March 2012

[the krier

MARCH 22, 2012

the student newspaper of Kaneland High School

College: VOLUME 38 ISSUE 8 MARCH

decoding financial aid truths STUDENTS’ CONCERNS ADDRESSED p. 3

HEART CONDITIONS TO KEEP IN MIND p. 8

WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA GOES WRONG p. 10

GET THE LOWDOWN ON THE ACT p. 14

NEWSNEWS

Budget cuts strike Kaneland again

BY DELANEY STRYCZEK AND LEXI ROACH, Editors $1.1 million. Six teachers. Four more students per class. Budget cuts are hitting Kaneland with everything they’ve got.

At both February board meetings, the district discussed the latest round of budget cuts.

“There’s no good way to talk about budget costs,” Superintendent Jeff Schuler said.

Since Kaneland is in debt, the administration has agreed on both building and teacher reductions.

The total amount that will be cut is approximately $1.1 million. Since 72 percent of district expenditures come from salaries, the cuts mean that several faculty members will lose their jobs.

“According to Dr. Schuler, there is no room for further cuts in other areas. They have cut as much as they can,” KEA president Sharon Beck said.

Another cost-reduction measure is to cut some elective classes and enlarge class sizes.

Which classes will be cut has not been announced, but without even counting any of the electives being cut, the class sizes will increase in high school to an average of about 29.

“Students will have less of an opportunity to take second-level elective classes,” counselor Cynthia Violett said. “There are fewer elective openings on the eight-period day for students to take, therefore elective numbers will go down.”

The district also plans on raising the fees to cover costs.

Paul Piazza, a father of five in the Kaneland School district, has an issue with raising the fees.

“As a father of five, raising the school fees by 10 percent will make the cost of school as much as my mortgage,” Piazza said.

Other cuts discussed include reducing temporary maintenance employment, reducing

Photo by Alex Vickery

Directors of Curriculum Erika Schlicter and Sarah Mumm discuss a plan for online textbooks and their potential costs at the Feb. 27 board meeting.

.. .

vehicle replacement in maintenance, reducing summer help by four employees, reducing the replacement of technology equipment, cutting one early childhood section, purchasing only one bus a year instead of two and providing some SPED transportation in-house. They also will be renewing a contract with the generator service and having FVCC students do building repairs, as well as work to reduce costs for the boiler room.

“KEA does not want to see teachers cut. We do not want to see class sizes go up. However, we realize the board has a responsibility to run

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News / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

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Breakdown of the new budget cuts

The plans are to save $1.1 million.

The elementary schools are cutting around $100,000, the middle school is cutting $250,000.

The high school is cutting $320,000, and the district is cutting $431,776. teachers.

A library assistant will be let go in the high school, causing the library to be closed during

Middle and high school class sizes will increase up to four students per class. The average class size, without cutting teachers next year, would be 26. After factoring in the teacher cuts, the new average increases to 29.

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The district will be letting go of 13 certified staff members: two elementary teachers, five middle school teachers and six high school

Compiled by Melyssa Cordero

a balanced budget. We also realize that these are difficult economic times,” Beck said.

Since the storage shed at Harter Middle School was recently finished, there won’t be anymore trailer rental costs and garbage bins, so that will help cut the rental cost.

Already with these cuts, the district has saved $431,776. Some students, however, don’t agree with what the board chose to cut.

“I feel like the more students in a class, the less productive the classroom environment will be and the less individual work time with the teacher,” sophomore Riley Coyle said.

Contributions by Nick Phillips

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Q &A ?

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Kaneland’s biggest concerns addressed

Photo by Kaprice Sanchez Assistant Principal Diane McFarlin works on next year’s budget, which will be significantly impacted by the schedule change, which requires more textbooks and materials for every classroom.

We questioned everything from lunches to mid-term testing

BY JULIA ANGELOTTI, Executive Editor With the year coming to an end soon, many Kaneland students have questions regarding next year’s schedule. The Krier sent out a poll asking students what questions they would like to ask the administration and gathered the answers.

Q. How will M&M work for the freshmen?

A. “Ms. Trafton, Mr. Markovich, Peer Leaders and administrators are continuing to work on this. As soon as we have a concrete answers, we will make sure it is communicated to the students and staff,” Assistant Principal Jill Maras said.

Q. How are culinary and science classes going to work next year?

A. “They will work similar to how they do now. If more than 50 minutes are needed for a lab, it will most likely be completed over two class periods,” Maras said.

Q. How is study hall going to work next year?

A. “Study hall will be the same length as a period: 50 minutes. A student can take a study hall for one semester or a full year. There’s also STEP, which is partnered with lunch for half a period,” Counselor Cynthia Violett said.

Q. Where are the PSAE promises that were made to last years’ juniors?

A. “PSAE promises were made a few years ago, but due to the delay in receiving the scores back and then passing out the prizes, it didn’t seem to be a good incentive that actually had an effect on the test scores. I am personally not aware of promises being made last year,” Maras said.

Q. How long will lunches, STEP and passing periods be?

A. “The time of our day next year is part of our current teacher negotiations. The School Improvement Team and administration have suggested that each passing period be five minutes, each class period will be 50 minutes and each lunch and STEP be 50 minutes total, with a three-minute transition in between,” Maras said.

Q. How will clubs meet next year? Will the eight-period day have a big effect on clubs?

A. “The School Improvement Team is still working on this, but at this point it is looking like [clubs] will be meeting before or after school. As we asked our neighboring school districts, we found this is traditionally be the case.

The SIT and administration realize the difficulty this will cause and have been working hard to look for an alternate solution, but we have not found one yet,” Maras said.

Q. How are midterms and finals going to work next year?

A. “SIT and administration are still working out these details, and again we will communicate it to all as soon as it is determined,” Maras said.

Q. Why can’t students leave early?

A. “Early release is only for students with extenuating circumstances. It’s best for students to take a rigorous senior schedule and or explore career interests,” Violett said.

Q. Does Kaneland have a honor roll? If we do, where is it?

A. “Yes, Kaneland’s high honor is 4.0 or higher, and honor roll is 3.5 to 4.0. It’s located on the website and in newspapers,” Violett said.

Q. Why do varsity sports have to have P.E. while it’s their season?

A. “PE waivers have been discussed, but for athletes that are juniors or seniors only. However, the coaches like that students can take PFT and get their workouts in during the day,”

Athletics Director Leigh Jaffke said.

Q. Why are parking lot prices so expensive?

A. “The maintenance in the parking lot is an ongoing expense for the district. Some of the costs include annual stripping, seal coating every three to five years and repaving every 10 to 15 years. While the stripping is not too expensive, the other two maintenance items are fairly costly,” Assistant Superintendent for Business Dr. Julie-Ann Fuchs said.

Q. Why can’t students listen to iPods?

A. “As technology is rapidly changing, so are our views on the usage of technology in the classroom. As our views change, our policies also need to change. We have already begun to look at this, but we will have more concrete steps put in place at the start of next year. Doing a quick Google search, you will see that this is a hot topic for all of education right now,” Maras said.

Q. What other things does is the administration suggests for next year?

A. “We are also recommending that once a week our school have a one hour late start for teacher KLC time. This would be similar to our current Monday morning schedule, but for an entire hour. Those logistics are still in the works. Our hope is that [it] becomes a useful time for students as well with options for possible speakers, access to the library and College and Career Center, time to work on group projects with peers, access to Student Services, test prep options and more. We would welcome input on what the students would like to see available during that time. Because we highly value KLCs, our time for the teachers will be protected. We will be looking for alternatives for the students that do not impact the KLC time.

Students will have access to staff and resource centers during their STEP time,” Maras said.

Contributions by Kaprice Sanchez

News / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

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Proposition 8 ruled unconstitutional Gay relationship rights by state

BY LIZ SUCH, Reporter California’s controversial Proposition 8, a voter-approved measure that defined marriage as only between a man and a woman, has been overturned by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as unconstitutional, opening the door for same-sex marriages to begin again.

It’s a ruling likely to have national implications in the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage.

“I think it’s overstepping the government’s bounds,” English teacher Nicole Madison said.

“Everybody has a right to love and be loved.”

Prop 8 was controversial because it was voter-approved by a state wide referendum.

“I don’t think the people have a right to decide civil rights,” Sharon Beck, GSA sponsor, said. “[Prop 8] should be decided in the courts.”

San Francisco and other cities in California legalized same-sex marriage, which led to the voter referendum Prop 8 that caused a statewide ban.

Before Prop 8 was passed, 18,000 couples rushed to tie the knot. All marriages that were made before Nov. 4 were still considered legal marriage in the state of California.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has been working at the federal level to protect and restore the rights of same sex couples.

“I believe Prop 8 was fundamentally wrong,”

Infographic by Matt Wahlgren and Alexia Orosco Limited domestic partnerships

Anti-gay marriage amendment

Broad domestic partnership (BDP)

Smaller protections/Civil union/ Constitutional amendment

No relationship recognition

Marriage legally recognized

Feinstein said.

