Centerspread

BY ANNA OLP

Design Executive and Photography Executive

Sometimes our day to day lives at school can feel like they’re straight out of Groundhog Day. The first bell rings at 7:30, and we make our way from class to class until the last bell rings at 2:50. It’s likely that every day here at Kaneland High School, we’re all going through the same schedule that we have had since the start of the semester, maybe even the start of the school year, every day feeling like the last. Getting stuck in this loop is an easy way to forget about some of the many things going on at KHS that we may not get to see within our normal schedule. Walking to and from the same classes every day only exposes us to the small number of things we’re able to see during passing periods. This also takes place in the classroom. Because we go to the same classrooms five days a week, it is easy to miss a lot of what goes on elsewhere in the school during our eight periods. Along with the teachers we see every day, the staff members who may not be a part of our regular schedule are also important to remember and appreciate. Renee Keifer, who works as a school nurse at KHS, is someone many students rely on outside of their typical classroom setting. For many, the work of a school nurse goes beyond what first comes to mind. Basic first aid is just a small part “ of their important role in our school.

“We work a lot with the counselors as far as [Individualized Education Plans] and [504 Plans]. Our job is to advocate for the students. I want to make sure that their medical needs are met to help them academically,” Keifer said.

Along with work during the school day that may not be seen by some students, there are also employees like Keifer who have important responsibilities outside of school.

“CPR training is every two years. And now it’s a lot of COVID training. There are still continuing education hours we have to get for our medical license, as well,” Keifer said.

During summer break, when most students and teachers are able to go a couple months without coming into school, full time district staff members still come in to get the school ready for the start of the upcoming year. With a heavier reliance “ on technology each year, the district’s technology department works throughout the summer to ensure the smoothest possible transition into the new school year and install and maintain technological advancements in classrooms.

“I work here full time so I’m at the school over the summer too. I would say that there’s a lot of recycling that gets done, and there are new tech additions

I really think it’s important to always recognize people. We try our best to call students by their first names and recognize them as individuals. - cafeteria worker Julie Wilson

that get installed into the classrooms severity of the problem. Sometimes the over the summer, and students are not problem can’t even be fixed by us, as it here to see that,” district and high school can stem from our internet provider,” technician Michael Chavez said. Chavez said.

As the presence of new technolo- The maintenance department is angy in our school continues to increase, other group of employees who work here so do the problems and difficulties that full time, including over the summer. can sometimes arise alongside the up- Throughout the year, they work to keep dates. It can affect just one student who Kaneland functioning. Mark Payton is the has a minor issue like a malfunctioning Chromebook, or the entire school when problems with the “ A lot of things revolve around COVID director of buildings and grounds for the Kaneland school district. “Most of our internet or firewall now, but students still need to un- jobs in the maincan knock out teach- derstand they can come here for tenance departers’ daily plans. Many people may feel impatience or frustration while waiting for other things, whether it’s emotional support or anxiety issues and need a place to reset. They can do that here. ment are things that hopefully students don’t notice. We want students such problems to be - school nurse Renee Keifer to come here and solved, but it is im- learn,” Payton said. portant to remember that there are people working diligently to resolve the issue. Chavez is one of these “ One unique aspect of the staff who work in the maintenance department is that their people, and he is sometimes the only goal is to work unnoticed by students. member of the tech department in the “We don’t want them to have to worhigh school. ry about whether they’re comfortable, if

“Solving some of the technology they have enough light to see their asproblems here can take anywhere from signments or if they’re safe. We want to minutes to hours; it just depends on the do all those things behind the scenes,” March 17, 2022 | Centerspread Payton said.

While most of the staff mentioned so far may not be a part of our daily schedules, people we do see every day are equally important. Julie Wilson works in the cafeteria. Because we are able to walk through the lunch line with food ready to eat, the time and effort that is spent preparing the food can be easily overlooked.

“We do see some notes of gratification from students occasionally, but I really think it’s important to always recognize people. We try our best to call students by their first names and recognize them as individuals,” Wilson said.

As we all go about our daily schedules, it is important to recognize the work of the many people that allow us to do so, even if we don’t see them every day. Getting stuck in a repetitive loop at school is easy, and it can blind you to the people around you who are ready to help everyone succeed.

