Inklings feb 2015

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Crown Point High School @InklingsCPHS Feb. 27 2015 Vol. 79 Issue 6

Top Model Senior Jillian Steiger wins Seniors Ignite contest for a chance to model in California

S Read about her road to the runway on page 16

THE BREAKING POINT Changes in education standards result in testing increase 110 MINUTES the amount of time one standard ECA exam takes

220 MINUTES

the amount of time this year’s English ECA will take

130 MINUTES

the amount of time an average PSAT exam takes

225 MINUTES

the amount of time an average SAT exam takes

BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM

editor-in-chief

I

t’s been two hours. The room is just as silent as it was when the exam first started, but the temperature suddenly feels ten degrees warmer. Slowly, patience starts to dwindle, and the sound of chairs squeaking fills the room. A teacher finally announces that time is up, but this isn’t the end of the exam.

It’s only the beginning. Two more days of testing will soon follow.

Students across Indiana have experienced such a scenario some time in their lives. Those in CPHS are no exception, and with changes and additions to the amount of state-mandated assessments, students’ familiarity with such a scene will only grow.

In addition to taking college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT, students must also participate in a series of practice exams, including three Acuity tests, the PSAT and the newly-structured ACT Aspire.

“Acuity is a three-test sequence in English and math, and it is like a pre-test to the ECA. The PSAT is an optional test that is paid for by the state, and we give that to our 10th-graders because we believe it gives the school quality information about a student’s progress and helps students qualify for National Merit scholarships,” assistant principal Robert McDermott said. “The ACT series of tests also allow us to gauge whether or not our students are improving and if our curriculum is working.”

Although such exams are administered for

practice purposes, a change in state standards has made high performance on the PSAT a requirement.

Students who fail to reach a set benchmark score must now undergo a new exam referred to as the AccuPlacer.

“Students who don’t score well on the PSAT or don’t take it have to take what’s called the AccuPlacer test,” McDermott said. “The cut score for sophomore PSAT is a 42. Those scores jump to 46 for juniors. If you hit that benchmark, the board of education in the state of Indiana believes that means you’re on pace to being college ready. If you don’t hit those scores, then you have to take the AccuPlacer, which is a more refined test to determine if you need any extra assistance.”

The addition of the AccuPlacer isn’t the only change the Indiana Department of Education has put into effect this year.

Previously, an End of Course Assessment (ECA) was given to freshmen enrolled in algebra and sophomores enrolled in any English class as a state graduation requirement. Starting with the 2015-16 school year, a new form of the ISTEP will be administered to all 9th and 10th grade students.

This new requirement has resulted in the inclusion of a third section to this year’s English ECA, forcing the exam to nearly double in time.

See testing on page 3

Feature

News Morning meditations Students participate in yoga routines at school

page 3

35% 65% percent of juniors who had to take both the math and reading AccuPlacer

15%

85% percent of juniors who had to take only the reading portion of the AccuPlacer

A&E

How tweet it is Learn about the different types of twitter users

page 8

Creative canvases Discover the works of underappreciated artists page 14

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news february 27, 2015

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intheknow Academic Decathlon wins first state championship The Academic Decathlon team recently won their first-ever state title. The team competed in the math, social science, economics and art categories and recieved first place in those categories.

Saym Imtiaz won the honors division while Ryan Sizemore was runner-up in the scholastic division.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Academic Decathlon team seniors Julia Brown, Justin Waran, Ryan Sizemore, Katherine Kennedy, juniors Saym Imtiaz, Kourtney Bruder, Lily Sharp, Dara Hutchinson and sophomore Adrell Mable hold up their state champion banner.

“Hopelessly Devoted” prom tickets to go on sale Prom will be held on Sat. April 25 at the Halls of St. George. Tickets will go on sale March 9 and continue through March 13 for seniors only. On March 16-27, tickets will open up for juniors if they are going with other juniors or seniors. March 23-27 will be ticket sales for juniors with dates needing a guest endorsement or a sophomore. The Grand March will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the day of the dance, and couple photos will be in the field house. The dance will begin at 6 p.m. and will end at 10:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. at the Halls of St. George. In order to purchase tickets, students must bring the ticket form, signed prom contract and CPHS ID. Tickets are $60 for singles and $120 for couples.

PHOTO BY: MICAYLA WATROBA

Junior Brianna Rhodes paints a butterfly on one of the children’s faces who attended the National Honor Society Mardi Gras event.

NHS hosts third annual Mardi Gras

BY OLIVIA ELSTON

editor-at-large

National Honors Society hosted their third annual Mardi Gras celebration on Feb. 18. The foreign language clubs also helped prepare and put on the event.

NHS members and sponsor Amanda Campos put in multiple weeks of work to pull off the event. A lot of planning was involved for the celebration.

“I met with a team of about six or seven people (students) every week. We had to plan all the activities, we had to contact all the elementary schools and we had to send out flyers. We contacted all the clubs in the high school to see if they wanted to participate,” Campos said. “My NHS members brought in all the food and decorations for the cupcakes and cookies.”

The Mardi Gras celebration consisted of various games and booths like Feed Me-

dusa, a cake walk and face painting. All the games were set up around the cafeteria.

Senior NHS and Latin Club member Anna Werkowski gave her assistance to multiple games during the event.

“I ran the Latin Club Feed Medusa game which is just cornhole with ping pong balls,” Werkowski said. “I also helped run the sucker pull game.”

Kids were required to purchase tickets to participate in the games. The proceeds went to St. Jude House, and NHS was able to raise $578 for the cause. “(Mardi Gras) was successful. The first year it was kind of a downer because it wasn’t that good; we probably made $100 that year, and we had like twelve kids there.

Every year it’s just getting better,” Campos said. “To just see the kids having fun and see there was enough things for them to do were my favorite part. I’m happy that they

were buying more tickets and that we were able to raise so much money from it.”

Even the high school workers had just as good of a time as the kids did. Senior NHS member Cameron Djukic worked the cake walk and enjoyed dancing for the game. “(My favorite part) was probably the dancing part,” Djukic said. “I enjoy dancing and I hope it made it entertaining for the kids (participating in the game).”

Werkowski even feels that the high school students may have had the most fun at the event.

“I almost think that the high school students had more fun than the elementary school kids that came. By the end of the night, most of us had our faces painted,” Werkowski said. “Getting to act like a little kid again while helping out the community was my favorite part.”

Key Club teams with Aeropostale in “Teens for Jeans” jean donation drive

BY VERDA MIRZA

editor-at-large

march

Teens for Jeans, powered by Aeropostale, is a jean donation drive for young people dealing with homelessness in one’s community.

“Teens for Jeans is this thing we are doing at Aeropostale where we collect jeans to donate around to the homeless shelters in the area,” senior Sam Ruder said. “The homeless shelters around us are in Hobart, Gary and East Chicago.”

Key Club has collaborated up with Aeropostale in helping to collect the gently used jeans. “(Key Club) partnered up with Aeropostel to collect jeans. We collected the jeans and donate it Aeropostale, who then donate it to kids in need,” Key Club sponsor Heidi Polizotto said.

While Aeropostale has adopted Teens for Jeans for eight years now, Key Club began the drive for two years hosting it only in the month of February.

This year, Key club has doubled the amount of jeans collected compared to last

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year.

“This year we collected 138 pairs (of jeans). Last year we only got 75 pairs, so this year we almost doubled,” Polizotto said.

While the name Teens for Jeans might suggest jeans only for teens, it is open to other age groups as well.

“We collect jeans for any age group really, even though it is geared towards teenagers,” Polizotto said.

There are also added benefits for those who donated. Aeropostale gives out scholarships to individual students who partici-

25 26 27

pated in Teens for Jeans.

“They award scholarships if you collect the most jeans, but the main point is just for charity,” Key Club sergeant of arms Athanasios Liodos said.

This year, senior Jeremy Mesa is applying to the scholarship. Every pair of jeans benefits shelters, whether one collects 20 pairs or 100 pairs.

“I think it is a big contribution to the homeless shelters. There’s over a 130 pairs.

It is going to benefit a lot of people; it might not help everybody, but I think as much as you can raise counts,” Ruder said.

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Volunteer Fair

Mid-terms

Spring Break

The volunteer fair will be held on

Mid-term testing begins on March

Students will be off for spring

Sat. March 7 for any students in-

25 and will continue the two fol-

break from March 30 to April 3.

terested in attending.

lowing days ending on the 27th.

Spring Musical CPHS theater will perform opening night of “Once Upon A Mattress” on March 13.

