KR ERKANELAND IMPACTFUL CHANGES Improvements and new additions to our high Volumeschool49•First Week Supplement • Kaneland High School • August 19, 2022 • Photo by Samantha Dunne
Senior Finnegan Gannon (left) participates in a Super Smash Bros. tournament. Most of the Esports Team’s members went to the event.
Student Council members work on a poster for Homecoming. Stu dent Council is a great way to collaborate and bond with your peers.
Photo courtesy of Louis Blickem
THE BENEFITS OF CLUBS ON THE STUDENT BODY C lubs are a very important part of high school. Almost all students have been involved in at least one club or extracurricular activity, and as the times change, new interests come and go and clubs form around these interests. They provide a meaningful experience to those involved, allowing students to im prove themselves as people while meet ing peers with similar interests. Some new clubs here at Kaneland are working to pro vide these opportunities. Clubs work to benefit both staff and students and work to deepen connec tions between the two groups. Director of Athletics & Activities David Rohlman dis cussed this in an interview with the Krier. “I think it’s really good for every stu dent in this building to be able to connect with at least one adult. The more students we can get involved in anything extracur ricular is a great opportunity for them to see our teachers and our staff members outside that regular traditional classroom role, and I think it also works for our staff,” RohlmanWhensaid.he was initially hired at Kane land, Rohlman was only the director of the athletics department. However, his two daughters were very involved students. One had been very involved in fine arts, and one participated in sports. Eventual ly, due to his connection to both depart ments, he agreed to become the director of both athletics and activities. “It’s bounced around and been in a couple of different offices over the last de cade or so here, and when we transitioned around two years ago for [activities] to come into our hands and go from an ath letic office to an athletic and activities of fice, [it was] a natural progression because we’re overseeing all the extracurriculars and not just the athletic piece,” Rohlman said. Not only do clubs bring staff and students together, they are also a great opportunity for students to learn in a less traditional or convention al way.“Ithink that any time a student is involved in anything outside of the classroom, they are learn ing life lessons that you can’t get out of a text book, whether it’s time management or coopera tion with people or creating a project and coming up with solutions,” Rohlman said. Students can also create opportuni ties for themselves by starting new clubs. “Clubs provide a sense of friendship to those uninterested in athletics. Through clubs like the Esports Team, I’ve learned that you don’t need to be in [traditional] sports to have fun after school with your friends,” junior Louis Blickem said. Blickem, along with several of his peers, created a Kaneland Esports Team during the 2021-22 school year that has competed in several different tourna ments. The club continues to compete and hopes to bring in new members over time, as they continue to play games such as Overwatch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and “Allmore.of the clubs are only going to do good for the people that are joining them,” junior Aeryn Hwang said. “There are only a few downsides of joining clubs, but there are many benefits.” Hwang is a highly involved student, as she is a mem ber of the Student Impact Club, an athlete on the girls golf team, the Vice President of the Class of 2024 and a participant in the spring Alongsidemusicals.some of her peers, Hwang hopes to create a Women of Col or Club.“The goal is that wom en of color have a chance to speak to others about their experiences being a woman of color. It is a safe and fun place where you are accepted no matter what,” Hwang said. Some clubs have also become so suc cessful that they have begun overlapping with “Thesports.biggest [example] I’d probably say, and this actually started even before I got here, was lacrosse. Lacrosse started as a club here, and it sustained itself and grew in numbers to the point where it be came an interscholastic sport for us,” Rohl manConveniently,said. the process to start a club, according to Rohlman, is relatively simple.“Anything that’s new that we start has to be student-oriented. It has to be some thing the students are interested in. They typically have, depending on what the club is, around 10 to 12 people involved already that are interested in doing it,” Rohlman said. “After they write a propos al, the other thing they have to do is find someone to sponsor them, but the spon sor must come with the understanding that they’re going to be a volunteer, and we’re not going to pay them. We have to see that club or activity sustain itself over a period of several years. A lot of the time, we’ll have some juniors come in and say [they want to start a club], but when they graduate, nobody wants to pick it up.”
