my route, plant some flowers. Give them something to go to.

Be Active

feature april 28, 2017

Be Local

Buy locally grown honey and other foods to ensure pesticides that damage the bee population are not in use. This also sends a message to other farmers who use pesticides to stop in order to gain business back.

found in popular pesticides.

“But if we control or if we kill (a species), and then we deal out all these chemicals that kill one type of bug, it can have an effect on another type of bug because they’re so similar in physiology. And if we spray (pesticides) on, for example, corn to protect against some type of mite or pest that’s not desirable, that pesticide is probably going to be persistent, which means it’s going to linger on the ground, maybe get sucked up by the plants and then be brought into contact with the bees, or it could be through water contamination,” Correa said. “It gets into our waterways that the bees then drink from. So there’s lot of different ways for the neurochemical to make its way to the bee species that just destroys their populations.”

Though he doesn’t plan on actively pursuing a solution to saving the bees, sophomore Daniyaal Rasheed is disheartened by the steady decline of the bee population.

“Knowing that bees were instrumental to the creation of a variety of the foods that I eat worsens my dismay for their extinction. Bees are pivotal to the functionality of nature. A reduction in their number would inevitably harm everyone,” Rasheed said. “Personally, I don’t plan on being a strong contributor to saving the bees, but I would be a supporter of solutions to the pesticide issue, specifically GMOs.” Correa believes the downfall of the bee population and the consequential lack of easily grown crops could have detrimental effects on the economic divide, causing a larger gap between the “haves and the have-nots.” To combat the decline of the bees, Correa advocates for learning more about the bees and their traits.

“I think people could find bees beneficial and learn about bees and maybe even have their own hive or set up their own space for them because they’re not aggressive, at least the pollinator types of bees,” Correa said. “It’s the wasps and the mud jumpers and yellow wasps (that are aggressive that) people are scared of. They just clump them all together where bees aren’t aggressive unless threatened.”

Beekeeper and orchestra director Tom Reed has also noted the death of bees and cites pesticides as a large contributor to this issue. But as a local beekeeper, Reed sees another factor that caused the decline: the weather.

“This winter a lot of bees in this area (died) … because of our balmy weather. Because the weather was so warm and so nice, the bees were coming out of their hives where they typically live for the year. They typically stay in their beehives through the winter for the most part, and because we had warm weather, that triggered them and signaled for them to come out (of the hive) and start looking around and collecting pollen,” Reed said. “There was no pollen in

January or February or March, so the bees came out, and they weren’t able to get back in and get in their formation inside their hive to keep themselves and the others warm. So I think a lot of bees died from that.”

Honey is the main food source for bees, and they stock up to be able to survive through the winter with less food since they stay inside the hive. But since the bees left the hive and returned with no pollen to make honey, they were unable to make up for their increased activity and hunger with more food. Reed believes this could have led to the death of more bees in the area, and he himself has lost bees because of this.

“I think the weather sent them out this year. Weather is one of the big reasons we’ve lost bees in this area. I had two hives, and I lost them both. I don’t think I did anything wrong. I think I got my things ready for winter like I was supposed to. Pretty much everybody that had beehives lost their bees,” Reed said.

One way Reed would encourage others to help in the effort to save the bees is by planting flowers that will attract the insect and provide a safe space for them to collect pollen.

“There are certain flowers that really attract bees. If they like the color, they go to the flowers. So there are different flowers that you can plant either by seed or, my route, plant some flowers. Give them something to go to,” Reed said. “I live in the rural area, so I have five acres. They have lots of land, mine and my neighbors’, that they can go to that they can pollinate and pick up pollen. That’s what they need more than anything. They need a place where they can go and get a good pollen without killing them.”

Reed has recently placed new bees in his hives in the hopes of continuing the hobby that was inspired by his grandfather.

“I’ve always been interested (in beekeeping). My grandfather had bees, and it just seemed like an interesting and neat thing to do,” Reed said. “I didn’t always know (I wanted to do) it. It just seemed like something I would like to try …

There was no one defining moment (that I knew I wanted to do beekeeping). I kind of came to it over time.”

Unlike Reed’s gradual realization, sophomore Grace Fleszewski took an instant interest in beekeeping when she first noticed bees in her garden.

“I really liked gardening. I wanted to grow giant pumpkins. I would walk outside, and I would always see the bees there. I thought they were always really cool to watch and see what they do. They’re always so orderly. It was neat, so I started reading on them and decided I wanted to keep them,” Fleszewski said. “I first saw a bee midsummer, and I kept seeing how they’d pick up the pollen and go to each

(pumpkin), and I’d get really excited when I saw them because I knew the pumpkins were going to grow because if there’s no bees, you can’t grow plants. It was exciting. I got really happy when I saw them.”

Fleszewski has not begun keeping bees. Since she is a beginner, Fleszewski became a part of a local Beekeeper’s Association, and she attends meetings to learn more about how to properly keep bees.

“I just listen to more experienced beekeepers talk because they always said if you know one beekeeper who says they know everything, you better run because they’re going to lie to you again. You hear all their stories and learn from their advice because they’ve been doing it for a while,” Fleszewski said. “I’m doing the classes, so they’ll say, ‘Okay, now you’ve got to start installing your bees.’ In the fall, they’ll start saying, ‘Okay we have a honey extractor you can come borrow it at this time, and this is how you do it.’ It’s pretty educational.”

Just like Correa and Reed, Fleszewski sees the importance in certifying the survival of bees. She encourages others to learn how to recognize the differences between bees and wasps to ensure one does not a harm a bee and to plant wildflowers to promote pollination. Fleszewski also realizes the importance of the bees in regards of the food supply.

“Every one in three meals you eat is from bee pollination. They’re really vital to the food supply, and with the growing population, you need a growing food (source). If there’s less food in a growing population, it just doesn’t work. We have to save the pollinators,” Fleszewski said.

