LEANING INTO CHANGES
Embracing shifts in our school and world
KHS WELCOMES NEW PRINCIPAL
BY AUDREY WALKER Co-Editor-in-Chief of Print and Ads & Business Executive
Kaneland High School welcomed Melinda Cattell as its new principal starting with the 2024-25 school year. Her first day was on July 15, 2024. Cattell replaces the previous principal, Dr. James Horne, who is now the Kaneland school district’s Director of Educational Services 6-12.
Cattell started her career in social services after earning her undergraduate degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She also earned master’s degrees in School Counseling and Educational Administration from UW Oshkosh and Concordia University Chicago, respectively. Although she never intended to go into administration at the start of her career, she moved to an administrative role after 15 years as a school counselor.
She is a strong advocate for social-emotional health, especially given her school counseling background. She has always emphasized establishing relationships with both students and parents.
“I firmly believe that open communication and partnership between home and the school is essential to the success and well-being of our students,” Cattell wrote in an introductory email to the community.
Prior to being hired at KHS, Cattell was the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at DeKalb High School for three years. There, she worked with Horne for one year. As she moves into Horne’s previous position, he has a positive outlook on her transition.
“Her honesty, approachability and knowledge will be well-received,” Horne said. “She is ethical and moral in her decision-making and understands the important role that a school serves in the life of a student, a family and a community.”
The reason Cattell decided to make the move, besides knowing people from Kaneland and hearing about the position opening, was because she felt that moving into the role of a principal was the next step in her career.
“When you get to be an assistant principal, your end goal is always, or at least for me, to be a principal of a building,” she said.
Cattell grew up in Madison, WI, and is moving from Byron, IL, to DeKalb to be closer to her new job. She has a 21-year-old stepson and 16and 11-year-old sons. With her family, she likes to do outdoor activities and watch movies, specifically Star Wars and Marvel movies. She has an identical twin sister who is also a principal, but at an elementary school.
One of her primary focuses is preparing students for careers outside of high school. The Fox Valley Career Center, with its vocational nature, was a source of excitement for her. Cattell values the experiences and opportunities students have in high school that will help them once they leave.
“I really like watching high school kids succeed and be successful after they leave high school,” Cattell said. “Graduation day is like my favorite day.”
CATTELL
A RETURN TO TRADITIONAL GRADING SYSTEM
BY ZOE GANNON Co-Sports & Activities Executive and Cartoon Manager
Now that the new school year has begun, most students know that Kaneland High School has returned to a traditional grading approach after the past several years of a standards-based grading (SBG) system. While some students and parents may have struggled with elements of SBG, a different grading system brings its own challenges.
Traditional grading is based on a system of percentages and letter grades; a student’s performance in a class will be communicated as a percentage, which will then align with a letter grade based on a traditional grading scale.
Kaneland’s approach to SBG differed from traditional grading because it required teachers to create standards for their curriculum that they then used to assess students’ learning. Teachers evaluated students using various proficiency tables, with students’ scores being reported on a scale of 0-4. A four represented mastery of a specific standard, while a zero represented no sufficient evidence of learning. Ones, twos and threes represented current levels of learning.
into final grades, but this change did not significantly motivate students to put more effort into their practice assignments.
“I’m hoping [traditional grading] will encourage students to be more engaged with their learning,” English teacher Christina Staker said. “Students only see value in doing an
because they aren’t practicing the skills enough before attempting to demonstrate mastery.”
In order to improve summative scores, it is important that students are driven to do their work this year.
C RO S SWORD
“I suggest [students] put all their effort into their work,” junior Adriana Warrington said. “Do everything on time and stay focused. If you work hard, you will do well on tests, and you won’t need to rely on retakes or certain standards like you did in past years. All you really need to do is work hard.”
While students’ lives outside the classroom are often busy, they will not be able to set aside formative assignments for another day without a direct penalty like they could with SBG. The traditional grading process has its drawbacks that some students may worry about.
