Bear Facts Student Media December 2015

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LAKE ZURICH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MEDIA

balance sure s e r food s p d fitting in n io e unity tathelm ork comm c challenges pe ssw outs ex overw a l s schedule gy c work xiou o adaches he ol ings san AT s brands n ch orn isionpes PS encers honors e t m ec ty u e s breaks de eo nseqeach behavior r o t t tryouts pets s le c s t en ng blame s ab rie itm i ying sibiling tract emoecru learpn studrisks r rela repa driving dis trust m gam t rin i o e n shopping netflix family s pub ships g s bo li health holidays respoummeGPA boc speakinoks g anger faith love bulnsibilitr mee dy imag e l t ce tests SAT AP classes dep ying ies ho ings goss i t h b ip k c s re r bi a p praclub ewoion slee college vulne ssed ppineses timing rabi y T hom ust lity changes grades e a C n A h dram x o m quizzes e a fundraisers

HIDDEN HEALTH Inside the mental states of today’s stressed teens PAGE 21

DECEMBER CEMBER 2015

TEACHER TATTOOS page 6

“WORLDLY” STUDENTS page 10

DOUBLE TROUBLE page 16

Clarifications from the October Issue •

•

On page 9, Leah Enright was misidentified as the woman on the right. She was in fact the woman on the far left of of the picture.

On page 34, the picture was uncredited. Kailee Remez, junior, edited that photo illustration.

ACT Prep Courses The deadline is December 17!

Courses are open to juniors and sophomores at a cost of $170 per student. Bring a check or money to sign-up and the session you want to attend to the Counseling Office.

Classes begin mid-January.

2 Fancie Gals 118 Old McHenry Rd.

Long Grove, IL 60047

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BEAR FACTS STUDENT MEDIA IN THIS ISSUE

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 3 // DECEMBER 2015

SPOTLIGHT Eating Disorders

pg 24 How two students managed to overcome an internal battle over their body image

Depression

pg 22

ADHD

pg 27

Anxiety pg 28

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LZ LIFE Teachers with Tattoos pg 6 Teachers showcase the art that makes them unique

A&E Battling the Bands pg 13 Four girls that took on seven bands to win it all

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SPORTS Double Trouble pg 16 Twins share what it’s like competing with your other half

PERSPECTIVES Staff Editorial pg 30 Bear Facts looks into the health class curriculum

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Teens increasingly dependent on tech

Photo from: Popsci.com

As more moves online, teens seem to be affected the most regarding technology. Whether it be a phone, computer, laptop, or any other similar device, technology seems to work its way into many aspects of teenagers’ lives. Teens are accompanied by their phones in almost every situation: eating dinner with friends, sitting in their desks at school, even going to bed. Statistics show that 92 percent of teens go “online” daily, with 71 percent having more than one type of social media, according to PewInternet.Org. Overuse of technology has been linked to sleep deprivation,

why it

matters compiled by JEMMA KIM // editor in chief

Targeting Target

Photo from: Target.com

4 News

Some customers weren’t too happy when Target started selling the ‘OCD: Obsessive Christmas Disorder’ sweater in stores and online. OCD, actually stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, a disorder packaged with constant touching, washing, and checking. This disorder affects both male and female genders equally, approximately 3.3 million Americans every year, according to MHMR Services based in Texas. With OCD, fears, worries, and stressors assault sufferers who have little ability to control or combat the unwelcomed reactions.

These are obsessions that teens living with OCD have to deal with. Students can be at risk to this disorder, when they associate certain objects or situations with fear. Anxiety also plays a big role in the development of OCD. According to a November Bear Facts survey of over 200 students, 53 percent of respondents say they have anxiety and 74 percent say they know people with anxiety. To date Target has refused to pull the sweater from their stores, according to Fortune.com.

mood swings, obesity, and lower grades.

Social media isn’t the only reason that teens on their phones, however. Texting while driving was 21% of the causes of car collisons in 2013, resulting in over 1.3 million car crashes, according to TexingandDrivingSafety.com. Eighty two percent of teens have cell phones, and 32 percent admit they text while driving. With 50 percent of students driving to school, students need to be more cautious when driving and leaving the parking lot because you never know if the driver of the next car is paying attention to the road... or their cell phone.

Photo from: Pixa Bay

Rising fears of a superbug Scientists in China have discovered a bacteria in pigs that is resistant to antibiotics, which has people around the world worried. Since the late 1940s doctors have relied on antibiotics to control everything from strep-throat to pneumonia to pink eye. If bacteria develop the ability to resist the drugs created to destroy them, it could spell the end of humanity’s primary method for keeping disease in check.

China is the world’s largest pig producer, yet antibiotics aren’t typically administered under veterinary supervision, according to Xinhuanet.com. The FDA began limiting “the systematic overuse of antibiotics” in US livestock in 2013, according to the New York Times, because of fears that overuse would lead to a catastrophic health event. Already “at least two million Americans fall sick every year and about 23,000 die from antibiotic-resistant infections,” NYT reports.

When people take antibiotics properly, most bacteria are killed, but “repeated or improper uses of antibiotics are primary causes of the increase in drugresistant bacteria,” according to RXlist.com. With the cold and flu season approaching, it’s imperative people practice proper use of any antibiotics to prevent further chances of creating the world’s next “superbug.”

around the AREA MILLENIUM PARK

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Kicking off Chicago’s winter season, the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink has free admission and ice skate rental for only $12. It is located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison Streets and is open Monday through Thursdays from noon-8pm, Fridays from noon-10pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-9pm.

The Park Grill Cafe also offers hot chocolate and snacks after you finish skating. Maggie Daley Park, located on East Randolph St also offers their Ice Ribbon open for public skating.

The rink will open late November, so be sure to follow @maggiedaleypark on Twitter for more information.

Illumination LISLE

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The Morton Arboretum glows with LED lights and trees that respond to your touch and voice through January 2, 2016. Illumination includes a dozen stops along a mile-long pathway through the forest and around the lake.

Carolers will be along the trails to guide your way through the park. Tickets are $13 for kids (2-17) and $20 for adults. The arboretum opens at 5pm and closes at 9:30pm.

Christmas Around the World HYDE PARK

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Nobody does the holidays like the Museum of Science and Industry. This 92 yearold tradition includes a giant Christmas tree dedicated to the Allies of World War II. Volunteers from ethnic communities also decorate trees to represent their cultures and holiday traditions. In coordination with the exhibit, there will be ethnic song and dance performances through January 3. General admission includes this exhibit.

Photo from: CityofChicago.org

Polar Dash Races GRANT PARK

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Can you feel your Thanksgiving meal sitting like a weight in your stomach? Want a head start on your New Year’s resolution to “get fit”? Then sign up for the Polar Dash Races on January 9. Ranging from a mile to 13 miles, everyone can find a fun race to run or walk. There’s no better way to start the new year than with a run. And if running isn’t for you, you can always volunteer to put on a fun event.

Theatre Shows CHICAGO

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Don’t leave the city without seeing at least one of these festive holiday favorites. “A Christmas Carol” will premiere at Goodman Theatre through December 27, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Broadway Playhouse through January 3 with tickets on sale for $15 and up, and “The Nutcracker” at Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University through December 27 with tickets $32 and up.

News

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Tatted Teachers Stories behindthe ink MADI KLEIN // staff writer

All photos by: Madi Klein

“ To me, the meaning has stayed with me throughout the years and hasn’t faded. It ’s not about getting a tattoo, it ’s about getting a tattoo that means something to you and that will continue to mean something to you.”

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Serge Pensik. orchestra director Tattoo(s): skeleton playing a guitar Location: right arm Passions, interests, and personalities can be permanently showcased through the artwork they put on their bodies. Serge Pensik, orchestra director, chose to get a tattoo to showcase his passion for music.

“I was in a lot of metal bands and rock bands growing up, so [the tattoo] symbolizes a lot of what I did when I was younger,” Pensik said. This tattoo, however, was not a tattoo planned to get. The idea for the tattoo was the product of chance.

“I went with a friend of mine to get a tattoo. I was looking through the catalogs and I saw it in there and I really liked the design,” Pensik said. “I think the important thing to do before getting a tattoo is to ask yourself a question: what is this going to mean to you in 20 years?” After contemplating the decision for a year, Pensik got the tattoo, and years later, still doesn not regret his decision. “[The tattoo] symbolizes a period of my life that I enjoy thinking about. It was a lot of fun,” Pensik said.

“ It ’s s o me t hi n g t h a t I p u t so much tim e an d e f f o r t i n t o. I t ’s s u c h a b i g p a r t o f m y l i f e ; F itn e s s , b e i n g a P.E . t e ac h e r an d I ’ve b een d o i n g t r i a t h l o n s f o r ye a r s . T h i s w a s s u c h a big accomplishment for me. ” Randal Dunbar. P.E. teacher, Tattoo(s): Ironman symbol, Location: right ankle In some cases, tattoos are accepted as a trend. Many individuals will permanently put illustrations and script onto their skin to serve as a reminder of others, causes, and past experiences.

