Advice

BY KYRA MOTYKA

Editor

Being a young adult living in your parents’ home as you develop into your own person is challenging. An effective way to stay independent and have time alone is personalizing your room. As we all get older, our rooms should mature with us, especially if it’s the room we grew up in. Senior Kaitlyn Luetgert said fully refurnishing a room to your liking could cost a few thousand dollars, but simply redecorating would only be about 10 percent of that price. “To fully redecorate without buying new furniture would only cost 200 to 300 dollars,” Luetgert said. Senior Emma Obremski agreed that you could fully redecorate your room for under $500. “A full revamp would be between 1,000 and 2,000 dollars, depending on if you get everything brand new, or if it’s hand-me-downs or whatever, but I’d say that just for decorating, it’d be closer to like 300 or 500 dollars,” Obremski said. Both girls said going out and buying decorations can be easy as long as you know what you want. “Target, especially for fake plants, Yankee Candle because candles are room decor, Amazon, especially for lights like LEDs or fairy lights, are all good places to shop for interior decorations,” Luetgert said. “Even just opening candles without lighting them produces a scent throw that will create a smell and ambiance in the room.” Obremski’s favorite places can all be found locally on Randall Rd. “I really like that At Home place or Marshalls, places that are discounted. I like to keep the price down. I got my comforter at Bed Bath & Beyond,” Obremski said. “My bed is my favorite thing in my room. The comforter and pillows are Ugg, and all of it is so soft, and I love it. I have a fuzzy blanket underneath; it’s so cozy, and it’s all topped with pretty sheets.”

Luetgert’s favorite room decoration is a homemade collage-wall that includes miscellaneous photos that all fall into one aesthetic.

“I have a collage-wall that has a bunch of pictures and also has some 3D items, and it’s all black and white. Some of the stuff on my other walls is DIY, and I have glass bottles with lights inside of them hanging,” Luetgert said.

Obremski also made some of her own things. She put together the majority of her furniture.

“I built my nightstand, a cubicle thing and my desk, and I DIY’d two woven baskets. I put them upside down on the floor and put my mirror on top of it. It really heightens the mirror and finishes the look,” Obremski said.

Finishing touches, such as Obremski’s mirror, aid in the process of cultivating a theme or unique look for your room. Luetgert uses lighting to create her ambiance.

“I try to do light colors and minimalist as my theme, and the vibe of my room is relaxing, or it can be productive. It all depends on the windows and lighting,” Luetgert said.

Many teenage girls tend to follow a minimalistic design. Obremski’s vibe is very similar to Luetgert’s.

“My theme is pink, orange and a rusty red. [It’s] definitely boho, minimalistic and clean. The vibe of my room is comforting and safe. It’s all very simple and relaxed,” Obremski said.

While the girls have different rooms and different themes, the overall vibe is very much the same. Personalizing your room should be a liberating form of self-expression.

HOW TO DIY A HANGING SHELF BY KAMRON SCHOLL

Sophomore Kamron Scholl said his DIY decor of choice would be a hanging shelf. According to Scholl’s plan of action, this DIY could be completed in eight steps.

1. Get a wood plank that is a size of your choice from somewhere like Menards. 2. Sand it so you won’t get splinters. 3. Measure four holes (two to a side) that are an even distance from each end (using a measuring tape), and mark the designated spots. 4. Drill the holes. 5. Buy thin rope from somewhere like Hobby Lobby. 6. Put two ropes through the holes. 7. Tie the ropes at the bottom. 8. Hang the shelf on a wall.

Cartoon by Dane Coyne

Cartoon by Anna Olp Kaneland High School has a total of 1,375 students this year, and we come from nine different communities. Rather than sticking to the same social groups we came into high school with, we should embrace the opportunity to meet and learn from other people while we’re here.