“A lot of things revolve around COVID now, but students still need to understand they can come here for other things, whether it’s emotional support or anxiety issues and need a place to reset. They can do that here. Students who don’t have to deal with different diseases might not think of us as being utilized for that kind of thing,” Keifer said.

BY KYRA MOTYKA

Editor

College can provide a unique and life-changing journey for anyone who chooses that route. However, the dreaded storm before the rainbow is arguably one of the most important parts of the college experience. Taking standardized tests, working on your GPA, looking for schools that fit your wants and needs, deciding where to apply and ultimately determining where to attend are all key components in the early stages of your adventure. However, it can sometimes feel like we have no idea what the next step should be, like being aware of when and how to shift our focus going into junior year. We all wish we could skip to the good part, but knowing what to focus your energy on in these preliminary steps will not only part the clouds a bit, but potentially bring an even brighter sky.

UNDERCLASSMEN

Preparations begin during your high school underclassmen years, where you have to do a bit of self-exploration.

“In terms of what freshmen and sophomores should be doing, I think it’s a whole lot of figuring out what you’re interested in and thinking about long-term career plans, what kinds of things you like doing and just having an idea of a path,” English teacher Jennifer Sayasane said.

Kaneland guidance counselor Andrew Franklin believes that underclassmen years should be dedicated to finding a passion rather than finding a college. He also said that sophomore year is the first time you get to have a little bit of a say in what classes you take.

“Sophomores have more opportunity to take more classes that are interesting to them…you can actually start doing things,” Franklin said.

Allowing yourself to focus on a field, such as engineering, instead of a career allows you a lot more creative freedom and encourages open-mindedness.

“The first thing is figuring out what you want to do, and if it’s not a career, it’s a field…Your freshman and sophomore years are really just exploring different areas of interest,” English teacher Rachel Giles said. “But you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do…it’s going to change from the time you start here to the time you end here.”

Giles, who worked in the office of admissions at Illinois State University for about three years, is now in her eighth year at Kaneland, where she is also the theater director. 14 Advice

Photo courtesy of Christopher Fountain 2021 Kaneland graduate Christopher Fountain stands with his parents in front of a statue of the founder of the University of Notre Dame, Edward F. Sorin. Fountain majors in mechanical engineering.

UPPERCLASSMEN

“I think junior year is a good time to start thinking about, ‘How do I actually make that plan happen?’ So look at, ‘Is college going to be the path for me?’ Look at career options, and look at other options in order to get where you want to go. Senior year is going to be about actually making those choices,” Sayasane said.

Kaneland administrators want to be supportive during this process. In fact, the school plans to be an even bigger part of the process starting next year.

“We try to have junior meetings as best as we can. We’re really going to push the juniors to get a lot more information this year, and next year, we’ll have even more opportunities because we’ll have homeroom, which is great,” Franklin said.

Franklin encourages everyone to visit the College and Career Center here at Kaneland at least once or twice. The staff members there will help you figure out some ideas regarding what the best path for you is, whether it’s a two-year college, a four-year university or even going into the trades. The College and Career Center is located in the cafeteria.

“Junior year, you really don’t need to hard-core know what you want to do, but you should have an idea if you want to go into a trade, or if you want to go to Waubonsee to get [general education classes] done or if you want to do a four-year university; knowing the next step [is important],” Giles said. “Senior year is when you really want to buckle down and figure out some of the logistics of that next step. But you still don’t have to know what you want to do.”

Franklin, Giles and Sayasane all agree that your GPA is the most critical component of your application in relation to your college acceptance chances and your likelihood to receive scholarships. 2021 Kaneland graduate and valedictorian Christopher Fountain says the same.

“Your GPA is so much more important than your test scores. Most schools were test-optional [during] my application season,” Fountain said. “However, I believe my extracurricular activities and essays helped me more than my grades.”

Numerous schools are going test-optional because they are slowly becoming more interested in each student personally, rather than being overly concerned with their test scores. Either approach can make sense depending on what the school prioritizes. Like Fountain, current senior Scott Remrey has prioritized his GPA.

“I feel like [your GPA] is what schools mostly look at, especially today, with many not even requiring the SAT and ACT,” Remrey said.

Sayasane believes the reason so many schools are going test-optional is because one test on one random day of the year doesn’t define you nearly as well as your entire high school career encapsulated into a much more representative number.

“More and more colleges aren’t requiring those SAT and ACT scores, so there’s more and more emphasis on your GPA. I think that gives schools a better picture of who you are over the course of a year, or who you are over the course of three or four years, instead of a one-shot, high-stakes test,” Sayasane said.

