Bear Facts Student Media April 2015 by Lake Zurich Bear Facts

ovie mmoments bear facts student media @LZBearFacts | april 2015 school lake zurich high april 2015

bear facts

letter from the editor

print editor-in-chief:

Dear Readers, Our generation grew up listening to the Disney jingle as a little light flew over the Disney castle, and we knew we were in for a treat. While we sat in our parents’ laps or in our Winnie the Pooh kids’ chairs, we were more than entertained by the cartoon characters dancing across the screen. However, as we have grown up, many of us have probably felt that our childhood movies are only a memory of our childhoods. In this issue of Bear Facts, we step into our pasts, showing how the fantasies of our childhoods connect to our lives today more than we think. The cover this issue is an introduction to a new series of movie memories – one that stars you – while Mickey Mouse watches over, as he has for the last 87 years of Disney productions. Within this issue, you’ll be able to find stories of students whose lives connect to a Disney movie or another childhood movie. No longer are those movies all about princesses and princes, but instead about real life connections. So whether it be The Parent Trap spin on LZ twins, the crazy Stitch-like animals some students keep as pets, or The Lego Movie of school projects, Disney movies are closer to our lives than we know. Bear Facts invites you to dive back into your childhood and an read about the LZHS edition of childhood movies.

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 brianne saab jenny steinberg katie szarkowicz danna tabachnik natalie ullman

adviser:

Sincerely, Your You Editor-in-Chief,

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

Lexi Fye

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

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.

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

What’s inside? UP: Eagle 5 Rising Scouts take off Read about the experience of high school Eagle Scouts and earning final badges.

second story

Ohana means family

Find out what unique or exotic pets students around you have.

If your class was a movie...

Learn about the childhood movies teachers chos to represent their classes this year.

the 10 Debating Disney stereotype Who do you side with? Does Disney help or hurt the female image?

Just keep swimming

Find out about a teacher’s experience in the course of studying marine biology.

14 The Parent Trap

Learn about the twin experience as they explain what it is like to be identical twins.

makes 16 Student films brick by brick Read about a student’s work in slow motion films using Legos.

photo taken by danna tabachnik

Drawn this way: a girls’ journey to become an animator by danna tabachnik Junior Raleigh Funk is out to make her childhood dreams of making movies into a reality. “My ultimate goal is to get my own ideas produced and out there, to have my projects developed and to make films and TV shows,” Raleigh Funk, junior said.“One project I’ve been working on is called the California Kids. It would be a television series, focusing on kids growing up in the 21st century. It would be the realities, struggles, and joys of being an adolescent.” Creating an original, unforgettable work takes time and a lot of inspiration, according to Funk. Her inspiration came at a young age. “When I was in eighth grade, I saw a documentary called Waking Sleeping Beauty. It was about Walt Disney Animations Studio in the late 80s and early 90s,” Funk said. “Seeing the artists actually create their drawings and bring them to life was so fascinating, and ever since then I’ve been interested in animation.” In addition to her regular classes, Funk takes two art classes and comes in on her open to better her art. “Everything I create in class is based on one of my ideas,” Funk said. “I’m currently working on a storyboard for the California Kids. Character design and storyboards are what I want to primarily work on.” To continue to improve on her craft, Funk is hoping to get into a college that can help her achieve her dream. “I want to go to the California Institute of the Arts,” Funk said. “ It’s one of the best animation schools in the country. Many of its alumni have gone on to become very successful in animation and film.” Funk’s idol, Alex Hirsh, creator of Gravity Falls, graduated from the California Institute of the Arts. “He was able to work on his own show pretty much right out of college,” Funk said. “He created one of my favorite shows, he’s a good writer, and he cares about the quality of his show more than money or pleasing the network executives. That’s what I want to achieve.” bf @LZBearFacts | april 2015

“Lilo and Stitch, definitely. I watch it with my little sister and we quote every part of it, so [we] are screaming parts of the movie.” -Amanda Morgan, jr.

“My favorite childhood movie was Titanic because I was obsessed with ships and something about that movie made me love ships even more.” -Ethan Feldman, soph.

What is your favorite

childhood movie and why? “Probably Sleeping Beauty because she’s my favorite princess, and I really like the singing and pretty dresses.” -Aubrey Anderson, fr.

“The Road to El Dorado because my family and I watched it so many times that I know all the lines by heart.” -Steven Busscher, sr. photos by brianne saab

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

Rising UP:

Eagle Scouts take off by stephanie pavin

Seniors Jimmy Harlan and Chris Steibel know why Russell, the Cub Scout from UP, wants to help Mr. Fredrickson. Scouting is all about helping others and serving the community. Collectively they have spent sixteen years in Scouts and both earned their Eagle this year.