Senior Rachel Wadkins is an advocate for saving the bees. She has recognized how much they help the human population rather than hurt them, and Wadkins encourages others to save the bees.

“The fact that the extinction of bees is even a possibility is so sad. The bees work so hard to provide for us, and we don’t fully appreciate them. So many people swat at bees when they’re around instead of just letting them go about their business and do their jobs. That’s a good boy you’re swatting,” Wadkins said. “I am very aware of how much the bees affect us, and I constantly scold people for swatting or spraying pesticides. It would be so simple to make a small change in your life and make a great impact in the fight against extinction.”

PLANT THESE FOR THE BEES comfreys dandelions english daisies foxgloves ground ivies poppies self heals vetches Facts provided by http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/wildflowersand-natives.html, http://beefriendly. ca/25-plants-forbees-in-yourgarden/

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Alternate paths provide right fit for some graduates For some students, choosing what to do after high school can be stressful and options may seem limited. Factors such as the suitability of finances and interests may lessen the number of potential occupations.

However, there are other options that can open doors to certain careers future graduates may not have considered. Post high school plans that differ from the immediate attendance of standard four-year college include trade schools, and joining the military.

“There are a great number of options.

There are apprenticeship programs, where students can look at getting a full time job straight out of high school. There are, of course, military options. Some students will do what they call gap year, which is where students do traveling or some type of year long service, and then they apply to college after that gap year. There are a lot of different paths to take, but even today we find that more and more jobs require training,” College and Career counselor Johanna Hess said.

There are many factors involved in choosing trade school. One factor is the low cost. Compared to a student attending traditional college, a student attending trade school will be charged far less to earn

Class of 2016 Post High School

Apprenticeship

1.5%

Career Education

2%

Military

4%

ibility is a primary benefit for many aspiring cosmetologists, such as sophomore Andrea Hayes.

“I want to be a hair stylist because I’ve always been interested in cutting and styling hair. I’m also interested in becoming a makeup artist because it’s my favorite form of art. … Both of these careers also allow me to pick my own schedule which is nice,” Hayes said.

Hair stylists, barbers, nail technicians and makeup artists are just a few careers that involve beautification.

Like cosmetology, the food industry is also rapidly developing. The average American adult buys a meal or snack from a restaurant almost six times per week, according to the United States Healthful Food Council. Family and Consumer Science teacher Julia Collins sees the constant need of food as a reason to attend culinary school.

“Food is not going anywhere. We’re always going to eat. The culinary industry is booming, so it’s not a bad area to go into because it’s only growing,” Collins said.

Another possible benefit of pursuing a career in food is that there are jobs almost everywhere. Restaurants, diners, hotels, schools and hospitals are just a few of the places work can be found.

Aside from trade school, the military is another option that comes with many

benefits. Joining the military may also help out financially. The U.S. Military offers taxfree housing, food allowances, full medical coverage for military members and their families and pensions. Junior Kyra Dixon plans on taking advantage of educational coverage.

“I would have to be paying for college myself, but going into the army, they would pay for it. You would go to basic training, and then you’d have to go to another training process. By the time you’re done with training, your college is paid for,” Dixon said.

The military is also an evergreen occupation. The Department of Defense is the largest employer in the United States and has 1.3 million people on active duty according to their website. There are many qualifications needed to join the military such as physical and mental fitness, however, there will almost always be a job within reach.

The pride and honor of serving is a benefit some, like junior Aiden Brooks, feel is invaluable.

“I believe that we should have to fight for our country because people have done it before, and I don’t think it’s right to just sit back and relax and watch other people fight for you. … It teaches you serious respect and it helps you out,” Brooks said.

Statistics provided by College & Career Counselor Johanna Hess through a Naviance survey

4-Year College

2-Year College

Into Workforce

11%

7%

74.5%

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their degree. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average cost of trade school is $29,000 while the average cost of a bachelor degree is $127,000.

Another factor of attending trade school is that it, on average, requires less time to complete. Getting a degree from a trade school usually takes one to two years whereas a typical bachelor’s degree takes four years. Sophomore Zach Sharp plans on going to trade school because of the shortened time frame.

“I do not want to go to school for another four years,” Sharp said. “I am totally down to go for another two, but four years is a little too much for me. I feel like I’ll give up in the middle of it.”

Additionally, there are trade schools for all types of jobs. From construction to cooking, trade school encompasses it all.

Cosmetology in particular is another line of work trade schools provide skills for.

According to the Bureau Labor of Statistics, hairdressers, hair stylists and cosmetologist jobs are growing at an above average rate of 10 percent, making it a reliable choice of income.

In addition, licensed cosmetologists have the freedom of deciding when and how much they want to work if they choose to not be employed by a company or business. This allows them to build their own schedule and decide their own hours. Flex-

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Just confidence knowing that we have the skills to win we just need to feel good about our game and use it

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- junior Ana Maksimovich

Broken Dreams

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Sport related injuries affect players physically, mentally

BY MATT MCCONNELL assistant sports editor

Picture this: watching your favorite sports team and being very involved in every single game they have played.

Then, news breaks that one of the best players on the team has been injured. To you, all this is an empty time period where the team may need to adjust, but behind it all, that player has been introduced into a world of recovery and pain.

To a non-athlete, this can be seen as just a date to be expected back. However, injuries are much more than a time off. Under the surface of it all, the athlete can go through a physical and mental beat down.

Sometimes, an athlete, like senior Will Kulcher, may not even know what their injury even is, leaving them vulnerable to questions and confusion on the future of their athletic career.

“I went to the doctor not knowing what was wrong with my arm, but after many tests, Dr. Mullaly was able to tell me that I had torn my labrum, bicep tendon and my rotator cuff. I had to get surgery last March to repair everything,” Kulcher said. “I was unable to play my entire junior season, both high school and travel baseball. I was unable to throw a ball for close to six months after the surgery. It put me on the disabled list for awhile, and I’m just now getting back into the swing of things.”

