SCOUT VOLUME 53 / ISSUE 4 / LAKE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL / ST. JOHN, IN
CUTTING TIES Romantic relationships are complicated. Students dealing with relationships learn to cut the ties that bonded them in the first place.
LET TER FROM THE
EDITOR
Relationships in high school are important to have, whether it be romantic or platonic. All relationships, no matter the form, start with a glance during class or a smile in the hallway. Dating can be so much fun, but dating can also be hard. There may come a time where timing is not right, or you aren't bettering each other. Hard questions are asked that don't always have a clear answer. The idea behind my cover is that we cut ties with those we love. This isn't necessarily because we hate them, or don't like them anymore.. We cut ties with people who we love, because sometimes saying goodbye is the best option. When it's time for the realtionship to end, a teenager must focus on what is best for the couple. Thinking for two rather than one can be detrimental. Why is there such a big pressure nowadays to make huge decisions about our relationships when we are all so young? When now is the time to have fun, and love others unforgivingly.
COURTNEY RHOMBERG
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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ART FORM Students with artistic talent attempt to pursue fine arts careers. Those involved in Hand Bells spend hours together in and out of class, improving their skills and relationships. The wide range of art courses provided allows students to further their interest in creative vocations. Mr. Nathaniel Jones, Music, conducts the Bells I class during the winter choir concert on Dec. 7. Photo By: Gabriella Shumylo
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CAREERS 3
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“ACCEPTING YOURSELF IN WHATEVER YOU PLAN ON DOING WILL BE THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENS TO YOU,” MARTIN SAID. 4
a permanent portfolio When I’m older I want to go into art, preferably a tattoo artist. I knew I wanted to do this when I was really really young. I had a strong passion for art, and I always wanted to pursue it. I have always been really good at it, and I acquired the skills to do some of the amazing things I see other people do. Other artists really inspire me to step out of the door and say, ‘I don’t necessarily know what kind of place I fit in this world, but I want to make the world a more artistic and creative place.’ I practice almost everyday and do something small whether it be working on my AP portfolio because I am in the AP [2D studio art] class and the art three class. Every Sunday I try to do a painting or something small so I can continue to practice and learn new creative ways to do things. I am definitely worried, but the thing that separates me from my worries is that I have a strong passion, and I firmly believe that as long as I continue to pursue what I enjoy, I will end up making a difference, and I will end up succeeding. I know that the artist world is very competitive and it has a lot of people and often even if you do make it, you are considered ‘broke.’ I think if you really push yourself, you won’t be. You have to apply yourself, and I think that I am able to apply myself. I just want to say that if you are doing art, or you are in a place where your parents are not necessarily supportive of the art you do, or wanting to pursue a career in the arts whether it be writing or music or any kind of art, I hope you find courage in yourself to pursue it. That was a big step for me and definitely a very large and hard step to make, but I promise that it will be the best thing that ever happens to you. Accepting yourself in whatever you plan on doing will be the best thing that ever happens to you,” Giovana Martin (11) said.
GIOVANA MARTIN (11)
ISSUE 4 / ART FORM / 7
3 1. Mr. Nathaniel Jones, Music, conducts his group of bells players. The Bells Choir performs in four concerts during the school year. Photo by: Gabriella Shumylo 2. Brianna Barone (11) performs during the winter concert. Barone performed with the Hand Bells II. Photo by: Gabriella Shumylo 3. Ava Thompson (10) and Madison Hahney (10) play one of their pieces. The two were concentrated to play their christmas music. Photo by: Gabriella Shumylo 4. Timothy Bakas (12) reads his music during the performance. Bakas joined bells his senior year. Photo by: Jessica Cook
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ringing in facts about hand bells Before every concert, they have to clean their bells.
Hand Bells practices three times a week during class. They also occasionally practice during PtE.
HAND BELLS PERFORMS FOUR TIMES A YEAR: DURING THE FALL, CHRISTMAS TIME, IN FEBRUARY AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR IN MAY. After every concert, they have a pot luck.
Before a concert, Hand Bells will practice their performance after school in the auditorium.