Clubs are an excellent way to bring students and staff together. They give stu dents an opportunity to have some control over what they do in school and allow stu dents to find peers who share their inter ests, like the Esports Team, or peers who are in similar social or cultural situations, such as the Women of Color Club. If they pick up enough traction, they can become something that, like lacrosse, not only lasts but grows, and they are generally an in credible opportunity for students to learn more about themselves.
Photo by Katherine Pfotenhauer
Feature2
Page design by Kevin Sigrist Feature | August 19, 2022 BY KEVIN SIGRIST Editor-in-Chief of Print and Production Executive
By identifying your core values, figuring out what path you want to take in life becomes easier. Dr. Tchi ki Davis, a writer who specializes in helping people find happiness, shared her perspective on this top ic in an article from Psychology To day, a website dedicated to assis tance with mental health issues. “When we go through life without following our personal values, we can lose ourselves and our ability to generate real happiness,” Davis said. “By identifying our values, we can begin to design a life that is in better alignment with our true self.”
August 19, 2022 | Opinion Page design by Ashley Vanderhoff Opinion
BY ZOEY POZEN Co-Sports
3
FIGURING OUT WHAT MATTERS TO YOU
NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND GREATNESS
G oing into a new year can be tough for anyone. With new classes, stu dents, clubs and teachers, it can be both exciting and overwhelming. Howev er, no matter how ridiculously challeng ing or fun a new year can be, it is import ant to stay committed to what matters to you most and to make something out of every opportunity presented to you. As a student in high school, you are typically either thinking about what is coming next or trying to live in the mo ment. Both perspectives have their own benefits and drawbacks. While living in the moment can be fun, there are times when you have to figure out what comes next in your life.
Identify your core beliefs and passions Define what your top priorities are and what it would mean to live by these values. Recognize who you want to surround yourself with, and keep them close to you while also prioritizing your own wellness. Eliminate factors in your life that could hinder you Determine what is stopping you from accomplishing your goals. By getting rid of obstacles in your way, whether that is a toxic relationship, an unhealthy habit or any other negative factor in your life, it be comes easier to move forward and succeed in what you aim to do.
Live your values Each day, remind yourself what you aim to achieve, whether that is on a short- or long-term basis. Acknowl edge what brings you happiness and incorporate it into your dai ly routine. Keep your mental and physical health in mind while still pursuing your goals.
A new school year provides a natural time for a fresh start. Throughout the pandem ic, students faced many challenges and had a lot of opportunities taken away from them. As we go into this new school year, it is up to us to find opportunities that we now have and commit to them. It is a chance for us to become determined to find anything that will help us take that next step in our lives. For some, this next step might be grinding hard in the weight room to show a college recruiter that they are worthy of a spot on their team, or it could be staying on top of all their AP class es so they can get accepted into their dream school. For oth ers, it could just mean hanging out with friends as much as they can to make up for any lost time during the pandemic. Any of these approaches, along with so many other routes a per son can go, are ways to move into this year with the right kind of mindset.Itisalso very important to stay aware and on top of your own men tal and physical health while working to accomplish your goals. Many students tend to spend so much time working on their various obligations that they forget to take care of themselves. Taking oc casional breaks, talking to friends and trusted adults about anything that you’re struggling with and making sure to set a well-rounded schedule for yourself are all ways to relieve stress and make the chal lenges of the school year more manage able.Getting through the past couple of years was tough with one crisis and trag edy occurring after another and so much lost. We are heading into this year with a clear opportunity to compete in sports seasons, see and be able to talk to our teachers every day, participate in clubs and spend time with our friends five days a week.New beginnings can bring uncertainty, but they are opportunities for greatness. Defining your goals, maintaining good health and finding a balance between liv ing in the moment and focusing on the future will allow for a successful and en joyable school year.Cartoon by Lilliana Bobe
& Activities and Co-Social Media Manager
The district’s architects are work ing right now, and by the end of September or October we should see the permanent roof go back on.
RohlmanExecutivesaid.
