Kaneland Krier Volume 49 Issue 2

UNREALISTIC PORTRAYALS

Acknowledging and facing the reality of the world around us

antee in life, but it’s important to realize that these ideas are often inaccurate. Incor rect portrayals are extremely common and can come from various forms of media, representations exist throughout the life of a high schooler, seemingly more now than ever, where life is changing at a very rapid pace. Acknowledging that these miscon

THE IMPACTS OF CONSUMING FAST FASHION

BY SELA VALIGNOTA Editor and Co-Podcast Manager

For many teenagers and young adults, buying from big brands like Forever 21, Shein and Zara is the cheapest and most accessible way to acquire stylish clothing. These types of stores run their businesses around fast fashion, where they rapidly produce inexpensive clothing that corresponds with the latest trends.

For a high school student, choosing a store that is inexpensive and convenient can be what makes it most appealing. Junior Mikalah Seward is a frequent shopper of fast fashion brands and likes them for their affordability and wide selection of options.

“I shop at [fast fashion stores] a lot and get most of my clothes from there,” Seward said. “I like that they’re cheaper and that I can always find what I’m looking for because of its diversity. I think that fast fashion makes it easy to change your style and have your own uniqueness.”

These stores move at a pace fast enough to consistently keep up with what’s in style, while also providing their products at a cheap price. Being able to access trendy and affordable clothes is not only accommodating for unemployed high school students, but also for other people who don’t have the advantage of buying higher-priced clothing.

However, the result of such low prices is a high amount of people buying these lower-quality products in excessive amounts and treating them as disposable. Additionally, these low prices are made possible by unethically treated workers creating these clothes in mass environmentally-damaging production facilities.

Today, fashion trends come and go extremely quickly. Most trends become outdated and irrelevant in less than a year. In 2021, popular style trends consisting of patterns of colorful and funky flowers and distorted shapes began surfacing. However, like most trends, those styles became outdated and irrelevant in less than a year. The quick pace of what is in and out of fashion only encourages consumers to buy from fast fashion brands. With mass production of certain trends being sold and then quickly tossed aside due to irrelevance, the waste starts to pile up.

In an article from the Princeton Student Climate Initiative called The Impact of Fast Fashion on the Environment, contributor Ngan Le writes about the environmental effects of fast fashion.

“Whether it is simply growing out of the clothes or that the clothes are no

longer in style, a significant proportion of the population opts to throw away their clothes instead of donating them,” Le said. “57% of all discarded clothing ends up in landfills; the landfills start to pile up, then the trash is moved to an area to be incinerated.”

Though it isn’t only fast fashion brand buyers who contribute to this problem, shopping from stores that mass produce low-quality clothing can encourage consumers to dispose of them more easily compared to other brands. Science teacher Amanda Dekker has not only heard of the build-up of discarded clothing in landfills but also recognizes how a lot of it may not decompose.

“[Clothing from fast fashion brands] is considered disposable because the material is known to fall apart. This creates a whole [new type of waste] that is being added and creates more garbage that’s impacting the environment,” Dekker said. “While cotton is going to break down and degrade pretty quickly, some of the synthetic fabrics will not.”

Shein is one of the biggest fast fashion companies and is known by most high school students due to its cheap prices and online accessibility. While it is known for its convenience and inexpensiveness, Shein also holds a reputation for its excessive production rates compared to other brands, as well as its unethical labor practices.

Brightly, a website dedicated to raising awareness on sustainable living with everyday products, featured an article by Kyler Fuller called The Truth About Shein: How Sustainable and Ethical is the Fast Fashion Brand? The article describes incidents where Shein customers received questionable packaging, bringing attention to the unethical practices that many clothing brands are involved in.

“In June 2022, videos went viral on social media claiming that Shein employees were hiding messages in the clothes they produced. One such tag allegedly had ‘need your help’ written within the care instructions,” Fuller wrote. “A recent report found fast fashion retailer Fashion Nova — one of Shein’s competitors — was using underpaid labor in Los Angeles factories as recently as 2019, despite wage laws. Some sewers were paid as little as $2.77 an hour, far below the minimum wage.”

Shein isn’t the only clothing brand that is involved with questionable labor practices. Many major brands are associated with this type of operation, especial -

ly fast fashion brands.

“Fast fashion is notorious for using sweatshops — which subject workers to horrible conditions and long hours for meager pay — as well as child labor,” Fuller said.

While these actions are extreme, many consumers still purchase from these brands due to their inexpensive and accessible products. Understandably, those who either aren’t able or don’t want to shop at pricey, slow-fashioned brands are compelled to buy from places that are most convenient to them. However, fast fashion isn’t the only source of cheap and stylish clothing; an alternative to consuming from big brands is thrifting from second-hand stores.

Senior Isabella Fleshman was previously an over-consumer, meaning she’d buy excessive amounts of nonessential clothes. Now, Fleshman not only buys and upcycles from thrift stores but prioritizes her needs over her wants.

“I also go thrifting because I sew. I usually look to see if something catches my eye and if I could make it into something new that I could wear,” Fleshman said. “I used to be a big over-consumer when shopping, but now I try to only get things I need, like when it’s the season or if I’m going on a trip. I like to thrift most of my clothes because it’s inexpensive.”

Not only is thrifting cost-effective, but it is also a sustainable way of buying clothes. Rather than buying large amounts of processed articles of clothing, donating to and shopping from second-hand stores can cut down on buildup in landfills and slow the support of unethical labor practices.

Recycling clothing can not only discourage fast manufacturing processes but also slow down the rapid changing of trends. From re-wearing vintage clothing to purchasing unique finds, thrift stores have a lot to offer that is both ethical and fashionable.

“I think that thrifting is a great way to get unique pieces, and that’s why I like it a lot. I like following trends but I don’t like having the same stuff, and thrifting gives you the opportunity to create your own style,“ Fleshman said.

While fast fashion is an accessible way of shopping, the drawbacks range from environmental damage to extreme unethical production. Other alternatives, like minimizing the amount of clothes you buy and supporting local second-hand stores, can go a long way, both morally and aesthetically.

TAKING SECURITY SERIOUSLY

BY AUDREY WALKER Reporter

Kaneland High School added new safety and security measures for the 2022-23 school year, including emergency posters, technology additions to school buses, an electronic hall pass system and teachers stationed in hallways as one of their possible duties.

According to an email sent to Kaneland families by the Kaneland district administration, classrooms now have an emergency poster with information from the “I Love U Guys” Foundation. The poster details what students and adults should do if they are instructed to hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate or shelter. Dean of Students Joshua West explained how having the poster would help in an emergency.

“I think in the past our students didn’t really know what [a hold-in-place] was, whereas our teachers [now] would be very easily ready to say [what a] holdin-place is, and we’re going to clear the halls and still conduct business as usual,” West said.

Another new safety measure includes technological additions to Kaneland’s school buses. According to West, there are new cameras with sound recording capabilities and WiFi being set up in some buses. WiFi will allow more students to use cell phones while riding the bus.

“Maybe some students don’t have cell phone coverage, but they have WiFi service now so they can make some sort of emergency call if they need to on a bus,” West said.

Kaneland has also implemented an electronic hall pass system. This system records how long a student is gone and where they are supposed to be going. Issuing passes online instead of on paper allows staff to keep track of students when they are in the hallways.

“I think the hall passes [are] safety related because it’s easier for us to look up and look at, ‘Oh, why is this person out of class for 15 [minutes]?’” said Deputy Christopher Ruchaj, Kaneland High School’s School Resource Officer (SRO). “With a paper pass, we would never know.”

The hall passes can be checked by teachers on hall duty, which is another new safety measure.

“You might see, different periods of the day, certain staff members [are] out in the hallways,” West said. “So part of that is checking for passes. Part of that is just

kind of being conscious of students that are coming in and out of bathrooms and being in the hallways [asking], ‘Do you have a pass?’”

An important existing security measure that has been increased this year is the testing of exterior doors.

“[Testing doors is] not a new practice, but I would say Deputy Ruchaj is more aware of it and trying to be on top of it maybe a little bit more than in years past,” West said.