However, the time period of sitting out is not a walk in the park for an athlete to endure. The aspects of maintaining a strong attitude and character become prevalent in the recovery process.

“My injury really affected me mentally. It was a rough time knowing I was going to miss the biggest year of recruiting. I went through a lot of ups and downs on if I should play college baseball,” Kulcher said. “It was a very hard six months to get through, watching all my friends out on the field playing the game they love, and I’m just sitting there watching.”

Sophomore Jack Mumaugh, goalie for the varsity soccer team, went through this physical and mental block after he went through full ACL reconstruction surgery earlier this year.

“I had surgery on October 12, and at first, I was really in a bad place. I gained weight and felt like I wouldn’t be able to ever return to play,” Mumaugh said. “I began working out more and more, and within 11 weeks of surgery, I was running and doing work on the elliptical and bike in my basement. I realized I was going to have to work harder than ever to accomplish my dreams. I’m now in better

PHOTO BY JILL KIDDER

In the middle of the previous football season, sophomore Gabe Builta suffered an injury during a game that forced him to be out for the rest of the season. He experienced a broken tibia and fibula, and is working on getting better for the next season.

shape than ever, and I have a better work ethic than before I became injured.”

Recovery does not come easy. An athlete has to be motivated to get through the hard points in the process in order to get to the good ones. It is easy to fall into a mental slump while injured, but the ones who get out of those funks can bounce back just as strong through mental toughness.

“I overcame my injury by going to physical therapy three days a week and working out on my own. The workouts I was put through were very intense and made me much stronger,” Kulcher said. “Physical therapy started the day after my surgery and went on for six months. It was very stressful working out everyday, doing the same workouts day in and day out. But I have actually come back much stronger than before my injury, which has really helped me out now.”

Along with Kulcher, sophomore Gabe Builta is recovering from a broken tibia and fibula from the previous football season.

“The whole experience changed my mentality by making me work harder and harder before my injury. I needed to make good grades along with being the best overall person I can be. I want a D1 or D2 scholarship, and I still have lots of time to put in what I need to do to achieve that goal. I’m working hard and keeping my head up about my future and what my goals are that I have to achieve to get where I want to be,” Builta said.

As an athletic trainer, Trent Trump sees many athletes fall to injuries and witnesses some not get out of t h a t slump. However, the ones that do have a different type of mindset, allowing them to overcome the deflation that injuries invoke.

“There are different kinds of kids, and some kids can be mentally stronger than others. They see it as something to overcome and they say to themselves, ‘This injury is not going to be the end of my athletic career.’ You have kids who are natural leaders with stronger mentalities,” Trump said.

However, with the stress of injuries along with these athletes being only in high school, Trump coaches these young players on how to beat it.

“With younger kids, you have to remind them that they’re just a freshman or sophomore. You have two or three more years left of that varsity position to look forward to,” Trump said. “Other kids, if they’re going to be playing at that next level, you remind them this is just a stumbling block, and they have a bigger and brighter future. You don’t necessarily want to peak when you’re fifteen years old.”

However, no matter the age, injuries can be detrimental to your physicality and mental state. Athletes who go through these hardships must be dedicated to get through it. No one forces athletes to come back and play. It’s the voice in the back of the mind that wires one to overcome hardships.

First-year coach aspires to lead golf team to victories

BY HENRY WITHROW reporter

The Bulldogs boys golf team, led by first year coach Ryan Bishop, has started their 2017 season up to par. With a fresh cast of returning golfers and new faces, the team believes they can improve off of last year’s season. Bishop believes the team needs to build more chemistry in order to make big moves heading into tournaments.

“We have a lot of practice to do along with getting to know each of the new pieces to the program. That takes some time, but we will try to be playing our best golf of the season around sectionals and regionals,” Bishop said.

As sectionals and regionals roll around, the team feels there are a few aspects of the game they need to improve on in order to be a great team. Bishop believes junior Yianni Kostouros has done a fantastic job leading the team

and thinks he has the capability to send the team into the postseason.

“Yianni has been doing a great job leading from the front as a junior. He works hard, practices non stop and has really taken some of our freshman in to help them score better,” Bishop said.

Kostouros tries to help his teammates on all aspects of the sport and teaches them certain methods that typically work for him.

Even though the team is seen as a strong contender in the DAC, there are also a few negative aspects Bishop thinks they need to improve on to make a state title run.

“Seniors tend to get very lackadaisical once the weather breaks. They worry about prom and finals and where their next adventure will take them,” Bishop said. “So when that happens, it’s very hard to get the best out of them on

the course, and our scores have reflected that so far this season.”

Winning a state title would be a marvelous accomplishment for Bishop and his boys, especially as a first year coach, but he still needs a bit more time to give golfers room to improve their game.

“All of our kids want to get better at the game of golf.

Being the hardest sport to get good at can sometimes be frustrating, but a good attitude and the right mindset toward learning the correct way is very important. All of our kids are getting better,” Bishop said.

The team has a goal of winning the state tournament and truly believes they can.

“We need to be more consistent in our starting five.

We need to improve on our short game if we want to win state,” Kostouros said.

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sports april 28, 2017

Baseball eager to showcase talent after regular play

Home run Hitter

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Girls track impresses during middle of season

BY DOMINIC TOMICH

BY YOUSEF ABDELDAIEM

The boys baseball team is off to a hot start and are looking to expand on their 9-5 record. The Dogs defeated the Michigan City Wolves 10-0 on Wed. 26.

“We have been picking up our level of play as of late,” senior Will Kulcher said. “Although we have more losses than we like to at the moment, we realize that we are getting better everyday, and it will begin to show in the win column soon enough.”

The team has seen some weaknesses in their game that they would like to clean up to put themselves in a better position to win games.

“We have been leaving a lot of base runners in scoring position and it’s been hurting our team,” Kulcher said. “We need to take advantage of the people we get on base because our offense is not always putting up runs like we know we can. Leaving base runners in scoring position is a habit we need to cut off in order to win more games.”

