Inklings

IN K [ ] LI N GS

Crown Point High School Crown Point, IN @InklingsCPHS March 25, 2021 Vol. 85 Issue 5

STATE CHAMPS

GIRLS BASKETBALL TAKES HOME THIRD STATE TITLE page 20

CPHS to host “Friday Night Lights” for seniors

Understanding how the government operates

page 4

page 12

Senior Allie Govert cuts down the net at the 4A State Championship game for girls basketball on Feb. 27. Govert was named the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award winner by the IHSAA after the win.

PHOTO BY EMILY HELMUTH

TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS

04 SENDING OFF SENIORS OF THE BEST & 06 BEST CALENDAR CHANGES

OPINION

08 EDITORIAL 10 PRO/CON 11 COLUMNS

FEATURE

12 HISTORY IN THE MAKING 14 CHANGE IN RELATIONSHIPS 16 TAKING A BREAK 18 QUARANTINE CUDDLES

SPORTS

20 GIRLS BASKETBALL 24 WRESTLING & BOYS SWIM 26 GYMNASTICS & BOYS BASKETBALL

ENTERTAINMENT

28 30 CARE A LOT & 32 IGOOD GIRLS

HOW THE COOKIE CRUMBLES MOXIE & CRIME SCENE: VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL

PEOPLE

34 D&D PLAYERS

The cast of the CPHS production of “High School Musical: On Stage” rehearses a number for the upcoming show. The show will be performed six times with two sets of double casts between April 8 and 11.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY RILEY PARKER

THINK AHEAD Editor’s note Information is accurate at the time of publication.

Should any event cancellations occur or dates change due to COVID-19, updates will be posted on the website and Twitter.

March 24April 4

Spring Break Students and staff will have a week off to relax and take a break from school.

Traditionally, this has been a popular week for people to visit relatives and/or warm places.

April 2 Good Friday

Good Friday is a Christian holiday that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

April 2 World Autism Awareness Day This day recognizes, celebrates and brings awareness to people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

[INK] L I N G S

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/

Crown Point High School, IN

Vol. 85 Issue 5- March 25, 2021

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.

co-editors-in-chief Nolan Chase Emily Helmuth Noah Thomas assistant editors Rosalie Degenhart Abigail Godsen sports editors Keeley Bernard Samuel Brewer photographer Gillian Gatley

April 4 Easter Sunday This widely celebrated Christian holiday goes hand in hand with Good Friday, as it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

April 8-11 “High School Musical: On Stage” After COVID-19 related delays, the show is back on.

Performances will be at 7 p.m. on April 8, 9, 10 and 11 as well as at 2 p.m. on April 10 and 11. The house will open 30 minutes prior.

April 12 First day of Ramadan Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is the most sacred month in the religion of Islam.

During this time, Muslims fast each day from dawn to dusk.

April 22 Earth Day Since 1970, this day has been an annual event meant to show support for the protection of the Earth. The goal of this day is to raise awareness about climate change and global warming.

artist Hayden Coles staff Aubrey Banks Emily Briseno Trevor Frahm Olivia Helmuth Mary Marcinek Andrew Poeschl adviser Julie Elston

April 23 Shakespeare’s Birthday Although famous playwright William Shakespeare’s birthday is unknown, many celebrate him and his work on this day.

April 24 Six Flags reopening Due to the pandemic, Six Flags: Great America was closed all of 2020. The park plans to reopen this day, pending government approval.

4 NEWS

SENDING OFF THE SENIORS CPHS cancels prom, decides to host seniors only “Friday Night Lights - CPHS Class of 2021 Sendoff” event on football field

BY NOLAN CHASE EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chiefs This school year has been an unusual one, as a worldwide pandemic has halted the way we normally live our lives. Particularly in schools, students have gone through three different learning models to go with COVID-19 concerns and many typical events have been canceled or very heavily adjusted.

Dances were no exception to this, as both the homecoming dance and turnabout dance were canceled this school year.

Prom has been canceled as well. An email from principal Russ Marcinek sent to senior parents Wednesday, March 10 explains the reasoning behind this.

“Recently, the Indiana Department of Health provided guidelines to high schools regarding prom. Those guidelines include the following: masks worn at all times, social distancing maintained, (and) no food,” Marcinek wrote. “These guidelines would be difficult, if not impossible, to adhere to. Even if we were able to maintain these standards, our students would not have a traditional prom experience. As a result, we will not be hosting a prom in 2021.”

Instead of a prom, the school has decided to host an event called “Friday Night Lights - CPHS Class of 2021 Sendoff.”

Senior class sponsor Ginny Zega will be planning this and describes the differences between this event and prom.

“It’s totally different. It’s not a prom at

all,” Zega said. “It has nothing to do with prom. It’s just a casual celebration for the seniors and it’s seniors only. We will have bags and spike ball and hopefully a dunk tank and some light music; it’s just kind of like a fair. It would be unstructured by us. We have goody bags coming for all the seniors that will include random gift cards and stuff like that. It’s not a replacement for prom, it’s just a celebration because there is no prom.”

‘‘

I think it should only be seniors. Even though everyone has had a terrible year and gotten mostly everything taken away, the other classes will always have a chance to have the same celebrations, or even more, during their own senior year.

senior Emily Karamacoski Along with Zega, many parents, clubs and teachers will be helping with the event as well.

“There’s lots of people helping. We have parents helping and then I have the national art society and the art club help-

ing to make decorations. There will be teachers and parents to chaperone,” Zega said. “We want it to be a fun atmosphere and something so that the seniors know that they’re special and this is just for them. We all feel bad. I’m excited though that I finally get to plan something.

Zega also notes some of the advantages that she believes there are for seniors in hosting this event.

“There will not be any economic differences. Prom is expensive. This is free to get into and everything will be free except the food trucks,” Zega said. “We will have water there for everybody so they can have something to drink and it’s just (going to be) a nice time.”

Senior Connor McCloskey agrees with the school’s decision to host this event, and says that he understands the decision to not hold a school sponsored prom.

“I would definitely attend the celebration on the football field over an actual school hosted prom given COVID-19,” McCloskey said. “Prom would be too close and the safer option is to do a celebration outdoors and social distance.”

Zega adds that COVID-19 impacted planning the event, as she notes that contact tracing played a role in the location and date.

“We were told by the health department that we could have a prom but everyone would have to remain three feet apart at all times. They would have to wear masks at all times and no food. Our students don’t dance three feet apart,” Zega said. “So we

felt like we were really constricted and we Like McCloskey, senior Emily Karamadidn’t think it would be worth their while. Es- coski believes that seniors should be the only pecially if we had a venue, we would have to ones to attend the event. Karamacoski recogpay for that venue and it would be expensive nizes that although other students have missed for basically nothing.” out on things this year, seniors should be the Unlike most school events, “Friday Night priority.

Lights” will be a seniors-only event. Zega ex“I think it should only be seniors. Even plains why this decision was made. though everyone has had a terrible year and “We do have to follow some health codes gotten mostly everything taken away, the other and we want to make it so the seniors have classes will always have a chance to have the something of their own. same celebrations, or even I think it’s more because more during their own seeverybody felt sorry for There will not be any nior year,” Karamacoski last year’s seniors and said. economic differences. they had everything While Karamacoski Prom is expensive. This believes that the event will except prom basically.

They got a graduation, is free to get into and ev- differ greatly from a stanthe only thing they redard prom scenario, she erything will be free ex- also believes that it can ofally missed out on was cept the food trucks. the last month of school fer some different opportuand prom. (This year’s nities. seniors) got nothing,” “I feel like it will be Zega said. “So I think very different from a norsenior class sponsor the seniors need to feel mal prom. But, compared Ginny Zega special. We do have to to a traditional prom it monitor it, and we’re does seem like it will be worried about getting through more activity-filled and laid the end of the school year and not having to back and more of a last chance for the entire contact trace anybody.” senior class to get together before we all go McCloskey believes that although it would our separate ways,” Karamacoski said. be nice to have other grades at the event, beThe event will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. cause of COVID-19 it makes sense to him to on Friday, May 14. Seniors interested in atlimit the event to just seniors. tending the event can get a wristband at lunch “It should be seniors only. Since the se- the day of the event or in front of the football niors this year have had a whole year of messed field during the event and must show either a up schooling and missed events like home- driver’s license or student ID to prove their secoming and turnabout, we deserve at least one niority. Seniors will also be required to sign a event to look forward to before graduation,” waiver about practicing appropriate behavior McCloskey said, “I would be more willing for at the event. other grades to attend if there wasn’t a limit Zega suggests that any students or parents on attendance, but since there is, it should be interested in helping with the event contact her seniors only.” at gzega@cps.k12.in.us.

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WHAT DO THEY THINK: SENIOR SENDOFF “(I think that) Friday Night Lights is going to be better than prom.”

-senior Blake Pysh

“I think it’s cool that despite tough circumstances with COVID-19, the school is trying their best to give students a positive ending to their senior year. It may not be prom, but at least it’s something.”

-senior Madison Flewelling

“I really like (the idea) to be honest and I think it’s going to be really cool.”

-senior Anthony Saberniak

“It’s a good idea (and) nice of the school to try to do, but I don’t feel like it really makes up for prom being canceled.”

-senior Kylie Gutyan

INKLINGS

INTHEKNOW

5

SAT exam date set and free of charge On Tuesday April 13, juniors will be able to take the SAT test.

The test will be completely free of charge and will be taken during that school day. The sign up deadline to take the test was March 3. Students are encouraged by the school to use free test prep programs such as ACT Academy and Khan Academy to prepare for the test.

NHS application deadline up soon NHS student applications for sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have been invited to be a part of the society will end on March 26. Any student who has completed a minimum of three semesters of high school who meet the minimum GPA requirement as well as have completed five hours of community service per semester of high school are invited to apply. As a member, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.60, complete 20 service points per year, maintain a positive disciplinary record, and pay the $20 yearly dues.

Spring play postponed until April Due to contact tracing some of the students on the cast and crew for 2021 CPHS spring musical “High School Musical On Stage!” have been quarantined. The previous March performances have now been pushed back to April, 8, 9, 10, and 11. And as a result of these complications all previously purchased tickets will be refunded beginning on March 12. New ticket sales will start soon and on a new platform called Professional by AudienceView.