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news february 27, 2015

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benefits of

YOGA

Improved brain function Lower blood pressure Anxiety relief Lower stress levels Reduced chronic neck pain Improved lung capacity PHOTO BY JILL KIDDER

Members of yoga club stretch during a morning routine. The group is open to anyone and meets Monday and Wednesday mornings in the black box.

Lower risk of heart disease

Students create yoga club as an outlet to relieve stress

BY JILL KIDDER

reporter

Stretching--it’s a way students at CPHS have been able to start their recent Monday and Wednesday mornings thanks to the arrival of Yoga Club. With the help of counselors and approval from administrators, juniors Sarah Scasny and Callista Christ started the club about a month ago.

These two juniors not only created this club to teach other students yoga but to reinforce a stress-free environment for students as well.

“The purpose for creating yoga club

was to create a safe place for people to just release any stress that may come to them and just relax,” Scasny said.

With all of the factors of stress like large academic coursework, extracurricular activities and activities outside of school, yoga is said to be a great stress reliever.

“Most young adults oftentimes do not have the skills necessary to know what to do with such stressors. A lot of times it’s just about learning what works for you to be able to manage that stress. It takes a lot of trial, error and patience,” said guidance counselor Kim Wilkinson. “Yoga helps you

Testing continued from p.1 “The ECA that 10th graders have to take usually consists of two different hours. One is reading comprehension and the other is an essay exam,” English department chair John Lambersie said. “New this year is the college and career readiness assessment, which is the bridge between what ECA was and what it is going to be. Kids now have to take another test, which is about another hour of reading comprehension and another hour of an essay.”

The increase in testing isn’t limited only to the English department. The new ECA requirements mean all freshmen must take the exam next year, regardless of course placement. Such a change puts the math department in a different position than previous years.

“Our algebra group has gotten in a really good spot the last couple of years with how they finally understand the exam and how to prepare students to excel at it,” math department chair Ryan Collier said. “Now that the standards have changed, geometry and Algebra 2 will have to get lumped into that group that has to understand the

VIEWS on

NEWS

to access an inner strength that allows you to face the sometimes-overwhelming fears, frustrations and challenges of everyday life.”

Not only does yoga help relieve stress, but it positively benefits the body.

“Yoga is really good for your body. It’s really good to stretch out and use all your muscles that you don’t use, especially when you are sitting in a seat all day,” sophomore Cece Maginot said.

The club has a 30-day program starting at the beginner’s level and progressing to more advanced exercises. Students can

exam and make sure that we line up with those standards on the assessment.”

Students such as junior Lexi Linback believe that the increase in testing requirements have forced students to internalize their performance on such exams. While she appreciates being able to see where she stands in terms of college readiness, Linback does not believe there should be an added emphasis on testing.

“There have been times where I have felt like I was just a number. Because I may not fall into the category of students who score really high on standardized tests, it’s easy to feel insignificant in the midst of the other higher achieving students who do perform really well,” Linback said. “Some people have test anxiety and stress over it, and it’s unfortunate that one test can determine so much.”

Linback attributes students’ added stress and decreased involvement in extra-curriculars to such an emphasis on standardized exams.

Instead of using time to study, Linback believes students can use it in a more beneficial, productive way.

“The time we spend studying and taking tests could easily be used to apply what we learn to the real world,”

find them in the black box from 6:50 to 7:20 a.m.

Yoga club is open for anybody that wants to join, regardless if one has done yoga before or not. Requirements include just a permission slip and a yoga mat.

Sophomore Rachyl Adams was quick to make use of the loose guidelines.

“I’ve been to yoga classes before, so I knew what I was getting into, but I’m not a professional by any means,” Adams said.

“It’s very easy to pick up on. I definitely recommend it.”

Linback said. “That, in the long run, will benefit students so much more than one exam ever will.”

Linback is not alone. As both an AP Literature and sophomore English teacher, Lambersie, too, believes there are both benefits and drawbacks to the increase in standardized testing.

“I understand the state’s development of these standardized tests. Data and practice is important, and if it is a simple assessment that a student takes at the end, that’s perfectly fine,” Lambersie said. “When it starts to interfere with a student’s learning, however, then testing becomes too much. There are things that we’ve had to cut out of the 10th grade curriculum because we are required to focus on the ECA, and that’s harmful to a student’s education.”

The amount of testing may still be on the rise, but Collier believes that, after rallies and protests against new testing standards swept the state this month, there will come a time when testing levels are back to normal.

“There’s been so much outcry this year, and it’s been nice to hear the voices that were heard,” Collier said. “Education is very cyclical. I think the pendulum will eventually swing back and we will realize that we are overtesting.”

Student reaction to events in our world

Area Griffith basketball brawl ends in season canceled

State Frozen excrement covers an I-65 ramp

Nation New book being published by Dr. Seuss

World Cyclone Maricia sweeps over Australia

Fights broke out at the baseline at Griffith High School at the end of the first quarter of the Griffith vs. Hammond High game. The scuffle was featured and shown nationwide on ESPN. Both schools have had their basketball seasons canceled respectively. Griffith has recently applied for an appeal.

In the midst of the polar vortex, not only heavy snow and sheets of ice, but over 400 gallons of frozen fecal matter covered an I-65 ramp Thurs., Feb. 19, which was reportedly dropped from a waste tanker. The exit ramp on southbound to Indiana 18 was closed up until the brown slush was properly disposed of.

Over twenty years after his death, beloved children’s books author Doctor Seuss is returning to bookshelves with “What Pet Should I Get?” Manuscripts were found by Seuss’s wife Audrey Geisel.

Random House Children’s book recently announced the publication would publish the manuscripts.

A deadly cyclone ravaged northern Australia earlier this month. Thousands of Australians were urged by government officials to evacuate their homes or stay underground in crawl spaces and basements.

The cyclone was labeled a category five, the highest classification, with wind speeds up to 177 miles per hour.

I don’t understand how they can publish this book without his (Dr. Seuss’) consent, considering he’s dead.

That sounds really dangerous. I think the government reacted effectively and efficiently. Safety is essential for all.

‘‘

Hannah Ragsdale freshman

It’s very surprising that there was a fight, especially at a basketball game.

Both got what they deserved.

‘‘

Tyler Klukken sophomore

That sounds like a slippery, smelly mess. I wouldn’t want to drive through that. Good thing I don’t (drive).

‘‘

Pascia Tompkins junior

‘‘

Jordan Richey senior

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opinion february 27, 2015

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speakup

Film ratings have become inaccurate and misleading

What is the biggest downside to standardized testing?

BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM

editor-in-chief

I remember those days.

I remember when my parents felt comfortable with the idea of me going to the movies with some friends as a kid, knowing that the film I’d be seeing was appropriate. I remember when movie ratings meant what they meant, when PG-13 films were as expected: a bad word or two, a tad more graphic than movies with a PG rating, but still appropriate for those just introduced to their teen years.

Then movies like “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1” hit the screens, and, suddenly, what classified as PG-13 was not as clear. My parents were no longer completely comfortable with the idea of my siblings and I seeing a movie without their permission.

And for good reasons.

Movie ratings are not what they used to be. When the PG13 label was first established in 1985, the amount of violence and sexual context that had earned the film that rating was only an insignificant amount more, if not very similar, to those present in PG movies.

That’s changed. According to a study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the amount of violence in PG-13 movies have tripled over the last two decades. Some films have violence levels that exceed even that of a movie with an R rating.

The amount of sex scenes and nudity in PG-13 films are no different. When compared to those of a rated R film, PG-13 movies have only a slight statistical difference for the amount of sex scenes in the film.

Even films rated R could-and should--be given a second look. The recent release of “Fifty Shades of Grey” only emphasizes that thought. Producers shouldn’t have to struggle to keep a movie within the public screening guidelines. Instead, their efforts result in films that edge on borderline pornography being released with a mere R rating.

The standards for judging acceptable depictions of sex and violence in American society may have changed over time, but that isn’t an excuse for film ratings to follow suit. Fine lines still exist between what content is acceptable for a blockbuster film and what needs to be kept restricted from public viewing.

Film ratings should be used to keep those lines defined, not muddle them even further.

CARTOON BY COLLIN RAISER

V

iew: It’s time to stop testing students to death

Testing is a de facto part of education. After learning a new biology chapter or practicing a new algebraic method, it only makes sense to assess those newly acquired skills and gauge a student’s understanding of the subject. The same can be said about standardized exams such as the ACT and SAT. College readiness is important, and such tests do, in a way, predict how prepared students are for a post-secondary education.

But there is a fine line between effectively testing students and testing them to death.

As a state, we have crossed that line.

No student should ever have to sit through a 9-hour exam like those in elementary and middle schools will be when the restructured ISTEP is administered this spring. Preparation for these assessments is daunting and stressful, and when students are told that their performance on the exams is heavily considered, the stress becomes overwhelming.