Ruchaj said this is to “make sure that the doors are closed because a lot of times, especially like here, [students] go in and out and they’re different types of locks, so they forget to secure them.” He described the importance of always improving safety.

“You want to keep the kids safe, and you want to have a good learning environment for the kids,” Ruchaj said.

Sophomore Abigail Lechocki also recognized the importance of having a safe learning environment.

“I feel like when you feel safe when learning you learn more, and you feel more comfortable being at school and more comfortable being yourself,” she said.

Looking to the future, there are still additional safety precautions that teachers want.

“Doors that lock from the inside would be helpful and would make me feel better,” English teacher Rachel Giles said. She also expressed how staff members can help ensure safety for students by giving them an outlet to voice concerns.

“I also think just forming relationships with kids so that if they do hear or see something that they feel comfortable coming to us [so that] we can relay it to who we need to,” she said. West shares the same thoughts.

“A small thing we do, Ruchaj and I, that probably is more impactful that could turn into a big thing is constantly relationship building with our students,” West said. “Our hopes are as we kind of relationship build with these students that they’ll come to us. You know, see something, say something.”

The new measures are steps forward to creating a safer learning environment. Lechocki couldn’t think of any additional safety measures that she wanted.

“I feel like they’re doing a really good job this year,” she said.

E-LEARNING REPLACES SNOW DAYS AT KANELAND

Kaneland Community Unit School District 302 has been working hard to make school as normal as possible for students. One change that has been implemented for the 2022-23 school year is the removal of traditional snow days.

On days when there will be enough snow to cancel school, students will participate in e-learning activities rather than have a fully canceled school day. District administration presented the remote learning strategy to the Board of Education at the Aug. 29 board meeting, and the vote was unanimous in favor of remote learning days rather than traditional snow days.

“For emergency days last year, we used snow days that were added to the end of the school year,” District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Todd Leden said. “Part of the reason [we] did it that way was because the previous year was a hybrid [model]. Students were only here every other day, so we felt it was essential for them to be in person as many days as possible with teachers.”

During the 2021-22 school year, the district implemented a few emergency days that required non-attendance from students. Now, days like that won’t be added on and students will not miss a day of learning during the normal school year.

““If semester, quarter or trimester classes get added on to the end of the school year, students miss out on real learning experiences,” Leden said. “[Non-attendance days] will be better now that [we understand] how to do remote learning. I understand it’s not ideal, but because of the fact that it will be synchronous, students will get to see their teachers and they will get to be with their classmates for the same schedule [they would normally] follow.”

With any update to district policies, there are going to be differing opinions. Some students, like senior Maya Lesniak, can see both the benefits and drawbacks of this new change.

“By not adding days [at the end of the year], it just means I get to graduate early, I guess,” Lesniak said. “At the same time, I don’t know if I am going to be able to fit e-learning in when at home with my family because I would have to take care of my siblings who are also going to have snow days.”

BY EDITOR TAYLOR ANELLO

POSSIBLE CHANGES TO DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

BY ABBEY MONDI Editor

Sunday, Nov. 6, might have been the last time any United States resident set their clocks back due to the possibility of making daylight saving time permanent.

According to NBC Chicago, on March 15, 2022, the United States Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act. This act would make daylight saving time permanent. While the U.S. Senate passed this bill, the House of Representatives has yet to pass it, according to reporter Mychael Schnell from The Hill. If the House officially passes the bill, President Joe Biden also has to sign off on it.

The House has yet to pass the bill and might not pass it for quite some time. According to Schnell, the House has many other decisions to make that take higher priority over daylight saving time. Some of the matters the House is dealing with right now include inflation, gun massacres and judicial threats.

According to NBC Chicago, daylight saving time was first created by Germany in 1916 during World War I. It was set up to conserve the energy needed to fight the war. The U.S. began using daylight saving time in 1918 to follow Germany and other European countries. Many Americans didn’t like the time change, which eventually led to it being taken away after WWI.

According to Chicago Tribune reporter Kori Rumore, the U.S. reinstated daylight saving time with the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which put time zones into place throughout the U.S. These zones were created so there were uniform times in different parts of the country. In 1966, daylight saving was from late April to late October.

There were many speculations and theories as to why it made a comeback. Some of these theories were that it was to conserve energy, to provide more daylight hours for farmers or to give trick-ortreaters more light on Halloween. While daylight saving may have affected farming in the past, it doesn’t affect it as much anymore.

Environmental science teacher Joanna Edelman has seen how the impact of daylight saving time may have once affected farmers and how that impact has lessened over time.

“Modern farming has changed so much from what was happening decades ago. When it’s harvest time or planting time, farmers work in the middle of the

night. A big enough corporation will run 24/7 with its staff. With the modernization of farming, [daylight saving time] won’t have as much of an impact,” Edelman said.

The schedule change twice a year can cause some inevitable problems in people’s everyday lives. This change always happens in November and March. If the House and President pass permanent daylight saving time, then daylight saving will end on Nov. 6, 2023, at 2 a.m. The clocks would then spring an hour forward one last time on March 12, 2023, and people would not need to change their clocks back in November, according to NBC Chicago.

The human body needs time to adjust and adapt to a new schedule. When change occurs, it can cause people to feel tired and uneasy. Science teacher Jason Foster has seen how change affects students.

“In general, switching schedules is never a good thing for anyone, especially for high school students who are especially used to routines and schedules. It takes weeks to adjust to new schedules, even for adults,” Foster said.

Making daylight saving time permanent will change the way people perceive the sun rising and setting. The time that the actual sun will set and rise will be the same, but how dark it is outside will vary throughout the year. If Illinois is not an hour behind in the winter months, times of sunrises and sunsets will be an hour later than in years past.

“We are going to have later sunsets in the Chicagoland area. During the winter, the latest sunset will be around 5:30 p.m. as opposed to 4:30 p.m. There are also going to be times when we won’t have a

sunrise until 8:30 a.m,” Edelman said.

While the changes in schedules due to daylight saving time may have effects on humans, they can also affect pets and livestock. Many animals have specific schedules that they follow throughout the day. By changing this schedule, animals may feel distressed due to different feeding and sleeping times. Blake Uchitjil, science teacher and Kaneland FFA adviser, has seen firsthand the effects of time changes on animals.

“Whenever daylight saving happens, it throws animals off, especially my dog with her sleep pattern. She was waking up at crazy times and needing to go to the bathroom. I could also see how that hour [difference] could throw off the schedules of livestock since they like routines,” Uchitjil said.

The sun rises over a field of corn. Modern farming practices have led some to question the need for daylight saving time.

Photo by Abbey Mondi

A hay rake is an agricultural rake that collects hay or straw into windrows for later collection. Some attribute the purpose of daylight saving time to farming needs, but because of modern farming techniques, the need for daylight saving time has become a subject worth debating.

Photo by Paige Whiteside

AESTHETIC EXPECTATIONS CAN BE HARMFUL

BY ELLIOT KRIPPELZ Editor

Social media glorifies pretty and colorful pictures and videos, showcasing various types of aesthetic lifestyles. People edit and create their pages in order to be seen a certain way. Portraying a perfect lifestyle can be easy to do on social media, but in real life, this is nearly impossible to recreate. Constantly trying to glorify life to fit in a certain context can be hard to do and extremely harmful by encouraging physical and mental distress.

Social media platforms serve as virtual communities for people to share photos of themselves and the things they like to do. Instagram, for example, is commonly used to post aesthetically pleasing pictures and create eye-catching profiles. Only posting aesthetic photos that match a theme can discourage people from posting content that actually represents themselves, causing them to hyper-focus on their profile and worry too much about how it appears to others.

English department student-teacher Deja Harris is familiar with aesthetics when it comes to posting on social media. She can recall what she used to post and why she stopped posting that way.

“In high school, I used to have a polaroid [theme] because it was popular during that time. I wouldn’t post pictures that didn’t fall into that theme. Recently, I deleted all those photos and revamped my profile,” Harris said.

Many students go through the same struggle of debating whether or not to post a certain photo because they feel unsure if it goes with their aesthetic. This pressure can cause someone to create an

unrealistic image of themselves on social media. Posting to keep up with trends and not doing it for personal enjoyment can slightly alter someone’s personality, making them change their own characteristics in the world that exists outside of social media.