The key will be posted on Instagram @kaneland_krier at the end of the school day.
ACROSS
“The drawback [of traditional grading] would be focusing on a letter grade as opposed to the process of improvement, so just a switch in mindset that those two work hand in hand,” new Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction Brian Kowalski said.
1. Alternative to a number for a grade
2. Opposite of present
3. Highest level of skill you can earn
4. What you earn in classes at the end of a year
5. To be busy or occupied
With SBG, formative assignments, usually referred to as homework, did not contribute to a student’s overall grade during most of the years that SBG was used at Kaneland. This led to many students not prioritizing their homework. To counteract this, KHS introduced a “responsibility standard” that factored homework completion
design by Sarah Slattery
DOWN
6. Something modified for a new purpose
“I think that the switch in math will affect a lot of people this year,” Warrington said. “Many people in my math class relied heavily on retakes. They would pick the standards they did badly on and only retake those. This allowed for a much easier retake process. Without these specific standards, math tests will become a lot harder to get good scores on and retake.”
7. Where most students go after high school
8. A group of things working together as one
9. Abbreviated version of KHS’s old grading system
assignment if they are given a grade for doing it.”
The student mindset that formative assessments are pointless has grown, perhaps with SBG as one of the factors, but practice is important to fully understand course material.
“As a teacher, I’ve seen an increase in passive learning and lack of motivation in my students,” Staker said. “This has caused summative scores to drop
The goal of grading formative assignments isn’t just to motivate students to practice. The purpose is also to give students feedback on skills they need to improve on and to let students understand the consequences of not completing their assignments.
“Failure to submit formatives as well as failure to meet deadlines will have greater consequences [with traditional grading],” English teacher Jacob Robitske said. “The hope is that this will better prepare students for the real world that their teachers and parents like to warn them about.”
PICKLEBALL’s POPULARITY SURGE
BY CARLI FILEK Social Media Executive
Pickleball, though invented in the 1960s, has surged in popularity in recent years. Thanks to its easy-to-learn nature and the influence of social media, it became one of the most popular outdoor activities this summer. The game’s simple rules and competitive edge attract people of all ages and skill levels, making it a unifying game for everyone.
is played with paddles and a perforated plastic ball. According to USA Pickleball, the game is played on a 20x44-foot court with left and right service courts and a seven-foot non-volley zone near the net called the “kitchen.”
Pickleball combines elements of badminton, ping-pong and tennis and it provides. Depending on your level of commitment and competitiveness, you can play pickleball at local courts or even join a league and compete in tournaments.
Pickleball is a social game, so if you’re looking to have a fun outing with friends or family, it’s the perfect game for that. The smaller court size and doubles format also allow for constant interaction between players.
Junior Taverly Gilbertson enjoyed playing pickleball this summer with her friends at the Elburn Station Community Park tennis courts.
“It’s a great way to socialize with friends because it’s a team sport,” Gilbertson said. “It’s a good outdoor activity, and it’s not the hardest sport.”
If you drive past your local pickleball courts, you will see teens, young adults and seniors playing. Teens and young adults enjoy the fast-paced and competitive aspects of the game, while seniors enjoy the social interaction and moderate physical activity
Senior Vincent Kruse played in pickleball tournaments with his friends this summer in Sugar Grove. He discovered it through social media and wanted to experience it firsthand.
“It’s something different from other sports that we usually play,” Kruse said.
Pickleball’s universal appeal ensures that there’s something for everyone, regardless of age or skill level. If you haven’t already played, I recommend giving it a try. Grab some paddles, gather your friends or family and head out to your local courts for some fun.
GEN ALPHA: OFFICIALLY HIGH SCHOOLERS
BY SOPHIE PONCE DE LEON
Co-Editor-in-Chief of Print and Co-Copy Editor
It feels unbelievable knowing that Generation Z isn’t the youngest generation anymore. We were the ones who had to deal with middle and high school in the midst of a deadly pandemic. We were the ones who protested for Black, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. We grew up never knowing anything
other than technology. We are sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school and beyond. Yet, our generation will no longer be freshmen in high school.
