Bear Facts Student Media May 2019

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VOL. 31 ISSUE 4

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U TS ST DENT C FA MAY. 2019

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students cap their past as they move into the future

a note from the Editor Dear Reader, Welcome to our final issue of Bear Facts for the 2018-2019 school year! This issue we focused our attention towards the seniors as they begin their adventure into the real world. As a junior going into my senior year, I am in the stages of looking at colleges and beginning the process of loooking at my future life once I leave the Lake Zurich bubble; however, my excitement for college life has come with a lot of nerves, whether it be worrying about finding the wrong roomate or not getting into the college I want, or something else. Seniors are finally in this wonderful position of not having to fret about this issue and have a whole realm of possibility and opportunity in front of them because they have already chosen their colleges. At the same time, they are backed by how lznation has prepared them to take on their futures.

How we have grown up surrounded by the community and district we live in has shaped us in the present and our future selves as well. Despite having grown up in relatively similar environements regarding the high school’s community, each and every senior has had different experiences hat have determined their reasons for choosing a particular major or career path.We set aside a section of our magazine this issue to cover some of these individual seniors who had an interesting story be shared!

In our Spotlight section of this issue, we asked seniors to reflect on how their pasts have shaped them to take on their future endevours, and the feedback was fascinating. According to a survey of 176 students sent out by Bear Facts Student Media, 83.5% of students believe that high school has prepared them for their future. Only 16.5% of students feel that high school has not.The results varied due to the people taking the survey with multiple perspectives. With people who take certain classes in high school in order to get a head start on their experience in college by graduating early, these perspectives are going to inevitably vary from person to person. On the other hand, we also included coverage on some individuals who have decided to live in the moment and create new memories through traveling.

We would like to thank you for supporting our award-winning publication as our staff works hard to produce interesting and relevant material. Please enjoy this issue of Bear Facts and check out our website LZBearFacts.com for more!

BEAR FACTS STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MAGAZINE

parul pari

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF, DIGITAL

madeleine lawler caroline sun SECRETARY

ruby lueras

BUSINESS MANAGERS

max feldman ellie melvin

SPORTS EDITOR

alex ketcham

STAFF WRITERS

sreelikhi vangavolu marissa drake annette suk ADVISER

carolyn wagner Cover by Parul Pari

Sincerely,

Parul Pari Editor-in-Chief for Magazine

ABOUT US The mission of Bear Facts Student Media is to provide a fair and accurate voice for students in an open forum and to enable them to develop informed opinions about relevant issues. Bear Facts is an open forum publication, prepared entirely by the students of the Bear Facts Student Media staff. The adviser is responsible for making recommendations based on school rules, applicable laws, ethical journalism, and other concerns. However, final authority rests with the staff. We always seek to uphold standards of journalistic integrity, acceptable ethics, and truth. All interested students, faculty, and community members are invited to submit Letters to the Editor. Stu-

dents can submit their writing or concerns by emailing Bear_Facts@LZ95.org. Note: the staff reserves the right to edit any material submitted while retaining intent.

Bear Facts also publishes daily coverage online at http://www.lzbearfacts.com and tweets/instgrams from @LZBearFacts.

For a complete editorial policy, please see our website.

ADVERTISING To advertise in Bear Facts magazine or online, please contact our editorial board at Bear_Facts@LZ95.org.

Prices vary on size and placement of the advertisement; see our website for exact costs.

BEAR FACTS STUDENT MEDIA

Lake Zurich High School 300 Church Street Lake Zurich, IL 60047 (847) 540-4642

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

News in Brief written by

Madeleine Lawler

editor-in-chief, digital

New graduation cord policy explained Cords to be reduced in number, not removed Fewer graduation chords will be given out this year, in an attempt by administration to narrow the focus of Senior Honors Night and make the celebration smaller.

Despite rumors, cords won’t be disappearing at graduation this year but rather given out only for nationally or state-recognized awards, not LZHS only clubs. The policy is being put into effect for the first time this spring, and administration team members such as Ryan Rubenstein, Vice President of Student Activities, hope the new rules will limit the number of cords and more clearly define the neccesary requirements to receive cord.

“Over the course of time the meaning of [the cords] and who was getting them was not in line with what we were trying to accomplish. There was no criteria for certain clubs and certain activities, and they were just giving it out for participation more or less,” Rubenstein said. “What we are moving to is [activities] that fall into one of four categories: recognition, community, building,

Photo by Madeleine Lawler

or departmental, in other words, they have national [or state] recognition, so the national organizations set whatever the standards are for graduation cords.”

Some seniors, however, feel the new criteria excludes certain clubs and activities that aren’t nationally recognized, but still put in many hours and work.

“I feel like [the new policy] is good because people are going to start doing things not just for cords, but it’s also frustrating when you do a club all year, and you do a bunch of extra hours and then you don’t have anything to show for it at graduation,” Maddie Sterling, senior, said. “Especially when a lot of other schools have a bunch of cords, then it just looks like you weren’t involved when you definitely were.”

Regardless of student frustrations, Rubenstein says the change is being positively received by teachers, and that the change will remain the same unless issues come up this year.

“From a teacher’s perspective, the feedback that we’ve gotten has been positive. Teachers said that they were feeling the same way that we were,” Rubenstein said. “So we’ll see how this year goes, if we need to make adjustments we’re open to that discussion as well.”

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NEWS may 2019

3

callie_kleinke

Dorm bound

LZ LIFE

how students find their college roommates

Annette Suk staff writer

College can be a new step into a future career and long-lasting relationships. With the grip of parent protection lessening, the door to a newfound freedom opens. In recent years, colleges have made the transition easier and allow students to choose their roommates. With different rules and options for living, college is a new experience in many ways.

To some, living with friends may seem more appealing than living with a stranger. Assuming she would have an entertaining time turned into a mess for Molly McDonough, English teacher, who lived off campus during college with her friend. She expected living with her friend to be interesting and easy. Instead, her expectations changed as she faced new responsibilities and strained tensions within her friendship.

“I thought it was going to be amazing. I’m not in my house, I don’t live with my family anymore, it’s going to be so much fun. I

4

LZ LIFE may 2019

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te Roomma cago

Chi coming to hey! are u eet! need to m e w ? on so

it but i anning on ip;) i’m i wasn’t pl se tr ri rp su a could plan to meet u! so excited ld be me:) it wou lly u can co ok! hopefu eet m ly al fin so nice to for ng. i’ll look d for too lo tu we’ve waite kets tonight and le u e tic some plan wait to get to know n’t know. i ca ) o: more to

thought it was gomy own roommates just to go ok i have ing to be the time because my cousins had .

Photo used with permission of Callie Kleinke catching up it was fun of my life. Then, see ya once I started livcallie_kleinke committed and looking for a roommate! carolinee_sun congrats i’m so proud of you :) ing with them, _parul_p ily have fun in college! there was definitehorror choose marissa0drake have an amazing time<3 stories of random ly more than that: roommates.

I think it adds o u r like responsibilities and a sense of security. You making sure that you’re roommates, and I prefer know who your own roomdoing what you have to. that because that way we mate is, so you can get to One friendship that I had can choose someone who know them more personwas completely destroyed we think is similar to us ally and you can choose because we lived together,” in that we could be really them,” Schwab said.

McDonough said. good friends with or have For McDonough, who As students search for the same living style has already experienced college, she believes it is important to live with new “One friendship that I had was compeople and branch out. pletely destroyed because we lived Living with a friend may together. initially seem like the best choice, but it could result Molly McDonough, in a disaster, according to English teacher McDonough.