BROADENING SOCIAL CIRCLES

For as long as most of us can remember, we’ve been watching cheesy high school flicks and hearing stories of the social hierarchy that is embedded into high school. Most of us have probably also experienced this firsthand. While we all know of the existence of these cliques, we don’t often question their purpose. Why do we have different social groups, and why is it nearly impossible to blend them? Humans are made to 20 form groups. Finding similarities and creating connections play a key role in our well-being. This is nothing new; the idea of social groups dates back to thousands of years ago when humans had not even fully evolved yet. While it may not be obvious, our livelihood and sanity depends on being a part of social groups. Even so, our perception of them may be skewed in that some of us become so dependent on our tight knit cliques that we judge those not in our inner circle. Many high school students become confined to these groups, which are typically solely based on common interests. For example, band students are friends with band students, football players are friends with football players and so on. Other times, friendships can be based on things like common culture, where we grew up or academic classes. Especially in high school, the only time students will talk to those who aren’t considered to be a part of their social group is when they’re forced to do so. However, we don’t limit our social interactions because we are rude, small-minded or pretentious. It’s human nature for us to find natural comfort with those who are like us. While sticking with people who are similar to you is a great way to make friends, it’s not the only way. If we can move out of that comfort zone, great things can happen.

One of the most evident benefits to breaking this conformity is seeing life from a different point of view. Whether the topic is political views, religious beliefs or even trivial opinions, talking to new people will open your eyes to many things. The same thing can be said about athletics, clubs

0and classes. For example, speaking to someone who is into literature may make you realize you love to write, and seeing someone who is successful in a sport may push you to try out for something new.

As we age, more of us get jobs, join sports or clubs and are put in many situations where we can’t choose whom we are surrounded by. These conditions tend to be anxiety inducing because they lead to very unfamiliar feelings. But if we are able to put those feelings aside and embrace the situation, we’ll learn that there is nothing to fear. We’re all the same, in that everyone is just looking for a connection. But being different is what makes those connections interesting.

Once you move on from this cliche idea of having to fit into just one group, you can connect with people on a real, deeper level, and not only have friendships based on similarities. The more you do this, the easier it will become.

Sticking to cliques is something we must leave in the past; it’s a part of middle school and high school culture that we should be quick to shed, especially as it could lead to immature tendencies like judging others. Becoming an adult and growing up means opening your mind, broadening your horizons, understanding those who hold different values than you and getting to know new people.

Kaneland High School 47W326 Keslinger Rd. Maple Park, IL 60151 (630) 365-5100 www.kanelandkrier.com

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Sophia Opp Co-Editor-in-Chief of Print

Madeleine Little Editor-in-Chief of Web EXECUTIVE STAFF

Nicholas Mitchinson Co-Editor-in-Chief of Print & Sports/Activities Executive Sarah Janito Production Executive Anna Olp Design Executive & Photography Executive

Gabrielle Parker Ad/Business Executive

MANAGING EDITOR STAFF

Casey Walters Technology Manager

Karmyn Hookham Social Media Manager Ayshe Ali Assistant to the Advisor

EDITORIAL STAFF

Lifestyle Kyra Motyka

News 1 Alan Tapia

Voices Samantha Dunne

Sports Braden Babka Feature 1 Zoey Pozen

Centerspread Ashley Vanderhoff

Advice Paige Whiteside

Opinion 1 Sarah Janito Opinion 2 Sarah Janito

News 2 Casey Walters

Feature 2 Kevin Sigrist Editorial Sophia Opp

Profile Anna Olp

Photos Madison Kleivo Advertisements Gabrielle Parker

STAFF Taylor Anello, Ashlyn Becker, Lilliana Bobe, Ethan Bollhoffer, Delaney Calabrese, Lyla Christakes, Dane Coyne, Chloe Crewse, Arianna Failor, Kira Helm, Tiffany Johnson, Rafika Khan, Jackson Kottmeyer, Elliot Krippelz, Alexander McLean, Abbey Mondi, Cameron Neis, Katherine Pfotenhauer, Sophie Ponce de Leon, Angelina Provenzano, Sarah Schimmel, Mikalah Seward, Elizabeth Sidman, Jordan Theis, Andrew Valentini, Kisella Valignota, Sofia Williams