Earlier this month, Prop 8 moved one step closer to the Supreme Court after a judge deemed it unconstitutional. A panel of three judges of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will allow those against Prop 8 appeal thanks to a 2-1 vote.

“I think the rest of the country is watching carefully, with a lot of interest,” Madison said.

“The precedent is definitely being set.”

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Real World / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

In Illinois, lawmakers are laying out a bill that accepts marriage equality which will be released as soon as 2013.

“Although this ruling does not affect our laws in Illinois, it is still very significant for Illinoisans,” Anthony Martinez, executive director of the Civil Rights Agenda, said.

“It will only aid our progress toward full and equal civil rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation.”

OURVIEW

Defining the line of success

Juniors are being prepped for provides. Other than that, the only the ACT, the test that will deterthing the administration will truly mine students’ college acceptances, gain is pride. The test that effects and in some cases, the amount of the school’s federal financing under scholarship money a college will No Child Left Behind is the PSAE, offer a prospective student. In past not the ACT. years, it’s been up to the student’s Another student concern was (and in most cases, parents’) discrethat not everyone seemed to be retion whether the student enrolls in cieving the same amount of attenan ACT program or chooses to do tion. Why should the students in the nothing. bubble be intensely focused on close This year, however, it’s nothing the the ACT? Why not everyone? like it used to be—all juniors were “Students below the benchmark required to sign contracts and many are provided the same resources and are doing mandatory ACT prep. additional resources, the only dif“I personally thought that [the ference is it’s throughout the whole contracts] weren’t helpful to me at year. The bubble students are able all because someone can’t force me to improve with a 6-8 week program to do well on the ACT. The way I because of the amount of points,” see it, it’s my future and I’m my own Chip Hickman, principal, said. motivation; I don’t need a contract The students who exceed the to enable me to do better,” junior benchmarks are getting regular atAngalia Carbonara said. tention during school, like any other Juniors were required to fill out student but aren’t required to prea contract setting ACT goals for pare for the ACT through a class or a themselves and threatened with program like E2020. a STEP detention if they failed to Students excessively below or return it with both parent and facabove the benchmarks are being ulty signatures. A smaller group of focused on, but there are significant juniors on the “bubble”—in other differences between the groups, in words, students two points above terms of individual attention. The Artwork by Austin Paulson or below the benchmarks—were bubble students can be addressed in singled out for a second assembly an assembly, the lower-end students and required to get assistance either EDITORIAL BOARD VOTE can’t be. through a formal ACT prep class or A flaw we saw in this was forcing AGREE DISAGREE E2020, a program students are able the worksheets so much so that stuto do online that is another method dents were threatened with STEP of preparation. For students in the detentions. As teenagers, rebelbubble, is required. lion arises and following the rules It’s no suprise the students reacted negatively. Forcdoesn’t exactly come natural to us. Next year, because the ing some type of preparation from students isn’t ideal. administration openly asked for ideas to use for our study The students who had to do it wondered why it was only halls, we suggest offering ACT preparation classes, free of them. charge. The cost of ACT classes is a chunk of change and We agree that change isn’t easy, and we think that it there’s only so much material a computer screen can truly could be implemented more smoothly, but we applaud teach someone. Make them ACT-driven and make them the administration for standing by the mission statement optional. More students will take them seriously if they of making every student college-, career- and communitycan seek help on their own, without force. Consistently ready. incorporating ACT practice throughout high school and Last year, few juniors were in favor of going into even integrating programs into middle school curriculum STEN to participate in mandatory math power review can greatly benefit the students who aren’t accustomed sessions. Yet the average student gain was 2.6 points on working under a time limit. the ACT. Clearly it was something we needed, even if it Clearly, emphasis throughout grade levels can be benwasn’t something we wanted. eficial. Throwing ACT preparation material at us during Yes, the current plan isn’t perfect, but this is just the the middle of junior year might help some, but we have beginning of the initiative. The longer the administrato be realistic. We have to have realistic goals and realtion administers the tests and enforces the contracts, the istic expectations. ACT scores don’t affect the school’s more efficient and successful the plan is likely to be. budget, we should take the programs seriously. But the “Eventually all grade levels will be preparing. We had administration has to do the same with our concerns. to start somewhere,” Ryan Malo, English teacher and A 2010 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology RTI coordinator, said. noted that more than 400 scientific studies had found Some students may argue that the school has only its that goal setting activities made people more likely to own interest in mind and that the tests scores will give reach their goals. That’s the exact reason the administraus more money from the state. The truth of the matter tion prompted the junior class to do what they’re doing is the school won’t benefit financially. Raising student now. We all have potential; it just comes down to who ACT scores can benefit the school by improving the makes the most of their opportunities. community’s overall perception of the education KHS So, let’s make the most of this plan.

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KRIER

Kaneland’s Student Newsmagazine

Kaneland High School 47W326 Keslinger Rd. Maple Park, IL 60151 (630) 365-5100 ext. 236 www.kaneland.org/krier/ Member ISHSPA, Quill & Scroll, NSPA, NISPA NSPA First Place 2010 Quill and Scroll First Place 2010 NISPA Golden Eagle 2011 Subscription rates: Nine monthly issues, two supplements School-delivered, $15; Home-delivered, $28 EXECUTIVE STAFF Kylie Siebert Editor-in-Chief Circulation Back Page Opinion Rachael Clinton Digital Production Cover Design

Diana Nuno Print Production Visual and Design Editorial Julia Angelotti Advertising & Business Head Copyeditor

PRINT EDITORIAL STAFF News Morgan Buerke Kaprice Sanchez

Real World Matt Wahlgren

Opinion Courtney Reiss Kylie Siebert

Features Lexi Roach Delaney Stryczek

Lifestyle & How-To McKinzie Mangers

Sports Feature Brandon Bishop

Centerspread Emily Gulanczyk Alex Vickery Pulse Ryan Noel Kaleb Schuppner

Depth Lanie Callaghan Casey Jacobson Sports Photography Shane Fergus Heather Shelton Jacob Razo

Asst. Copyeditor & Flex Page Brianne Strobel

DIGITAL EDITORIAL STAFF News Sara Laurie

Features Gina Jarvis

Photography Tyler Keenum

Sports Nick Philips

Krier Assistant Ashlyn Slamans

GENERAL STAFF

Nick Albano, Matt Alfrey, Nina Burns, Jaemee Cordero, Murphy Garcia, George Graefen, McKayla Helm, Kati Hill, Maria Lassandro, Tatiana Lee, Kaley Martens, Amelia Likeum, Rachel Mathys, Michelle McCracken, Evan Ortiz, Samantha Payton, Courtney Reiss, Eddie Rodriguez, Sabrina Sivert, Taylor Spooner, Kristin Staub, Bryanna Stoiber, Ellie Strang, Claudia Tovar, Lourinda Triplett, Hannah Wallace, Richard Williams

ADVISERS Cheryl Borrowdale Krier adviser

Nicole Larsen Graphics adviser

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: Julia Angelotti, Rachael Clinton, Diana Nuno, Kylie Siebert, Brandon Bishop, Courtney Reiss, Morgan Buerke, Lanie Callaghan, Shane Fergus, Emily Gulanczyk, Gina Jarvis, Casey Jacobson, Tyler Keenum, Sara Laurie, Ryan Noel, Nick Philips, Jake Razo, Lexi Roach, Kaprice Sanchez, Kaleb Schuppner, Heather Shelton, Brianne Strobel, Delaney Stryczek, Alex Vickery, and Matt Wahlgren. 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 edit letters for clarity and length. Any material that is potentially libelous, obscene or disruptive will not be published, at the discretion of the editorial board. 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.

Editorial / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

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THE DEBATE: SHOULD BIRTH CONTROL BE COVERED BY INSURANCE?

Contraceptive coverage is employee’s responsibility

Contraceptive coverage is part of a woman’s right

BY DIANA NUNO, Executive Editor bill as well, and but they don’t agree

BY COURTNEY REISS, Editor

When Obama brought up a new bill suggesting that all employers offer birth control under their health care plans, private universities and churches were in an uproar. While birth control isn’t always used for reasons relating to sex, opposers of the bill continue to brand it as “unnecessary”. While I don’t agree with the fact that many feel the pills are specifically used to prevent pregnancy, the harsh reality is that even that reason alone wouldn’t be good enough. Birth control can be expensive, and it seems like a good reason for employers to have to offer it. But my dad, who owns his own business, shouldn’t have to pay for an option for his employees in this economy. It’s just not realistic.

Large businesses with CEO’s and employee after employee find this more feasible and are just whining about the change. But small business owners like my dad, don’t need to nor should they have to make the switch. Not only that, but not everyone believes in birth control.

Employers shouldn’t have someone else’s beliefs pushed on their own.