ISSUE 4 / ART FORM / 9
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forever sisters,
forever swimmers Page by: Emily Bell, Joshua Chen, Mia Martinez, Danica Mileusnic and Ashley Robinson
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family made of talent, medals and three dedicated swimmers, the Spears sisters have made their mark. Michael and Holly Spears are the parents of three girls; Holly, Savanna and Michaela. The oldest sister, Holly Spears (‘14) took swimming after her parents, who also competed in high school. Holly is currently a senior at Indiana University at Bloomington. Holly has influenced the middle sister, Savanna Spears (12), to follow in her footsteps. “Swimming has been in my family for a long time my mom and my dad both swam in High school, [but] they didn’t swim college. My older sister swam in high school too, she has two records here. I started because my family always pushed me to do it and I tried to follow my sister’s footsteps,” Savanna said. Last to complete the family is the youngest sister, Michaela Spears (10). She swims the two medley and can also swim backstroke and breaststroke. Michaela and Savanna learn new tips from Holly and their dad. “There’s a lot of competition in our family about swimming like ‘I went faster than you’ or ‘I want to go as fast as her’ and ‘I want to beat her.’ There’s a lot of that that goes around in my family. I definitely try to keep up with Savanna at practice,” Michaela said.
“BEING ABLE TO SEE YOUR SISTER BY YOU OR IN THE SAME LANE AS YOU MAKES YOU WANT TO BE GOOD TOGETHER, AND REPRESENT YOUR FAMILY TOGETHER,” MICHAELA SAID.
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Because of how important swimming is to all three sisters, the competition factor in the family influences the girls to push themselves. In Savanna and Michaela’s case, being on the same team also encourages them to give all their effort. “We like being around each other, we have fun times. Of course we have that competitive sister relationship and we also have the loving one. Being able to see your sister by you or in the same lane as you, it makes you want to be good together, and represent your family together,” Michaela said. Savanna and Michaela have also made a positive impression on Coach Todd Smolinski, Social Studies. Savanna even worked her way to be the girls swim team’s captain. “They work hard, I can tell you that for sure. They train well and train hard. They usually give everything they have in practice. You can see when they work beyond exhaustion. They are very vocal too; they will speak out [and] speak their mind, [which is] a good quality,” Smolinski said. One positive impact swimming has made of Michaela’s life, is how she earned her dog. When Michaela was in middle school, her dad made, what he thought was going to be an easy win, bet with Michaela, but he was mistaken. “Basically I went to state when I was around 12 and my dad made a bet with me that if I got three medals at state I could get a puppy, but the odds that I would get three medals was very low. I ended up getting the three medals and I got my dog,” Michaela said. Savanna and Michaela both strive to be on a collegiate swim team. Michaela also hopes to go a college that specializes in the medical field. “[Coaching all of the sisters,] you see who is more like who from behaviors to the way they swim. Coaching Holly and then [watching] Savanna swim and Michela swim, it is like I can see a lot of Holly in Michela as far as strokes go. It is an interesting dynamic,” Coach Smolinski said.
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1. (L to R) Savanna Spears (12) and Michaela Spears (10) pose by the pool. The girls swam on competition teams before high school. Photo by: Joshua Chen 2. Holly Spears (‘14) swims at a meet. Spears attended Indiana University Bloomigton to swim. Photo by: Hannah Reed 3. Savanna Spears (12) swims freestyle. Spears is the team captain of the varsity swim team. Photo by: Lauren Wisniewski 4. Michaela Spears (10) competes in the butterfly event. Spears wishes to pursue a career in the medical field. Photo by: Ashley Robinson 5. The Spears sisters, stand on a starting block. This is Savanna’s fourth and Michaela’s second year on varsity. Photo by: Joshua Chen 6. Savanna Spears (12) celebrates as she wins an event at Sectionals.
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ISSUE 4 / OUR IDENTITY, THEIR IDENTITY / 13
“I DEPEND ON JUST THE ATMOSPHERE AND MY OWN PERSONAL MENTALITY,” CHANTAL ALMAZAN (12) SAID.