And students are not alone. Every student is a mirror image of his or her teacher’s effectiveness, and if a student does not meet up to the state’s standards, teachers, too, face consequences.

Nothing is wrong with wanting to assess a student’s level of achievement for data. But when students are bombarded with test after test, a sense of exhaustion begins to rise, and the data collected becomes unreliable. The time spent preparing and taking the exam, then, is wasted, and students’ education suffers because of it.

This system needs to change. The recent outbreak of protests only reaffirm this belief. The number and duration of standardized exams has become overwhelming, and it’s time for the Indiana Department of Education to realize that, too.

Because there’s only so much students, teachers and administrators alike can endure before reaching the breaking point. We have endured enough.

editorial

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Crown Point High School, IN

Vol. 79 Issue 6 Feb. 27, 2015 1500 S. Main St. Crown Point, IN 46307 219-663-4885 ex. 11349 fax 219-662-5663 inklings@cps.k12.in.us online: crownpoint.highschoolmedia.org

Inklings is a student publication created by the newspaper and advanced journalism students and distributed monthly to students, faculty and staff of Crown Point High School. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of CPHS faculty, staff or administration.

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

Advertising is subject to applicable rates available by contacting Inklings.

Inklings has been recognized as an Indiana High School Press Association Hoosier Star, National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker, Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown, and Quill and Scroll George H. Gallup publication.

editors-in-chief Alaa Abdeldaiem Tina Winfrey editors-at-large Olivia Elston Verda Mirza associate editor Nadia Giedemann assistant editors Natalie Brigham Becca Burke Maisa Nour graphics editor Collin Raiser

Taylor Cole freshman “Taking standardized tests can be nerve-wracking because of the pressure parents and teachers put on you to do well.”

Zach Stewart sophomore “The worst part about testing is feeling rushed. You have 30 minutes to answer 60 questions, and you have no time to do them all.”

Andrea Kutemeier junior “The biggest downside to standardized tests is the fact that one score determines a lot, and if you’re having a bad day it isn’t taken into account.”

Dane Radoja senior “You can’t study for standardized tests. That’s the worst part.

Nobody knows for sure what’s going to be on that exam.”

online editor Sam Barloga sports editors Jackie Van Der Wey Dylan Wallace advertising editors Hannah Bauner chief photographer Jack Snedden photographers Jill Kidder Micayla Watroba

staff Casey Akers Tiffany Curtis Tommy Frame Maria Leontaras Lauren Massow Hannah Morgan Katie Pawlowski Arriana Rainwater Chris Rekitzke Dominic Tomich Eli Udchitz adviser Julie Elston

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opinion february 27, 2015

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Do selfies portray confidence or arrogance?

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AP U.S. History is educational, not harmful

BY OLIVIA ELSTON

editor-at-large

CARTOON BY ARRIANA RAINWATER

Pro:

Con:

Selfies help users show confidence, not arrogance

Users appear narsissistic, conceited with abundance of selfies

BY LAUREN MASSOW

BY CHRIS REKITZKE

Most people have experienced a time when they log onto social media and come across a surplus of selfies. As nettlesome as some are, selfies are not a plea to gain a high social status; they are a way of self-expression. Some may be annoyed by the surplus of individual photos, but most fail to realize that it takes courage to post a picture of yourself online. Whether it is a funny photo or a glamour shot, that person is posting that picture for all to see.

Some people who do post selfies on apps and websites such as Instagram may be getting gratification from the amount of likes they receive on their photo. Just one like could easily make that person’s day and raise their self-confidence levels.

Nowadays, people who take multiple selfies a day are seen as conceited. Yet, selfies show the world that you are comfortable with yourself and have the power to be seen how you want to be shown.

When people are complimented, a lot of them won’t agree, as if there was something wrong with thinking that they look good. Pride in yourself in this day in age is almost seen as a sin.

These people have the freedom to alter the picture to their liking. It is hard to post a picture of yourself online with all of the judgmental comments a person might receive, yet those who post selfies express enough confidence to do it despite the possible negative feedback.

It is important to recognize the difference between being selfconfident and conceited. Posting selfies online does not mean that a person is full of themselves. They might be doing it because they are feeling good about themselves that day and want to capture the moment.

Selfies give an inside look to a person’s individual personality.

Someone who is very shy at school may seem like a completely different person within a picture that they take of themselves.

Taking a picture of yourself and having the courage to show it to people or post it online is a work of art in our world today. It gives people a way of expressing themselves with confidence and individuality.

Instagram: the social media hub rising in popularity with every passing year. But it is more than just that. Something far worse lies on the surface, a true curse of humanity: selfies, which are a true and complete evocation of narcissism.

Selfies are a fad with their entire purpose rooted in self obsession.

They are a style of photography typically taken with a front-facing camera, preserving an altered, fake shot of the user to boost their self-esteem. While some may argue that taking a selfie is an act of courage, there is nothing courageous about taking a picture of oneself and posting it online, especially when over 93 million selfies are taken daily. At that point, the taker is subjecting themselves to societal norms, negating any possible courage in the action.

The swelling trend has culminated into a daily occurrence for millions. Like a plague, these photos swarm not only Instagram but Facebook and Twitter as well. They absorb news reports, extravagant updates and videos alike, showing nothing but tilted and filtered photos of front facing camera shots.

There is the notion that selfies are a convenient way to preserve memories of good times. However, visits to places like the Grand Canyon could not simply be captivated in a front-facing shot of you and your friends doing duck faces with a cactus in the background.

The sad fact of life is nobody is perfect. As humans, we all have defects, moles, freckles, several chins or even unibrows. However, by taking a selfie the taker preserves a controlled environment in which all of these blemishes may be shielded from viewers. While taking a selfie, the user may apply numerous filters and fifty pounds of makeup, ultimately making the trend not only narcissistic but also highly misleading.

By altering the picture in any way, the user misconstrues a viewer’s perception of them, giving the false notion that they are perfect when, in reality, their appearances are not as portrayed. All in all, selfies are a useless fad that does nothing but clutter newsfeeds and overly boost confidence.

19 Inklings staffers agree

8 Inklings staffers agree

reporter

Stephanie Harnew

science teacher

Karlye Sopczak

“Most people use them to boost their confidence. They like to post pictures when they feel they look good or if they’re doing something fun. It can be a positive thing.”

Brad Kurtz

reporter

freshman

“I think it depends, but I think some people take selfies over the top and that they could be narcissistic sometimes.”

sophomore

“It’s your face, and if you usually feel insecure, you are able to focus on the good things and post it on social media.”

Joseph Correa

science teacher

“I think selfies are narcissistic, especially when people post a selfie every day. People always want a constant attention grab.”

Ever since we were little, learning about our country’s history has always been a part of our school’s curriculum. Whether it be learning the presidents through a song in first grade or going through all the different wars we were a part of, history has always been one of the main courses of school.

Not anymore for Oklahoma.

Oklahoma legislation has voted to ban Advanced Placement U.S. History. Complaints have been made that the course edits and distorts the historical events that we have been in saying students do not learn the unbiased truth of history. But does it really?

I took AP U.S. History last year as a junior; I’ve been through the course. Our class learned about the main wars the U.S. was involved in like both world wars, Vietnam and the Cold War. We also learned how America came to be with the expansion to the west, slavery and immigration. A lot of those topics put America into a bad light, but does that mean it shouldn’t be taught?

Yes, America had slaves. Yes, America did not take in the Jews when they tried to seek refuge in the country while the Nazis were taking over Germany. America does not have a squeaky-clean record, but that does not mean students should be banned from learning it. Students need to have an understanding of what made their country what it is today.

They need to understand that, no, America is and was not perfect, but that is what it is.

I understand that maybe at a young age students should not learn about some of the wars and tactics used in them. That is why we learn them in high school, specifically in AP U.S. History.

All throughout elementary and basically middle school we learn the good aspects of the history of our country. High school is for teaching students about everything that happened in history: good and bad.

The point of AP U.S. History is not to point out all the flaws America has; it’s far from it. The point of the class is to educate students about what made our government and country what it is. You can’t decide to not teach a course because it puts the country we live in “in a bad light.” We cannot alter the truth just because we don’t like how it portrays our country. The truth is the truth and needs to be taught either way.

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feature february 27, 2015

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i on life

editor-in-chief

BY

#

8.4 billon

“I splurge on chocolate. Whenever I am out and see a type of chocolate I want, I buy it.”

Cassie Smith freshman

Kirsten Neelsen sophomore

“I splurge on clothes, because they make me feel good about myself.”