Find out more! Learn to take flight with the Eagles and follow them on their journey to become a scout.

Becoming an Eagle Scout requires completing an Eagle project. What was your Eagle project and what made it different from others? Steibel: “My first [Eagle Project] was working with the Lake Zurich Community Garden to build a raised gardening plot for handicapped people. I had finished planning and received approval; however, the day before I was going to buy supplies I got a call telling me that the project got postponed and I was unable to complete the project. I then began working with the Palatine Opportunity Center. My official Eagle project was to design, build and install of three private workspaces for social workers at the Palatine Opportunity Center.”

What is the best part about being an Eagle Scout? Harlan: “[The best part is] probably some of the relaxing campouts we have. I’ll go camping with all of my friends and we just have a weekend of doing nothing, which is a lot of fun. I think one of my favorite [campouts] was when we went camping on a submarine. The first time we did it we were really young and we got kicked out of the museum because we were playing hide-and-go-seek in the exhibits.”

jimmy harlan senior

chris steibel senior

What was one of the best activities you experienced for the first time in your years of being a scout? Steibel: “My memory from Scouting that’s always going to make me laugh was my first time going kayaking. I was out on the lake and was just starting to get the hang of it, and out of nowhere another Scout rammed into me from the side and knocked me out of my kayak. It started filling up with water so I couldn’t get back in it. The life guard just looked at me and started laughing, so I had to swim and drag it behind me all the way back to shore.”

With the funny memories and new experiences, how does your accomplishment of becoming an Eagle Scout shape you into the person you are today? Harlan: “[Becoming an Eagle Scout] is a very distinguished honor because you get a lot out of it. You can develop a lot of skills and you just become a better person for going for this ordeal in a way. Because you have to put in so much work, you don’t really slack off anymore.” Steibel: “I’ve learned a lot about myself as a leader through the process of becoming an Eagle Scout. I’ve figured out my different strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.” bf @LZBearFacts | april 2015

Ohana means

Family

Students count unusual pets among their Ohanas by natalie ullman

“Man’s best friend” is commonly associated to be a dog, but Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, taught us that pets, regardless of species, are still a large part of an “Ohana” the Hawaiian word for family. Sophomore, Derrick Juarez’s, family includes his five pet ducks. Juarez named three ducks after the characters of Ducktales, Louie, Douie, and Houie, and the other two named Titzi and Dondafelzon. This flock,

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

however, is not Juarez’s first group of domesticated ducks as pets. “I was at this farm that my uncle owns and he had these two ducks that he didn’t want anymore, so I just took them,” Juarez said. “It was just a random day, I wasn’t expecting to have any ducks, but then I saw them, and I really liked them.” Juarez first became interested in the idea of ducks as pets because he thought they were cute and would be good to own. But Juarez is not the only student with a unique group of pet. Maryjane Koza, sophomore, has previously owned three ferrets. “[Ferrets] are really cute and they did all this weird stuff, and they’re really smart. [With mine] you could teach them little tricks, and they became really close to you; they thought of you as a parent,” Koza said.

In addition to Juarez, other students also have very different and unique animals, such as Randall Gorecki, sopho- Randall Gorecki, more, who breeds sophomore, and and sells snakes owns breeds snakes. and fish. “I grew up on a lot of land when I was little, so it was kind of hard not to be attracted to them. I was interested in all amphibians,” Gorecki, who currently has twelve snakes of all different types for sale, said. Many pet owners spend time with their pets, such as Koza, who enjoyed teaching her pets how to roll over and how to jump on their hind legs, along with teaching one of the ferrets to hunt s m a l l items in tun-nels she cre-ated for them. m.

“Ferrets in the old days were used [to hunt] because you would put them in little tunnels and underground and Derrick Juarez, sophomore, has they would go kill small animals and five pet ducks. bring them back up,” Koza said. “You just put them in a tunnel, and they just do the work. She never got anything because I always dug the tunnels for her.” Juarez also has different experiences with his pets, admitting when the animals first came in, he was unprepared with what to do. “When Louie, Houie, Douie, and all of them first came in, they were in a box, and when I opened it right away, they all jumped out and started like running around my kitchen, so it Maryjane Koza, was hard to catch sophomore, them,” Juarez said previously about the ducks’ owned three ferrets. funny antics. Gorecki, however interacts differently with his animals. “I go to a reptile shows twice a month, so I pose and sell them there,” Gorecki said. “Also peo-

