Inklings March Issue 2023

1500 S. Main St.

Crown Point, IN 46307

219-663-4885 ex. 11237

inklings@cps.k12.in.us

online: crowntownmedia.com/ inklings/ socials: @inklingscphs

Crown Point High School, IN

Vol. 87 Issue 2- March 2023

Inklings is a student publication created by the newspaper and advanced journalism students and is electronically distributed 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.

advisor

Jennifer Bianchi

editor-in-chief

Joshua Hedges

lead writers

Grace Cappas

Katie Mahle

Ariel Moore

Apr. 22

Prom Night

School opens at 4 p.m. for the Grand March. The dance will be at the Halls of Saint George in Schererville; doors open at 6 p.m.

May 1-12

AP Exams

All AP classes will hold final exams within the first two weeks of May.

May 14

Mother’s Day

A day dedicated to the appreciation of all mothers. Make sure to plan a gift for the second Sunday of May.

sports writer

Emmy Wake support staff

Avery Moore

Ashley Johnson

Evangeline Montanez artist

Hayden Coles

May 19

Senior Night Lights

A night of after-school fun before our seniors graduate. The school and various clubs help to put together the event.

May 24-26

Semester Finals

All class finals will be taken during this time. This will also be our last full week of school.

Robotics Underdogs W team gets their robot (right) inpected for Crown Point High School’s state qualifing tournament on Jan. 21.

PHOTO BY LYNN FLEWELLING

See our article on the tournament through the QR code!

COVER GRAPHIC BY JOSHUA HEDGES

Local News

Lockdown Buckets

BY ARIEL MOORE [lead writer]

With an increasing concern for safety, there is an increasing need for protocols and safety procedures to be put in place. A new classroom standard that has been in the works since last fall will soon be implemented in the Crown Point School Corporation. Emergency Lockdown Buckets will be placed in each and every classroom, as well as any public area in which students and staff are present.

“There’s been several instances around the country throughout the last several years, where unfortunately, schools have to go on a prolonged lock down because of a natural disaster or God forbid, some kind of incident inside of the school,” Supervisor of

Safety Dave Coulson said.

The Emergency Lockdown Buckets contain numerous items that students may or may not need in an emergency. For example, the buckets transform into an emergency toilet in the event that any school has been in a lockdown for an extended period of time.

“Sanitary wise, we have wipes, paper towels, and antibacterial gel, so we do have items in there. We also have garbage bags,” Coulson said. School corporations have had to adapt over the years to keep up with the growing trend of violence in the world. After a previous incident at Lake Central, they had to adapt and make sure their students and staff members had the

necessary resources to be able to go on lockdown for prolonged periods of time in isolation. After taking a page from their book, Crown Point Community School Corporation decided to work towards similar implementations of the Emergency Lockdown Buckets. It’s best practice for school systems to learn from one another.

“They kind of modeled their program after other programs that are out there, so we are certainly modeling ours after Lake Central,” Coulson said.

“We are involved with a group called the Lake County Safe Schools Commission. It’s a group of schools in Lake County that meet with other law enforcement agencies bi-monthly. Part of what we do is talk about school safety,” Director of Secondary Education Mark Gianfermi said. “We just went through some of the best practices out there nationally. They recommend certain things like an emergency lockdown bucket.”

It’s important for these buckets to get out to each and every classroom as soon as possible. A lot of time has gone into setting this up.

“We’re going to have buckets in every classroom in the corporation. We have quite a few schools, as you know, a lot of students, so in addition to the classroom we’ll have them in other spaces such as the cafeteria, gym, the field houses and whatnot,” Coulson said.

Such a massive project requires a massive amount of manpower in order to swiftly get everything organized.

Key Club as well as National Honor Society student volunteers have been pivotal in the setup of the Emergency Lockdown Buckets.

“We kind of looked and saw what service organizations and groups we could reach out to and Key Club was one that stepped up and said, ‘Yeah we’ll get you 30 or 40 students over here,’ and they did. Cause we’re all in this together it’s good to have everybody involved,” Coulson said.

With the necessary funding from Gus Bock’s Hardware store, Secretary of Safety and Security LaWanda Duvall was able to order and attain 700 buckets and the other sanitary items, which is enough for every classroom in the school system.

“Our first phase was ordering everything and getting everything here, phase two is getting everything assembled as we’re doing, phase three is going to get the items picked up here, and going to all of the schools and then they’ll be deployed to all of the classrooms from there,” Coulson said.

Continuing to be innovative and resourceful is a key part of keeping the school systems safe and secure. It is the duty of the Safety and Security team to constantly come up with solutions to possible dangers before they occur in order to protect students and staff alike.

“We’re always exploring new ways, we are engaged with a lot of school corporations that have safety and security programs in place to get new ideas, best practices that are clean from unfortunate situations and to be as proactive as we can,” Coulson said.

“Crown Point School Corporation takes safety and security very seriously. It’s a top priority so anytime we can find different programs to engage in and things that make our environment safe, or safer then that’s what we’re going to do,” Coulson said.

Freshman Dylan Duvall helps to organize and stack the buckets beore distribution.

Junior Amani Aman, sophomore Katherine Nordyke, and junior Haley Galocy add essentials to the buckets.

PHOTO BY JOSHUA HEDGES

PHOTO BY JOSHUA HEDGES

News

library materials to which they object.