Many different aesthetics cater to a certain body type or race, making it hard for everyone to feel included in whatever style they are trying to go for. The bimbo or grunge aesthetics are usually portrayed by skinny, white people on social media. This can cause dysphoria for some people, implying that the way they look isn’t up to the standards of a particular aesthetic.

Senior Alisa James can be found wearing comfortable clothes in the halls. She enjoys putting together low-effort outfits at school and loves to dress hyper-feminine when she goes out, but she acknowledges some struggles she faces with how she dresses.

“It can be harmful because you’re not being yourself; you’re trying to be like other people,” James said. “For example, the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic is usually [portrayed by] white girls, so I can see that being a body image problem.”

By comparing themselves with others and trying to look exactly like someone else to match a specific personality or lifestyle, people can experience self-image issues that might otherwise be avoided. It can be physically and mentally draining trying to keep up with others for superficial reasons.

The constant changing of trends isn’t affordable to everyone, either. Influ -

encers, people who often have a lot of money, are able to create new clothing trends to match aesthetics that are currently popular, which can be a lot for the average person to keep up with when it comes to expenses.

Junior Rin Meagher has a more natural and earthy aesthetic. Meagher posts their art on Instagram with the same natural-feeling aesthetic that they connect to.

“Having certain aesthetics creates expectations that can’t always be met,” Meagher said. “If someone [posts aesthetic content online] and is wearing more expensive things and that video gets a lot of views, people think they can’t be like that because they might not be able to afford that style.”

Glamorizing expensive trends and aesthetics can create non-achievable expectations for others. When someone gets more likes or views on their social media posts because of the excessive money they spend on clothing, people who can’t afford these things may look at themselves differently, which can lower their self-esteem.

Trying to consistently match an aesthetic that requires a lot of effort can be nearly impossible on a daily basis. It isn’t realistic for some students to always be dressing in a way that can be displayed on their Instagram.

“My everyday [style] is comfy, so if I am comfortable, that’s it. If I am going out, however, I want my aesthetic to be really girly so that I feel hyper-feminine. It wouldn’t be realistic if I said I dressed super girly every day because that’s just not what I do,” James said.

Social media makes it seem as if sticking to a high-maintenance aesthetic every day is realistic, but in reality, this isn’t attainable for everyone. Some apps have tried to create a new way of posting more authentic photos. BeReal, an app that recently grew in popularity, notifies all users at a different time each day to share a photo within two minutes. While this app does offer a unique and more authentic appeal for users, many people post late when they have the chance to take an aesthetically pleasing picture, disregarding the whole point of the app.

Trying to constantly keep up with trendy aesthetics and always posting in a certain way can be difficult to keep up with. While having your own aesthetic is a good way to show off your personality, only doing it one way can create false expectations that can cause harm to many.

Cartoon by Dane Coyne

Cultivating a certain aesthetic can be stressful and overwhelming for people. There are many different types of aesthetics, some of which require considerable upkeep and consistent maintenance.

WE ASK

YOU ANSWER

BY EDITORS DELANEY CALABRESE AND TIFFANY JOHNSON ,

Christmas in Serbia is celebrated on a different date because they follow the old Julian calendar, which is two weeks apart. So our Christmas will be on January 7th, and Christmas Eve will be on January 6th. The calendar that we are using today is the Gregorian calendar. It was revised in the 17th century or so, and it just moved for two weeks. Many European countries and Greek cultures follow the Julian calendar that was made by Julius Caesar a long time ago.

Diwali, which is the festival of lights, is around October, and it is associated with one of the goddesses of prosperity so it marks the beginning of the year for India. We generally celebrate by lighting fireworks as the festival lights, but in India, they have a bunch of lamps around the house.

Before Christmas Eve, we make a little dinner, and then on Christmas Eve, we do another dinner. Then, we celebrate Three Kings Day, or Dia de Los Reyes. Then, we spend time with family and we celebrate Christmas the next day.

Abbey Mondi

Shrey Deshpande (junior)

Anelle Dominguez (senior)

WHAT HOLIDAY DO YOU CELEBRATE THAT IS UNIQUE TO YOUR CULTURE?

Dragoljub Gudovic (staff member)

THE IMPACT OF INJURIES DURING SEASONS

BY SOFIA WILLIAMS Editor

From practicing for hours after school to spending time training on the weekends, the average high school athlete has a lot to do to keep up with their sport of choice. When spending so much time practicing and playing, injuries are bound to happen at some point in an athlete’s career.

Sports injuries can range from as minor as a broken toe to as serious as a torn ACL.

They can bench athletes for weeks at a time and sometimes for the whole season in more severe cases.

Junior Sara Hosking is a cheerleader on both ICE All-Star and Kaneland varsity teams, so cheer consumes a large part of her life. This past July, Hosking tore her ACL and MCL. She ended up needing surgery and, due to the seriousness of her injury, has been completely out of practices and games since.

Hosking uses cheer as an outlet when life gets stressful, and not having that outlet to clear her mind was hard to get through.

“[Not being able to cheer] took a big

toll on me. I spend a lot of my time cheering, and not being able to go and take my mind off of other things going on in my life made me really upset for a while,” Hosking said.

Many athletes have a deep connection with their sport. Whether it’s a serious commitment or a hobby, it can be hard on them when it is taken away due to an injury.

Senior wrestler Christian Duffing spent most of his junior season out due to a back injury. Duffing has been struggling with back issues since his freshman year, and it was hard for him to persevere through those challenges.

“Wrestling is a different feeling of competition. I am out there all by myself, and when I accomplish something I feel a lot better about myself because I was able to do it all on my own,” Duffing said. “It was really hard [when I couldn’t wrestle]. It is one of the most important things to me. I look forward to it during the school year, and I put a lot of work and effort into it during the preseason and postseason. I saw all my teammates, and all I wanted to do was to help and contribute to the team.”

Not only does an athlete who can’t compete feel the physical and mental effects of an injury, but the people around them also witness and observe the pain they are going through.

Athletic trainer Maggie Walker works with many Kaneland athletes before, during and after practices and games. She works with them hands-on and sees most of the injuries that Kaneland athletes experience.

“You can definitely see [a decrease in mental health] when an athlete is injured. Their mood and how they present themselves speaks a lot to me,” Walker said.

Coaches notice many things about an athlete, given the fact that they spend hours after school and even more time at games and on buses together. Seeing a student sit out for weeks at a time can be hard for a coach.

Boys and girls varsity soccer coach Scott Parillo has had many athletes out this past season with different injuries. He understands the heartache there is when this happens.

“I feel horrible [when athletes are out], especially later in the season. They work hard the whole season just to not be able to finish,” Parillo said.

No matter how bad the pain is, some athletes will still try to push through it

to avoid the feeling of letting their team down. A lot of high school athletes are eager to get back out there and continue playing, but this can lead to reinjuring something and worsening the pain, which can end up putting them out even longer.

“Dealing with the high school demographic and trying to explain to them that I know [their injury] seems like a big deal and they have to sit out [can be tough],” Walker said. “I think communication and discussing the long-term goals [helps them understand why they have to sit out]. My goal is to try and get them back out there as soon as possible, but I never want to push them too hard because it will prolong them being out longer.”

While not being able to practice or play can be upsetting to many athletes, most find a way to persevere and still be a part of the team without injuring themselves further.

“I try my best to help everyone else and encourage them while I’m out. I like to still go to [practices and competitions] and just show up for them,” Hosking said.

Although Hosking can’t physically participate in practice, just being there and supporting her teammates helps the time that she has to sit out fly by.

Being injured is hard for anyone, including athletes, but with proper help and guidance, athletes can push through both physically and mentally.

Photo by Sofia Williams

Photo courtesy of Sara Hosking Kaneland athletic trainer Maggie Walker tapes senior varsity running back Tyler Bradshaw’s ankle. Athletes come into Walker’s office to receive different kinds of treatment to be in the best condition possible for their practices and games.

Varsity cheerleaders Kirsten Johnson (left) and Sara Hosking (right) are in uniform but sidelined during Kaneland’s football game against Geneva High School. Johnson sprained her ankle while Hosking tore her ACL and meniscus.