ple around the school are interested in them, so they buy them.” At one point, Gorecki sold a snake for $300, although the average snake can sell anywhere from $1 to $1,000 depending on the gender and type of snake. Despite the common interest in animals most people share, Gorecki claims to choose his friends based on their reactions to his unique pets. “If people think that it’s weird that I’m into snakes like that, I just won’t talk to them,” Gorecki said. Despite being fun and adventurous animals, all the pet owners agree that having pets as unique as theirs comes with responsibilities. “[Ferrets] smell, so that has to be something you can deal with. They also need a lot of attention and care. And they get cancerous tumors really easily, so you have to be careful with how many treats you give them,” Koza said, “They are a lot to handle, they are nocturnal too. They sleep a lot, but they will wake up and they can be loud as [heck].” While fun, the pets can be a lot to handle and leave a mess, as seen in with Lilo and Stitch when Stitch leaves a trail of destruction in multiple places among the small-Hawaiian town. Whether snakes, ducks, or simply a golden retriever, all of the owners agree that having pets is a fun experience and teaches about not only companionship, but loyalty to others. bf

Get to know

Lilo and Stitch From an adorably destructive little blue alien to an even more adorable yet stubborn young girl, what is not to love about Disney’s Lilo and Stitch? After escaping an seemingly evil group of extraterrestrials planning to imprison him, an indestructible creation named “Stitch” crash lands on Earth, where he is adopted by a set of sisters looking for a pet dog. After discovering Stitch is not, in fact, from her planet, she devotes herself to preventing his capture, despite the destruction that seems to follow their path. Along with a fitting cast, the plot contains moments what will have viewers on the floor laughing, as well as sympathetic at times.

Find out more! Read about the laws and regulations on pet ownership in LZ.

@LZBearFacts | april 2015

If your class was a

m vie...

nial enna da g d n a fye by lexi

Find out more! Check out how other classes compare to childhood movies.

“I was thinking ‘It’s a Small World.’ My 2nd, 3rd, and 4th period classes run a preschool, and we have 24- 3 and 4 year olds running and playing.” around singing s -Rosemary Caparelli child development teacher

“Monsters, Inc. because I feel like I just worked a busy shift at the Scare Factory when class ends.” -Kristin Kronberg English teacher

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

“I actually have an image of the seven dwarfs on my classroom wall, so Snow White would be a good one.” - Emily Wiscomb Spanish teacher Sp

“In physics we use several dead rabbit furs for electrostatic labs. This reminds me a little of 101 Dalmations.” -Peter Kupfer physics teacher

“My 8th period seniors are like the friendly characters of Winnie the Pooh. They’re always excited for ‘storytime,’ whether I’m reading to them or they’re creating storybooks for projects. Plus, we definitely have an Owl and a couple Tiggers in the group, too!” -Carolyn Wagner English teacher photos by genna danial, lexi fye, madison hart, brianne saab, and carolyn wagner

@LZBearFacts | april 2015

Debating the Disney makes childhood magic by danna tabachnik

rom musical numbers performed by talking crabs, to a green one-eyed monster trying to perform stand up comedy, Disney creates the happiest of childhood memories. With the evolution of thoughts and ideas, Disney is continuing to push the limits and turn something great into something even better. “Disney broke stereotypes for girls in the media,” Laura Rolfes, senior, said. “Tangled, Brave, and Frozen all feature girls who don’t need a man to save them. It’s nice to know that there’s a place for little girls to have examples of females who are strong. They get awesome role models.” The movies are completely changing girls’ views about the world they are growing up in. “The movies are showing girls that just because there is a guy, you don’t have to date or marry them without really knowing them,” Rolfes said. “My favorite is Mulan. She’s strong and proved that girls can save the guy too.” Disney should be praised for throwing out the damsel in distress stereotype and teaching little girls not to spend their lives looking for their Prince Charmings, but instead to have their own adventures. “I think that it’s great that Elsa saved Anna in Frozen and it wasn’t a boy,” Rosemary Caparelli, Child Development teacher, said. “I think it’s certainly going to develop stronger characters for females.” Disney does have shortcom-

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

ings. For example, Caparelli says that some Disney movies may be too scary for little kids and says, “It’s important for parents to watch [the movies] with their children to explain it.” Yes, thee movies can be frightening, but Disney balances nces the serious and scary situations ations with the playful ayful and enjoyable fun. n. The musical aspect of Disney movies also al opens kids up to unknown worlds. lds. s “Disney definitely introduced d me to music,” ,” Rolfes said. “My parents weren’t n’t really into playing music around ound the housee only really had d Disney movies. I probably wouldn’t uldn’t have joined 4th grade choir oir if it wasn’t for the fact that we sang colors of the wind from m Pocahontas. Now w I’m a spirit leader women’s eader in women’ en’s choral.” No matterr what age, Disney songs can make anyone feell good. “‘Oh I Just st Can’t Wait To Be King’ from thee Lion King is my faavorite Disney song,” Rolfes said. “It always make me feel happy. It reminds me thatt I’m not always going to have to live at home or b bee treated like a little kid.”bf

Disney stereotype Disney princesses must diversify by brianne saab

f you are in a Disney movie, there are requirements to being a princess: small waist, round face, big eyes, gentle, slender, fragile, dainty and usually white. But real people are different from the screen. Few girls look like movie princesses, and Disney only presents one body type as ideal. Disney must work towards more diversity. “It’s not an accurate portrayal of all of society,” Amanda Fiddler, junior, said. “Some girls can fit into that [very thin] mold and some cannot. Even if you [compare the princesses] to someone today, it wouldn’t be proportional. It’s not something where you have, ‘a skinny girl.’ No, it literally is impossible.”