Cartoonists Lilliana Bobe, Dane Coyne and Anna Olp Print Production

Bradley Vohs Lauryn Moneta

Eli Jeppesen

ADVISORS

Dominic Bruno Krier advisor Nicole Larsen Print advisor

EDITORIAL POLICY

Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board and are not necessarily the opinion of Kaneland administration, staff, students or parents. The Krier Editorial Board consists of designated Advanced Journalism students: Ayshe Ali, Braden Babka, Samantha Dunne, Karmyn Hookham, Sarah Janito, Madison Kleivo, Madeleine Little, Nicholas Mitchinson, Kyra Motyka, Anna Olp, Sophia Opp, Gabrielle Parker, Zoey Pozen, Kevin Sigrist, Alan Tapia, Ashley Vanderhoff, Casey Walters, Benjamin Warford and Paige Whiteside. Students make all publication decisions. Letters can be sent to the address above or e-mailed to krier@kaneland.org. Letters must be signed (names may be withheld under extraordinary circumstances as deemed by the editorial staff) and must be under 300 words. The Editorial Board has the right to work with writers to edit for clarity and length. Any material that is potentially libelous, obscene or disruptive will not be published, at the discretion of the Editorial Board. All decisions to publish or not publish letters are made by executive editors. The Krier has been an open forum since 1974. As an open forum, we restrict editing to staff members only; prior review and editing are prohibited by people outside the staff.

BY SARAH JANITO

Production Executive

One way people cope with tragedies and traumas after experiencing them is making jokes about these events. While it can be effective and relieving to be able to laugh about them, there is a difference between coping and being plain offensive. I, for one, am able to laugh about plenty of things that have scarred me throughout my life, but my jokes and laughing never consist of wishing my traumas on another person or making fun of someone with similar experiences just because I’m comfortable enough to laugh and talk about mine. For example, comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson’s father died on one of America’s most tragic days, 9/11. Since he was so young and has come to peace with losing his father, he is able to make himself (and possibly others who have lost close relatives) feel better about the situation by including some material about this incident in his comedy sketches. No matter what people think about what he says, Davidson is able to face his tragedies head on and come to terms with them in his own way. But again, there is a difference between how Davidson copes with what happened to his family in 2001 and making insensitive jokes about that day as a whole. That does not stop us from still being insensitive at times, however. Because all of our experiences are different, we may not be affected by a tragedy like others. As a whole, society tends to be desensitized to other traumatic events, and we sometimes do not think about what we say beforehand. There are plenty of examples of issues that we do not often think about, but we need to start doing so more often. This can range from the lack of diversity in the media to humane issues like declawing cats, but a prime example of something we can and should be more aware of and affected by are the many school shootings we have seen in recent years. In fact, it seems like the last time we were really affected by an issue like this was when Nikolas Cruz openly fired on his former high school in Parkland, FL, in 2018. When shootings since then have happened, when I look around all I see is people either not having heard about it at all or saying “that’s so sad” and moving on with their day. Contrary to reactions from our peers, however, tragedies like school shootings are devastating and seem to be brushed off by students, and it is truly surprising to see how little gets through to us. Is our lack of sensitivity due to social media, video games and other media? It is possible and has been researched, but it is up to us to have a heart about tragic things and empathize with people directly affected by something traumatic. While humor is a widely-used coping technique, some use it as an excuse to be rude to others. There is a line between having a dry or dark sense of humor and being inconsiderate, and many cross that line. It is not up to us to make jokes to try and help another person feel better about a situation; it is up to them to reach a place to be able to laugh about it and make a joke here and there. If you can play a part in making them feel better when they ask for help, that is the best option.

