The Spectator February 2015

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S P E C TAT O R

VOLUME 93 NUMBER 5

1500 WEST KENNEDY ROAD, LAKE FOREST, IL 60045

Featured Stories NEWS

Sonia retires after 22 years of dedication to LFA page 2

Shortened Presidents’ Day Weekend causes travel problems for students page 3 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Oscar fever sweeps throughout LFA community

page 7

OP-ED

Caxy Rant: $20,000 door job

SPORTS

page 10

Alumna Meredith Rowe transitions from player to coach page 16 SPORTS

Indoor soccer keeps LFA soccer players in shape

page 14

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FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Jammin’ in their jammies Seniors’ inaugural Lock-in hoping to establish a tradition Seniors Hope Challenger and Vicente Nagel play a game of twister at the Senior Lock-in.

NEWS

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By Catherine Kvam News Editor As the end of year draws closer, this year’s LFA seniors looked to set themselves apart from all previous graduates, and what better way to accomplish this than by locking themselves in the school. The Inaugural Senior Lock-In was held February 21st when students spent the night in Reid and Corbin Halls with a schedule of entertainment, food, and games.

Senior Prefect Alec Mesrobian thought of the idea early on in the year and set out to make it possible.

“I tried to think of some memorable event that would separate our senior class from others and I realized that my 8th grade class had an event quite similar,” said Mesrobian.

Students were generally enthusiastic about the new event because it was something that had never been done before.

“We had a great turnout of around 77 people for our organizational meeting, which was awesome, especially because this is the first time an event like this is being held at LFA,” said Mesrobian.

The Lock-In entirely credited to students from its conception to follow through on planning.

“While there [were] faculty chaperones, the entire event [was] created and run by senior leaders,” said Assistant Dean of Students Kate Jones.

The Prefects honed their original plan with a variety of activities scheduled throughout the night to keep participants entertained. They did not skimp on food either, offering a variety of snacks, pizza, drinks, bagels, energy drinks, and kettle corn.

“We all got along well [with] good music, chill events, and we had fun just being seniors,” said senior Wesley Annan.

Lock-In goers determined the night a success due to talking to new people, as well as being unable to actually leave school

Photo courtesy of Amanda Bozorgi

until the next morning.

“It gave me the opportunity to hang out and bond with kids I’ve never really hung out with before, which kind of brought us all together,” said senior Malcolm Chaka.

Whether or not the Lock-In turns into an annual tradition will depend on

the following senior class, as the night involved weeks of planning and effort on the students’ end.

“It was definitely successful,” said senior Hope Challenger. “I really do think it helped us bond as a senior class!”

By Allison Hechtman Managing Editor Lake Forest Academy will hold prom this year on Saturday, April 25. Following tradition, the location will be undisclosed until ticket sales for the event begin. The date, a week earlier than past LFA proms, is due to location availability. Rumors had been circling that prom was planned to not overlap with AP testing, which starts the following Monday. Although this is not the case, it is a fortunate side effect of the early date.

“Scheduling conflicts at the venue made that [weekend] the most viable option,” explained Junior Class Advisor Jennifer Madeley.

Junior Class President Sophia Platcow confirmed Madeley’s reasoning, saying that scheduling was based off of location availability.

Prom has traditionally been held during the first weekend of May. AP exams tend to begin on the first Monday of May. Due to the timing, Prom tends to be smack dab in the middle of AP testing.

“I am so relieved that prom is early this year,” said senior Liza Tarr. “In past years, Prom weekend always interrupted time where I was worried I should be studying.”

The junior class organizes prom each year, including location and theme. While the date this year was unintentionally convenient, it does bring up some interesting

points.

“I hope this is something that the school keeps in mind for the future,” said junior Alexander Mullarkey, adding that he is sure this will lessen stress levels for future AP students.

Prom of 2014 was held at the Milwaukee Discovery Center, a beautiful lakeside museum venue. While it usually holds exhibits on various types of energy, futuristic ideas, and ingenuities, LFA turned the museum into an out-of-this-world themed experience for all. Locations prior to that include the Sears Tower, the Shedd Aquarium, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and on a dinner boat venue called The Odyssey.

“Past venues have been pretty impressive,” said senior Barrett Medvec. “2015 Prom has a lot to live up to.”

At museum venues, exhibits tend to be open to students, which has allowed for entertaining breaks from the dance floor.

“All I need is a dance floor and some good food,” senior Hope Challenger said with a laugh.

The venue tends to be announced to the LFA student body about a month before prom. Tickets go on sale in Hutch at the same time. This year, prices will be around $75 per ticket, and the school, as per usual, will provide transportation.

While no hints have been given out about Prom’s location this year, it is sure to be a fun time for all.

Venue availability forces unusually early prom

THE SPECTATOR

News

2

World News Roundup

Compiled by Julia Mills News Editor

The Spectator complies a monthly summary of world news events. Below are the most pressing issues this month.

