Bear Facts Student Media February 2015

bf Defining Dedication

bear facts student media lake zurich high school @LZBearFacts | february 2015 february 2015

bear facts

letter from the editor Dear Readers, The time of love is upon us. Love means showing affection or showing you care; however, sometimes the things you love are not people but intangible objects. Because this month is generally associated with hearts and love, we wanted to know what makes LZHS Bears’ hearts pound. Some people have the love for a sport, a club, or just a hobby, but their activities create a whole new sense of love, something deeper, almost dedicating their life to it. Passion means an intense, overpowering emotion; however, to some people, the word “passion” means so much more.

Our cover this month presents the factual definition of passion. However, it is nearly impossible to describe the deeper meaning behind that six-letter word. Instead, Bear Facts has chosen to use your fellow schoolmates as the window of portraying this extreme sense of love and dedication. From sports and clubs, to out of school activities, certain students have attempted to put their heart into words.

Whether it be the love for aiding those with special needs, the dedication to a sport, the aspiration needed to pursue a high school passion, or the desire for faith, everybody feels that deeper love to something in his or her life. Hopefully this month’s issue begins that spark for you to find what you’re passionate for. truly passion

print editor-in-chief: lexi fye

print managing editors: genna danial meagan bens

web editor-in-chief: lexi miranda

web managing editor: emmy schwerdt

staff writers: hannah bostrom michael gallagher madison hart julia ketcham jemma kim stephanie pavin amanda pflaumer brianne saab jenny steinberg katie szarkowicz danna tabachnik natalie ullman

Sincerely, Your Editor-in-Chief, Sincere

adviser: carolyn wagner Bear Facts Student Media Lake Zurich High School 300 Church Street Lake Zurich, IL 60047

Lexi Fye, senior

TopWeb Printing 5450 N Northwest Highway Chicago, IL 60630 cover art by lexi fye

About Us All decisions are made by the Bear Facts staff. The advisor is responsible for making recommendations based on school rules, applicable laws, ethical journalism, and other concerns. However, final authority rests with the staff.

Bear Facts staff and writers strive to inform, entertain, and showcase high quality work to our readers on a monthly basis. We always seek to uphold standards of journalistic integrity, acceptable ethics, and truth.

Website Bear Facts is also published online at http:// www.LZBearFacts.com. Online materials report daily news occasionally related to our print publication.

Advertising To advertise in Bear Facts, please contact our editorial board at bear_facts@lz95.org.

Prices vary on size and placement of the advertisement.

Letters to the Editor Students are invited to submit articles or letters to the editor. Students submitting can contact any Bear Facts staff member at bear_facts@lz95.org. Staff reserves the right to edit any material submitted while retaining intent.

Special thanks to our sponsor: Offbeat Music Store

For a complete editorial policy, please see our website.

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february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

What’s inside? takes 5 Teaching heart Learn why special education teachers believe they have the best jobs.

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60

second story

What is love?

Discover the science behind and what love means to teenagers.

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Running a couple (thousand) miles

Explore the world of dedicated runners and their extreme lifestyles.

who follow 12 Grads their dreams Find out how former students turned their high school dreams into lifelong careers.

16 Fixed on faith Read about students who have made their religion a major part of their lives.

photo used with permission of matthew wach

A passion for bringing history to life As decades pass, memories fade; however, Matthew Wach, freshman, wants to make sure that history is not forgotten.

About three years ago, Wach became apart of the 502nd Reenacting Group Baker Company. According to Wach, the company brings the history to life, which helps to grab the attention of everyone watching. “[The organization] helps keep history alive and keeps the people in this generation [learning] what really went down and what happened in World War II,” Wach said. “We set up camps for the public and we have battles as well as medical simulations. We also do ten mile marches for veterans.”

Wach’s passion for re-enacting the events that occured in World War II was originally sparked by his grandfather’s stories. “[My grandfather] used to talk to me about the stories that his brother used to share with him when he was in World War II,” Wach said. “My friend actually ended up finding these reenactments and we started going [to the reenactment sites] and I [started] my collection.”

Wach’s passion has also pushed him to form new relationships with the people in his World War II reenactment groups, as well.

“The Sergeant in our reenactment group is a close friend of mine,” Wach said. “[My] other friend, Casper, is also close to me. They are like brothers.”

Wach continues to pursue his passion for the World War II reenactment group with the encouragement of friends and family.

“My dad and a lot of the people in our company encourage [me] to [be apart of the reenactment group]. It is good for veterans [to join] too and just being there [to experience] the whole thing,” Wach said. “A lot of veterans join to have that brotherhood and [to do] good [things] for the public.” bf

by stephanie pavin @LZBearFacts | february 2015

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“I’m passionate about my faith because I really enjoy going to church, worshipping, and growing.”

-DJ Smith, sr.

“I’m most passionate about running because training hard and seeing myself succeed is motivating.”

-Kyle Griffith, soph.

passionate

What are you most

about?

“I’m passionate about music because it is so versitile almost everybody can connect to it.”

-Caitlin Wessel, jr.

“I’m passionate about sports because I love being part of a team and competing.”

-Danielle Pereira, fr. photos by natalie uIlman

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february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

heart Teaching takes

by meagan bens

Half of new U.S. teachers are likely to quit within five years because of the demands of teaching, according to the Washington Post.

For special education teachers, who have additional demands concerning legal paperwork, they commit to teaching for a simple reason: they love their students.

“The kids keep me going,” Jennifer Fischer, special education teacher, said. “Obviously you have your frustrating days. Being able to make a difference and being in the teaching field for as long as I have now, you have those students who come back and say, ‘It really meant a lot when you took the extra time to help me with this,’ and you have students who ask me, ‘Where did you go to school? What did you do? Can you help me?’ Stuff like that keeps you going as a teacher.”