“I think that it’s good their new roommates, they as us,” Kleinke said. to have the opportuniare also searching for po- For Taylor Schwab, ty to meet new people tential friends who possess senior, she also preferred [though],” McDonough their same values. Prepar- to choose her roommate said. “ I think it’s a good ing to attend Ohio State because it added a sense of learning experience: learnUniversity, Callie Kleinke, security for her. She choose ing to communicate what senior, was searching for a to pick her roommate after you’re expecting [out] of roommate who she could hearing horror stories of in a relationship.” bond well with and who random roommates from would not get up “extreme- her cousins. ly early in the morning.”

“I would say I defi “[My university] let us nitely feel better choosing

“

Finding home away from home the moment we found the perfect college

“[The feeling I got] is hard to explain,” Loverde said. “You look around, and you can imagine yourself walking there. You feel Caroline Sun editor-in-chief, digital comfortable, there’s no sense of angst or doubt and you just know From rooming situations to extracurriculars to presthat this is it. You feel a sense of tige to offered majors, there is a slew of reasons that calm and a feeling of home withstudents decide on a college. And while all of these out it being your own home yet, logical factors are considered thoroughly when it because it will be, for the next comes to choosing a college, for some seniors, the decifour years of your life.” sion to commit ends ultimately with a gut feeling, a For Loverde, spark, a moment of clarity that opens their that feeling eyes to the possibilities of the future. of belonging she found at Augustana is visitof seniors s s le only the beginning of or ed seven re fo her exciting journey. be colleges . e With the next four n o finding the years, she says that s h e will be rooming with her “best friend since kindergarten, which was destined

86.2%

Alex Williams, senior

Grace Loverde, senior to happen”, while pursueing her love of golf.

“The coach’s morals and the way he teaches the team just reflect exactly what I want,” Loverde said.

“I’m so extremely excited to golf there and get better and meet a whole new group of girls who love the sport just as much as I do.”

88.

8%

of s sure eniors lege of th are e c olplan that to a t tten hey d

“It was my second visit of the college,” Williams said. “We got into our tour “I was walking groups and right as we turn around and through the start walking, I felt it right away. It was quad, looking this gut feeling that was like, ‘this is it, around, and it this is definitely it and I can totally see myself was just so pretty that I fell in here’. I could envision myself walking across love right away,” Webster said. the campus and being a student there, and I just “There was definitely this spark got so caught up in the moment.” that I just felt.”

Although Williams says that he has “always While Webster eventually had a hunch” that he would end up going to found her match in Illinois the University of Iowa, he did not choose it just State University, she said her because it was his parents’ alma mater. For him, college search was the decision was made by his college moment, very difficult, as but also the colllege aesthetic, his major in she had to consider nursing, and the way “the whole town many factors, such as really focuses on being a college are her major in educas town for the students, and or seni excited tion, her proximity f o everyone’s super supportfor e to home, and her dimor nervous ive of the university.” n etary restrictions. a h t

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1 6

Danielle Webster, senior “The size of [the campus] is perfect, they have lots of gluten-free options, it’s also close enough to home that I can visit my parents and sister,” Webster said.

However, in the end, despite purposely choosing a college closer to home, she still looks forward to the adventure of “closing a chapter of my life and starting a new one”.

Photos by the Bear Facts staff

LZ LIFE may 2019

5

We are LZ, but who are we really?

LZ through the decades is settled by Europeans. Two pioneers are George Ela and Seth Paine.

1896: The

village of Lake Zurich is incorporated.

Percent of students in high school

1830: The LZ area

80

82%

70 60 50

Ellie Melvin

Ethnicity: LZHS vs. high schools nationally LZHS statistics

50%

national statistics

40 30 20

7% 5%

10 0

staff writer

We’re loyal to you, Zurich High; we’re white and we’re blue; we’re fighting bears, fighting bears, rah, rah, rah! LZ is all this and more, but discovering the school’s true identity may take looking beyond the town and even beyond Illinois. So what defines LZ?

White

Asian

7% 25% 1% 16%

Hispanic

Black

1% 1%

2% 3%

Am. Indian

Two or more

Ethnicity of students according to illinoisreportcard.com

All about AP

1929: Ela-Vernon Township High School is founded.

How many AP classes are at area high schools?

1969: Vernon

Township builds its own Stevenson High School, and Ela renames Lake Zurich High School.

30

according to illinoishsglorydays.com

6

LZ LIFE may 2019

96

.6%

of L Zs ate tude hig nts h s gra cho duol

Lake Zurich High School

Majority graduates

27

Stevenson High School

21

Buffalo Grove High School

18

Wauconda High School

2018: The high

school coins the motto “We are LZ!”

Hats off to LZHS

according to illinoisreportcard.com

“I think a lot of our students have their eyes on a two or a four year degree and moving into some career that very often requires that,” Bo Vossel, principal, said. “I think that’s a value of our community to a large extent.” according to Josh Minsley, director of assessment, policy, and programs

84%

of students nationwide graduate high school according to usnews.com

Not an average student

one student juggles two languages Ruby Lueras staff writer

After seven years away from home, David PaBello has been juggling high school life in Lake Zurich.

David PaBello, senior, has grown up speaking two languages: Spanish and English. Although he was born Barrington, IL, he spent most of his adolescence in Mexico, where he solely spoke Spanish. Returning to a country you have not seen in seven years can be daunting, but, it’s easier with support, according to PaBello. When PaBello came back from Mexico his age placed him in the fourth grade, but since he did not speak English, he was held back a grade to receive extra help.

“The experience was very supportive overall. [My teachers] were just trying to help me with anything that I needed help David PaBello is enrolled in ELL classes to help with his mastery of with. Nobody spoke any Spanish in the classroom and every English. The class provides a lot more than just learning however. “You meet a lot of different people from other countries,” Pabello said. “It’s teacher spoke English at that time, the way that I learned the sort of like a small family” (Photo by Ruby Lueras). language was a little different,” PaBello said. “It was mainly by playing music and listening to the ABCs on a DVD, and my gram] so that I could have a little more support throughout my teacher would just go along with it. She would say, ‘David, four years of high school,” PaBello said. “I’m now a senior in talk to me,’ and she would talk [the program], but I only have to me, in almost sign language, my research class, which is that’s how I basically started where I have my teacher as I came back to America not knowlearning the language.” a resource to help if I have ing any English at all, and on the first day The experience from when any problems with my homeof school all I wanted was to go home he was younger has changed acwork.” cording to Pabello.

Michelle Warnimont, ELL because I was scared, and couldn’t unIn middle teacher, has had PaBello in derstand what anyone was saying.” school, he her class for four years of high David PaBello school. She has seen him exit senior in ELL classes the English part of the ELL program freshman year- to being in the research portion. was introduced to English Lan- “He’s one of my favorite students. He’s always asking quesguage Learner Classes (ELL) tions, not only about the homework but just really insightful that assist students in learn- questions about the world,” Warnimont said. “He’s very funny, ing the English language. very charismatic, and always helping other students.”