Randal Dunbar, P.E. teacher, used his ink to commemorate an experience that he’s very proud of.

“I got [the tattoo] after I completed the Ironman marathon in Louisville in 2013,” Dunbar said. “It was such a big goal and such a big accomplishment to complete a 140.6 mile marathon in a day. People are so overjoyed when they

finish, they want to remember that.

And I kind of fed into that trend.”

The Ironman Triathlon is an extensive marathon that covers 140.6 miles of land and water. After successfully completing the triathlon, many participants get tattoos the Iron Man symbol as a permanent reminder of their hard work and dedication through the entire process of not only completing the marathon, but also the training process they had to go through first. Dunbar chose to go with the tradition while he was training, Dunbar said.

Amanda Rodriguez, P.E. teacher Tattoo(s): Snowflake, flower Location: back, left shoulder Tattoos are commonly used to commemorate important people or events in one’s life. Amanda Rodriguez, P.E teacher, got two of her of her five tattoos in remembrance of her mother.

One of which, her mother’s name contained inside of a snowflake, ties together her mother’s identity and her father’s nickname for her.

Rodriguez also has a tattoo of a pancreatic cancer ribbon, which commemorates her mother’s battle against a disease that affects many people per year. “[Her fight against cancer] made me appreciate life more. I knew pancreatic cancer had a high rate of mortality and I knew that once it gets discovered, it can get bad really quick, so every day from then on I spent with my mom,” Rodriguez said. “She lived with it for about eight months, so I spent as much time with her as possible, and it makes me appreciate people who are still around me. My dad and I are really close and I just try to keep family as close as possible.”

“My dad is Hispanic and my mom had blonde hair, was really pale, and had super blue eyes, so he used to call her snowflake when they were dating.”

LZ Life 7

Season of

Mi ed Fai h DOMINIQUE GERTIE // staff writer riter

Photo by: Dominique Gertie

With nearly 45 percent of Americans living in mixed-faith families, according to Georgetown.edu, the holidays become a time to respect each others’ religions and religious traditions to maintain balance for the holiday season. “[Having a mixed faith background] is different because all my friends went to church, but I went to temple with people that I didn’t know. I liked it because everyone was kind of curious about my religion since a lot of them were the same religion and they would ask me questions about it, but I liked that I was different, Danielle Pereira, sophomore whose dad went to a Catholic school and whose mother was born into a Jewish family, said.

“Everyone is curious about the holidays and want to celebrate them with my family and me because it’s so different from their holidays and they’re interested in it,” “I went to a Jewish preschool, so I always knew more about Judaism. We celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah. My family celebrates more Hanukkah, but in respect for my dad, we celebrate Christmas with him. I don’t really know that much about my Dad’s religion, but it’s fun to celebrate it and learn more about it.,” Pereira said.

Families need to decide what holidays to celebrate, who to celebrate with, how to

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celebrate, and more. Although the decision can be complicated for some families, it can be simple for others. “[My parents] both decided that they weren’t going to pick a [religion], so my sister and I were both raised as [ Jewish and Christian], and later on in life we’ll both get to choose which one we wanted to be or whatever [religion] we wanted to be,” Sarah Shapero, junior whose mother is Christian and dad is Jewish, said. “Every Christmas Eve, my family gets a big platter of seafood, and we get so much that it usually lasts until the next day. When my mom and dad were in college, they went to a seafood restaurant on Christmas Eve so that kind of started the tradition.”

While some families celebrate with religious traditions from both sides, other families choose to solely focus on one. Kerry Alter, sophomore, has parents from both Christian and Jewish religious backgrounds, but her family focuses more on Christianity.

“My mom is Christian and my dad is Jewish, but they chose for me to be Christian because my mom is a practicing Christian and my dad wasn’t practicing his religion anymore. I celebrate Christmas more, but we still put up menorahs and celebrate Jewish traditions with my dad’s family. We do a seder dinner every year and give gifts, but

I celebrate Christmas more with my mom’s side of the family kind of in the same way where we have a dinner and give each other gifts,” Alter said.

Although these families choose to focus on one religion more than the other, some families choose to leave the idea of religion completely open to choice. Celebrating the holidays can be anything but typical. While some families may find it challenging, other families find their own ways to blend the holidays, and celebrate both religions.

Junior Sarah Shapero, at right, comes from a mixed religious background. Her parents expect her and her sister to choose their religion when they are older. She has not chosen yet, but she decorates with Christmas trees and with menorahs. Photo provided by: Sarah Shapero

As seniors reach the halfway mark of the school year, some look forward to the last semester of their high school experience, whereas others, like Mike Young, to the right, just want to “get out.” Here are three seniors who have decided to graduate early.

Photo by: Chloe Faris

Senior year or senior semester CHLOE FARIS // staff writer

Mike Young

Kathy Wojtala

Sean Brown

Reason for graduating early: planning to work and go to college in the fall at the Universal Technical Institute

Reason for graduating early: never felt “high school was her time”, attending classes, in January, at Harper college

Reason for graduating early: hoping to work to save money to attend his dream school at Northern Illinois University

Q: What is your main reason for graduating high school early?

A: I’m [graduating early] to get a jump-start in my career [as a mechanic]. I’m already getting a job in my field and I’m studying that as soon as I get out. When I realized I had the opportunity to graduate early, I thought it would be better to get money.

Q: What did you do to be able to graduate early in terms of credits?

A: I didn’t take too many study halls during my freshman, sophomore, junior year, and it helped out in the end.

Q: In your opinion, what are the benefits of graduating early?

A: I think [graduating early] will help me get ready for college. I think it’s good that I can start my career a lot earlier and it will help because in my field, experience plays into a lot into job opportunities. The more I can get the better.

Q: Why did you decide to graduate early to go to college?

A: I feel like I will get a better education than what I’m offered here. Looking farther down the roads to graduating college, I could cut off a year to save me more money.

Q: How do you feel about the high school experience?

A: Some people do like the high school experience, but for me, personally, it wasn’t about the memories. Honestly [high school] is not as beneficial as I liked it to be, and I felt like I could put the year to much better use than staying here and being told the same twenty things over and over again.

Q: What is advice you would tell someone who is thinking of graduating early?

A: Don’t make it your first choice [and] make sure you actually think it through before you sign off on it. At the end of the day, colleges will base you off of that choice.

Q: How do think the time off will help you as a student?

A: [The time off ] will help because I’ll have more time to go to colleges and see what I like so it will help with the decision process for college. It also gives you a better feel about what you want to do.

Q: How were you able to graduate early from school?

A: You just have to keep up with your credits throughout the year. This year I am taking an online math and two English [courses].

Q: What are some positives and negatives to graduating early?

A: One of the positives is that you are less stressed throughout the year. College already adds stress to your year, so if you get out early, you don’t have to worry about high school for that second semester. This isn’t the case for me, but some colleges require the full four year of math and science.

LZ Life 9

w rld JULIA KETCHAM // business manager

Richie Nickell, Senior

U.S. to Suzhou, China- 7,067 miles from LZ Fourteen hours on a plane, and traveling across the Pacific Ocean, senior Richie Nickell and his family were prepared for their move to China.

“My dad’s company got transferred, so we got the opportunity and left.”

Nickell said. “We had the [chance to move] in 2010, but we turned it down because we didn’t know what the experience would be like. Then we did some more research and really regretted that decision. When we got another opportunity, we took it right away.”

Nickell’s family left for China in October 2013, and returned for his senior year this past June.

“I had friends from all over the world,” Nickell said. “They all knew what I was going through, so they could give me tips on what to do.”

Nickell lived in a small community and attended an American school with many English-speaking students.

“I really like the city life.” Nickell said. “Living here, I’d have to walk two miles until I reach a store from my home, but in China I could walk 20 meters (less than half a mile) and then I’d be at a store.”

Nickell said he also enjoyed the freedom in China that American teenagers do not get to experience.

“In China there’s no real curfew,” Nickell said. “You could stay out until [whenever] without getting in trouble with the law. There’s no limit on where you can go. You could go into a construction zone and just walk around.”

Though Nickell loved China, he had a hard time keeping in touch with his friends at home.

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2 “There was a 12 hour time difference,, so if I wanted to talkk to my friends [back home] one of us would have to stay up late, so it was difficult,” Nickell said. “We’d usually text and they would he reply when they got the omchance, but I lost comcally all munication with basically e.” my friends back home.”

Nickell missed his friends at home, n the American but made friends in school. Nickell also missed required classes and has to takee health and U.S. history, as a senior, classes that were not required in China,, but are required ate. here in order to graduate.

“It was my choicee to move back,” ted to graduate Nickell said. “I wanted with all of my friends here and it would be a lot easier for me to graduate here cited, but at the than there. I was excited, ecause I was leavsame time I was sad because ing everything that I had built there: ortunities, everyrelationships, job opportunities, thing was gone; but I got to build new stuff here, so that was exciting too.”

Though Nickell now misses his friends in China, he was glad to be able ity to meet new to take the opportunity people and experiencee a new culture.

“If you have the opportunity to have an international experience, take that opportunity.” Nickell said. “It opens up your mind no matter who hat you do, if you you are, no matter what have the opportunity, take it.”