In most cases, we should not make jokes unless we have had a personal experience and have had time to live in it and work through it. There may be some running jokes that are deemed acceptable, such as comparing COVID to the beer brand Corona, or mocking disgraced actor Armie Hammer after he was exposed for alleged cannibalism. Sometimes it can be comedic to make fun of an extreme situation to take away some seriousness, but it would definitely not be as funny if I told someone whose family member is struggling with COVID, “You better not make them laugh; they already can’t breathe!” In fact, my brother had COVID a few months ago and at the time, he was the only one not qualified for the vaccine in our house. The rest of us never contracted it from him, and he recovered. It was not a big deal in our house, but others have had family members pass away from this. This experience did not affect me personally, but I can still recognize how easily this and other sensitive topics strongly affect others. With that knowledge, I can actively choose to not say anything about someone else’s situation, especially if I do not know all the details. It should not be all that hard to simply not comment on something you do not have firsthand knowledge of, but we overstep boundaries more than we think we do.

Not only can we be insensitive to traumatic events like hurricanes or assaults, but other social topics like racism and politics as well. It truly astounded me to see the amount of people who stayed silent during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and how dividing it was across the country. We should not have to sit back and ponder whether or not Black, Asian, Hispanic or any other lives are important (which they are). By choosing not to speak up about something serious, that is ignoring the problem and ignoring those directly affected by it. Sitting back and shrugging something serious off is far worse than speaking up about it or being able to say, “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” to someone who is hurting. Apologizing for being offensive, intentional or not, can be difficult, but it has to be done sooner or later. We cannot keep going on thinking that it is okay to say whatever we want to say to whomever we want to say it to.

People can certainly be overly sensitive at times, but we need to recognize when it is not okay to make jokes about certain topics and stand together when sensitive issues are presented. We should never divide from each other or be intentionally offensive to others, and we should learn to apologize when we do offend someone. We are all growing and learning together.

Cartoon by Lilliana Bobe Most social media users regularly get alerts of breaking news and shocking events. Because this is such a regular occurrence and is often presented casually in the media, it is typical to feel no reaction to these alerts.

BY ANNA OLP

Design Executive and Photography Executive

Allow me to paint a picture for you: You’re walking through your elementary school’s cafeteria and take a seat at your assigned table. A poster hung on the wall right next to your table depicts a burly football player holding a full glass of milk. “Got milk?” it reads. Now as an impressionable elementary schooler with a milk carton probably already on your lunch tray, you may have wondered, “If I drink all of my milk, will I look like that guy?” The answer is no.

In no way can you attribute the fitness of a professional football player to drinking milk. This is just one way the importance of milk in a healthy diet has been exaggerated by the U.S. government. For as long as you and I can remember, we’ve been told that milk is essential. A glass of milk has been on every food chart since the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) first food guide focused on the nutritional needs of children, according to a USDA pamphlet from 1916 called Food for Young Children. The truth is, milk is a completely replaceable aspect of your diet.

According to Vasanti Malik, a nutrition research scientist with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “Eating a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of green leafy vegetables and nuts can better help you get the calcium and protein you need rather than relying too much on dairy.” Milk contains many beneficial nutrients, but there are other ways of getting these nutrients just the same.

People prove every day that you can be a healthy individual without drinking milk. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, some 30 million to 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant. There are many options available to substitute dairy milk for people who fall into this category.

“If you can’t have milk as a part of your diet, there are other alternatives. Soy milk is one of the better choices as an alternative for the protein in cow’s milk, and it is often enriched with calcium,” Northwestern Medicine Dietitian Mary Zupke said.

The negative effects of some dairy products don’t stop at those who are lactose intolerant. Dairy that is heavier in fats can be detrimental to anyone’s heart health.

“We recommend low fat dairy mostly because of heart health. We want to make sure we are not overdoing it with the high saturated fat forms of dairy such as sour cream, cream cheese or whipped cream. These can provide a lot of calories and saturated fats, which might not be good for cardiac health,” Zupke said.

The USDA emphasizes the importance of drinking nonfat milk and recommends adults and teens drink three cups a day. The USDA’s recommendation for how much milk you drink isn’t the only place you’ve probably been told to drink milk.