Along with having an impact on her students, Fischer said the best part of her job is helping students on a deeper level.

“I love what I do every day. Every day is different and it is never the same routine,” Fischer said. “When a student gets it or breaks through those walls or gets at the deeper un-

derstanding, it is such an indescribable feeling. When you kind of get that ‘aha’ moment, I do not think there is anything better.”

Matthew Milazzo, special education teacher, said that he teaches special education because he wants to prepare the students for life after high school and support them now and in the future. Being a teacher in the Transitions Program, he is able to help students from ages 18 to 21 experience employment and perform daily living skills.

“My drive comes from the fact there is an extremely limited number of opportunities for our students moving forward. What do their lives end up looking like after? Who is out there pushing for it? I like to focus in terms in what we can do on an individual basis. I think there can be a ton of opportunities and there are a lot of people who want to help. I think we work with a lot of students who want to be a part of our community . . . and who can be productive citizens. The question is, why not? Why can’t they have what everyone else has?”

Milazzo, who has been a special education teacher for four years, said

his students teach him as much as he teaches them.

“For me, one of the biggest things you have to have is patience. Also, I am a firm believer that you have to be able to allow someone to fail and not feel like you have to hold his or her hand through it,” Milazzo said.

“There are many times I tell my students I do not want to be your teacher, I want to be like a guidance counselor for you. I want them to experience life on their own. I want them to experience what it means to take control and be independent people, and with that is going to come some failures, but we have a safe environment here where we can help navigate through that. When you are working with students who are moderate to severe in profound disabilities, I think it is extremely important to allow that to happen.”

After teaching for sixteen years and loving every day of work, the students have taught Fischer to be mindful of different perspectives.

“Teaching has taught me patience. It has taught me to look at things through a different lens, regardless of labels or special education,” Fischer said. “Everybody is

“I love what I do every day. Every day is different and it is never the same routine. When a student gets it or breaks through those walls or gets at the deeper understanding, it is such an indescribable feeling.”

- jennifer fischer, special education teacher @LZBearFacts | february 2015

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different and teaching special education brings that forward. There are a lot of ways to get things done and you just have to keep trying until you find the way that works for you. My students have taught me to be more open and try those things and work until you get it.”

Before deciding to major in special education, Jennifer Fischer discovered her passion through her participation in certain clubs and spending time with her brother.

“My brother was diagnosed with ADD [Attention Deficit Disorder] in grade school, so I learned a lot of patience working with him, helping him, and I started participating in clubs,” Fischer said. “When I was old enough, I started working at NWSRA [Northwest Special Recreation Association] with special education kids and it just kind of grew from there. When I went to college, I knew I definitely wanted to work with kids, and I actually did early childhood special education along with K-12 special ed.”

Sydney Shadrick, sophomore, may be 20 years younger than Fischer, but she realizes she is following the same path, discovering her interest in teaching special education. “[Working special needs kids] has been one of the most fun things I have done in my opinion,” Shadrick said. “It is so uplifting when you Students in the Transition Program learn how to do daily chores such as making a bed or cleaning the dishes, since the program’s goal is to help the students learn how to live on their own and become employed. The students balance out schoolwork with playing games and going on field trips, varying from grocery shopping to horseback riding.

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see the kids you work with every day. Working with these kids, I have become a more sympathetic person, and I am a lot more patient towards people in general. It has given me a lot of perspective just on life in general. When I am having a bad day, I just go see them and talking to them makes my day that much better.”

Shadrick also discovered her passion through working with special education students at a young age.

“I have wanted to be a teacher since kindergarten. I started thinking about special education in sixth grade when I first met Nicholas Pesce [current junior], who is one of my brother’s friends and is really nice,” Shadrick said. “We hung out together every day when we both were in the musical, High School Musical, and we were buddies.”

Throughout high school, Shadrick has continued to volunteer her time and be involved in the Special Needs Athletic Program (SNAP) and the Buddy Program. She has also recently started working at SRACLC (Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County).

“When I was in eighth grade, my mom’s friend’s daughter worked at SRACLC and recommended that I work there because she really enjoyed it,” Shadrick said. “I volunteered a year and a half before I started working there and ended up loving it.”

Milazzo’s experience and discovery of his passion were different, considering he first received his Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, before going to National-Louis University to receive his Masters of Arts in teaching for special education.

“One of my old coaches that I played for got a head job at a high school. I told him I wanted to get back into coaching and he said there was an aid position in the high school that he could get me, and I would be able to start coaching. At the time I thought, I will go back to school, I will get my degree in business because that was really what a lot of my degree was. I ended up getting a one-to-one aid position with a student who had cerebral palsy. I had completely no idea what I was getting into, to be completely honest. The student I was working with needed a lot more help than any of the other students we currently serve in the district right now. I did know that my day was amazing because I got to work with basically every student in our school, the whole spectrum. During the day I was working with students who had high needs with communication and social skills, and then I was going to coaching and working with kids who were getting scholarship offers for college

football. My personality was always that I wanted to make change and help some way, and once I was exposed to it, it was like, ‘Wow this is really something I can make a difference and I like it,’ which is more enjoyable. Growing up I knew wanted to do something like what I do today, I just needed time to shape it.

I went to National Louis University to get my Behavior Specialist degree and I am back in school to get my Principal Endorsement’s license. As the program has grown, I feel like my responsibilities have grown as a teacher so I want to be able to handle those responsibilities.”

Despite all their different experiences, Fischer, Milazzo, and Shadrick each said they enjoy spending time with the special education students because the students have an impact on them as well.