“I splurge on swimsuits because I swim and they can get really expensive since they are technical suits.

Americans splurge on clothing shopping sprees

price of the rarest Pokemon card, the Pikachu Ilustrator Card

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3.8%

sometimes purchases only individual cards.

“The most I’ve spent on one card is probably $30,” Cantley said.

These pricier cards are typically a more rare find than other cards in the game. Metlov also does not mind splurging on rare finds or higher quality items.

“I spend a lot on (button ups),” Metlov said. “I’m a quality rather than quantity kind of guy.”

When it comes to purchasing her makeup, Van Prooyen enjoys shopping at more expensive stores like Sephora, but also makes pickups at other places.

“I like the higher end brands but the things in the drugstore can be just as good, so I don’t buy the most expensive stuff because it’s the best because that’s not always the case,” Van Prooyen said.

Van Prooyen believes one of the struggles of splurging is finding money to fuel the habit.

“My parents just don’t buy me a ton of makeup whenever I want. I have to actually save my own money,” Van Prooyen said. “It is an expensive habit.”

Even though it is expensive, Van Prooyen still continues to enjoy the art of makeup.

“It’s just like how guys buy shoes all the time,” Van Prooyen said. “It really interests me how there can be so many different products and styles.”

Cantley also sees his hobby as being worth all of the money he spends.

“I like the game so much that playing in tournaments and beating people with better decks makes all the money worth it,” Cantley said.

“I would not spend the money on it if I didn’t like the game.”

PHOTO BY HANNAH MORGAN

Mac Mineralize Skin Finish powder

$35

splurge vs $5 steal

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

$100,000 $39.95

AEO Buffalo check Button Down Shirt

“Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre” card

$38.11

of American family’s income spent on clothes

over 800 million

lipsticks are sold each year

Joey Karczewski junior

Shop until you drop.

Senior Hanna Van Prooyen likes to practice this philosophy, the majority of her purchases being makeup.

“I have an embarrassing amount of makeup,” Van Prooyen said. “I couldn’t even imagine how much it costs all together.”

Sophomore Matthew Metlov enjoys shopping at places like Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, and he admits to having a large amount of items from these places.

“The one item I purchase the most of would be button ups,” Metlov said. “I like to have a variety and don’t like to repeat shirts often.”

Metlov confesses that he purchases a new shirt around once a week, but Van Prooyen tries to keep her makeup splurging down to just once or twice a month.

“I don’t buy large amounts at a time,” Van Prooyen said. “I’ll just pick up a few things here and there.

When new things come out, I usually look into it first before I buy it to make sure it’s worth the money because makeup is expensive.”

Junior Nick Cantley prefers to splurge on a different type of item.

“I have been playing (the game Magic) for about a year and a half now,” Cantley said.

Cantley estimates that he has spent about $600 on the cards and dice needed in order to play the game.

“I have close to 3,000 cards and around 50 different dice,” Cantley said.

Much like how Van Prooyen prefers to buy only a few certain makeup items at a time, Cantley

amount of money men spent on clothing last year

19%

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Students often purchase, spend large amounts on favorite products

BY TINA WINFREY

What item do you like to splurge on?

N

Urge to splurge

experiencing a different perspective

the

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facts found at market-truth.com, reuters.com, premiumbeautynews.com and fromjapan.com

$295 Burberry Brit Trim Fit Exploded Check Print Shirt prices found at nordstrom.com, ebay.com, amazoncom and kmakesithappen.com

$0.99 “Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth” card

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7

Words of Wisdom

CPHS alumni share their advice for students

Accept everyone. When you go away to college, cliqués aren’t there, and no one cares who you were in high school. Be you, and you will make plenty of new life-long friends.

-Jorie Horn, Indiana University

I regret not pushing myself out of my comfort zone at times and just trying new things.

-Rebekah Embry, Valparaiso University

High school can be bleak for some kids, and I think the best thing you can do if you feel alone is to just pursue activities you enjoy. Being involved in activities gave me something to look forward to.

-Maggie Gelon, Indiana University

I procrastinated in high school, and I thought I could in college and my grades suffered because of it. Sometimes a deadline is what motivates people to get it done; you just need to know what you can complete the night before and what you can’t.

Take each opportunity you can. If you’re worried about having too much on your plate, don’t be. You need to reach your limit, feel your limit and understand where that limit is before you know what you can do. Find that limit and learning to work under it.

-Sam Beishuizen, Indiana University

-Tracci Fisher, Ball State University

Life goes on, and I guarantee you will not remember your grades in high school or that one paper you did not do too hot on.

-Alexandra Vasos, Saint Louis University

I think the kids in high school should be more active in clubs or just with friends because when I was there last year, I noticed a lot of kids just going to get it over with. They should at least try to have fun there while they can.

-James A. Herron Jr., Purdue University

Get a job. I just spent $450 on textbooks for this semester alone. Every bit helps, and being able to balance a job with taking classes is impressive for future employers.

-Patrick Stratton, Purdue University

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Conversationalist

Joey Krampen

Yousef Abdeldaiem

Madalyn Brownlee

@Joey_Krampen

While many dedicate their lives to social media, students like junior Joey Krampen prefer to spend their time otherwise.

“I don’t go on it that much because I don’t have time to, and even when I do go on, I only stay on Twitter for a few minutes at a time. I just usually have more important things to do,” Krampen said.

Krampen also attributes people’s lack of originality on Twitter as a reason he rarely tweets.

“The only thing I don’t like about twitter is that people just try and copy each other, and it feels like nothing is original on Twitter anymore. It just gets annoying when I see the same tweet or picture all over my Twitter timeline,” Krampen said.

“It also takes over people’s lives because it seems like people are constantly on Twitter.”

@MaroonWolves78

Sport enthusiasts such as sophomore Yousef Abdeldaiem often rely on Twitter to keep them updated on the world of sports.

“I think it’s cool that you can get breaking news on trades and injuries quickly on Twitter,” Abdeldaiem said.

He also enjoys meeting new people through these sports tweets and being able to support his favorite teams.

“Twitter gives you a way to connect with fans who like the same team as you do and even get in debates with fans from opposing teams,” Abdeldaiem said. “If I have a thought about a play or a call that the referee made, Twitter makes it easy to express that frustration or that excitement.”

@MadalynPaige45

In addition to keeping updated with various celebrities, students and news outlets tweets, some students, like senior Madalyn Brownlee, enjoy using twitter as a means of conversation.

“Every once in a while I like to have a small conversation with someone on Twitter. It’s nice to have it when you don’t have people’s numbers,” Brownlee said.

While she enjoys having occasional converations, Brownlee also admits that constant twitter conversation can be excessive.

“You never want to overload on conversations on twitter because it gets annoying, but I like the fact that, if I have a quick question for someone, I can just ask them on there,” Brownlee said.

TWEET TWEET

Once in a lifetimer

Students use social media in variety of ways

BY TINA WINFREY ALAA ABDELDAIEM NADIA GIEDEMANN editor-in-chiefs associate editor

Retweeter

Barber

Kylee Higgins

@AlessandrDakota

@Higgins_Kylee

Those students who do not necessarily want to share their personal thoughts may take it upon them to share the thoughts of others through a retweet.

“I retweet the tweets I do because I think they are funny, and that humor is something I want to share with my friends,” sophomore Dakota Alessandrini said.

While Alessandrini enjoys retweeting humorous tweets, she also retweets a variety of other tweets and even videos.

“I love retweeting dance tricks, too, because I’m a dancer and I find them impressive,” Alessandrini said.

Overall, she uses her profile to keep herself updated in her free time.

“Twitter is very entertaining and it’s a good way to pass time. Retweeting helps me do that,” Alessandrini said.

For some, Twitter is their life.

The constant updates from various sources keeps freshman Kylee Higgins intrigued in this social media outlet.

“Twitter is so accessible and easy to use, so I tend to use it more,” Higgins said.

For Higgins, the growing popularity of the site and app has caused her twitter usage to rise.

“Now that all of my friends are on Twitter, I’m more inclined to use that a lot more,” Higgins said.

In addition to staying updated with current events, Higgins also enjoys posting about her own endeavors.

“I like the fact that I can tweet as much as I’d like because I like to say what’s on my mind, regardless of the time of the day. It lets me get my point across how I want to,” Higgins said.

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Opposites attract

9

Students partcipate in sports traditionally for opposite gender

BY NATALIE BRIGHAM

associate editor

Matt Grydzuk

Throughout students’ high school careers, adults have always pushed the advice of do what you love. Although simple wisdom, it can be difficult to put into practice.

Both senior Matt Grydzuk and sophomore Alyex Wahlberg found themselves in a similar situation when they pursued their passions. Grydzuk was the only male on the all-female color guard team, while Wahlberg is one of three females on the Crown Point Hockey Club team.