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raising the bar “The season has gone really well. We’ve broken the team record a lot of times. I think we struggle with staying on and sticking all of our routines, but we’ve definitely improved over the season. We’ve had a lot of injuries this season, but everyone has really stepped up to help the team. Personally, my season has gone extremely well. I have broken my highest score twice, but I’ve also struggled on beam the most with staying on. We’ve been doing a lot of routines, so that has helped us get better and more confident with our routines. I’ve definitely learned a lot over the past four years. This year especially I’ve learned how important responsibility, leadership, communication and being a good example is. The coaches communicate directly with the seniors, and then we take that information and pass it to the rest of the team. We also have to be responsible for getting the events set up and leading warmups. A lot of the younger girls look up to us, so it’s really important to show them not only how important it is to be a good teammate, but also how to lead the team when they’re seniors. Overall, the past seniors have really influenced me. I’ve watched and learned from how they lead the team, and that has really impacted the way I act as a leader this year. My high school career as an athlete has been really good. I’ve grown a lot over the various years. I went from getting really low scores to having many of my scores count for the entire team. I’ve also gotten to see a few of my teammates make it to Regionals and State, which has been an awesome experience to cheer them on. Our team has seen a lot of changes from getting a new coach to getting a gym. I think the styles of coaching has been on of the biggest changes overall.”
MADISON O’DROBINAK (12)
ISSUE 4 / ATHLETICS / 15
“I WANTED TO TRY OPERA BECAUSE NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE MY AGE DO IT. PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS SHOCKED WHEN I TELL THEM I DO IT. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE SOMETHING REALLY INTERESTING TO LEARN AND I JUST FELL IN LOVE DOING IT.”
TRUST THE PROCESS 45minutes a day spent practicing
3voice coaches help her once a week
2musical classes taken to improve her skills 1. Tenley Edvardsen (9) prepares to sing. She has been singing opera since she was in sixth grade. Photos by: Nicole Reitz
ISSUE 4 / OUR IDENTITY, THEIR IDENTITY / 19
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NICOLE LITTRELL
Day shifts [compared to three until 11] are a little more hectic. Three to 11’s are a little more structured. Basically you have a set amount of things you need to get done, unless there’s an extra activity in the gym to clean up or a party in the cafeteria or Town Square. Then we would have to come and clean up. [My favorite part of the job] is the satisfaction of getting stuff done. I actually have a student here, so I’m kind of used to the kids. I don’t get annoyed by them as much other people do because it’s just like ‘ah they’re kids.’ They purposely do things that annoy me, but other than that, I think I have an unusual child because she’s happy to see me. A lot of people [her age] would maybe think ‘Oh my God, that’s my mom.’ Sometimes I’ll get hit with a hug out of the blue. [Some things I like to do outside of school] is crafting [and] doing things with my four kids. I actually have a grandbaby, so when he’s in town I like spending time with him. Crafting is probably my biggest [hobby]. I do wood burning, glassedging and a lot of baby diaper cakes. I’m currently making one [cake] that’s going to be a Hogwarts Express.”
Photo By: Dana Brownewell
CONNIE JORDAN
Photo By: Dana Brownewell
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I’ve been here for 20 years. I’ve worked a lot of different shifts here, but I like day shift the best. That way I’m home in the evening with my husband. I clean several different areas [such as] Main Street from the cafeteria. During lunch times I’m [in the cafeteria]. I clean all the technology [classrooms] and the stairways in the academic wing. I really like my job, not that I’m crazy about cleaning all the time, but it’s just something I do with no stress. We are just like the kids; on Friday we get giddy to go home. [My favorite part of the job] is the kids. They are very entertaining, and I like that because I could be cleaning something and they’ll ask me a question that’s hilarious. I like being around the kids and keeping it clean for the staff. I had three boys, and now that we have time to ourselves, we decided instead of trying to save for a once a year trip, we’d just go on weekend trips. Every couple of months we’ll go somewhere. We went to Mackinac Island, which was one of my favorites. I had always heard about it but never went there. There are only a few cars on the island so for the most part it’s horses and carriages. You learn a lot about the history. The Big Island House Hotel is beautiful, and we got to have lunch there. It was very elegant and just different from what we get to do everyday. I’m lucky that [my grandkids] live in the area, and that I get to see them quite often, almost every weekend. We play board games and just do a lot of different things they are interested in. We just enjoy [spending time with them].”
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DISCUSSION Relationships are a large part of the high school experience. Romantic high school relationships will always exist, as well as the problems that come along with them. Also, The class of 2023 may be required to take classes that will raise the standards for them and future Hoosier graduates. The refrendum vote on May 8 may change the graduation requirements, making it more difficult for future students to put on their cap and gown. Photo By: Brittney Howell
ISSUE 4 / DISCUSSION / 23
Is It worth the trouble? Page by: Melicah Rodriguez
YES
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KATELYN PRINCE (12)
Is dating worth it in high school?