As of right now the bill is only affecting the school libraries, but they are continuously trying to incorporate the public libraries.

“As a librarian, I support everyone’s freedom to read and a parent’s right to choose the library materials that best suit their family values,” Director of Crown Point Library Julie Wendorf said.

The difference between enforcing the bill on schools versus public libraries is the topic of appropriateness. Some of the books in question have been removed for alleged obscenity and sexual violence.

Book Banning

BY KATIE MAHLE [lead writer]

The Indiana senate is contemplating a new book banning bill, allowing parents to report a book in efforts to ultimately have the book banned. According to the bill, any reported book leaves the librarian, along with a board, to review and decide whether the book be removed from the library, be restricted to an age-limited section of the library, or the complaint be denied through a

written response to the parent. This bill has been resurfacing since 2020 and has since come back to the statehouse on Feb. 28th of this year.

According to the NWI Times, State Sen. Liz Brown of Fort Wayne said the measure ensures “100% transparency” when it comes to school library holdings and gives parents across Indiana a clear procedure for identifying and potentially removing

“When we follow guidelines, we look at professional journals, like Kirkus Review, and that will tell us what age groups we’ll look at. We’ll look at young adult books, too. We look at the age group and what is age appropriate,” Secretary of the Learning Commons Chris Genovese said.

Topics presented on the banned book list deal with subjects deemed inappropriate for various age groups. However, diversity has a home in books. The public library is a place where people of the community go so that they can read books they see themselves in - to discover

National News

for our children.

With the rise of childhood obesity, there has been new interest in understanding the causes and what can be done to combat the problem. There have been new steps taken to reduce sugar intake, cholesterol, and increase whole grains in the school diet.

Michelle Obama’s food campaign to better the nutritional value of school lunches across the country sparked the rise in whole grains within school lunches, and now after a decade, there is a new demand for higher quality food for the children of America, which has sparked change.

representation.

“Rudine Sims Bishop coined the concept of books acting as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Books act as mirrors because readers see their own lives reflected in the pages,” Wendorf said.

“It is important to recognize that what is reflected on this list changes with time. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone made the list of top 100 challenged books of the decade (1990-1999), ranking at number 48 because it promoted witchcraft, the occult, and anti-family themes,” Wendorf said.

USDA Lunches

BY ARIEL MOORE [lead writer]

The USDA is currently in the process of re-evaluating the food pyramid and the quality of the food supplied throughout the country.

According to the USDA, on Feb. 6, 2023, Food Nutrition and Service held a stakeholder briefing that outlines the changes to the proposed rule, entitled “Child Nutrition Programs:

Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent

With the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” which creates the school nutrition standards. This proposed rule is the next step in an ongoing effort toward strengthening school meals, advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security and ensuring school meals continue to provide the very best

Not only will there be a focus on the nutritional intake of all students as a whole, there will also be a focus on children with food insecurity. By ensuring kids have economic and physical access to food, they will be able to eat a balanced diet which can help combat the risk of them developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, according to Mary Fox who writes for Nutrients, which is an academic journal for human nutrition.

Sugar, cholesterol and sodium intake is a huge focus in the new guidelines

because many kids in school systems across the country ingest an excess amount of these harmful substances. With these new developments, students in the coming years will have access to more nutritious foods to aid with their development.

As for CPHS, we have already met the current standards. Most, if not all, of our starches are already whole grain, which makes room for improvements in the upcoming years. “Proposals are in the works for the school year 2526,” Food Service Director for CPHS Pamela Maloney said.

Freshmen Cambrie Metczus and Rama Abukhalil enjoy lunch in the school cafeteria.

PHOTO BY Vivian Keene

Sophomores James Delacruz and Zach Stefanovich line up for breakfast.

PHOTO BY Ariel Moore

PHOTO BY Ariel Moore

:(

HACKED

Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, Crown Point High School students arrived at school like any other day. As each student logged on to their computer, they were denied entry into Buzz. Students went with the flow and celebrated freedom from the screen while teachers, on the other hand, simply suspected another interruption from construction. As everyone waited for the next set of instructions, questions swirled.

Crown Point High School had been hacked. Surprisingly, it wasn’t how many envisioned a hacking.

In the Indiana school district alone, there have been 46 reported cyberattacks and attempts since July, 2021, according to the research done by the WRTV investigates. The Crown Point School District had been hacked during November 2022 and although it happened a short time ago, students and families are now recovering from the aftermath of the alarming invasion of privacy.

Steps to protect and restore the school systems were the first and foremost measures for Crown Point School District.

“After the cyber event, our team inspected every PC/Windows device and rebuilt portions of our technology systems,“ Superintendent Todd Terrill said. “We enlisted the help of a third party vendor due to the size and scope of this work.”

As the days continued, notifications were sent out so both teachers and students could rewire their classroom activities. From struggle to success and back, different classrooms have unique stories to tell.

“It was harder because my other classes weren’t affected too much, but in my graphic design class we couldn’t really use Adobe at all. That’s what most of our work is on,” freshman Brooklyn Blomquist said.

Challenges seemed to be determined by the subject or discipline of the class. For example, newspaper, yearbook, graphic design, radio & broadcasting, robotics and even engineering classes all use various software programs like Adobe which extend beyond the learning management system.