Grydzuk was on the color guard team for two years and just completed his third season. Because color guard has been a traditionally female dominated sport, Grydzuk’s interest was not known immediately.

Being the lone male on the team, Grydzuk knew there was a potential for prejudice to take place.

However, he discovered an accepting atmosphere.

“My teammates were really excited when they found out I was joining.

It had been three or four years since the last boy was on the color guard team. Because I had been here for a while, I became an older brother figure for a lot of the girls of the team,” Grydzuk explained.

Grydzuk and his teammates grew close during season and became tightknit friends. Despite this, he did feel as if there were some drawbacks to being the only boy on an all girls’ team.

He is proud of being true to himself and following

Winter Guard

‘‘

I became an older brother figure for a lot of the girls of the team.

his passions, even though he knows he could be treated differently for it. Students from other schools played a large part in celebrating Grydzuk’s individuality. They would approach him before performances and say how much he inspired them and how cool they thought doing what he loved was.

For sophomore Alyex Wahlberg, her love for hockey started out young.

When she came to high school, Wahlberg found and joined the Crown Point Hockey Club. Her teammates’ reactions were how she expected.

“I think my teammates were shocked. Some of the guys wouldn’t talk to me, but after time they adapted,” Wahlberg said.

The reaction she first got from her teammates differed dramatically from those of her opponents in the rink.

“Sometimes against other teams, players either want to hit me more because I’m a girl or lay off more than they would usually,” Wahlberg said. “A few times on the rink during a game guys will say something like, ‘Hey baby, can I have your number?,’ but I don’t let it get to me.”

Standing out on their respective teams has helped both students develop their individuality.

It is a feat they want to encourage others to accomplish themselves.

“My advice is to do what you want. If you think it’s cool, do it.

The idea that people can’t do what they want for whatever reason is superficial. There’s a lot of societal pressure on women, and there’s also a lot on men too. Once you rid yourself of that, life is a lot cooler,” Grydzuk said.

For the full story, visit www.crownpoint.highschoolmedia.org

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Alyex Wahlberg Hockey Club team

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Some of the guys wouldn’t talk to me, but after time they adapted.

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The melting pot

Groups invite students to experience, learn about different ethnicities and cultures

BY TIFFANY CURTIS

reporter

Although an impression may be that the student body is preppy and homogeneous, the student population is more diverse than one may realize at first glance.

There are many different cultural and religious clubs for students to join.

Muslim Student Association, or MSA, consists of Muslim students from CPHS but also welcomes people of all religions.

Aiming to show the student body a different side of Muslims and to give more information about the religion, the students of the club participate in different projects within the community and the school.

MSA held the Fast-a-thon in January, where students and teachers were challenged to experience a fast in which they don’t eat or drink for eight hours. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset the month of Ramadan, so they held the event for people to experience fasting.

The group recently held a hijab day.

The hijab is the traditional head scarf and total body covering Muslim women wear.

MSA was motivated to hold a session last Wednesday in order to address the common misconceptions of hijab, including that the headscarf is a sign of oppression and a submission to men.

MSA then challenged girls around the school to wear a hijab the entire school day to experience the day in the life of a Muslim girl today.

“I think that Muslims are represented in media today very negatively, so I viewed this as a chance to have people experience a day in the life of a Muslim girl,” junior Dina Hussein said.

Fifteen non-Muslim girls participated in hijab day. Senior Simone Siew felt excited as she donned the hijab.

“I felt like it was a chance for me to stand up for peaceful Muslims who are discriminated against,” Siew said. “When I wore the hijab, people called me a terrorist and took it as an opportunity to rant about

PHOTO BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM

Junior Dina Hussein assists Senior Simone Siew in how to put on the hijab. MSA hosted the world hijab day this year.

Islamic religion, focusing only on Islamic extremists.”

Siew’s experience is a common occurence for Muslim students. At the meeting, others shared similar experiences in which they were also, called a “terrorist.”

Another student recounted how she was asked by someone if she was hiding a bomb under her hijab.

MSA, however, is not the only cultural

club at Crown Point. Many others are involved in Eastern European Club.

Eastern European Club was started two years ago so people of different cultures could come together and share differences in their cultures. Since senior Cara Karamacoski became president, more people have started to attend meetings.

“There are a lot of Macedonians and

Serbians in the club, and it’s really cool that we have the same culture, similar holidays and similar customs, but, at the same time, we can learn about the differences in our cultures, too,” Karamacoski said. “The club is open to anyone who wants to join.

I think that makes it possible to learn and understand the different cultures in Crown Point.”

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We have alot of confidence going into postseason and we should be able to make a nice run.

- Senior Thayne Bukowski

At her Best

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11

Best works towards another successful run for the state championship

Best Records

5th S year: placed 6th all-around at state

BY TOMMY FRAME

Freshman year: placed on floor at state

reporter

Leadership is a quality that comes naturally to some, and not so much for others.

For junior Hannah Best, being a leader to her team is not a choice, but a role that was inevitable from the start.

“It’s normally the seniors that are the captains but, given my experience, I have to be more of a leader,” Best said.

Best is no stranger to the state floor as she has finished top ten in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. Freshman year, she unexpectedly made it to state for the floor competition and finished fifth.

“I really wasn’t planning on making it to state at all that year. We made it to regionals as a team, which Crown Point hadn’t done in a long time,” Best said. “I ended up getting the qualifying score and placing fifth.”

Needless to say, the pressure was on her to compete at a high level consistently after that.

“Sophomore year, we had a lot of seniors graduate and several juniors not come back out for their senior season. I knew a lot of the pressure to succeed would fall on me, so I put a lot of the pressure on myself,” Best said.

She finished her sophomore season placing sixth on all-around, sixth on bars, seventh on vault and ninth on bars, not qualifying in only one category: beam.

“Last year, the beam would have been my weakest event, but this year it may be one of my strongest,” Best said.

From the age of nine, Best has been competing and has always felt comfortable with certain events.

ophomore

7th

Sophomore year: placed on vault at state

6th

Sophomore year: placed on bars at state

Ranking

10.0 vault

10.0 floor

10.0 all-around

10.0 bars

9.8 beam

“Vault is the easiest, and it’s always been my strongest. Floor has also consistently been one of my strongest events,” Best said.

However, these things have not always come so easily to the junior standout as her work ethic contributes to a large amount of her success.

“Working two to four hours a day really takes a toll on you, but it’s what it takes to be where I am at. I am usually off on my own at practice working on everything to really get the most done,” Best said.

Like all great athletes, the other contribution of her success has come from someone she looks up to as a mentor and has had the biggest influence on her.

“I went to Gymnastics Plus for about 5 years, and my old coach there has been my biggest influence,” Best said. “He comes to all of my high school meets and still coaches me on and off in the summer.”

When on the floor, all eyes are on her, which means confidence is key in a successful performance.

“Staying calm is the hardest part, and the biggest lesson he taught me was to be confident in myself. He taught me to just zone everything else out, and imagine I’m the only one in the room,” Best said.

The DAC meet is this Saturday, Feb. 28, with upcoming the following week. Best and the Dogs are confident going in, having big wins this season over DAC teams LaPorte and Chesterton.

“I believe our team can make it out of sectionals and me individually as well,” Best said. “My focus after sectionals will be to focus on my own performance and being the best that I can be.”

‘‘

Last year, the beam would have been my weakest event, but this year it may be one of my strongest.

Hannah Best

junior

Leadership is necessary for team success my view

BY JACKIE VAN DER WEY

sports editor

Every army needs a general, every country needs a government and every team needs a captain.

Call it what you may, but a successful team requires a strong leader. Whether it be an appointed captain, a chosen captain or an individual that takes charge through their own merit, this individual sets the tone

for the season to come.

In the case of Hannah Best, she earned her spot as a team leader through skill and experience, but for Riley Akers, this wasn’t the case. As a senior and state qualifier, Riley was a talented wrestler, but it wasn’t a state medal, like his two fellow teammates, that allowed him to leave his mark on

the 2014-15 team. So what prompted Riley to become so influential? His own determination. As coach Vlink explained to me, Riley scheduled summer workouts for the team and runs on Saturday mornings, neither of which were asked of him by the coaches. Riley also began to serve as a mentor and someone that

his teammates could confide in. Riley knew that it was his time to step into the role as the team leader and said that his hardworking teammates made the task enjoyable. He may not have the tangible medal to keep from the state tournament, but knowing that he made the team better as a whole is something that will

prove valuable to him for years to come.