Yes, I’m also considering the other side: the employee that would benefit from the medication because of other problems not relating to preventing pregnancy. This controversial issue can’t be branded right or wrong. Each company is entitled to do what they want, and that’s truly what it comes down to.

“They [the companies] are entitled to their opinion. That is why I think it should be an option pay for them,” Health teacher Cindy Miller, said.

I’m not saying who should outlaw birth control or hand it out on street corners. It’s an option that the companies have and should address on their own. The government doesn’t need to assist them because it is the employer’s choice to cover birth control, and the employee’s choice to work where they chose.

“I don’t believe that it’s very fair to make an employer to pay for their employees’ birth control. It’s the employee’s own responsibility to deal with such issues as paying for birth control. It shouldn’t be put onto the employer. It’s not their problem; it’s the employee’s problem,” senior Meggen Southern said.

Many politicians are against the

Before you begin reading my view, take a second to imagine this unfortunate, yet extremely realistic scenario – a nineteen-year-old single mother of a new born baby who is born addicted to the drug their unfit mother abused during her pregnancy. This mother couldn’t afford birth control, and because of that she brought a baby in to this world to live an awful life.

Birth control typically costs $15-$50, adding up to over $600 a year. This might not sound like much of an expense, but according to a survey commissioned by Planned Parenthood, one in three women struggle to afford birth control. This alarming statistic is one of the leading causes to the even more shocking 49 percent of unwanted pregnancies a year in the United States, according to Guttmacher Institute.

“Millions of women, especially young women, struggle every day to afford prescription birth control,” Cecile Richards, president of

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with birth control in general.

“This has nothing to do with access. This is having someone pay for it, pay for something that shouldn’t even be in an insurance plan anyway because it is not, really an insurable item. This is something that is affordable, available. You don’t need insurance for these types of relatively small expenditures. This is simply someone trying to impose their values on somebody else, with the arm of the government doing so. That should offend everybody, people of faith and no faith that the government could get on a roll that is that aggressive,” Rick Santoroum, a politician, said. I feel as if the decision to cover something so controversial is up to the employer.

Every business is different and if enough employees have concerns about the coverage, discuss it with the employer. We don’t need a law to change something that isn’t broken.

Opinion / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said.

Finally, in an effort to solve this serious problem women of all ages have had to deal with, the Institute of Medicine recommended that birth control methods should be fully covered by insurance. The Obama administration took their advice and created a birth control plan in which women with insurance coverage will now no longer have to pay for their birth control.

Fair enough, considering that Viagra has been covered by insurance for years.

“Birth control should be covered by insurance because if women can’t afford it then it will just lead to abortions and unwanted pregnancies,” senior Brianna Brehm said.

Some argue that birth control is an option for women, or they just shouldn’t have sex, but is this really a realistic or logical solution? Let’s face the facts: abstinence is not too common these days. Should women end up having to pay $10,000$15,000 on a pregnancy when they can’t even afford the $20 a month?

Not to mention the endless expenses before and after the baby is born.

Religious colleges and faithaffiliated employers were especially disappointed to hear of this new plan. They are against providing their employees something they do not believe in, but every woman, regardless of her employer’s beliefs, deserves access to birth control.

These organizations need to realize that birth control is not only used for preventing pregnancy, it’s also used for medical conditions, not that it is their right to dictate who should use it and why.

“Birth control can also be used to regulate a menstrual cycle, help acne, and for endometriosis and polycistic ovarian syndrome,” nurse Heather Buelow said.

Although this remains controversial due to religious beliefs about contraception, covering birth control with insurance is an extremely positive and big move in the direction of ending unwanted pregnancies. The reality is that all women, no matter what the reason may be, should be provided birth control at no cost.

MYVIEW

When freedom is taken for granted

ASHLYN SLAMANS Guest Writer

For starters, what I’m about to share is from a very personal conviction. Last summer, I spent six weeks in Central America with a team of young adults chosen from the U.S. We worked within impoverished communities alongside churches traveling throughout countries. Due to privacy and political reasons, I can’t disclose specific information about my experience. However, that won’t hold me back from sharing.

Working in unimaginable conditions to share the gospel brought us to places where I had only seen pictures of in America. Those pictures became real to me last summer as I looked into the faces of unfed children and unsheltered families.

The journey started on the way to another village when we quickly found ourselves in the middle of a nightmare: a communist revolution.

There were buses streaming with symbols everywhere and people hanging out of every window.

People of all ages were waving their politicalpatriotic flags. Everyone was shouting war cries over the blasting music; loaded guns were flailing everywhere. The political party’s colors were on literally everything that moved towards the country’s capital.

Images of historical political revolutions were the only thing that kept coming to mind as I peeked out the window to catch glimpses of the chaos going on outside my team’s bus. All we could do was hide and pray earnestly that the thousands of people passing by wouldn’t catch a glimpse of some of our skin color or blond hair, for that matter. To make matters worse, our bus had the words “All American” plastered on each side.

Now, before I proceed, I must clarify what you’re probably already thinking. They couldn’t raid your bus just because of your skin color. Reality check: we weren’t in the United States.

I quickly found out that the color of my skin meant mainly two things to many people: capitalism and Christianity.

That day my eyes were opened to a world that had only previously existed in the news or history books. I’m just a girl who grew up in a loving Christian family and wanted to share the “good news” with others in poverty. Instead, I was suddenly the target. Were we in hiding because of my skin color? No. We were in hiding on the bus because of the stereotype that the color holds: freedom. Now I can grasp what it means to really have freedom of speech, of liberty, of religion, and of press. It’s something I unknowingly took for granted.

You see, I wanted so badly to make them stop the bus, walk up to the children holding armed weapons and ask them if they knew what they were doing; I longed to show them that capitalism or faith isn’t bad; I had this urgency to say that every person is entitled to life and liberty. This is exactly what our native team members wanted to do all the time. However, they told us that doing those things led right to persecution. I began hearing stories of families being threatened, often times being murdered.

They died for their faith, because, to them, this love was worth far more than anything else this world could offer. This boldness isn’t the Christianity that I’ve heard preached here in the U.S. So often people in the West are criticized for discrimination of race, religion, sexual, or political standpoints; but there’s not been much awareness raised in the average adolescent’s life about the harsh issues people all around this world are facing.

A recent article in NewsWeek highlighted this turbulent crisis. It provided reports from the United Nations stating nearly 53,000-75,000 innocent civilians have been oppressed and the number is increasing. Ayaan Hirsi Ali shares in her article, “Christians are still subjected to aerial bombardment, targeted killings, the kidnapping of children, and other atrocities.”

It’s a race of power and culture. Since religion puts a threat on a group’s power, minorities have to pay for it. For example, the Washington Times reported that Iranian pastor, Youcef Nadarkhani, is being executed for practicing Christianity and not recanting his faith. Freelance writer Peter V. Bella said, “Polite silence is testimony to the world that we just give lip service to freedom and human rights.”

I don’t mean to impress any belief upon anyone reading this article. That would completely miss the point. I only ask us to wrap our minds around this concept: It’s because of our nation’s freedom that we can choose to believe or not

Artwork by Rachael Clinton

to believe whatever we like. However, realize countless people are persecuted because they find worth in the freedom of faith. Either we can continue going about our routine practices or dig deeper to find the meaning that other’s have faced death for. The freewill, however, is all yours.

Growing up in Colombia, senior Carolina Tovar has learned what it means to truly have freedom. Today, they set high goals and utilize every opportunity. However, Tovar said it’s sad that most people don’t realize the amount of freedom they truly have. “Even in Kaneland, it’s obvious and really sad that people don’t stand up for what they believe in. They don’t realize what freedom they really have,” Tovar said.

People may say that I can’t freely talk about this, but I’m exercising my freedom of speech.

I am writing this because my fellow believers all around the world are dying for simply stating the name of Jesus. So I’m stating it for them while the number of martyrs is tallying by the minute.

While I hid on a bus for an hour or so, gripping for my life, I experienced what countless people live through every day. I prayed more in that hour than I ever imagined. It made me question where my priorities, and our countries priorities, would be placed if we constantly had to fight for our liberties.

Our world is in a crucial historical state at the present moment. Our generation will be faced with many key decisions very soon. I just can’t help but wonder if people really understand the weight of freedom that we carry here in America, and why we are even blessed with that freedom.

If it means enough, stand up for freedom.

Take a stand for what’s right and for what our freedom really means. Others are already trying to eliminate that freedom all over the world.

Don’t be blinded by the blessing each one of us is offered on a daily basis.

Opinion / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

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Sneaky heart conditions

What don’t sports physicals check?

BY TAYLOR SPOONER, Reporter

Sophomore Riley Coyle is a competitive swimmer and trained athlete who came upon an unexpected road block.

“I first noticed it myself when my heart would start to beat really fast and then suddenly stop beating,” Coyle said.

She was having an irregular heart beat, also known as heart palpitations, that caused her to not be able to swim for about a month.

“They put me on a taper for two weeks,” Coyle said.