GIRLS WRESTLING CONTINUES TO DEVELOP

BY LYLA CHRISTAKES Editor and Co-Broadcast Manager

Girls wrestling has seen a tremendous increase in enrollment numbers throughout the country in recent years. This development has been met with excitement from female wrestlers across the nation, including those in the Kaneland district.

The Kaneland girls wrestling team, coached by Kenneth Paoli, has had fluctuating numbers of student-athletes in their program throughout the years, but recently, the numbers have been at an all-time high.

“[The numbers] have gone up and down because of COVID, but we went from having one female wrestler to where we now consistently start with around 10. Kaneland has always had at least one girl wrestler, at least for the last seven years that I have been here,” Paoli said.

Recently, Kaneland has been trying to build a team to match the growth of girls wrestling across the nation.

“About three or four years ago, I became very intentional about recruiting girls so there were [enough to] build a team,” Paoli said.

The number of female wrestlers has also been growing in the Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) sports and activities program.

“Wrestling [has been quickly growing] in Illinois, and it was looking like there was going to be a girls-only state competition. They officially [held a girls-only state competition] for the first time in the IHSA last year,” Paoli said.

Many girls across the state have joined their school’s wrestling team for a variety of different reasons.

“Girls do not have as many sports to play in the wintertime. [Wrestling] is a newer option for females who don’t have many opportunities to play contact sports. There is an appeal there. I feel like people want to be a part of this very new and upcoming thing,” Paoli said.

Many girls at Kaneland are beginning their first season of wrestling, including sophomore Lilly Boose.

“I joined for women empowerment, mostly. We lift weights a lot, and it makes me feel stronger and better about myself,” Boose said.

According to Jay Taft of the Rockford Register Star, Illinois was the 28th state in the country to sanction girls wrestling as a sport. IHSA assistant executive director Sam Knox reported that over 200 schools registered their girls wrestling teams for the state tournament last season, and

Kaneland is aiming to send girls to compete at the state level every year.

“If you are a very athletic female right now, just one year of experience can get [you] to the state tournament. We had two girls [go to the state tournament] last year, one who was in her first year and one who had wrestled before that,” Paoli said.

“

“Wrestling [has been quickly growing] in Illinois, and it was looking like there was going to be a girls-only state competition. They officially [held a girls-only state competition] for the first time in the IHSA last year.” -Wrestling coach Kenneth Paoli

“

Paoli is hopeful about the current regular season as well for the team’s chances in the state tournament.

“This year, we have two female wrestlers who should do very well. We are hoping that we will at least place in state, and hopefully, we will have four or five others who will get to state,” Paoli said.

The girls in the wrestling program at Kaneland are excited about the growth of the sport in Illinois and more specifically at the school. Some girls have also contributed to the growth of wrestling in the area, such as sophomore Brooklyn Sheaffer.

“I like to consider myself

Right: Throughout the fall, boys and girls wrestlers share space at open mat sessions after school. Girls wrestling continues to grow in popularity both locally and nationally.

as one of the people who helped grow women’s wrestling. I helped start an all women’s wrestling team for youth at St. Charles East called the Lady Saints, where we had beginners and experienced girls,” Sheaffer said.

Although girls wrestling is growing greatly, women still face adversity in a mainly male-dominated sport.

“It is very hard without a doubt, and you will run into parents, coaches or anyone, honestly, trying to bring you down. When I first started wrestling, I had guys on the team who gave me a week until I quit, or guys at practice who refused to wrestle me,” Sheaffer said.

Women have faced plenty of challenges when it comes to proving themselves in wrestling.

“I definitely do think that we have to prove ourselves a little bit more. [The boys] do usually tend to push us, so we usually have to show them up a lot,” Boose said.

Despite the challenges, the girls work hard to be seen and appreciated in a traditionally male sport.

“Now I have people asking to be my partners and coaches coming up to me. It feels really good to know that my hard work has paid off,” Sheaffer said.

Above: As a way to get ready for the season, wrestlers spend time on the mat and in the weightroom during the fall. Sophomore Dyani Torres (left) wrestles a teammate at an open mat after school, and sophomore Brooklyn Sheaffer (right) lifts weights in preparation for the challenging season ahead.

Photo by Lyla Christakes

Photo by Kevin Sigrist

Photo by Zoey Pozen

THE EVOLVING STATUS OF STANDARDIZED TESTS

BY PAIGE WHITESIDE Editor-in-Chief of Web and Copy Editor

Standardized testing has been perceived as a way to measure a student’s intelligence and readiness for college, but that view has started to shift due to recent trends in education and the impediments to student access to learning based on a variety of societal factors.

The ACT is a lengthy standardized test in which students are assessed based on their knowledge of four subjects: English, mathematics, reading and science - with an optional writing section.

The SAT is another standardized test used as an indicator of a student’s readiness for college. Many colleges and universities have long considered these scores when determining who gets ac

cepted into their programs.

According to the College Board website, the SAT was first introduced to high school students in 1926, and the ACT was initiated 33 years later in 1959. Due to the age of these assessments, it can be expected that they are outdated in some ways. That has led to the creators of both assessments seeking ways to modernize exams to suit the needs of today’s students.

According to an article from NPR reporter Elissa Nadworny about changes made to SAT testing, the College Board got rid of multiple features of their standardized tests. In 2014, the penalty-for-wrong-answers policy and vocabulary section were removed, and the essay portion was made optional. In 2021, the College Board announced that they will no longer offer subject tests in U.S. history, languages and certain math sections, in addition to discontinuing the optional essay section.

Another change to standardized testing will come in 2024 when U.S. students will have the option to take the SAT online rather than on paper. Tests will be taken at schools or testing centers, but students will be able to choose between using their own devices or school devices, as reported by Nadworny.

Some students, like senior Evan Moran, feel that shifting to a digital format might actually do more harm than good when it comes to improving testing quality.

“I don’t think that taking the SAT digitally would be a good idea. I feel that paper exams are much better. It is a lot easier to focus when [taking a] test on paper because there are fewer distractions,” Moran said.

Kaneland High School guidance counselor Erin Shore acknowledges seeing some changes to the way colleges and universities are viewing scores from standardized tests. Part of that shift in perception, she thinks, comes from the recent pandemic.

“I think that [colleges not requiring ACT or SAT scores] is their way of being understanding of the effects of COVID on education,” Shore said. “Colleges might understand that there are learning gaps and inequities of students

who can and can’t take the test because of personal health restrictions. The testing location might have to cancel a test. It is helping students with things that are out of their control.”

Despite changes being made to attempt to improve the testing experience, the number of colleges and universities that require SAT and ACT results as part of their application process is declining. According to an article on the necessity of standardized tests by Arizona State University faculty members Audrey Amrein-Beardsley and Keon M. McGuire, “More than half of four-year colleges and universities throughout the U.S. are no longer requiring either an SAT or ACT score for admissions [as of 2021].”

Clashes with a school’s philosophy of education, an effort to improve accessibility for students and standardized tests’ lack of accurate representation of a student’s intelligence are all reasons that many colleges are no longer requiring SAT or ACT scores.

Standardized tests have also been criticized for contributions to modern racism and discrimination against students. The wealth of a school district can impact the quality of education that students receive. Poor test scores from minorities attending schools in less wealthy districts have been used against them as a way to categorize them as lesser or more incapable than more affluent districts.

In an article highlighting criticisms of standardized testing, Rethinking Schools, an organization that brings attention to social justice issues, wrote, “Two clear examples of standardized tests supporting institutional racism are Chicago and Philadelphia, where the tests are being used to label schools in communities of color as ‘failures’ and then shut them down at unprecedented rates.”

The validity and merit of standardized tests will likely be the subject of further debate for years to come, and people like Shore can see both sides of the issue.

“Like anything, there are pros and cons to standardized testing,” Shore said. “There is a great deal you can learn from it when it is taken seriously, but when it is not taken seriously, I think it doesn’t fully depict a student’s future. I think that even when a student gets what they would consider to be a low score, it does not mean they won’t be successful. When taken seriously, standardized testing can be a very valuable tool.”

design by Jackson Kottmeyer and Ethan Bollhoffer

HOW STUDENTS’ MINDSETS CHANGE

BY RAFIKA KHAN Editor

As the school year progresses, it is not surprising to see changes in students’ outlooks toward school. Many students will find themselves in a slump and lose motivation to show up every day and do their schoolwork. This phenomenon is to be expected, whether it is closer to the beginning or toward the end of the school year.