The idealized princess is a marketing ploy of sorts, aimed to be appealing to small children. The formula Disney has been using has worked for them so far, so they likely feel compelled to stick to it. If they feel too big to fail, they can afford to deviate from their customary unrealistic standards, and make movies that fit the real world. “They present an unrealistic model for girls,” Laura Stanton, English and reading teacher, said. “However, the Disney princesses are not the original versions of the stories. The traditional stories were meant to teach girls and boys moral lessons. The stories have evolved into these unrealistic versions [for] young females and what role they should play and how they should interact with other characters.” Indeed, these willowy, damsels are not always the best role models. That is not to say Disney isn’t making strides. Mulan is argu-

ably one of the best examples: clever, well-written, and powerful, despite its heroine fitting the tradition. Also, she is the first Asian princess, giving those young girls the first strong princess of their own. However, only four princesses of twelve are ethnic, one for each minority, contrasted with eight white princesses. Young ethnic girls do not have many princesses who look like them to idolize. But racial diversity also has a benefit to the girls who do see themselves represented by exposing them to those who are different. “Disney has this unique opportunity where they can be interacting with young girls and feeding these ideas to them, so why not?” Fiddler said. “Even with Pocahontas, factually it was completely inaccurate. But there the was some element of truth in it, which got girls interested. When you have an opportunity like that, where you can share things and get wh them the interested in it, you should.” It is important for girls of all types typ to see themselves represented so they know they can be princesses too. too It is not impossible for girls to receive positive reinforcement from rec other oth sources, but it is best to hear it from fro as many places as they can. Everyy girl deserves to feel like a princess. ces “You have to know within yourself sel that you are a princess and a queen,” Greta (Mama Love) Robertson-Haynes, security officer, said. “You have to be brought up with that, instilling good qualities in you. Your parents have a huge impact on you as a person.” bf @LZBearFacts | april 2015

Just keep Swimming Teacher dives into studies by jenny steinberg

The ocean remains one of the most undiscovered places in the world. The vast worlds the ocean offers, from coral reefs to open sea, covers more than 70 percent of the world’s surface. It is no wonder Dory tells Marlin to “just keep swimming” in Finding Nemo. That is a lot of water to cover considering ninety-five percent of the ocean remains a mystery. Science teacher Nicole Collins was not daunted, however, and dove into pursing her passion in Marine Biology. Before becoming a chemistry and Earth Science teacher, Nicole Collins’ days were spent in the Florida Keys researching coral. However, to get to that point, Col-

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

lins attended Indiana University, even though it did not have a huge marine biology program; it took Collins an extra semester to graduate due to her focus in her major. During college, Collins studied abroad in Queensland, Australia at the James Cook University—the world’s largest university for marine biology located on the Great Barrier Reef. The summer programs she participated in opened doors for opportunities, according to Collins. She landed a job at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) in the Florida Keys, where Collins spent two years researching coral recruitment and artificial reef systems.

“For the artificial reef systems, I was really studying ship wrecks. We would see what kind of substrates we could sink, mostly shipwrecks, in order to get corals to recruit since there is a lot of degradation of the coral with people destroying it,” Collins said. “Coral will attach to any hard, clean substrate, so we sunk the U.S.S. Spiegel Grove, which is a World War II vessel once it became a historic ship after 50 years.” To receive conclusive results about what substrates corals attach to, Collins went on dives to measure the corals’ growth rate. Being able to summarize the research and receiving good results is one of the most rewarding parts, Collins said.

photo used with permission of nicole collins

“Being able to come to a final conclusive answer [about coral growth rates] and help the environment that way really is gratifying and self-fulfilling,” Collins said. “You see a lot of people in college who do research and they never get conclusive results in the field and they can’t figure out what the problem is or a solution to something. It’s really great being able to resolve issues.” After a few years of research, Collins decided to go into teaching with a concentration in science and brought techniques she used at NOAA into the classroom. “I thought it’d be really great to bring that research aspect into teaching and really do a lot of labs and

teach the kids how to use good research methods as well,” Collins said. Even though Collins is not currently active in marine biology any more, she still ‘keeps swimming’ as Dory would say. She goes scuba diving and is planning on earning her dive master certification for better dives; all she has left is earning her rescue diver certification. She encourages students to purse what they love. “Whether it’s marine biology or whatever the students are interested in, just really follow your passion,” Collins said. “You will be successful no matter what you do as long as you stick to your gut, follow through with what you want to do. Really, you guys can achieve anything.” bf