A taper restrains someone from doing any physical activity for a period of time.

Fortunately for Coyle, after tests and doctor visits, her heart turned out to be fine with the help of some medication and relaxation. Not all cases are this lucky.

In the past year, there was a two-week period all over the United States where four students had different unexpected fatalities.

The sudden rush of student athletes experiencing heart failure brought up many questionsand some wondered whether there should be widespread health screening before young people can participate in sports. Most high schools and colleges require students to complete a health history questionnaire including a physical exam before they participate.

“A lot of the things these student are dying from are not checked when they are given a physical,” said Brian Aversa, Kaneland varsity baseball coach and former Milliken College athlete. “Even if you are just in off season conditioning, it could happen to anyone.”

It happened to Wes Leonhard, a 16 year old Michigan basketball player who made headlines when during one of his games he shot the winning basket, was picked up by jubilant teammates, and then collapsed seconds later. The crowd went silent as the coaches and players started to surround him.

After having CPR done, he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of death? Cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart.

After the death of their son, Leonhard’s parents started the Wes Leonhard Foundation to help prevent sudden incidents like this from occurring in high school athletes.

One of the goals set up by the foundation is requiring schools to use a comprehensive standard physical form to be filled out by qualified physicians. They’re working on making this happen.

“I think it could be prevented if athletes were checked out,” Coyle said.

An electrocardiogram test is currently being tested to see if it could help prevent more casualties. An ECG is used to measure any damage to the heart, how fast it is beating, the effects of drugs or devices used to control the heart and the size and potential of heart chambers. This simple check up could detect a lot of early symptoms of cardiac arrest and heart attacks.

Another potential cause of death for high school athletes has been sudden cardiac arrest.

According to the American Heart Association, the incidence of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest in high school athletes ranges from .28 to one death per 100,000 high school athletes in the United States, and four out of five incidents happen at home.

It has been reported by the AHA that effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a per-

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A Kaneland student checks their blood pressure.

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Illinois Physical Checklist:

Vaccinations

Proof of immunity

Vision and hearing screen data

Allergies

Physical examination requirements

TB skin test

Emergency action

Physical Education

Sports Physical Checklist: Medical history completed by athletes and parents Physical exam completed by physician

Source: Illinois State Board of Education

son’s chance of survival. However, only 32 percent of victims receive this treatment.

“It messed with my training schedule and took me a long time to get back into shape,” Coyle said.

Simple checkups yearly could help prevent or detect some of these incidents from occurring.

Write for Krier Today!

Seeking fame on iTunes

BY JAEMEE CORDERO AND MURPHY GARCIA, Reporters

Sophomore JayVon Malik is called up next to perform. He steps out on the stage, hundreds of eyes glued on him, but he blocks out the audience in front of him. He focuses on what he’s there for: to share his talent.

He drowns out everything else and listens to the music as it begins to play around the auditorium. The moment he begins to sing, a nervousness rises up in his chest, but it’s natural and it quickly fades.

“I remember hearing cheers and not seeing anyone,” Malik said.

His voice hits every key in the chorus of his song. His body loosens and his feet slide back and forth, in sync with the beat.

“I let myself get ‘in the zone,’” Malik said.

Malik is one of the many students at Kaneland who’s involved with music and actually has a song on iTunes. He began singing at a very young age and continued to progress his talent from there.

“I was one or two [when I started singing], and I could barely talk. It was just really natural,” Malik said. “I think music’s always been a part of my life.”

According to Malik, he has been so attached to it that he went through different phases of music throughout the years, even having a temporary liking to the late 90’s rap artist DMX, and now artists like Lady Gaga.

Malik has also contributed his talent into his school by joining chorus.

JayVon Malik warms up his voice in Bryan Kuntsman’s Choir class. He practices the piano on his free time at home.

“JayVon performed in each of the Mixed Choir concerts last year as well as the Holiday Concert this year,” Bryan Kuntsman, music teacher, said.

Malik currently has one song on iTunes called “I’ll Go Deep.” He has been creating and recording music with his producer, whom he knows personally from his church. His single “I’ll Go Deep” is one of his self-written songs.

“I have so many. I don’t remember the exact number, but I’m always creating something,” he said.

With sophomore Dalvell Triplett, who also makes his own songs, Malik will be combining both of their own unique music together.

He is presently writing some in the style of their new songs. While Triplett’s has a more techno or rap feel, Malik said his style of music has a dance, R&B, or Pop influence.

“It’s just fun, and we get along really well, so it works,” Triplett said.

The two have known each other and have

Photo by Murphy Garcia

shared their talents since they’ve known each other. Malik is planning on sharing his work to the world in the future.

“It’s going to be hot. I really want to liberate the minds of the people,” he said.

His goal is set on changing the world and sharing his view on life through his harmonic artwork.

Popular artists like Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and David Bowie have helped Malik influence others with his art to be “artistically free.” He said he would like to let them forget about the problems in their lives for a few minutes.

“I feel like an outcast. I don’t feel like I fit in.

I really don’t care, though,” Malik said. “I love people who aren’t afraid to show their individuality and eccentricity.”

From performing at his church and malls to now recording music, he said it’s hard for him to believe hes don’t that in front of so many people.

Malik isn’t afraid of what’s ahead.

“Every moment is crazy. My whole life is a performance,” he said.

Feature / March 22 , 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

9

indepth

4

Search

Social life brought to light:

BY CASEY JACOBSON, Editor , & CLAUDIA TOVAR, Reporter Jill Bures, an admissions officer for Aurora University, was surprised when an applicant told her “That’s BS!” On the university’s Facebook profile.

Bures was simply answering questions about the admissions policy when the applicant took her off guard with the comment.

Bures said that she often has students use explicit or unnecessary language towards her without realizing what they were doing or that they were speaking to the person who would determine whether they were admitted or whether they received a scholarship.

“They thought because they were on Facebook, it didn’t really matter. I mean, they would use words like, ‘Yo’ or ‘That’s BS!,’ and what I would reply back was, ‘I’m sorry you feel that way.’ Because they are on Facebook, students believe it’s not necessary to use good grammar,” Bures said.

Informal and inappropriate language was used by many of the high school applicants who connect to the Aurora University Facebook profile, Bures said.

Some applicants will even add her as a friend after talking to her about admission and financial aid issues via Aurora University’s fan page.

Bures said she does not deliberately research applicants on Facebook, but many unintentionally give her access.

“These applicants added me as a friend with-

How much power do social platforms have to effect college admissions and scholarships? The Krier investigates social web sites and the downfalls that could ruin e v e r y t h i n g . out appearing to realize that I can then see all of their photos and status updates, many of which could be a threat to their school,” Bures said.

The privacy hazards and publicity of information on Facebook profiles are a common misnomer among its high school users. With 60 percent of students using their Facebook at least once a day, the stakes are high.

Senior Demi Schlehofer says that she is not addicted to social networking, but uses it every day.

“I’m not addicted to social networking, but I do rely on it greatly. It’s become a part of my daily routine,” Schlehofer said.

THE ISSUE The perfect essay, ACT classes and good grades are all on the to-do list for a high school senior looking to go to college. From studying to pouring endless hours into an admissions essay, a student’s chances of getting into college could possibly be in jeopardy from another factor: Facebook.

The world of college admissions is becoming more and more competitive. The smallest trait, such as one point on the ACT, could separate a student from a scholarship or even admittance.

Usually, this trait comes from a negative test score, a lackluster essay or just not a high enough GPA. The golden question is coming up more and more: could that small trait be coming from a

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Facebook profile?

According to a recent survey by Kaplan, the test preparation company, the answer to that question could be yes.

INSIDE KAPLAN’S SURVEY Every year, Kaplan does a new study of college administratiors by asking questions to evaluate college admission officers.

The most recent survey, complied by Kaplan Test Prep of 2011, consisted of 500 top colleges and their admissions officers.

This survey asked questions such as “have you ever visited an applicant’s Facebook to learn more about them? Have you ever discovered something online about an applicant that negatively affected their application?” and “does your school use Facebook to recruit students?”

The survey conducted originally in 2008 acknowledged that ten percent of officers browsed social networking sites to check out their applicants, but the percent has been steadily rising for four years.

“Every year, Kaplan does a study of college administrations, and in 2008, we posed the question of whether or not admission officers are looking at social media profiles. At that time, the number of colleges looking was at a low ten percent.

With our new study, the percentage has increased to about 24 percent. We now have a much better understanding that more college admission officers are using social media to evaluate their appli

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cants,” Jieun Choe, Executive Director of College Prep Programs and Kaplan Test Preparation, said.

Senior Madison Limbrick says that she isn’t surprised if colleges are starting to look at Facebooks.

“I’m really not shocked by it. Colleges want to know how well-rounded their student is, and Facebook is a good way to see what they’re involved in,” Limbrick said.

After college applicants’ social media profiles were examined, 38 percent of the Facebook profiles were described as “negatively affecting” the view of the applicant.