The Bulldogs are focusing on having better performances at the plate while also working to improve defensively.

“We are trying to be more selective at the plate,” head coach Steve Strayer said.

“We are trying to hit our pitch and not swing at the pitcher’s pitch. We want to draw more walks and be aggressive when the pitcher throws it in the zone. We also have to be better defensively.”

The Dogs are eager to reach the postseason and prove themselves as a top team in the area. However, they realize they need to put in work each day and take games one at a time.

“Everyone is anticipating the postseason. We all want to win games and advance in the tournament, but we realize we need to work hard and fix our weaknesses if we are going to succeed down the road,” senior Grayson Lynk said.

The boys are heading down to Noblesville this weekend to compete in the Miller Classic Baseball Tournament. They are expecting to have some of their best performances all year and utilize what they have been working on in practice.

“We want to win both of our games this week in Noblesville. It is a tournament all of the players have been looking forward to, and we are excited to go down to Indy to play teams we normally would not play,” Lynk said. “We are looking to play some of our best baseball, and that includes having better plate performances. It’s something we have been working on and we do not want our hitters coming back to the dug out empty handed.”

The girls track team is off to the races as their season is officially underway. The Bulldogs started off strong including a victory over the Portage Indians on Tues.

Apr. 25.

After a long prom weekend, head coach Lindsay Moskalick was happy the team was still able to pull through.

“Since many of the girls attended prom, many of them were still tired from the weekend. However, they did what they needed to do to secure the win which was great,” Moskalick said.

Despite not having junior Paytn Grady and senior, University Hawaii commit, Kristen LaCosse due to injury, the team has managed to maintain an undefeated record in the DAC. “When you have two girls like Kristen and Paytn out, that could potentially be a big hit to our overall team score. Typically Kristen can score us at least 15 points in a dual meet and Paytn can get us anywhere from five to 10 points,” Moskalick said.

“However, our team has done a great job stepping up without those two. If we want to do big things this season, it is going to take everyone, not just two girls, and the girls have done a great job as a team.”

One runner in particular who has really stepped up is freshman Savy White who already broke the school record in the women’s 200 and 4x1 relay. Although she has already accomplished so much, she still has some goals in sight.

“I definitely want to get back into hurdles, but since my shins have been acting up, my coaches have been telling me to take it easy with sectionals around the corner,” White said Another freshman who has impressed is Maddie Russin who got first place in the mile against Portage with a time of 5:25. Russin believes that there is some extra pressures that come with being a freshman on varsity.

“I do feel pressure because everyone expects so much from me, but I try to work through that and use it to compete better during all my races,” Russin said.

Even with their success thus far, Moskalick still believes there is room for improvement.

“All season we have been talking to the girls about doing the small things, such as getting eight to 10 hours of sleep, hydrating, eating healthy, icing, stretching, foam rolling,” Moskalick said. “I believe this is something the girls can continue to improve and will if they want to accomplish our team and individual goals.”

The Dogs will compete in the Princess Relays today at 5 p.m.

assistant sports editor

sports editor

219-947-3900 800-653-0065 Fax 219-947-0912

PHOTO BY JEREMY DEBOLD

Sophomore Mallory McMahon bats against the Vikings during their home game on Apr. 18.

Softball continues winning record to be ranked second in the state

BY YOUSEF ABDELDAIEM assistant sports editor

The Lady Bulldogs are off to a terrific start with a record of 13-0, ranking them second in the state.

The team continued their success against the Chesterton Trojans Wed. Apr. 26 where they shut them out with a score of 3-0. Junior Varsity coach Stephanie Harnew believes that this year’s team is something special.

“Our group from top to bottom this year is super hard working. They’re really positive, and they are really good student athletes,” Harnew said.

Despite not having much trouble with their opponents thus far, the team has faced an unusual challenge this season.

“This season in particular has been difficult because of the weather,” Harnew said. “We’ve had to practice inside a lot more than in the past. Sometimes practice gets monotonous, and it becomes much harder to work on in-game situations when you’re in the field house versus being out on the actual field ... Individuals will always have things to improve upon, but between the seven of the coaches, I believe we have enough experience to help with those individual problems.”

Although the Bulldogs did come out on top in their inter conference matchup against the Trojans, senior Natalie Kling-

berg thinks she could have played better.

“Personally, it wasn’t my best game.

I could work on being more aggressive at the plate,” Klingberg said. “Softball is more than just your physical ability. It’s also mental, so I could definitely work on that aspect of the game.

Senior and University of Notre Dame commit Alexis Holloway believes she can still continue to perfect her pitch.

“I always have things to work on,” Holloway said. “I need to quit making stupid mistakes early in the count. I always need to work to be perfect and gaining more precision. At the end of the day, the goal is to get 21 outs regardless of how we get there.”

The Bulldogs are already looking ahead to their game on May 4 where they will take on the number one team in the state, the Penn Kingsmen. Harnew believes that this will be the seven innings that will truly show where this team stands in the state.

“So far, the team has performed exceptionally well against teams in the Duneland Conference and teams we will see in sectionals and regionals,” Harnew said. “This upcoming week we will face off against Penn High School, so we will see kinda where we’re at and where they’re at this point of the season.”

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4613 East U.S. 30 Merrillville, IN 46410 www.teamhondaon30.com

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BY DOMINIC TOMICH sports editor

Athletes control their own fate Whether it’s tee-ball, volleyball or basketball, the common ground of all sports is the fans.

Nothing electrifies a team more than the support they get from their fans, and there is always a fan that stands out in the crowd.

You can always count on finding ‘the devoted father’ or ‘the screaming mother’ at any type of sporting event. Does the overwhelming support of parents affect an athlete’s performance?

Of course it does.

Although we see crazy parents at sporting events all the time. It’s not every day that they make news headlines themselves.