BEST OF THE BEST Nine students named National Merit Scholarship finalists 6 NEWS

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief CPHS had nine senior students named as National Merit Scholarship finalists this year, the most the district has seen in a single year. Across the country, 15,000 students were named as

finalists, per the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. These nine finalists were chosen based on their Preliminary SAT scores, which also serves as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, as well as a recommendation from an administrator at CPHS. The winners will be announced in April and July. Below, Inklings surveyed each finalist.

MATT BATES

JOEY BELL

Trine University

Purdue University or DePauw University

Undecided

ACTIVITES:

Statistics

FUN FACT:

Latin club, Jazz Band

Latin club, Student Council, Academic Decathalon

COLLEGE: MAJOR:

Chemical Engineering

Cross Country, Track

COLLEGE:

MAJOR:

ACTIVITES: FUN FACT:

BAILEY BRUMBAUGH COLLEGE: MAJOR:

Biology/ Pre-Med

ACTIVITES:

He says that his fun fact is that he does not have a fun fact.

He can play the piano.

ELIZABETH LEITZEL

ABHI NIMMAGADDA HENRY PHILBIN

Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington

COLLEGE: MAJOR:

COLLEGE: MAJOR:

Public Policy/ Pre-Law

Comparative Literature/Pre-Med

Cross Country, Track

Spanish club, Latin club, Certamen, Science Olympiad, Quiz Bowl, Academic Superbowl, Tennis FUN FACT: He knows the words to every song Mariah Carey has ever released.

ACTIVITES: FUN FACT:

She is allergic to bananas.

ACTIVITES:

FUN FACT:

Her favorite color is Flaming Parrot Tulip.

COLLEGE:

Undecided

MAJOR:

Engineering

ACTIVITES:

Latin club, Student Council, National Honor Society

FUN FACT:

He is a triplet.

ANTHONY SAINATO

JASON TUNG

KATRINA VALENTE

Indiana University Bloomington

Undecided

Ball State University

COLLEGE: MAJOR:

Pre-Med

ACTIVITES:

Baseball, Student Council, National Honor Society

FUN FACT:

He enjoys working out and lifting weights.

COLLEGE: MAJOR:

Chemistry

ACTIVITES:

Academic Super Bowl, Academic Decathalon, Academic Spell Bowl, Marching Band, Pep Band, Orchestra Winds, Flute Choir FUN FACT: Despite his success in science and math, he takes more pride in his writing ability.

COLLEGE: MAJOR:

Natural Resources and Environmental Management

ACTIVITES: Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, VEX Robotics, Latin club, National Honor Society

FUN FACT: She hopes to one day write diverse children‘s books (think LGBTQ+, racial, diverse abilities inclusion, etc.).

INKLINGS

7

CPCSC announces calendar changes to 2021-2022 school year

BY ABBY GODSEN assistant editor The days of spending winter break agonizing over unfinished projects and finals is no more with the approval of a new school schedule for the 2021-2022 school year. With this new schedule, the first semester will be ending prior to winter break.

Also included will be an extra day added to both the fall and Thanksgiving breaks, making them both three days rather than two days.

Because of these changes to the school calendar, it also means there will be one less week of the 2022-2023 summer vacation in comparison to past years. Freshman Morgan Eaton says that she doesn’t see this as an issue, as she believes the benefits of the new calendar far outweigh the consequences.

“I think it’s better that our semester ends before winter break so that kids don’t forget the information before going back and having to take our finals and stuff.

Academically, I feel it is better to end the semester before winter break,” Eaton said.

Opposite of Eaton, there are some students, like junior Jace Churchill, who enjoy the schedule currently in place and would rather it stay the same, even if it means not getting to finish the semester before winter break.

“It goes both ways. I see that (the new

schedule) as a benefit because I see some classes that push their finals before (winter break) or after. It is nice to have the semester end before Christmas break because I wouldn’t have to worry about coming back to school and having to finish that semester,” Churchill said. “I would rather have the shorter breaks. I like, with the shorter breaks, how it is set up now.”

Psychology teacher Matthew Barno believes that while there may be some bumps along the way, there is no harm in trying something new.

“Overall, I don’t think it hurts to try something new. (The) new calendar provides some positive opportunities for teachers and students alike, but just like anything else I am sure there will be some growing pains or unforeseen consequences that everyone will have to make adjustments for,” Barno said.

Barno adds that he thinks that ending the semester before winter break will alleviate a lot of stress for students and teachers alike.

“Being able to not have final exams directly after winter break is really awesome. I think it alleviates some pressures or even complications as students try to get back into the swing of things,” Barno said.

“Also, especially with Thanksgiving break, the day before Thanksgiving has been traditionally low in attendance, so it helps to not have to worry about what to teach that

day when you could have large portions of your classes missing.”

Like Barno, Eaton also sees these new changes giving huge academic benefits to students. According to Eaton, this poses great advantages to her, despite it cutting one week off the 2022-2023 summer vacation.

“I think that since school is starting after the fair, it will be beneficial to students because that way the semester ends before we go on our winter break so we don’t forget or lose the retained information like what happened this year from taking our finals after the two weeks. Personally, I believe that academically this is a smarter decision,” Eaton said. “It will be nice to have an extra day (during fall and thanksgiving break). I think it could be just to make everything easier with the semester ending.

So I think the benefits do outweigh the challenges that come with it.”

Barno believes that though this new calendar may be frustrating to students and their families at first, it is something that teachers and students alike will reap the benefits.

“I think the first year, the shorter summer break might be disappointing for students. I think the longer breaks during the school years allows families to travel and such a little more easily. I guess time will tell how it will impact everyone,” Barno said.

VIEWS on NEWS [Students’ reactions to events in our world

‘‘

Nation

State

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By not having penalties for not being at jury duty, I think the system puts itself on hold more than the people. I think that if they want to fix this issue, they should return to having stronger consequences for these absences.

According to CNN, McDonald’s drivethrus are becoming more automated to reduce the amount of time spent waiting in line. Companies are now experimenting with smart menu boards, automated ordering and payment options.

Ethan Ogrentez freshman

I think that this is just a side effect of late stage capitalism and something that is to be expected within a technologically advanced society.

An ABC 7 report states that 6 Dr. Seuss books will stop being published due to racist and insensitive imagery. Dr. Seuss Enterprises has found these books hurtful and wrong, and feedback from audiences led to the decision to ban.

‘‘

World

Indy Star reported that Marion County has had two of six jury trials declared as mistrials because they did not have enough people to fill the jury box. Due to the pandemic, the penalty for missing jury duty has been lessened.

Rachel Warren sophomore

I believe that, although I am not a POC and it is not my direct battle to fight, I will always be a supporter and ally of BLM. If even the people who published the books found problems with the words being hurtful or racist, then I believe that everyone can find it best to stop publishing those books.

Genesis Sandoval junior

8 OPINION

EDITORIAL Year of COVID-19 pandemic created new normal; end in sight with vaccine roll out The pandemic in America is hitting its one year mark and it is only natural that we have adjusted in a variety of ways and even created some new traditions to replace the old for now. All of these new traditions that have been adopted have really had one thing in common: keeping people safe.

A more relevant example of this is the senior celebration being held on the football field in place of prom. This is not an event made to cancel the fun and social aspect of prom for students, but to create a new way of celebrating while maintaining safety in the process.

We have been doing this sort of thing for a year and we have gotten used to the fact that we have to adapt certain traditions to meet the needs of our era. For good or for bad, that idea has been normalized.

These new pandemic traditions do not stop at just school events. People at home are also coming up with new ways to do things safer. For instance, people are playing board games over Zoom calls and family and friend game nights are done over Zoom and FaceTime.

These simple gatherings that can’t really be conducted as safely anymore are in turn being changed to match the standards of modern life in the pandemic. We don’t need to cancel events entirely if we don’t have to. We can simply alter them to the best of our ability to make them safer. In some instances they can be entirely safe with no risks such as the events that have turned digital.

Another recent example of this are the digital Golden Globes. This is an event that could not have happened in normal circumstances without becoming a digital presentation and event.

While people would just watch these events on television anyways, it sets a precedent for all the events that have rightfully been changed to meet the standards of living in a pandemic.

At the end of the day, that is all it really comes down to. We have to make sure everyone is safe while continuing to live our lives. This doesn’t mean we need to abandon any old ways of doing things; it just means we need to change the way we do things for now and we would say we have done a good job so far.

As vaccines are slowly being rolled out, it seems that the end appears to be in sight for COVID-19 restrictions. However, until that day comes, we will continue to have to make do with what we have.

INKLINGS

9

GRAPHIC BY HAYDEN COLES

SPEAKUP UP

Even though COVID-19 protocols have affected past ways of doing things, what event are you most thankful for having, even if it might be different? Why?

Emily Brooks freshman

Charles Minard sophomore

“I am thankful that the school dance season continued and we were able to participate in state.”

“I’m thankful that we are still able to have band concerts, because I enjoy sharing the music I worked hard on for others.”

Diane Kosior junior

“I liked that we were still able to have football games because it gave us a sense of normalcy on Friday nights.”

Justin Reichelt senior

“I am thankful for graduation because I have worked all my life and it would be sad if it was taken away from me.”

10 OPINION

PRO:

Pro/Con: Should snow days be used as eLearning days?

Accept eLearning to avoid extra days at end of year

BY ROSALIE DEGENHART assistant editor I believe one of the only benefits that the Crown Point Community School Corporation has received from COVID-19 is the implementation of a productive eLearning system, as eLearning has been inevitable this year. Schools in Lake County have been doing eLearning days years before CPCSC; schools like Boone Grove and Hobart began to schedule mandatory eLearning days years ago. These schools were advanced in the world of eLearning, already prepared for snow days and unforeseeable events that hindered in-person learning. However, it took a global pandemic for CPCSC to have an effective eLearning system.

While it is baffling to understand why our school system did not have an eLearning system until now, at least we do have one, and that is something we should be grateful for. For snow days, we should continue to take advantage of the eLearning system that has supported our school corporation throughout this trying year. I believe that eLearning should be accepted and embraced because it proves the modern technology of our school corporation.

Years prior, all students yearned for relaxing, stress-free snow days. However, the drawback of snow days was the miserable reminder that the missed school day would have to be added at the end of the year. Now, with a productive eLearning system, this can no longer happen; students won’t be sitting irritable in a classroom in June while summer days are wasted.