“During the times that I have been a teacher in special education are also the times I have started to have a family and see growth,” Milazzo said. “I am much more patient and understanding of people in need. It has made me look hard at both sides of the story. We have got Ferguson, enhancement investigation, and things like that, and you start to see different sides of it. Your brain almost gets trained to interact with people like that. You start to see the positives on both sides and learn

about all the grey areas, which is a beneficial skill to have.”

Along with developing as a teacher throughout his years, Milazzo said he loves to see the student’s daily growth.

“My world consists of what are the daily improvements,” Milazzo said. “What are the changes in their lives that are impacting them in the long term? It is definitely more satisfying on a year to year basis to see a student who had a certain behavior or did not have the ability to socialize and then, all of the sudden, I have students who meet on a Friday or Saturday night and go see movies.

This year for the Stevenson and LZ football game, we all met for dinner in the cafeteria and then we went to the football game. For three quarters of the students, it was their first time experiencing a high school football game. Their smiles on their faces and interactions with others and seeing them having the opportunity to be like any other 18, 19, 20 year old is not necessarily what they always get.

For me, that is definitely the best part of my job.” bf

Why they love the Transitions Program

kyle tuckey “[Mr. Milazzo] is a good teacher.

He helps us learn more things we have to do in our daily life. He also helps us fill out applications. ”

mischa johnson “Mr. Milazzo is a very caring person because he handles different students’ situations others may deal with harshly. He is very respectful. ”

Find out more!

Check out our website to read about the top five reasons why LZ’s teachers love to teach.

lizzy hernandez “He is a great teacher because he teaches us to be more independent.

He helps us learn how to live on our own.”

ashley renz “Mr. Milazzo is an awesome teacher. He teaches me a lot of things.

He helps keep me motivated and make a difference in my life.”

all photos by meagan bens @LZBearFacts | february 2015

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What is

love? the psychology and interpretation of love by lexi miranda

One four letter word has the everything you power to impact everythi do on a daily basis ffor the rest of your With so many difour life: love. l ferent interpretations of love, one can love anyone or anything; a boy, a girl, a pet, a family member, a chocolate donut, you name it.

“There are two different types of love. There’s romantic love and platonic love. Romantic love is the love you feel for your partner, versus platonic love, which is the love you feel for your family members and others,” George McNalis, AP psychology teacher, said. “Generally, love is an emotion that incorporates feelings of belonging, happiness, and reward.”

These feelings of happiness are all thanks to dopamine, the generic pleasure neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine can be released not only by being with the person you love, but also just by seeing their picture.

As relationships progress, the chemicals begin to decrease as opposed to their high activity when someone first falls in love.

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february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

“We do see a leveling off as far as the different chemicals in the brain, which is fairly common,” McNalis said. “Throughout a period of time, there will be an ebb and flow of these. But over time as you begin to get comfortable with someone, those early feelings calm down a bit.”

Although everyone is capable of loving and feeling the effects of love, people’s personal experiences and maturity affect how they approach romantic relationships at different points in their lives.

“The teen brain as a whole isn’t as completely done developing as adults’ brains. We do see more of an emotional rollercoaster with teens, and also just the fact that they have less experience with everything because they’re younger.

When you combine all of that, I do think the teen experience of love is going to be different as the adult experience of love,” McNalis said. “When you look at the population in general, our brains develop differently, so emotions will be processed differently.”

Teens are particulary prone to infatuation rather than real love, according to psychologist Carl Pickhardt in an article for Psychology Today.

Q: Do teens experience infatuation or love?

“Yes because we’re not mature enough to know what real love is yet. When you have sex with someone you get at- DJ Postilion, tached to them and senior think it’s real love, when in reality it’s not.”

“Yes. I think we all like to find someone and talk about the future with them, even if we know there’s no guarantee Kelly Beigl, they will be a part of junior our future. It’s an idea we all have of trying to find a bigger love, so we like to talk about it even if we don’t have that with the person.”

What do you think about love?

Kelly Beigl, junior DJ Postilion, senior Q. In your own words, how would you define love?

Q. In your own words, how would you define love?

A. On a high school basis, love is caring about someone A. Love happens when you develop feelings for on a higher level, also a lot of lust and just the idea of someone and you can be totally comfortable around having someone as more than a friend. with them. them and always want to be w Q. What experiences led you to Q. Do you think lo love can be an antideo think of love this way?

A. I think we’ve all had our fair share of little relationpressant? ships in high school. I think that’s A. Yes. Especial Especially in high school, peoat’s where I come up with the idea that a lot of it has to do ple think they can c only be happy with with just lust because people our someone. ur age som meone. They think one person can are so curious, and as we get bored make reed maake their life better and just make of what we have, we want to explore them pllore theem happier. other things.

Q. Whatt does it feel like when you Q. What do you think about love are in ovve at n love? first sight?

A. It It’s t’s feelings of happiness. You’re very A. I think you can fall in love with protective witth prottective and aff a ectionate. You know someone’s physical features at you’re when the other you u’re in love because b first sight, but as far personality,, person hurts, p hurts you hurt too. You just that’s something you don’t see really worry and care about them. in someone when you’re first Q. Will you yo ever find a love as meeting them. powerful as your first love?

Q. Is there a difference A. A No because becau it’s a lot harder to between passionate and find n that with someone else. You excompassionate love? perience much with that first love perience so m A. The way someone would that th hat it takes a lot to compete with love their family, you can’t reallyy that. th hat. I do think thi you become more describe a love like that. I don’t mature your first love. Your first maature after yo think you could sit there and bee love lovve teaches you yo what real love is. like ‘I love them because they look Q. oook Q What tips would you give to like this or do this’, [you love them someone love or who wants to fall heem so omeone in lov because] you grew up with them. in love? m..