My boyfriend is my absolute best friend (not the way every girl, known to man, says they are their “best friend” and in reality they’ve been dating for a couple weeks and just met each other.) I went through a bad breakup last year & he was there literally just as a friend Bc he had a girlfriend at the time. He helped me get through what was keeping me down for countless months. No matter how much pain I went through with my previous guy nothing would stop me from going through the exact same thing because in the end it was so worth it. He’s helped me realized what I want in a man and what I don’t want. Dating in high school gives you experience, so that when you get out and into college, (or wherever you may go) you know what you’re looking for and exactly what you want.”
OOL ONSHIPS JUSTIN SCHULLER (11)
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is dating worth it in high school: I feel that if you find someone you enjoy being with and can make it work while still being able to handle school and the relationship, it could work. I have seen many relationships workout in high school and college. People make their own decisions and they choose how they contribute to the relationship and if their is an argument or fight, they can work it out.
CADEN COOPER (10)
Dating in highschool is not worth it because if I’m going to be single everyone better be single. That’s pretty much the basis of it. If I’m single and alone everyone else deserves to be single and alone. That’s why people shouldn’t date in highschool.
JAKE BAILEY (11)
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NO
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KEVIN NAWROCKI (10)
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Yes it is. It helps you with a stressful part of your life. But if it goes bad then it doesn’t help at all and adds more to it.. so it is 50/50 good and bad. High school relationships can be stressful but can help you throughout school also. Like it can relieve stress and make you feel happy, which leads to you doing better in classes. But if you were to break up you may feel hurt and not want to show up to school to avoid that person which leads to bad grades. I am basically saying both.
Dating is not worth it in high school. Dating isn’t worth the hassle. When you date someone, it’s going to either end in a break up or a marriage, and most high school relationships don’t last until marriage. When the relationships don’t last until marriage, most will end in heartbreak. This will negatively affect their grades, and will take a toll on them. You can mess around with people and not get attached, but relationships almost inevitably end in heartbreak. You just have to live life in high school and not worry about all the stress of a relationships. You should have flings, but not a serious relationship.”
I’m not saying it applies to everyone but I feel that high schoolers in general aren’t emotionally ready or mature enough to have a relationship because a relationship takes a lot of time and effort. I think that teens in highschool should use the time to learn more about themselves and what they want to be instead of focusing on a relationship
ATHENA GERODEMOS (11) ISSUE 4 / DISCUSSION / 25
SPEAKI NG U P ON S E X U AL A SSA U LT STAFF EDITORIAL Page By: Ashley Robinson, Maisie Westerfield and Lauren Wisniewski There are many reasons for a breakup, but with sexual harassment prominent in news stories across the nation, the subject of harassment in high school relationships is more important than ever. Being unaware of this issue is dangerous due to its prevalence in our age group. In our society, so many cases of harassment and abuse go unnoticed or are ignored. Some victims aren’t even aware that their abuse is abuse because they were in a committed relationship with the abuser. Some are taught that ‘anything goes’ in a relationship, and that consent isn’t always a factor. Those who are mistreated are taught to think that the abuse is their fault. Sexual assault is real. This doesn’t just occur at parties. It could be happening in your peers’ relationships every day. The effects of abuse are serious, and result in physical and emotional damage. While the visible effects may be only temporary, the invisible ones can last a lifetime. Victims may develop trust issues and a fear of intimacy that resurface in future relationships. We need to learn that abuse is not okay. Seek help if you or someone you love is being mistreated. Speak up and speak out for those who can’t. The sexual harassment fight can be won, but only if we start here and now.
IT’S REA L A N D I T ’ S HA PP ENING Harassment comes in various forms. Seek help if you or a loved one is being sexually harassed.
Do you know an individual who has been sexually harassed?
Yes (44%) No (56%) *Poll of 330 students from Lake Central.