CON:

Let students and teachers enjoy the day off school

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief I believe that snow days should not be used for eLearning days. We have experienced e-learning during snow days for the first time this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Remember times when we were younger and you got “the call?” Everyone would be so happy to have the day off to do whatever they pleased, such as sleeping in, staying warm and cozy, watching movies or TV show marathons, eating junk food --you name it. The options were plentiful for snow days.

Now whenever a snow day comes, so does eLearning. Teachers might have to change their lesson plans at the very last minute due to an unexpected snow day, which could be stressful for them and their students. I’m sure teachers would agree that they would like to relax and do the things I listed above on their snow days instead of grading papers and doing school all day. As a virtual student, we get a lot of work to do to make sure we are understanding the curriculum. It’d be nice for virtual students to have a break as well where there is no stress, or worrying about papers, but to spend just relaxing at home with family.

I have a lot of memories from my prior snow days, but don’t have memories of eLearning days. Although snow days come with more days added at the end of the year, it’s worth it to relax for a day rather than stress.

IN THEIR VIEW: Should snow days be used as e-learning days?

PRO:

PRO:

“I believe e-learning should be utilized on snow days as this will eliminate the need for make up days. (I think) eLearning should have been implemented before COVID-19.”

Gavin Tabor senior

“I think so, it allows us to not use days at the end of the year and students are at home doing work, they won’t fall behind on the curriculum.”

Patricia Ventura teacher

PRO:

CON:

“I would much rather get my work done at home in my pajamas and relax in the summer when the weather is nice instead of tacking on another day at the end of the year.”

Bella Olenik junior

“I think that they should be used as giving students a break day for all students, so they can play in the snow and have a surprise sleep-in day and get extra homework done.”

Eve Baldwin freshman

COLUMNS

INKLINGS

11

Being a student journalist has changed me as a person

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief

Finishing high school is an exciting, scary, and overall emotional time. As I look forward to the next stage of my life, I look back on some of the experiences that have gotten me to this point. One of these experiences that has shaped me the most into who I am today is my time as a student journalist.

In my role as Inklings Editor-in-Chief, I have learned how to manage a team. Needless to say, it is not always easy. Inklings has given me the chance to develop these people skills and improve my leadership ability.

Speaking of people skills, journalism has made me a more extroverted person. Freshman me would never have had the courage to interview people I don’t know, yet now I not only have the courage to interview these people, but I also can have a meaningful conversation with them and form a connection with them as well.

My time management as well as stress management are another set of skills that have improved from Inklings. At Inklings, we are deadline people. You learn this very quickly when joining staff, as you cannot miss a deadline here.

Inklings taught me how to manage my busy schedule,

as outside of being Editor-in-Chief I also am an AP student, I work part time and I have leadership roles in two other clubs as well as membership in more clubs.

Recently, I was named one of five finalists for the Indiana High School Journalist of the Year award, and I was completely speechless when I found out.

It boggled my mind that I was considered for such a prestigious award, and it reminded me just how important my work here at Inklings is.

To any juniors, sophomores, freshmen or even middle schoolers reading this column, I highly recommend that you take journalism (and eventually newspaper) at some point in time during high school.

This class has completely changed my high school experience for the better.

Even if you do not want to be a journalist, this class will help you so much in ways you won’t even realize until you’re at the end of your Inklings experience. I honestly do not plan on pursuing a career in journalism, as I plan to pursue my undergraduate degree in civil engineering in the fall.

Despite this, Inklings has been my place during my high school career, and it can be that for you too.

Vaccines bring hope for the future, but it is still a struggle

BY NOLAN CHASE co-editor-in-chief

The end of this pandemic seems to be in sight which comes as a huge relief to me and I know it comes as a major relief to countless other individuals.

We still have to push through this year and wait for the majority of people to be vaccinated, but at least people are getting vaccinated and the end is finally visible which is something we couldn’t say a few months ago.

As a fully online student, this pandemic has been really hard for me to adjust to that aspect of school.

Finding the motivation to finish a math assignment is much easier to do when I am sitting in a classroom versus sitting in my bedroom. I’ve gotten better at that as the school year has progressed but I am thankful that I won’t have to do it for much longer.

The recent surge in vaccinations gives me hope that this pandemic is not long for this world. It seems we have a higher vaccination rate than Europe so I hope our return to normalcy comes sooner rather than later.

While our vaccination rate is higher than other places in the world, it has still been a struggle for

some people to get their vaccines. My grandparents have been trying to get the vaccine since they first opened for their age group. They are both 75 years old and only within the last couple of days have received their vaccine.

Some people are still unfortunately waiting even long to receive their vaccines even if they fall in the right age group or qualify for the vaccine. People are waiting online in queues and calling Walgreens for hours on end just for the chance to get their vaccine.

It was also a struggle for teachers to get their vaccines at first. Teachers should have immediately been qualified to get their vaccines in the earlier stages. However, I am thankful teachers have been getting their vaccines recently and they won’t have to keep worrying about their lives as they enter the school building every day.

While the road to get them has been bumpy and there are still plenty of more hurdles to cross, these vaccines feel like a light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel. I hope production of vaccines remains efficient, and I hope we can return to normalcy soon.

12 FEATURE

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Understanding how the U.S. government operates

BY ROSALIE DEGENHART TREVOR FRAHM assistant editor reporter There is no doubt that 2020 was a politically charged year. The media was flooded with news about former President Donald Trump and his efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in America. From the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer to the presidential election in the winter, all with the global pandemic throughout, the year 2020 was overwhelmed with political and humanitarian crises.

Recent 2021 political events, such as the storming of the U.S. Capitol, have shown that the political tension would not be slowing down. These events seem to ask one question: how much do Americans really understand the politics and policies of their own government?

Through classes like U.S. history and government, students are taught about both the processes of the U.S. government and the historical context behind it. However, government classes are typically reserved for juniors and seniors. Government

teacher Mike Bazin gives his reasons as to why he believes government classes should remain eligible for only juniors and seniors.

“The first part is having a background in U.S. history, so having taken a U.S. history class is very important to understand the mechanisms of the government. Secondly, as kids age, they start to develop that civic identity of becoming able to vote and seeing how their interaction can affect things,” Bazin said.

Updates on politics in our country can be accessed through various sources: television, social media, and just public opinion.

Developing one’s civic identity, in spite of all these events, should be backed by the right sources. Bazin encourages individuals to be cautious about what sources they trust when it comes to developing their civic identity.

“I think too often people fall in the trap of posting something online, believing something online, that’s not properly vetted, and I honestly don’t know how to fix that,” Bazin said. “It’s not only for young kids, it’s across the board of just not properly vetting information and then continuing

that information. I think that if more people were a little more cautious of what they believed online, it would be a better place, but there is not a clear solution for that.”

Spreading unvetted political information is a component of what makes humans such a gullible species, according to geography and U.S. history Mary Lux. “I think that the lack of knowledge about the fundamental functions of our government play a huge role in that, and I think that many people feel like they’re interested in politics and don’t have that basic understanding (of) how all that works,” Lux said.

Since the 2016 election, Bazin has seen an increase in students’ interest in his government classes.

“I’ve seen a significant increase in just the interest in government and just the general kind of polarization of things. I think it’s caused kids to either firm up the sides at the wrong or at least be more informed as to what’s going on,” Bazin said.

Senior Darryl Shaw has taken a U.S. government class and comments about what interests him about the subject.

“The difference between candidates and what they claim to offer if elected or voted for. More so, deeply explaining historical political disputes and understanding

On Jan. 6 2021, rioters stormed the capitol to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election. The attack lead to the second impeachment of former President Donald Trump. This also lead to calls for former Vice President Mike Pence to use the power of the 25th amendment. This amendment allows for the removal of the president from office with approval of the vice president and the cabinet.

SOURCE: “U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING,” CREATIVE COMMONS, GAGE SKIDMORE

INKLINGS both sides,” Shaw said. “...politics can really birth an intelligent conversation and open your mind towards different views and understandings.”

Lux agrees with Shaw and finds it important to recognize someone else’s political viewpoint, for it can be beneficial to nurturing one’s own.

“I think it’s always important to try and take a middle position and try to understand both sides and the reasoning too,” Lux said.

If you can understand the purpose behind what someone is doing, or actions that they’re taking, it might help you establish a better view point of your own.”

On Jan. 6, the Capitol building was breached by those who protested Congress legitimizing the winner of the presidential election, Joe Biden. It was believed by these people that former Vice President Mike Pence had the power to overturn the election. However, according to the U.S. Constitution, the Vice President does not have the authority to overturn the election.

Educating oneself on the Constitution and the roles of high government officials can stop the spread of false assumptions. To Lux, advocating for change can be rewarding when the “proper processes” are understood in order for change to be enacted.

“You have to understand those processes and how to positively contribute to reform instead of being part of the negative

aspects. So, it’s okay to want change, how you ask for it, I guess, is going to be really important and if you don’t understand the proper processes; that’s when things can start to get ugly,” Lux said.

When false assumptions about the government are made and curiosity begs an answer, sophomore Eli Oosterhoff comments on how himself and other teenagers can be a part of the current political conversation, reinforcing their knowledge in the government.

“I think other people can help me get more knowledge by just starting governmental conversations, and, then, if I don’t know something I’ll ask. If teenagers want to better understand they should just ask,” Oosterhoff said.

However, Oosterhoff does have concerns about becoming too active in the political conversation.

“I don’t really wish I was that active in understanding politics because people get into a lot of arguments because of it, and I don’t really want to be a part of those,” Oosterhoff said.

A political divide in the U.S. was highly prevalent during 2020 and the beginning of 2021. Lux comments on how these last four years have separated the American public politically.

“I think that any time there’s any significant event going on in any given time

13

period, I think an election is going to be more hostile, if you will, between the different political parties,” Lux said. “I think you can see a lot of political rivalries between not only the candidates themselves, but people who support them. With COVID-19, and other things that have been going on the last four years, I think that definitely attributed to this very large gap between the two sides and a very difficult transition and meeting in the middle with whoever was going to win that particular election.”

With the controversies and tensions that seem inevitable when discussing the politics and the policies of the government, Bazin commented on what he hopes his students will gain from taking his government class.

“I would hope their ability to think critically about a situation and analyze truth and fiction about something is going to carry them throughout life,” Bazin said.

Last year was a time of sacrifice, tragedy, violence, and social and political unrest. The American people were divided, and violence ensued from differing opinions, as shown by the events on Jan. 6.

While it is nearly impossible to change an individual’s political opinion, as an American citizen the first step in validating one’s own opinion is by educating oneself on the U.S. government.