Versus someone who you’ve fallen A. Don’t fall iin love. Nothing lasts en n in love with where you love them forever. m foreever. You’ll just ju get hurt in the end. for the things that they say and do I mean but the break up is d meean love is nice, n and the person they are. horrible takes forever to get over. horrrible and take Q. Do you think love can be an Q. Is n antiIs there a difference between teen depressant? love and adult lo love?

A. Definitely. I used [my relationship] A. Ad Adult n nship] dult love is more real, while teen as something to make me happy. lovee is more of a puppy love. They prey. It’s one of those things where it can tend n keep tend they’re in i love but don’t really you happy for so long that you get know the m meaning of love. Teen geet k addicted to it, and once it’s gonee love is like an amusement park. It’s l you’re more lost than you were so much fun, fu but they don’t deal before. I think that’s why peoplee with the re real parts of love, like hold onto [relationships] and that finances and kids and all of that. haat Find out more! makes them so much more emoWhen you ggo through all of those o-W Check out our website tionally invested because they think things with someone and still love hink i k t s to read about LZHS without them, they don’t know what them and want to be with them, high school sweethappiness is. that’s adult love. bf hearts. all photos by lexi miranda @LZBearFacts | february 2015

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goingtheextra (1,000+) by jemma jem m kim

Miles

Austin Kuehr has traveled halfway across the equator, all on foot. foot A 2014 graduate and current University of Illinois cu athlete, Kuehr has run a toa tal of 11,000 miles in his running career. To add more perspective, it is the same distance from New York to Hawaii round trip, and he’s still on the tr move around the world. aro “Personally, I think ‘obsession’ “Perso Kuehr said. is an understatement,” und “When I mention to others that I am a runner and enjoy competing ru in cross country, track, and road races, they th think I am insane, and I cannot really blame them either; running iis not quite a favorite sport for everyone.” everyo But rrunning did not instantlyy become an obsession for Like other athletes, Kuehr. L etes, was introduced to this Kuehr wa

sport by his older brother and his dad, runners themselves. He finally decided to follow in the footsteps of his family and gave running a try.

Like Kuehr, Laura McNair, senior cross country and track athlete, was suggested to join cross country by her older brother. But Matt Schwartz, freshman, influenced by none of his siblings, just “wanted to try something new.” “[When I started, in middle school] I didn’t really have middle school goals, just to have fun mostly,” Schwartz said. “I never really became dedicated or worked hard until the summer of freshman year.”

Becoming dedicated includes making goals to guide your way to success. Running influences your everyday decisions, from getting enough sleep, to eating healthy, acccording to JB Hanson, boys’ cross ccountry and track and field coach.

“If you have specific goals, then

How ffar did they go?

These LZHS runner have runners ha run halfway aroun the around i their world in care careers.

Austin Kuehr 2014 graduate 11,100 miles

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Empire State Building, NY 835 miles

Matt Pereira sophomore 3,000+ miles

Brian McNair sophomore 3400+ miles

“I thrived on the competition and I wanted so badly to get faster and become faster and become better every day. I knew I wanted more and wanted to give everything I had for my team and school.”

- austin kuehr, 2014 graduate the actions you take should determine those goals. It just turns out that in running, a lot of the decisions that you make outside of running have an affect on how you run,” Hanson said.

Setting goals helped Schwartz to envision his next couple years of his cross country and track career.

Schwartz started running on June 10, 2013 and has not stopped since.

He has run a total of 1,354 miles for 547 straight days, in all types of weather and personal health. This continuous routine has fueled his hobby of running to become a daily routine and started his passion to run and to become a better athlete.

“My best accomplishment so far has been my CD [consecutive days] of running. It means so much to me because it’s not something everyone can say they [have],” Schwartz said.

Your goals can determine how you per-

form in practice and whether you place in competition, McNair said.

She said that taking steps towards your goals include paying more attention to your daily routine, which helps you focus on what is the most important for success.

“I gave up junk food like pop, dessert, and fast food,” McNair said.

“You have to do the little things right, which included properly fueling and resting your body. If I think that anything will negatively impact my performance, I just avoid it.”

Running everyday and having certain eating habits may cause others to assume that runners are obsessed with the sport, Hanson said.

The boys’ cross country team believes in the quote ‘Everyday is a great day,’ meaning that if you want to become a better athlete, you must come to practice everday.

Many people could assume that runners are obsessed with the sport,

Matt Milner

Eiffel Tower, Paris junior 4,134 miles 5,600+ miles

Taj Mahal, India 7,557 miles

said Hanson. Anytime anyone becomes goal oriented, their vision is determined by what their goals are, and may seem like they are “obsessed” or “addicted.”

“People sometimes refer to it as an obsession because it takes control of everything in their lives,” Hanson said. “That’s just because they have these goals and they know they make other decisions that won’t prohibit them from running. I think that anyone who is goal oriented can achieve any endeavor.” bf

Find out more!

Discover Coach Hanson’s passion to coach his cross country and track athletes. photos used with permission of matt milner, photo illustrations by jemma kim

Justin Shim Mark Spatz senior senior 10,773+ miles 10,350+ miles

@LZBearFacts | february 2015

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pursuing

passions grads who followed their high school dreams

by genna danial

Only 30 percent of adult Americans are happy with their jobs, according to a 2013 Gallup survey.

Are you going to be part of this small percentage after you graduate high school?

“It’s rare that people love their jobs, whether they are people who have been doing that job for over twenty years or just starting it. I think it’s a lack of a passion, or thinking that job is the only possible way to support their family,” Carl Krause, college and career counselor, said. “Maybe it’s where they started out, and it was safe and easy, so they chose to stick with it. They may have learned to like the job, but not love it.”

Students are always encouraged to do what they love and love what they do, but the reality of pursuing passions after high school seems, at times, impossible. We are constantly surrounded by union strikes, complaining parents and friends, and even lawsuits against previous employers.