Costa Concordia Captain Convicted of manslaughter The former captain of Costa Concordia cruise liner Francesco Schettino was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in Italian prison on Wednesday, February 11th for his role in one of Italy’s worst maritime disasters. In January of 2012 the fatal wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of the Tuscan Island of Giglio left 32 passengers dead. Shettino was commanding the vessel when it struck rocks off the island’s coast, which tore a hole in the ship’s side. Shettino was convicted of multiple manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning passengers who were still trapped on board the capsized ship. Schettino has accepted some responsibility, but has denied the criminal charges and claimed that he was wrongly blamed for the tragedy.

Shortened Presidents’ Day Weekend causes travel problems for students

By Julia Mills News Editor

Lake Forest Academy has always been known for having longer, frequent breaks to help and cater towards all its students and community members needs. Winter Break in December, President’s Day Weekend in February and Spring Break in March have always made up the three major breaks during each academic school year. Each break is strategically and thoughtfully planned in advance to try and benefit all of the community, and each year the breaks tend to maintain their previous characteristics. This year, however, February saw a major change in the break calendar as President’s Day Weekend, normally a four-day break with both Friday and Monday off of school, was shortened to three days. The shortened weekend was somewhat disruptive towards many students’ travel plans.

Costa Concordia’s Captain Francesco Schettino awaits his sentence during trial in Italy.

Ukrainian Peace Deal On February 12th an agreement was reached at the Independence Palace in Minsk, Belarus to end hostilities in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reached a deal ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine after much prolonged debate. All-night negotiations led to the decision of a ceasefire between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine, starting Saturday February 15th with the withdrawing of heavy weaponry. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe was charged with the implementing of the ceasefire deal which provides for the withdrawal of all “foreign troops, heavy weapons and mercenaries” from Ukraine. Illegally armed groups were also to be disarmed under the deal.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters

“The February long weekend became three days so that it was more consistent with the other long weekends we have while still providing a break for the students, faculty, and staff,” said Dean of Students Chris Tennyson.

The alteration in length of President’s Day Weekend was the result of many different factors. This past Winter Break was three weeks, opposed to its normal length of two and a half weeks. Spring break at LFA has also always been two weeks, a whole week longer than most US high schools. In years past, Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, in January, was not taken off and LFA still held classes on that Monday.

This past January, LFA observed Martin Luther King Junior Day. These increases in the lengths of past breaks, an extra week for Winter and a three-day weekend in January, were ultimately the reason behind the shortened President’s Day weekend.

While many members of the LFA community still felt that the February long winter weekend was a nice break from school, many were frustrated by the change in length.

“It’s a little frustrating that it’s no longer a four-day break because my family always goes out of town for Presidents’ Day, and now I have to miss a day of school,” said LFA junior Judith Villemure.

The change resulted in many students missing that day of Presidents’ Weekend.

Many families of LFA students traditionally have gone out of town for a four-day weekend. The changes in schedule hurt many students, some who were going on college visits.

While the changed break was surprising to many LFA students, the extra day off was still appreciated and enjoyed, according to various LFA community members.

Police and schools cracking down on

phone sexting amidst local outbreaks

By Michael Phillips Managing Editor

Photo Courtesy of BBC News

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

The count is at five; five freshman students at Warren Township High School in Gurnee, as well as one at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, have now been arrested and charged with the distribution of child pornography because of “sexting”.

These 14-15 year-old boys could face serious consequences, including having to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives, after distributing a picture of a topless female classmate amongst friends.

Whatever their intent was, they now must answer seriously to the law for what they may have thought were frivolous actions.

Before these arrests were ever made public, Lake Forest Academy administrators had already included a statement in this year’s Student Handbook against sexting, a growing problem at high schools throughout the country. By including sexting in the handbook Dean of Students Chris Tennyson had hoped to draw attention to the serious nature of the nationwide fad to LFA students. “[Adding sexting to the handbook] was a result of the fact that media coverage has started to grow in terms of there being incidents, and also the educational component,” said Tennyson. “Not only is this a violation of LFA’s Code of Conduct, but that there are bigger ramifications as well. If local authorities get involved, there can be certain [criminal] charges brought against individuals.”

In 2015, technology is an omnipresent part of school life, and at a school such as

LFA, where everyone is issued an iPad, Counselor Sarah Collins can only advise students to make smart decisions before pressing send.

“Videos, pictures, whatever you think are to a friend, are easily forwarded and then they become permanent,” said Collins. “Not only can they be wide-ranging, they can go viral, they can get published on YouTube—anything can happen to them.”

Collins continues to ask students before sending something to primarily think about just two words: public and permanent.

“What I ask kids to do before they push that send button is say to themselves, ‘should I [send] this if my whole community knew about it?’” said Collins.