WHAT DO THEY KNOW? POLLING THE STUDENTS Have you taken a class that has taught you anything about the U.S. government or constitution?*

NO 26.5% (13)

How confident are you in your knowledge of the U.S. government on a scale from 1 to 5, least to most confident?*

Should government be offered to freshmen and sophomores?*

*49 students responses

17 18

83.7% YES (41) YES 73.5% (36)

*49 students responses

10

4.1% NO (2) 12.2% NOT SURE (6) *49 students responses

5 1

one

two

three

four

five

14 FEATURE

A CHANGE IN RELATIONSHIPS Students reflect on changes to relationships due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing

BY ANDREW POESCHL MARY MARCINEK reporters

‘‘

At the beginning of quarantine, I lost a couple of friends because of miscommunication and not being able to tell my story in person because it was hard. And then I got closer to my other friends because of that.

freshman Adaire Mathias

COVID-19 has had many negative ef- you will not feel as connected to the people fects on all aspects of our lives, but one of you are associated and friends with,” Monthe worst consequences of it is the loss of day said. contact with friends and loved ones. After Monday adds that often times words one year of the pandemic keeping us from can be misinterpreted over social media. going out and spending time with others, “Things get misconstrued, we misunmany of us have begun to lose touch with derstand, we don’t communicate as well, some of our friends. Some have simply be- some of us are very sarcastic and that does come closed off from the world, while oth- not go well in texting or social media. I ers can not find the time to spend with their think if you are just relying on those mofriends. dalities... it’s going to make it very hard to “I think all relationships flourish when really have the connections in relationships we are in person so while we can have re- that are healthy and strong bonds. We are lationships remotely, virtually I do think it wired to be emotionally and relationalimpacts relationships negatively,” social ly connected to one another. That doesn’t worker Jamie Monday said. “I do know mean we need hundreds of friends, but we some people were struggling so they with- need a few people that we feel really condrew and isolated, so they’ve had less con- nected with and that’s not possible via sotact in relationships and that’s caused some cial media and texting.” relationships to become more distant or not Junior Amanda Bengston believes that as connected with each although using soother, not seeing each I think all relation- cial media does help other as much, not as with connecting with ships flourish when we friends, it can’t comclose, or maybe they are in person so while pletely sustain all relahave lost touch completely.” we can have relation- tionships on its own.

Freshman Adaire “There are some ships remotely, virtually people that I wasn’t Matthias agrees with I do think it impacts re- super close to start Monday, and comments on how the panlationships negatively. with,and now we just demic has impacted completely don’t talk her relationships. anymore. If I don’t social worker “At the beginning have classes with Jamie Monday of quarantine, I lost a somebody, I don’t couple of friends bereally get to talk to cause of miscommunication and not being them at all. Social media is about as deep able to tell my story in person because it as most of my relationships go right now,” was hard, and then I got closer to my oth- Bengston said. “There are like four people er friends because of that,” Matthias said. that I’d like to hang out with outside of “Since I wasn’t so focused on my friends school, even though I talk to a lot of people I stopped being friends with I got closer to and have a lot of friends.” the ones I wasn’t as close with before.”

Despite this, some students have manSocially isolating has been a problem aged to strengthen their relationships as for many students over the pandemic but well as make new ones. even without being able to see each other “Since quarantine started we used to be in person students have managed to find a in the house a lot so I would be getting shots way to connect through other means. out for basketball and some of my friends “In general with the whole shutting would be outside and people I didn’t realdown of places, we couldn’t really go to ly know,” freshman Glynnon Nelson said. hang out at spots like the square or the fair- “I would start talking to them because we grounds, so really a lot of communication were all at home.” has been pushed online like Snapchat or Although many students like Nowaonline gaming,” junior William Nowakow- kowski have lost friends through the panski said. demic, they are eager to reconnect.

Even though social media can be a “I feel like once this is entirely over convenient way to connect to friends, Mon- and we can go back to normal there is gonday notes that it is not a perfect medium. na be a lot of socializing and people being “You are just relying on texting and so- social more because we finally realized cial media to maintain your relationship. It how great it is to be with one another in is not going to be authentic, genuine and person,” said Nowakowski.

‘‘

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The top 3 relationships impacted by COVID-19

Friendships 91.9% (57 students)

Family

61.3% (38 students)

Significant Others 33.9% (21 students)

*62 students surveyed and top 3 responses are listed.

Students were given the option to pick more than one answer for their response

58.1% of students are still able to hang out with their friends

*62 students surveyed

Have you made any new friends during the pandemic?

no 38.7%

yes 61.3%

*62 students surveyed

16 FEATURE

Taking a Break Students traveling for spring break adjust travel plans to prevent spread and infection of COVID-19

BY OLIVIA HELMUTH reporter Traveling during a pandemic can be challenging due to the many restrictions and safety precautions that have been in place in the past year. However, just as the knowledge of how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has greatly improved throughout the year, safety guidelines have adjusted to allow for safe and cautious travel.

“My family and I are going to Florida,” junior Avery Olenik said. “Next year I’ll be a senior, so this might be our last family spring break. We plan to go to the beach, shop, and relax by the pool.”

According to Olenik, her family typically vacations to largely populated areas of Florida, such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando or Discovery Cove. Olenik states that her family plans to stay away from the crowds by staying away from resorts entirely.

“This year we are going to have more low-key family time at the pool and beach,” Olenik said. “Because of COVID-19, we are also renting a house instead of staying at a resort to limit contact with other people.”

Senior Ryan Costello has similar plans and concerns with traveling, and says that his spring break last year was more impacted in comparison to this year. The Costellos have traveled to Indian Rocks beach over break for the last seven years, and had to delay the trip last year to summer due to the pandemic. Costello says they plan to continue the tradition this year.

“I’m planning to go to Indian Rocks beach in Florida and stay at a condo that my family always goes to,” Costello said.

“We are going to try our best to stay in our own bubble away from everyone.”

Costello’s plans and destination have

Senior Ryan Costello (upper left) and his sisters, Lauren Costello and Lindsey Costello, pose together at Indian Rocks beach during summer 2020. The family had originally planned to go during spring break of 2020, but the trip was ultimately pushed back to summer due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and concerns.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY RYAN COSTELLO

INKLINGS remained the same, but his family plans on eling during the pandemic mostly due to taking extra precautions to stay safe. risks that arise when leaving and being “We aren’t going to go into restau- exposed to new germs and people,” Garrants, but will get food carried out instead,” cia said. “There are a lot of disadvantages Costello said. “We will try not to interact simply based on safety reasons, but there with people outside were a few advantages of our family, but at for my family when it This year we are go- came to the price of the the same time there will most likely be ing to have more low- vacation.” less people where we Olenik agrees with key family time at the are traveling.”

Garcia about more afpool and beach. Be- fordable travel prices, For sophomore cause of COVID-19, we however, she brings up Daelyn Garcia, the main concern with are also renting a house the point that for her traveling is her exspecifically, air instead of staying at a family tended family’s safefare was back at its norresort to limit contact mal price instead of the ty.

“Me and my low prices seen earlier with other people.” family are traveling this year and at the end to Disney World for a of 2020. She states that junior Avery Olenik few days. We would she believes this is due usually meet up with to the annual travel surge my aunt and cousins around spring break. to visit my great grandma in Illinois, but “Flights are a lot cheaper for the maare choosing to hold back from visiting jority of the time. But unfortunately not family over the break to make sure they during the week of spring break.” Olenik stay safe,” Garcia said. said.

Garcia believes that there were many Costello says despite setbacks due to factors to consider this year, and many rea- COVID-19, he is eager to travel this year. sons why her family should or shouldn’t “I’m excited to be able to enjoy warm vacation. weather, and escape the stress of senior “I personally was worried about trav- year,” Costello said.

‘‘

Sophomore Daelyn Garcia (upper right) poses with her family at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios’ Galaxy’s Edge in 2019. The family plans to return to Disney over spring break this year.

According to the company’s website, Disney is currently operating at 35% and has been enforcing a strict mask mandate.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DAELYN GARCIA

17

Travel Trends in 2021

German & UK

travelers are the most likely to travel abroad according to Tripadvisor trends.

45%

of U.S. travelers plan to travel internationally in 2021.

In the U.S.,

69%

travelers surveyed say they will be more likely to travel internationally if they receive the vaccine

AUSTRALIAN & AMERICAN

travelers are the most likely expect destinations to require vaccinations before travel

34%

of U.S. travelers plan to travel at least three times domestically in 2021. stats provided by https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/5-traveltrends-to-watch-in-2021-according-to-tripadvisor-301212235.html

18 FEATURE

Teacher Alison Duncan’s daughters pose with the puppy her family adopted over quarantine.

The Duncans decided to use quarantine as a time to adopt due to the extended time the family was spending at home together.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALISON DUNCAN

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Quarantine Cuddles Students and staff adopt pets during quarantine

BY AUBREY BANKS reporter Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students and teachers have had a lot of extra time to themselves. With this extra time and being stuck in the house, some have decided to adopt a pet.

Freshman Madeline Degenhart explains why her family adopted a Shih Tzu/ Poodle mix during quarantine.

“We decided to get a pet over quarantine because my two sisters had wanted one for a really long time, and once we got called off of school for the rest of the year, we decided it was a perfect time to get one,” Degenhart said.

Alongside Degenhart, business teacher Alison Duncan adopted her dog in quarantine.

“My daughters... always have wanted a pet, primarily a dog. The timing was ideal because we were at home in the spring, so it was kind of the ideal situation and setting for adopting a pet,” Duncan said.

Adopting a pet also brings in the challenge of training them. Training a pet can take around four to six months, and in some cases a year.

“We did obedience training over the summer through Stony Run, and he graduated from his class there. After, we just did a lot of perimeter training because we wanted to be able to not leash him while he goes out on our property,” Duncan said.

Unlike Duncan’s dog, sophomore Jacob Schopp says that his Siamese cats were trained prior to the pandemic.

“Our pets were pretty well trained already so when quarantine hit, they acted pretty well. They just got used to us giving them all the attention all day since we had nothing to do,” Schopp said.

Even though Schopp didn’t adopt during quarantine, he believes that the unusual situation will give a student a chance to adopt a pet.

“I think quarantine will push a person to adopt a pet more because having a pet during quarantine has made a huge difference. They can be very entertaining so they may give you something to do. And when you’re depressed, your animals are always there trying to make you happy,” Schopp said.