He continues those Forming connections has always been a part of PaBellos classes in high school, journey- whether it be with students or with the teachers he has although the structure met along the way. He remembers the teachers who taught him of the classes has and helped him grow when he was younger. been morphed to fit “I had an ELL teacher [in middle school] that I still rememhis needs. ber. I still see her when we go to conferences that they hold at

“My teacher from the high school for people that are in the ELL program,” PaBelmiddle school want- lo said. “I also have seen my teacher from elementary school ed me to stay a little there. About three years ago, I talked with her and it was great longer [in the ELL pro- because she was there for me when I didn’t know any English.”

“

LZ LIFE may 2019

7

SPOTLIGHT

#WeWereLZ

students use past trials to move forward Max Feldman staff writer Sreelikhi Vangavolu staff writer

As seniors leave for colleges across the country, students are they’re sacrificing vital life skills, experiences, healthy relalooking back on what got them where they are now. tionships, and even their own happiness,” according to an There are those negative experiences: painful at the time, but intergenerational study from the National Citizen Service the struggle can turn into success that matters much more than (NCS) from the UK. “76 percent of 15 to 17-year-olds will cut any temporary hardship. The immediate outcome of a negative out friendships, family time, hobbies, and even sleep to achieve experience depends on the person, Leslie Thomas, guidance [success in the future].” counselor says. Some people will be able to come out of a bad Negativity shaping Positivity: experience without much trauma, but others will struggle much Whether it be a teacher or a student, nearly everyone can more, the counselor says. relate to going through a painful experi “There are people who have the abilence. ity to go through negative things and These experiences can shape people I think the values [my are able to process quickly and see the in different ways, and impact how you light on the other side. [They are able to] act in the future, students who have unsupporters] instilled in me: cope really easily, put it in the rearview negative experiences say. One that I matter, that my opinions dergone mirror, and move on with life,” Thomas of those students, Yusra Zakria, senior, matter, that I am intelligent, I said. “Then I think there’s a set of peosays that her experiences in middle ple that don’t ever get past those negative think those are the things that school have empowered her to work experiences, and it really has an impact harder for her career. are really going to drive me on their life.”

Zakria went through significant tor Although the negative experience ment from her peers, because “they felt further in my career. will always be initially painful at difthreatened by me since I was the same Yusra Zakria ferent levels, Thomas says that positive academic level as them even though I senior outcomes will be a long-lasting result. was a full year younger.” According According to the counselor, anyone who to Zakria, her peers would “bully me undergoes a painful experience will learn a lot about themselves. with verbal abuse”, including various slurs and rude comments.

“You get a sense of how strong you are as a person, and These comments hurt in particular because she “thought they how you deal with [the negative experience]. A strong person were my close friends, and then it was those very people who will go to therapy, or talk to people and get the help they need,” turned on me. I had trusted them so much, and that’s what realThomas said. “[You also learn] who your friends are, and who ly impacted me the hardest.” you can really count on for support.”

That impact caused her to lose confidence and hurt her in the While negative experiences shape people, so do the sacrifices short term, Zakria says. However, with the help of her parents people make. People often have to get rid of something they and teachers, Zakria says, she gained the values which allowed want to or something they are used to for a better future for her to thrive later on. themselves.

“I wasn’t able to focus because behind me I would hear peo “Young people are under so much pressure to excel that ple making comments about me, and swearing at me. So that’s

“

SPOTLIGHT may 2019

9

what affected me performance wise and made my grades dip lower temporarily,” Zakria said. “In the long run, I think the values [my supporters] instilled in me: that I matter, that my opinions matter, that I am intelligent, I think those are the things that are really going to drive me further in my career.”

Negative experiences will not always drive careers, but can impact how you act, Jennifer Ventrelle, math teacher, says. According to Ventrelle, she learned early on how treating people with disrespect can be traumatizing.

“I was in in third or fourth grade, and I was a very small person. There was this boy in my class who was very large, tall, just big, it was hard to think that we were the same age. We had a hot lunch day, and we were waiting in line in the classroom,” Ventrelle said. “He picked me up and threw me in a garbage can in our classroom. He just came and popped me in the garbage can, with no reason behind it whatsoever, I just got thrown in the garbage.”

While the experience was shocking at first, Ventrelle says being treated with such disrespect made her more compassionate in the long-run. As a result of the incident, she understands what others are going through, and is able to show empathy, Ventrelle says. “[Negative experiences] do shape your thoughts and future actions, and the way you treat people, because if you’ve been through some bad things so you can have a little bit of empathy for people,” Ventrelle said. “You always see those kids in class who are maybe a little more shy, or don’t have as many friends, in that class at least. So you try to be a little more sensitive, I just feel like I know what they are

10

SPOTLIGHT may 2019

going through and try to be a little more sensitive.”

Negative experiences will impact people in different ways, Thomas says, but they are crucial for living a healthy

and fulfilling life. According to Thomas, going through negative experiences is important for every high-schooler to prepare them for life outside of high school.

“As soon as you leave our doors and you graduate, life is going to happen and it’s going to hit you in the face. Most of our kids go to college, where they face adversity, and you need to know how to deal with that,” Thomas said. “You need to know how to pick yourself up and dust yourself off if you run into x, y, or z situation. If you have never had to do that before, you’re going to have a really hard time with it the first time it happens. Life in general is nothing but one big problem to solve after another.”

Making Sacrifices: Being an adolescent comes with the burden of making critical choices and sacrifices. The fear of the future drives students to make sacrifices which often times can result in positive outcomes.

Especially in this day and age, with constant pressure to get into a good college or to get a good job, students are forced to make sacrifices which they otherwise would not have, according to Aralia Pawlick, senior. “[A sacrifice I have made] is not joining as many clubs and sports as I could have due to my homework load. I haven’t spent as much time with my friends for the same reason,” Pawlick said.

“Because I’ve placed school obligations over most others, I’ve been less involved outside of school than I otherwise could have been.”

She discounts her success to some of the sacrifices she made throughout Photo by Sreelikhi Vangavolu her time in high school. Her hard work helped her to success, she says.

“I’ve gotten some scholarship senior prank and senior ditch day, offers for my grades, which is very but I still get to walk at graduagratifying,” Pawlick said. tion,” Faris said. “Graduating early Chloe Faris, January 2019 grad- allowed me a lot more time to take uate, also had to make numerous [classes at] CLC and work. I can sacrifices, including her entire sec- make money while taking classes ond semester of high school. Doing that will go to my college credit.” so required a lot Like Pawlick and of willpower, Faris, according Faris said. to a Bear Facts “I had to be survey, 90% of responsible as students of students have a student, so I h a v e made sacrifices took classes over m a d e which have helped the summer but sacrificthem in some way my senior year es which wasn’t that difhave helped ficult since I got them on their classes [like conpath to success. sumers education and government] However making sacrifices does out of the way,” Faris said. “I re- not guarantee success, according to ally like to challenge myself and Pawlick. get ahead so I feel like [graduating “[Making sacrifices] were not sucearly] was good for me.” cessful in helping me get into There are positives and nega- [getting into] my dream tives to sacrificing second semester school and other [instances of senior year, but the positives like those],” Pawlick said. weigh certainly weigh out the nega- “But I am happy with how tives, according to Faris.

I have spent my time at high “[Some things I’ve had to sac- school.” rifice were] things like the

78%

“

When people are really close to you, obviously you build up that relationship of trust, and a lot of times you will believe anything they say.”

Yusra Zakria

senior

Photo by Max Feldman

Cultural Connections Caroline Sun editor-in-chief, digital

If you ever decide to book a plane to Israel for a few days, chances are that you will only schedule trips for a few places: Jerusalem, for its religious history, Tel-Aviv, for its culture and museums, and maybe the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth. You are probably looking for just a taste of the nation, not the entire course.