GROWTH CHANGES &SCHOOLTODEVELOPMENTSTHEEXPLORINGNEWOURBYASHLEYVANDERHOFFDesignExecutiveandAd&Business
“ “
The windows, while originally planned to be done before students ar rived for the first day of classes, may take more time to be completed. “We thought [the windows] would be done by the start of the school year, but we haven’t seen the product show up yet. It was supposed to be here [by the week of July 18],” Rohlman said. Other changes to the school involve some minor remodeling. While some al terations, such as outside paint jobs, have been ongoing for years, other improve ments have taken place this summer. “In C110, while there is still some work to be done, all of the flaking paint on the walls has been redone, and the old chalkboards were all taken down,” Rohlman said. “Eventually the school will probably replace all the ceiling tiles, lights and carpeting in that room, but it is a slow process. The school has also been doing painting to outdoor buildings; they are starting to repaint the track garage. The ticket booth is eventually going to be repainted; we are switching over from gray paint to black with white trim.”
W ith the start of the 2022-23 school year, there are some notable changes that have tak en place at Kaneland High School. One change that caught the attention of the district was significant damage to the East Gym roof. The partially blown off roof was very noticeable and raised spec ulations as to whether or not the building would be ready for the year. Director of Athletics & Activities David Rohlman as sured that the building is not only safe, but significant progress has occurred since the first images of the sheared off roof appeared on social media. “We had to bring a structural engi neer to the building to make sure it was safe. Once they okayed the building, they opened it back up. In the meantime, they put a temporary roof on. So it’s not a tarp up there or anything,” Rohlman said. The permanent roof will take time to go up, and the process is predicted to take a few months. “The district’s architects are working right now, and by the end of September or October we should see the permanent roof go back on,” Rohlman said. The tennis fence was also partially damaged due to the storm. However, the fence has since been repaired. “We’ve actually ordered a new ten nis windscreen, because [the storm] tore portions of our windscreen that had ‘Kaneland High School’ printed on it,”
“We could have ordered just two of the five [sections of the fence], but because the tennis fence sits out side most of the year, those new sections would have been one color and the old ones would have been faded, so we’re or dering the whole thing.”
While some new changes to the school were the result of an untimely and disastrous event, other changes have been in progress well before the storm. One change students can expect to see are brand new windows as they walk into the school’s main entrance. “All of the windows were planned. There were some safety issues because of the metal frames that surrounded the windows; they were all disintegrat ing from wear and tear. They took all of the old windows and doors out, as well as some of the wood framing out. They found glass behind those, so when it’s all done, everything that can be seen [from door one] will be all glass,” Rohlman said.
Centerspread | August 19, 2022 4 Centerspread
-Director of Athletics & Activities David Rohlman Cartoon by Ashley Vanderhoff Page design by Ashley Vanderhoff
While some work has been planned and other alterations have been the re sult of problems beyond anyone’s con trol, our school has changed quite a bit while we were away.
A s we have returned to school, there are a number of departments that have undergone staff changes. While the departure of so many teachers can be sad, all of the new faces can also positively impact students. New perspec tives, passionate teachers and different student opportunities all lay the founda tion for growth. “A lot of people are switching ca reers right now, especially teachers and nurses,” incoming band director Tyler Brooks said. “It's definitely a nationwide thing. I don't necessarily think that it's a coincidence. A lot of teachers are new, especially to the field. Over the past two years, just with all the different changes that have happened, [many teachers] de cided that they want to [move on from teaching]. I have a lot of teacher friends who just wanted a change of scenery. I don’t think we can necessarily pin it to one thing, however the pandemic defi nitely had to do a lot with it.”
The significantly damaged roof hangs over the side of the school following a severe storm that occurred during the 4th of July weekend. A temporary roof has since been put in place. Photo courtesy of Dr. James Horne ers, a teacher leaving for good can be distressing. Brooks, for example, noted that the sudden resignation of former band director Puckett was disheartening to many of his long-time students. There are positives, though, that can come of the situation.“Everyone’s sad to see Mr. Puckett go, but in the [student] leadership meet ings we had I was surprised to see that everyone saw this as an opportunity for growth. We’re going to miss Mr. Puck ett a lot, but thankfully I have been here for a while so I’ve tried to make things as [normal] as possible. Everyone is sad, but I’m impressed to see [older students] really take this opportunity to really grow from it,” Brooks said. New teachers may also bring new perspec tives. Saunders, who re cently finished student teaching at Aurora Cen tral Catholic High School, is able to relate to the struggle that students went through during on line learning as she was also a student during that time.“When I was student teaching, it was post-pan demic. If we ever do have to go back to remote learning, it would be a new experience for me. Something that I did experience was [attending] school during the remote learning times. I think that I was able to get an idea of how it worked and how I would teach through that,” Saunders said. “I definitely think [I would teach well be cause I was in school during the pandem ic] because I was able to observe how all of my professors dealt with remote learn ing."While change can be deflating, it is important to keep in mind that there is al ways room to grow and learn from past experiences.