Taking care of the pet itself can also be a challenge, but Duncan claims it was easy.

‘‘

I think quarantine will push a person to adopt a pet more because having a pet during quarantine has made a huge difference.

They can be very entertaining so they may give you something to do. sophomore Jacob Schopp

“It’s actually been pretty easy. My husband has been home since November, so he has some additional time to be at home with the puppy,” Duncan said. “He just turned one in February, so we got him around the beginning of the first quarantine. It’s been really nice because someone is always at home with him and to stay with him so that he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

Schopp notes the impact that his older cat has had on his newer cats.

“Taking care of them has been very fun. They are turning two or three this year. Our older cat along well with them.

She basically raised them and taught them how to be a cat,” Schopp said.

While most people notice the feelings of others during quarantine, some don’t realize that pets are also impacted during

this difficult time, and may want more attention than before quarantine.

“I personally don’t think I have seen any noticeable differences from before quarantine and after. But I think it mostly comes down to them being more clingy now. Like they always want to cuddle and they will follow you more now. During quarantine, they loved to follow us so they are still doing that,” Schopp said.

Duncan also states that she thinks it will be a big change for her dog once her husband goes back to work full time.

“He loves all the attention, I think it’s going to be more of a transition for him when my husband goes back to the office full time. Our dog is used to having someone at home with him all the time, so I think it’s going to be a big change for him,” Duncan said.

Now that students and teachers are going back to school four days a week, they aren’t at home anymore and spend less time with their pets. Degenhart notes the differences in her dog since she has returned to school “My dog is doing very well now that my family isn’t home all day. We keep all the doors shut in our house so he doesn’t get somewhere he’s not supposed to,” Degenhart said.

Similar to Degenhart, Schopp says his adopted cats seem to be more clingy.

“Now that we are going to school they seem to act about the same but they seem more clingy nowadays,” Schopp said.

As a final tip, Duncan explains how timing is important when adopting a pet from an animal rescue or a breeder.

“I believe that timing is always important. This was kind of the right time and situation for us because we were home most of the time, and I think that any pet you have or adopt is going to be with or around you. I would definitely take that into consideration. Also, finding the right animal for you and your family is important too,” Duncan said.

20 SPORTS

BRINGING BACK THE TITLE Girls basketball team wins 4A state title for first time since 1985 after 44-34 win against Brownsburg

INKLINGS

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BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor

Senior Alyna Santiago (left) and junior Jessica Carrothers (right) rush towards each other as the buzzer goes off at the end of the fourth quarter of the 4A Girls Basketball State Championship game, signifying the team’s win.

PHOTO BY EMILY HELMUTH

The girls basketball team has overcome the ultimate challenge. For the first time since 1985, the team has won the Indiana Class 4A State Championship, giving the program its third state title.

The girls won the game against the Brownsburg Bulldogs 44-34 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. For junior center and forward Lily Stoddard, this was a great culmination of the team’s work over the season.

“It was a crazy feeling to watch the clock count down the final few seconds of the game. It was a great feeling to see everyone in the crowd that supported us this year. It was really cool to see all of our hard work pay off,” Stoddard said.

The girls won the game after a semistate victory against Caroll 62-46. Head coach Chris Seibert knew that there was a lot of preparation needed for the girls to be successful at state.

“It was a whirlwind week as far as the different obligations were concerned. The team was very excited to have that opportunity to play in the state championship game, something that nobody in my coaching staff besides coach (Scott) Reid had experienced. We tried to make the preparation as normal as possible, with practice, scouting report, and film,” Seibert said.

The preparation had the girls ready to face off against the Brownsburg Bulldogs.

According to senior guard Alyna Santiago, the team was ready to bring a title back home.

“We all were obviously so happy to be there, but we knew that since we made it that far that it would be nice to bring a state championship title back home. We all wanted it so bad and I believe that’s why we got the outcome we got,” Santiago said.

Even though the team was confident and ready, they came out of the first quarter losing 19-10. Although this may have discouraged some teams, the girls had experience with these types of deficits, being down 12-5 against Caroll in semi-state and 13-0 against Penn in the regional finals.

The team responded with a 14-0 run in the second quarter.

Santiago believes that that experience the team has had in the past had kept them from losing their focus.

continued on next page

22 SPORTS

Bringing back the title continued “It’s been a trend for our team this post season to be down after the first quarter or even to just be down and come back. So I didn’t lose faith at all because I knew that we could come back from a deficit like that and still win,” Santiago said.

Starting the comeback was Stoddard, hitting two back to back field goals, one being a three-pointer. She describes what she was thinking during that quarter.

“During that quarter I was thinking that we needed to get some momentum.

My teammates were able to get me the ball and give me good passes. During the second quarter there were some other players on our team that hit some good shots,” Stoddard said.

While the 14 point run was impressive, arguably more impressive was the total of zero points allowed by Crown Point during the entire second quarter. In fact, the team ended up allowing only 15 points in total after the first quarter. Seibert praised the team’s defensive cohesiveness, giving it

‘‘

I could easily see them come and win back to back which would be amazing. Don’t rest on your laurels. Enjoy it, take a month to enjoy and then get back to work.

Especially being a leader and making sure the younger kids are coming in all summer and working hard. Let’s not just rest on one, let’s go for two.

1984 and 1985 state champion and teacher Anne Equihua

credit for their strong defensive performance.

“We have some individual players who are tremendous, but I think our greatest strength is them as a whole, as a unit, communicating, being able to switch all five positions, everyone rebounding the basketball, and using a scouting report to take away a lot of things that they (opponents) want to do. I think they did an outstanding job with that from the second quarter on,” Seibert said.

After the team took the lead in the second quarter, they never looked back. The team won the third girls basketball state championship in the school’s history, the other two coming in 1984 and 1985. Santiago recounted what it felt like to have her last game in high school be winning a state title.

“It definitely was a sad moment for me because I never wanted it to end. Playing for that team was my life for four years and for it to end, no matter the outcome, it’s still

(Top) Junior Jessica Carrothers, junior Alyvia Santiago, senior Allie Govert and senior Alyna Santiago (left to right) begin to celebrate with seconds left in the fourth quarter.

(Right) Junior Lily Stoddard poses with the state trophy.

PHOTOS BY EMILY HELMUTH (Left) The bench storms the court as the buzzer goes off; signifying the team’s win.

PHOTO BY ROSALIE DEGENHART

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(Top) Junior Jessica Carrothers (right) fights off Brownsburg’s Ally Becki as she goes for a basket. Carrothers scored 25 out of the 44 points for the Bulldogs and was recently named the 2020-21 MaxPreps Indiana High School Player of the year.

(Right) Senior Alyna Santiago dribbles down the court. Santiago plans to continue her basketball career next year at Indiana University Northwest.

PHOTOS BY EMILY HELMUTH

heartbreaking. But we went out with a bang and it’s so nice because I feel like it’s a reflection of all of our hard work these past four years,” Santiago said.

Watching the game in the stadium was Taft Middle School math teacher and former Lady Bulldog Anne Equihua. She was one of the players who won the back to back state titles in 1984 and 1985. She even went on to write her name in history after being inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. According to Equihua, there were a lot of similarities between the current team and the ones who won state.

“It’s funny because even following the girls all season long, not being able to go to the games but following them through live streams and watching them, their team reminded me a lot of both our ‘84 team as well as our 85’ team,” Equihua said.

After only graduating three seniors, Seibert is confident with the ability of the underclassmen to possibly to win the title again next year. “(The juniors) have the potential to be the most successful group to ever come through Crown Point High School. It’s a large group, six of them, four of which

played major minutes. I expect all six will contribute next year. They’re all great leaders, great kids, what they’ve accomplished is amazing but we’re very excited about what the future holds,” Seibert said.

In fact, Stoddard has already set some goals to ensure that her team has continued success far into next year.

“Next year I’m hoping that we can make it far into the post season. I focus on rebounding a lot, and I’m trying to expand my game and work on my versatility. I’ve been working out with my shooting coach, Niko Panousis, to work on shooting and different moves,” Stoddard said.

According to Equihua, that work ethic is exactly whats needed to push the team to winning big next season, but it’s important to let the moment sink in.

“Basically, don’t stop,” Equihua said.

“I could easily see them come and win back to back which would be amazing.

Don’t rest on your laurels. Enjoy it, take a month to enjoy and then get back to work.

Especially being a leader and making sure the younger kids are coming in all summer and working hard. Let’s not just rest on one, let’s go for two.”

‘‘

We all were obviously so happy to be there, but we knew that since we made it that far that it would be nice to bring a state championship title back home. We all wanted it so bad and I believe that’s why we got the outcome we got.

senior Alyna Santiago

24 SPORTS

Junior Jesse Mendez holds up three fingers after winning his third straight state championship. He led the boys team to a fourth place finish at state.

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF ROBERT SCHEER/INDY STAR

THREE YEARS, THREE TITLES Jesse Mendez wins third individual state title, team finishes fourth

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor Junior Jesse Mendez has won his third consecutive state title after beating sophomore Delaney Ruhlman from Bloomington High School South in the final of the IHSAA tournament.

Mendez’s state win caps off a historic season for the wrestling team. The team as a whole achieved a fourth place finish at state. This is just another accomplishment achieved this season along with second at semi state, a regional win that made it three regional wins in three years and a sectional win that made it 19 sectional wins in a row.

Mendez is happy to have made his mark on the team’s history.

“It means a lot knowing that I have

put my stamp on this team’s history. I have joined a group of some of the great alumni of Crown Point so that is really cool to see,” Mendez said.

Coach Brandon Lorek is proud to have been a part of this winning run.

“I am proud to be a part of the rich history CPHS Wrestling has,” Lorek said. “Winning our 19th consecutive IHSAA sectional title is special, because I’ve coached a lot of CPHS wrestlers and worked with a lot of great coaches in the process. Winning our fourth regional title in five years is also a huge accomplishment for the program.”

Although the team had many impressive achievements during this season, some goals were not reached this season.

“I felt like we had a good season,” Mendez said. “We didn’t meet our end

goal of team state champions but that only makes us hungrier to come back even stronger next year.”

Lorek, despite some goals not being achieved, is proud of the team.

“We didn’t reach our team goal at the IHSAA State Finals, but fourth in the state in single class wrestling is a really big deal.

I believe it’s something for our school and team to be proud of,” Lorek said.