Milk has been advertised to its consumers in the United States for decades. According to USDairy.com, “In 1940, dairy farmers found the American Dairy Administration to promote U.S. milk products to consumers through advertising and retail promotions.” The American Dairy Association is also known for its milk advertisements from the 50s and 60s.

An action initiated by dairy farmers and the government is the dairy checkoff. According to the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, “The Dairy Research and Promotion Program, also known as the Dairy Checkoff Program, is a national producer and importer program for dairy product promotion, research, and nutrition education.” The dairy checkoff functions by having dairy farmers pay a mandatory fee based on how much milk they have sold. The fees go to different outlets that promote the sales of dairy, including advertisements telling people to buy more milk. The USDA approves these ad campaigns, and they are circulated throughout the U.S. The “Got milk?” ads mentioned previously are one example of the checkoff in action.

Dairy Management Inc., an organization associated with the dairy checkoff, works with “dairy and food industry leaders who want to work to increase sales of their foods that include dairy products and ingredients to meet mutual business and consumer interests,” according to their website, USDairy.com. Many of the food items they promote are not healthy.

The fees paid to the dairy checkoff also promote partnerships with companies like Domino’s, Taco Bell, McDonalds and Starbucks to develop dairy-heavy menu items. When you think of these places, proper nutrition probably isn’t what first comes to mind. Fast food with extra cheese and blended drinks made with whole milk are examples of items on these menus. Brands that also fall under this category are some with products commonly associated with milk, including Oreo and General Mills. It seems contradictory that the same people who write our nutrition guidelines are promoting items that are so unhealthy.

So why? Why does the government care so much that we continue to consume dairy? The answer is obviously money. Dairy companies cough up millions of dollars towards politicians who are willing to protect their interests whenever nutrition guidelines resurface every five years to be reviewed. Dairy farmers are practically paying the government to say that milk is an essential part of our diet through government-issued food charts. According to the National Farmers Union, “The dairy industry accounts for 1 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generating an economic impact of $628 billion.”

Even though there are other ways to get the same nutrition milk provides, it is still marketed as a necessity. Milk isn’t irreplaceable, and it shouldn’t be marketed as something we all need in our diets.

Cartoon by Lilliana Bobe The USDA currently recommends that teens and adults drink three cups of milk per day. There are other ways, though, of getting the same calcium and protein that drinking milk can provide.

BY ASHLEY VANDERHOFF

Editor

Italian foreign exchange student Alessandra Riva is no stranger to world travel. She fondly recalls her experiences in Greece for its beautiful sea and breathtaking mountains, which has led to her remembering that country as one of her favorites. But it wasn’t just the culture, the people and the food that Riva loved about Greece; she especially loved visiting a church featured in one of her favorite movies, Mamma Mia! Riva has visited several unique countries throughout Europe. However, this year is her first experience in the United States. She arrived in Illinois near the start of the 2021-22 school year and is currently attending Kaneland as a senior. While she has always had a passion for traveling, her caring and open personality suits her well for her current adventure, which is being a foreign exchange student. Riva loves meeting new people and tries especially hard to do so when staying in a new country. “It may look easy, but it’s really not because you’re in another country, where everything is different, [with] another language. I push myself a lot to get to know other people,” Riva said. Riva is a part of AFS Intercultural Programs, which she loves and appreciates for the opportunities it has given her. Of course, she still faces many challenging circumstances. While a friend of Riva’s who was once a foreign exchange student herself received confirmation of her host family months prior to meeting them, Riva only knew of her host family two weeks before leaving Italy. Thus, the opportunity to have many calls and text chains to get to know the family was removed. Instead, Riva was only able to exchange a few emails with the family before she was off. Also, through the program, Riva was able to choose the top five countries she would like to visit, with the United States being number one, but she did not get to pick where in the country she would stay; she could have ended up anywhere from Alaska to Florida. However, this factor never deterred her from the journey. “If you want to do this, you just have to be ready for everything. You grow a lot from when you leave. I’ve been here just three months, and I feel like I’m already a different person than I was before. If you want to do this, you have to be prepared to end up in a place that’s not what you expected, but I think that’s most of the experience,” Riva said. She emphasizes that while going to another country is obviously nerve-wracking, the experience is worth it. Not only does she enjoy experiencing the cultural differences, but she explains that the venture is a growing one. The program builds self-confidence and is life-changing.