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1 in 5 girls & 1 in 20 boys have been sexually victimized. percent of U.S. youth ages
14 to 17
90
percent of children who were abused know their abuser.
under the age of
3 4 18 out of
experience sexual adolescents who have abuse or assault been sexually assaulted at the hands of an were victimized by adult. someone they knew well. *From the National Center for Victims of Crime.
THE NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE IS AVAILABLE 24 HOURS EVERY DAY.
Call 1-800-656-HOPE
W H A T I S S E XU A L HA R AS S M ENT ? sexual harassment (n.) - unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. “Sexual assault would be doing something to someone else that they didn’t ask for. If someone’s not O.K. with doing something, then you shouldn’t be doing it with them. I also think it would be spreading [rumors] that may or may not be true about someone.”
“I would call it unwanted sexual advances. A violation of a personal space [is sexual harassment]. If you’re getting really close to someone, and you’re touching them, that’s the bar. That’s what falls under the definition of sexual harassment in my mind.”
“My definition of sexual harassment is having advances made towards you where you haven’t given a person permission to do so. If you’re overstepping their boundaries and making them visibly uncomfortable, then, beyond that point, it’s sexual harassment.”
“I think sexual harassment is any form of unwanted physical or verbal advancement on a person. There’s no definite line to cross because each person has their own boundaries, but if you have to think about your action first, then you probaby shouldn’t do it.”
ISABELLA WYLIE (9)
LAZO SEDOR (10)
MORGAN KOBISCH (11)
MAXWELL HILL (12)
ISSUE 4 / DISCUSSION / 27
The new Pathways have the possibility for new students transferring into the school district to struggle with keeping up academically. “We’ve had a problem in Indiana because we have some high schools on trimester and some on year round calendars. When [students] transfer or move. It does create a disconnect. We’ve had students come from a trimester school to us where they only take five classes, and now we’ve got them with more than one study hall, which creates a problem. It’s tricky [when] the trimesters and the semesters don’t line up,” Dr. Veracco said. The new education pathways is set to take effect for all students in seventh grade and below starting this year. But a few teachers think the idea is more ideal rather than the actual procedure. “I just don’t see how it is to be something that is to be enforced and followed through. I feel like this was policy that was brought up by people who have never been teachers [or] have never been in the classroom. In theory, it is great idea to get students to step out into the world and get real world experience and get their feet wet early,” Mrs. Iwema said. An issue that some are seeing with this new Pathways plan Megan Paluszak is that it isn’t necessarily easily accessible to all families. The various reasonings for why this can be are endless. “I don’t know how you can enforce policy like that to students who don’t have a car or don’t have financial means. How do you enforce this policy when it is not equitable to all? We have schools that don’t have access to technology. I feel like this is not the most important thing we could be covering right now policy wise, or educationally, it is not making it equitable across the board,” Mrs. Iwema said. A worry that floods the education board is that students like the ones now struggling with the current requirements won’t be able to graduate easily. “It appears that for those students who were earning the general diploma in the past, the general diploma won’t be enough to get a diploma. [While] for some students they are working up to their capacity, they’re maximizing their capabilities and they deserve a diploma,” Dr. Veracco said. There is a lot of controversy erupting dealing with whether or not students think that the updated pathway will be too difficult to handle or not. “I think it does need to be improved on because, as of right now, I am [going to] graduate with more credits than I need and I am also going to end up taking classes that I didn’t need to take. So, I have been taking two years of [unnecessary classes],” Mateo Hitchcock (12) said. On the contrary, other students see this as a big push on teenagers. Whether they stand by that statement because of extracurriculars, sports or personal reasoning. continued on page 28 “It’s already difficult as it is to [complete] the required classes, and sometimes people don’t want to take them, but they have to [in order to graduate],” Julianna Ponce (11) said. Providing these interactive experiences out of school benefits students in ways that are not only educational, but life-long. Though, there may be an issue for these involvements with timing and efficiency. “I do think you would see more hands-on type things and other enrichment experiences. We will have to come up with more ways to get students out of the school for experiences, which is as you know, costly and very time consuming as well,” Dr. Veracco said. Wondering whether the improved graduation requirements will not end successfully is a worry that is bound to occur. The only thing to do is hope that it does not reoccur. “We have had similar problems [in the past] and it feels like we do not recognize that that was a
“I FEEL LIKE THIS IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE COULD BE COVERING RIGHT NOW,” MRS. IWEMA SAID.
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