“In the past, students practiced the content using their InDesign skills. Immediately, new content and activities had to be created utilizing Buzz and Google Apps only. I am not an expert at either of these methods. It was quite challenging and time consuming,” Graphic Design teacher Karen Topp said.

Many students in media classes waited months

to get their school projects back. This left them ultimately having to redo the majority of their work.

“It was really hard in the yearbook because we had to completely change what software we were working on so we could get it (the yearbook) out on time,” sophomore Izzy Egner said.

Many teachers were not only flipping their activities, but they were also apprehensive and cautious on what to do in this situation as they moved forward.

“It’s like a fire drill. You’ll say, ‘Gosh I hope we never have a fire here,’ but if we do we have to be prepared for it,” Principal Russ Marcinek said.

Even though caution was at its highest and safety the utmost concern, some classes felt weakened seeing as they couldn’t carry on as before.

“The loss of access to the software I teach to my students was crippling. This critical component of the curriculum abruptly stopped the learning. I was most fearful about everyone’s personal information being in the hands of the criminals,” Topp said.

“After the cyber event, our team inspected every PC/Windows device and rebuilt portions of our technology systems. We enlisted the help of a third party vendor due to the size and scope of this work.”

it harder to get into the different files that our school has. The schools are not the only ones who are adding new 2-step verification programs into their everyday lives, but the teachers are as well.

Even with the added security, hackers seem to know how to get around such preventative measures. They’re strategic and mindful as they know how to find a loophole.

“We lost access to a lot of our files, so many of the things we created had to be recreated from scratch, and so that took more time. Plus we lost our computers [for a bit], because the IT department went in and wiped them to make sure there were no bugs,” Geometry, DC pre-calculus and trigonometry teacher Keith Iddings said.

Irish novelist Samuel Lover once said, “It is better to be safe than sorry,” which is why everyone in the district went the extra mile to safeguard their files and personal information. Emails were on hold until the situation cleared.

“Through this, stepping away from technology for a little bit has actually been kind of nice in my opinion,” English teacher Haley Crane said. “It was nice for a little while. I didn’t mind that part of it.”

Although some felt as if their days were turned upside down, others felt as if not much changed at all.

Students like Lia Lagos, who is in classes that go without the use of various software programs everyday, forgot that it even happened all together.

“It was pretty much the same. I don’t think it was necessarily hard or easy,” said Lagos.

Although Buzz was hacked early on, the majority of the teachers used either back up paper assignments or came together as a group for character building activities, allowing students to not get too far behind or to become stagnant.

As for communication, teachers in the Crown Point School District have always been informed and are often reminded how to handle a questionable email from an external website.

“We do talk to our staff a lot about not opening suspicious emails. Understanding that there are hackers out there that are wanting to do harm, so be very careful about what you open,” Marcinek said. “If you have any questions about an email you get, always ask before you open it. Our staff is good about it, but it’s easy to slip up.”

According to Marcinek, the superintendent is also incorporating technological safeguards, making

Knowing quickly that the learning management system was still intact was a true sense of relief for many teachers and students. “The fact that Buzz was up and running, and students were still able to do their work and follow their agendas, I think that made a difference,” Marcinek said.

As we enter the final stretch of the 2023 school year, most of the Crown Point School District has been restored, and everyone is finally gaining back bits and pieces of items that were once lost. Although it isn’t everything, it certainly is a refreshing reset and a stark reminder that repairing what once was broken takes a patient and dedicated team.

- Superintendent Todd Terrill

PHOTO BY JOSHUA HEDGES

PHOTO BY KATIE MAHLE PHOTO BY EMMY WAKE

Hidden Beauty

Behind

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

BY ARIEL MOORE [lead writer]

Any and all theatrical productions require the work of a broad group of actors, directors, and behind the scene crew members. Many viewers can appreciate the intricate choreography, the detail that publicity puts into the advertisement of the play, and the cumulative time that each student and advisor puts into their own crafts.

The first thing that viewers see aren’t the actors, it’s the warm and welcoming faces of the publicity crew who help usher and direct visitors to make sure they have a pleasant experience. First impressions matter and publicity is able to make sure that each person feels welcomed into the theatre.

“I decided to join publicity because I have been to many of the shows at the high school and I know my way around the theater. I like interacting with people,” Kierstin Natt said.

Outside of student involvement with the play, there are dedicated advisors helping to guide the ambitious students down a path of acting through expression.

“Something specifically that we’ve tried to do is just be uplifting for the kids and encouraging them to go out or try something new so they can be themselves

and to create this wacky, fun, dramatic, cool character. To be whoever they want the character to be,” Assistant Director Jillian Ryan said. “So I think I’ve just been mostly trying to instill confidence in the kids and lead them in a good direction.”

Despite theater being heavily student based and focused on entertainment, there are little aspects that often get overlooked. Funding is an important part of bringing plays and musicals to life.

“Behind the scenes I’m working on marketing, advertising, graphic design, social media, working with the parents, talking with businesses, and such. There’s a lot that’s going into everything day to day,” Ryan said.

In order to produce a musical of such scale, outside help is also imperative. Two students who were part of the jewelry making course stepped up to the plate in order to help create the intricate jewelry items for the cast of Cinderella to wear.