Limbrick says that her parents and employers are on Facebook and that effects what goes on her profile.

“My parents and boss are on Facebook, and I wouldn’t post anything that they didn’t want to see. Facebook could be harmful not so much for college, but if you have a job or play sports,” Limbrick said.

According to the survey by Kaplan, only a quarter of the applicants had improved views from admission officers.

Schlehofer said that it depends on the intent of the individual whether social networking could have a positive or negative effect.

“If it wasn’t for Facebook, my small business wouldn’t have expanded, and I wouldn’t have the friends I have today. Most of my friends don’t go to Kaneland, and I met them through Facebook,” Schlehofer said.

The survey also revealed that some colleges may not use social media to review their applicants, but they may Google their names to see what they can find. Choe said to Google yourself and see what comes up.

“SAT scores matter, test scores matter and Facebook does matter. Is it the leading factor?

No, but you need to be extremely careful,” Choe said.

SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSED Most of Facebook’s users set a profile picture and potentially post new photos from their camera with their friends and family. The control is lost when Facebook friends post and “tag” photos that can potentially be reputation scarring.

“The most common examples that negatively affect applicants that show up on Facebook are pictures that consist of underage drinking, plagiarism and vulgarities. What some people don’t realize is that photos can show up on Facebook

Profile

that aren’t even theirs. If these photos or posts can potentially be harmful, they shouldn’t be on your profile,” Choe said.

In some cases, college admissions receive anonymous advice about certain concerns that arose from an applicant’s profile.

“Some colleges even get anonymous tip from someone to check out a certain applicant’s Facebook profile. It’s a rare thing, but it definitely can happen,” Choe said.

Choe says that there isn’t a certain type of school that is looking at profiles. A variety of schools are looking.

“Across the board, there wasn’t a particular genre of schools that were looking, our survey was out of the top 500 schools and that’s what we focused on.”

FRIENDS ONLY OR PUBLIC? A study conducted last month showed privacy settings are becoming to be more and more monitored by users. A new survey done by the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project and American Life is providing new statistics about different users controlling their privacy settings and managing the flow of information that streams from their profile.

School counselor Andrew Franklin said that students better know what they are doing with their privacy settings.

“Students need to block who needs to be blocked so they don’t get caught in bad situations.

Beware of the networking and be very careful of who you accept to be your friend,” Franklin said.

According to the survey, about 63 percent of adults have a profile on a social networking site and about 58 percent have their settings set to private, meaning only friends can view it.

The number of social networkers who manage their account and privacy settings is increasing.

“Keep your profile clean so you come out smelling like a rose and not like a sewer,” Franklin said.

The survey shows 63 percent of them have deleted people from their “friends” list, up from a 58 percent in 2009. forty-four percent have deleted comments by other people on their profile, and 37 percent have removed tags from photos used to identify them.

“Who you’re friends with and what you post can hurt you. Once it’s out there, it’s really hard to get it back. The Internet has a long memory,” Choe said.

Contributions by Lexi Roach and Delaney Stryczek

Your Account

5

TOP

Home

things not to post on Facebook

1.

Alcohol consumption in photos

“Inappropriate photos can prevent students from getting a job or accepted into a school, get them fired, get them suspended from sports or potentially get them in legal trouble.”

- Business teacher Andrew Igras

2.

Vulgarity in posts and blogs

“Using vulgar words may offend some people and since you never know who may be looking at your wall, why take the chance?”

-Computer Technology teacher Tom Hanlon

3.

Inappropriate profile pictures

“Inappropriate profile pictures make you look bad. They’re out there for the world to see, and you don’t want to make a bad impression.” -Spanish teacher Michelle Jurcenko

4.

Negative comments about colleges

“Colleges can see any of that kind of stuff, and admission officers have become really good detectives. You wouldn’t want to post anything like that they could see.”

-Spanish teacher Michelle Jurcenko

5.

“R”-rated videos or links

“People will be quick to judge you and base who you are off of what they see, and colleges don’t want to see any of that on your profile.”

-Junior Austen Davis Compiled by Alexia Orosco

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11

What you need to know

The scoop on c

Many students may not know all there is to know about get and what college life is like. Are you prepared for college?

BY RYAN NOEL, KALEB SCHUPPNER, BRANDON BISHOP AND SHANE FERGUS, Editors College is crucial to students who want to compete successfully in the job market, but many students over look or don’t understand some basic elements of getting a higher education. These are some common misconceptions students have, from financial aid to class size.

Keep these facts in mind when searching for the perfect school.

FINANCIAL AID

With college tuition increasing every year, families struggle to put their children through college.

According to the College Board, about twothirds of full-time undergraduate college students receive some type of financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, loans or work-study programs. However, are the scholarships and financial aid enough?

“My career and extensive scholarships and financial aid will support my payment for college. Affording college will be one of the greatest struggles of my life,” senior Brian Edwards, who is planning on pursuing a medical degree, said.

While most college tuitions gradually increase every year, scholarships and financial aid money stays exactly the same. By the time a college student graduates, they can end up paying 2,000-3,000 more than originally intended. The key in looking for a college that offers good academics, significant academic aid and a generous

10 College

myths debunked 12

Centerspread / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

cost in tuition, is doing some homework.

“I applied for tens of thousands of dollars worth of scholarships, and I’ll still be in debt when I graduate. Welcome to America,” senior Jake Mazuc said.

The Princeton Review’s annual list of “Best Value Colleges” was a project the Education Services Company compiled. Teaming up with USA Today, the criteria that gets graded are three primary areas: academics, cost of attendance and financial aid. The three primary areas get broken up into 30 subcategories, all to compose a final top 150 schools.

Their help, in fact, is valued by a high majority of college-bound students and their families.

The economic factors are what most students are worried about and the Princeton Review’s annual list addresses many of those issues.

“I think financial aid is a critical part to the whole college process because tuitions are so expensive that it’s difficult to pay for college without financial aid,” senior Elliot Witt said. “I feel that a lot of Kaneland students could do a lot better, because college doesn’t have to ruin you financially.”

“Among the 12,000 teen and parent respondents to our 2011 ‘College Hopes and Worries Survey,’ 86 percent reported financial aid would be ‘very necessary’ for them to pay for college,” said Princeton Review’s Senior VP/Publisher Robert Franek.

DROPOUT RATES

According to Financial Literacy Research and Reports, nearly 50 percent of students who

1

College is so much harder than high school

Try substituting “different” for “harder”. College is different for most students because they don’t know how to handle all the responsibility and all the free time.

2

All freshman gain 15 pounds

Not all students gain weight. Some students actually lose weight because of the stress.

This especially applies to students who have challenging classes, play sports or work on campus.

start college never graduate with a degree. When asked about their reaction to this statistic, students had a variety of different opinions.

When asked about her reaction to nearly half of college students dropping out, senior Megan Scott didn’t seem very surprised.

“College students like to party. They get too caught up in the college life and don’t study,” Scott said.

More women than men are currently attending college, with a 6 to 4 ratio

Source: American Council on Education

Scott plans on earning her master’s degree and paying for college with scholarships and loans.

“Students that start off on their own for the first time don’t always have their priorities straight. They don’t have the constant motivation by their parents-their success is up to them,” senior Stephanie Rosenwinkel said.

Clearly, motivation is an issue which might frighten some parents who are making substan-

3

Roommate compatibility forms work

College freshmen should be prepared to compromise with his or her roommate because a piece of paper can’t be 100 percent accurate in determining a perfect roommate match.

4

You must choose a major right away

Freshmen should consider holding off picking a major until sophomore or junior year, until they know exactly what their interests are. Instead, get all the core classes out of the way freshmen year.

college

tting into college

tial financial commitments to give their child an opportunity to succeed in their career path.

When asked about his reaction, Mazuc wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion.

“That’s moronic. If you drop thousands of dollars on education, you better walk away with something to show for it,” he said.

WOMEN IN EDUCATION

According to the American Council on Education, women’s share of graduate enrollment continues to increase. As of 2010, 60 percent of enrolled undergraduates are female.

Senior Nicholette LeBlanc is well on her way to becoming a part of that impressive statistic.

She is planning on getting ahead early to make the college experience much easier.

“I am taking Waubonsee classes now and I will take some more this summer to help make myself take less classes when I’m there. I’m a little nervous about paying, but I know that somehow I’ll get the money,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc plans on earning her Bachelors degree and already has a lot of money saved up for college.

Senior Taylor White, a senior who is planning on earning her Masters, plans to pay for her college by using the FAFSA and scholarships.

When asked about the frightening truth of college dropout rates, Senior Brooke Ekstrom has some words of advice.

“I feel like you should try your hardest no matter what. It’ll be worth it in the long run.”

5

Date rape is common

This is definitely not true, but remember to always be safe by doing things like never leaving a drink unattended and never walking alone after dark.