The students involved at Warren and Carmel High School may or may not have

intended for the photo to go viral, but ultimately one press of the send button eventually involved legal authorities.

“It really illustrates the fact that once those photos are out there, you lose control over them and they can wind up anywhere,” said Commander William Meyer of the Gurnee Police Department in an interview with ABC7 Chicago.

Amidst all the public spotlight and legal furor surrounding nearby schools, LFA administrators hope that students will make smarter choices about the sexting fad.

“I am always thankful and impressed by how good our students are,” said Tennyson. “So many of our students have such a good head on their shoulders—we should appreciate that our students make good decisions.”

Photo courtesy of Tribune Media Services

Sexting is a pressing issue that is increasing in highschools all over the country.

THE SPECTATOR FEBRUARY 27, 2015

News

3

Sonia bids LFA farewell Managed snack bar for 22 years

By Julia Mills News Editor The Lake Forest Academy community is one of great diversity and support. Every student, teacher, and staff member plays a significant role in shaping and benefitting the school. While everyone that passes through LFA leaves his/her own impression, few have been able to leave as big a mark as Snack Bar Manager Sonia DeCastro. Sonia has been apart of the LFA community for several decades and will be greatly missed by all as she retires from working at the Academy.

“I am going to miss everything about LFA. I will especially miss all of the students and faculty that made working at LFA very memorable and worthwhile,” said Sonia on her departure and her fondest memories at the Academy.

Many in the LFA community believe Sonia’s contributions to the school have been countless. Before coming to LFA, Sonia grew up in the Philippines and was a Home Economics teacher before coming to the United States. She has been working at the Academy for more than 22 years and would’ve celebrated her 23rd year in September. She was first hired as a member of the Sodexo staff on September 1, 1992 and shortly after began her work managing the snack bar, which she has described as being her “favorite part of coming to LFA.” Originally, only open between meals from 9:00 to 10:30 and 1:30 to 4:30, the

snack bar was located in Hutch and was a simple table with snacks and drinks. The snack bar quickly grew and moved to the back corner of Hutch, behind the book bag rack. Students would choose what they wanted from the large selection of chips, candy and drinks, and pay Sonia in cash. In fall of 2010, the same year that Crown was opened, Sonia’s Snack Bar was moved into its current location in the Student Center, allowing more products to be sold and students to be served. Selling everything from Ramen noodles to Honey Nut Cheerios cereal, and practically every flavor Snapple you can think of, Sonia and her snack bar have become a truly legendary part of LFA. Sadly, over the course of the past few months, Sonia became very ill. She has been getting better and recovering day by day, according to school sources, but because of her illness she becomes tired quite easily. After discussions with her family and doctors, Sonia has decided the best approach for her would be to retire from Lake Forest Academy.

“She has always had a kind word for everyone and her smiles touched all who came in contact with her,” said Chief Administrative Officer Andrew Kerr.

Many of LFA’s students and faculty have been extremely saddened by Sonia’s absence because many remember her as one of the kindest and most genuine members of the LFA community. One student stated that her legacy at LFA will never be forgotten.

Photo courtesy of Cathy Morrison

Sonia visisted Lake Forest Academy’s morning meeting to announce her retirement.

Photo courtesy of LFA Communications

Students made their way around the 2014 International Fair during Multicultural Day.

LFA’s Multicultural Day to have possible changes

By Kristen Van Tine Managing Editor LFA will have its annual Multicultural Day on March 3. The day will include a variety of activities embracing pluralism, a philosophical mainstay of the school’s value system.

The first half of the day is discussion-oriented. Suggestions on content include material surrounding gender identity, gender roles, gender stereotypes, and gender expression. Instead of having an assembly at the beginning of the day, like LFA has had in previous years, a performance will happen at the end of the day in the auditorium that will encompass some of the main Multicultural Day lessons.

The night before Multicultural Day, there will be the Multicultural Talent Show.

This year one of the performances may be teacher Michelle Vaca performing a salsa dance routine with her salsa group.

The next day, student-led discussion with a gender identity theme will ensue. Discussion this year will be unique as students will rotate through different groups, including advisory groups, grade-level groups, and an exclusively student group. Faculty will also be part of the group rotation and will get the opportunity to be part of a group composed of only faculty members.

The second half of the day will start with language classes. This year, a new language class is available to students. Junior Tori Koontz will run a sign language class with help from Sarah Seibert.

“When I was younger, I was taught a little sign language in my music class,” said Koontz. Her interest in sign language

was reignited after participating in a club her freshman year. This year, Koontz has worked with her dorm parent, English teacher Lauren Kelly, to prepare for teaching students on Multicultural Day. “It’s nice that the students have a chance to learn from their peers,” said Spanish teacher Valerie Sorenson.