Photo by Samantha Dunne design by Ashley Vanderhoff
Assistant principal Carri Oslager also noted the number of staff leaving not due to disliking the job, but because of family or personal reasons. “There are quite a few teachers leav ing due to personal reasons. [Science and agriculture teacher Brooke Heinsohn] took a job in Sycamore, which is closer to her family. [English teacher Joshua Maurice] took a job at Joliet Central High School, which is closer to his girlfriend and where he is establishing his life. [Band director Aaron Puckett] found a job for his family [in Florida]. We haven’t real ly had anyone walking out the door and saying, ‘I hate you,’ or, ‘I hate this place.’ They just found better places. Honestly, it’s harder to leave when you’re happy and okay with your [profession]. It’s sad to leave [so much behind],” Oslager said. Regardless of the reason a staff member decides to leave or apply for a job, the impact it can have on students is evident. Emily Saunders was recently hired as a new English teacher, and she recognizes the challenges students can face when taking a class with a newly hired teacher. “I can see [staff changes] being a challenge [for students]. I know that when some students go from one teacher to the next, they may go from loving a subject to hating a subject," Saunders said. "Some times, it all depends on the teacher. I also feel like high school students are pretty flexible because they go through so many teachers [over the course of] four years. I think that it's good for them in the long run because once they become adults, that's just how life goes." Although it is normal for students to go through school and meet new teach
New District 302 teachers meet in the Kaneland High School library. The meetings ran from Monday, Aug. 8, through Wednesday, Aug. 10.
Page
August 19, 2022 | CenterspreadCenterspread5
Photo by
Profile | August 19, 2022 6 Profile
Ashley Vanderhoff
D r. James Horne has been a leader in education long before becom ing a principal and is an advocate for creating the best learning environ ment for students. Early in his career, he worked at Kaneland High School for 10 years, teaching English and then also serving as the department chair before working as an instructional coach. His work ethic and diverse interests led him to many roles in education throughout his career, right up to his first day back at Kaneland, this time as the new princi pal. He recalled it being a bright day as he was driving in for his first official day on the job when he received a call from Associate Superintendent Dr. Julie-Ann Fuchs.“‘There’s no power,’ she said. ‘Be cause the power lines are down,’ she continued. ‘And the roof is off,’” Horne re called. He more distinctly remembers the second phone call he received. “I got a call and was told to leave the building because it was thought to be structurally unsound. [The building] is fine, but they didn’t know that at the time. And so I was like, ‘Oh well, I guess I’m go ing home.’ Then they told me, ‘You can’t come back until next Monday,’” Horne said.He supposed if there was a story about his first day as Kaneland’s princi pal, the headline would be: “Kaneland High School blows the roof off to wel come principal back.” Horne is no less excited to be here despite a near catastrophe on his first day back. His family supports his decision to return to a place he feels at home, and he has no intent to be here temporarily. “I am thrilled to be here, and this is not a stepping stone. I have no desire to be short-term. It is a place I see myself staying for a very long time. I am happy I’m here; my family is happy I’m here,” HorneGrowingsaid. up, Horne’s love of reading, writing and analytical thinking provided several possibilities. Surprisingly, he had no early plans to teach. “[Education] was something I discov ered I wanted to do later in life. I was not the elementary school kid playing school, trying to be a teacher. It wasn’t until I was in college that I decided education was something I wanted to do. I had different thoughts about what I wanted to go into,” Horne said. It was his high school English teacher who pointed out characteristics in Horne that would make him a good educator. “[The teacher] kind of tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out that I had a real gift of summarizing complex ideas and explaining them in a way that every body in the room understood. She was the one who suggested I might want to think about being a teacher,” Horne said. After finding an interest in education, Horne joined AmeriCorps, an indepen dent government service organization. This experience was the reason Horne decided to get his teaching credentials. “I worked in a very impoverished, ru ral Washington town in the mountains. An endangered spotted owl came through and stopped all the