Agata Piatkowska, Senior Gdynia, Poland- 4,617 miles from LZ Piatkowska took the chance to become an exchange student and travel to America for her senior year.

“It was a spontaneous decision,” Piatkowska said.

“My mom’s friend has a son who is an exchange student, and she asked me if I wanted to and I said, ‘sure,’ and I filled out the documents and then I was accepted.”

Though Piatkowska is 4,617 miles and a 10 hour plane ride away from home, she said she doesn’t miss her family as much as she thought she would.

“I miss my family, but I decided to move here and it’s my year,” Piatkowska said. “I have to be happy and try to use my time here. People are so nice here and whenever I ask something, people are always helping and everyone is so cheerful.”

According to Piatkowska, Polish students are not given the opportunity to know or speak with their teachers when in class or out of class.

“Each class we have is with the same people all day long,” Piatkowska said. “In Poland we are really formal with our teachers, and the students don’t really talk to our teachers. We don’t have a counselor to talk to, but we have a main teacher (homeroom teacher) who we go to every week for an hour to talk about classes.”

According to Piatkowska, she loves having the opportunity to give America a try, though she does not plan to move to America when she grows up, but is really enjoying her time here.

Carl Ploug, Senior Copenhagen, Denmark- 4,126 miles from LZ Ploug prepared to meet his house family after a 9 hour plane ride leaving behind his family and friends.

“I chose to do it for the experience,” Ploug said. “My parents were positive about me leaving, and it’s a good way to grow up because you need learn to take care of yourself.”

According to Ploug, and being 4,126 miles away from family and friends is not exactly what he was expecting.

“I thought it would be easier,” Ploug said. “I expected that this would be a breeze and that I would come over and it would be no big deal, but it is hard leaving everybody behind and knowing that you can’t just call them up because there is a huge time difference.”

Though Ploug had a difficult time leaving behind family and friends in Denmark, he thinks it is going to be harder leaving friends in America.

“I’m going to miss my friends here,” Ploug said. “The difference between leaving America and leaving Denmark is that I might never see these people again, while in Denmark I’m leaving and I know I’m going back in a year.”

According to Ploug, his transition was not too difficult and he joined the football team the first day he arrived. He believes being on the team was a really good way for him to make friends and build relationships while he is here.

Interested in studying Abroad?

Students who are interested in studying abroad have to meet some requirments.

Eric Hamilton, Assistant Principal for Curriculum & Instruction, is in charge of this program.

Q: What does it take to be an exchange student?

A: These students have to find an organization to sponsor them because they have to go through the state to get a specific visa to be considered an exchange student. The organization screens the families that the student is leaving and the family that the student will be staying with.

Q: What are the requirements for a student to be a foreign exchange student?

A: We had one study abroad in an American school and one study abroad as an exchange student. Here’s the issue, the state of Illinois requires English, U.S. History, and Government and we have to make sure that if you want to study abroad, that you either spend another year in high school to meet the requirements or you are going to take the courses early, but somehow we need to make sure you take the courses so you can graduate. Normally it’s an over-the-summer exchange and they go for cultural experience, but it can be a full year commitment.

All photos by: Julia Ketcham

LZ Life 11

music that will leave you

Grinchy DANNA TABACHNIK // digital director

There’s no escaping Christmas music. It’s been everywhere for the past month. But these albums are truly coal-worthy. They just shouldn’t exist.

Luckily, Bear Facts has some favorites that you can enjoy by scanning our gift to you!

Christmas Kisses

Mariah Carey is the only artist allowed to fill her Christmas album with songs about love, but it looks like Ariana Grande didn’t get the message. Yes, Christmas is about loving the people around you, but songs about falling in love probably shouldn’t be on a Christmas album.

Love songs aren’t the only way Grande is channeling Carey on this album; Grande covered Carey’s one Christmas song that sounds nothing like the Christmas song, “San “Santa nttaa Bab Baby.” by. y”

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However, Grande’s cover made the song even worse, especially since whatever she was trying to do with her voice sounded like she was running out of air.

She also covered “Last Christmas,” which isn’t anything special, and wrote “Snow In California” which was a slow song that didn’t create anything memorable. She could have done so much better, especially with her voice and musical talent.

“The instrumentation is classic R&B with some Christmasy elements thrown in Jingle Bells). (a.k.a. Jing Though it works w as a pop song, much like ‘Last Chris Christmas’ and ‘Love Is Everything,’ Eve it only ly slightly reflects the ly holiday season,” seaso Carolyn Menyes w wrote ro for musictimes.com. sictimes.cco

Cheers, It’s Christmas

Country Christmas isn’t too cringe-worthy. Sure, it sounds nothing like the Christmas songs we’re used to but at least it’s something new.

Snoop Dogg presents Christmas in the Dogg gg g House

Blake Shelton tried encompassing the spirit of Christmas through the classics like “Let It Snow” and “White Christmas,” which sound incredibly different in a country arrangement.

Slowing them down and putting more emphasis on the guitar, the songs really don’t showcase anything special. “[They] feel forced.

Shelton isn’t adding anything to ‘Winter Wonderland’ or ‘The Christmas Song,’” Billy Dukes wrote for tasteofcountry.com.

Snoop Dogg probably forgot what Christmas is supposed to sound like. He released an album that includes swearing, rapping, and questioning Jesus’ birth.

It sounds exactly like you think it would: awful. It’s almost comically horrible.

It’s not just Snoop though, because every song includes

There were some originals on there too, like “Oklahoma Christmas” featuring Reba and “Santa’s Got a Choo Choo Train,” which are just country songs about Santa that don’t differ too much from the rest of the album.

This album really is for country fans. There’s no escaping the country sound, from the multiple collaborations with country artists to the arrangements of the songs.

Although not horrible, this Christmas album is an acquired taste.

some random rapper who doesn’t enhance any of the songs. All the songs sound the same, a mix of Christmas bells, R&B, and random autotune, which makes no sense since their voices sound robotic as it is. At least Snoop tried.

Photos by: Rachel Brauer

Playing their way to the top JIM WEIMER // staff writer

Chloe Fletcher Sophomore, Bass

Jayme Polites Junior, Piano and Vocals

Q: How did you feel about winning as the only all girl band?

A: I love the fact that we were the only all girl band at battle of the bands! I think it made us stand out.

I was so excited about winning, it really opened my eyes to performing on stage with a band. It was the most fun I have ever had.

Q: How did you get into playing music?

A: Since I was really little, and I’ve always enjoyed it, so this was a really cool way to continue that. I started in a music program when I was two, then I did choir from there, and then I picked up all the instruments in elementary school.

Not everyone can get on a stage with bright lights, loud music, and a staring audience while performing the best they can, but one group of friends has won Battle of the Bands and are still w Jasmine Otto, Fracesca Castro playing. Francesca Castro, junior guitar p College Student, Drums Junior, Guitar player in Above 4, started the group p Q: How did you feel about playing Q: How did you feel about winning tthat beat seven other bands at Battle in front of the large crowd?

Battle of the Bands? of the Bands. Since then, they have A: I felt a bit jaded. But I have the A: We thought it was awesome beo groove to focus on up there, and the we hadn’t seen any of the other practiced every week in preparation for routine to fall back on. I am really ex- cause p bands perform yet. We were so excitcited for everyone in the band. ttheir gig in the PAC, on February 26. ed and surprised to win.

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get hooked on a

Reading may be required for your English classes, but these bookworms have book suggestions that will make you want to read over Winter Break.

GOOD BOOK

THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls The title of this book is originally what caught my eye; I thought it might be a story about some architectural building which had some involvement in someone’s life. Not even close.

The Glass Castle is a memoir told by Jeannette Walls, the second of four children in the Walls family, a unique family that lives a most unconventional life. Take for example how the story starts: Jeannette is driving through New York City riding in a taxi, only to glance out the window and see her mother dressed in rags, digging through a garbage can for food. Her frazzled reaction sets up her interesting life story and shows how deeply embarrassed she is of her childhood, her parents, and her own life choices that brought her to where she is at the moment.

The book is a reflection of Jeanette’s childhood through her rather unreal upbringing. Lets just say, the Walls family + lifestyle = crazy. Readers end up witnessing a very dysfunctional family with uncommon characteristics, who are always running away from their obligations and problems.

The book is quite an eyeopener with its constantly changing settings and wacky characters, and readers may end up getting a bit lost along the way because Jeanette’s strange family is so unrelatable to most of us. However, readers learn from Jeanette, her action packed childhood, and how she made peace with it all.

This book is no doubt a story you won’t be able to put down.

INFINITE SKY

by C. J. Flood “Is it possible to keep loving somebody when they kill someone you love?” So begins C.J. Flood’s Infinite Sky. When I saw that question, I had to find out.

When Iris, the main character, is abandoned suggested by by her mother, she forms Gabby Vitale, freshman a strong friendship with a Traveler, or gypsy, whose family is set up in an illegal paddock. As her friendship with the Travelers grows stronger, Iris’s dad and brother find out and are not happy with the whole idea, her dad especially.