GPA, SAT OR ACT?

WORDS FROM LAST YEAR’S VALEDICTORIAN

“Being at the bottom of the totem pole again is odd,” Fountain said. “For those looking at colleges, go where you want to go, not where your friends want you to go and not your teachers. At the end of the day, college is about finding yourself... You won’t achieve that if you go somewhere where you don’t feel at home. For underclassmen, enjoy high school. Algebra isn’t always the most riveting subject, but calculus is even worse. My last piece of advice goes to both underclassmen and upperclassmen: enjoy home-cooked meals while you can, and spend time with your family. You’ll miss them both more than you realize.”

Cartoon by McKenna Goss We face new problems, experience different stressors and make all kinds of mistakes each and every day, and sometimes, it can be difficult to see the light in these tough situations. However, shifting your way of thinking and looking at things in a more positive manner can influence your life in a constructive way.

CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Mistakes are made every single day. Whether that means spilling a drink and making a stubborn stain, breaking something fragile or forgetting an important assignment you needed to do, it really is true that everybody makes mistakes. Understanding this ordinary concept is not difficult on its own, but what is slightly tougher to grasp is changing your perspective a little bit and finding new, more 20 beneficial ways to deal with these inevitable errors. Say, for example, you are cleaning your house, and you accidentally knock over a glass, and it shatters all over your floor. Most people’s first reaction would be to get frustrated, upset or even angry. You might think of the hassle that cleaning it up will be or the “why me” feeling we have all experienced at some point. However, responding to such a small slip in your day in such a negative way does not improve the situation, and in the long run, dealing with minor setbacks in this way will definitely not improve your quality of life. Any time you are going through something, even if it is just a small or insignificant problem, people will almost always automatically jump to telling you to “stay positive” or to “just try to look at the positive side of things.” While this may not be entirely helpful or exactly what you want to hear at the moment, it really is something to take into consideration. Instead of reacting with anger or frustration, there are a few things you can do instead that will lead to a more positive outcome. For one, you can take a step back and think about the advantages to being upset and maybe even acting out. Will it solve your problem? Will it reverse what has already been done? If the answer is no, which it usually is, then there is no reason to act that way.

The next thing you can do is think of possible solutions. Going back to the shattered glass example, there are ultimately two options here: leave the mess alone, or clean it up. What you choose to do is completely

0up to you, but at least you know you took the time to make a thoughtful decision and did not just react impulsively. The last and probably most difficult thing you can do is laugh about it. Making mistakes can be funny if you stop focusing on the negative so frequently. Being able to laugh off these silly mistakes creates a more positive situation for everyone involved.

Now, obviously, simply breaking a glass is not the only problem you will ever experience in your lifetime. Even with bigger problems, such as relationship issues or difficult schoolwork, it is still important to try to change your perspective. If all we did was look at life with one point of view in mind, we would never be able to cope with sad, frustrating or inconvenient situations. It is finding other solutions and ways of thinking that helps us mature and grow.

Another reason we need to get better at changing our mindsets is because searching for the positive more often will make you more inclined to reject those negative reactions. Overall, this will decrease your stress levels, make you a more level-headed person and again, improve the quality of your life. We could all be happier people and be more thankful for what we have and the life we live if we are able to shift perspectives.

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 2013-2021 IWPA Silver Pen 2017 NISPA Golden Eagle 2017 IJEA First Place for Krier Online 2021 IJEA First Place for Best Hybrid Publication 2021 IJEA First Place for Best Overall Publication 2021 Subscription rates: Five issues, three supplements

School-delivered, $15; Home-delivered, $25

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 Sarah Janito

Profile Sophia Opp

News 2 Casey Walters

Feature 2 Kevin Sigrist Editorial Sophia Opp

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

Sandra Bach

Cartoonists Lilliana Bobe & McKenna Goss

Print Production

ADVISORS

Drew Malone

Emily Biala

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 SOPHIA OPP

Co-Editor-in-Chief of Print

Ago-to phrase for parents who want to silence their children in an argument is “because I told you so.” While it may be an effective way to quiet down a sassy toddler, this is a parenting method that needs to be left in the past. However, some of us have been blessed with parents who are here to explain life to us as we grow. In an age where we are bombarded by new information from all sides, our parents are often a safe and steady place to go for sound advice. But how long should we blindly follow what they say? At a certain point, it is important for us to develop our own unique beliefs, ideologies and opinions.