Nicole Collins, science teacher, began diving as a teenager and continues diving today. She is even talking with two other teachers about working towards receiving the dive master certification—one of the highest certifications. During her time in the Florida Keys, Collins researched corals on sunken ships (far right). “Some of my favorite dives are just going through the shipwrecks. Once you go [down] like 50-60 feet and [you] really see the new corals an and all the life just gathering on the sh ships after you’ve sunk them,” Collin lins said. “[One of my favorite things ab about diving] I think is just being at pe peace with the world. You get down th there and it looks like a glass top. You ar are in a completely different place where most people will never go and it’s the most unresearched, undiscovered place on the planet.”

Find out more! A student starts early on pursing a career in marine science.

@LZBearFacts | april 2015

The PARENT TRAP Twins have LZHS seeing double by emmy schwerdt

P People find it hard to tell them aapart and even call them by the wrong names, which makes it w eeasy for these identical twins tto trade places. Sound like the plot of The Parent Trap? Close. p IIt is actually real life for seniors Haley and Emily Stevens, as H well as sophomores Maddy w and Makenzie Bridges.

To you, what is the difference between your relationship as twins versus regular siblings? Makenzie (on left): A lot of it is the same, but Maddy and I are closer than I am with my brother and other sister. I always have someone I can hang out with and we do almost everything together.

Is there anything you dislike about being a twin? Maddy (right): We get into a lot of fights that make it seem like we’re [professional fighters] or something. She can say the most stupid things sometimes that make me want to strangle her and it gets really annoying.

Did you know? The original version of The Parent Trap, released in 1961, won three awards, including Best Edited Feature Film in the America Cinema Editors. It was also nominated for an additional five awards, including two Oscars. The movie has produced three sequels, had a theatrical re-release, and was remade in 1998, starring Lindsay Lohan. source: imdb.com

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

What is your favorite thing about being a twin? Maddy: I like [having a twin] because I know I’ll always have someone that I know around me to hang out with. I’m never lonely and I know she’ll always have my back. I can talk to her about everything.

What is the most frustrating or annoying question n the two of you get asked? Haley: It gets annoying noying when people ask “How do you tell you guys apart?” because I never know what to say. We look alike, but I don’t think it’s hard to tell us apart if you u know us.

Is there anything g you dislike about being a twin? n? Emily: It puts our friends in an awkward situation becausee they see us as a package deal. Theyy think that if they invite one of us to do something, they have to invite the other. The reality ty is, I would like some sepaaration sometimes. I feel el like people just don’t real-ize that we are individuals. s.

What’s the best part about having a twin? in? Emily: It’s greatt to have someone there to listen isten and understand where you u are coming from. Haley: It’s like having an automatic best friend from birth. It’s really cool how there is always someone you u can count on.

Find out more! Check out our website to find out what it is like to raise identical twins!

photo illustrations by emmy schwerdt

What’s the funniest story that’s happened because you’re twins?

Makenzie: When we were playing soccer, I would always get in trouble with the referee and he would yell at Maddy, and he even gave her a card once [thinking she was me.] Maddy: One time we were talking to these people that we had just met and we had convinced them that I was [Makenzie] and she was me, and they told all of their friends. After we tried to tell them we were joking, they wouldn’t believe us for a couple of hours and we had to get our friends to back us up and tell them that we were just kidding.

Emily: [I’ll be] walking in the hallway and people who I’ve never seen before come up to me and start a conversation. It’s obvious they know Haley and think I’m her. I just go along with it and pretend to be Haley, it’s fun. Haley: Last year, Emily and I were at the grocery store and the woman checking us out asked if I was Emily’s mom. Emily, the bagger, and I all started cracking up and I told her we were identical twins. She started freaking out and yelling in the middle of the store. bf

@LZBearFacts | april 2015

Student makes films

by by meagan bens Everything is awesome according to The Lego Movie Movie.. When it takes days and even months of filming to make a 10 minute Lego video, everything may be less than awesome, but that does not stop senior Mike Ewan from singing Legos’ praises. “I first started creating these videos after I saw some films on YouTube dur-

ferent sets in the films,” Ewan said. “You have to figure out the backgrounds and characters. Then you can start filming and that is just mike ewan taking a bunch of pic- senior tures and slowly moving characters around. Once you have that,

animations animat tio ions ns ooff Lego go bri go bricks ick ckss and char characrac ters to create creaate te a or LegoMations, LegoMations ns, ar ns aree