But for Elana Redfern, senior, the “taste of Israel” she got back in eighth grade during her eight day trip to the nation simply was not enough. And so next year, rather than beginning her freshman year of college in the U.S , Redfern will be spending nine months in Israel to take classes to learn about the culture and help out in less developed parts of the country.

“After that eight day trip [to Israel]. I was kind of like, “okay I did my few little things, I got my taste, now how can I go live in the culture and actually experience life and what it’s like there,’” Redfern said. “It’s like if someone were to take a trip to the United States and only got to go to four sites, you would definitely want more and want to keep going and learn more about how people live and how it’s different than at home. So now I get this opportunity that I’ve been dreaming about since eighth grade, when I first came home from my trip and I could not be more excited.”

However, for Redfern, this trip to Israel is not just about seeing more of the country; it’s also about connecting back to her culture. Although she was born in the U.S., Redfern said that both her parents and grandparents are Jewish, and that her religion “has always just been a big part of who I am.” “[Judaism] is the way I’ve focused my lifestyle all throughout high school,” Redfern said. “I was active in my Jewish youth group, and while I was looking for a college, that I wanted to go to a school that had a big Jewish population and after looking and looking and looking, I was like, I can’t go straight to college next year. I have to go on a gap year to Israel first and I have to connect my culture more to the land of Israel itself, because I did it once and I need to have this opportunity again before it’s too late to envelop myself in my culture one more time immensely before I head off to college and earn a degree and build a life.”

Photos used with permission of Elana Redfern

SPOTLIGHT may 2019

11

Reflecting on the past

Does success in high school really set you up for success in life?

OUR VIEW

The Bear Facts Staff believes...

In a teenage bubble filled with friend drama, stressful classes, hundreds of extracurriculars, and more, it can be hard to remember that there’s more to life than just high school. But when we take a step back, our years at LZHS, although important, are just a small fraction of our lives.

In reality, who you are in high school doesn’t determine who you’ll be in life. This cliche seems to be everywhere in the adult world; the former popular kid working at a gas station, or an ex high school basketball star still trying to make a break to the NBA. But what we don’t hear are the other stories: the valedictorian dropping out of college, a former burn-out becoming a CEO, a D- average student inventing new computer software. When we focus on these stories as well, we focus on the true meaning of high school.

Even though this may seem common knowledge for adults, teenagers often don’t realize this.

We choose to make bad decisions because our friends, who are only going to be with us for another year or two, seem like the only people in the world. Or we beat ourselves up when we’re not the best at our sport or activity. Even those of us

If you could change anything about your LZHS experience, would you?

ISA MEDINA, senior “I think I’d take more opportunities if I could, I’d branch out more, and I’d be more willing to have more fun instead of just focusing on school all the time.”

who focus on the future are culprits: we overload our schedules with clubs, harder classes, and jobs because we’re told the only way we’re going be successful is by sporting a colorful ribbon around our neck at graduation.

But what can we do as a school to help fix this problem? One solution is not classifying teens as either “going somewhere” or “unsavable.” Too often adults lose interest in students who are receiving bad grades, making poor choices, or not starring in every extracurricular. When adults do this, students often continue to make more bad choices, and the cycle continues. Students certainly shouldn’t be allowed to get away with things without punishment, but when our time at school is over, we should all feel encouraged to do what we want with our lives, not discouraged because we didn’t win any trophies in school.

On the other side, however, our time at school is valuable, and success now can lead to success later.

Good grades and excelling in extracurriculars aren’t bad things,

NATE SMITH, senior “I feel like I’ve wanted to leave high school since I was a freshman. But I wouldn’t really change anything honestly. Don’t look back on the past.”

What does high school really mean?

they show the determination of an individual and lay the groundwork for what that a teen can do in the future. The entire community should encourage these teens but remember that they are not the only ones who can positively impact the world.

Reflecting on your high school experience is important, but not just for seniors. Even if you’ll still be at LZHS next year, we all can learn from our past mistakes or successes. We all can change our mindset as to who we want to be in high school and what we want to get out of it. High school isn’t life, and that’s something you can’t change.

But how you use high school to prepare for life is something you can, and it’s up to you to decide what you want to do with it. staff opinion gathered and written by Madeleine Lawler editor-in-chief, digital

In the US, around 89.5% of teens admit to actually enjoying school, according to a survey from stageoflife.com. But how do LZHS students feel about their time in high school?

83%

of seniors feel that high school has prepared them for college or beyond

42%

of seniors wish they had spent more time on academics

37%

of seniors wish they had gotten more involved in sports and clubs source: Bear Facts survey of 176 seniors

THE REALITY

HANNA KRINNINGER, senior “High school went by really fast. if I could change anything, I feel like I would have tried a bit harder in school, I could have had better grades if I put in more effort.”

ROBERT MEPHAM, senior “I would have joined more clubs freshman year, I think I would have been more involved in the school and more involved in the community.”

High school is what you make it, not what others tell you it should be. It’s up to you as a teen to decide how you want to spend your four years at LZHS.

SPOTLIGHT may 2019

13

SURVEY SAYS: Source: Bear Facts Student Media survey of 176 seniors

30.1%

of seniors plan to attend an Illinois school after they graduate

Where seniors going?

Percentage of LZ seniors attending

>10% 5-10% 2-5% 1-2% <1%

going abroad

What are seniors majoring in?

Business Communications CompSci Education Engineering Fine Arts Gov/PoliSci/Law Language Medical Science Social Sciences Other

22%

4.2% 5.4% 6%

3%

13.1%

4.8% 4.2%

4.2%

13.7% 10.7% 8.7% Infographics by Caroline Sun editor-in-chief, digital

14 SPOTLIGHT may 2019

senior profile:

Love, Loss, Life Lessons Senior reflects on losing her mother, creating a future Kaitlin Geisler Contributor

The common saying is that ‘everything happens for a reason.’ For one senior, every event that has occurred in her life led her to this school and to her future. Olivia Torrey, senior, may not have ever reached LZHS’ class of 2019 if it weren’t for the events that occured in her original home of Florida.

“I moved here sophomore year from Florida, because my mom passed away, so currently I’m living with my aunt and uncle,” Torrey said. “It’s made me a lot more independent in life in my decisions and knowing what I want and it’s also helped me realize that life’s short and you should do things that make you happy and the things that you love.”

The self-proclaimed bookworm credits her aunt for helping her through the hard days following her mother’s death.

“My aunt has supported me most. She’s the most supportive person I know.

She’s my mom’s sister and she’s always been there for me since the beginning.

Since her sister/my mom died, we have that connection. It’s really nice to have someone like that to be able to just hang out with,” Torrey said.

But her aunt has also provided guidance. Both her aunt and cousin encouraged Torrey to work in the cosmetology field. Torrey said that she learned a lot about herself through Cosmo because of her passion for makeup and desire to be a teacher.

“Cosmo has helped me become a way better communicator with people so I’m a lot more open,” Torrey said. “It’s also helped me become less sensitive to criticism because if someone doesn’t like [what I do for them], it doesn’t affect your creativity and it doesn’t necessarily affect how good or bad you are. It’s just maybe they just didn’t like it so you have to kind of grow a tough skin when you are in that kind of field.”