“Mrs. Cox approached me and my friend and said, ‘Do you guys want something to do’ and I didn’t really have anything else to do so, you know, it sounded like something good,” sophomore Sydney Saqui said.

Each accessory that accompanies the overall

outfit of each actor and actress adds an underlying element. This element serves to highlight each character’s personality in a subtly remarkable way.

Many units that have come together to bring Cinderella to the stage stay hidden from the public eye. Each detail that they bring together works to unveil different sides of the story through a variety of mediums.

“I think the jewelry definitely just adds a touch because it’s a smaller detail. Without the jewelry, it’s definitely not the same because it wouldn’t make the character seem as rich or as fancy,” Saqui said.

The theater and each production they put on serves to provide an outlet for students. Whether they are acting out on the front stage, or working behind the scenes, or even coming from other classes to help, the students and advisors make sure everything comes together. There is an open opportunity for everyone to succeed where they are best suited.

“It brings me back to when I was a kid growing up and I did theater in high school. I want our kids here to have the same positive fond memories that I had in my growing years because everybody just deserves a positive high school experience. This is a great place to do that,” Ryan said.

Cast dress rehearsal before opening night.

Mrs. Bonner and costume crew taking a break from the long days and nights of costume making.

Cast dress rehearsal for the wedding scene where Cinderella marries her prince.

The townspeople dance at the prince’s ball.

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

Column

sorship

BY JOSHUA HEDGES [editor-in-chief]

With the rise in education reform throughout our country, we are seeing a new wave of regulation being put on our teachers and school libraries. While I agree that schools should maintain a neutral view on most things, the recent legislation from various states seems to compel schools into self-censorship of their instruction and books in a way that impedes the flow of ideas. This is not because these laws are restricting common teaching practice but are instead putting more liability on the schools to more closely watch their teachers and librarians, forcing them to tip-toe around subjects to avoid confrontation.

This could pose a problem for many subjects, especially for social studies classes where teachers grapple with intricacies of historical powers and how to create lessons where students understand both sides, but not all sides of history can be described neutrally. Laws like Florida’s Individual Freedom Act, also known as the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, miss this point as it threatens those teaching sensitive topics such as the Holocaust and slavery if they influence a student’s interpretation through a “non-objective” lesson. No one is able to present entirely without bias and neither can a teacher entirely control the message a student gets out of their lecture.

Similarly, many contested books describe scenes that, while appearing inappropriate when read on their own, actually have a deeper intended meaning with more context. John Green’s Looking for Alaska is one example that often gets banned for its sexual content, but the author himself has said that the scene takes up only one page being described in a more clinical language which is ultimately meant to be contrasted with “a much more sensually described and passionate but much less sexually explicit [kiss].” If parents truly want the best for their children at school, they should do their best to meet with administration and teachers to understand the other side of education they do not see everyday.

Quote from vlogbrothers Youtube video titled On the Banning of Looking for Alaska

Should we Keep Daylight Savings Time?

Pro:

Daylight Savings Time helps agriculture, encourages healthfull living

BY AVERY MOORE [support staff]

Daylight Savings Time (DST) is great for the agricultural economy, drops crime rates, increases safety, and helps to create healthier lifestyles for people all around the globe.

DST gives a greater number of sunlight hours leading to a higher supply of the agricultural products that will later be sold after the harvesting season. This allows farmers to not only increase their own quality of life but also the quality of the economy as a whole.

Additionally, DST leads to a healthier lifestyle. An increased amount of sunlight leads to more people being outside and enjoying the world around them, which is extremely beneficial to both their mental and physical health. With this, how could one dispute the benefits of DST?

DST is full of positive impacts of both economic and social standpoints. It has become an integral part of the economy and greatly increases the health of people all around the world.

Con:

Daylight Savings Time is outdated, an unneeded practice

BY ASHLEY JOHNSON [support staff]

Daylight Savings Time (DST) is outdated, and it is unnecessary to lose sleep and productivity rates just for a brighter morning or night.

In the 1970’s, DST was in question to be permanent to conserve energy during the oil crisis. Now it seems that the point is to throw off our circadian rhythm. Changing sleeping patterns, even by just one hour, can have negative effects on your health. Studies show that on the Monday and Tuesday after DST, there is a 10% increase in heart attacks worldwide.

The Monday after DST is called Sleepy Monday for being one of the most sleep deprived days of the year. Many students and working adults are already exhausted from waking up early and having long work days, and messing up your sleep schedule can have detrimental effects on your ability to do work the next day.

While the US Congress is debating whether or not to end DST permanently, I think that it should be removed.

THEIR VIEW

“You get more daylight. Sometimes we gain an hour of sleep. I like when it’s light out longer because I can do more stuff throughout the day.”

“I feel like it serves no real purpose. It causes issues with employment because people come in late because they have such difficulty waking up.”

Education Reform has become more reactionary, promotes self-cen-

PHOTO BY JOSHUA HEDGES

Column Drugs Give a False Fullfillment, an Artificial Joy

BY KATIE MAHLE [lead writer]

Our School’s Cyberattack is One of Many we Have Overlooked Until Now

When disaster strikes far away, we are often more disassociated from the obligation to prepare for a similar event, and it is only once it comes to us that we really take it seriously. The recent cyberattack here at Crown Point High School as well as the many others across Indiana shows we are all a little blind to the entities we trust with our information. While this situation is just now hitting close to home, we have all likely experienced some data breach from the various sites and apps we use on a daily basis. We count on these sites just as we count on our school to protect similar data, yet often we overlook what data is being collected, how it is being used and who else is entrusted with it, leaving more opportunity for an attack just as serious to happen again.