“To make a half hallf dedecent video, you need need

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Grant Wallace, senior and Ewan’s friend, said fr sai he created a Lego stop moti scene once and understands Ewan’s tion passsion fo pa passion for the time-consuming hobby. “On O e time I tried filming [a Lego “One

The Lego Movie Review lace said. “It’s just so cool. I made a ghetto version with army men, and even in its ghetto format, it was beautiful. It took four hours to get thirty seconds, but it was beautiful at the end. It made me think of Mike’s videos, especially the videos Mike took a lot of time on, the ones you know took weeks, and it made me realize it is so awesome. The fluidity of all the pictures is amazing.” Ewan creates the videos by himself, but he has had friends help him voice his films. “I helped Mike a few times with school projects,” Logan Ejupi, senior, said. “The voice overs are pretty quick. I just sit in front of a computer with a script and it usually takes three to four takes for each line. It takes one to two hours tops, which is nothing compared to the days of work Mike puts in to creating the animation.” After collaborating with Ewan, Ejupi said he is amazed at Ewan’s motivation and dedication to create the short films. “I think it’s incredible. I’ve seen the set ups he has had in his basement before for ongoing projects,” Ejupi said. “The amount of time his puts into it and the detail is so cool to see. I never watched him work, but I have talked to him enough to know the work that goes into moving each mini figure just a fraction of an inch, hundreds or thousands of times. It’s a really cool hobby to have.”

Ewan has had his friend Wallace also voice over his videos. Wallace said he is fascinated with Mike’s diligence and work ethic. “His videos are fantastic. I didn’t realize you could make something so artistic, something so artistic by taking a lot of photos and putting them together,” Wallace said. “I mean, that’s film in general, it is just a bunch of pictures, but we don’t realize it. When you have that much detail and focus, it is really amazing what you can come up with.” Although Ewan has not made as many videos lately, he said he would like to continue creating videos if he had the time. “I have written scripts for stuff, but I haven’t had time to make them,” Ewan said. “There are other things I want to work on, and d now I am focusing on college. In middle school, I considered going into something film related while I was creating these short films. Now I am going into engineering, but it is the same idea of building ng stuff and seeing how things work, ork, which is some of the creativityy that comes from Legos.” bf

The Lego Movie, is a fun film for all ages. Although the movie is based on building blocks that kids play with, the movie is entertaining, filled with laugh out loud moments, and has thoughtful messages incorporated into it. The exceptional animation and perfect voice cast also contributes to the movie’s overall success. photo illustrations by meagan bens

Find out more! Check out our website to see Mike Ewan’s LegoMations.

@LZBearFacts | april 2015

It’s your

last chance!

What movie would be best for a team movie night?

bears box

“The Sandlot because our team is all about friends. We have that spark relationship with each other, and we all work hard together.”

mark blonski baseball GAMES PLAYED ON WEEKENDS AND A FEW EVENINGS UNDER THE LIGHTS. GAMES DO NOT CONFLICT WITH HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER PROGRAMS. OPEN TO ALL. WHETHER YOU ARE CURRENTLY ON THE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAM OR JUST WANT TO CONTINUE PLAYING BASEBALL, EVERYONE IS WELCOME. WE ATTEMPT TO HONOR ALL PLAYER REQUESTS TO PLAY TOGETHER. First come, first served.

freshman

“Finding Nemo because Marlin has to work with other fish to find Nemo, and on a team you have to work together to get the goal.”

juliana hood sophomore softball “I would pick Toy Story because it’s a really childish movie, and everyone can feel comfortable with everyone else.”

joaquin ganoza tennis

junior

“I would say Frozen because we are all sisters. Also, our victory song for after games is ‘Let it go.’”

maggie tuckey soccer 18

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

senior

sports highlights

girls’ lacrosse With six games under their belt so far, the girls’ lacrosse team is moving forward and working towards their goal of maintaining a 70 percent win ratio. In order to win more games, the team as a whole has been improving their bonding skills. Their main goal is to rank in the top 15 teams in the State, according to Emily Gillespie, junior attacker. “We’ve been trying to bond outside of practice by [hanging out,]” Gillespie said. “We’re putting in one hundred percent at practice, staying conditioned, and encouraging each other to work harder and not give up.” For Gillespie, the work ethic and dedication she has seen from her teammates during practice and games reminds her of several popular movies. “I think we’re The Sandlot because we all work well together on and off the field and we are always here for each other,” Gillespie said. “[I think we are also like] The Hunger Games because we don’t give up without a fight.”