“This up and down in learning is called the implementation dip,” Kaneland High School guidance counselor Anne Kuntz said. “At first, there is a steep incline where the student is continuously learning until there is suddenly an overload. The curve then declines down into a depression and the student begins to not be as engaged in their learning as they may have been before. It affects students mentally by making them more sensitive and tired and can lead to them struggling to do work.”

There are many factors that can cause an implementation dip, most of which are linked to stress. Things like part-time jobs, after-school activities and difficult living situations can all contribute to the pressure piling on students when it comes to school.

“If you imagine that every student has an invisible backpack that carries all of their stress, you can see that some students have a far heavier load than oth -

ers,” Kuntz said. “This doesn’t mean that the students who have less on their plate don’t feel as much stress as the others, but it shows that there are always external factors that can affect student performance.”

Junior Kathryn Fair shared a similar viewpoint to Kuntz but suggested other reasons for these changes in mindsets.

“Around the start of second semester, I tend to find myself wanting school to just be over,” Fair said. “I feel like part of it is because of the environment and how it’s been different for me every year. There is also the redundancy of having gone to school for so many years and becoming demotivated from how tired I am from all of it. It changes from time to time, but most of my demotivation stems from not finding school fun.”

Outside of physical factors, self-confidence in learning can directly affect motivation which in turn affects performance. A 2019 study from Frontiers, an open science platform and research publishing company, found that students who had faith in their abilities in a subject would have more interest in it and earn higher grades than those who did not. Fair agreed with this statement.

“Personally, I do better in classes that I actually enjoy and think I’m good at,” Fair said. “It’s easier for me to find

the motivation to do things compared to other classes which sometimes feel re dundant and boring.”

Student mindsets don’t only change when it comes to academics, as it happens when it comes to school spirit too. Home coming is often con sidered the pinna cle of school spirit and excitement, which both quickly die down once it is over. Student Council members, like Fair, try their best to keep their fellow students enthusiastic through events that extend beyond Homecoming.

“Our biggest thing is definitely Homecoming, but we do other things too,” Fair said. “We do fundraisers, Mr. Kaneland and other fun activities to get students involved and take a break from school. School isn’t always fun, but we try to find ways to encourage people to stay interested and engaged.”

Staying excited about school is not always easy, but there are ways to deal with sudden changes in mindsets. While the Frontiers study and Fair both agree that academic achievement is a motivator for students, Kuntz believes that clear communication helps students too.

“Talking to someone who is smarter than you can help so much more than you think it will. Being honest about your struggles and listening to them about how they dealt with struggles like yours can be a learning experience,” Kuntz said. “If you were smart enough to handle your struggles, you would not be struggling because you would have dealt with them already. There is always something you don’t know but someone else will, so recognizing that is the smart thing to do, and you’ll be able to get insight and support. Having an honest conversation with someone may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is the best thing to do when you face struggles that you cannot handle.”

Photo by Rafika Khan

Junior Madeline Claeson checks Canvas on her Chromebook. Canvas is a tool used by all teachers that allows students to keep track of assignments and due dates for each of their classes.

Cartoon by Lilliana Bobé

BY KATIE PFOTENHAUER Editor and Columnist Manager

Since its inception, the media has influenced society in many ways, and as forms of media expand, that influence only grows. TV shows and movies have the power to change someone’s perspective and make them see the world through a different lens, or rather, a screen. They have the power to make people feel sympathetic toward characters who are going through hardships and happy for those who experience triumphs. Consumers, then, can develop mixed feelings towards characters because of their stereotypical behaviors and misrepresented traits that are commonly portrayed through the media.

In teen dramas, for example, there always seemingly happens to be the jock who gets multiple recruitment opportunities from colleges with the popular cheerleader by his side. When athletes go into high school with those scenes from movies and TV shows in their heads, it can create false expectations of what will happen.

While that is just one of the frequent examples seen in high school-based movies and shows, other stereotypes rep -

ate high cognitive load and reduced academic focus and performance.”

Stereotype threats made by the media can negatively impact a student’s academic success because they often target a person for things that do not necessarily relate to their educational abilities. When it comes to finals, Advanced Placement (AP) exams or other tests that can impact future opportunities, stereotype threat can affect a student’s ability to reach their full potential.

According to Future Ed, an organization that creates analysis on education issues, “In high schools offering 18 or more AP courses, white students taking at least one AP exam had an average passing rate of 72%. For Black students in these circumstances, the average passing rate was 42%. Latino students are not experiencing the same gaps in access as other ethnic and racial groups, but they do have lower enrollment and pass rates.”

Another group of individuals who are commonly stereotyped is older people. When someone marries an older person, people often assume it is for money and not love. There is also a common belief

advanced age and her involvement in anti-war movements.

While not all stereotypes are discriminative of gender and age, they do make people see a group of people a certain way. Besides stereotypes, many TV shows and movies create a false reality of certain situations.

As students are finishing their homework and settling in to fall asleep, it is easy to throw on a TV show or movie while getting ready for bed. While scrolling through Netflix, they may see a series like Criminal Minds under the recommendations tab. So, if they decide to start watching, then like many fans, they might be hooked after the first episode.

In recent years, crime TV shows and movies like Criminal Minds and Making a Murderer have grown increasingly popular. While the ethics of true crime have repeatedly been brought into question because critics say it is unethical due to the exploitation of victims’ families, lack of attention to critical details and the use of real-life tragedies as a form of entertainment, the one thing that is for sure is that people are obsessed with this genre.

resent race, culture, gender and identity. For example, women who are interested in the field of math and science may choose a field that is not in STEM for fear of being in a male-dominated field.

According to the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center For Teaching and Learning, “Stereotype threat refers to the risk of conforming to negative stereotypes about an individual’s racial, ethnic, gender or cultural group which can cre -

that the elderly are forgetful. While this can be true, it is not always the case. This belief can also lead to discrimination against the elderly in the workforce.

According to USA Today, there are many elderly individuals who still have an impact like actor and director Robert Redford, who some may know from the movie All the President’s Men, and Jane Fonda, an actress and activist known for her roles in TV shows and movies at an

While some people cannot seem to get enough of crime entertainment, it does make one wonder just how accustomed people have become to this sort of thing. Criminal Minds, for example, is fictional, but some crimes in the show are based on real-life events. So, do reality and fiction get skewed when watching true crime? When people watch the news, they see all sorts of disasters, conflicts, wars

“high-

users

and ongoing crimes. Crime-based entertainment depicts gruesome acts. Reality and fiction are bound together, and crime-based entertainment can make news headlines have less of an impact.

Criminal activities and international crises can grow to the point in popularity where they are not just stories people see on the news, but they are viewed as entertainment. Some crime shows and movies focus on the facts, which are mostly in the form of a documentary. Then some are fictionalized, with the main focus being entertainment over accuracy.

The recently released docuseries Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has received mixed reactions from fans.

The Dahmer series on Netflix is just one of the many adaptations of the Jeffrey Dahmer story, but with this adaptation, some fans have grown empathetic towards him and the reasons behind why he became a murderer. Part of the reason is the actor himself. Many people know and love American actor Evan Peters, who played Dahmer in the series, but this has led to some fans romanticizing Dahmer. Some even believe because of Dahmer’s childhood, people should somehow be more understanding as to why he committed the murders. This can especially be hard for young viewers to understand.

Junior Keara Richardson has been an avid watcher of true crime since middle school and believes there is a difference in accuracy when it comes to watching documentaries versus shows and movies.

“In the show [Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story], they wanted you to feel bad for him and sympathize with him. [For the] people who worked alongside him, it was completely different. I think there are a lot of things that are sheltered from the media and things that are not shown as

[they should be for accurate representation],” Richardson said.

Not only can TV shows and movies misrepresent what is happening, but so can the media in general. There are commercials, news organizations and social media platforms available to everyone. While it is crucial to stay informed about what is happening, it is equally necessary to go to more than one source to get accurate information.