It’s Generation Alpha’s turn to step into the long hallways and daunting tests that come with becoming a high schooler.
There are many things that Gen Alpha will have in high school that Gen Z didn’t. For example, we didn’t have artificial intelligence (AI) during most of our high school experiences. We didn’t have AI such as ChatGPT, OpenAI and Google AI. Only recently has AI developed into something we can use every day.
“The members of Gen Alpha will be the first to experience a future intertwined with artificial intelligence,”
according to eLearning Designer and Developer Theodosis Karagiorgakis. “This new medium will undoubtedly shape their future in ways that, right now, we can only barely imagine.”
When you enter high school, it’s essential to learn how to research, so with AI at the tips of incoming students’ fingers, it may be detrimental to their study tactics when they get older and have to start preparing for finals and extensive tests like the SAT and ACT.
However, these resources can be helpful when it comes to understanding curriculum when tests approach.
Going into high school can be scary, but with a new generation stepping through the doors and into our classrooms, they will have a lot of assistance from faculty, other students and AI.
Photo courtesy of Taverly Gilbertson
From left to right, juniors Carter Grabowski, Noah McKittrick, Alexa Pastovich and Taverly Gilbertson enjoy a day on some tennis courts playing pickleball. Pickleball is a great way to exercise and spend time with your friends.
Cartoons by Zoe Gannon
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES OVER SUMMER BREAK
BY NATE SAND Co-Sports & Activities Executive
For most Kaneland students, summer vacation signifies a break from school. No more navigating the blender, completing homework, listening to teachers and administrators or even seeing most of your classmates. However, for students involved in extracurricular activities, summer break by no means is a break from Kaneland. Sports, clubs and other activities don’t always end when the school year does. Instead, most programs affiliated with the school are very active over the summer.
One of the most active sports during the summer is football. The football preseason starts the first week after school ends and continues throughout the entire summer with only about two or three “dead weeks” where they don’t train.
On Mondays through Thursdays throughout most of June, the team focused on strength and conditioning, as well as speed and skill development. The team continued with practices throughout July. Kaneland additionally hosted a series of 7-on7 scrimmages at the high school against different teams from around the area, such as DeKalb, Geneva, Plano and Woodstock North.
The girls and boys cross country teams also utilized the summer as a preseason. In both June and July, the teams ran four days a week for six weeks. In June, the teams focused on building more base mileage, while in July they began longer speed workouts. The majority of practices took place off campus, usually starting at 6 a.m. and lasting for about 90 minutes.
said. “Not every program will put in the work that we do.”
Sports that do not start to compete until later in the school year also are active during the summer. Winter sports, such as girls and boys basketball, have practices and games throughout the entire month of June. Both teams practiced from Monday through Thursday for two hours each day during that month, with the girls playing games on Tuesday and Thursday nights and the boys playing games on Mondays and Wednesdays. Oftentimes, games occurred on Fridays and weekends for both teams as well. Some players from the teams also helped at the ele -
The two rehearsals in late May were brief mini-camps that introduced the band members and incoming freshmen to the competitive show that they will perform in the fall. The band returned for preseason rehearsals in late July before two weeks of band camp in early August. The first week of camp included four rehearsals from Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. The second week included rehearsals from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the week before the school year began.
Marching band is by no means the only active fine arts program during the summer. The Kaneland Arts Initiative (KAI) is different from the high school theater program because they are a K-12 organization that provides arts opportunities for anyone in the Kaneland district and for those in surrounding communities. This means they focus on each of the four fine arts: visual art, music, theater and dance. Throughout August and July, KAI had a dance recital, music performances, the annual art festival and many other types of theater performances.
“A challenge is that sometimes school populations think that this is a school theater program we are producing, when in actuality it is a community theater production,”
said Maria Dripps-Paulson, the executive director of KAI. “KAI uses the profits from the show to pay for staff and other aspects of the show like licensing, rentals, building and more.”