girls’ soccer

The boys’ varsity baseball team has started up this year’s season with several new changes. “The biggest change [to our team this year] is how we are focusing much more on our pitching and how we’re trying to set a goal for every pitcher each week,” Nick Sanders, junior and varsity baseball captain, said. “We also picked captains in the beginning of the season instead of waiting.” Along with new goals, there are going to be new changes made to the field as well. “We’re fixing our pitching mound,” Sanders said. “We’re going to make it a lot better than last year’s because there’s going to be a lot more announcing during the games.” Although what they show their spectators at games is a newly polished program, they believe one of their best aspects is the comradery of the team, which connects them to a classic baseball movie. “[We’re like] The Sandlot,” Sanders said. “It shows not only are we a team, but we’re friends, too.”

boys’ baseballl

The girls’ soccer team this year is Kicking and Screaming, according to Madeline Blasko, junior varsity soccer player, not because they are angry or violent, but because their team is so diverse and has a lot of talent. “Just like the team in the movie Kicking and Screaming, all of us are diverse and we all bring something different to the table that sets us apart,” Blasko said. “Despite our differences, we all have that common and underlying love for the sport. We all come

from different friend groups and backgrounds, but we really connect on the field.” Although the team has challenging goals, they take every opportunity they get to work towards success. “We are out there working hard every day at practice,” Blasko said. “We also have a big team bonding event, like last year the whole team went paintballing. We take every chance we get to grow closer and build our team’s bonds because it definitely shows on and off the field.” @LZBearFacts | april 2015

A hollywood staple is overcoming adversity, which the boys’ tennis team knows about all too well this year. “Nine seniors graduated last year, so a lot of people who were on JV last year moved up,” Roberto Guagnelli, sophomore singles player, said. “I think it is going to be good because it is like a fresh start. I feel like those new people will get the chance to improve and to win some matches and prove themselves as good tennis players.” Luckily, these players don’t

girls’ track A silver screen football team has a lot to teach the boys’ volleyball team according to Daniel Kraversky, sophomore varsity player. “I’d say [we are like] Remember the Titans,” Kraversky said, “because they were underdogs, and even though we’re good, I feel like we can accomplish a lot more than people expect from us.” His confidence may come from the fact that many of last year’s players are returning this year.

“[The players are] all returning veterans of the sport,” Kraversky said. “Since we have experience and we have pretty good chemis-

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

have to perservere alone despite the individual nature of the game. In the end, each player has the full support of their team, according to Guagnelli. “We work individually or with a partner, so we can be separate,” Guagnelli said. “But at the end of the day, we are all working for the same team.” The team has exceeded their initial expectations at the beginning of the season to gel together and all work towards sectionals at the end of the year, which they are hopeful for.

boys’ tennis

As girls’ track and field enter their outdoor season, the team expects a strong year due to the difference in coaching staff. “I think this year, Coach Antczak has a little more experience with coaching, and also we have a new jumping coach and a new pole vault coach, so that should impact the team a lot,” Mackenzie Weider, sophomore varsity jumper, said. Weider, like many others, has already bested her personal record. Since last season, Weider is now jumping five inches higher in high jump.

Due to the sand in the jumping pit and the altogether closeness of the team, Weider believes if the team’s season had a movie, it would be The Sandlot. Not only is the team closer together, but once a teammate is injured or endures adversity, the team works together, much like the group of friends in the movie, according to Weider. After having three indoor meets and improving their “togetherness”, Weider said the team is looking forward to the more competitive outdoor season and hoping to stay healthy.

try, I feel like we can accomplish a lot as a team and as a program as well.” With the returning players and their experience, as of press time, the team has played one tournament and is learning to play with new people. “We didn’t really get enough practice [for the tournament],” Kraversky said. “But I think we played well. We had good competition. We won one, lost three, but we played some of the better teams in this tournament. We played better as the tournament went a long, and we got to feel each other out, so we got more chemistry as a team.”

boys’ volleyball

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Although there are not a lot of lacrosse movies, the team can relate to the movie Crooked Arrows, according to Ryan Andrasco, sophomore varsity player. “Just like in Crooked Arrows, we are viewed as underdogs,” Andrasco, said. “We have a lot of heart for the game, and if we push ourselves, than anything is possible this year.” Crooked Arrows centers on a lacrosse team making its way through a prep school league tournament. Andrasco says he really relates to the movie. “When I first started [playing

lacrosse], my team was very inexperienced and didn’t know each other, so we spent as much time working together as we could,” Andrasco said. “Similarly to the movie, where they grow to compete against the best, by my second year, we had already fought to that same position.” With the season just beginning, the team has not gotten a chance to reach their full potential, according to Andrasco. However, that does not mean that they are not thinking about the future as the team is one of the newest additions to the A division playoffs.

all photos and articles by bear facts staff

girls’ softball With multiple wins under their belt at a spring break tournament in Tennessee, the varsity softball team is ready to make their mark back in Illinois. Melissa Goldberg, junior and varsity short-stop, believes her team is like the players in The Sandlot. “I feel like we’re unexpected to do good,” Goldberg said. “We’re kind of a new team because we lost a lot of great seniors last year, and we have just been putting a lot of time and effort into it and I think it’s starting to pay off already. So we’ve been seeing a lot of improvements.” The varsity team is similar to the starring team in the movie by how they cheer each other on, according to Goldberg. The idea of support is very important to their team and their atmosphere. “We always cheer each other on during games,” Goldberg said. “We always support each other and pick each other up.” By cheering each other on, they are able to perform better on the field, according to Goldberg.