logging. So the en tire town of Sedro-Woolley, Washington, went bankrupt. Basically, they couldn’t af ford to pay teachers and were struggling,” Horne said. “So, to get federal relief, they brought in AmeriCorps. In my first job, I worked at a fifth- and sixth-grade ele mentary school teaching reading. I liked that so much that I did it for two years and decided to go back and get my master’s [degree].”After earning his master’s at The Ev ergreen State College, in Olympia, Wash ington, Horne and his wife, Amanda, de cided to move back to the Kaneland area - Horne attended St. Charles High School - for more opportunities. “I chose English as what I wanted to teach because that’s how I loved making sense of the world. It was also trying to get kids to be in conversation with each other about various topics, stories or cur rent events,” Horne said. While Horne did find happiness in the classroom, becoming a principal wasn’t something he pursued simply because it seemed like the next step; he truly cares about making his school, students, staff and community better. “I liked participating in and influenc ing the way schools develop. It was about always being an active participant to help make meaningful change, and that just got me to the different roles that I was in,” HorneHornesaid. spent five years at DeKalb High School as the principal and three years prior as the assistant principal. He looks back on his time at DeKalb most fondly for the connections he made with students and the work he did to give teachers time to collaborate; this is some thing he plans to continue at Kaneland.
Horne would like students to know that he aspires to not only be present for them but to always try to understand them.“One of my goals is to be present in the hallways and at events and to look for opportunities to get out. When we went to remote learning [at DeKalb], we set up task forces where kids could show up and let their thoughts out. I’ll be looking to do similar things based on the needs here,” Horne said. “My favorite part of the day is standing by the main doors and see ing how many kids I can get to say, ‘Good morning.’ I believe the best communica tion is frequently informal, every day. It is so much more powerful than any email I could craft and send out to people.” by Ashley Vanderhoff
Page design
BY ASHLEY VANDERHOFF
Senior Ethan Yost recognizes that change could benefit the stan dards-based grading system. “I would like to see all of the teachers in the school, if not at least in the same department, doing standards-based grading the same way. Although I do not prefer standards-based grading, if it’s what the district decides to use it be comes even more difficult to understand when the grading techniques and format ting are inconsistent,” Yost said.
Design Executive and Ad & Business Executive
“It’s more about establishing why we’re working on it. We’re working on it because it provides clarity on what the objectives are and the focus for assess ments, and it is a great opportunity to provide feedback to students so they can improve their learning,” Horne said. “The outcome of standards-based grading is individualized learning with the student, and that’s the challenge of education. You’ve got 13, 14 kids all coming from different backgrounds, interests and abil ities all sitting in an English 11 class all trying to make sense of it.”
Assistant principal Carri Oslager has worked closely with Horne during his first few months in his new role.
“He is very caring and is always will ing to listen and learn so he can figure out what the environment is like. He is then willing to take on whatever it is that he sees needs to be done,” Oslager said.
Because Horne previously worked at Kaneland, he recalled the earliest conver sations about standards-based grading. While the system was in its beginning stages in the English department, it was nowhere near as developed as it is now. While it has advanced, Horne is still hap py and comfortable being a part of it.
August 19, 2022 | Profile 7Profile KANELAND WELCOMES BACK NEW PRINCIPAL
“I saw the band Stray Kids in concert at the United Center this summer. My mom took me, and we had a really nice Checktime.”us
“I took a road trip to Wisconsin with my sister. We went tubing and spent a lot of time together. It was a lot of fun.” “I went to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, with my family this summer. I went on my first roller coaster there, which was a really cool experience.”
August 19, 2022 | Voices Page design by Kevin Sigrist8 Voices KR ERKANELAND @kaneland_krier@thekanelandkrier@kanelandkrier kanelandkrier.comWEBSITE NICKLAS STEFANIKMACKENZIEJUNIORSIDMAN - FRESHMAN KALEY BARSIC - SENIOR
out on social media... BY PAIGE WHITESIDE Editor-in-Chief of Web and Copy Editor WHAT WAS THE MOST FUN THING YOU DID DURING THE SUMMER?