“We work through the same routines we will use in season,” head boys coach Chad Clarey said. “But we help our runners make progress on their goals for the summer, and it’s a little less intense. Our boys get out of it what they put into it.”
Clarey explains that although his team did not directly compete with other schools during the summer, it was still important for the athletes to work hard to prepare for the upcoming season in the fall.
“For our program, the payoff isn’t immediate, but we have found that the summer miles equal fall smiles,” Clarey
design by
Sophie Ponce de Leon
mentary and middle school basketball camps.
“In the summer, it is less structured [than the winter],” senior guard Sam Kerry said. “We didn’t have to do film before games, and we also had a lot more games in a shorter amount of time.”
It’s not just athletes who remain busy after the school year ends because students in other extracurricular activities stay involved as well.
In the music department, the marching band remains very active. Rehearsals for the 2024 season of marching band started in May, just a few days after the last day of school.
The summer shows that Dripps-Paulson and other members of the KAI staff organized featured actors and performers of all ages and from throughout the Chicagoland area. This past summer, there were participants from Chicago, Crest Hill, Naperville, Lombard, DeKalb and the Kaneland community.
“Summer theater at KAI is wonderful because it is intergenerational and community-based,” Dripps-Paulson said. “We meet students from surrounding school districts and join together at Kaneland to make a professional, quality show. A summer of hard work is very rewarding for all involved.”
Photo by Sarah Slattery
Members of the Kaneland football program spend a lot of time at the school throughout the summer. The first varsity game of the year is on Friday, Aug. 30, at Washington High School.
WHAT EMOTION ARE Inside Out
Directions:
Answer each question by picking the response you agree with most. The letter you choose most frequently will match your emotion at the end of the quiz. Quiz developed by Isa Alba, Casper Suehs and Preslee Sutherland
When you notice your favorite food item in the lunch line is not there today, you:
A. Find something else to eat.
B. Get out of the lunch line.
C. Wonder why the item is not there.
D. Complain to your friends.
E. Become very upset and throw a fit.
On a nice day, you want to go out with your friends, but they cancel at the last minute. How do you react?
A. Say “no worries” and find something else to amuse you.
B. Pout.
C. Think about the fun they are probably having without you.
D. Decide it was probably better not to go.
E. Yell at them.
When you’re driving to school and you are stuck behind a slow driver, you:
A. Don’t mind it and see it as a sign to take your time.
B. Start to cry.
C. Think of a range of horrible outcomes related to this person’s slow driving.
D. Judge the person for driving slowly and pass them.
E. Honk at the slow driver and pass them.
You and your family are trying to decide which movie to watch. What movie do you suggest?
A. The Emperor’s New Groove
B. Romeo and Juliet
C. A Nightmare on Elm Street
D. A documentary on the process of making hot dogs
E. The Incredible Hulk
Your family wants to adopt a new house pet. Which one do you pick?
A. A Golden Retriever
B. A black cat
C. A German Shepherd
D. A fish
E. A rattlesnake
On a cold winter morning, Kaneland High School calls a last minute Snow Day. How do you spend the day?
A. Play in the snow, build a snowman and make snow angels.
B. Cry over being stuck at home.
C. Worry about the extra day added on to the end of the school year.
D. Stare at the snow with distaste.
E. Throw snowballs at your neighbors.
You’re in line waiting for a band concert ticket with your friend, but when you reach the front there’s only one ticket left. How do you react?
A. Give the ticket to your friend and hope they will enjoy the concert.
B. Feel disappointed.
C. Worry that this will be your only shot to see the band and take the ticket for yourself.
D. Give it to your friend so they can enjoy the sweaty concert-goers and crowded audience.
E. Yell at the employee.
B C D E
Joy! You’re Sadness! You’re Anxiety! You’re Disgust! You’re Anger!