After going to college at Milwaukee School of Engineering, Torrey hopes to have “a steady career” in teaching. “[As a teacher] I hope to impact kids. A lot of the teachers I’ve had through high school have really made a difference in who I am so I would definitely want to give that back to someone,” Torrey said. “I think regardless of what I do [my mom would] be proud.”I’ve learned to find the positive in everything and patience is

definitely key for me, I’ve always been the type of person to go go go and want to have control over everything, but I realized that half of the time, you can’t control life situations, so you have to have patience in knowing whatever’s going to happen is going to happen.”

senior profile:

Making a name for herself Adam Monnette

Bear Facts Contributor

In a class of 440 seniors, one student wants to stand out from the rest of her peers but wishes her name didn’t make her the center of the spotlight.

“Whenever I have a sub, they always call my name Kareeena. Always,” Karenna (kuh-rehn-ah) Savage, senior, said.

“Ever since first grade I have always been aggressive that a person will pronounce my name correctly. If they do not, I will correct them, but unless they are a close friend and being funny, then it becomes aggravating because who likes their name being pronounced wrong? Not me, certainly,” Savage said.

Savage says she will literally teach people how to spell and pronounce her name.

“I will do it three times,”she says, before she will eventually give up and “give the person stank eye until they pronounce it right.”

“During my junior year, [I] had to give a speech

in English about ‘give me blank or give me death.’

The speech I chose to write was, ‘Give Me A Way that people can pronounce my name or Give Me Death.’ I wrote this whole speech about how people always pronounce my name wrong and how it frustrates the living daylights out of me.

No one from my English class pronounced my name wrong from that day on, so [I’d] say that it worked,” Savage said.

In her speech, Savage claimed that if someone mispronounces her name for an award, then she does not count it as an achievement because “I didn’t get it, my mispronounced self got it.”

And that makes her worry about graduation.

“I am hoping that the person reading names at graduation knows who I am,” Savage said,“since then they would know how neurotic I am about [my name].”

senior profile:

Web warrior turned programmer Mealea Khek Bear Facts Contributor

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may 2019

He likes to jump into the fray. He battles all sorts of characters across the world.

And he is skilled on the battlefield known as DOTA 2.

Out of all the video games out there, Thomas Yun, senior, enjoys playing DOTA 2, a game in the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) genre. In this game a player and four other people on the team face another team of five and use the hundreds of heroes that are available to fight.

The ultimate goal is to destroy the various structures leading up to the enemy’s base and once you destroy that, you win.

“It’s probably because I just spent so much time on it that I just know everything about it, I just got invested into it,” Yun said . “After every match you just get this feeling of either frustration that you lose or satisfaction [from winning].

Just keep on playing for that one time where you get a really good match.”

Yun has been playing DOTA since 2016. He says that at first he didn’t like the game because the matches

were extremely long, which prevented him from playing other games that he enjoyed because of the time commitment. Once he got into the gameplay of DOTA, though, he became the one who played it the most in his friend group, which is “kind of sad,” he said jokingly.

Yun’s passion for gaming translate into other computer interests, too. He is not only a gamer who works hard to master the game, he also does computer programming.

He actually has created a mod for DOTA in his free time before.

“I just did a really simplified version of an alteration to the regular DOTA gameplay by just giving everyone one more ability.

[The gameplay] was too complicated,” Yun said about his creation.

Yun says the reason that he got into computer programming is that he “always found it enjoyable to create things,” but he ultimately chose to do computer programming because, in terms of future earnings, he says, “the only resource you really need to put in is time.”

senior profile:

Big dreams for small senior Hannah Etienne Bear Facts Contributor

This “5’3 and proud” senior may be small in stature, but he’s big in personality.

“I like to talk a lot,” senior Landon Finn said. “I’ll go up to anybody and say hi, or tell them if I have a problem. I’m not afraid of people.”

Finn is “outgoing, personable, super nice, and [...] has a good head on his shoulders,” according to Buffy Finn, Landon’s mom.

And Landon has huge goals to match his huge, extroverted personality.

“My dream would be to become the president of the United States,” Finn said. “But what I want to do is [...] become a lawyer, and then go into government and politics. I see so much growth for this country right now, that I think I really could make an impact with my voice.”

The one thing that might hinder this Bradley University bound

senior from reaching his goals is procrastination. He says he procrastinates “like [it’s] nobody’s business.”

He’s also “a little bit lazy, not good at thinking [...] on his feet,” Buffy said, “and a little bit gullible.”

But Landon disagrees. “I’m not gullible!” he shouted to his mother in the other room. “Once I make a decision, I stand by that. I don’t let people sway me,” he said.

Landon’s headstrong personality is, in part, inspired by his grandpa, who overcame gallbladder cancer.

“He inspires me everyday to be someone better because I know that if he can overcome what he did, and if he can still be the great person who he is today, then I can be that person too,” Landon said.

As a result, Landon says he always sets the bar as high as possible. When he can’t reach those high standards, he says he can get really disappointed in himself “because I know I could have reached it, and I reflect on it [...] And I think about the ways that I could be better.”

senior profile:

A green (card) light to new life Anastasia Stanimirova Bear Facts Contributor

While the school’s population may not appear very diverse at first glance, the halls of LZHS are filled with unique stories and family backgrounds.

Katerina Rekviashvili knows what it’s like to come from a different background. Her parents are both immigrants from the Republic of Georgia, a country Northeast of Turkey.

“The Republic of Georgia was very poor at the time, I believe they had just ended with a war.

Nobody had money, nobody had food, the trees weren’t even green. It was a hard time for everyone,” Rekviashvili said.

Rekviashvili’s parents decided they wanted to leave the country and applied for a green card.

“It was like a lottery for a green card,” said George Rekviashvili, Katerina’s father. “We applied for it because we knew we had to and got it almost immediately.”

Katerina was born in the U.S., and as a first-generation American who speaks a mix of Russian,

Georgian, and English at home, she says she treasures what her family went through to get here. She also loves the culture her family has maintained.

“I think we just have different values, they way we act can be very different too. We’re very outgoing and lively. We’re all very loud when we’re together too,” she said.

Katerina’s friends also see that her culture is a big part her and her life.

“Having immigrant parents makes her realize how lucky she is to be here in America and how hardworking her parents are too,” senior Yasmine Zietara, Rekviashvili’s best friend, said.

Rekviashvili ultimately says she loves having such a different backround.

“I love my family. I mean, I have so many fun stories from them,” Rekviashvili said, “and they make me me.”

SPOTLIGHT may 2019

17

senior profile:

It’s not ‘all Greek’ to him Brady Sykes

Bear Facts Contributor

There are many different people in this world, however this student doesn’t let his parents immigration change the way he lives.

“I feel culturally, my family is different from others, especially at school, and just sharing my culture is very cool. I get to tell my opinion to other people” says Anthony Spatulous, son of emigrated Greek parents. “They both emigrated when they were born so about the 1970’s.”

Spatulous’s parents, who emigrated as children, raised Spatulous in the greek culture.

“My grandparents brought over traditional food, and music that you can dance to. My grandpa likes to dance to Greek music and my grandma likes the Greek meals,” Spatulous said. “I feel like I would be basic, I wouldn’t have culture, just be your average American [without my culture].”

Anthony’s family has also maintained a focus on religion and family.

“We have really big Greek weddings and baptisms. It’s very interesting because everyone gets

together and dance, eat, and have fun. All holidays and traditions are shared well between my family.”

Spatulous said.