Normally, I’m not into stories with a teenage love story feel, but this book was hard to put down. Will you fall in love with your Infinite Sky?

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suggested by Camille Shim, freshman

WAKE by Lisa McMann From sleepwalking to sleeptalking to just plain dreaming, sleep is a peculiar experience, which is why Wake by Lisa McMann is so exciting. McMann creates a world of “dream catchers.”

Readers are immediately pulled into the life of Janie, the main character, as she is unwillingly pulled into other people’s dreams. In addition to struggling with controlling her dreams, she has to balance school, work, and taking care of her irresponsible and continuously drunk mother. Last but not least, Janie suggested by enters an emerging romance with her neighbor CaMichaella Anderson, senior leb, but he’s very isolated and elusive towards Janie, making her life even more confusing.

The most engaging aspect of this book is how it’s structured into sections of days and times. Occasionally the book can be a bit confusing to piece the times of day together, but it’s a unique structure that keeps readers guessing. Another asset is McMann’s undeniable humor. She writes with language relatable to teen audiences, making the novel a pleasure to read.

This book is just the first in a series of three and I would highly recommend this book and the series a whole.

Time Out!

Athletes & Injuries JEMMA KIM // editor in chief

Eleni Papastr Papastratakos, sophomore, ACL, MCL, Lateral and Medial M Meniscus tear, basketball Papastratakos became more m prone to injuries after her er first ACL AC tear during a basketball game. gam She has gone through g ph physical therapy, crutches, a brace, and can finally run on her own.

“My first injury was during a basketball game. I went to go steal the ball and I just took a step and my knee buckled and a I went backward backwards right away. IIt all just snapped. I ended up tearing my ACL, MCL, L Lateral Meniscus and Medial Me Meniscus and sp sprained my LCL. [The pain] was very bad; probably an p eight [out of eig ten] at the very least. Usually after single ACL tears, people can get back up and start walking again. But I tried to get up but I just fell back down.

They had to carry me off the court and I had to go to the hospital that night. I was freaking out during the game and stuff, but when I found out what actually happened, I was mad and frustrated because I knew it was a long recovery and I didn’t want to be out that long,” Papastratakos said. “I got a surgery for [my ACL tear] a month later because I had to do PT to strengthen it before my surgery.

Then about two months after the surgery, I was cleared to walk. [The second time I tore my ACL,] I was at a friend’s house and I was standing on a scooter and the scooter came out from under me. When I lifted my leg up, because it was an uncontrolled flex, my kneecap shattered because the quad pulled it. For the ACL surgery they take part of your knee cap out so it was weakened from that. [Then] when my quad flexed and my knee wasn’t strong enough, it just pulled it all apart.”

Even with her setbacks after her second injury, Papastratakos enters her sophomore basketball season optimistic and enthusiastic to be playing on the court.

“I’m slowly but surely getting back to where I need to be,” Papastratakos said. “During the whole entire journey [of injuries], you’ll have a lot of mental breakdowns and you just [have to] keep pushing through and know that it will all be okay at the end.”

Kim Souther, senior, senio hip fracture, tra track When Souther, start started experiencing hip pains toward the end en of track season, she wanted to finish her season on a high note. However, her h hip pains restrained her from finishing the th 4x400 meter relay at the County meet w when she had to drop out due to the pain.

Travis Nix, senior, concussion, wrestling Nix’s season was over for good when he became concussed wrestling with an opponent. He does not remember anything about the event, and only has a video as proof of the accident. As Nix was wrestling, he went up and hit heads with his opponent, blacking out.

Sports 15

16 Sports Although they run cross country and track together, juniors Kyle and Brian Griffith have also played basketball, baseball, and soccer together in the past. The brothers play the same sports now; however, according to Kyle, he started cross country as a freshman first, and since he loved it so much, Brian joined track and later cross country. They have been running ever since.

16 Sports

Double trouble

JANIE HUELS // staff writer

Twin brothers Brian and Kyle Griffith, junior cross country and track runners, have been playing the same sports and taking part in the same activities for as long as they can remember. So have twin sisters Lauren and Allison O’Hara, sophomore bowlers. They are siblings, teammates, and competitors.

Brian and Kyle Griffith Q: How is your relationship with your brother different from your relationship with your teammates?

Kyle: I think it’s different because it’s more competitive. I mean I want to beat him more than anyone else. I don’t know if that sounds bad but like we have almost the same abilities I really want to beat him in races and stuff.

Brian: I think we get more competitive with each other than with our teammates, but also we push each other harder when we train because we know we want to be better than each other.

Q: Have you and your brother ever switched places before?

Kyle: Yeah, one time in fifth grade we switched classes for a day. It was kinda fun, but someone told on us and I don’t know why.

Brian: [... A]ll the students noticed, but it took the teachers a little bit to realize what was going on.

Q: What’s it like growing up as a twin?

Kyle: I don’t know. I feel like we just do everything together. I feel like it’s kinda different like I don’t even really know kinda what it feels like to not grow up with a twin, but there’s always someone to do something with and it’s a lot of fun.

Brian: It’s interesting I don’t know because for me it seems normal but i guess it would seem weird for me to grow up without a twin who does the same stuff as you. It’s like a brother who’s the same age as you.

I think there is a closer bond tho with twin brothers than normal brothers though because you do spend so much time with them it’s hard to avoid that being the same age and being into the same things.

Photos by: Meggie Furlong Twin sophomore sisters Allison and Lauren O’Hara have been on the bowling team since last year. They have been playing the same sports for most of their lives. They have played basketball, soccer, bowling, and run cross country and track.

Allison and Lauren O’Hara Q: How is your relationship with each other the same as with your teammates?

Allison: We always root for each other and try to help each other feel [better.]”

Lauren: We always cheer each other on and always are there for each other.

Q: What do you like about playing the same sport as your sister?

Allison: We can practice together after school and stuff so we can both get better.

Lauren: Help each other out when one is not doing that good or something.

Q: Have you and your sister ever switched places before?

Allison: We switched classrooms in fifth grade. The students didn’t really notice except [some] of our friends who we told so they wouldn’t say anything if they knew our differences and stuff; the teachers found out halfway through the period.

Lauren: Yeah we did in like fifth grade I think there are a few kids in the class who kind of knew what we were doing but the teachers didn’t really notice.

Q: What are the advantages of competing against your twin?

Allison: We always strive to be better than the other so we have bragging rights.

Lauren: Well, it’s really sad when you do worse than the other one.

Sports 17

Sports of the

SEASON “Everyone is coming together as one big family.

I’m looking forward to all our work paying off in a winning season,” Kyle Fleming, junior, said.

“So far the season has gone very well! We played some great teams, and we learned a lot and now are excited for our conference season to start (Friday December 4). We are looking great as a team overall,” Vanessa Divincenzo, senior, said.

‘I’m looking forward to competing with my best friends.

I’m excited about how I get to compete next to the people I love,” Paige Bandel, sophomore, said.

18 Sports

We’re doing fairly well, and responding well to losing our three best players from last year. We have new players and we’re making up for it with depth. Instead of having five starters that are really good, we have a lot more players that are good and will play during the game,” Karl Gerlach, senior, said.

“All of our work paid off for our first competition and we are proud of how we did. [We’re] also excited for the next competition,” Teagan Jones, freshman, said.

“It’s been a lot of fun bowling with this team. I’m excited for the upcoming tournaments,” Phillip Waul, senior, said.

“I’m excited for the season to start and I really like everyone on the team. Everyone is super nice and helpful,” Kristie Skoby, sophomore, said.

Sports 19

Winter coaches’ biggest

Pet Peeves MEGGIE FURLONG // staff writer

October

“How student support of athletics, the spirit, and the dress up days seem to die after football ends,” Billy Pitcher, varsity boys basketball coach, said.

“We have treats (cheese and crackers or veggies and dip) at all of our matches. My pet peeve is that some girls don’t sign up to bring treats to do their fair share. I do not like that I have to chase down the girls,” Mel Fox , varsity girls bowling coach, said.

December

“When there’s an announcement after school saying [a sport] has been canceled, and all the players cheer. If you don’t want to go to practice, why are you playing that sport?” Chris Bennett, varsity girls basketball coach, said.

All photos by: Meggie Furlong

20 Sports

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Mental Health

ho m ew ov be ork er ha w vi h o fit elm rs ti A ng ed C in T

SPILLING SECRET STRUGGLES Bodies get sick, but people tend to forget that the brain can too. People have many misconceptions about individuals whose brains do not work “normally.” Of 217 LZHS survey respondents, sixty-four percent say they live with at least one mental health disorder – and of those students, fifty-three percent say they commonly experience more than one. In the following pages, Bear Facts investigates how students cope with their mental health problems.

Spotlight 21

depression LIVING IN THE SHADOWS MADISON HART // print director

“Depression is like a black cloud figure that sometimes has eyes and sometimes doesn’t because it’s either there or it isn’t there. It can come back whenever; it will follow you, it can attach itself to you like a dark shadow. It can range from being an extremely black cloud to a more mild gray one, and during the time I was going through the worst of it, I went through every shade.”