6

College students are poor and starving

Actually, at some universities, it’s the opposite, with students driving BMWs and leaving $300 bar tabs.

7

Finals week is hard

To avoid the night-before study crams, study hard all semester long and you’ll have no trouble keeping your grade where you want it.

8

You must bring a car to campus

Don’t sweat it because there are many other ways to get around campus, like walking, biking or riding the bus. Just think about all the money you’ll save on car insurance, maintenance and gas money.

You must go Greek immediately People can change quickly once they get to

9

college. Open rush runs year round, so once second semester comes, think about joining a sorority or fraternity then.

10

College isn’t the real world

College students are actually juggling a lot: time and money management, interacting with diverse people and academic responsibility. All these skills are skills that people use in the real world.

Source: The CollegeBound Network Complied by Alex Vickery and Emily Gulanczyk Centerspread / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

13

36 or bust: The ACTs are coming All juniors will be taking the ACT on April 25. The Krier surveyed 72 Kaneland students in classes mostly taken by juniors to find out how they feel about the upcoming ACT and what they are doing in the months leading up to the test.

“I’m not [studying], I’m too lazy.

I’m going to study stuff later,” junior Ryan Straughn said.

“I have not prepared for the ACT yet. It feels like it’s too far away still to study for it. How do you study for the ACT?,” junior Jenice Heyob said.

Lamica said that in order to be prepared for the ACT, students should take the most demanding classes that they can handle, and not only take the classes, but do well in the classes. Juniors should also do everything that was suggested to them in their individual conferences.

“How a student does on the ACT determines how many doors are open to them after high school,” counselor Anna Lamica said.

In order to do the best they can when the ACT comes, juniors who didn’t make benchmarks on the PLAN test their sophomore year will be required to get help during STEP. “I think it’s dumb. [Students] can take care of their own education if they care,” Straughn said.

Fifty- two percent of students were either for STEP or didn’t have an opinion.

Of the 48 percent of students who said they were against extra STEP help, 68.6 percent reported that the reason they are is because the extra help won’t work, 11.4 percent said that this would be too much work and the remain-

ing 20 percent said that meeting the benchmarks doesn’t matter.

“I don’t like it. I think if you want to get a good score, you should take it into your own hands. If [students] don’t want to do well on their test, they won’t take initiative anyway,” junior Keri Groen said.

Heyob said that it’s unfair that ACT practices are being done during STEP, when not every junior attends STEP because of classes like early bird PE. There are many ACT prep courses at Kaneland and other locations for students looking to improve scores.

“I’m taking a class at Learning Ascent once a week for ten weeks. We do a lot of bookwork and practice tests.

My class is really small, so you get to know the people pretty well,” Groen said.

According to The College Board, only 25 percent of students who took the ACT met their college readiness benchmarks.

The national average for the 2011 tests was 21.1, which is .1 more points than the previous year. Getting a perfect score is very rare.

Although these figures may sound low, Illinois is one of few states that requires all high school students to take the ACT, compared to most states, where it’s optional. In those states, students who might not have done as well might not have even taken the test in the first place, so their scores don’t figure into the statistics, making it hard to compare Illinois with other states.

There are booklets on how to prepare for the ACT in Student Services that are free to all students.

“36 or bust,” Straughn said. “[The ACT] helps you get into good schools; I want to go somewhere with my life.”

t PLAN Should students who didn’t mee help during STEP? benchmarks be required to get

31

21

percent said yes

percent of students don’t have an opinion

48

percent said that help shouldn’t be mandatory

ning to go to How important do students plan are? college think their ACT scores According to the Krier poll

33

Number of students

BY BRIANNE STROBEL, Editor

22

3 Very important

Important

Somewhat important

For every six students who plan on taking an ACT prep course, there are about five who don’t.

percent got the same score the second time

22

percent got a lower score the second time

0

Not very important

Not important at all

e taken or will take How many students actually hav an ACT prep course?

Ratio of students who have taken or will take an ACT prep course

-Compared toStudents who won’t take an ACT prep course

twice get better Do students who take the ACT scores the second time?

21

1

Breakdown of the ACT questions English:

45 minutes 75 questions

57

percent of students nationwide who retook the ACT improved their scores, according to the College Board

Math:

60 minutes 60 questions Reading:

35 minutes 40 questions Science:

35 minutes 40 questions

14

Flex / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

Photo by Nick Albano

Kaneland rowdies point during a free throw against Glenbard South.

Getting rowdie has new restrictions

BY EVAN ORTIZ AND NICK ALBANO, Reporters The Kaneland Knights were in a heated contest with the Morris Redskins on Dec. 9 and as always, the rowdies were in full swing.

Screaming and cheering students were in attendance to support their school, and junior Ryan Ford was in the center of it all. Partway through the game, Dean Renee Grisch approached Ford about his attire at the game.

“Mrs. Grisch told me to remove my mask because it was covering my face, and I guess we’re not allowed to do that anymore,” Ford said.

Ford, wearing his World War IIera gas mask, was asked to remove his mask because of a rule that has been around for years but isn’t implemented at all venues.

“It’s eye opening to me and somewhat confusing, considering the fact that they let me do it during the football season,” Ford said.

Lately, there has been a crackdown by the staff on the usage of face paint and other objects to cover the face, which are worn by rowdies. This was allowed at the football games, but indoor venues are putting a stop to it.

This rule has been in action for over a decade, but recently more and more students are being told that this is a problem.

“It’s been around since before I’ve been here,” said athletic director Leigh Jaffke, “and soon it will be a conference-wide rule, although most schools in our conference are already against it.”

It’s not just face paint that’s not allowed; masks and any other object covering the face are not allowed either. Why are outdoor venues okay with this stuff when indoors are not? It won’t be okay for much longer outdoors either.

“There’s not a rule for outdoor venues right now [in terms of masks or face paint], but it has been discussed, and there probably will be a conference-wide movement that might be implemented soon,” Jaffke said.

Although these rules are being enforced, there are no given guidelines to what a rowdie technically can and cannot do, according to Grisch, because Kaneland as well as the rest of the conference have yet to come to an agreement that it’s common courtesy to keep the cheering and representation factor under control.

“There are unwritten rules that

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you have to follow in order to represent Kaneland appropriately,” Jaffke said.

Students still feel they should be more informed about these rules and changes, as it pertains to what they wear, and what may or may not be scrutinized by the Kaneland staff.

“I think some of the administrators should be a little more explanatory,” said senior Anthony Sperando.

Students, like Ford, might not feel this is fair, but this is more of a respect issue.

“We just want students attending games to dress appropriately and act appropriately,” Jaffke said.

“The same rules go as in school day hours. We don’t allow face paint and girls in sports bras during the school day, so a game is no exception. Rowdies just need to represent Kaneland respectfully.”

With the loss of the face paint and masks and revealing clothing, sophomore Adhurim Azemi feels it’s pretty simple when it comes down to cheering and getting in the head of the opposing team.

“You just need to be as loud and obnoxious as possible, and you can’t go wrong.”

How do you feel about WE ASKED the restrictions on face

“I don’t mind the rule, because it really doesn’t effect the rowdie section as a whole.”

–Junior Nicole Hanlon

“It’s ridiculous if it’s not bothering any one. Why should it be restricted?”

–Sophomore Jake Harnish

“ I think it’s dumb. I don’t think there should be restrictions on showing school spirit.”

–Senior Mitch Gemini

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15

How to say eStop b ing ive a pass n perso

NO

BY MORGAN BUERKE, Editor

All Students have been there before: the pressure on their back telling them that if they don’t do this one, harmless thing then they’ll be shunned forever. But can they really say no?

According to social worker Jean Ryan-Meyers, teens of trouble saying no to their peers due to the long and tedious struggle for them to feel accepted. She said that its hard to speak up and ask for help and that it’s only easy to say no to their friend when they receive a positive outcome. Here are some tips:

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP

Junior Justin Campbell had to speak up for himself when a friend he used to hang out with pulled out a cigarette and asked him if he wanted one. When he said no, the friend be-

gan calling him a “baby” and swearing at him. Campbell said “no” anyway because he said he knows how unhealthy smoking is.

When faced with a difficult situation like this, therapist Kris Munson recommends being confident, making eye contact, and using “I statements.” She said that the only way to stop feeling bad about not getting heard is to make the effort and practice.

BE AGGRESSIVE According to a study done by the University of Iowa on being assertive by Vivian Barnette, this includes having assertive body language, using facts instead of judgments and being clear with exactly what the other person needs to change or do. Being assertive isn’t being aggressive, but it’s not the same as just sitting there and doing nothing,either.

Being aggressive should get ev-

Photo illustration by Morgan Buerke

eryone else to listen and helps express the entire groups emotions.

Someone who is normally easygoing may surprise their friends by being aggressive so suddenly so make sure that everyone knows that they’re friends will at least try to be support-

LEAVE IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE According to psychology teacher Mark Meyer, all teens have to go through speaking out against peers.