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photo and illustration by jordan se

Fortunately, according to Krause, it is possible to be passionate about one’s work, even if there are some limitations. Students must take the jobs they can get as well as keep realistic expectations in order to succeed in their field. “[For example,] I love golfing. I’m not very good at it, so without having the time, energy, or money to get good at it, I can’t make a living out of it, but I can still enjoy playing it,” Krause said. “We have students who did theater in high school and are now performing on a stage. We have those people who are good enough and dedicated enough to their actual passion that it became their future. Some of it has to be talent, but a lot of it is persistence and drive.”

Bear Facts followed up with three LZHS graduates who pursued their high school passions – and turned them into careers. Find out how, and why, they managed to be part of the 30 percent. bf

Jorda Service, 2010 graduate, is now Jordan designer for Splendid, fashion a fashion fas company, in Los Angeles, CA. He attended comp Fashion Institute of Design and Merthe F chandising (FIDM) in San Diego, CA. chan

Q ervice vice

When you were in high school, did you know you would follow through and get a job in this field?

Definitely. I was completely deadset on, o ‘This is what I want to do and this is how I’m going to do it.’ wasn’t, ‘Can I do this?’ It was, ‘I It w am going to do this.’ That’s the attitude you have to have about things if you’re passionate about them. There you can’t be a question in your mind. can’

Q

If you could give advice to a high schooler who wants to pursue their passion, what would it be?

Do it now. Don’t be like, ‘Well I want to be b this in the future…’ There’s no reason why I couldn’t take a sewing rea class cla in high school, or teach myself how ho to sew. Chances are someone around you has a sewing machine, aro even ev if you can’t afford one. You can always alw learn. If there’s a will there’s a way. wa Don’t wait for your future to do what wh you love now.

Find Fi d outt more!

Check out our website for extended Q&As with each of these LZ grads.

Q

What are some obstacles you’ve faced while trying to follow your passion?

When I graduated from school, I hit a roadblock [while] get-

ting that first job. I did this elite program at my school which had about ten people in it, which was cool but very intense. When I finished the program, I was expecting to get a job right away, but I didn’t. It took me four or five months before I came across anything, which really sucked.

That’s a short time comparatively, but it felt like a really long time for me. It was disheartening.

What fashion-related classes did you participate in high school? How did they help your development?

I took art all through high school and that was the biggest help. [Matthew] Winkleman actually bought me a fashion-illustration book my sophomore year because there weren’t any in the school. Every single year of art I did fashion illustration, and in AP Art Studio, that was my focus.

Teachers were supportive of what I wanted to do, which was really nice, opposed to them just following the class guidelines. I did take some fashion classes, which was another supportive environment. Because I had been doing it for a bit, it was like, ‘Yeah, I already know this,’ but it was still awesome.

Q

@LZBearFacts | february 2015

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photo by sam simpkins, tennessean photographer

Tony Gonzalez, 2004 graduate, is now a news reporter for The Tennessean in Nashville, TN. He attended Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI.

Gonzalez interviews an artist who created a project where kids photographed their bus-riding experiences. He graduated from LZHS and is following his passion of being a journalist.

Q

What journalism related activities did you participate in during high school?

I was a reporter and then an editor for Bear Facts, and I’ve been a journalist ever since. I was writing and doing the newspaper thing as much as I could during high school.

I went from having no journalism skills to steadily learning ethics and legal protections, how to interview people, and how to organize information. In every way, I got my start through working Bear Facts. There’s nothing else I’ve wanted to do.

Q

When you were in high school, did you know you would follow through and get a job in this field?

From when I first started working for the school newspaper, I’ve always

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february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

wanted to be a reporter. I’ve done everything I could to make it a reality. I wasn’t really thinking about whether it was realistic or not, I was just living and breathing writing, and I was just curious about what’s around me.

Q

How did you get to where you are now?

I worked for my college newspaper and was eventually the Editor-in-Chief. I did internships while I was there each summer at different newspapers. I also did freelance writing for a local newspaper while I was in college. I took every possible opportunity to report and get real world experience. I did not go to journalism school, so my degree is in economics, but I always planned to be a reporter. There’s a debate out there whether it’s best for

someone to go to journalism school or not, and I decided I wanted to take more of an experienced route.

Q

If you could give advice to a high schooler who wants to pursue their passion, what would it be?

I think experience is invaluable. You have to take initiative to get experience in whatever it is you care about.

Let’s say you want to make music videos. You can go to class and go to college to do that, but you can also just turn on a computer, shoot some videos, and try editing them. It can be as simple as that. With a newspaper, you can call your local paper and ask what you could do to help them out. My advice is to have initiative and not to wait awhile for something to come directly to you.

Jenna Meyer, 2006 graduate, is now an art teacher at Round Lake Middle School in Round Lake, IL. She attended North Central College in Naperville, IL.

Q

What are some obstacles you’ve faced while trying to follow your passion?

Scheduling and getting everything done in four years [of college], and sticking to [my major].

People tend to change majors a few times throughout college, and not giving in is what I had to do. The job search after I got out of college was very difficult. I subbed for a year before I found a position in art. It’s is not the biggest field.

Q

what they want and still meet our objectives.

Q

Q: What are you currently doing with your students?

We’re on one of my favorite What are your proudest acprojects. For 2D art, we teach complishments so far? them how to use colored pencils, and I’m proud of the fact I’ve they create a morphed animal, like a been in the same district for bear and a peacock or a zebra and a four years. From the time I started seahorse. After they draw it out, they until now, we’ve developed a really write a descriptive story about it. The strong curriculum and strong classes. trick is, we give the stories, not the It’s come a long way and I’m ex- pictures, to our 3D class. They read cited to see where it goes. The pre- the story and problem-solve to guess vious teacher had projects he never what the animal looks like. Then they changed. Every single year, he made actually get to build it out of clay. a coil pot. Now, the kids enjoy the [The 3D kids] don’t see the original projects more because picture unthere’s more flexibility and til they’re Meyer encourages her creativity. They can draw finished. art classes to collaborate.