Whenever we go online, we always give off some information whether it be from liking or subscribing to an account, cookies tracking a site’s usage, or creating an account. However, some sites can take this further. Think of how many times we have entered our address or clicked the remember payment option. Even a photo can have a location linked to it automatically without any manual input. We undoubtedly share a lot with these different entities, whether for personalization or convenience. Knowing this, we should be taking steps to ensure both we and these sites maintain security over what is important to us.

As the users of these sites, we are our first line of defense to what access and information we give on the internet. Saying no to or limiting what we share with these sites is an effective approach many of us ignore not because we do not care but because of how tedious the process can be. Privacy policies are notorious for this feeling, but this also extends to allowed privacy options that can be buried in a settings menu or require navigating a third party’s site. While those dedicated enough may be able to jump through these hoops, companies will keep these difficult unless we establish online privacy as a right.

California’s California Consumer Privacy Act is a major step forward in this regard as it ensures people have a right to access and control the information businesses collect on the individual. Whether or not we are concerned for our online privacy, mere access to our collected information should be a given with our reliance on the internet to shop, find jobs, meet people and much more. We must not only call upon ourselves, but also onto the companies and lawmakers to enforce a better and more accessible standard of privacy across the internet to further protect personal information and to carefully guard the details we provide.

Information on California Consumer Privacy Policy Act comes from the State of California Department of Justice’s website

SPEAK UP What is your favorite social media?

“I use Snapchat and TikTok the most, Snapchat is easy to contact everyone. TikTok I feel it’s just easy to pass time.”

“Probably Pinterest, because that’s where I get most of my ideas to do anything.“

“I have Discord and Reddit and I mainly use them to either talk to some of my friends or I’ll look up pictures ideas for drawing.”

“My favorite social media right now is TikTok, because of all the different types of videos, there’s so many different videos, and every video is different.”

When entering high school, it’s like entering another realm. The high school parties and dances that everyone talks about can unexptedly be full of decisions.

According to the Drug Abuse Statistics website, the U.S. has a blatant substance use problem. Over 70,000 drug overdose deaths occur annually. Is it the substance that they are actually chasing or is it the feelings they crave?

In some drugs and alcohol, the feel-good chemical is dopamine. This chemical alters your brain’s chemistry, and it ends up being able to take control of both your behaviors and thoughts: it makes you feel happy even in a state of depression.

This is an idea that is very overlooked. Perhaps it’s not all about feeling cool or accepted, rather the escape of depressed feelings. Students can feel overwhelmed from school, work, and other stressors in life that seem so impossible to solve. Perhaps either doing drugs or drinking alcohol serve as a false remedy because problems seem to fade in the moment. This tempting respite of drugs and alcohol serves to only magnify the unsolved problems.

The feeling of relaxation and euphoria, according to the Help Guide website, can be achieved through a good laugh as it “triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.”

What does this mean? It means that our friendships and our connections are at the base of whether or not we feel good. In fact, according to the Help Guide website, laughing with our friends and family may even help us live longer and lighten our anger load.

So to all of you who struggle with hardships, find the joy in reading a book, walking with a friend, having an uncomfortable conversation, or simply releasing a deep laugh, know that those are the true dopamine risers. Chasing life connections is where we find joy. Let’s normalize that.

PHOTO BY CAITLYN OSIKA

- junior Sydney Scott

- senior Sophi Trpeski

- senior Wilson Clark

- sophomore Adriana Rodriguez

Wrestling

State Champions

Crown Point Wrestling Wins State Championship Second Year in a Row

BY EMMY WAKE [sports writer]

For the second year in a row, the Crown Point High School Boys Wrestling team came home with a state championship. While they did win the title as a team, several individual wrestlers came home with titles as well, such as Sam Goin (160), Cody Goodwin (170), Orlando Cruz (182), and Will Clark (220).

“Winning state felt really great because it’s been my goal since middle school and I saw all the great 220’s of that time winning and it was just my goal to be as good as them, so it felt really great,” junior Will Clark said.

Many wrestlers had been working towards their titles for the entirety of their season. For some, this dedication worked in their favor because they won many of their events this season.

“My season was really good. My whole season, winning state was my goal at the end was a state title, so my whole season I worked really hard towards that and I think I wrestled really dominant the whole year,” senior Orlando Cruz said.

While the championship was an accomplishment in itself, for many wrestlers, winning as a team was the best part.

“My favorite moment this season was winning a state title as a team and also as an individual. It was fun to have all your friends there, competing together, trying to win a state title,” senior Sam Goin said.

Crown Point didn’t just bring home first palace victories; five other wrestlers placed at state, meaning the team brought home nine individual titles as well as the team title. Paul Clark, a junior, placed third at state, and is looking forward to next season.

“As a team, winning state felt great, obviously I fell short as an individual, but things happen. You can’t win them all, it’s a great motivation for next year to get that same feeling that those four guys had this year,” Clark said.