His word of advice is that, when it comes time, they should follow their conscience and their gut to lead them through the pressure. Know what the situation is and try to handle it the right way.

Campbell said “no” to smoking because he was unconfortable with doing something that unhealthy.

Then, he walked away while being called names and stop being friends with that person.

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Lifestyle / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

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BY MATT WAHLGREN, EDITOR No matter what kind of car is it is, vehicles are expensive, and for those who want to avoid significant repair bills later on, it’s generally wise to keep it taken care of right now. Speech teacher and car aficionado Kurt Green said that students can save by doing routine maintenance themselves. “Dealerships are charging $100 an hour for labor,” Green said.

WINDSHIELD It’s obvious when windshield wipers just aren’t cutting it anymore there are water streaks, obnoxious noises and may even be the rubber blades coming off. It’s going to happen at some point. Changing the wipers on almost any car is easy; in most cases it just involves a clip.

It takes a matter of seconds to do, and it can make that rainynight drive much safer.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Pull the wiper away from the windshield. Don’t worry. It’s not breaking it. It’s meant to do this.

There is a J-clip holding the blade itself on. Only remove the rubber blade that touches the windshield.

To put the new blade on, stick the arm through the hole in the blade and turn it 180 degrees, then return the arm to the glass.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Most filters are contained by the air box, the large black plastic container. Usually the lid can be undone with a screwdriver.

Once the lid is off, the filter can be lifted off and replaced. Reattach the lid and remember to line up all the holes.

Above is an example of an external filter. This can be removed by loosening the ring around the base with a screwdriver.

AIR FILTER The air filter cleans the air the car’s engine takes in from outside, so it’s important that it’s clean and working well. If the filter is dirty, it can affect the car’s acceleration, so it’s worth a check. Look for the black box—usually large and hard to miss. Replacements can be done at any auto part store—Green prefers Napa at 113 N. Main Street in Elburn.

Tell us your thoughts!

How-To / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

17

PULSE

Rap sales falter on charts Could pop replace rap and hip hop as teen’s favorite?

BY KALEB SCHUPPNER, Editor 2011 marked the first time in years that rap and hip hop were not the most popular genres among teenagers aged 13-17.

According to Simon Dyson, editor of Music and Copyright, rap and hip hop were ranked third on the global sales charts in 2000. In 2009, they were ranked seventh on the charts.

Between 2000 and 2009, rap and hip hop retail sales decreased by 48.3 percent; more than any other music tracked. Combined, rap and hip hop started out selling $2.5 billion worldwide, but by 2009, their sales dropped to $1.3 billion, a 48 percent decrease in sales.

Every genre of music’s sales have decreased due to online piracy and competition from other media, but rap and hip hop took the biggest hit while pop, dance and rock were the least affected. Pop started out with $10.3 billion in retail sales and went down to $7.4 billion between 2000 and 2009.

Second in global popularity, rock, only lost 22.1 percent of its sales. By 2009, genres that came before rap and hip hop included pop, rock, R&B, country, classical and dance. The only genres with lower sales that rap and hip hop were jazz and the unspecified category of “other.”

Why are rap sales declining?

Popular artists like Adele and Gavin McGraw sing about love, life and heartbreak, while many artists in the hip hop/rap industry focus on more provocative subjects.

Senior Denitza Koleva, who likes most types of music, said she looks for calming, meaningful lyrics in her music. This is why she’s not very into genres such as rap and hip hop.

Part of the decline may also be a marketing strategy, as many rap and hip hop are now crossing over to become pop artists.

Many artists that would normally be labeled as rap and hip hop, such as LMFAO, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, David Guetta and J. Cole top the Billboard pop charts because of their catchy tunes. Even Drake’s “Headlines” has been listed as a pop song.

18

Pulse / March 27, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

Rap sales have gone down 48.3 percent in 10 years.

The main picture is Nelly, 50 Cent, below. Birdman, middle. Chingy, bottom right. Photo courtesy of Universal Music Group , Epic Records, Shady Records and Cash Money Records.

Rihanna and J. Cole are among the most popular crossover stars on the radio right now.

What sets their songs apart from normal rap songs is their emphasis on love and relationships.

Rihanna’s “We Found Love” has a catchy chorus about finding love in a hopeless place. This song is obviously a hit with adolescents looking for love.

“Work out” by J Cole has a catchy chorus about relationships: “Aye we got a good thing, don’t know if I’ma see you again. But is that a good thing? ‘Cause girl I can’t be your man, no ma’am. I know what’s on your brain, you prolly’ hope it never would end. Like is it the real thing, or is it just a one-night stand?” The song relates well to today’s fast-paced society where real love is hard to find in a relationship.

Not only are some rap and hip hop songs vulgar, but they often include a lot of unnecessary repetition.

Pop culture includes repetitive songs, too; sometimes repeating entire phrases more than five times at once.

Rap and hip hop however, go as far as to repeat a single word multiple times, “Dance” by Big Sean is a perfect example of this.

Sophomore Dalvell Triplett respects artists such as Drake, Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa because they “keep it real” and don’t rap about shallow subjects.

Indie-pop is sneaking up on America with hits like “Pumped Up Kicks” by up-and-coming band Foster the People and “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele.

“Pumped Up Kicks” is a song about a kid that is losing his mind and, subsequently, is plotting revenge on the popular kids. The lead singer of Foster the People, Mark Foster, explains that the kid is an outcast and he feels it is relevant song to today’s youth that is becoming more and more isolated.

Foster the People’s “Helena Beat” was also the fifth most streamed song in its prime which

reached its peak last summer.

“Set Fire to the Rain” is a deep, emotional song, like most of Adele’s songs are. The most popular interpretation of this song is about a girl that meets a guy and quickly and intensely falls for him.

It is clearly evident that genres like pop and indie are taking teenagers’ focus from rap and hip hop. Pop has now made its way to the top as the most popular genre for teenagers.

Rappers Losing Prevalence Nelly hasn’t been in the spotlight very much lately. His last song to top Billboard’s charts was “Grillz” in 2006. Chingy hasn’t ever had a number one song on Billboard and his peak at number two was in 2004. Birdman’s last album in the top five was in 2005. 50 Cent’s last number one song on Billboard was “Candy Shop” in 2005.

Up-and-coming Alternative Bands

Foster the People

The indie-rock trio, Foster the People, is quickly gaining popularity for their captivating vibes and undeniable style. As of March 10, 2012, their album “Torches” is ranked number 10 on Billboard’s Best-Selling Alternative Albums.

Gotye

The Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Wally De Backer, better known by his stage name, Gotye, is taking America by storm. The multi-instrumental musician’s newest album, “Making Mirrors” is ranked number three on Billboard’s Best-Selling Alternative Albums as of March 10.

The high and low of spring break flicks The High:“The Hunger Games”

Christina Aguilera is one of the more colorful judges and coaches on “The Voice” and never fails to provide a laugh.

Photo courtesy of NBC

“The Voice” gives “Idol” a run for its money

BY RYAN NOEL AND TYLER KEENUM, Editors Another talent-based show focusing on singing. Here we go again—or so we thought.

“The Voice” actually brings a couple of new and creative twists to judge-based shows.

For starters, the judges, pop music star Christina Aguilera, Maroon Five front man Adam Levine, flavorful Cee Lo Green and country heart-throb Blake Shelton, also play another part in the show--they’re the voice coaches for the contestants.

The judges don’t even see the contestant until the singing has stopped; instead, they only hear their voices. The reasoning behind this is to prove that the contestants are picked solely on the their vocal talents, not their stunning or not-so-stunning appearances.

It’s this method that makes gives “The Voice” its creative spin and almost random selection methods.

One big advantage to being a contestant on “The Voice” is the selection process. Contestants partake in the auditions over five days, getting their one minute of fame to display their vocal talents to the judges. All it takes is one judge to press their “I want you” button for a contestant to be chosen.

Simple enough, right?

Not quite, because each judge is allotted only 12 slots to fill up their roster with talented singers. Levine, the winner of the inaugural season, is notorious for hesitating before choosing someone for his team.

If more than one judge selects the contestant all the judges that selected the contestant become the world’s best salesmen (or woman, in Aguilera’s case) and beg and plead for the contestant to join their team.

It adds just a slight touch of humor to the series, which at times is needed due to the serious tone of the show.

If there is one flaw to the show, it’s the fact that they only show one performance between commercial breaks. It gets frustrating when just as the singing finishes and viewers are forced to sit through more commercials than need be.

A simple solution to the problem is just to not do background stories on every contestant that goes on the show; we get it, it’s a sob story—whoopdie doo.

“The Voice” also sticks its neck out a little bit this year, competing for TV ratings with rival “American Idol.” It’s too to early to tell which show will have higher ratings by season’s end, but things look good for NBC’s music talent show.

“The Voice” can be seen Monday nights at 7 p.m. on NBC.