Lavar Ball, the father of Ball brothers who play basketball at Chino Hills High School, has made recent headlines in the sports world for various reasons.

Lavar has made some outlandish comments regarding the future of his sons. That’s not it though. Lavar went on to make comments involving himself.

He was quoted saying, “Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one.”

Well, guess what Lavar. Your heyday is way past due, and it would be in your kids’ best interests to keep those comments to yourself.

Parents are meant to support their children with whatever they take on, and Lavar crosses the line and actually hurts their futures by putting the spotlight on himself.

Lonzo Ball, the oldest of the three Ball brothers, has declared for the 2017 NBA Draft and is a guaranteed lottery pick. Lavar has spoken out about how all of his sons will only spend one year at UCLA before going professional and how Lonzo will only play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Transitioning from one level to the next is tough no matter who you are, and putting restrictions on the process makes it that much more difficult. By saying they are only going to a certain school or playing for a specific NBA team, he is hurting their stock as basketball players.

Although Lavar wants nothing but the best for his children, his comments are hurting their reputation. Parents’ support often drives athletes but too much can turn things into a disaster.

extra

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PHOTO BY JILL KIDDER

Junior Ana Maksimovich rallies back during their match against Wheeler High School on April 8. Maksimovich is 6-3 and the team is 7-2.

Tennis season in full swing, heading into final stretch

BY GRACE CLELAND design editor

With their season officially underway, the girls tennis team has shown improvement from last year and looks to keep it up throughout this season. After a week of five games back to back, the girls were able to pull through with a standing record of 7-2.

“I thought we played pretty well last week. We won the matches the way we were supposed to, and we played the game I wanted them to play instead of playing scared or frustrated or overconfident. We played the way we were supposed to play,” head coach Brian Elston said.

There have been matches this season that have posed challenges to the girls individually, but they have come away with a sense of hope that their next matches will be better.

“The most challenging matches are when you play someone who plays your game. I played a girl from Highland, and she played exactly like me, and our points lasted forever. She was my toughest opponent,” junior Karlye Sopczak said. “With someone who has the same game as you, they know exactly how to hit to you, and they know what is coming from you. That’s the most challenging match is when you play your twin.”

The girls play many teams throughout the season which allows them to analyze any strengths and weaknesses other teams may have to prepare them for postseason matches.

“Munster is always a challenging match for the team. They are our rival, and we had a tough time with the confidence during that match. But we have the skills to beat them.

I hope we get another shot at them because I’m very confident in my team, and I know we can win,” junior Ana Maksimovich said.

After high nerves in the first couple matches, the girls are able to continue through the rest of their matches. The team works well together and as individuals on separate courts.

“During the first match, there were some wild nerves, but as we’ve been going those nerves have faded. My partner, Olga, and I just take it one point at a time. The team is doing great. We’re a skillful bunch of girls,” senior Holly Riley said.

Elston believes it is helpful for the girls to get rid of their nerves and work to improve their game. Making less small errors could help the girls succeed later on in the season..

“Doing all the little things, like getting all the first serves in, making sure we start our points, not giving away some of the easy points, and as we keep doing that and keep getting better, hopefully we will do our best during the postseason,” Elston said.

The girls have their own goals they wish to achieve by the time postseason arrives.

“I just want to win as many matches as I can and improve as much as I can in order to

have a successful postseason.” Maksimovich said.

The girls have played the way they were taught in the past few matches, and Elston thinks it has helped them out in the tougher matches.

“Chesterton was pretty big. We had to make sure we came out and played well. Culver, we knew that the players there could hit hard, it’s just a matter of if we could beat them, and Penn was just a fun match,” Elston said.

With playing a game based on honest calls, there is room to have replays and bad calls. Riley believes their team is strong in their calls and judgement.

“Penn was a pretty tough contender.

Their serves were trippy. They had quite a bit of spin. LaPorte, they were something else.

Their line calls -- I’m not a fan,” Riley said.

“I’d say, as long as we play our game the way we play it, then nothing can stop us. Be the bigger person when it calls for it and just keep our heads up.”

As their season continues, the girls will work to improve and practice strengthening their weaknesses.

“A goal for me during postseason would be to beat Munster and move onto semistate,” Sopczak said. “With all the hard work we’ve put into this season, I think it’s a really attainable goal.

Boys track prepares experienced runners for sectionals

BY HENRY WITHROW reporter

As the track and field season winds down with the Bulldogs sitting near the top of the region, the team is focusing on sending runners to state and making a postseason run. With experienced runners and exceptional young guys, the team believes they have the capability of being great. With sectionals approaching on May 18, they foresee their great start will guide them to a postseason run.

“I feel as if we need to focus on being more consistent with our work ethic; working hard every practice. The team needs to have a positive attitude and encourage each other to get better to build more team chemistry,” junior Josh Whitaker said.

Building chemistry can be hard for teams, but the athletes and coaches on the team believe they can come together as one and finish this season strong.

Injuries and illnesses are another factor that can negatively affect the team and need to be avoided in order to be an elite postseason

What team will win the NBA Finals?

out of 80 students polled

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Cavaliers Warriors Celtics Spurs other

contender.

“We can never predict when someone will become sick or when they will get injured and that is without a doubt our biggest setback.

We try to avoid it by encouraging them to eat right and get good sleep, but sometimes that stuff happens,” head coach Keith Iddings said.

“Fortunately we have a great training staff here at the high school. The kids who are injured work with the trainers, and they do a pretty nice job helping the kids out when possible.”

The athletes are working hard day in and day out and continue to help each other. Iddings believes in order to be great, it is crucial for the team to have the right mindset.

“As long as our guys work hard at practice and continue to strive to improve, then they will be helping the team. Obviously if they don’t have the right mindset then they will not be able to help the team,” Iddings said.

The boys track and field team is heading to the Kokomo relays on April 29 with a full head of steam.

My moment of the month ... “was hitting a home run against Portage.”