Senior Logan Frazier shakes his opponent’s hand after a match. Frazier placed third at state and was on the wrestling team for all four years of his high school career.

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

Junior Paul Clark prepares for a match during regionals. Clark placed third at state and hopes to come home with a state title his senior year.

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

Junior Will Clark takes down his opponent. Clark placed first at state and hopes to be captain of the team during his senior year.

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

Senior Cody Goodwin has his hand raised after winning a match. Goodwin placed first at state, winning all four matches.

PHOTO BY EMILEE LUCHT

BY AVERY MOORE [support staff]

Alyse Green, a junior at Crown Point High School, has made history as the first African American female varsity diver.

Green is passionate about paving the way for future generations of women at the high school and possibly even at a collegiate level.

“It puts out a lot of exposure for more African American female divers and African American female athletes as a whole,” Green said.

Green’s coach, Ashley Holland, has been a member of the diving staff for over three years now and has celebrated many victories with the team.

Holland describes the rigorous practice and expectations that come with being a varsity athlete.

“Making varsity comes down to learning eleven dives and showing retention of those skills as well as being able to exhibit improvement in technique, execution, and the continued progression of learning higher difficulty skills,” Holland said.

Holland then goes on to describe what she has found to be the most important aspect of being a diver, stating that, “I value determination the most. In diving, you must be comfortable with being uncomfortable. There is nothing normal about throwing yourself off of a 1 meter or 3 meter (high dive) for fun,” Holland said.

Holland emphasizes the mental strength of Olympic diver Kimiko Soldati who said, “to be a diver, you have to be at least a little bit crazy.”

Holland also brags of Green’s most impressive accomplishments. “Her back one and a half was a new skill this year. Each meet, I saw growth and she nailed that dive at the sectional championships, ” coach Holland said.

Holland then went on to describe the effects she believes Green will have on the school as a whole, saying that, “I hope that it will encourage anybody

Dare to Dive Baller. Shot Caller.

BY EMMY WAKE [sports writer]

The Girls basketball team’s season ended at the beginning of the month with a six point upset against Valparaiso. The Lady Bulldogs ended the season with an overall record of 14-10, and a conference record of 4-3.

Many would describe this season as a rebuilding year for the Lady Bulldogs due to losing their star players. However, it seems that two new star players have emerged. Ava Ziolkowski, a junior, has the most points and rebounds in the Duneland conference, and was the team’s statistical leader this season. Abbi Foster, a senior, had the most charges per game in the Duneland conference and the most

with an inkling of interest to come and give it a try. There are no rules of who can or can not dive. Just a passion to be better and learn.”

Green’s hopes to continue her accomplishments. Green says that she hopes students will learn to “... not be scared to come out and do different sports, and that just because they’re black doesn’t mean they should pass on important opportunities.”

When asked about how she discovered she was the first African American female on varsity, Alyse states that, “It was my mom’s idea to look into it, and I’m glad she did.” Green then described how surprised she was by the discovery, considering how

assists and blocks on the team. But what does this mean for the Lady Bulldogs?

Seven out of seventeen players on the team will be graduating next year, including Foster, so it may be up to Ziolkowski to build the team up. However, the team and coaching staff have faith for next year’s squad.

“I think that there are a lot of kids that are hungry, that have been waiting for their opportunity. We had a great JV season, so there are a lot of younger kids that have been waiting behind these seniors and the senior before them and my hope is that they learned leadership wise, how to treat people, and how to do all the great things that these seven seniors have exemplified on a daily basis,” Coach Chris Seibert said.

The senior players on the team are looking towards graduation, and are reflecting on their basketball careers.

“My career overall was awesome, I learned so many things from basketball and met lots of wonderful people along the way,” Foster said. “[But,] I would change losing to Valpo twice so that we could’ve won sectionals.”

long Crown Point has been around.

Green’s bright future is ahead of her. “I’ve been looking at colleges to go to a Division 1 school, but we’ll have to wait and see where that goes,” Alyse said.

Regardless of where Green’s diving career takes her in life, it is undeniable that this young woman has worked hard to get where she is today. Her talent has led her to make history, and by daring to dive, Green has opened up opportunities for countless young women of color to gain courage as athletes and achieve their dreams.

Senior Brooke Lindesmith prepares to recieve the ball. Lindesmith has been on varsity all four years of high school.

PHOTO BY MCKENZIE POER

Junior Alyse Green dives into the water. Green is passionate about bringing exposure to young African American varsity athletes.

PHOTO BY ISABELLA VALENZUELA

Winter Sports Gallery

2 3 4 5 6

1

1: Senior AJ Lux goes up for a layup. Photo by: Myles Verpooten

2: Junior Elly Kiran executes a split leap on the balance beam. Photo by: Regan Sapon

3: Senior Orlando Cruz wins his match at sectionals. Photo by: Emilee Lucht

4: Freshman Avery Lopez begins to take down her opponent. Photo by: Alyssa Torres

5: Senior Brooke Lindesmith looks to pass to her teammate. Photo by: Elizabeth Lunn

6: Freshman Kaitlin Flewelling begins to dive off the board. Photo by: Izzy Valenzuela

7: Sophomore Gia Gagianas dribbles down the court. Photo by: Elizabeth Lunn

8: Junior Yohanna Calzonzi executes the backstroke. Photo by: Izzy Valenzuela

9: Junior Will Clark looks to his opponent. Photo by: Emilee Lucht

10: The cheerleading squad cheers on the sidelines. Photo by: Hayden Kay

11: Senior Marianne Gerona, Junior Kalliopi Sakalaros, and Junior Reese Rettig perform at halftime. Photo by: Amani Aman

12: Sophomore Logan Skura drives to the basket. Photo by: Caitlyn Osika

“A Little Life” Puts Love into Perspective Through Impact of Small Moments

BY GRACE CAPPAS [lead writer]

A single man and his three friends, an unspeakable childhood trauma, money, fame, love and loss– a big impact, but a little life. In Hanya Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life, we follow our main character Jude St. Francis and his friends throughout the span of a whole lifetime.