Many people get information and news from social media apps like TikTok. Since it is a social media platform that anyone can post on, the information is not always accurate. For instance, misinformation about the war in Ukraine spread across the platform as people would post videos that were not taken in Ukraine despite making that claim.

When people are misinformed on real-world topics through fake news, it can lead to a damaging impact on their beliefs because it can make it harder for them to see the truth. People may not know when the information they get is inaccurate, but it can lead to false assumptions and opinions that are not facts.

In addition to not being sure about what is true and what is distorted or completely fake, misrepresentation in the media can have an impact on people who do not feel they are regularly seen and known about in the media.

Sophomore Kayleigh Dado is a type 1 diabetic who feels misrepresented in the media because of the lack of representation of her condition, which makes her oftentimes stereotyped as the kid with the free pass who can get out of anything she wants.

“In the media, I am nowhere. I am not represented. When I was younger, I would glance around at the characters

their phone.

on the screen in a movie to see an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor or anything I could connect to, beaming when my mom would point it out to me and I would finally see something I could relate to in a movie,” Dado said.

People can be negatively affected by seeing only perfectly healthy and non-diverse characters in shows and movies, as they do not accurately or realistically represent all people. The media has gotten better at having diverse and accurate representation in recent years, but progress can still be made.

According to Paramount Insights, a broadcast media production and distribution company, “Poor representation leaves people feeling defeated and distanced. Of those who feel poorly represented, 59% say this makes them feel unimportant, ignored or disappointed. This sense of alienation has profound impacts, affecting their self-esteem and confidence (41%), sense of belonging (40%) and opportunities in life (34%).”

We live in diverse societies, so why can we not see that diversity in some of our favorite movies and TV shows?

According to the American Field Service, cultural generalizations and cultural stereotypes are different from each other, but they are often confused. Cultural generalizations are the patterns within a culture that make it that culture, but cultural stereotypes are when all members of a group are categorized as having the same characteristics.

Inaccurate stereotypes can leave a long-lasting impact on society, and distorted news may continue to leave its mark on society. While the media has improved in representation for all, the line between fact and fiction can often be blurred.

Photo by Elliot Krippelz

Photo by Samantha Dunne

Photo by Elliot Krippelz

A computer displays search results for a

school aesthetic” on Pinterest. Pinterest allows

to browse through photos to find inspiration.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is displayed on the Netflix home screen. The docuseries shows his crimes through different perspectives.

A student opens TikTok on

TikTok has become one of the most widely used forms of social media among students.

APPRECIATING HOLIDAYS PAST CHILDHOOD

BY LILLIANA BOBÉ Editor

Holidays can be an essential part of family traditions or a form of casual enjoyment among many individuals. Many holidays are geared toward a younger audience, leaving us to question the value of enjoying such holidays after our youth.

While some try their best to enjoy holidays for as long as they can, others can struggle with getting older and feeling like they don’t enjoy them as much as they used to. However, there are ways to have a more positive mindset about such things. One example could be to take advantage of the position of being older by hosting parties or going to fun attractions like haunted houses and corn mazes around Halloween. To expand on that idea with other holidays, watching movies you have never seen or playing

er hand, feels differently about holidays now than he did at an earlier stage of life.

“Now that I am older, the magic of holidays has worn off because I don’t believe in things like Santa Claus anymore,” Vicker said. “On top of that, I grew apart from my family members, specifically my cousins, who I used to spend a lot of time with during holiday seasons. We all became different people as we grew up. That makes holidays feel less fun than they used to be.”

Another way to enjoy holidays is to discover more of them. There are many interesting and fun national holidays, such as National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, National Caramel Popcorn Day and National Strawberry Parfait Day. These holidays may not hold any sentimental value, but they can be indulging and enjoyable to talk about. Holidays like these happen regularly and could create joy in your day.

Some holidays have religious associations that play into their meanings as well. Some examples include Christmas, Hanukkah and Easter. Although many holidays originated for religious reasons, some such as Christmas have other elements that do not require the practice of that religion. Junior Madison Mittman has continuously spent her life participating in holidays like Christmas without including or celebrating the religious aspects. She likes to spend these moments with her close friends and family, but her enjoyment has recently deteriorated.

Even so, there are still many ways to keep your spirit afloat. As you progress in life, it is important to remember the appreciation you once held for the holidays. One way this can be done is to develop new traditions as you move through life. Social studies teacher Jessica McNally, for example, has developed a fun annual tradition with her family to move from one holiday to the next.

games unique to your family can bring enjoyment.

Usually, younger kids dress up and go house to house for candy on the night of Halloween. While it is not uncommon for a teenager to participate in these activities as well, it is something that might lose its appeal as we grow older. Sophomore Logan Ferreira-Flesch, though, still participates in Halloween every year and hopes to keep it that way for years to come.

“I still [participate in] Halloween, and I plan to for as long as I can. The best thing to do is to hang out with your friends and try to find people to spend your holidays with. You’ll never be old enough to hang out with people,” Ferreira-Flesch said.

Junior Benjamin Vicker, on the oth -

“Christmas for me has been amazing every single year except last year. The euphoria and serotonin I get during December is great. Last year’s Christmas was so bad, bleak and sad. After it ended I was like, ‘Well, I guess that was Christmas.’ It didn’t have the magic anymore and didn’t give me the same serotonin like it once did,” Mittman said.

The disappointment of losing the enjoyment of something you once loved can be difficult to comprehend. This can lead to isolation from the thing you loved and fading hopes that you will ever find that joy again. Instead, finding new ways to enjoy a holiday can help you see it from a different perspective. This can also lead to discovering new aspects of that holiday or new holidays in general.

Of course, everyone’s experience with holidays is different. Some may still find gratification from engaging in holidays, while others may feel indifferent.

“We have a [playlist] of all our Christmas music with over four days’ worth of music on it,” McNally said. “Every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, everyone gathers around the Playstation and we put [the playlist] on shuffle. We all guess what we think the first song of Christmas is going to be, and we’re never right because there are too many [songs].”

Elburn’s Amazing Grace Antiques is filled with unique vintage items and decorations. Here, a few friendly ghosts gather in front of the store.

Aurora’s Hobby Lobby displays Christmas trees well before the actual holiday. Decorations can help you enjoy holidays beyond childhood.

Frivolous Treasures, one of Elburn’s vintage shops, displays holiday decorations outside of their store during holiday seasons.

Photo by Lilliana Bobé

Photo by Paige Whiteside

Photo by Paige Whiteside

Students often find it hard to focus their attention when doing schoolwork. This problem can either be caused or worsened by the fact that there are so many distractions on social media.

THE REALITY OF HIGH SCHOOL

The image of life as a high school student has remained the same for decades in the public eye. However, with the development of social media and the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the average high school student’s day-to-day life has gone through drastic changes in the past several years that make it very different from the general public’s ideas and experiences. These sometimes problematic changes have been very impactful to young people nationwide, and it is important to acknowledge them and find solutions.

Within the past 20 years, cell phones have become commonplace for high school students, but social media has become increasing ly prevalent in recent years. With that, social media and the hazardous effects it has on young people have also found their way into the school environment.

Social media platforms make it so that students are in constant contact with their peers, and this affects students’ daily lives, in and out of the classroom. For one, students never truly get a break from their school social lives. When their social activities are not in person, they exist online through social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Twitter. Being able to disconnect is very good for a student’s mental health and helps to improve their ability to manage priorities. An inability to disconnect from the social side of their lives causes plenty of stress in a student’s day and only piles onto the preexisting responsibilities students typically have, such as schoolwork, jobs and extracurricular activities.

Social media has also caused many problems regarding students’ attention spans and addiction. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are made to rapidly deliver users content without end. For students, content that is tailored to their interests can be a lot more interesting

than homework or in-class activities. On top of this, these platforms are oriented around much shorter videos, which has had a major effect on many students in that they have a harder time focusing and generally get distracted easier.

Another major problem social media causes is a negative effect on addiction and depression levels in students. Constantly comparing themselves to their peers based on what they see on social media can be extremely harmful to a student’s mental health, especially by hyper-fixating on the number of likes, views and followers they have.