Freshman wrestler Evan Cruz is also proud to be a part of the team’s history.

“It is a special feeling being a part of Crown Point wrestling. Being a part of the team’s history is definitely something to be proud of,” Cruz said.

Although the season was successful, there were moments when it looked like the team was not going be able to finish the

INKLINGS season due to COVID-19 and team members quarantining. Despite this, the team was able to not only finish the season, but win during the season too.

“It just shows that no matter the circumstances, this team is gonna persevere and fight till the very end,” Mendez said.

Cruz also believes that the team’s display during COVID-19 shows resiliance.

“Our team’s ability to win during COVID-19 shows a lot about us,” Cruz said. “It shows that we do not let whatever adversity that comes our way affect us.”

COVID-19 made this season different from previous seasons, but according to Lorek, the team was able to adapt and come together.

“The team did a great job coming together during these unprecedented times,” Lorek said. “I watched the team work through situations and obstacles I never imagined as a coach, and all the wrestlers were supportive and optimistic about what we can do and how we can accomplish our goals.”

One goal that the team accomplished that Lorek had set was to finish the season, which was in doubt due to COVID-19.

“The goal was for the team to start and finish the season, and we did that successfully,” Lorek said.

Lorek acknowledges that despite the

fact that his goals for the season were fulfilled, other people on the team may not have managed to complete their goals.

‘‘

This season definitely has been a weird one.

We faced many ups and downs, but in the end we came together as a team and pushed each other everyday. My favorite moment from this season had to have been going to the state tournament with my teammates, and my best moment was punching my ticket to the state tournament. freshman Evan Cruz

“Not all of our wrestlers had the season they wanted, but we had a season. I believe our season was a success,” Lorek said.

Cruz agrees that this season was a suc-

25

cessful one, but he also pointed out the season’s oddness.

“This season definitely has been a weird one,” Cruz said. “We faced many ups and downs, but in the end we came together as a team and pushed each other everyday. My favorite moment from this season had to have been going to the state tournament with my teammates, and my best moment was punching my ticket to the state tournament.”

Although this season was a success, Cruz has already begun setting up goals for next season.

“My goals for next season remain the same as last year. To get better everyday in order to help myself sit at the top of the podium,” Cruz said.

Mendez has also set his goals for next season.

“My goals for next season are to cap off my high school career with all pins and a fourth state title as well as a team state title,” Mendez said.

Lorek’s goals for next season are to break some more school records throughout next season.

“The goal for next year is to send 14 wrestlers to the IHSAA state finals, and become nationally ranked,” Lorek said. “I believe you have to aim through your goals, which is why ours are so high.”

MENDEZ’S ROAD TO VICTORY Luke Goodwin(27-6) Jarret Forrester(26-5) Delaney Ruhlman(30-3) Bradley Conrad(25-6)

Brody Arthur(41-2) Jared Brown(19-5) Jace Alexander(26-3) Gavinn Alstott(25-4) Jesse Mendez(34-0)

Gavin Garcia(11-7) Logan Hooley(31-5) Hudson Harreld32-5)

Luke Goodwin Delaney Ruhlman

Delaney Ruhlman

Brody Arthur Jace Alexander

Jesse Mendez Hudson Harreld

Blake Boarman(31-2) Kyle Carter(21-6)

Blake Boarman

Seth Lawson(31-5)

Julius Gerencser

Julius Gerencser(33-5)

Delaney Ruhlman

Jace Alexander

Jesse Mendez

Jesse Mendez Jesse Mendez Blake Boarman

26 SPORTS

Boys swim places second at sectionals behind Munster

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor The boys swim team finished in the 44th position at the state meet at IUPUI on Feb. 26, scoring two points overall.

Senior Pablo Nieto recounted what it was like to come out of the water for the last time in his high school swimming career.

“It was crazy to think that that was the last time I’ll ever do that. I haven’t been in any pool since,” Nieto said.

According to Nieto, what felt like the real last time competing was at the team’s sectionals at Munster, where the team came up only four points short of winning the sectional title.

“Sectionals was a big battle against not only Munster and Lake Central but ourselves mentally. At the end of the day we lost a hard battle and lived to tell the tale of how close we managed to get,” Nieto said.

Coach Blake Yeager was still satisfied with the team’s performance.

“I thought we had a chance of winning the meet going in. At the end we got touched out on a couple races the boys would want back and that cost us winning.

The boys swam really well and almost all did lifetime best times. At the end of the day that’s all we can ask for,” Yeager said.

Even though Yeager was happy with the boy’s efforts, Nieto was still disappointed that the team had come up short.

“It was devastating. We had a lot of pressure from the girls who won their (sectionals) and in the end of the day we came short. But that’s all it is. Nothing we can do now,” Nieto said.

Also competing for the team was junior Matthew Dumbsky, who believes he learned a lot from the experience.

“Despite not achieving our goal of winning sectionals, I don’t think we would have done as well as we did this season had the chance to win not been there. Munster really gave us a run for our money and I think towards the end we could’ve gotten a little too confident. But that’s just some-

thing to take and learn from,” Dumbsky said.

As for the senior class, Yeager says that they will be missed next year and believes that there will be some big shoes for the underclassmen to fill next year.

“We lose a lot of talent from our senior class. Our sectional roster consisted of eight out of 12 swimmers so we will be losing a ton of points. It will be tough to replace all of that,” Yeager said.

Dumbsky agrees that losing the senior class take a lot away from the team, as he believes that the seniors were solid competitors for the team and great people as well.

“With the senior class leaving this year, this team loses more than I can put into words. The senior class brought a lot of heart to this team, and it’s something that will be hard to even come close to in the future. The senior class are some of the best people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, and while they will be missed next year, I am excited to see what their future holds for them,” Dumbsky said.

Gymnast Ysabel Maunes finishes in 16th place at state meet

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor The gymnastics team scored the seventh highest sectional score in the entire state, but they were unable to qualify as a team for the regionals meet. Despite this, coach Amy Pysh believes that the team had a great season overall.

“We had an awesome season. Unfortunately only the top three teams go out, so we got eliminated, even with that high team score. We stayed injury free this season and the Varsity team got fourth in the conference. The JV team went undefeated,” Pysh said.

Pysh also named other achievements that the team got during this season.

“Some other highlights of the season were staying ranked in the top five, and as high as number three, all season. We won the LaPorte Pairs Invite,

and our high team score was 110.4,” Psyh said. “We kept the gymnasts safely socially distanced, so COVID-19 did not play a negative role in our season, which we fortunately got to finish.”

Although COVID-19 did not negatively affect the season, it did impact the way meets were run, according to sophomore Ysabel Maunes.

“This season, COVID-19 changed how meets are run a lot. They limited fans, and at some bigger meets didn’t allow fans at all. I, actually, enjoyed this aspect because competing in front of big audiences tends to make me more nervous.

So I’d say I felt a lot calmer at meets this year because there were not as many people watching,” Maunes said.

The state meet is one of the meets that limited the amount of fans that were allowed in attendance. Maunes qualified as

an individual for the state meet on beam this season, she placed 16th.

“I did pretty good at state.

I got a 9.075 and placed 16th out of 49. I am so happy with my performance. It was a very solid routine with no wobbles and a stuck dismount,” Maunes said.

This being her first state meet, Maunes admits that she was nervous going into the meet.

“I was extremely nervous before I competed,” Maunes said. “The state competition is much bigger and brighter than any other meet of the season, so I felt extra scared. Also, I was the final gymnast to compete in the first rotation out of all the events, everyone else had finished, so I felt like everyone’s eyes were on me. This made me even more nervous, but hearing other teams cheer me on and support me definitely helped

calm my nerves a bit.”

Maunes is already looking forward to hopefully returning to the state meet next year and hopes that she can bring her team with her.

“I really want to make it to state as a team,” Maunes said.

“My goals for next year are to get more difficult skills on all the events. Doing this can help raise my scores and ultimately help the team as a whole.”

Although Maunes is already looking forward to the potential success of next season, Pysh reflects on the team’s success this past season.

“I am always grateful for a year of success and watching the gymnasts grow as athletes for the better, from start to finish,” Pysh said. “No matter what way the season ends, after 20 years of coaching, I can always say that it is a pleasure to coach some very tough athletes, and watch them shine.”

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27

Junior Darren Roach dribbles down the court during the team’s last home game against Lowell on Feb. 26.

PHOTO BY EMILY HELMUTH

Boys basketball ends season with 11-5 overall record

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief Finishing in fourth in the DAC, the boys basketball team completed their season with a 47-31 loss to Valpo in the first sectional game.

Veteran head coach Clint Swan says that he will miss his four seniors and that losing the last game is always difficult.

“Well, losing the last game in the tournament is always difficult. It was especially so this year having four great seniors.

Jake (Oostman), Felix (Meeks), Ty (Smith) and David (Brown) are all going to be sorely missed,” Swan said.

Despite COVID-19 issues at the beginning of the season, the team pushed through and completed their season. The

team finished their season with a 11-5 overall record. Swan says it was great to see the team move past COVID-19 complications and succeed.

“As a coach you hope to see your players move through adversity, and it was gratifying to see us move beyond this without having it derail our season,” Swan said. “We were fortunate in that we were able to still practice each day despite the pandemic and that we had a serious group who focused on getting better each day. In fact, that was sort of our mantra, getting better every day.”

According to senior Jake Oostman, strong relationships with his teammates played a part in the team’s success.

“It makes me feel good that we made the most out of

a crazy situation. Everyone did good with staying separated and keeping out of populated situations,” Oostman said. “We have known each other for so long that it wasn’t challenging to keep gaining chemistry. We had a great group of people that clicked so well and it made it really fun.”

Both Swan and Oostman agree that chemistry did not seem to be affected by the pandemic.

“I felt like we handled everything about as well as it could have been handled. Our team actually got shut down over winter break, and that could have become a major setback for us. Instead, we worked hard and were able to pick up where we left off,” Swan said.

With the season finished,

Oostman’s high school basketball career finished as well.

“Being that it is the last year it is definitely really upsetting. Investing so much into a great program and having it end is super sad,” Oostman said.

Even after the loss of the four seniors, Swan looks back at his group this year and remembers how much fun the team had together.

“This will be a memorable group, though, for how they responded to the many tests they faced throughout the year. It was a fun year,” Swan said.

The team was lead in scoring during the season by senior Ty Smith, who averaged 15.1 points per game. Smith was followed by junior Drew Adzia with an average of 11.8 points per game.