This was one of the best and worst books I have ever read. Yanagihara’s writing style is evocative and stunning, making you smile or bringing you to tears. The reality in which she writes her characters is moving yet heartbreaking, and while some of it is dark, it’s also the little moments that show what real love and friendship means- being there for each other through the good and the bad.

But be warned– this book is not for everyone. Part of what makes this book touching is its incredible darkness, and it deals with various serious topics and traumas that are not

suitable for everyone to read.

Nonetheless, this book changed me as a person. Reading this I reached new depths and felt heartbreak for characters that felt so real, I would spend hours thinking about it even after I finished reading.

I can and cannot recommend reading this novel. The writing style and stories were simply beautiful, and it will make you question things and feel emotions in ways you didn’t know you could feel for imaginary characters.

On another hand, it was incredibly dark (maybe a bit too much)due to its graphic regard to triggering subjects, leaving nothing for the imagination. There were times where I had to put it down, so all I can say is proceed with caution.

No matter what this novel was, good or bad, A Little Life was undeniably one thing– art. It meant everything and nothing at once. It was big, and little.

Best of the B T E S

BY AVERY MOORE [staff support]

Best Show

Grey’s Anatomy is a show about a team of doctors who must overcome problems, both personal and professional, in order to survive their residency and become surgeons. The show is packed with entertaining drama and medical information, allowing viewers to be amused and informed simultaneously.

Best Shoes

BY ASHLEY JOHNSON [support staff]

“The car goes where your eyes go;” one of the most famous lines from the critically acclaimed novel The Art of Racing in the Rain. Lessons in the book are taught through Denny, a Formula One race car driver, who has to maneuver life with his wife Eve, daughter Zoë, and dog Enzo. Enzo tells the story from his point of view as he grows up and learns the way of human life. Denny dreams of being up in the big-league races, but when his wife becomes terminally ill, he has to give up his career to look after his family. Some days are better than others, but it all comes to a halt when they finally find out that Eve has cancer. In battles with recovery, grief, and overbearing in-laws, this novel helps us understand the human experience through the eyes of a dog.

This realistic-fiction novel portrays the struggles of life, but also the beauty of it. Enzo has lived his life as a dog, and even though he was

surrounded by grief for a large part of it, he still wanted to become human. The author, Garth Stein, beautifully executed this novel with the way his writing really sucks you in, and before you know it, you find yourself relating to the dog on a soul level.

This book stuck with me, and I can find myself thinking about the deeper meaning. The symbols shown throughout, such as the rain and Zoe’s zebra, help to explain things in a less straightforward way, making the reader dig deeper to make connections. When you figure out what something stands for or read a certain quote, it feels like a euphoric moment.

This story is truly beautiful, and the more you read, the more you feel emotionally changed. Stein created a book about the human experience that is deeper than it seems. This beautiful story helps us understand the beauty in the unpredictability of life, much like how it is when we fearfully drive through a slippery rainstorm.

Converse are a versatile, comfortable, and durable shoe that goes with every outfit ever. People can wear them to prom and then to play basketball with their friends the very next day. Converse are the perfect shoe. They’re cute, affordable, and are almost constantly in style.

Best Book

The Silent Patient follows the life of a psychotherapist as he unravels the story behind the mysterious Alicia; a woman who shot her husband six years ago and never spoke again. This book is full of twists and turns, and will leave you speechless

“Art of Racing in the Rain” shines beauty found in life’s unpredicability, from dog’s prespective

Started at Crown Point in 1992

Julie Elston

Crown Point High School 1500 S. Main St. Crown Point, IN.

Volume 87 Issue 2 March 2023

30 years there’s just time to go to the next phase,” Elston said.

Elston has been teaching for 30 years, and the majority of those years were spent in Crown Point. She built Inklings to what it is today from both her hard work and dedication. When she was in high school she never really thought about going into a field pertaining to journalism.

“My counselor recommended that I take journalism,” Elston said. “He said that it just seemed like something I’d enjoy and be good at.”

Eventually she says that she got “bit by the bug” and has had a passion for it ever since. That passion took her to college, gaining her bachelors in Journalism at Indiana University, and quickly started teaching at Griffith, staying there for eight years.

“I blended my love of journalism with my love of teaching,” Elston said.

There, she advised both the Yearbook staff and Journalism staff resulting in hundreds of issues of newspapers and yearbooks.

BY KATIE MAHLE [lead writer]

Julie Elston is a long standing and beloved Journalism/English teacher at Crown Point High School, and she has been teaching those classes for a little over 30 years. Elston paved a path for many of her students, using her expertise to help win awards and coach students in their journalism journey.