Our parents have different experiences than us, as some of them grew up in a time with no social media or even internet, which is a huge factor in how we are educated and form opinions. Every generation has faced the conundrum of wanting to listen to their parents while also wanting to pull away from their control. This struggle is not new; it’s a natural part of development to begin to question what parents and other authority figures tell us. This might actually be the key to becoming a confident, centered adult.

Senior Eloise Cole has developed a few differing opinions and beliefs from her parents, and she agrees that it is important for all teens to be able to do the same if they need to.

“Forming individual opinions is part of maturing and becoming confident in yourself. I think if you just followed everything your parents told you, there would be no room for growth and no diversity or unique thoughts in the world. I think every person should be subject to their own beliefs and choices,” Cole said.

By allowing yourself to let go of what others tell you and forming your own unique value system, you are setting yourself up for a mentally healthy adulthood. If all you do is blindly accept what you are taught as gospel, then you are actually wasting opportunities to learn.

For example, if you meet someone from a different background who opens your eyes and lets you see things in a different light, that would be a missed opportunity if you were to dismiss their ideas and default to what your parents taught you. Furthermore, your parents are not always going to be with you. As you grow older, you may go to college, start a job or move out. If you do not have a solid sense of who you are and what you believe in by that point, then you are going to constantly second guess yourself and stumble when you meet challenges.

“The primary task of the post-adolescent transition is the dismantling of the old life structure of childhood and the construction of a new adult one in its place,” clinical psychologist and author Mark McConville said.

Though this topic is well-covered across various social media platforms, television series, academic articles and casual conversations, there is still one thing that is commonly disagreed upon between parents and children: politics. This is an important topic in becoming an adult because living in the United States, voting is crucial, and we are all going to have to learn how to form a political opinion sooner rather than later.

“Politically, I do not agree with my parents, and as far as religion, I have started to stray away from their beliefs, similar to my brother. I think this is normal because I am becoming older now, and I am allowed to have my own views on certain things,” Cole said.

As we advance as a society, some people have very progressive ways of thinking, while others are more traditional thinkers, or even somewhere in the middle. It is common that those with the progressive opinions are younger. It is amazing how much our generation has brought to light. New and empowering ideas are shared more frequently, but with these ideas come a lot of disagreements, again, commonly between parents and children.

“The late teens represent the stage where you are figuring out who you are and what you stand for,” Mary Kay Fleming, a professor emerita of psychology at Mount St. Joseph University, said in an article from yourteenmag.com.

In the same article, author Bonnie Jean Feldkamp explained that oftentimes, this “figuring out” involves criticizing your parents. While using harsh words, making judgments or getting in arguments is not the most effective way to handle controversy, it is a positive thing to be able to stray from your parents’ beliefs.

Special education teacher Beth Miller is a mother of two, and she recognizes that mistakes are inevitable when discovering yourself. Whether that means struggling to form your own opinion or judging someone else’s opinion too strongly, it is going to happen, but that is just a part of self-discovery.

“It is true; practice makes perfect. You really cannot be good at something unless you practice it, and most importantly, make mistakes in the process. The growth happens with how you react to those mistakes. If you are able to make little changes to your actions or behaviors based on your mess-ups, you are on the right path,” Miller said.

That being said, an important part of growing up and continually progressing into a better version of yourself is to realize that some of your views are malleable and can change over time. For example, when you were 13, you might have thought it was important to look your best every time you left the house, but now if you are a senior, you could be realizing that it is actually personality and ideas that matter more than appearances, so you come to school in sweats and with unwashed hair.

As we grow, our values change because we are logging experiences, conversations and new information into our brains. If you allow yourself to grow in mind and spirit, you might roll your eyes at the past you, the one who never questioned what others, including your parents, told you to do and think.

Cartoon by Lilliana Bobe It is a natural part of growing up to form opinions that may differ from those of your parents. While it may be scary to go against what your parents say, this doesn’t need to be a source of conflict or something that causes divisiveness between you and the adult influences in your life.