In more recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many problems for students and has caused setbacks for their socializing skills. Following the stressful and isolating quarantine, many students returned to school with intense social anxiety and struggled to maintain the routines of day-to-day school. While this may be old news at this point, the effect it has had on students remains very noticeable today.

On a lighter note, as schoolwork continues to become more and more oriented towards online material, many aspects of school that were once essential to students are nowhere near as prominent as they used to be. For example, most students do not use their lockers and many students use laptops or other devices to take notes rather than notebooks.

The life of a high school student has changed in recent years because of many factors, especially the prevalence of devices and COVID-19. It’s important that these changes are recognized by the general public and kept in mind when looking at the younger generations of high school students. To some, they may seem careless, lazy or inattentive, but in reality, these problems stem from recent intense changes in young people’s lives.

Kaneland High School

47W326 Keslinger Rd. Maple Park, IL 60151 (630) 365-5100

www.kanelandkrier.com Member of IJEA, Quill & Scroll, NSPA, NISPA IHSA State Finalists 2013-2022

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IJEA First Place for Krier Online 2021

IJEA First Place for Best Hybrid Publication 2021 & 2022

IJEA First Place for Best Overall Publication 2021 & 2022

Subscription rates: Five issues, three supplements School-delivered, $20; Home-delivered, $30

Kevin Sigrist Editor-in-Chief of Print and Production Executive

Samantha Dunne Photography Executive

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Paige Whiteside Editor-in-Chief of Web and Copy Editor

Zoey Pozen Co-Sports and Activities Executive

Ashley Vanderhoff Design Executive and Ads & Business Executive

MANAGING EDITOR STAFF

Zoey Pozen Social Media

Andrew Valentini Broadcasting

Samantha Dunne Social Media

Katie Pfotenhauer Columnist Lyla Christakes Broadcasting

Tiffany Johnson Podcasting

Sela Valignota Podcasting

EDITORIAL STAFF

Feature 1 Jackson Kottmeyer and Ethan Bollhoffer

Sports 1 Andrew Valentini Feature 2 Lizzy Sidman

Valignota Voices 1 Abbey Mondi Photos Lilliana Bobé

Centerspread Elliot Krippelz

News 1 Kira Helm and Arianna Failor Profile Delaney Calabrese

Voices 2 Katie Pfotenhauer

Sports 2 Sofia Williams

Christakes

Opinion 1 Rafika Khan Opinion 2 Dane Coyne

STAFF

News 2 Tiffany Johnson Advertisements Ashley Vanderhoff

Xitlaly Abundiz, Isabel Alba, Alyssa Almaraz, Lauren Babka, Hannah Boyer, Nicholas Casey, Bryan Cisneros, Carly Duffing, Makayla Egert, Eric Escobedo, Lucas Fiedler, Carli Filek, Natalie Foss-Ortega, Zoe Gannon, Cameron Guernon, Teaghan Hardy, Freddy Hassan, Michael Janito, Neela Keefe, Olivia King, Nathan Lapitan, Kayli Loonam, Kiara Lopez, Natalie Lycan, Barbara Martinez, River Mullins, Blythe Niemeyer, Madelyn Pabian, Jasper Paulson, Carmella Rio, Adalynn Ruh, Johanna Salter, Nathan Sand, Sarah Slattery, Savannah Suehs, Preslee Sutherland, Riley Swiderski, Ellen Taylor, Madison Taylor, Sophie Thill, Tom Thill, Audrey Walker, Adrianna Wells, Keiton Westfall, Lexi White, Avery Zahlit

Cartoonists

Lilliana Bobé and Dane Coyne Print Production Matt Seidel

ADVISORS

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: Taylor Anello, Lilliana Bobé, Ethan Bollhoffer, Delaney Calabrese, Lyla Christakes, Dane Coyne, Samantha Dunne, Arianna Failor, Kira Helm, Tiffany Johnson, Rafika Khan, Jackson Kottmeyer, Elliot Krippelz, Abbey Mondi, Katie Pfotenhauer, Zoey Pozen, Lizzy Sidman, Kevin Sigrist, Andrew Valentini, Sela Valignota, Ashley Vanderhoff, Benjamin Warford, Paige Whiteside and Sofia Williams. 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.

Nicole Larsen Print advisor Dominic Bruno Krier advisor

Editorial Taylor Anello

Emily Biala

Benjamin Warford Co-Sports & Activities Executive

Drew Malone

Cartoon by Lilliana Bobé

THE INCONSISTENCIES IN WOMEN’S SIZING

BY LIZZY SIDMAN Editor

As a female-presenting person, it has always been difficult for me to find a consistent size when it comes to clothing. It is a guessing game every time. I assume in some brands I’d be a size 14 in pants, but after trying them on, I find I’m a size 12. I’ll try on a different brand, assuming I’d be a 12, only to find that I’m a size 16. Women face systemic disadvantages throughout their lives, and while mundane, sizing inconsistencies are another annoying pitfall that affects them.

While it is impossible for mass-produced clothing to fit every woman perfectly, it should not be as complicated as it is to find something that works for different body types. These confusing inconsistencies started in the 80s with what is known as vanity sizing. This meant that many brands adjusted their sizing, making what would previously be a size 26 now a size 24, for example.

Jessica Murphy, a co-founder of True Fit, a platform that helps shoppers find their true size, voiced her opinion in an article with Today on women’s sizing.

“Decades ago, there was a standard in sizing - a time when a medium was a medium, no matter what - but that faded as the market became more brand-centric and each brand developed its own sizing system,” Murphy said.

As brands started to diverge from consistent sizing, many brands, especially ones considered trendy, began to focus their designs on a specific body type. This body type was typically a skinny woman with a small waist and long legs. This can cause a struggle in finding

fashionable clothes for the many people who do not fit this standard, like senior and retail worker Emma Wilson.

“A lot of the issues with women’s sizing stem from the desire to be thin or to [have] an ideal body. I say this as someone who [does not have] the ‘ideal body’. Finding clothes in a specific size should not be that hard,” Wilson said.

Plus-size fashion is scarce in today’s society, and even within the small, medium and large size ranges, many people can find it difficult to find clothes that fit their body shape.

Fashion major and paraprofessional educator Benjamin Rogers studies draping, the physical construction of clothing based on individual measurements for a range of body types. He has personal experience dealing with the production of clothes so that they fit each person perfectly.

“As unfair as the fashion industry is, the thing that is difficult about making clothing for people is that there is a difference between size and shape. You can have a general pattern size for female or male sizing, but you can’t trust that it will fit the shape of a person,” Rogers said.

Bodies can be described with terms such as rectangle, pear or hourglass, giving specific shapes to different people. Two women of the same size could look completely different in the same piece of clothing because of their body shapes.

People who make their own cloth ing, like sophomore Kenneth Guo, use a pattern with a general size, but because of their shape have to make adjustments. As the size range goes up, the average person tends to become rounder, echoing the apple body shape, or down with the rectangle shape.

“Sizing is based on one ideal body. It’s made for one person, just scaled up and down,” Guo said.

Instead of adjusting patterns for different sizes, companies tend to just enlarge the article of clothing. This especially affects larger or plus-sized people, making it difficult for them to find clothes that fit them well.

“I did a lot of work with opera. In opera, there are traditionally a lot of larger

people. People are very pleased when you make something that fits them and it’s the first time in their life that they’ve put something on that they’re not pulling to fit, something that fits perfectly. That is extremely rewarding [for me to see],” Rogers said.

Naturally, there is a need for clothes that fit people correctly, especially women’s clothing. The main issue is convincing big clothing companies to spend extra money to promote inclusivity.

Rogers believes that initially, inclusive and consistent sizing would cost more for these huge corporations, but not enough to justify the outdated method of sizing. He argues that in the long run, these companies would actually make more money than they would lose in the admittedly stressful change in the fashion industry.

“There are ways to change [the fashion industry] for the better without bankrupting everybody. If the fashion industry welcomed more people like me [as a seamster who caters to different sizes], that would be the first step,” Rogers said.

The fashion industry has a long way to go when it comes to tackling the challenge of inconsistent sizing, but with progressive designers coming into the field working toward women’s interests, the future could hold an easier and more consistent shopping experience.