Senior Will Kulcher

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arts & entertainment april 28, 2017

inreview “Pure Comedy”

by Father John Misty

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Welcome to your tape

After singer Josh Tillman thought he was done writing, the world turned upside down and Tillman found the inspiration to create an album. Fans thought the album might follow the pattern of his usual hardhitting yet upbeat songs, but this album is fairly sad.

Although it is unlike his usual music, fans are saying it is his best work yet.

Bill Nye Bill Nye is the original cool guy. Nye inspired past generations to pursue science with his show “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” and he will continue to do so with his latest Netflix release “Bill Nye Saves the World.” Nye will go down in history as the best science guy.

“It Ain’t Me”

by Kygo, Selena Gomez A new era of Selena Gomez has surfaced. She has a new techno vibe to her music.

It has a hint of shade towards her ex, Justin Bieber, but it is tastefully done.

“Sign of the Times”

by Harry Styles Lead singer of the popular boy band “One Direction” has started his solo career after the disbandment of 1D. Harry Styles has released a single that has everyone crying. “Sign of the Times” showcases how Styles’ has matured not only in his lyrics but in his voice as well. Some fans are even taking the leap to compare him to a modern David Bowie.

This soft rock-pop song will have everyone singing along.

Starbucks limited edition unicorn frappuccino Unicorns are all the rave nowadays. Starbucks launched a limited edition unicorn frappuccino, and it was awful.

It was too sweet; the flavor started off as mango and then the next sip tasted like an over-sweetened orange creamsicle. The drink was topped with neon pink and blue sour patch sprinkles that over-powered tastebuds. The drink looked like a unicorn in a cup, but the taste did not live up to the hype.

Book turned to controversial Netflix series

BY DESTINY KOLGER reporter

A mystery and a tragedy. “13 Reasons Why,” one of Netflix’s latest original series, is an intense thriller about the damage suicide brings to everybody involved. This dark thriller is definitely worth the watch, but should be viewed in caution, as it has powerful scenes that can be triggering to some select viewers.

This story is set after junior Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) commits suicide. People are all still reeling from the loss, and it is a dark time for the school.

There is still mystery as to why she killed herself, and main character Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) is struggling with the reality of her death. Suddenly, amidst all of the sadness, Clay is

delivered a small package with 13 tapes inside, and with that, the series takes off. These tapes are from Hannah herself, who created recordings to tell the story of her death. It is extremely emotional since viewers witness this and have to watch the main character hear Hannah’s voice after her death.

This show features intense scenes of controversial subjects, like rape and suicide. A strong disclaimer is in place for episodes featuring graphic content, as is a warning on those particular episodes before they begin for those who are sensitive to topics like those. It is a debatable series for a few reasons, such as if the show itself is romanticizing teen suicide, or revealing that it is in fact a dark subject that needs to reveal how damaging it truly is.

But overall, it has shined a light on the topic of teen suicide and the damage it has on every person involved. The show draws attention to the characters who are being affected by Hannah Baker’s daily decisions. “!3 Reasons Why” does a phenomenal job of dong just that. Instead of just telling the story of how she killed herself, it shows that every action has a reaction.

The series brings to light the intensity of high school bullying, and how once rumors begin, it is hard to escape from them.

The show is presented in a series of flashbacks and reality as Clay pieces together the end of Hannah’s life. The show did a great job at representing the present from past in the way the lighting was used.

Flashbacks were in a warm orange light, while the present was in a dreary white lighting that washed out colors. It was a smart idea not only to aid viewers in distinguishing the scenes, but also to show how better life was before suicide darkened the lives of everyone in the series. It creates a parallel that draws attention to how one person can impact all of these other characters.

The series is a powerful one nonetheless. It truly brings out emotions in the viewers, putting them within the scenes and forcing them to deal with the trauma Hannah experiences. It creates a stressed tension that makes it hard not to binge the entire series all in one night. “13 Reasons Why” is alluring and draws in watchers with an immense fascination.

John Mayer returns with dynamic yet disappointing album

BY ABBY SOBEK

themselves, the story would seem to match with a rather slow and acoustic style, but Mayer pairs it with a bubbly tone that cancels out the meaning.

There are a couple decent songs on this album. His songs “In the Blood” and “You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me” provokes many feelings within the listeners and are the type of songs that you find yourself humming to.

These few songs, however, do make up for the rest of the album. Overall, it is just a bad combination of styles that seemed to have just been randomized. Going off from his past songs, it is shocking to hear the changes he has made and how much it may harm his career.

co-associate editor

Before listening to John Mayer’s new album, I heard nothing but excitement about it.

Many of my peers have been looking forward to the release of ‘The Search For Everything,’ but when I finally listened to it, I was rather disappointed. Usually known for acoustic rock, Mayer added multiple styles into this album such as country, funk and pop, but this added up to a bad combination that should not have been produced.

For his new album, Mayer added a theme song to his album. It is basically a one minute audio of a guitar that is suppose to give the audience an idea on what the songs will be like. The theme mislead me to believe that his album would be soothing and tasteful. The theme song just seems to be a way for Mayer to add a high standard and praise that he did not achieve from the album.

With a few of his songs, such as “Moving

#trending A section devoted to social media

on and Getting Over,” the lyrics were good and the music itself was rather pleasing, but when put together, it was not a good mix.

With this song, Mayer sings of having a hard time moving on from the girl whom he loved.

He is struggling everyday while he watches her move on with another. Viewing the lyrics

best tweets

Our rating Best song on the album “You’re gonna live forever in me”

best app

best follow

McDonald’s has the best ice water sophomore Stephen Harsh

@stevenharsh01

Good morning! I just tried to use a Q-tip as deodorant! junior Blake King

@blakeakingg

get me guac and I’ll love you forever senior Rileigh Haas

@hass_rileigh

Ballz

@booknerdfession

It’s a relaxing way to procrastinate doing the important stuff in life. Watch the white balls hit the numbered bricks to get rid of them.