Elston originally started teaching both Yearbook and Journalism in Griffith before taking a break to be with her newly born daughters and then later coming to Crown Point to exclusively teach Journalism.

While she was advising the Crown Point student newspaper, Inklings, they went on to win Top State Honors and even Top National Honors. Many of the journalism students that she has taught throughout the years have gone on to become finalists including State Journalist of the Year and Collegiate Journalist of the Year. They were also recognized as the Hoosier Star, NSPA Pacemaker, CSPA Gold Crown, and Quill and Scroll George H. Remarkably, the last year that Elston had taught her journalism students the Inklings were inducted into the hall of fame. Not only did she lead her students to victory, but Elston was also awarded by the IHSPA for being the 2012 Adviser of the Year, as well as for being Crown Point’s Education Association’s 2013 Crystal Bell Teacher of the Year.

“When I look back through my advising career I think, what was it that my staff wasn’t able to accomplish?” Elston said.

Even though Elston had gone through every high

and low with her students, she somehow managed to always put her students first and make sure everyone knew the hard work they put into creating every article of every edition.

In order to be inducted into the hall of fame, you must be nominated. Before getting the surprise that their name would be up in the hall of fame, they earned 10 All-American ratings from the NSPA Critique Service within an 11-year span.

“I’m really proud of all of the staff I was able to work with, and all of the achievements and pinnacles they were able to reach. What more could I have asked for?” Elston said.

Elston would continuously look back,

reminiscing on all the memories that she had made with her former students, and although she is still currently teaching at Crown Point High School she will always miss the days that she was the Inkling’s advisor.

“Life has different stages,” Elston said, “It’s not because I didn’t love it, it’s just because after

Her first Crown Point publication was in 1992. While teaching and advising the Journalism editors, Elston had ups and downs. COVID-19 definitely changed the newspaper, resulting in there being no more physical newspaper. Instead, Elston and the staff decided to change the format to a magazine, allowing for more pictures and design.

“I’ve been so blessed because the talent of the students who I was able to work with. I mean they all had their wonderful moments and their wonderful publications,” Elston said “but the achievements that they’ve reached were the highest and I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Both Elston and the students had to adapt to these abrupt changes, but the biggest change was Elston’s last year advising Inklings.

“It was a great ride, there’s nothing but fun memories attached to my time here being an Inkling’s advisor,” Elston said.

She will forever be known as a great teacher and advisor. Her work ethic pushed many students to who they are today.

“I’m still in contact with so many of them, and I know that beyond high school they are just wonderful people whether they’ve gone into journalism or not they’ve used their talents in so many ways,” Elston said.

Being able to win awards and impact others with teaching is definitely a gift she possessed. Now she can be seen teaching English at Crown Point still spreading her love of learning with the next generation.

“The first publication or the 30th year, it’s something in which there’s nothing like it,” Elston said. “A former student said it best, where you work on something for so long and then you’re holding it in your hands and he just said ‘Oh my gosh! We made this!”

“I’m really proud of all of the staff I was able to work with, and all of the achievements and pinnacles they were able to reach. What more could I have asked for?”

- teacher Julie Elston

Inkings 2022 staff celebrates various honors and awards from the many accomplishments over the years.

SPOTLIGHT

Q: Why do you think you gravitate towards

It’s therapeutic. When you’re drawing it feels like you’re putting your emotion to it, whether it’s fictional or even what people call venting, it’s your own way of making your own therapy. It’s most of how my art is, it’s therapeutic or calming and it’s the only way that I

Q: What would you say to a begining

Stop watching youtube videos and tutorials. If I’m being honest, you’re copying what the artist is doing, you aren’t what you want to do. Developing your own art syle is the key thing to do when being an artist. Don’t try adapting someone else’s art style because it’s not going to be all that original and you always have to be original. Like DC Speech says, if you copy something you’re not learning much you’re just copying it. Just look at an image and just draw

Q: Disregarding money, what

I think my dream job is just animation. I want to try to work with Skybound Studios, which are the people who made Invincible,

or I’ll just try to create my own studio and try to create a show myself. I’ll try to make it more different than what you usually see, make it a lot more unpredictable, so it’s a lot more enjoyable to watch.

Q: How did you figure out you liked art?

A: I think back in kindergarten, I drew a picture of a pizza. My teacher thought it looked amazing, and I thought, “I should do this more often!” That’s when I started drawing, and then when I was 14, I started reading marvel comics. But, ever since I started reading those it made me want to create my own scenarios and characters.

And that’s what made me want to get into art, there were also moments, because when I was at a young age I dealt with a lot of mental issues, so I had to go through alone, since I didn’t have much help. I had to draw a lot. And it was the only way that could get me out of the situation. That’s kind of why I thought it was therapeutic. Not only because it was an inspiration from comics but it also felt calming to me.

Q:

Do you

think it is better to be creative or academically smart?

A: I think creativity is a lot more important, because it ties in a lot with being academically smart. Because when you’re being creative, you’re creating your own things. I don’t know how to put it, I just feel like creativity is a lot more important, with how some schools do it; sometimes they limit creativity to what some kids used to know because now it’s more ‘we’re gonna give you this you’re going to only do it this way’, it just completely destroys how the kids think creativity should be.