Here, a 2D art student’s colored pencil picture of the zebra-seahorse was the inspiration for a 3D art student’s sculpture.

Q

photos by jenna meyer

What motivated you to keep working with what you love?

I liked what I wanted to do.

I knew if I stuck with it, I’d eventually find something. Substitute teaching taught me more after college, so it was a good experience. I

dealt with the worst of the worst because kids are always [bad] for substitute teachers. So if I could survive substitute teaching, I knew, ‘Once I get a job, it’ll be awesome.’

@LZBearFacts | february 2015

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faith

Fixed on 8 february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

by lexi fye

photo illustration by lexi fye

Expressing dedication and belief eryone. I like to think about it every day, just in the little things and not necessarily the huge moments of my life,” Skowyra said. “With faith and religion, you can know that it’s okay to talk to God on your own time, and it just helps you figure things out personally. It’s important to have religion in your life, and it’s important to make it your own. So that’s what I’m striving to do, to make it my own.”

When growing up, parents have a high influence on the religion of their children, according to Huffington Posts’ website, but there comes a time when students choose to put the power of faith in their own hands to shape.

“When I was little, it was my grandma who pushed my faith,” Skowyra said. “She was the one who pushed us to go to church every week.

It really reinforced the importance of religion to me. I had always gone [to Polish church] with my family because I was raised learning the religion in Polish. Seeing as the way we were taught [was] very strict and traditional, I think me, along with others in my class, were very turned off towards religion.”

Skowyra’s hard start to her faith, however, has not made a dent to The act of her faith now. believing, but not necessarily following the rules of a Believing in certain the practices religion and acts of a The acts specific and practices religion of a certain religion, like holy day, texts, and daily prayer

Fai th

ig on

Re li

Being a high schooler means dedicating yourself to others. Your grades are to please your parents; the clubs and activities you are in are to satisfy the picky colleges you are applying to; the sports you do are for the name of the school.

It’s like having a dedication page, but your whole life is an entire novel dedicated to anybody but you. However, some students have defied that norm by doing one thing: believing.

“Having a faith is knowing what you believe in and being able to apply that to your life,” Hyyaan Khan, junior, said. “Religion is just knowing the basics and still learning more. I think my faith has been the same, but I learn more about it. It gives you that sense of importance.”

The guidance and direction Islam offers believers is the heart of Khan’s faith. He has practiced Islam all his life and has grown to follow the religion’s rules and to appreciate his faith.

“I think it’s all valid, I follow it, and I apply it to my life,” Khan said. “It gives you a sense of purpose and knowing what you’re working for.”

Such a feeling of meaning is what guides the idea of faith, according to believers.

“A sense of identity [is the most enjoyable part],” said Yoav Margalit, senior, who practices the Jewish faith. “I’m not being anti-other religions at all, because other religions definitely have their perks. I’ve noticed that many Christians, and some Muslims, don’t have as much of a sense of identity because there are so many types of Christianity. I’m not saying that each type of Christianity doesn’t have its own identity, it certainly does. But there is one type of Judaism, and you pick and choose from that what you want to observe. Here’s what you’re given, and you get to choose A, B, C, or all the above.”

The choices of religion Margalit has picked to believe in ultimately created his own faith, making it individualistic to his wants, he said.

Nina Skowyra, junior, who is Catholic, also has her own personal reasons for choosing her faith.

“My faith is personal to me, as it is to ev-

@LZBearFacts | february 2015

17

Look familiar?

This “Coexist” bumper sticker has made its way around the nation, but do you know what each symbol means?

Difficulties in religion are a universal concept to those who believe.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from morning until dusk. Khan and his family wake up at 4am to eat and complete their morning prayer, but the school day is what he finds most challenging.

“Fasting is definitely challenging, because I don’t just want to sit around and do nothing,” Khan said. “I had people come up to me and ask if I want food while I was fasting, and I just responded saying, ‘No, I can’t. I’m fasting.’ They’re just wondering how I do this all day.”

Khan’s faith started at a very young age and has only grown over the years. He attributes that to his parents, and more specifically, his mom, but now his faith is his own.

“My mom started pushing for us to become more intact with our faith,” Khan said. “She started all her kids off reading the Qur’an, so we all understood more about the religion at a young age. I started when I was in kindergarten. My parents don’t want me to drift off.

I’m used to being around all the

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february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

cultural things about it, so none of it is weird to me anymore. When I was a lot younger, it was all strange because it’s out of the ordinary to do all these crazy ceremonies.”

Khan’s lifestyle following his faith is not always similar to the common religion of Christianity, which is over three-fourths of the American population, but it makes the Islam religion exactly what Khan puts his heart into. However, Judaism, more common than Islam, is also less common to Christianity.

“We don’t really focus on [following all the Jewish laws],” Margalit said. “We focus on the ideals of the community. My folks aren’t from America; they’re from Israel. So rather than following the American-Jewish community, which is different than the IsraeliJewish community, we celebrate religious occasions and we do dinners, but we do everything in Hebrew as opposed to English.”

Celebrating ceremonies is universal in religions but differ between each one, making each practice different from each other.

e “At the end of the month of Ramadan, [Eid al-Fitr] is like our Christmas, and we get gifts on that day,” Khan said. “We go to our mosque, and we do prayer on that day. After that, we just meet up with the family and just celebrate.”