22 Spotlight

For Lexie Shuman, junior, the shades of depression have been coloring her world for the past five years. One in five students aged fifteen to eighteen suffer from depression, according to teenhelp.com, making Shuman’s experience far less unique than people may believe.

“Imagine a painting of a really nice scenery, but there is black paint all over the top covering the picture,” said Jessica Minx, junior who also suffers from depression. “That nice picture is still underneath, but the black paint ruins it and covers it all up.

Eventually, it becomes hard to focus on the picture, and all you see is the black.”

The blackness Minx described may be brought on because stress and social skills are at their peak according to mentalhealthamerica.net, but people like Minx have been fighting the illness for as long as they can remember.

“When I was eight I considered jumping out my window because I thought it may kill me. Looking back, that’s the first memory I have of struggling with depression because I don’t know why I would think that was a logical idea,” Minx said. “I remember sitting by myself on the side of the playground just staring at bricks and not interacting with anyone.”

Depression can come about at any age for any just get angry, and eventually I come to a conclusion number of reasons, but a common cause can be from that makes me even more sad then I was before the bullying incidents that turn into something much situation started.” worse according to Shuman.

While emotions like anger can fuel the sad side “The first time I thought something was off was of depression, Minx said she can still experience hapin fifth grade. I went to Charles Quentin, and that piness despite the illness, even though her version of year was when the school shut down and I got moved happiness is different compared to how others would to May Whitney,” Shuman said. “I think that was a describe it. big trigger for [my depression] because for some rea“Happiness while coping with depression is like son there was a big axis of bullying directed towards a sugar-free candy. Yeah it’s okay, and it’s candy, but me, and it has stuck with me for a really long time.” it isn’t the good stuff. It’s like getting a lollipop inOver time and with the help of her friends, Shu- stead of a Kit Kat bar,” Minx said. “So people with man gained ground in her fight against depression, depression can feel that artificial type of happy where and she says that sometimes the best thing you can we can laugh with friends and smile, but there isn’t do is take a new perspecenough to satisfy betive on the situation at cause there will still de pres sion hand. be that sad part of a mental condition characterized by feel“I think [my turnyou underneath”. ings of severe despondency and dejection, around point] was just The illness can typically with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, a realization that why I lead to plenty of side often accompanied by lack of energy and diswas so sad and depressed eff ects and a downturbance of appetite and sleep wasn’t a valid enough reacast feeling according -oxforddictionaries.com son,” Shuman said. “Yeah, to Minx, but with the you can get bullied, you help of the right peocan get picked on, but you can also choose to not ple, the symptoms become a little more bearable. have those words affect you. You can choose to do “My best friend was always talking to me saysomething about it.” ing, ‘let’s get you outside’ or ‘let’s eat lunch outdoors”, Since the first symptoms of depression in their Shuman said. “Without my support group I don’t childhoods, both girls have received help coping with think I’d be here. There were days where I got to such the illness. After receiving mixed reactions when a low point that I thought maybe I should just end it, talking about her struggle, Minx explains that de- but I really owe it all to my friends who were there for pression is much more than what people perceive it me: even when it was really hard”. as.

Minx has also managed to find a group who sup“People think depression is just being sad all the ports her in a nontraditional but effective way. time, but that’s not what depression is,” Minx said.

“I have a Tumblr blog where I can vent to peo“It’s more along the lines of you’re fine in the morn- ple and get really nice responses, and those followers ing, you’re bad by the afternoon, you’re sad when you have become a big support system,” Minx said. “It’s wake up, and you cry at midnight for absolutely no nice to vent to people who don’t necessarily know reason, then you don’t go out with your friends on you but have gone through similar experiences or can certain days and just want to be alone. That’s what help you problem solve situations that you’re coping depression is. It is so much more than just sadness.” with.”

Common misconceptions and misunderstandings Minx also emphasizes the need for awareness and from people who have not experienced depression help for other people in similar situations. can become difficult and stressful, but Shuman says “Depression is very prevalent, but nobody seems that some of the biggest triggers to her episodes are to see it,” Minx said. “If you break an arm, it heals. people who act fake around her.

But for depression, it doesn’t just go away. If you’re “You start to realize, or sometimes you don’t, that depressed at this age, you don’t know what you’re dothere are really nice people that are unappreciated or ing and you don’t know what’s happening, so it’s a picked on, and then people who act nice who can be very serious thing that people don’t treat as seriously really bad people,” Shuman said. “When I see that I as they should”.

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DEPRESSION: By the Numbers Though depression is a topic dicussed in almost all health classes, many cases go unseen and numbers are rising.

20%

of teens that will suffer from depression before adulthood

2.6 million of adolescents between ages 12-17 who suffered from at least one major episode of depression in 2013

29%

of 217 LZHS survey respondants have suffered from depression

x12

Increase in a teen’s risk for attempting suicide when they suffer from depression

65+%

Percent of cases of depression that go untreated Source: http://www.teenhelp.com/ teen-depression/depression-statistics.html http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/depression-teens http://www.nimh.nih.gov/ health/statistics/prevalence/major-depressionamong-adolescents.shtml http://familyaware.org/ teens/

Spotlight 23

Eating Disorders STARVING FOR THE SCALE MEGAN MONOSON // staff writer

Media seems to make eating disorders almost almos unpreventable in this current age of technology. As of a 2015 201 study made by the National Ins Institute of Health in 2011, 20 million mill women and 10 million men suffer from an eating disorder at some point throughout their lives.

The ‘ideal body’ bo is altered year after year as body bod images change, but being “thin” and what soci“healthy” has been ety considers “h whole new level of brought to a wh According to miraextremity. Acc sol.net, only 5% of American possess the females naturally natural ‘ideal body type,’ type yet advertiseto teach ments continue c people, as young as peopl adolescents, that ado that is what they th ccould and should llook like. This is displayed at the high school too.

“I see that a lot oof patients have a ggeneralized concern about how cer they look. I think that a lot of boys and girls between betwee the range of twelve to mid-twenties mid-tw are at risk [of having an eating e disorder].

Even in older adults there are definitely plenty of [cases],” Lisa Kozlowski, local clinical psychotherapist, said. “Most “ people are clear that eating is a part of how we live, but they must recognize

24 Spotlight

this way [they are handling it] is no longer serving them.”

Often beginning between the ages of thirteen to eighteen, eating disorders are most prevalent throughout the middle and high school years according to National Institute of Mental Health and Lake Zurich is no exception.

Starting sophomore year of high school, Katherine Koebel, senior, experienced the debilitating effects of anorexia and reflects on the unforgettable situation.

“I’ve accepted the fact that I’ve had an eating disorder for several years of my life. It’s perfectly healthy to be sick sometimes. It’s not healthy to starve yourself or try to hurt yourself, but [telling others is] kind of me accepting what has happened,” Koebel said.

Realizing the probable cause of her eating disorder, Koebel said “it was the perfect storm.”

“There re were a lot of personal and social al things that were going st kind of said one day, on. I just I’d ‘maybe iff I were thinner then I’d look like everyone and I wouldn’t fferent,’ be so diff erent,’ ” Koebel said.

Also feeling like she did not belong, Lizzie Kalafut, eighth grader att Lake Zurich Middle School South, began to experimilar signs of an eating ence similar disorder and claims to have “felt like the fattest person on the er the beginning of cross team” after country in her 6th grade year. member seeing myself as “I remember

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big and even when I was at my lowest, during my shower, to prevent it I remember saying ‘I am so fat.’ My from clogging,” Kalafut said. eat ing dis or der goal was that I wanted to be able to Continuing to lose wrap my hand around my leg and I weight, anorexia took over the girls’ Any of a range of psychological disorders could do that but I thought it wasn’t characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating lives, and they say losing weight was good enough,” Kalafut said. “I wanthabits (such as anorexia nervosa) an addiction that wasn’t controllable. ed to get better but when it got to the “There’s a little tiny voice in the -oxforddictionaries.com moment then I couldn’t. I would talk back or your head that slowly creeps a good game but I couldn’t actually [do in on your life until it consumes evFor Kalafut, she believes that not being anything about it].” erything you do. It’s like a tumor, Looking from the outside-in on Kala- able to be a kid triggered her eating disor- and in this case, your eating disorder likes fut’s situation, the average person wouldn’t der, but for Koebel there was more to it. it. When you try to separate yourself from “There was a death in the family, I didn’t your eating disorder, instead you just merge realize that “there’s a bigger problem” behind the eating disorder and why she had have a lot of friends in my classes, and — with it,” Kalafut said. low and behold — in Health class we were the urge to lose weight.

After becoming obsessed with her “People always think that [others]-- doing the unit on counting calories. That’s weight, Kalafut began to only eat 100 calowith eating disorders are vain, but they how it started,” Koebel said. ries at dinner each day and began to spend a As both girls first began by restricting, lot of time exercising. Looking back at the aren’t. Something is not there,” Kalafut said. “I grew up really well, I just felt like they each lost a significant percentage of struggles, the girls see how necessary treatI was never able to be a kid. I was going their weight, but tried their best to hide it. ment is for patients like themselves.