Anthony says he “knows the basics of the Greek language,” but “does not go to church a lot.” Instead, he makes his parents proud by “getting good grades in school, being a good kid around the house, helping with chores and cooking with my mom, helping my little brother out, and just spending time with parents is important to me because not many kids do that these days.”

In the end, Spatulous has simple goals: “I just want to make my parents proud, and try to excel at everything I can.” It’s all about “helping my family and doing good in school,” Spatulous said. “It’s an honor.”

senior profile:

Head of the (college) class Kayla Krinninger Bear Facts Contributor

Most high school seniors are ready to spend the next four years in college but this student is ready to spend the rest of her life there.

Macy Vander Pas, senior, is enthusiastic, optimistic, and passionate, especially about her apssion for learning. Vander Pas is attending Ohio State University where she is majoring in neuroscience and math which she wants to one day use as a college professor.

“I decided on becoming a college professor because I really enjoying learning new things,” Vander Pas said. “I’m excited to do research and basically be a forever student/learner.”

Vander Pas chose her majors based on the fact being a college professor requires a lot of research and knowledge of the subject, so Vander Pas chose to pursue two of her favorite passions.

18 SPOTLIGHT

may 2019

“I decided on neuroscience because I have always been really interested in biology and anatomy and how everything works together in the body,” Vander Pas said. “I also decided on math because it’s always been a subject that excites and intrigues me.”

In her high school career Vander Pas has been balancing a number of different classes and extra curriculars. According to Vander Pas, such activities like tutoring and managing the JV 2 softball team have helped prepare her for the future of helping others learn and grow, she said.

“I’ve learned how to balance a lot of activities, but also have fun in the midst of it all,” Vander Pas said. “I’ve also had the opportunity to meet a lot of different people, and I think that will be helpful in the future as I go on to meet new friends, professors, and coworkers.”

Such passion might explain why Vander Pas’ favorite motto is, ‘be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.’ Vander Pas says she is ready to take on her future and pursue her passions “with a whole heart.”

senior profile:

Brotherly love

Family, religion, kindness shape life and views Spencer Steeves Bear Facts Contributor

He’s quiet. So quiet that others may not notice him in the halls or in class. But beneath that quiet exterior is a kind heart and inquisitive mind that drive Chad Oliver, senior, to center his life around helping others.

“We’re Catholic, and that’s definitely what shapes our lives (since it’s) a strong foundation to base your life on,” Chad Oliver, senior said. “Just do unto others that you would do to yourself. I really believe that you get back what you put out into the world. I want to make sure that I can try and make other people’s lives better.”

According to Sean Oliver, Chad’s sophomore brother, one of the ways they are able to be nice to other people is by being nice to each other. Sean says this has also led them to have a closer relationship.

“Our best friend is each other. A lot of people ask if we are twins. But we are as close as twins as two siblings could be,” Sean Oliver said. “Ever since I was born, Chad was taking care of me. He was like a third parent to me. I’ve always tried to be kind to people like he was to me.”

Sean says Chad’s kindness is an inspiration to everyone who knows him.

“I think Chad is a lot greater than he gives himself credit for. You’ll never hear him say negative things. He’s always got nothing but nice things to say about people. He (also) likes to hear what other people have to say about themselves and learn from them,” Sean said. “If you get to know him, you see the great qualities he has. He may not be the most outgoing or the most loudest person, but at the end of the day, he’s one of the most important people you could have in your life.”

Chad hopes to affect other people’s lives, whether they get to know him personally or not. He plans to study biochemistry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins to gain the tools necessary for the task ahead.

“I’m looking forward to next year since I want to do original research with a professor and find something new that can help people in the future,” Chad said. “I am fascinated by neuroscienc. It would be a dream to find something that would eventually help people in the future.”

senior profile:

Introvert dances into future Sasha Kek Bear Facts Contributor

She is an introvert at school, but once this senior steps on the dance floor, she becomes a performer.

Alyssa Alber, senior, has been dancing for about 14 years. But dance has not always been easy for her, and Alber says she had difficulty expressing emotions through her dancing.

“I’m not a very emotional person, so it’s more like a stress-reliever and a relief of emotions, letting everything go and rather than in a verbal way, I can do it in a dance way,” Alber said. “I’m not a vocal person, I’m very introverted, so I feel like that [dancing is] the way, without talking, to express who I am as a person.”

Because she is introverted, Alber said she had to overcome her reserved personality in order to be able to perform and dance freely.

“I remember one year I was learning a solo and I was sob-

bing because I didn’t know how to express my emotions,” Alber laughed. “I feel like that was a really big breakthrough for me to just open up because I never cry in public or anything. The whole opening up part, you’re performing for an audience and they come to see you, so just opening up to the audience is hard.”

Alber started her journey as a dancer when she was four years old after her mom “just threw me in a ballet class,” she said, laughing.

“I don’t really remember my first dance class, but when I do remember taking dance classes, it was just - I really opened up when I walked into the studio because I could express myself, so I was more open to everything,” Alber said. “I started taking actual classes and I was like, ‘Wow, I actually really like this.’”

Once she discovered her passion, Alber decided she wanted to become a professional dancer.

She applied for and was accepted

to dance programs in multiple colleges, but had to confront a lack of support from extended family.

“A lot of people, especially a lot of extended family, are like, ‘Oh, you’ll never make it into the dance world. This person got an arts degree and they never used it, so they went back to school,’” Alber said. “It just makes me feel better knowing that [colleges] want me and I’m good enough to be able to do it, and I feel like I will be able to get into companies and have the career I want.”

While some family members discouraged her dream, Alber is excited to pursue her dream of becoming a performer.

“I’m not a very self-confident person, especially when it comes to dance because I just hate watching myself dance because I feel like I’m really bad,” Alber said.

“I’m ready for college and it just made me feel better knowing that everything that I’ve done and all the sacrifices I’ve made throughout high school really paid off.”

senior profile:

Happy to have helped Vicki Agrella Bear Facts Contributor

She is a FAME leader, SNAP member, an integrated PE leader, and is involved in Buddy Project. For her, helping others is something that seems to come naturally.

Isabella Ostrowski, senior, says volunteering for special needs programs throughout high school has shaped her identity and her future.

“Being able to interact with those kids has shaped who I am and has given me an output of what I want to do with my life. I’m going into speech pathology at University of Alabama,” said Ostrowski with a smile. “I have realized a lot of students at our school have speech pathologists, [and] I thought being able to do that every day is really what I want to do in life.”

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SPOTLIGHT may 2019

Ostrowski calls working with students who have special needs “really rewarding,” and she know thats the students in SNAP and integrated PE feel the same way.

“For the kids, being able to hang out with students here at this school makes their day,” Ostrowski said.

The bonds between Ostrowski and the students will remain strong, she says. “[I’ll miss] the bonds I’ve formed with these kids. I’ll definitely come and visit our integrated PE class, because we’re a pretty small class and we’ve gotten really close to each other,” Ostrowski said. “[The kids] always bring a light to the world, and they’re so important. I’ll miss that.”

senior profile:

Teammates, friends say goodbye Sophia Babcock

Bear Facts Contributor

“When I think of softball, I think of Julia,” Haley Gajewski, senior, said, her kind words bringing a tear to her friend’s eye.

Gajewski and Julia Zaucha, senior, met each other through their parents, but weren’t very close when they were younger because they went to different elementary schools. Gajewski, a catcher, and Zaucha, shortstop, both play on the varsity softball team. The seniors started playing softball in elementary school but were not on the same team until middle school.