Going through the actions of those ceremonies, however, does not make a faith, as Khan believes.

Going to the place of worship and simply “going through the motions” is not what makes a faith.

“Observing a religion is accepting its values as valid,” Margalit said, “but putting your faith and belief in a religion means you don’t think about it. You just believe; you take it for granted. It’s perfectly fine to do that, and people who do are probably content, but I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that.”

There is no wrong answer when it comes to faith, according to believers. Believing in something greater has no limits or regulations.

In order to take another step in her faith journey, Skowyra attended Kairos last October, a four-day nondenominational church re-

Bear Facts is now on Aurasma.

Download the app for free and see this page come to life! Just hold the phone with the app scaner open over each symbol, and it will reveal each explanation. sources: http://buffingtonicon.com, http://religionfacts. com, http://humanreligions.info

treat offered at St. Francis de Sales Church to juniors and seniors.

“Kairos really opened my eyes to seeing religion a different way, and it gave me the opportunity to do so by joining Peer Ministry and just having these other teens to experience it with,” Skowyra said. “Now that I started going to St. Francis and just looking at religion differently, I find it more applicable to life as a teen in everyday situations.

It’s more open to interpretation.

It really stresses that things we go through in life as teenagers, even though to adults, they might not seem as important, we can still use our religion to get through them.”

Kairos has been the turning point in her faith, according to Skowyra. The experience of finding herself in the perspective of her faith is what pushed her to make her faith a priority in her life.

“After Kairos, we were all encouraged to go [to Life Nights, the Sunday night get-togethers of the Youth Group program.] It was a good kind of peer pressure,” Skowyra said. “[Peer Ministry] re-

ally showed me that it was something I wanted to pursue, and it’s an environment that is so open and so perfect for still being social and making friends, but doing it in terms of your faith. Just talking to the other people there about your faith is kind of like a glimpse at being back at a church retreat, so you get the same feeling, but more in the context of your life.”

Although church retreats events distanced from reality, the acts taught there are meant to come home with those attendees. Religion can teach the true universal teachings of society.

“Everyone’s a person and to be treated that way is expected and demanded of society. The reason they are called Judeo-Christian values is because they’re both Jewish and Christian values. Many of the values Judaism has also apply to Christianity,” Margalit said. “There will always be people in the world who will not like Jews, and I have encountered them in school and outside of school, and I’m guessing I’m going to continue to do that.”

As Margalit continued, there are people who believe different religions or not in any religion at all. However, it is not necessary to follow a religion to have a faith.

Individuals do not need to follow a religion to have a faith, but it also is not necessary to have a faith to be a good person, Margalit said.

“I never really believed in a god persay,” Margalit said, “but that’s not necessarily the most important part of Judaism. There are certainly people that will disagree with me.

What’s most important are the values of the community, which I still appreciate and uphold to right now from my childhood. I just fill in the blanks. You don’t have to have it written in the Torah to not kill someone; you already know not to kill people. Filling in the blanks isn’t too hard.” bf

Find out more!

Read about a student who expresses her nonstop passion for her Christian faith.

@LZBearFacts | february 2015

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bf

What started your passion for your sport?

bears box “Just the interest in running in general, and mainly all the people who are doing it that encouraged me to join the sport.”

drake heisterkamp track and field freshman “I started playing basketball in fifth grade because I was tall, but I found that I really enjoyed the sport and being on a team with my friends.”

jordyn becich sophomore basketball clarifications In last month’s “60 Second Story: Student surpasses stresses of Tae Kwon Do,” Bledian Ajorja’s name was misspelled.

“My friends, but I didn’t really fall in love with the sport until I really just committed myself to it.”

pete baldaccini wrestling

junior

“I heard it was no cut. I really wanted to be part of a sport. Then I met my teammates, and the girls are so great. It made me want to keep coming back.”

nicole syverson track and field 20

february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

senior

Athlete of the Month

Bear Facts asked all varsity coaches for sports in season to nominate an “athlete of the month” for their team. The nominees from coaches who responded are listed below. To vote for your favorite Athlete of the Month, visit our website for rules. An interview with the winner will be posted on LZBearFacts.com.

boys’ basketball jack o’neill, senior

all photos by bear facts staff

“Jack is a three year Varsity basketball player and a two year starter. Jack is a great shooter and ballhandler for our team, which is having its best season in many years at 18-5. He had 15 points versus Lake Forest and in the game before, held Vernon Hills’ best player to only 2 points. I am really proud for Jack to have this kind of success. He is a hard worker, great kid, and a great teammate.”

-Billy Pitcher

cheerleading monica carrillo, senior

“Monica is an outstanding athlete. She is dedicated and driven to succeed. Monica is passionate about her team and her sport.

She takes time to help mold the younger team members into the athletes they need to be in order to be successful in our program.

She is beyond dedicated. In [her] four years of varsity cheerleading, Monica has missed one practice, and that was only after a trip to the ER after a fall. She always pushes herself and her teammates to be the best that they can be!”

-Pam Bonnevier

girls’ basketball elly daleske, senior “I would like to nominate senior Elly Daleske. Elly is our leading scorer and rebounder and could become our first player in history to average a double-double. She has a great passion for competition and always brings her best every game.”

-Christopher Bennett

“Josh studies the sport at every level. He tells me which junior high kids he thinks are good. He watches wrestling college wrestling and josh spiwak, senior is passionate about certain athletes. He is a team captain for LZ Wrestling and takes the position very seriously, helping the coaches make sure we put out our best line up for meets. It would be difficult to find someone more passionate about their sport.”

-Dan Strickler @LZBearFacts | february 2015

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sports highlights

“When a team plays with passion, they are playing their best,” Will McClaughry, senior who plays center and power forward for varsity basketball, said.