28 ENTERTAINMENT

HOW THE COOKIES

Inklings staff holds Girl Scout cookie “March Madness” bracket

TAGALONGS TAGALONGS

BY OLIVIA HELMUTH reporter

LEMON-UPS Girl Scout cookies have received the utmost amount of praise and hype for their unique and delicious flavors; however, the debate for which cookie is the best was very undecided amongst the Inklings staff. And so, seven Inklings staff members began the great cookie battle to determine which cookie was truly the best of all.

When it comes to ranking the quality of Girl Scout cookies, there are various aspects to take into consideration. Taste, texture and appearance were the three qualities that were put to the test in this competition.

Some honorable mentions for factors that were considered but rejected last minute were box size and price. Although these two factors are important when purchasing a box of cookies, they do not directly relate to the flavor and quality of the cookies themselves.

The first of the three categories was taste, and the victory was tied between Tagalongs and Thin Mints, both scoring an average score of 8.3 points out of a possible 10. Tagalongs were loved for their creamy peanut butter core, savory cookie base and sweet layer of chocolate coating the outside, whereas Thin Mints were praised for their signature minty fresh taste and chocolate.

The second factor to consider was texture, and it was Thin Mints that won the vote with an average of 9.4 points out of 10.

Thin Mints have a satisfying crunchy yet soft texture, and it is difficult to eat a Thin Mint without craving another.

Lastly, the appearance of the cookies was taken into account.

And the most unanimously agreed upon winner was S’mores, with an almost perfect average score of 9.7 out of 10. S’mores do not look like a typical Girl Scout cookie, but two cookies sandwiching fillings of marshmallow and chocolate cream. Imprinted on every S’mores cookie is a cute design of a squirrel, target, sunset, river, or horse.

Strangely enough, Tagalongs won the bracket, yet placed third in overall ratings. Thin Mints and S’mores both beat out Tagalongs in the averages, but although the overall winner is still very disputed upon, it is mutually agreed with everyone that Toffee Tastics are the absolute worst.

So, it seems the mystery of which cookie is the best remains unsolved, as not everyone was completely satisfied with the results of the competition.

6-1

TOFFEE TASTICS

S’MORES

S’MORES

7-0

INKLINGS

CRUMBLED

#

BY THE s

THIN MINTS

THIN MINTS

4-3

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES Since 1999, Girl Scout Cookies produce roughly

TAGALONGS

5-2

29

TREFOILS

$700 million

annually in revenue.

Two companies,

DO-SI-DOS THIN MINTS

Little Brownie Bakers and

ABC Bakers

produce Girl Scout cookies.

SAMOAS 4-3

SAMOAS 4-3

The Winner: TAGALONGS 4-3

“Tagalongs are by far the best Girl Scout cookie. They have been my favorite ever since I was a kid. The classic taste and simplicity of the cookie is just unmatched.”

-Emily Helmuth, co-editor-in-chief

The Runner-up: THIN MINTS

“Thin Mints taste like your childhood. They were the only Girl Scout cookies I had as a kid, and I still like them. However, S’mores and Tagalongs are more complex in flavor and texture.”

-Rosalie Degenhart, assistant editor

In 1985, Elizabeth Brinton sold

11,200 boxes of cookies.

Thin Mints are the most popular cookie, bringing in around

$175 million

per year in profit (as of 2011). stats provided by https://www.huffpost.com/entry/girlscout-cookies-facts_n_4783329#:~:text=11 Delicious Facts You Never Knew About Girl,the most popular cookie. ... More items...

30 ENTERTAINMENT

INREVIEW

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief

“Drivers License”

by Olivia Rodrigo “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” star Olivia Rodrigo broke the internet with debut single “Drivers License” earlier this year. Rodrigo sings of heartbreak and hurt in this emotional and catchy song, which showcases the young artist’s immense talent.

“iCarly” Ever since Netflix released the first few seasons of “iCarly,” I have been binging it non stop.

The show is extremely cheesy, but the quirkiness of the show and its characters keeps me hooked. The absurd plot lines are so unrealistic yet hilarious, as Carly, Sam, Freddie, Spencer, and occasionally Gibby’s antics range from starting an internet fight with Fred to pranking their doorman, Lewbert.

“Moxie” serves as an empowering film for women and girls of all ages

BY MARY MARCINEK reporter Another contemporary coming-of-age film has hit Netflix this month, centers on shy 16-year-old Vivian (Hadley Robinson), finding her way to make changes at her high school. Vivian’s school is loaded with disrespectful students and irresponsible staff members.

Of course, this combination creates an overall toxic environment, specifically for female students. Even though boys at Vivian’s school show outright contempt daily, it’s been accepted by teachers, students, the principal and even Vivian herself.

That is, until a new confident and gutsy student, Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Pena), transfers into Vivian’s class, and calls out the obvious issues at school. Ultimately, Vivian finds inspiration in her mom’s “rebel girl” past and Lucy’s boldness to start a feminist zine called “Moxie.”

The “Moxie” zine combats the school’s sexist issues, and causes waves throughout the entire student body at Vivian’s school.

“Moxie” was definitely entertaining to watch.

The movie is packed with jokes, but at the same time, it balances comedy with all the classic coming-of-age elements: bullying issues, dilemmas between friends, parental conflicts, and of course, a little bit of romance.

While this isn’t one of the best coming-of-age films I’ve seen, I was definitely interested in the plot and character developments throughout the film.

Despite this movie being reviewed mostly positively, there are prominent criticisms floating around about the film’s focus on “another problematic white girl.”

Some viewers are unhappy with the fact that despite the film’s cast holding so much diversity, the storyline ultimately revolves around only Vivian. Fortunately, the film includes an important scene between Vivian and her best friend, Claudia (Lauren Tsai), where Vivian is called out for overlooking the privilege she has over many of her friends.

Even though this scene does a good job recognizing the issue, many critics

believe it occurs much too late in the movie, and the film should have addressed this earlier, instead of ignoring the side-characters’ troubles without explanation.

While not everything is executed perfectly in “Moxie,” it is still a very entertaining movie. The highly relatable characters portray important elements of women supporting women, and standing up in unity against harassment.

Although its characters’ actions and circumstances may not be completely realistic, Moxie serves as a very empowering and influential film to girls and women of all ages.

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31

“Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel” explains circumstances of 2013 Elisa Lam case

BY TREVOR FRAHM reporter Eight years ago, the death of Elisa Lam was one of the first true crime cases to go viral on the internet as it was occurring. With how much coverage it still gets to this day, it is easy for those already familiar with the case to assume they know the full story. However, “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” contextualizes the surrounding circumstances and explores the case in a way that is a must watch for anyone interested in the case.

Throughout the four episodes of the mini series the show explores not only the case of Elisa Lam but the reputation of the Cecil Hotel itself. Though the beginning of the deep dive into the history of the hotel can feel very unrelated to the actual mystery, it sets up the atmosphere surrounding the case. The background of

P L AYI N G FAVORITES

the hotel highlights exactly why it became such a cultural phenomenon. The Cecil Hotel has its own mysteries and checkered past and without it the hysteria behind the case loses some of its impact.

Another overlooked detail “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” puts front and center is Elisa Lam’s Tumblr posts. The narration of the posts throughout the show not only gives context to Elisa Lam’s personality and frame of mind, but it also showcases another reason the case was so compelling at the time.

Lam’s Tumblr allowed people to connect to her in a way that was unprecedented. Instead of viewing Eliza as a victim or casualty it humanizes her in a way a lot of similar true crime documentaries fail to do.

The exploration of exactly how unprecedented the case was due to the internet is possibly the most interesting through line in the series. With most peo-

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ple’s exposure to the case being through the internet, Elisa Lam’s disappearance affected people’s life on a greater scale than just the people who knew her.

By exploring the case as not just a mystery, but as a cultural phenomenon that impacted the life of thousands, the series holds your attention through the entirety of the four episodes.

Through this complete and thorough analysis of the events leading up to and after the vanishing, the case suddenly becomes so much bigger than just a creepy internet mystery. It becomes both a cautionary tale of the obsessive nature of the internet and an intriguing look into the psyche of Elisa Lam along with some mental health awareness.

Ultimately, if you are just looking for the basic events of the case there are definitely much faster ways to do it, but no other documentation of the case gives as wide of a picture of the greater impact it had.

WE’RE SO

O V E R

Overplayed Songs The radio seems to always play the same few songs time and time again.

The same top songs from last year are still on the radio more often than newer ones. Listening to the same thing on repeat can get frustrating.

32 ENTERTAINMENT

“I Care a Lot” leaves viewers with uneasy feelings while taking real-life problems

BY ABBY GODSEN assistant editor This movie is incredibly intense and left me feeling uneasy the entire time. “I Care a Lot” follows the main character Marla Grayson who does shady business within the world of court appointed guardians and nursing homes in order to make profit off forcibly committing elderly people to nursing homes under the guise they are unfit to take care of themselves. When she takes Jennifer Peterson under her care, Marla gets into some hot water because Jennifer has connections to the mafia.

It is so unconventional because, traditionally, your protagonist is someone who is good or if they are in back door business, they have some moral cause behind it, kind of like a Robin Hood situation.

In this case we get neither.

Marla is very clearly the ideal big business criminal, scamming the weak and working the system in order to make profit. You feel for her because when you come from nothing, you have to make your way somehow, and yet you want justice for the people who were wrongly committed to these homes without their consent.

The conflict between Marla and Roman Lunvoy, the mafia leader, is so fascinating because Marla refuses to give up Jennifer Peterson despite many threats to her and those around her. This results in the mafia kidnapping her, failing to murder her as well as her girlfriend Fran, and putting some their associates at risk.

There are so many odd

nuances to this movie which create even more dissonance.

It is both female empowerment to be the “lioness” rather than the “lamb” but also exemplifies the broken legal system which enables people like Marla to exploit the system to make profit. Because of this internal conflict it challenges the ethic behind condemning people to facilities, traditional notions of mental illness and power struggles. Marla may be conniving and unmistakably wicked but it is the various legal and medical systems she works which enable her abuse

of those who don’t have the power to fight back.

Unlike other movies where it focuses on the cost the victims pay for experiencing the corrupt, broken legal system, this movie focuses on how it can be maneuvered to bring in personal profit and potentially create multi-million dollar businesses. Breaking gender norms by telling the story of how women can also create masterful schemes rather than always being innocent and empathetic is a major shift from many portrayals of women, but this sexist view of women

is exactly what allows Marla to become so successful.