Both believe that playing together has led them to develop a lot of trust in each other both on and off the field. “[Being on the same team has been] completely awesome,” Zaucha said. “Haley is the voice of the team she’s so positive and [is] always there for you. Being so close with her, I know how much she’s gonna try so I have a lot of faith in her and I trust her to do her position and execute it completely well. Because o f that I know if I do something wrong, she’ll cheer me up and get me back to where I need to be,” Zaucha said.

According to the girls, their

friendship has impacted who they are as athletes, and their bond translates to the game itself.

“They are very comfortable playing with each other. They have great team chemistry, and so their communication and comradery is contagious throughout the team. They are both leaders,” Alex Block, assistant softball coach, said.

According to Block, Gajewski and Zaucha are both hardworking and serious about their athletics. Although, according to Gajewski and Zaucha, they sometimes get off task during practices. “We’re able to focus but-” said Zaucha before Gajewski interrupted, “We have fun.”

One of their favorite things to do after a practice is have “sunset talks” in the parking lot.

“One time our coach was driving by, [about] an hour after practice and we thought everyone was gone,” Gajewski said before the, “[Coach] was like, ‘What are you guys still doing here?’ We [said], ‘We’re just talking’ and Julia [responded], ‘We’re watching the sunset. Isn’t it beautiful?

You want to join us?’ And she’s like, ‘No, it’s okay. I’m going to go home now.’ So, yeah, we are definitely like the last ones to leave.”

senior profile:

Finding his balance Alexandra Rauchfuss Bear Facts Contributor

After 14 years of training and competing in gymnastics, senior Aaron Zurcher has ready to call it quits, but the lessons he’s learned encourage him to keep working towards his goals.

Like most athletes, Zurcher says he has “learned it is important to balance homework and athletics,” but he has also learned about love and friendship.

Zurcher’s parents helped to teach him the lessons of time management by encouraging him to be a gymnast, from a young age. His mom would sign him up for ‘mommy and me’ classes because, “when I was a toddler, I would climb stuff a lot and I loved to climb on everything,” Zurcher said.

His parents ave always been big supporters of his gymnastics career, but so is one of his closest friends

and teammates of over 13 years, Paul Juda.

“The friendships that you make really are the reason that you guys can succeed together. When you have someone like Aaron, I can really rely on him to always get me through a tough practice,” Juda said.

“Aaron, for me, has really been my rock, I can always rely on him to make me laugh. We are always pushing each other to the max. We yell at each other, cry to each other.”

Together, Juda and Zurcher have been role models for the younger kids of the gym. As being the oldest, they found it important to be leaders.

“You gotta always focus on being the best you can be for the kids,” Zurcher said.

SPOTLIGHT may 2019

21

Sports Coverage Alex Ketcham sports editor

SPORTS

Boys Track and Field: Kyle Forbes, sophomore, gets set to begin his relay at the Bear Invite at home on April 18. This season, the boys track and field team placed fifth out of 12 teams at the Bear Invite, they placed ninth out of 18 at the Lake County meet on May 2, and placed fifth out of seven teams at the North Suburban Conference meet at Zion-Benton on May 9.

Photo by Ruby Lueras Boys Lacrosse: Multiple Lake Zurich players fight for a loose ball in a game against Carmel on May 6. The team started their season out 3-0, with each victory coming by eight or more goal victories. As of May 16, the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall record is 8-7, going 2-3 in conference. This record is with help of a big 8-7 win over Barrington on April 29 and a 4-2 victory over Stevenson on May 8. For the IHSA Playoffs, the team was awarded the number five seed and earned a first round bye in the Lake Forest Sectional where they played number four seed Glenbrook South.

Photo by Marissa Drake

Boys Volleyball: Evan Bajerski, junior, goes up for a spike in a May 6 game against Rolling Meadows at home where the team won in two sets. This season for the volleyball team has been a strong one. As of May 16, the team is 21-13 and 5-2 in conference. To go along with this statistic, the team also placed second out of 16 teams at the Palatine Invitational by going 4-1 in that tournament alone. The season overall has earned the team a five seed in the Harlem Sectional where they played Mundelein.

Photo by Sreelikhi Vangavolu

Baseball: Trevor Feldman, senior, fires the ball from third to first in a May 8 win against Warren that went to 12 innings. This season has been an extremely strong one.

As of May 16, the team is 20-9. Big victories include a 7-0 victory over Stevenson, an 11-8 win over St. Viator,a 3-0 win over Libertyville, a 9-8 win over Lake Forest, and an 11-10 victory over Geneva. For the IHSA Tournament, the team was awarded the six seed in the St. Viator sectional where they played Deerfield in the first round.

Photo by Ellie Melvin

Softball: Haley Gajewski, senior, frames the ball into the plate during an 11-1 victory over Mundelein on May 13. As of May 16, the team is 16-10 and 10-4 in conference play. Big wins throughout the season include two big victories over Stevenson, a big 4-3 win over Warren, a big 8-7 win over Vernon Hills, a big 4-1 victory over Waukegan, an 18-0 shutout of Lake Forest, and a 12-8 win over Prarie Ridge. Through this season, the team earned the six seed in the Hampshire sectional as well as a first round bye. Photo by Annette Suk

Girls Track and Field: Hayley Burk, sophomore, runs a state qualifying 4x800 relay race at the Lake County Invitational on April 25. During the season, the team placed first during the Conference meet on May 2 and third during Sectionals on May 9 to send nine athletes to state.

Photo by Caroline Sun.

Boys Tennis: Adrian Ganoza, senior returns a ball during a practice earlier this season. One of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key matches was a strong victory over Zion-Benton. Through their accomplishments during the season, the team earned a spot at sectionals and competed at the Stevenson Sectional on May 17.

Photo by Max Feldman

Girls Lacrosse: Emilia Mangiardi, sophomore, sprints down the field as the opposing team chases behind. This season, as of May 16, Girls Lacrosse has an overall record of 7-11, with a win of 19-4 against Warren Township on May 4 and a 12-10 win against Mundelein on April 17.

Photo by Marissa Drake.

Girls Soccer: Abby Willock, senior, turns up field during a Mundelein game on May 1st. As of May 16, the Girls Soccer has a record of 11-9-1, this is with the help of a 7-0 win against Mchenry on March 30, and a win of 8-0 against Waukegan on May 6. During the Regional Semi final game on May 14, the team won with a score of 4-2 and proceeded to the Regional final game against Arlington Heights on May 17.

Photo by Parul Pari.

SPORTS may 2019

23

Stepping Up Their Game

students relive their athletic recruitment process Alex Ketcham sports editor

460,000 student-athletes currently compete in college athletics, according to the NCAA, and how all of them got there is completely different, but there is one thing that connects them all; they all went through the recruitment process.

The college recruitment process does not go the same for every athlete, as factors such as the sport, size of the school, and the caliber of their play affect how an athlete’s recruitment process works.

Although recruiting follows no template or step by step process, there are checkpoints that are similar within athletes’ experiences.

Starting the process Some athletes start their recruitment processes by attending scouting camps.

Andrew Stange, senior football player who was recruited by Illinois Wesleyan University, started his process by attending camps like these the summer before his senior year.

“There will be a lot of coaches there looking at you like they take your stats and just talk to you there,” Stange said.

“That’s kind of where it all starts and it continues through the season.” However, it took coaches until the beginning of football season to approach Stange about playing college football, as he was first approached during a typical college visit.