“I wore baggy clothes so no one could through puberty, I was getting bigger, and I “No matter what you say, [people with see that I was losing so much weight, but eating disorders] are sick and they are going just wanted to go back.”

Not knowing that she was developing you could tell. My hair was falling out, my to need treatment,” Koebel said. faster than her classmates at the time, Ka- fingernails were blue, and they would come Looking back now at pictures of themstrips,” Koebel said. lafut looks back and realizes that was most off in selves at their worsts,, their mind sets have The side effects that began to changed for the better, and both see how likely the cause of her disorder. show because of their eating skinny they were in the past.

“I was really frustrated disorders began to with my weight and how I “Once your weight is up, the voices that become severe as tell you ‘you’re not good enough’ begin to go looked but a lot of an eating time went on and it away,” Koebel said. “It took a lot of support disorder is not just how you became hard for each before I was able to tell myself I was worth look,” Kalafut said. “A lot of of the girls to hide. it is that there’s something more than I was putting myself through.”

“I used to have to empty else that triggers you or Kalafut felt the same and said the voice the shower of the hair was always there to make her feel guilty. there’s something wrong three times in your life that you need to or want to fix.”

Photo illustrations by: Megan Monoson

Spotlight 25

“There’s a voice in your head when you’re sitting down time, Kalafut tries to remind herself that “this is a to eat and it looks through the calories like ‘oh there’s part of her, but doesn’t define her.”

100 calories in that and there’s 50 calories.’ Then it “I think throughout high school this will make adds it up and the voice tells me what to eat and what me more aware of others and is going to make me not to eat. It said ‘you’re not good enough, and I’d much more open to people,” Kalafut said. “I used to feel guilty if I ate breakfast,” Kalafut said. [immediately judge others]. I realized that everyone To this day, both girls still do not believe there is is fighting a secret battle you don’t know about. You ever a ‘full recovery,’ yet both are confident that they have to remember that.” are starting to get better. and recover.

After feeling alone for so long, she says that now “There’s two types of recovery. There’s recovery everywhere she turns she sees another person who is MELANIE where you actually get suffering with an eating better and then there’s disorder. recovery where you “I wasn’t con[think you do,” Kalafut fident and I felt like I “It was awful to see my parents crying as they said. “Here’s an examwas the only one who tried to get a straw into my mouth. It was terple: you get a cookie. had those insecurities, rifying.”

At first I would just but it’s really just hard - Katherine Koebel, senior eat the middle because in the moment. Going they want me to so I through your recovery would eat the best part. is hard but it’s so much If you actually recovbetter to live. However, ered then you’d eat the whole thing.”

I did remember that there was a part where I thought For Kalafut and Koebel, talking to others, like ‘if I was ever going to die, then I want to die skinny,’” their therapists and families, helped them most and Kalafut said. made them feel like they were going to get better.

Still seeing four doctors ranging from weekly to “In certain moments I would feel ‘yes, I’m going monthly, Kalafut sees things looking up for herself. to get better.’ Overall I think that it’s really yourself; “Honestly, I think this is a good weight to stay at you can’t get better from someone else. You have to right now. I know I’m supposed to gain more. It’s decide that you want to get better,” Kalafut said. kind of hard for me now that I have to go gain more Continuing to recover, Kalafut said she doesn’t though,” Kalafut said. “I’m not fully better yet be“waste calories” and always feels the constant urge to cause I think I’m okay, but I also thought I was okay be standing or moving. Kalafut says that this expe- when I was at 68 pounds.” rience “has opened a lot of windows” for her as this Emphasizing Kalafut’s point and also continuing experience has changed her point of view. her recovery, Koebel agrees that everyone recovering “You can be any size and have an eating disorder. from an eating disorder will never be able to forget it I want to stress that a lot,” Kalafut said. “There are and they will think about it almost every day. so many people I saw who weren’t skinny. Walking “Nowadays everyone is dresses rather revealingly down the street you wouldn’t see it, but they still have and you can’t help but think ‘maybe she’s anorexic,’ the same problems as I did. Probably throughout all or ‘if I don’t eat my lunch then I’ll look like her.’ of my journey I met two other people, besides me, that You’re never going to [forget] your thoughts,” Koebel are your stereotypical anorexic and are skeletal-like.” said. “It’s what it is, living as a recovering anorexWhen she is struggling or going through a tough ic.”

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26 Spotlight

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EATING DISORDERS: Though eating disorders are a topic dicussed in almost all health classes, many cases go unseen and numbers are rising.

17%

Of 217 LZHS survey respondants have a type of eating disorder

90%

men and women with eating disorders do not receive necessary treatment

30 mil.

people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S

95% percent of people with eating disorders are in the 12-18 age range

50%

of people with eating disorders meet the criteria for depression Sources: nationaleatingdisorders.org, anad.org, mirasol.net, nimh.nih.gov

ADHD ADHD BATTLING YOUR OWN BRAIN

Photo illustrations by: Melanie Villarmarzo

MELANIE VILLARMARZO // staff writer

When a person thinks of someone in battle, many times it is of trolling behavior, paying attention, and hyperactivity (being too armed combat in the military; but Sara Cozzi, sophomore, has been energetic), according to nimh.nih.gov. in a battle with her own brain since she was in the third grade.

“I get a bit antsy once I finish [a test] because I don’t have [anyCozzi was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity thing to do or] anything to occupy my mind, and I just have to sit Disorder, or ADHD. This means that she has trouble focusing, but there quietly. That is not fun. But when I am just taking [a regular] it is not because she is a bad student. test itself, it’s pretty okay,” Glave said.

“You know how when you’re doing research and another article According to Cozzi, her mind almost never stops working. will pop up and you’re like ‘Ooh that looks interesting’, and after “With my ADHD, it is harder to concentrate for me, where that another one, and another one. Next thing you know, two hours most people at school can be bored and they just stare off,” Cozzi have passed,” Cozzi said. “That’s what it’s like with me; someone said. “For me, it doesn’t matters if it is interesting. I will still have no will say something or something will concentration because it is just hard happen and I will remember somefor me to focus on some things.”

ADHD thing completely unrelated and my One way Cozzi manages her one of the most common childhood disormind will just go through five things.”

ADHD is through medication beders and can continue through adolescence Aaron Glave, junior, understands cause it enhances her focus. If she and adulthood; symptoms include difficulty Cozzi’s busy brain. Also diagnosed in does not take medication, she feels staying focused and paying attention, difthird grade, Glave says school can prolike she has to juggle all her thoughts. ficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity vide major frustrations for someone “If we’re talking about one -nimh.nih.org with ADHD because school requires subject, my mind is constantly thinklong periods of necessary focus, but ADHD makes it difficult. A ing about like a bunch of different other thoughts,” Cozzi said. major challenge Glave faces with ADHD is his homework. It takes Glave said he used to take medication, but he felt like it no lonhim much longer to stay focused on his homework, especially since ger was helpful. He says he refuses to let ADHD rule over his life. the work can lack interest, according to Glave.

“I had never been too much for letting my disabilities really af“I really do not like being still. Sometimes, it is a hard time to fect the way that I think about something,” Glave said. “I am more focus and get down to doing something if I do not find it interest- of the guy who tries to do things the same way everyone else, until ing. I mean even doing math homework, that’s a thing that I sorta he eventually gets it right.” care about, and it is a challenge, so I can do that. But if it’s just readThere are many struggles that come with having ADHD, but ing some dry text, it is going to take me quite awhile,” Glave said.

Glave says “Don’t beat yourself up if you have a hard time doing Difficulty staying focused is only one of the many symptoms of what you want. Once you can get started on a difficult task, you ADHD. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, difficulty con- have already won half the battle.”

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Spotlight 27

Anxiety

LIVING IN PANIC Photo Illustration by: Dayna Morga DAYNA MORGA // staff writer

One in five teenagers, aged 13 to 18, in the U.S. will experience have someone walk up with me and I’m fine.”

The fear of stairs had began in 7th grade when Ashley began to an anxiety disorder during their high school years, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. About 111 out of 217 survey experience a panic attack in a stairwell, asked a nearby teacher for help, and went to the school nurse. After multiple visits to therapists respondents of those teenagers are students at LZHS. Two out of the 111 with anxiety deal with those disorders, from and handfuls of school days missed, Ashley was finally diagnosed with generalized anxiety during the struggling to interact with their peers midst of her middle school years. or teachers to seemingly simple tasks like walking to and from class to class.

“My anxiety in middle school “I couldn’t go to school for days. My life was Though some days are a breeze, everyday was harder because somehow there constant worrying about everything. I would events can trigger fear and panic attacks were rumors being spread because for students that currently dealing with I missed so much school and the sit and cry in my bed. every day. I was just an anxiety disorder. school is a lot smaller so things got afraid of the world.”