“When an entire team is passionate about [the game], it can make the sport really enjoyable too.”

As a team, boys’ basketball has continued to express passion by pushing through a long season and continuing to improve, according to McClaughry. The team is preparing for regionals, which is at the beginning of March, with hopes of moving onto sectionals.

“We have been preparing by playing a tough schedule and playing in one of the toughest divisions in the state, and also just practicing hard every day,” McClaughry said.

Two of the toughest teams in the division, Stevenson and Lake Forest, will be playing in a different sectional than LZHS, which McClaughry says will

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february 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

cheerleading photo used with permission of susan miller

“Passion, to me, is definitely developed over time,” Jessie Black, junior and varsity cheerleader, said. “It is devoting almost every ounce of energy you have into that one moment you haven’t been able to get out of your head. In sports, passion is showing up to every practice and then some.

It is taking the time out of your day to put in one more drill or one more lap. Having passion means having the drive to do whatever it takes to accomplish greatness.”

The team’s desire is what pushed them all year, according to Black. As of press time, the varsity team received the Sectional Champions title as well as a bid to State. Black attributes this season’s success to the connection of her team. “[It] is the difference between a group of people that just shows up and a family,” Black said. “When a team is passionate about what they do, they can achieve anything, and I work with an incredibly talented group of athletes. Every girl on the team puts her heart and soul into every practice,

which allows us to come together and overcome anything.”

Dedication to the sport is the difference between just competing and achieving goals. The team’s passion is what got them to State, Black said.

“I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we all come into the program with our strengths and weak-

help make the team’s goal of sectional championships more attainable. However, there are still solid teams in the sectional LZ is playing in, like Fremd, who the team lost to last year in the playoffs, according to McClaughry.

Besides facing tough teams during sectionals, the team has faced challenges throughout the season, the most recent being the Martin Luther King tournament where they lost to Palatine, McClaughry said. However, the team responded by beating Vernon Hills, a team who beat Palatine, by 17 points.

The team’s passion for the game helps them to retaliate after a loss because playing with passion makes them “play [at] their best,” McClaughry said.

“Having passion for something means you care about it so much that you are always thinking about it,” McClaughry said. “You sacrifice your time and effort for it.”

nesses,” Black said. “As a high school athlete, I have learned that without passion for the sport, you wouldn’t be there in the first place. We all know how tough practices can get, and we all know that sometimes it’s much easier to just quit. But that love for the sport that you have deep down inside of you won’t allow it.”

boys’ basketball

for sports coverage, follow @lz_scorecenter on twitter

all photos and articles by bear facts staff

With a record of 16 wins and 5 losses, the wrestling team has exceeded all expectations, according to John Stronjy, junior wrestler.

“Overall the team did very well. We had a very young roster this year, and expectations were not high for us,” Stronjy said. “We proved to everyone, including ourselves, that we are capable of accomplishing far more [than we thought we were capable of ].”

After wrestling for six years, Stronjy has learned the meaning of passion.

“Having passion is believing in something and pursuing it with all your heart and determination,” Stronjy said.

Wrestling is a very demanding sport, both mentally and physically. To get through the season, the boys have to really love what they’re doing.

“Wrestling isn’t exactly the most enjoyable sport, but it’s the grueling work we put ourselves through that at the end of the day, you’re able to look back on and be proud of,” Stronjy said.

To accomplish their goals, the team needs to learn to push themselves, according to Srtonjy.

“It’s an immense sense of accomplishment, and our passion to push ourselves to the limit and beyond is what drives us,” Stronjy said.

girls’ basketball

wrestling Passion helps the team improve.

“The team has drastically improved.

We’ve bonded significantly and every single kid always gives his all in every practice and every match, and that’s what has made us as successful as we’ve been,” Stronjy said.

Passion drives the team to strive for their goals.

“Passion could very well be the most defining and determining factor on a team or individual. If everyone plays or

works with passion, it makes reaching your goal that much more enjoyable,” Stronjy said.

Stronjy’s passion for wrestling has helped him achieve his goal.

“Personally, I didn’t really have any specific goals for the season, other than improving and being the best I could for the team,” Stronjy said. “I think as the season progressed, I’ve also progressed and learned a little more about myself and what I can do.”

Passion for the sport is obvious when it comes to the girls’ basketball team, which is 9-10 as of press time.

Passion for basketball is what ties the team together, according to Vanessa DiVincenzo, junior.

“As a team, we’re all working together as one,” she said. “If someone doesn’t have the passion or heart or desire, to go and grab your one goal, I think that it breaks that one bond that we’re all looking for. I think without passion and desire to achieve [the goal], you’re almost like a broken chain.”

The team has been consistently successful this season, according to DiVincenzo. There have been some close games and some strong practices. The season wound down, and

DiVincenzo reflected it was a better season than some past ones.

DiVincenzo attributes their successes to the team’s passion for their sport. To her, passion is similar whether it is expressed on or off of the court.

“Passion in general is all heart, especially in sports, in everything that we do,” DiVincenzo said. “Your passion for something is what you want to go out and do in your life.

It’s something that you love to do, something that you want to do, specifically in sports, its something that you want to get better at as a team, or in any situation.”

The team has their IHSA regional February 16, but results were not available at press time. @LZBearFacts | february 2015

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#lovemybf

01/28 Bear Facts @LZBearFacts Tweet us a pic of you with your fave teacher/staff member! @humeister38

01/29

Catherine Miller @cmiller939 01/29 me and my homegirl Ms. Philipp

Nick Hervatin @nick_hervatin 01/30 One of my favorite teachers, Madame Norberg

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photos used with permission of: susan miller, emily ruiz, mary sinclair, alison dust

Nicole Hu DAN ELLIS!