Clinics and camps are not the universal first step towards the photo op and contract on signing day. There are also websites where athletes can upload footage of their in-game highlights as well as practice film. College coaches can then use these sites to discover recruits as Sophia de los Reyes, senior tennis player who was recruited by Grinnell College,

“

[Grinnell] met my academic standards, the team and coach exceeded my expectations for tennis, and when vsiting campus I saw a great campus, a diverse student body, and it was really safe.”

Sophia de los Reyes

senior tennis player

used ncsasports.com to get recruited.

“You can create a profile on there and put up videos of you playing your sport and practicing. Colleges will actually use that site to recruit you and contact you,” de los Reyes said about the website.

“They can also use that to get my email, so I got a lot of emails also.”

Visiting Schools and Meeting with Coaches Recruitment is equally as much about how the athlete perceives the program as it is how the program perceives the athlete. This is why the interviews and meetings between coaches and athletes as well as the visits occur, de los Reyes said.

“They’d ask me questions and then I’d ask them questions about the college.

I would then evaluate the coach for tennis and see if I would like to be coached by them. Then I’d look at the college and decide whether I wanted them or not,” de los Reyes said about her interviews. “It was a lot of phone calls and emails, and then I narrowed it down to a 30 school list and kept narrowing it down based on consequent calls and doing deeper research into the college and academics.”

Many schools at the Division I (DI) level can offer their top recruits full scholarships and roster spots should they choose that school, but at a lower level of play like Division III (DIII), schools can’t offer that, according to Stange.

“In a DIII college, they aren’t allowed to give you an athletic scholarship. They have to wait for the school to accept you first,” Stange said about his signing process. “I had already talked to the coach about playing football there so I already knew that I could play so it was just a matter of getting in. The football coach helped me out and I got in February.”

The process of having a roster spot available should the athlete be accepted to the school was also similar to de los Reyes, as the Coaches were be there to help her in the admissions office.

“Usually they ask for you to do early

BY THE NUMBERS

According to a BFSM survey of 176 seniors

71.6%

Of LZHS seniors played at least one sport, school or club, during high school

16.5%

of LZHS seniors will be playing a sport on their college’s official team

• Cooper Giles- Nebraska- Gymnastics

• Sophia de los Reyes- Grinnell College- Tennis

• Stephanie Keefe- Marian University- Softball

• Ryan Bobrowski- Augustana- Soccer

• Sophia Goushchina- Iowa State- Swimming

• Andrew Stange- Illinois Weslayan- Football

• Tyler Snep- University of Iowa- Baseball

• Grace Loverde- Augustana- Golf

• Michael Chialdikas- Oakland University- Baseball

• Ryan Giroux- Monmouth College- Lacrosse

• MacKenzie Parchment- CLC- Soccer

• Michael Gallus- UW LaCrosse- Football

• Emer O’Leary Keiser University Cheerleading

• Jason Czabaj- Augustana- Golf

• Ian McGee- UW LaCrosse- Wrestling

• Alec Rosenbaum- Kalamazoo- Golf

• Angie Vitiritti- Campbellville University-Wrestling

• Luke Dwyer- North Dakota St.- Football

• Rebecca Rymarcsuk- Illinois Wesleyan- Lacrosse

• Emily Burns- UW Milwaukee- Cross Country

• Jackson Farsalas- Minnesota St. Mankato- Football

“

decision because there is a higher acceptance rate I’m most grateful for the coaches that and then the coach will reached out to me and helped me through talk to the admissions board for you and act applying and getting into the school as as an amicus curiae, [an well as how accepting the team was on impartial advisor], to see if they want you to visit days.”

Andrew Stange retake the SAT or if they senior football player like you or whether they want you,” de los Reyes tunity to keep playing, and some have said. “With my coach at Grinnell,’ she aspirations to go professional,” Lambert said, ‘I have the early decision spot open said about students’ motivations. for you,’ and I said ‘yeah, I’ll take it’.”

While some aspire to play professionCommitting and the The Next Step ally, others might feel like they need to Once committed, the real work begins. keep playing so they could go to college.

Once athletes graduate from high school, For de los Reyes, it’s a matter of not they are expected to adhere to summer wanting to cease the game that brings her workouts and report early for school. joy and happiness.

According to de los Reyes, there is already a summer workout program ready for her, she just cannot start before graduation due to NCAA rules. For Stange, he will report football camp at Illinois Wesleyan start in July.

It is motivation that causes students to want to continue at the next level and practice non-stop because college athletics are a major time commitment, Andrew Lambert, athletic director, said.

“Every kid is motivated differently about what they want to do. Some enjoy the sport so much that this is their oppor-

“It was more me not wanting to end playing tennis. I love it so much that I want to continue it in college,” de los Reyes said. “I’ve always been able to get build confidence in myself and pushing myself and seeing what I can do when I put my mind to things.”

United States Gymnastics Training Center Twin Rinks

Opportunities and Obstacles: the issues of not having a facility Marissa Drake staff writer

Swimming, gymnastics, bowling, and golf, all of these are recognized Lake Zurich High school athletic teams. However, on campus, they have nowhere to practice.

While making a space for these athletes would solve this problem, a new facility can cost from $10,000 to $50,000, according to clubindustry.com. Due to this, athletes like Michaella Gregoire, freshman on the gymnastics team at Lake Zurich High School, practices at the United States Gynmanstics Training Center (USGTC). Gregoire has had to move around schedules, make long commutes and adjust to these difficulties in order to deal with these obstacles .

“For gymnasts specifically, when you’re at the gym there is always going to be different classes going on and different levels of teams. You have to share equipment and work your schedule around other people in the first place,” Gregoire said.

Sharing and shifting schedules is not something new to Cori Robinson, a ju-

nior figure skater who practices at Twin Rinks. Twin Rinks is a facility located in buffalo grove and due to the facility’s off campus location, practice starts and ends lead to early or late practice times, Robinson said.

“It depends on what sport you’re doing, outside or inside school,” Robinson said. “Usually [practice] would be on Sunday mornings where we would have to be on the ice at 6 am. So [that means] a lot of more early practices than a lot of sports at this school [along with] a lot of late night practices too.”

Many different teams also practice in these facilities, according to Gregoire, amd because of this, there are coaches and athletes alike sharing a gym. However, due to IHSA rules, club coaches cannot interfere with the high school teams practice.

“Club coaches aren’t supposed to interfere with the high school team, IHSA rules say [so] they’re not really allowed to coach us,” Gregoire said. “So when I’m at USGTC you’ll get the occasional ‘it would help you if you did this’ but [its so small that it] doesn’t really affect you.

High school coaches mind their own business and clubs mind their own business.”

Time can also be a huge disadvantage especially for athletes like Cooper Giles, senior gymnast who attends Premier Gymnastics, spends 20 hours a week at a facility an hour away from his house. His commute often affects his school work and his time after school.

“I get to practice about an hour early to do homework. Then I’ll go into practice about 15 minutes early do some rehab and therapy.“ While many can see this as a set back, often these disadvantages can be seen as a positWive, Gregoire said. It’s your attitude when facing these problems that shows character and really gives you a good experience, Gregoire said.

“I feel like having a facility definitely isn’t the end all be all of any sport,” Gregoire said. “It’s just how you use the facility you’re given and your attitude when you do it. If you look past that and say ‘oh my god this is awesome I get to meet more people than just my team’.”

Premier Gymnastics

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