Kobe Bryant, Tim Tebow and many other professional athletes that serve their teams as leaders are proof of this. Whether furthering a career in sports or looking for a job, leadership is an intangible quality that will always promote one’s success.

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Diving into

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PHOTO BY NATALIE BRIGHAM

Senior captain AJ Huls swims a pre-state practice upon advancing from last Saturday’s sectional meet.

After third place sectional finish team prepares for state finals

BY SAM BARLOGA

reporter

After a humbling loss to Michigan City to finish off the regular season, boys swimming put out a postseason response that even shocked head coach Adam Waldier.

“We had a great conference meet. We had rested the kids a few days because, just before that, we got destroyed by Michigan City. That loss was probably the lowest point of our season, and since we gave them a couple days rest, they swam very, very well at conference. They swam faster than they thought they were going to swim,” Waldier said.

Crown Point walked away from the conference meet on Jan. 31 with a third-place finish and did the same at sectionals, almost topping Lake Central at the DAC meet, a team that far outpaced the Dogs throughout the regular season.

“We surprised ourselves as we did really well.

We had some great swims from Cameron Watson and myself. We got third place, and it was an upset.

We proceeded to beat Valpo and almost beat Lake Central, who we were supposed to lose to by over 100 points,” junior Joey Karczewski said.

The Dogs then had to move on to a sectional meet a few weeks later where expectations were starting to rise for the team as a whole. Despite Munster taking home their 30th-straight sectional championship, sophomore Connor Clark was pleased with his team’s third-place performance.

“Personally, I felt we did great (at sectionals).

We have many people who are going on to state, and everyone dropped time and achieved personal bests,” Clark said. “I did the best I’ve done in a long, long time.”

Karczewski was also happy with the team’s Saturday performance at sectionals. The junior helped to win two events and had much praise for the work that was put on display.

“In sectional prelims, we got a lot of eighthplace finishes, which is what you need to do in order to move on, ” Karczewski said. “We did really well on Saturday as well. I got second in the medley relay and won the 200 freestyle. We got first in the 200 free relay off a false start by Lake Central. I got second in the 100 backstroke and, overall, everyone moved up in ranks and time. Cameron Watson moved up from eighth on Thursday to second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.96 on Saturday.”

With the season coming to a close, and with one relay team headed to the state meet in Indianapolis on Friday, most of the swimmers have their focus on getting better during the offseason. With just three seniors graduating, the Dogs have their target on dethroning Munster by this time next year.

“Over the offseason, hopefully we get a lot stronger weightlifting, and then next year we’re hoping to win sectionals, which will be a big thing for us because Munster has won sectionals for the last 30 years,” Karczewski said.

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Wrestlers end season with state tournament success

BY JACKIE VAN DER WEY

sports editor

As the state tournament spotlight matches began, the Dogs season came to an end with senior Darden Schurg left standing as runner-up in the 160-pound weight class.

“At first I felt let down (by the second place finish), but looking back at my whole career, I’m satisfied,“ Schurg said.

Schurg wasn’t the only senior on the team with a successful end to his season. The Dogs sent six wrestlers down to the state tournament (Darden Schurg, Daylan Schurg, Morgan Kral, Riley Akers, Justin Akers and Zach Donaldson), four of them being seniors. Morgan Kral was one of the seniors who stood out, taking third place in the 220-pound weight class.

“I went into state thinking about making it to the championship match, but I was happy with third place,” Kral said.

Despite the disappointment of taking second to Portage in the DAC, the Dogs maintained a successful season. With a record of 17-2 and a first place finish at both sectionals and regionals, senior Riley Akers finds it impossible to be disappointed in the team.

“Any time you win sectionals and regionals, it’s a huge accomplishment,” Akers said. “This year the DAC was, in my opinion, the toughest conference in the state, and it would’ve been great to win; overall it was a great year.”

Head Coach Scott Vlink, while impressed with those successes, notes that this season in particular was prosperous in more ways than one.

“You can’t always measure the success of a season in terms of wins and losses and individual accomplishments, but we were fortunate this year to have both,” Vlink said.

“We had those intangible things that make a season successful and the tangible things like medals and trophies that make a season successful also.”

PHOTO PROVIDED

Senior Morgan Kral stands on the podium aftter his third-place finish at the state finals.

Postseason stats DAC record of 17-2 Runner up in DAC Sectional Victors Regional Victors Bulldogs take second @ Semi-State meet

Girls basketball coach resigns

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BY ELI UDCHITZ

reporter

This year, the girls finished their season off with a record of 12-11 and a departure in the first round of sectional play. But over the past four years, they have accumulated an overall record of 4444, the record that will hold true for the resignation of head coach Anne Equihua along with assistant coach Scott Reid.

Senior Lori Radiceska was with coach Equihua for all four of her years at Crown Point and views the experience with her as something beyond the game of basketball.

“Coach was definitely a second mom figure to everyone on the team. She taught us a lot more than just basketball,” Radiceska said. “Even though she was intense, she still loved each and every one of us.”

After building such a strong bond between coach and player,

the team has concerns on how they will react next year with a newly crafted coaching staff.

“I think we’ll be fine next year due to the fact that we’re a pretty close team and have a strong bond between us,” junior Hannah Albrecht said. “I hope that positive trait will help us stay up and adapt well to the new coaching change.”

Although Equihua has starred at Crown Point as a player, bringing home two state championships for basketball, she has realized that life beyond the game of basketball is much more of a priority for her.

“These girls need to know that my decision had nothing to do with the team,” Equihua said.

“I need to focus more of my efforts on teaching as well as being a mom at home.”

The season ended for the Lady Dogs after they sparked a 10-2 run to end the third quarter against the Merrillville Pirates. The run fell short as the team lost 43-34.

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Talks with Tomich

13

Posting up for postseason

BY DOM TOMICH

reporter

Sportsmanship is part of the game Earlier this month, Griffith and Hammond High School put on a highlight-reel horror show: sportsmanship gone bad. Griffith forward, Anthony Murphy, went up for what looked like a highlight slam. Instead, a Hammond player came from behind slamming Anthony into the wall stealing the spotlight.

Two minutes of havoc and bad decisions ensued. Even a potential back-breaking foul did not keep Anthony Murphy from joining his twin brother, who was one of the first ones involved in the melee between the two teams.

In the heat of battle, I doubt one student, parent, player or coach had time to think about what was going to happen afterwards. The issue of whether the punishments are fair or too harsh shouldn’t even be discussed.

Of course it is fair; starting an all-out brawl isn’t a part of high school basketball or any other high school athletic event.

If these players were so interested in fighting, they could’ve met in the parking lot or joined UFC. The IHSAA handed down punishments to both teams equally. Both teams forfeit the remaining games of the season and a suspension from this year’s state tournament. They will be on probation for the 2015-16 season. Both coaches must complete a Teaching and Modeling Behavior course before next season.

Is the mandatory training for the coaches taking things too far? No, it’s obvious the coaches didn’t take the time to teach proper sportsmanship.

Someone involved (coach, official or player) needed to step up and show some leadership and prevent this nasty incidence.

IHSAA head members made the correct decision by ending both teams’ seasons. This doesn’t only determine the fate for these teams; it sets standards for oncourt behavior for all of Indiana high school sports.

Following the punishments, both schools made appeals to the rulings. They should be denied.

It is time to teach these young men that you don’t always get multiple chances in life.

extra

points

PHOTO BY JACK SNEDDEN

Junior Blake Bonin dribbles to the basket during the Crown Point Lake Central duel a week ago (71-46).

Boys basketball enters sectionals with a DAC record of 4-3

BY KATIE PAWLOWSKI

reporter

Five, four, three, two, one.

The count down that usually signals the end of a quarter for the Dogs is now serving as a reminder that the games they have remaining until postseason begins are dwindling away. With only one game remaining in the regular season, the Dogs are looking towards their future.

Coming off two wins against Lake Central and Hammond Morton, confidence doesn’t begin to explain the way junior Grant Gelon feels about his team and their chances at sectionals this year.

“The team’s mindset is to always make the other team adjust to us. We have the best team in the DAC no matter what the wins and losses say,” Gelon said. “We are the best team, and that is the mindset we’ll have going into these next games.”

As the team comes together, they are also

Dogs have to be physically on top of their game as well. They have been preparing on both the offense and defensive end.

Looking towards next Tuesday, head coach Clint Swan stresses the importance of making the most of every possesion.

“Anytime we play Valparaiso we have to maximize every opportunity because there is going to be a limited amount of possessions.

Two or three straight turnovers against one team might not be as bad, but against Valparaiso those two or three straight turnovers can turn into and 8-0 runs for them,” Swan said.

With one game against Lowell left before the postseason, Bonin hopes the team can come out on top and go into sectionals strong.