An account dedicated to empowering book quotes and book related things. Retweet the ones that mean the most to you.

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april 28, 2017

15

Pop culture influences daily lives

LOCAL

Northwest Indiana provides variety of cultural cuisines

BY MARIA LEONTARAS

The best cupcake shop in Indiana. These cupcakes are moist, and the frosting melts in your mouth, pure deliciousness. Other than having cupcakes, Designer Desserts has coffee, brownies, cookies and many other delicious bakes. Although what seems like a long drive for a cupcake, it’s all worth it.

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY REKITZKE/ALLY REKITZKE

Tastee Top has a variety of options from food to ice cream to funnel cakes.

Many of staffers greet you admittedly whether it’s in the drive through or going inside. With what seems like endless amount of ice cream to choose from whatever you seem to pick hits the spot of your desire.

Cedar Lake, Indiana

Valparaiso, Indiana

co-editor-in-chief

Many of the restaurants in the square arising above the others with its mouth-watering breakfast foods, but also having alternative dinner or lunch options.

The atmosphere is very friendly and relaxing making you feel as if your apart of what seems like a big family. The highlight of a visit is the lemon rice soup and bread rolls.

Home-style Mexican comfort food bursting with a range of different kinds of burritos and alternative options such as nachos.

The food portions are large with a great price as well. Although some of their waiters weren’t as friendly customers would like, their food makes up for it.

Tucked underneath the courthouse filled with many greeting staffers that welcome as you walk in and sit immediately. The food has a classic homestyle feel that let’s you feast out on a budget.

As well as having great food, it also keeps an historic vibe with the John Dillenger Museum.

Crown Point, Indiana

Crown Point, Indiana

One of many local Chinese restaurants, China Garden stands out among the rest with its quickness of takeaway and friendly greets as you walk in.

China Garden has classic Chinese food that will fulfill your Chinese craving even providing a lunch special that is good for the bank.

Crown Point, Indiana

Crown Point, Indiana

Tastee Top is located near the lake in Ceder Lake, Indiana and sells a variety of food options including chicken tenders, elephant ears, gyros and ice cream.

“Fate of the Furious” exceeds reviewers expectations

BY JEREMY DEBOLD reporter

Drama, action and Dame Helen Mirren are all elements that can describe a staple in today’s pop culture: The latest film in the “The Fast and the Furious” franchise The “Fast and Furious” saga started in 2001, and the eighth film in the series, “The Fate of the Furious,” was scheduled to be the last. The series can often be characterized through over the top, melodramatic acting, intense fight scenes and horrible plot lines. While the eighth film

fits in the series all the same, it wasn’t terrible.

The film follows the notorious team after their leader, Dominic Toretto, went rogue, and along their efforts to discover why and save the world from nuclear war. Though the movie was very predictable and filled with soap opera-like drama, it was insanely fun to watch. The film was filled with witty one liners, awesome but hilarious stunts and awe-striking, complex fight scenes. Several scenes had turned me into that annoying person who laughs too loudly and for far too long in the theater.

favorite things Panera Bagels

There is nothing better than a toasted bagel smothered in rich cream cheese. Panera holds a variety of these delicious doughy treats.

“The Fate of the Furious” was funny, but that does not forgive Vin Diesel’s, who plays Dominic Toretto’s, horrible acting. The film had relatively decent acting all around except for Diesel who unfortunately for everyone plays a major part in the film. His stoic persona is over the top, and the few scenes where he shows real emotion are really unbearable to watch.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the perfect counter to Diesel’s acting. Johnson was lively, but not over the top, and hilarious but not silly.

Bitmojis

Panera $2.35

Raincoats Look like a fisherman in a bright yellow raincoat, and there’s no way a rainy day can be dreary.

Kohl’s $40-100

Bitmojis add character to any conversation. Connect it to Snapchat or send it through text, and life will automatically be better.

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The acting is not the only thing that is sometimes unbelievable. The scenes in “The Fate of Furious” can sometimes be so far from reality that they pull a viewer out of the film. However, after suspending disbelief and enjoying the film for what it is, unrealistic scenes became stunning, action packed scenes.

Still a firm believer that the series should finally be laid to rest, I can acknowledge that this was a great film to end a saga that has spanned nearly two decades. It’s a shame they are making two more.

we’re so over Instagram not being in chronological order

Instagram has been showing users the most popular photos out of order for a year now, and enough is enough.

Celebrities should not come before a friends post of their cute dog. If a photo is liked three days after it is posted, it looks creepy, but the user only just saw the photo. Instagram should go back to showing the most recent photos.

No matter where you turn, any form of arts and entertainment can be seen. It has become so abundant, I wouldn’t be able to think of anyone without linking them to some sort of cultural phenomenon. Whether it be my siblings and their favorite television show or my friends and the songs and tweets that remind me of them, entertainment and social media are vital parts of my life.

Pop culture has consumed me, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

My first word wasn’t mom or dad. It wasn’t my older brother’s name. It was a variation of Pikachu. I grew up watching a lot of PBS, and “Sesame Street” really made me want to learn how to read. “The Land Before Time” inspired my young love of dinosaurs and a dream to become a paleontologist that honestly made question what I should choose for my college major.

Some of my fondest memories were made at Disney World with family and friends; Disney World literally wouldn’t be a thing if the company wasn’t such a big contributor to the culture of princes and princesses and awesome adventures that I grew up loving.

I made my mark in this very paper through the arts and entertainment section. My first year on staff, I primarily wrote reviews, and I loved it. I was able to construct my style and voice through working on opinion pieces on subjects I actually cared about -- movies and TV shows.

My second year on staff, I was the editor of said section, and I gained leadership qualities that are the basis of who I am today.

It’s where I am able to let people know my opinion with many bad puns I can slip past the editors in the rigid world of journalism.