“I’m actually afraid of stairs. People around quicker. People assume the -Ashley, sophomore ask me why or say it’s weird but that’s worst of things,” Ashley said. “That where my first panic attack happened,” made it harder for me to even go to said an anonymous sophomore who school because I felt like everyone we’re calling Ashley. “People don’t understand what kind of effect hated me. I started to fall behind in all my classes, which just built that has on someone. I’m able to take the stairs now but I used to on to everything else I was already dealing with.” not be able to because I was just so scared. My therapist would be Though some of the stress has died down during the transition like ‘you have to take the stairs, there’s no way around it’ and I would from middle school to high school, according to Ashley, there are literally refuse. I would cry and shake at the bottom of the stairs be- still some moments that can feel “like the worst moments ever” and cause I didn’t want to do it. I can’t go up the stairs alone still mostly trigger anxiety attacks.

“When I was first diagnosed, I would get an upset stomach because I don’t want the same thing to happen to me so I usually

]

28 Spotlight

]

when my anxiety kicked in. Once it got worse, my with my friends, it’s hard to talk to them at lunch or heart would start pounding. I felt like it was beating wherever I am because of other random people that out of my chest. I felt like I couldn’t even breathe and are around me. It’s difficult for me to raise my hand my throat started to burn and close up. You don’t even in class, even though I know what the answer is.” know what to think.

Dealing with You get all hot and anxiety in the school sweaty. Everything setting has been “one anx i e ty keeps going on of the hardest thing a nervous disorder characterized by a state around you and it’s she’s ever had to face”, of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, the only thing you according to Coirier. typically with compulsive behavior or panic can focus on,” said Having to express her attacks Ashley. “Now that thoughts to her peers -oxforddictionaries.com a few years have during class time and passed, I feel like I outside of the class is can control it better. “equally as frustrating I get butterflies in my stomach and I’ll take a moment as embarrassing.” for myself and I’ll usually feel better.”

Only 121 of 217 survey respondents understand the While triggering objects like stairs can be absurd topic of anxiety, ending in misunderstandings about to some, anxiety has total control of whoever has the disorder, according to Ashley. been diagnosed with the disorder. Anxiety triggers “It really bothers me when I hear people say ‘this are controlled by the disorder and can be different is giving me anxiety’. Like yes, you may be anxious than another’s triggers, according to Morgan Coirier, about something, but they don’t understand some sophomore, who also struggles with anxiety. of the experiences I’ve had with my own anxiety,” “People are usually the main things that set off my Ashley said. “It’s difficult for me to hear comments anxiety. It’s not even what people say, or what they do like that because people don’t understand what it’s or think. It’s more along the lines of their presence actually like to have anxiety until they have it.” being there,” Coirier said. “I feel very uneasy and I According to Coirier, she was unaware of her would much rather just leave that situation.” anxiety disorder until she was seen by a professional.

Coirier was diagnosed with social anxiety last year Coirier believes students should become more aware and has been “pushing through and doing the best of mental illnesses and know when to seek help. she can to overcome it.” Although social interactions “People with mental illnesses like anxiety are encompass some of her anxiety, there are other factors thought of in this category that’s just like, ‘oh, you that affect everyday life, according to Coirier. have a mental illness, something’s wrong with you.

“I understand a lot of people are like this, but I You’re weird.’ I just don’t like how people assume that have to get my homework done, otherwise, I panic once you have a mental illness, it’s something that’s and it creates a lot of more unnecessary stress that completely strange and unheard of,” Coirier said. people just don’t understand, especially when it comes “People with mental disorders are just like everyone to my disorder,” Coirier said. “Sometimes when I’m else and there’s nothing you should be afraid of.”

]

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ANXIETY: By the Numbers Even though anxiety is discussed in most health classes, many cases go undetected and numbers continue to rise.

1 in 5 U.S. teens will have an anxiety disorder in their lifetime

50%

of all lifetime cases of mental illnesses begin at the age of 14

55%

of 217 LZHS survey respondants understand what anxiety really is

80% of kids diagnosed with anxiety aren’t receiving help

$202 bil.

estimated cost of anxiety due to lost productivity and health care Sources: www.nimh.nih.gov, www.adaa.org, www.childmind.org, www.nami.org

Spotlight 29

Fighting the Confusion Forty-three percent of LZHS students feel uneducated about at least one mental health issue. Health classes must improve so students can learn.

The Bear Facts Staff believes...

Everyone has a brain, so learning about possible issues is important. Yet over forty percent of students do not understand these problems. LZHS needs to do more to teach students about mental health.

Mental illnesses can affect anyone, no matter what background or family life. Mental illness has a bad reputation, and learning about mental health is a good way to eliminate the many misconceptions.

Alongside discussions of mental illness needs to be conversations about general mental health and good coping strategies to minimize student risk.

High school is a time when students experience large amounts of stress in and out of school. Mental health issues can develop from untreated stressors, so it is important for the school to educate and inform

“What do you think is important to learn about mental health?”

30 Perspectives

students of what to watch out for. The school can help by teaching students how to avoid developing an illness or unhealthy coping habits.

“Approximately 20 percent of youth ages 13 to 18 experience severe mental disorders in a given year,” according to the National Association of Mental Illness, or NAMI. “For [youth] ages 8 to 15, the estimate is 13 percent.”

The Illinois State Board of Education has health education standards, but they are vague at best. In the section titled “Health Promotion, Prevention and Treatment,” nothing directly references mental health in the list of things that should be covered during high school. Moreover, the standards are not always being met. Some students do not remember learning about how to prevent mental illness or recent advances in treatment of mental illness.

Phil Liang, freshman

Amanda Stamer, sophomore

“More about depression. We covered that in health in middle school, but I did not think it covered enough. Maybe not depression specifically, but other mental illness.”

“Is ‘everything’ an acceptable answer? But all the different types of mental illnesses because there’s a lot of different kinds.”

BEAR FACTS STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

jemma kim PRINT DIRECTOR

madison hart DIGITAL DIRECTOR

danna tabachnik SECRETARY

brianne saab BUSINESS MANAGER

julia ketcham STAFF WRITERS

Photo by: Madi Klein

Currently, health classes spend about one to two weeks on mental illness, focusing too heavily on depression and anxiety. Bear Facts attempted to verify the actual requirements but was unable to attain the curriculum. During these classes, the definitions for some illnesses can become unclear or mixed up, leaving students even more confused than before.

The mental health education high schoolers receive is no better than that of middle schools, according to Bear Facts experience. Students receive brief overviews of each illness, but nothing more advanced than what they already knew. It is important and should be expected that students receive more in depth education in high school.

A possibility is having mental health professionals teach the proper definitions. Health teachers cannot be comfortable with every individual illness, and then

spend less time teaching about those they are not comfortable with. There should also be more focus on some illnesses that are not as well known or understood, which is difficult with teachers’ discomfort.

Health classes are required for all students and thus make excellent avenues for teaching teens about the illnesses they may come in contact with or suffer from themselves. Psychology classes delve deeper into the brain, but Psychology is an elective, and all students need to understand mental illnesses.

Many people are not sure where to begin when it comes to mental illness. It is a topic that is often ignored since it is easier to pretend such problems do not exist than to try to contend with them. Society needs to move towards a more open dialogue about ways the brain can get sick, and the best way to do that is to start educating younger generations.

Perspectives Per ves 3 31 1

Jason Baum, junior

Sarah Keppner, senior

Craig Lehigh, counselor

“Probably how to keep your own mental health in a good condition. Also, helping others if they have trouble with their mental health.”

“How to include them, mainly. We do a pretty good job of it, but I feel like we ostracize the students with mental health problems. We try, but the majority of people are still making fun of them.”

“It’s important for their well-being to work up to their potential that they have good mental health. [They need] to know the resources that are available if they need assistance.”

rachel brauer chloe faris meggie furlong dominique gertie janie huels madi klein megan monoson dayna morga melanie villarmarzo jim weimer ADVISER

carolyn wagner BEAR FACTS STUDENT MEDIA Lake Zurich High School 300 Church Street Lake Zurich, IL 60047 (847) 540-4642

AMERICAN LITHO PRINTING 530 North 22nd St. Milwaukee, WI 53233

Perspectives 31

War on Terror: Is Islam to blame?

DANNA TABACHNIK // digital director

1.6 billion people, or 22% of the world population faces daily persecution. Why? Because ecause a small group of zealots have convinced the rest of us that hat all Muslims are terrorists.

Al-Qaeda warped the perception of Muslims after September 11. Recently, ISIS S has continued to shatter the image of Islam. Although the recent attack in Paris killed over 130, ISIS has killed 699 people eople Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and other er Middle Eastern countries in 2015.

Because of these terrorist errorist attacks, people have broadly and mistakenly labeled d Muslims as terrorists. And the labels are harming innocent people. As of November 24, governors from 31 states refuse to accept Syrian refugees, according to vox.com. The refusal al arises from gross assumptions that stem from a fear of terror. rror.

These governors believe elieve that the Syrian refugees, who practice Islam, will bring ring with them terror and violence.

The politicians, like many people all over the world, believe that Islam is a religion based on violence and the need to kill “infidels” who do not believe.

However, the belief ef that Islam is a violent religion is not only wrong, it perpetuates petuates hatred.