The conclusion to this movie honestly had me shocked and a little confused.

You would expect justice for Marla’s actions but this justice is not served but instead we see her become immensely powerful, becoming a celebrity and an icon for aspiring female business owners. I am a whole-hearted supporter of female empowerment so I could feel myself wanting to like Marla so much and yet, at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a little queasy because I know how she was able to achieve her success.

Not to mention the last five minutes of the movie were jaw dropping. There is something I will not disclose, but what I will say is that it gave me such an intense mix of emotions, I had to take a minute to take a step back and process, and even then I still couldn’t believe it.

In the end I enjoyed this movie. It felt less fictional thriller and had more serious, real-life implications to it which took me out of the story a bit but was still enjoyable.

The constant conflict and dissonance created by this movie was so interesting it is definitely something you have to experience for yourself in order to feel the full effects.

If you are looking for a traditional psychological thriller like “A Quiet Place” I would not recommend this movie, but if you are willing look into deeper real-life issues while also in a glorified movie setting then this will be your ticket.

INKLINGS

33

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Fourth season of “Good Girls” on NBC is a must watch for fans

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief Like everyone, I’m always looking for a new show to binge.

I was in luck, on Feb. 16, Netflix added season three of “Good Girls.” I came home one day and saw my parents watching the show. They were already halfway through season one when I watched and decided to give it a shot.

When I binge, I really binge; I watched all three seasons of “Good Girls” in about a week and a half. “Good Girls” has multiple themes: a comedic side, a dramatic/thrilling side and also a really serious side. I was hooked, no doubt about it. “Good Girls” is an NBC Show and season four premiered on March 7.

“Good Girls” is about two sisters (Beth and Annie), their best friend (Ruby) and their families. Beth is the perfect wife and mother but her cheating husband sent the family into a downfall financially. Ruby is married to a security officer at the mall, but is drowning in medical bills to

help her daughter who has a rare medical condition and Annie is a divorced mom in a custody battle with her ex husband.

The women are all losing money fast and want to break free of the rules of society and decide to rob the local grocery store Annie works at. Things don’t go as planned and take a turn as they are pulled into a bad group of cartel. I can’t describe anymore or else I’ll give more away.

“Good Girls” was created by Jenna Bans and stars actors Christina Hendricks as Beth, Manny Montana as Rio, Mae Whitman as Annie, Marietta Sirleaf as Ruby and Matthew Lillard as Dean.

Each of these actors has acted in several other notable TV shows and movies.

Season one of “Good Girls” really gets into the background of all the characters and how this cartel impacts their lives. Season two shows a lot of growth and exposes weaknesses in some of the characters. Season three was slow at first but quickly escalated. Each finale has had multiple cliffhangers that were resolved in the first episode

of the next season.

This show had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Typically, TV shows have a great season one but then progressively become weak. But, “Good Girls” somehow gets stronger and stronger and stronger. This is a mustwatch TV Show.

In my opinion, “Good Girls” is a perfect combination of “Breaking Bad,” “Weeds” and “Workin’ Moms.” The show does this by taking the seriousness of “Breaking Bad,” the comedic side from “Weeds” and the comedic side from “Workin’ Moms.” The first three seasons are on Netflix while Season four is on every Sunday on NBC and is also on Hulu the day after it premieres.

After watching season one in a few hours, I knew I was already hooked. I believe that you should give it a shot because there are so many different spectacular sides to this show. All the storylines go hand-in-hand and it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever watched.

My only criticism is that I have to wait until Sunday to watch new episodes.

BEST FOLLOW @horseysurprise Ken M. tweets about current events, but often memes them or adds a comedic twist to his coverage of them.

He also shares comedic news headlines from around the web.

BEST TWEETS “Making blueberry compote at 3 a.m, what a time to be alive”

senior Connor Phutawon @pikachoochie

“I could be a streamer if I was funny or good at video games.”

senior Aidan Gregg

@aidanjgregg

34 PEOPLE

A setup for the hit role playing game Dungeons and Dragons where players can make up their own stories and characters.

PHOTO BY TREVOR FRAHM

ESCAPE FROM REALITY Students host Dungeons and Dragons campaign in free time

BY EMILY BRISENO reporter Everyone can use an escape while not having to leave their homes. Board games and fantasy games have become a popular outlet for people wanting to spend more time with their friends and family.

Dungeons and Dragons (aka D&D), a storytelling and role play game that was popular in the 1970s and 80s, has made a comeback in recent years. This could be because it has been shown on many movies and TV shows. Junior Isabel Borrmann remembers how she first started playing.

“My oldest brother got me into it. He had been playing for a while and thought it would be a fun way of getting together and just hanging out,” Borrmann said.

Senior Anne Gregg has a similar experience, with her brother influencing her to start playing. Since then, Anne has continued to add D&D into her schedule.

“I play this game at least twice a week

‘‘

Video games, by their nature, are very linear, in that you can only do so much within the limits of the game, and what the programming will allow. With D&D, the only limitation is your imagination and what you can dream up into existence.

senior Aidan Gregg for around three hours. Usually you play with a set group of people who meet each week. I’m in a campaign with five people and another one with nine,” Anne said.

Meeting up in person with people can be hard to do during a pandemic. Luckily,

Dungeons and Dragons can also be played online. It is free to play and there are different websites making it easier to try a new game or find the website that has the most interest.

“Because it’s a thing you can do online, and there’s a pandemic going on, I think it’s a way to be closer to the people around you. It’s something that anyone can get into. It’s becoming more mainstream because it’s genuinely fun and entertaining and something collaborative you can do with your friends,” Anne said.

Dungeons and Dragons is a group activity that consists of usually around seven players and a dungeon master. The dungeon master functions as the author and director of the game who has one of the most important jobs of keeping the game on track. Other games do not follow this same format, which is what makes the game so much different.

“It’s different because the party creates their own world, it’s one of the only games

that rely solely on the player’s decisions.

There are no dialogue options, so the way things are worded and the way situations are handled affect the characters’ relationships with non-player characters and the other party members,” Borrmann said.

While starting something new can be intimidating, ultimately it can be easier than expected. The D&D rules are easy to follow and the players are the ones adding onto the story. It can become something to do with a group and get into a routine of playing.

‘‘

Because it’s a thing you can do online, and there’s a pandemic going on, I think it’s a way to be closer to the people around you. It’s something anyone can get into.

senior Anne Gregg “The best thing about it is getting to be with your friends. Something that I really like is being able to be a different person and someone who’s not myself. We get really in character. To us, it’s genuinely a story and that’s part of the reason it’s so amazing,” Anne said. “Each week we’re writing another chapter to this story where no one knows what’s really going to happen. It’s just being able to spend time with friends

and being able to create a story together that is just amazing.”

While the game is for a group, it can also influence individual personalities.

Each player makes decisions that continue the rest of the game. Borrmann describes what she has learned from her time playing.

“I think it’s influenced me to understand the consequences of my actions and words. I’ve found it’s a good way to explore different forms of communication with the different characters you create and play in the game,” Borrmann said.

Dungeons and Dragons is a fictional game, but the players can relate to the end results. Each player creates their own timeline and influences how the game continues on. Every game will have a different ending because the players can choose different endings each time they play.

“In the first campaign I ran, one of the player’s characters died unexpectedly and the other members of the party weren’t able to bring him back to life. There were genuine tears shed at the table for this fictional character who died because it felt so real. There was a funeral and everything,” Senior Aidan Gregg said. “As morbid as it sounds, the ability to create that much real, raw emotion from the combination of dice rolls and the stories in my own mind was incredibly impactful on myself and the other players.”

By now, everyone has an outlet for boredom. Usually social media and video games are good time wasters and can keep people entertained. Aidan believes

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A set of Dungeons and Dragons books set out for the game. Players can use the books as a guide for their campaign.

PHOTO BY TREVOR FRAHM

that Dungeons and Dragons brings a different type of quality in comparison to other games.

“Video games, by their nature, are very linear, in that you can only do so much within the limits of the game, and what the programming will allow. With D&D the only limitations is your imagination and what you can dream up into existence,” Aidan said.

DID YOU KNOW?

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS FUN FACTS Many celebrities like

VIN DIESEL, JON FAVREAU, and JOE MANGANIELLO are fans of Dungeons and Dragons.

There is a dungeons and dragons

stage musical

Dungeons and dragons was inspired by

“Lord of the Rings”

after a big legal battle, all references to the books were removed.

In prison, playing the game is a

SECURITY THREAT due to the amount of prisoners that must gather.

stats provided by https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-and-dragons-things-players-know/

STUDENT

SPOTLIGHT ALLAN MANCE SENIOR Q. What do you like to do in your free time?

A. I’m in light and sound in theatre, I

like to play video games, I play guitar and I like to bake.

Q. What got you interested in joining light and sound?

A. I always liked to go to the shows, and I always thought the light and sound part was the most interesting to me.

Q. What is the hardest aspect of light and sound?

A. It’s the late nights of programming right before the show. It’s really stressful.

Q. What got you interested in baking, and what is your favorite thing to bake?

A. My mom and grandma always bake a lot, and I like to eat. It’s just relaxing; it’s methodical. I like to bake pie a lot. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it, and pie is my favorite dessert.

Q. What is your favorite video game and why?

A. My favorite video game is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It’s a big open world game that’s really pretty to look at, and I’ve always been a big fan of the Legend of Zelda series, and this is, in my opinion, the best installment by far.

Q. What is one of your favorite restaurants?

A. I love Taco Bell. I get a Doritos Locos Tacos every time with a large Baja Blast. It’s my favorite thing from Taco Bell.

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What Do You

THINK?

If you could go anywhere for spring break, where would you go?

“I would go to South Africa because that is my dream place to go. I would love to get up close with animals and learn more about them.” junior Emily Clark

“(I would go to) Canada for snowboarding and coffee.” sophomore Dallas Hermanson

“I would go to Singapore because the culture and the beauty of that small country is so astounding. It seems like a place that has so many things to do.” freshman Isabella Gonzalez

“I would love to go to Austria because they have the most beautiful scenery, and they have the largest monastic library in the world. I would love to visit it in my lifetime.” sophomore Marianne Gerona

“I’d go to Norway so I could see the northern lights, fjords and all the other scenic spots.” senior Cole Simmons