Lucrezia, Riva’s sister who is with her family in Saronno, Italy, also sees Riva as an intelligent and outgoing person. She admires her sister - whom she calls Ale - for her desire to help others, and she says her fondest memories with Ale are just having fun and spending time together.

“One of the best memories I have of Ale is a week we spent together in our house [in Alagna Valsesia in the alpine valley in northern Italy], just the two of us. We studied, went hiking and enjoyed our time together,” Lucrezia said.

Riva loves sightseeing in the countries she visits. More specifically, she likes to focus on what the country has to offer over activities you can just do anywhere.

“One thing that I [never] do when I travel is eat anything that is international. I always eat the local food. Usually, I go to a small restaurant, even if they are less touristy,” Riva said.

Riva loves AFS because it is one of the only programs where foreign exchange students are able to meet each other.

“I’ve met exchange students that live in Geneva or St. Charles that are from all around the world. We’re going to Chicago together, like 25 people, and it’s going to be so cool because you’re with people from all around the world,” Riva said.

One activity Riva took part in to meet new people at Kaneland was cross country. Despite participating in middle school track in Italy, she did not consider herself that strong of a runner. She was more focused on meeting her teammates. Of course, meeting so many new people at once can be slightly overwhelming. Riva mentioned how hard it was to remember everyone’s names at first. Still, she ended up making friends and never regretted the experience.

Another aspect of Kaneland that Riva loves is the relationships you can build with the teachers and students. While she of course loves her home country, she notices major differences between schools there and in the U.S., and she loves the positivity of Kaneland. She admires the concept of someone stopping you in the halls to compliment you on your outfit. This is something that does not regularly occur, she said, back in Italy. Overall, she seems to value and favor relationships over strict rules.

“[In Italy,] you have to be very respectful with your teachers. So you literally feel that you’re under them, like you’re not level...Here I love that you can have this relationship with your teachers,” Riva said.

Riva developed the idea of becoming a foreign exchange student by herself when her own family hosted international students in Italy. The host experience allowed her to make great friends, particularly a foreign exchange student from Finland who became like a sister. ”I hosted her like four years ago, but we’re still really close. Then I hosted a guy from China, one from Indonesia and one from Brazil. So you get all the cultures, and it’s really cool,” Riva said.

Junior Madeline Kerry, one of Riva’s friends, described Riva as comforting, open and generous. Some of her favorite memories with Riva don’t stem from planned meet-ups, but more from the spontaneous things they did together.

“[She is] always saying the nicest things about people,” Kerry said. “[She is] very sharing with her time and making sure everyone’s happy,” Kerry said.

When asked what career she might pursue in the future, Riva mentioned going into the medical field, saying it was a dream of hers. And while she still has a year left of high school to complete back in Italy, she is open to the idea of her career path changing. Still, one aspect stood above the rest when thinking about her future: her biggest motivation to become a doctor is to help people.

“I thought about becoming a doctor in middle school, and it was just because I found out about Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian medical non-government organization. [I was] just thinking about volunteering,” Riva said.

Riva hopes to visit more countries, and traveling is not something she plans to stop doing any time soon. South America and Africa are continents she would still like to see to truly experience. It is clear that Riva is very open-minded and a lover of diverse cultures, and she has very pure and respectable values. She emphasizes the beauty of our diverse world and changing as a person in the process. Riva admitted that while it may be a little cheesy, a saying she mentioned to me still holds true.

“It’s not a year in a life but a life in a year,” Riva said.

Once Riva leaves the U.S., she will be most thankful for the memories.