Because of the terrorist rorist attacks executed by radical Muslims, people incorrectly orrectly assume the Quran, the Islamic holy book, promotes romotes violence. Outsiders do not understand the he radicals who commit the horrendous attacks twist wist the words of this holy book that is meant to promote peace.

“Islam doesn’t promote omote violence or peace.

Islam is just a religion, and like every other religion in the world, it depends on what you bring to it,” said Rezaa Aslan, Scholar of Religions and professor at the University of California ia Riverside, in interview with CNN.. “If you’re a violent person, your Islam, slam, your Judaism, your Christianity, stianity, ng to your Hinduism is going be violent.”

ISIS’s, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, main goal is to eradicate Western influence. They hope to create c a world in which everyone worships Allah, Islam’s God. To aachieve their goal, they attack and kill “infidels.”

They wish to make the Islamic States of o Syria and Iraq, their definition of Islam, taking the lives oof other Muslims who do not believe as they do. ISIS has ha kidnapped, tortured, and killed more Muslims than non-M non-Muslims; they have also bombed mosques, the Islamic place oof worship.

Muslims and non-Muslims are no different in ISIS’s eyes. ISIS is against anyone who doe does not agree with their radical ideas. ISIS will kill Muslims and a non-Muslims alike to achieve their goal of creating a w world free of Western influence.

Extremist groups are the reason reaso Muslims live their lives in fear. Radicals are the reason reaso harmless people get attacked for wearing religious garb, garb why a teenager gets arrested for bringing a clock to school. sch Extremists are the reason that innocent people die. organiza Just because a terrorist organization is associated with a religion does not mean the orga organization represents everyone in that religion. Just beca because a terrorist claims a holy book gave him the authori authority to commit an act of violence does not mean he actually represents the true word of that religion.

Mu The phrase “Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims” is erroneous. The KKK does not represent Christians, Chris and ISIS should not represent Islam.

Terrorism does not have a religion. No religion promot promotes terrorism. Supporting a specific religion r does not make you a terrorist terrorist. The world needs to confront and correct its prejudices.

It is time ti to stop categorizing the oppressed with their oppr oppressors.

Is·lam·o·pho·bi·a

xen·o·pho·bi·a

Dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force

Intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com

32 Perspectives

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com

Money Matters:

The problem with school spending JIM WEIMER // staff writer

For most people, millions of dollars means limit- get enough money to even run their program without less possibility. But for the school, it means football external support. For example, Robotics Club only and not much else. The school needs to be spending gets about one-third of what they need and have to their money equitably and not based on popularity. look for sponsors to help pick up the slack, according The school district spent about $2.4 million on to John Keyzer, Robotics Club sponsor. the stadium over the summer, according to the Daily “What we get from the school helps, but it doesn’t Herald. But for people not involved cover all of our expenses,” Keyzer with football, it seems like another said. “With our competition fees Money by the Numbers monetary sleight. and various parts we have to buy, we “Three years ago, we started need around $15,000-$20,000 per talking about improvements to our year, [while the school only] gives us Amount of money given to outdoor facilities,” Kent Night$5,000.” the school every year to linger, principal, said. “Next year, we The school needs to be more aware spend on what they deem want to add two more tennis courts of current club needs and fairly necessary. and improve the rest.” distribute their funding accordingThe courts have seen better days. ly. The school’s clubs are making Amount of money the school Numerous cracks in the courts, due with what they have, but they district spent on the stadirusting net posts, and fencing that should not have to go out and get um improvements. is digging itself out of the ground. sponsors like Robotics Club.

Inside the school, there is even “We try to look at how we can get more that needs fixing: the boys’ the best bang for our buck,” Anne Amount of money Robotics Club gets to run their locker room is in horrible condition, Harrigan, Bear Boosters president, program, while they need the small auditorium is heavily outsaid. “We look at how big the group $15,000. dated, and the walls upstairs are so is, how often they come for monSources: Kent Nightlinger, LZthin that the whole wing becomes ey, and when the last time we gave CUSD95 2015 Fiscal Year Report, an ice box when the heat isn’t runthem money was.”

John Keyzer ning. All these facilities have been Bear Boosters should not have to in terrible condition for a very long pick up the slack when it comes to time, yet the first thing the school fixes is the stadium. funding. The school should be looking at how much “The District hired a new architectural firm, each club needs, not how much the club wants or which have identified areas in the building that need how popular they are. The school must realize the way improvements,” Nightlinger said. “We only receive they fund the clubs is not equitable. Club’s should not a certain amount of money, so we have to prioritize have to rely on outside help, each club should be giv[what we renovate].” en at least as much as they need, taking money from The problem is not a lack of money. According to some clubs and giving to others as necessary.

Nightlinger, the school receives about $1 million a Every club wants as much money as they can get, year to spend. That should be more than enough. The but it isn’t fair to give everything to some clubs and problem is the school’s unbalanced priorities. They not to others. It also is not fair to leave so many places should have used some of the millions they spent on in the building rotting away while spending millions the stadium to help other facilities that need the im- on the stadium. The school gives football everything provements more. they need to run their program, according to David Not only do some facilities get priority over oth- Proffitt, head football coach, but the school should ers, but the same happens to clubs as well. Some not have to leave other clubs or places starving for clubs get everything they need, while others do not more funding to do that.

$1 Million

$2.4 Million $5000

Photos by: Jim Weimer Top: The tennis courts, with rusting storage boxes next to it, have numerous cracks, rusting net posts, and fencing that is digging itself out of the ground. Bottom: The boys’ locker room, with many of its lockers smashed in, is used by all P.E. periods but has been neglected for years. Administration overlooked these facilities during the stadium renovations, but they say they will fix at least the tennis courts next year.

Perspectives 33

Stop stressing: you may be causing your own pressure RACHEL BRAUER // staff writer

Students need to stop blaming others for their stress, because in reality, students tend to create their own stress albeit unintentionally.

“Everything is optional,” Kyle Fitzgerald, junior, said. “You choose the classes and challenge yourself, and if you feel like that’s too much, you don’t always have to take that class.”

Stress is a constant struggle. It is easy to blame stress on teachers or the school, but students are mostly in control of how much stress they take on.

“No one chooses to give or receive stress,” Julie Anderson, social worker, said. “[School stress] is no one ones fault.

Students are not at fault, but they choose if they want to participate in clubs and activities.

However, the pressure that comes with this can be overwhelming.

Fitzgerald is in three sports and six honors/AP classes. He did the math to find he spends about 50 out of 120 hours a week either at school or playing sports. The standard American works 40 hours per week, according to Lydia Saad in the gallup article.

“It is harder nowadays to get into college with new expectations to have better grades, and to be in more activities,” said Ann Appert, parent in the Trustee, Lafayette school board from the documentary Race to Nowhere. “Colleges are going to have higher expectations. Students should expect to get stressed sometimes.”

Most students will experience stress throughout high school. In most cases, no one tells a student they have participate in a club or

34 Perspectives

activity. Any extra stress added onto their schedule is their doing and being more involved like this can affect the student positively.

“I think activities help with school work, because although they take time away, you are also forced to be more productive,” Fitzgerald said.

Being involved and active in school is important, but sometimes overworking and overloading some ones body consistently is not healthy for anyone.

“I think [stress] can definitely cause mental health issues that can lead to mental health problems,” Anderson said. “If you don’t deal with is going on, it is going to keep building and building. If you have a lot of stress and it continuously affects your body, [stress] can be really harmful on a person and their mental health.”

There is good stress that gives needed energy to the body, Anderson said. But too much stress is not healthy, and students sometimes do not know when the stress becomes too much.

“I wasn’t eating or taking care of myself. You care so much about making people proud of you and living up to these expectations, these standards, that you start neglecting yourself, your health,” said Nicole, senior at Oakland Technical School in the documentary.

If students do not enjoy activities they choose to do, they should rethink the decision to continue.

“I often wondered [to myself ] ‘why am I doing this?’. I’m doing this so I can go to college and get a job I like, so I can be happy, but if I can’t be healthy, then none of

that really matters,” said Lindsay, senior at Tamalpais high school from the documentary.

With everything else going on in life, students should not be consumed by stress to the point of being unhealthy. Most stress is not permanent and can be easier to handle with coping strategies.

“Use coping strategies, whatever they are,” Anderson said.

“Let’s say someone gets stressed over a term paper. Make a plan to find out when it’s due and not procrastinate. There’s lots of different ways to cope. Whatever works for you.”

All students should learn how to avoid constant stress because it is unhealthy to the body. Students should find a way to manage their stress better with coping strategies that work for them so the stress does not get out of hand.

Coping with Stress Although every student is different, there are strategies that can make it easier to cope.

1. Identify the source of your stress.

2. Plan ahead and don’t procrastinate.

3. Don’t be afraid to talk to your friends, teachers, or parents to help calm you down.

4. Don’t put so much importance and stress on one thing.

5. Take a step back from the situation and breathe.

Source: Julie Anderson, social worker

]P.O.V.] Why I believe in...

mastering music as a freshman

Photo permission from Val Dobrow, Lexie Zigic & Taylor Kuhn Photos by Bear Facts Staff

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