Pop culture has allowed me to stay connected with those I care most about. My little brother and I send memes to each other throughout the school day. My family has fallen to the phenomenon of Snapchat, and we religiously use a group that consists of my parents, my siblings, my uncle, my grandma and I. I send ridiculous tweets of the latest trends to my friends just because they make me think of them. Keeping up with the latest social media trends and entertainment news literally gives me life. So I guess it’s fitting the last column I will write falls on the pages where my love for journalism really started, right here on the edge of 15.

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people april 28, 2017

Social Superstar

Take

Ahearn grows in Musical.ly popularity

BY JACKIE HAM co-editor-in-chief

From a young age, senior Mackenzie Ahearn found a love for bringing laughter to other people. Whether it be singing, dancing or just messing around, Ahearn adored being the one to make other people smile. Years later, Ahearn has that same passion but brings happiness to thousands of people online.

Out of boredom, Ahearn searched the App Store for an app to pass time and stumbled upon Musical.ly. She admits she thought it was pointless at the time but now entertains people from all around the country with her lip sync videos. Ahearn never thought that she would have the fan base she has now.

“I now have 34.1 thousand, and in the past week, it has been growing by hundreds by the day,” Ahearn said. “(I started growing a bigger fan base) about five months ago around the time I actually started learning ASL (American Sign Language), and it built more of a fan base for me.”

She strives to make people laugh, but she also loves signing in her videos for her hard of hearing fans. Due to physical challenges, ASL is difficult for her, but she wants to serve as an inspiration for her fans that anything is possible.

“I started doing ASL because I have taken a very large interest into this form of language. Once I started learning it, I came to find out it was a bit painful considering my arthritis, but it made me strive to do it more because I wanted to show my fans that no disability can hold you back and if you try,” Ahearn said. “I also wanted to let my hearing impaired, deaf and hard of hearing fans that they aren’t alone. I wanted them to be able to enjoy the app, and I love being a person that can do that for them.”

With the growing popularity of the app, Ahearn gets a lot of hate from people on and off Musical.ly. She continues to make videos because of the overwhelming support from her fans and her love for making others happy.

“My fans are 100 percent part of my happiness. Talking to my fans, meeting my fans face to face, them messaging me, they all make me happy. They all push me to stay being myself and not change for society,” Ahearn said.

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Braden Barker junior Cha-ching PHOTO BY JEREMY DEBOLD Senior Mackenzie Ahearn checks her notifications on Muscial.ly. Ahearn communicates to her fans whenever she can and even broadcasts on her way home from school. She uses the app for a creative outlet and income.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MACKENZIE AHEARN Ahearn met up with fans in New York, New York during a meet and greet on Jan. 22 of this year.

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“I kind of do the same for them. I show them that the hate that I get doesn’t bother me, and that I can be myself even if it is a bad thing for someone else. It is a good thing for myself.”

Ahearn is also fortunate enough that she has the ability to fly across the country and meet fans from different cities. She has a tour planned in California, Texas, Chicago and New York coming up with other Musers who have over 200 thousand fans.

“I get to travel for free. They pay for my hotels. They pay for my flights, and I travel to mostly big cities,” Ahearn said. “I have one coming up in New York. I’ve already gone to New York and signed autographs, iPhones, posters, shirts.”

Along with making money off the app, Ahearn has brand deals that she makes an in-

come with as well.

“I’ve had a few managers contact me. I’ve have a lot of buisness inquiries to actually email back. I sponsor White With Style which is a teeth whitening kit, so I sell those. I can get a lot of people money off with codes for products,” Ahearn said.

Even with the hate that Ahearn received on her videos, she continues to produce due to the support and positivity her fans bring her. She encourages everyone to try it out with an open-mind.

“I think a lot more people should not judge it before they try it and check it out. At first I thought it was dumb. I didn’t think I was going to get fans at all. I was doing it for myself out of boredom, and one day I just woke up and my fans went up by thousand in one day, and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’”

Ahearn said. “But I got a lot of positivity and a lot of people thanking me for being who I am and showing them that they can be how they are. I just don’t make videos. I make people happy. They come to me for advice. I am like an older sister to them.”

She tries to display as much positivity as she can for anyone watching her videos.

For people who are trying to get started on Musical.ly or any type of entertainment, she motivates people to do whatever makes them happy.

“No matter what anyone says about your videos, hateful or not, if you love it keep it up. If you want to make more, make more,” Ahearn said. “Don’t give up. It doesn’t matter how many fans you get or how many likes you get. Just keep it up for yourself if you like it.”

“I’d pick Monopoly because I’m really good at it so I’d have a lot of money.”

Music man “My favorite music genre is alternative because it’s easy to listen to and it doesn’t give me a headache.”

Movie star “I’d be Miles Teller in Whiplash because it’s my favorite movie, and he plays drums just like me.”

Nostalgic “(What I miss about my childhood is) not having to go to school because I had more free time to do things that I like.”

Drum dreams “If I could wish for anything to come true it’d be that I lead a successful drumline this year and take after the previous section leader, Mike O’Brien.”

What do you

Think

What is your favorite April Fools’ prank?

“(My favorite April Fools’ prank is) when someone loosens up the ketchup bottle so when someone squeezes it, ketchup goes all over.”

Miranda Wesolowski junior

“Putting half cut-open ketchup packets underneath toilet seats because it’s just funny to watch someone come out and have to change their pants afterwards.”

“My favorite April Fools’ prank is probably putting shaving cream in a shoe so then the person get’s it all over their sock.”

“There was one time my mom woke me up really early and told me that I was running late for school. I got ready for school and then found out it was Saturday.”

“When I was younger, we put candy in my dad’s medicine bottle.

He didn’t realize it for two years and just figured his pills weren’t working.”

“My favorite April Fools’ Day prank is when somebody steals all of the things out of someone’s backpack and then refills it with wet spaghetti.”

Nick Burrell

Sarah Seaman

Maddie Edwards

Zachary Jones

Maddie Gellinger

senior

sophomore

junior

freshman

senior