BY SARAH JANITO

Production Executive

Social media has popularized many things over the years. Snapchat had its dog filter phase back in 2016, Sesame Street’s Elmo is popular on TikTok and political figures have been made into memes. While wildly popular actors and actresses, certain fashion trends and cultural phenomena are seen as overrated by some, that is the reality of every piece of pop culture. There will always be someone out there who does not like something that seemingly everyone else does. Some accuse those who do not like these types of people or things for only stating so for attention or to feel different than the general population and be seen as cool to stand out from everyone else. This is not always the reality, however. I, for one, am not fond of Timothée Chalamet, not just because everyone else likes him, but because I personally do not see the appeal about him. I do not share the popular opinion that he is attractive or all that fine of an actor, and frankly, I hate that he is seemingly in every movie I watch lately. I don’t dislike anime because it is a phenomenon around the world and others love it; it is not my style and I prefer to watch other things. And it is about time the people who do like popular things stop accusing those who do not feel the same way that they are faking it, or that it is unacceptable to not have a similar interest as them. Just because something is liked by almost everyone else does not mean there cannot be outliers or people who do not share the same interests. No one should have to explain themselves when it comes to their interests. I should not have to defend myself when I mention one time that I do not listen to Tyler, The Creator or that I think Tobey Maguire was the best Spider-Man. Anyone is allowed to like anything, and anyone is allowed to not like something that others enjoy. For there being seven billion people in the world, someone’s favorite movie or song is going to be someone else’s least favorite. If everybody always liked the same thing, there would be nothing that would make us socially diverse. We would not be able to learn new things or have meaningful conversations with others about our likes and dislikes. Our differences make us who we are and allow us to contribute unique perspectives. Liking popular things is acceptable too. Many claim that those who enjoy things that they see as overrated are basic and in search of attention and praise from others, which is also not always true. If everyone is going to accuse others of being wrong about liking or disliking what they do, we will never get anywhere. Again, we could never have meaningful conversations with each other if we are not different and only like the same things as one another. Conversation runs out much quicker when you agree on everything, but the arguments need to stop when there are disagreements over personal preferences. It will always be this way, and we should all learn to accept each other’s interests and aversions.

Just because something is popular does not mean you are obligated to like or dislike it. Owning what you like and what you do not is all a part of who you are as a person, and the minute someone questions that is the minute that conversation needs to stop and another one needs to happen. Why should I feel bad for not keeping up with the Kardashian-Jenners when I have no ounce of concern for them? Why should I be made fun of for watching The Office and Friends multiple times over when I enjoy the humor and plotlines? The simple answer is that I should not be faced with that, and I should not ask those questions of others. Do I not always understand why someone does not like something I do? Sure. But do I grill them with questions about why? Absolutely not. Because they like what they like, and I like what I like. If there are conflicting opinions, it should not be a point of argument; it should be a point of discussion about the components of what we like and dislike and simpily accepting our differences.

Having rich, thoughtful conversations can help both parties see the other’s side. Instead of accusing me of disliking Chalamet just because he is popular, someone could take the time to ask me why and realize I do not completely hate him and in fact do enjoy some of his work. Arguing is pointless and will not change opinions at all. Everyone will stick to what they think, and there is no point in accusing someone of liking or disliking something for any reason. Most of the time, there is a valid reason for individual opinions. No one should have to explain why they are or are not interested in something to anybody else. The fact is that some things do not appeal to a lot of people, and it is unfair to expect everyone to like something.

It is unnecessary to accuse people of not liking something just because it is popular. Making accusations because someone does not agree with you is out of left field, as everyone is entitled to their own opinions and interests. The sooner we accept that as a society, the better. There should be no question when someone dislikes a popular thing; what they enjoy and that which they detest are theirs to keep and express. Every person has a different idea of what entertainment is. Some people do not like superhero movies, while others do. Some people find podcasts interesting, but others prefer actually reading something. Individuality plays a big part in whether or not someone likes something, and just because something is popular does not mean every single person has to like it, and it certainly does not mean those who are not fond of something popular have an ulterior motive for disliking it besides it not being in their field of interests.

Finding someone with a differing opinion in some way or another - politically, socially or otherwise - is inevitable. Not expecting this will get you nowhere and lead to nothing. Thinking before you speak, especially when tempted to judge someone’s likes and dislikes, is key.

Cartoon by Lilliana Bobe It is a regular occurence to run into people with differing opinions, no matter whom you’re talking to or where you go. Just because the people around you may feel a certain way about something does not mean that you are obligated to think and feel that way as well.