Cartoon by Dane Coyne

Cartoon by Dane Coyne

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YOU ANSWER WE ASK

WHAT IS YOUR HIDDEN TALENT?

“I have perfect pitch. As a child I used to play piano a lot and a lot of music. I don’t know if it’s getting better or worse. I can’t tell at times. A lot of the music department knows I have perfect pitch. It comes in handy when people ask me to transcribe music.”

“A secret talent that I have is I do cup stacking. [Cup stacking] is competitive around the world. I have competed in tournaments and had a chance to compete in the Junior Olympic Cup Stacking Tournament, but because of COVID I couldn’t.”

“I make balloon animals. I started making them a couple of weeks ago. I got the idea from my friend Matt Manugas. I was inspired to make balloon animals because it looked fun, and I thought it would be cool to have something fun to do.”

“A hidden talent I have is the ability to do a jump snap kick. I was enrolled into martial arts by my parents when I was really young. So, the jumping snap kick was one of the things I learned there. Even after I quit, the ability still stuck with me. When people see it they’re just shocked and look impressed.”

Freshman Jake Buckley

Senior Kianna Gumban

Senior Matt Manugas

Junior Thomas Whitney

18 Profile

Photo by Paige Whiteside

RYAN ALGRIM PURSUES VARIOUS PASSIONS

BY DANE COYNE Editor

Many people are only known for their one defining characteristic. When this happens, other qualities that an individual may possess are often overlooked and ignored. Senior Ryan Algrim has been subjected to this, primarily being known for his success with football. While he may be a great football player, he has many other interests that set him apart from others.

At just 17 years old, Algrim is a fivestar long snapper and is currently ranked number 16 in the nation at his position, according to Rubio Long Snapping. In addition to being a talented and successful football player, Algrim is very interested and involved in fire science.

“Football is one of my biggest passions, but on the side, I’m really into fire science. That’s my career goal, so through that, I’ve been able to commit to the University of Minnesota to play football for them next year,” Algrim said.

Besides having college as a motivating factor for his football career, there are more personal things that inspire Algrim. His father is a firefighter and his mother is a nurse, so it’s no surprise that his family is a source of inspiration for him.

Algrim wasn’t always set on football. He played baseball until his sophomore year, but then something occurred to him that shifted his focus.

“Growing up, I played baseball and football, but I stopped playing baseball sophomore year and started focusing more on football because I realized my [potential] and abilities,” Algrim said.

Algrim is set on his path with football, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t struggled with balancing everything he wants to do. Algrim’s future college doesn’t offer exactly what he wants in terms of a major. This is a source of conflict for him when it comes to his academic career.

“In college, I will be studying physical fitness and health promotion, so it’s kind of being like a personal trainer. Having background knowledge of the human body will help me [become] a paramedic down the line,” Algrim said.

Algrim knows what he wants to do, and although the two main things he wants to succeed in are quite different, they come full circle, as they both relate to physical health and training for physical activities.

“[Football and fire science] have conflicted at times. [The problem about] going to school next year is that they don’t have a major that fits me for the fire service, but I have been trying to work my

way through that to figure out something that will benefit me in the long run,” Algrim said.

Algrim committed to the University of Minnesota because he felt welcomed and accepted when he first visited.

“The way [the University of Minnesota] took me in when I was up there was really nice. All of the people and coaches were so welcoming, and they were all asking me how I was doing,” Algrim said.

Algrim may seem like he’s perfectly confident in what he is doing, but just like everyone else, he feels discouraged at times. Even though he has played football since he was little, he is aware that there is always a chance that someone may be better at what he does than him.

“I’ve played [football] my whole life, so it’s just been ingrained in my brain as a kid. It’s tough out there. Everyone is a different size. Some people are stronger than you, and it’s just hard work out there,” Algrim said.

His experience brings confidence, but even the most confident people can feel pressure. “One of the most intense things I did was in a camp over the summer. It was called Top Twelve. There were 40 of the top guys across the nation just competing at one camp over three days. We’re all friends and buddies, but when you’re out on the field competing, it’s just a lot of pressure,” Algrim said.

While it may seem exciting to be looked up to by peers, sometimes standing out can be a lot for one high schooler to handle, especially in a small school where many people know each other.

“It’s a lot of pressure because everyone is looking up towards you and at you. When walking through the hallways, you kind of have to maintain the image of being a great football player, but also a good person,” Algrim said.

Along with maintaining an image, Algrim deals with personal issues too. Being popular can be motivating and enjoyable, but it comes with its downsides. Knowing many people doesn’t necessarily mean having more friends. Algrim would rather people focus on him as a person instead of just associating him with the sport he’s good at.

“A lot of people just know me [because of] football. They don’t talk with me a lot, and I think it would be nicer if they would stop focusing on [only football],” Algrim said. Algrim, after all, isn’t only interested in sports. Family and friends are also very important to him.

“I love hanging out with [my parents],

my grandparents, my cousins and my sister,” Algrim said. “We all have a great time. In the wintertime, we go snowmobiling around here.”

Algrim is especially close to his cousin, senior Drew Malone. With Malone being in the marching band and Algrim playing football, the two of them have different interests and schedules. However, despite these differences, the two of them spend a lot of their time together and enjoy hanging out with their family.

“He’s one of my favorite role models. Ryan is a very hard worker. I mean, he lifts every day for football, sometimes twice a day. He does long snap practice almost every day of the week,” Malone said.

Although Algrim is a hard worker with a busy schedule, he finds time to hang out with Malone, doing things like playing video games and visiting their grandmother’s house.

“Last year, I was working out five or six days a week, and I was pushing myself way too hard,” Algrim said. “I was working out for two or three hours every day, so over Spring Break, I had to stop for a week because my body was just hurting too bad.”

From his vantage point, head varsity football coach Patrick Ryan recognizes all the outstanding qualities that Algrim possesses. Ryan has worked with Algrim since his freshman year, so he has seen his fair share of his skillset and personality. Ryan considers Algrim to be one of the best players he has ever coached.

“[Algrim] is a very coachable player. He’s hardworking, shows great leadership and is a nice kid. He leads by example,” Ryan said.

Ryan has a specific vision of what defines success in the game of football, and it involves more than just what happens on the field.

“The focus isn’t always just [on] winning, but instead on the whole student-athlete,” Ryan said. “We want to teach our football players to not only be successful on the field but off the field as well.”

Algrim, who balances the challenges stemming from his football and academic responsibilities as well as his personal life, represent’s Ryan’s vision. Pursuing a career in fire science to become a paramedic is no easy task, and being a kind and generous person while balancing a budding football career on top of that is admirable. Algrim demonstrates how to chase all of your dreams, no matter how different they may be from one another.

Family in the ARMED FORCES

BY ANDREW VALENTINI Editor and Co-Broadcast Manager

Brandi and Ryan Dado are the parents of senior Owen Dado. Ryan served in the Army and Navy, while Brandi served in the Navy. Ryan first served in the Navy where he and Brandi met, then served 15 years in the Army and did two tours in Iraq. He was in the infantry as a staff sergeant. Brandi served as a member of the Military Police (MP) and was also a Petty Officer Third Class in her time with the Navy.

Larry Swims , grandfather of freshman John Swims, is 72 years old and served for two years in the Vietnam War. Swims was a part of the U.S. Army. He was a truck driver who had the responsibility of carrying ammunition and supplies. John’s favorite memory with his grandfather is working on projects and learning how to use different tools.

Bill Andrae , father of junior Jack Andrae, is a 53-year-old U.S. Army veteran who spent 13 years in the service. He was involved in Operation Desert Storm, which took place in the Middle East from 1990-91. Andrae worked in communications, specifically, and recalls the camaraderie and friendships he made with his fellow soldiers.

Alex Copoyians , uncle of senior Kellie Peters, entered the Navy at the age of 25 and served from May 2011 to June 2014. He was a seaman and a Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) candidate. During BUD/S training, Copoyians tore a ligament in his ankle and left the military to become a registered nurse.

OWEN DADO

JOHN SWIMS

JACK ANDRAE

KELLIE PETERS

design by Lilliana Bobé

Larry Swims

Brandi Dado

Ryan Dado

Alex Copoyians

Bill Andrae

Alex Copoyians

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