“Our team is hoping to play our best when sectionals roll around next week. We of course have to take care of Lowell this week hopefully going into sectionals with some confidence,” Bonin said.

Girls swimming ties for fourth at state finals

BY DYLAN WALLACE

reporter

Coming off a second place finish at state last year, the girls swim team entered the IUPUI Natatorium for the 2015 state championships with just four swimmers, and left with a tie with Zionsville for fourth place out of 41 teams.

“After getting fourth as a team, I think we had hoped for better, but to tie for fourth in the state meet is still extremely hard to do,” sophomore Kelsi Artim said. “We knew going into the season that it would be really hard to repeat as state runner-ups, we tried to set our goals high and just aimed for the best.”

The four swimmers that represented the Dogs were sophomores Hannah Kukurugya and Kelsi Artim, junior Mackenzie Artim and senior Aly Tetzloff. The four contributed big points in the relays, finishing as runner-ups in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:41.71 and the 200 free relay at 1:34.27.

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overcoming many past obstacles. Defense has always been a reoccurring struggle, but over these last two wins, it has been the key to success.

“Our defense was very solid and we came together as a team to get stops. Once we were able to do that, the offense came together, and it was all smooth sailing from there,” junior Blake Bonin said.

Despite the recent wins, the Dogs haven’t lost sight on the first round of sectionals next Tuesday. They hope to take all the good qualities from these wins to help them.

“We definitely need to carry over our patience for good shots on offense and our solid defense from Lake Central to these next couple games,” senior Josh Berquist said.

The Valparaiso Vikings (16-4) only beat the Dogs by six in the regular season. The Dogs know they can’t come out slow and dig themselves in a hole early on.

In addition to being mentally strong, the

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“We pushed hard to get those rankings,” Tetzloff said. “We knew it would be tough, but I think our two relays getting second really helped the point system out, which contributed us to getting fourth at state.”

Individually, Tetzloff was runner-up in the 100 fly (53.04) and fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:00.82). Although her times weren’t what she hoped, the places helped the team out.

“I didn’t get quite my best times in my individual races but I moved up and placed well for my team and I was happy with that,” Tetzloff said.

Kelsi also came up big for the team by placing fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.5), and although she was seeded third, she was pleased with her place considering the fast competition.

“I was pretty happy with fourth. Going in, I knew it was going to be a fast race, so I gave it my best shot,” Kelsi said.

After taking the title last year in the 500

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free race, Kukurugya was runner-up this year with a time of 4:51.16. Kukurugya wasn’t bitter about not defending her title but rather was honored to finish so high up in one of the fastest swimming states in the nation.

“Even though I didn’t defend my title, it was still an accomplishment I am proud of,” Kukurugya said. “Indiana is one of the fastest states in the nation, so even being top eight is an honor.”

Looking to the future the, Dogs are graduated a lot of seniors next year. For them to continue their state success, it will come down to the help of the underclassmen.

“We are graduating a lot of great seniors this year, so next season will be all about the underclassmen stepping up to fill the gaps,” Kukurugya said. “I think we can definitely pull off a top five at state again, it may be more of a challenge than past years, but it can totally be done.”

My moment of the month.... “... was winning the crucial matches to get into the state finals.”

-Senior Darden Schurg

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arts & entertainment february 27, 2015

More is expected when three prominent artists like Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney come together for a song.

The song is boring and monotonous and does not live up to expectations.

“The Duff”

With a calm and relaxing sound, “Thunder Clatter” is a great new song to take a break from all the pop songs nowadays. Wild Cub did a great job creating a song to match the title: reminding the listeners of a rain storm.

“Is Everyone Haning Out Without Me?” It’s the home stretch of the school year, and we’re all in need of a real perspective of the world. Mindy Kaling’s book does just that. With an abundance of humor and real life recollections, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” is a must read.

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BY HANNAH BAUNER

reporter

“Movies From the 80’s” by J. Scott Nicol J. Scott Nicol has painted many beautiful paintings using oil on a canvas. He paints memorable movies, books and people of the past.

One painting, “Movies From the 80’s,” features what looks like spines of books with different movies on them, such as “Top Gun,” “Dirty Dancing” and “When Harry Met Sally.” In addition to paintings like these, he also paints popular figures from history with a word that describes them. His use of oil on canvases makes for very realistic paintings.

“Arboreal Office” by Rob Gonsalves Rob Gonsalves, a Canadian painter, paints pictures that blend two scenes together. One example entitled “Arboreal Office” blends a forest into skyscrapers. Another painting entitled “As Above and So Below” features a man standing in a cave with stalactites and stalagmites. The stalagmites, however, blend into a medieval castle and the surrounding buildings. With creative thinking and immense talent, Rob Gonsalves is able to create breathtaking multidimensional paintings.

“Nobody Likes Me” by Banksy A street artist known as Banksy paints pictures depicting some of his opinions on society. Banksy’s true identity is unknown, adding to the elusivity of his work. One of his works shows a little boy crying with a notification symbol above him that shows that he has no notifications. Although Banksy’s work usually get painted over by city officials, people see and share them during the moments they’re up.

“Better Call Saul” Season 1

“Thunder Clatter”

By Wild Cub

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Music and film may be dominating the entertainment industry, but we can’t forget about the original type of art. These artists deserve to be in the spotlight, and we’re drawing your attention to the ones worth seeing.

Upon hearing that “DUFF” stands for designated ugly fat friend, the movie was easily expected to be degrading. While it did have its uplifting moments, the concept that “every friend group has a duff” can easily make viewers feel like one themselves. Overall, the movie was a cliché high school tale of an outsider and her attractive neighbor. It was full of laughter but did not surpass low expectations.

The long awaited “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul” has finally arrived. The series details the endeavors of the thenunknown criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. The series captures its predecessor’s captivating writing and stellar cinematography, just a few components of what makes the series already highly enjoyable.

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Appreciating their arts

inreview “FourFiveSeconds”

By Rihanna, Paul McCartney & Kanye West

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“The SpongeBob Movie” fails to rise above sea level

BY MARIA LEONTARAS

reporter

SpongeBob SquarePants, a childhood-favorite, takes another shot at becoming a box-office biggie. Though the attempt was enjoyable, to the classic SpongeBob fan it is a semi-failure.

“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water” takes the main staple of Bikini Bottom life, the Krabby Patty, away from its citizens. But Plankton did not succeed in one of his many schemes to retrieve the secret formula. It simply vanished.

The residents of Bikini Bottom refuse to believe Plankton’s alibi, but SpongeBob does. As the city transforms into a post-apocalyptic, leather clad society, Sponge-

life social

A section devoted to social media

Bob and Plankton try to receive the secret formula and restore the town to its former greatness all while teaching the important lesson of teamwork.

Viewers can expect classic SpongeBob humor in addition to a mix of gags to please five-year-olds and crude jokes to please 55-year-olds. The humor and vivid colors can only keep viewers entertained for a short period of time. The jokes get old, and it seems as if the writers have milked SpongeBob for all he is worth.

Trippy scenes and a floating dolphin with a laser beam not only add to the strangeness that is the SpongeBob Movie sequel, but also add to its weird sense of failure. The whole film, though

entertaining with an enticing plot line, felt like a prelude to the epic rap battle at the end of the movie.

In the end, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water” most definitely did not live up to its predecessor, “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.” New age 3D CG animation was no match for the epic 2004 climax of the franchise. Antonio Banderas has nothing on David Hasselhoff, and it is apparent in the film.

No matter how one views the facts, SpongeBob will always be a cultural staple for this generation. Nautical nonsense may always be something to wish, but The SpongeBob Movie sequel dropped on the deck and flopped like a fish.

best tweets

best apps

I say “I’m going to watch the Oscars,” but what I mean is “I’m going to cry because Jared Leto’s hair is better than mine will ever be.”

Junior Angela Andras

@angela_andras

It’s real procrastination when even flossing your teeth has more priority than your homework.

Junior Karson Triscik

@karsontriscik

AA

CPHS at 6 a.m.: omg it’s -3 degrees outside we have to delay. CPHS at 8 a.m.: it’s ok it’s only -3 degrees we can have school now Sophomore Bryan Hatami

@bkhatami

So can I put “Sweetest Freshman” under the awards section of my NHS application orrrrr Junior Devin DeBoth

@DevinDeBest

Etsy

The solution for those tired of Trivia Crack has arrived. AA is an app that not only tests your patience but also brings out your competitive edge.

Once you’re one level in, you’ll never want to stop.

Shopping for unique, neat things has never been easier.