Acquiring fame from the acclaimed book trilogy, the film version of “The Hunger Games” has all the potential to become one of this year’s box office giants.

In the story, the country of America no longer exists; instead it has been replaced by Panem, which consists of the Capitol and 12 districts.

The gladiator-style games, which are a fight to the death on national television, get started by a random lottery-style selection of one boy and one girl from each district.

Unfortunately for young Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields), it appears as is if she is the going to be one of the participant in the games-that is, until older sister Katniss (Jennifer Lawerence) does the unheard of and volunteers herself in place of her sister. Representing district 12 with her neighbor, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the journey is set to begin.

But going up against the other districts is no small task. The other eleven districts offer up participants that have been training for the Games their entire life.

Set to premier March 23, “The Hunger Games” has the potential to be not only one of spring break’s best movies, but 2012’s best.

-Ryan Noel, Editor

Photo courtesy of Citizen Snow Film Productions

The Low:“Mirror Mirror” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” was a hit, and “Mirror Mirror” hopes to take the animated success to the modern big screen.

Hopes are one thing, reality is another.

Lilly Collins (“The Blind Side”) plays princess-in-exile Snow White, getting her first starring role in a major production.

Accompanying Collins is award-winning actress Julia Roberts, who plays the evil queen.

“Mirror Mirror” attempts to bring a comedic touch to the old Disney version, but critics claim that “Mirror Mirror” is lacking overall appeal.

Along with the comedy, the magical spin placed on “Mirror Mirror” includes magical forests and love potions.

The Seven Dwarves may be the highlight of the film. “Mirror Mirror” gets the comedic relief from the Seven Dwarves, who according to sources, use lines from the gangster film “The Godfather.”

Coming out March 30, “Mirror Mirror” has to hope for some sort of Disney-esque miracle to achieve the high hopes they have for their film.

-Ryan Noel, Editor

Pulse / March 22 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

19

March

Les Misérables, Kaneland’s dramafilled spring musical, rehearses for their show this month.

1 2 34

Photos by Melyssa Cordero

1. Senior Elliot Witt sung the song “At the End of the Day.” 2. Junior Vanessa Cook and freshman Rachel Miller rehearsed lines to each other. “We were rehearsing for one of the battle scenes. We were rolling out bandages, “ Cook said.

3. Junior Cameron Carlson and sophomore Mitchell Bateman sat back-to-back.

“We’re taking instructions on a scene, singing while sitting on the ground,” Carlson said.

4. Senior Eric Eichelberger and junior Tucker DeBolt practiced singing for a musical scene. “I’m singing at Eric, telling him to leave,” DeBolt said.

5. Juniors Beau Ott, Katie Kenkle and Cook practiced for the next scene. “I’m a student, and I’m reminiscing on the past with my ladies,” Ott said.

6. Music teacher Bryan Kuntsman and DeBolt discuss part of the musical. “I’m asking Mr. Kuntsman about a part of the music,” DeBolt said.

7. Sophomore John Briggs, freshman Caitrin Mills and junior Alec Kovach acted out an important scene. “John was shot, and I’m with Caitrin assisting her until someone can help aid him,” Kovach said.

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Photo / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

5 6 7

Photo / March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

21

Soccer looking to strike back

SPORTS

Coach Brian Willis offered helpful tips to sophomore Kaley Martens, as she swings on the first of three days of tryouts.

Photo by Lexi Roach

Softball has high hopes

BY BRODY KUHAR, Reporter The Lady Knights varsity softball team started off their season yesterday against Burlington Central, but the Knights are most looking forward to their first match up against rival Sycamore on April 10.

Last year, the Knights ended the season at 14-18, getting knocked out of the semifinals in an upsetting loss to the Sycamore Spartans.

Sycamore has knocked the Lady Knights out of the playoffs two years in a row, first at regionals in 2010, followed by the semifinal loss last season.

“Sycamore will be our biggest competition this year because they’ve beat us the past two years in sectionals. We want to beat them

ECS

really bad,” senior captain Delani Vest said.

Head coach Brian Willis said that Sycamore will continue to be a challenge this year.

“Sycamore is always a tough team to beat, but things change from year to year, so you never know how tough the match up will be,” Willis said.

The team has been working hard in the weight room and practicing multiple times a week to prepare for this season, and they will be going to a spring training tournament over spring break in Tennessee.

“We hope to get early season confidence and experience to carry over into our regular season,” Willis said.

Captains McKinzie Mangers,

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Girls Sports /March 22, 2012 / KANELAND KRIER

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Sam Hansen, Delani Vest and Allyson O’Herron are all looking forward to a good year.

“The team will be working hard this year to overcome the rivals, Sycamore and DeKalb, and move past them in the playoffs,” O’Herron said.

Kaneland softball has high hopes on the upcoming season with a new and strong lineup. The bar is set the goals are to win conference and advance as far as they possibly can into the state playoffs, Willis said.

“We have the talent to do a lot of good things this year as a team, and we have the potential to go a long way in the playoffs this year,” Willis said.

With nationally-ranked goalie Jordan Ginther back from her yearlong hiatus, the varsity soccer team is hoping to have one of their best seasons ever. Last season was the best in Kaneland history, with a 153-5 record and second place finish in the KHS Classic.

Key players Emily Heimerdinger led the team with 50 goals and 27 assists last year, along with Sophia Blank’s 17 goals and 8 assists, but both have graduated. Ginther’s return from her national team, where she is ranked the number one goalie in the nation, is welcome because she will strengthen the defense.

“She’ll keep us in some games.

She’s a special kid that only comes once in a lifetime,” Varsity Coach Scott Parillo said.

Senior Katie Taylor, who was last year’s third-leading scorer, thinks that Ginther’s return will make it easier to win.

“When she left, we had to work harder than what we did when we had her,” Taylor said.

Other key players will include senior Abby Bend, junior Brooke Harner, sophomores Delaney Stryczek, Brittany Olson and Amber Winquist-Bailey.

The team’s first tournament is coming up on April 5, when they will play in the West Aurora Tournament against West Aurora, East Aurora and Westminister Christian.

Freshman Madison Jurcenko said that West Aurora will be their toughest game, and Taylor agreed.

“I’m looking forward to playing West Aurora because they are always giving us the most trouble,” Taylor said.

Last year, Kaneland took third in the tournament, and this year, they are striving to take first by working on their defensive drills.

“My goals for the year are to be highly competitive and just have fun,” Parillo said.

-Courtney Diddell, reporter

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Senior Bryan Van Bogaert looks for an open teammate while being guarded by senior Trever Heinle during practice on March 1.

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Knights win regional in overtime

BY NICK BOOSE, Reporter The Knights captured their first regional title since 1999, defeating Rochelle in overtime in a come-from-behind victory.

The team started off slow with foul trouble and getting out-rebounded and at the half they were down 33-20. They came out of halftime with intensity and slowly but surely cut the lead down.

“We’re a second half team.

We never give up,” senior Tyler Heinle said.

The team went on a 8-0 run to tie the game to send it into overtime, then continued with a 6-0 run to clinch the championship against the Hubs. The team never looked back as they pulled off a 65-61 comeback victory.

It was the season’s biggest win, but winning has been the Knights’ specialty this season.

The team had just come off a huge victory against Sycamore in the first round of the class 3A Rochelle regional, defeating the Spartans 55-45, and faced off against Rochelle for the third time this season in regionals.

The team lost to Rockford East 66-54 in the first round of sectionals, but Coach Brian Johnson was happy with their success overall.

“The team started really strong.

We were able to build early momentum and win us 17 games,” Johnson said.

The team’s record this season is 17-11. The Knights’ leading scorer has been senior Marcel Neil, who is averaging 13 points per game.

BY JACOB JORDAN

HARDEST PART OF YOUR SPORT

“Once I got here, it was really easy. I discovered that everyone here already knew me,” Neil said.

Neil has had a lot of success, but he credits the rest of the team, knowing that it’s not a single player game. “My scoring is all because of the teammates, they help out a lot. They set up nice screens and picks,” Neil said.

Neil said he clicked well with sophomore Thomas Williams, who averaged about ten points per game for the Knights.

“Marcel and I just had an instant bond when he came here,” Williams said.

All-conference players include Neil and Williams, and Heinle received Honorable Mention. The Knights finished conference tied for second with Yorkville.

WHO WOULD YOUR AGENT BE?

WHAT ANIMAL WOULD YOU SPEAK TO?

“It is not hard because I strive to be the best.”

“‘Someone Like You’ by Adele.”

“Cathy Peters because she would be the best fit for me.”

“I would love to pick a giraffe’s brain for a day because I want to know what they are thinking.”

“Overcoming your mindset. You have to have a lot of endurance.”

“‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele.”

“My dad because he loves me.”

“Elephants because they bring you good luck.”

“The competition is very hard. You have to be mentally and physically prepared.”

“I don’t have one.”

“My dad because he knows how I could improve without being mean.”

“A dog because they are everyone’s companion.”

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