Quiz
Cartoons by Adrianna Wells
Page design by Sarah Slattery
THE EVER-CHANGING NATURE OF POLITICS
BY JAY PAULSON
Co-Copy Editor, Broadcast and Ads & Business Design Executive
KEY DIFFERENCES IN 2024 ELECTION
◦ First assassination attempt on a presidential candidate in over 50 years (Associated Press)
◦ First time in over 50 years that an incumbent president has withdrawn from the race (Reuters)
◦ Artificial intelligence has most potential for impact (Johns Hopkins University)
When viewed through the lens of history, the 2024 election year has varied from most in the past. An assassination attempt on former President and current Republican nominee Donald Trump days before the Republican National Convention (RNC) and current President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race about a month before the Democratic National Convention (DNC) have made this election year distinctive.
Assassination attempts are rare, especially on a presidential candidate. Most political assassination attempts in our country have targeted people who were in office at the time. But in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot during his presidential campaign. In 1968, New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated after giving a campaign speech in a Los Angeles hotel. In 1972, Alabama Democratic Governor George C. Wallace was shot during his presidential campaign. Trump is only the fourth recorded candidate in our country to suffer an assassination attempt during his campaign.
Trump’s shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, PA, who shot at Trump as he addressed supporters during a rally in Butler, PA, on July 13. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks after he fired his shots. Trump suffered a wounded ear, while two spectators were injured and for-
design by
Jay Paulson
mer Fire Chief Corey Comperatore was killed. On July 24, the FBI issued a statement before Congress regarding the tragedy.
“The attempted assassination of the former president was an attack on our democracy,” FBI director Christopher Wray said in his testimony before Congress. “I recognize the congressional and public interest in this case.”
In July, public interest also shifted to Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 election. Candidates have dropped out of elections before, but this is the first time in our country that a candidate has withdrawn fewer than 200 days before the election date.
According to NBC News, Biden is the first candidate to drop out since Lyndon B. Johnson stepped down 219 days before the 1968 election, while Biden left with 107 days to go. The past two presidential candidates who dropped out, Johnson and Harry Truman in 1952, withdrew before their campaign officially began due to “low approval ratings [from their party].”
Meanwhile, Biden’s withdrawal was “a selfless act,” NBC political analyst Chuck Todd wrote.
When Biden dropped out, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement on the Democratic ticket. Harris has since ben confirmed as the Democratic party’s nominee, making her the first female candidate of color in American history.
The Republican nominee, Trump, also is making history with his candidacy. Now that Biden has left the race, Trump is the oldest presidential candidate at 78 years old.
Not only has this election year had many historical differences, but artificial intelligence (AI) has also influenced the public’s perception of news.
“[A video] was manipulated to show President Biden making transphobic comments and a fake image of Trump hugging Anthony Fauci,” according to the MIT Technology Review. “It’s not hard to imagine how this kind of thing could change a voter’s choice or discourage people from voting at all.”
AI-driven manipulation has not been as much of a factor in past elections because of its recent and rapid development. Recently, there has also been a type of social media presence called a micro-influencer who focuses on a highly engaged, small audience and uses their platform to influence that group.
These micro-influencers became popular during the 2023 Supreme Court elections, where they “contributed to record voter turnout,” according to the MIT Technology Review.
Politics is ever-changing, and this election year is an example. Historically and through the media, the 2024 election demonstrates the constantly evolving nature of politics in America.
LETTER FROM THE EXECS
As we leave summer behind us and move into a new school year, it isn’t hard to think about how much has changed over the course of our lives. Changes can be significant or subtle and positive or negative, but no matter what, it is important to keep persevering through these challenges. Whether they are changes happening at home, at Kaneland High School or in the world, each new situation is unique. However, what we’ve accomplished and overcome in the past will prepare us for these challenges and allow us to face them head on, regardless of what difficulties they may bring.
Sophie Thill
Audrey Walker Sophie Ponce de Leon
Sarah Slattery
Carli Filek
Jasper Paulson
Nate Sand
Zoe Gannon
Page design by Sophie Ponce de Leon