“We work hard,” Goldberg said. “I think we might surprise people.”

boys’ lacrosse

The boys’ track team is directing themselves towards an Unbroken season, focusing on dedication and succeeding, according to Kyle Fitzgerald, sophomore, who runs the 800 and 1600 meter dash. “One way the movie reflects [this] is when they are stranded on the boat, they work as a team and push each other to keep going, similar to how we push one another to keep improving as a whole,” Fitzgerald said. Working together is a way the track team is working towards meeting their goals: winning conference as a team and sending as many people to State as possible. “We keep each other in check by making sure we’re all doing the little things, like stretching or lifting,” Fitzgerald said. “We also remind each other [of ] our goals and what we’re working for to keep a good mindset.” To emphasize these goals even more, Fitzgerald and the team write down goals before meets. “I think it’s beneficial because it’s a reminder of where you should be performing in your event after each meet and where you actually are,” Fitzgerald said. “After the meets, we look back at our goals and if we didn’t achieve them, we think about why and what we can do differently to achieve it in following meets.”

boys’ track @LZBearFacts | april 2015

Matt Svanson

Caitlin Shepard

Meagan Bens

Athlete of the Month Brittney Pettinger

Steven Gore

Jessica Kwak

Dante Manley

Tommy Orchard

Bear Facts asked all varsity coaches of sports in season to nominate an â&#x20AC;&#x153;athlete of the monthâ&#x20AC;? for their sport. Their nominees are listed below for sports in season as of press time. 22

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com

Joe Trudeau

all photos and articles by bear facts staff

Rachel Dawson

Girls’ Lacrosse Jessica Kwak, senior “As a senior on the team, she was voted as a captain by her peers and coaches. She is a phenomenal athlete and leader who always goes above and beyond to help her team both on and off the field.” -Megan Pender Boys’ Volleyball Tommy Orchard, senior “Tommy is a senior captain. He has been on varsity since his freshman year, and each year he improves as a volleyball player and a leader. He is dedicated in both practices and matches. He supports the varsity team and the lower levels as well. He epitomizes who any coach would want.” -Lesly Ravenscraft Softball Brittney Pettinger, senior Rachel Dawson, senior “They are seniors who have stepped into a leadership role for our young team. They demonstrate how things are done and make sure that everyone is working hard at becoming a better softball player and teammate.” -Amanda Rodriguez Baseball Matt Svanson, sophomore “Matt Svanson threw a perfect game, which could possibly be the first in school history. We cannot find another report of this extremely rare feat ever happening from past coaches. -Chuck Gandolfi Girls’ Soccer Meagan Bens, senior “I’d like to nominate Meagan Bens for the Girls Soccer Athlete of the Month. Meagan is a three year varsity player and will always give her all for the team.” -Mike Castronova

Boys’ Track Dante Manley, senior “Dante has been working really hard at practice, and he’s been a good leader for us in the indoor season. He scored a lot of points for our team in a lot of indoor meets.” -Randal Dunbar Boys’ Lacrosse Joe Trudeau, freshman “Unlike most freshmen, Joe always wanted to go against the best players. In practice, he would line up against the seniors. He wants to be the best and do his best. As our young season has progressed, Joe has played multiple positions and filled multiple roles, always working with his coaches. Joe embodies exactly what our program is all about: effort, attitude and the pursuit of excellence. ” -Michael Sutton Boys’ Tennis Steven Gore, senior “He brings a ton of enthusiasm to practice every day. He also keeps the mood light while still being a leader, working hard and pushing his teammates to be better.” -Aaron Rogers Girls’ Track Caitlin Shepard, junior “Caitlin and the rest of her distance teammates have put forth a tremendous effort in their early season indoor training. Caitlin’s tenacious work habits allowed her to qualify for the 2 mile run at the Prep Top Times meet.If Caitlin continues to do the little things right and is a dedicated teammate, she will be our first distance state qualifier since 2012.” -David Antczak @LZBearFacts | april 2015

photos used with permission of peter iliopoulos, cind kennedy, mary kalafut, sam soto, kyra ripoli, and bear facts staff

april 2015 | LZBearFacts.com