Etsy allows users to search for new favorites and great gifts from designers across the world, all with one touch of a finger.

best follows @SixSecondCover Hear your favorite songs covered in just six seconds by following Six Second Cover.

@ProBirdRights For those wondering what birds have to say about world events, this humorous account has it all.

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“Jupiter Ascending” disappoints

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Banning leggings is unneccesary

BY CASEY AKERS

reporter

It’s a shame. “Jupiter Ascending” involves an interesting and captivating concept: what if humans did not come from Earth?

The film itself, however, was less than extraordinary.

“Jupiter Ascending” centers around a girl named Jupiter who was born on a ship as her mother and aunt left Russia after the murder of her father. The movie takes this perfectly normal girl, played by Mila Kunis, into the most important person in the universe, a feat that has already been done by several other science-fiction movies throughout the year. This movie needed to be more original to be the great story it was hyped to be.

Instead, the film was bogged with clichés and drowned in an unnecessary love story and disorienting special effects.

The movie’s casting was not necessarily its biggest flaw. The makeup crew and casting director did a plausible job trying to make these characters look the part. There is no problem with how “Jupiter Ascending” was made or how it was casted. The story just did not click. There were major plot holes in “Jupiter Ascending” that were never even brought up towards the conclusion, leading to confusion about what is going on or why some characters are more important than others.

The idea of “Jupiter Ascending” is fantastic. If the producer decided to remake it and fix the mistakes, the movie would be one of the best science-fiction films made in a while. For now, these mistakes and plot holes create a movie that leaves viewers wanting more story and less blaring lights and explosions.

BY TINA WINFREY

editor-in-chief

Run time: 127 min Genres: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Starring: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne

Imagine Dragons impresses with second album

BY HANNAH MORGAN

reporter

If one thought that Imagine Dragons couldn’t possibly follow up on their debut album, featuring the grammy-winning single “Radioactive,” the Las Vegas-native band proved that thought to be false.

The quartet came through with a similar sound as their previous album without making it boring or repetitive. “Smoke and Mirrors,” which was released on Feb. 17, provides the feel of your classic modern-rock album with a sprinkle of pop.

The album has already had a top 10 hit, “I Bet My Life,” and several top 100 hits, including “Gold” and “Shots.” “Gold” features a fun tribalinspired beat starting out before transitioning into a catchy percussion-filled tune. One can feel the artistry as they make an effort to add a little of

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everything without overloading the song. They try to slow it down with “Dream,” a heartfelt piano ballad, which was a serious effort to add diversity to the album.

Many would say that “I Bet My Life” and a hit from the first album “It’s Time” sound a little too similar. However, that is where the consistency ends. The diversity throughout the songs almost feels like a little too much at times. The songs can tend to come off as contrived as they use various studio effects on one single song instead of sticking to their raw roots. However, the divergence of the tracks really add to the contrast between this album and others of a similar kind.

The album has its blunders, but its tracks are dynamite. There will be no dissatisfaction as the tracks are impressive for such new artists.

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Keep cellular devices charged even without access to a plug outlet. various retailers $10 - $25

Instead of snapping a picture and posting it on social media, the polaroid camera prints immediately. The more pictures taken, the bigger the collage of memories. various retailers $30-$180

“Friction” Track #7

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Top Track

playing music out loud in the hallway Most people enjoy music, but it’s completely unnecessary to have music blaring out loud in the hallways. Some people are trying to have conversations with friends or listen to their own music with headphones. Not everyone has the same taste in music. Playing a song louder than everyone else’s doesn’t make it cooler; it just irritates everyone.

Try to have some common courtesy next time. Playing music out loud in the hallway seems fun, but just don’t do it.

It seems as if the list of things that are “acceptable” for women to wear is getting smaller and smaller.

During my time working at Delia’s, I’d had countless girls come in mourning the fact that they desperately needed jeans but could not purchase skinny jeans or jeggings.

When asked about the specificity of the denim they needed, they simply said “wearing skinny jeans and jeggings is against school rules.” They also explained that their school would not allow them to wear leggings or yoga pants, either.

Earlier this month, TIME magazine reported on a Montana lawmaker that wants to propose a bill to ban provocative clothing. Yoga pants’ tight fit could fall under this category as well as leggings and jeggings.

So now it’s not just schools banning tighter fitting pants but potentially entire states as well. Great.

If convicted of this potential indecent exposure law three times, a maximum of 3 years and a $5,000 fine could be received. Even better.

The skinny jean movement began in the 1950s once celebrities like Sandra Dee and Marilyn Monroe began wearing them. The stars of today continue to wear these, making them one of the most common fashion statements in the market now.

With all this popularity, it is no wonder most denim brands ceased productions of their wider leg fit jeans and opted for a tighter fit. When I began working at Delia’s in early 2013, the store had already phased out their flare jean line.

So why do schools decide to ban the jeans that are popularly manufactured?

Distraction of the opposite sex seems to be the main reason behind banning these items.

Instead of teaching young girls to “protect” themselves from aggressive boys, we should be teaching young boys how to act appropriately around the opposite sex and not get distracted.

It shouldn’t be a girls responsibility to keep boys’ minds in check.

Instead, girls are being told to go home and not come back to school unless they look different. This banning of clothing items is a GREAT way to teach girls to be confident. (Heavy sarcasm intended.)

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Steiger wins chance at modeling experience

BY NADIA GIEDEMANN

associate editor

Some people dream of the chance to get flown to a new location and participate in photo-shoots with various photographers and models.

Senior Jillian Steiger was able to do just that.

After taking her senior pictures with Pat & Cassie, Steiger was entered in a modeling contest called Seniors Ignite, which is where a select group of seniors are chosen for fashion photo-shoots for elite photographers in the Seniors Ignite group. Steiger was one of twelve to win this contest.

“Since Pat & Cassie is one of the companies involved in Seniors Ignite, they put a portfolio together for me and sent it out,” Steiger said.

Along with a personal biography, the portfolio consisted of some of Steiger’s physical features and her hobbies.

“I had to fill out anything about myself that would make the judges fall in love with me,” Steiger said.

Individuals close to Steiger felt she would make an exceptional model.

“Everyone always told me I should model because my older sister did when she was in high school,” Steiger said. “People thought I would be good at modeling since we look similar.”

Steiger will never forget the moment she found out she won the Seniors Ignite contest.

“Once I realized what was going on after I saw Pat and Cassie standing in the front office, I started to cry because I was so excited,” Steiger said. “I was completely shocked.”

Winning Seniors Ignite earned Steiger the chance to fly to San Diego, California for a once in a lifetime modeling experience.

“I learned a lot about the paparazzi feel modeling has,” Steiger said. “I learned more about posing and the different ways to make my body more photogenic.”

With the skills she learned, she will be able to prepare herself for any future she may have with a career in that field.

“I didn’t get paid for it, but I get to be featured in a magazine. It will help me by getting my name out there,” Steiger said.

Getting dressed up in the different styles was one of Steiger’s favorite parts of the trip.

“I loved all of the different photo-shoots because it was really fun getting dressed up,” Steiger said. “Getting dressed in clothes I typically wouldn’t wear was really cool. It was kind of like playing dress up for two days straight.”

Steiger was able to be a part of different photography sessions with multiple photographers.

“It was amazing to hear a bunch of different people call my name and tell me to look at them,” Steiger said.

Although some felt Steiger would make an exceptional model, she did not see it in her future until she was named one of the winners. After taking part with Seniors Ignite, Steiger plans to take on any modeling opportunities that may come up in the future.

“If I didn’t win, I probably wouldn’t have even thought about modeling,” Steiger said. “Since I actually did win, it was almost like a confidence booster, and I think I will try to carry something out with modeling.”

senior Eric Kim Proud President Winning class president two years is something I’m proud of. I was honored to be voted in.

Stuffed Secret Not many people know, but I love collecting stuffed animals. I have quite a collection of them.

Seafood Lover I love seafood, anything from jellyfish to live squid.

Across the Seas I’ve been to quite a few cool places. I loved going to Seoul, Korea, Japan and Las Vegas.

Swift Superhero If I could be any superhero, I would be Flash.

That lightning speed is something I would want.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PAT & CASSIE

Q

What would you do with $1 million?

“I would definitely buy my own private jet so I could fly anywhere in the world.”

“I would pay for my college tuition and buy my mother a camper.”

Alex Alessia

Emily Reed

Senior

Junior

“I would spend about $10,000 of it on marshmallows.”

“I would buy a really nice place for my parents to live in. ”

“I would invest it in the stock market and get $2 million

Jacob Southworth

Lily Colvin

Perry Francis

Valerie Jones

Sophomore

Freshman

Sophomore

Senior

“I would probably use it to backpack through Europe.”