An exhibition will follow that will include posters, food, music, and videos to represent different cultures made by students. Clubs will also participate.

GSA may set up a map with different locations around the world pinpointed and sexual expression rights in those respective areas.

“We’d like to see more clubs participate in the exhibition this year, especially clubs with a multicultural focus,” said Language teacher Stephen Ryder.

There has been discussion surrounding whether or not a fashion show will appear in the exhibition following the discussion part of the day. Some LFA community members feel that the show gives students the chance to celebrate and teach others about their heritage, while other members think that the idea of having a fashion show on Multicultural Day could be offensive.

“Some people opposed to the idea of a fashion show because it diminishes the value of what we’re trying to do,” said Dean of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs Lusanda Mayikana. According to Mayikana, some people can be offended by other people parading in costumes from different cultures. The idea of another culture’s clothing being a “costume” can be offensive.

THE SPECTATOR 4

Arts and Entertainment

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

LFA Fine Arts moves from studio s h e l ve s to l i b r a r y ex h i b i t i o n

By Brandon Amoroso Staff Writer Lake Forest Academy has a longstanding tradition in the Performing and Fine Arts, providing students with opportunities to showcase their talents through performances at Morning Meetings or exhibits around school.

The Fine Arts Department, for the last several years, has also provided students with a chance to display their art to others from outside the LFA community through varying events. Lauren Fowler, Visual Arts Instructor, and Nick Smith, Photography and Digital Media Instructor, have worked together with Kathe Stoepel, of the Lake Forest Library, to provide space for a month-long art exhibit of various works done by LFA students.

The Lake Forest Public Library hosts a different school

Photo by William Murphy Ceramic cups made by LFA students are currently on display at the Lake Forest Library.

or organization every month with Stoepel organizing the events and providing the space.

“It is a small collection of student work in all disciplines of the visual arts including photography, painting/drawing, digital media, ceramics, printmaking, and wood working.,” said Smith.

Students from all of LFA’s art programs and classes have artwork on display at the exhibit allowing for extremely talented artists, and beginning artists as well, to show their expertise or improvement.

“Students who have work on display include, but are not limited to, Liana Shallenberg, Julia Gillette, Natasha Chandel, Sydney Brundige, Emily Conklin, Arthur He, Oliver Yuan, Linjie Zhang, Kristine Zengeler, Ryan Gullang, and Andrey Nash,” said Smith.

LFA senior, Liana Shallenberg, who has one piece in the

exhibit, sees the opportunity that LFA has to demonstrate its artistic talent to the outside community as something that should be continually pursued.

“I have an image of a pocket watch done with pen, ink and mixed media on watercolor paper. I haven’t gone to see the display but that’s mostly because I don’t live in Lake Forest. I think LFA should continue to have this art exhibit at the public library because it’s a nice way to show off the artistic talents of LFA students to the local community,” said Shallenberg.

The Lake Forest Public Library is open to from 9:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon, Monday through Saturday, and from 1:00 in the afternoon until 5:00 in the afternoon on Sundays. The LFA exhibit will be up and running until March 1st.

School Choir takes on the Twin Cities over the Big Apple for the first time

By Madison Olivieri Senior A&E Editor On March 25th, the LFA Choir will set out for its annual performance trip, this year heading to Minnesota. Scheduled to be there for four days, they’ll be attending a clinic with the St. Olaf College choir, seeing a few plays, and touring Guthrie Theatre, among other scheduled stops.

In years past, Choir Director Mr. Timothy Plambeck has taken the choir to New York City.

Appropriate because of its proximity to Broadway and the choral opportunities there, the trek out to NYC didn’t seem to be the wisest choice this year. Choir has seen larger numbers than in recent years, and the airfare to get everyone to New York would’ve used up approximately 65% of the budget alone. Although the trip will offer different experiences than New York did, Plambeck

seems excited about the switch.

“I think, if anything, it’ll make it even better. The one thing that we’ll miss out on is the subway experience, which is kind of exciting and sort of scary at the same time,” stated Plambeck. “It will be a great trip though; I’m excited and I think the kids are excited too.”

While thinking of fun, cost-effective alternatives, Plambeck remembered his alma mater, St. Olaf College. It is what he refers to as “one of the great choir schools of the country,” and he realized that visiting St. Olaf would be a wonderful opportunity for the choir members. In addition to visiting the school, the choir will also sit through a 75-minute clinic with St. Olaf’s Music Director, Anton Armstrong, and observe the college’s choir rehearsal.

“I’m really excited and a little bit nervous about going to St. Olaf because I really want

the kids to sound their best,” stated Plambeck, “and I want them to really get the most out of that experience as they can.”

Visiting St. Olaf College is just the first day of the trip, though.

The next day, the students will perform at White Bear Lake High School, a large public high school north of the Twin Cities. Later in the evening, they’ll perform at Summit Place Senior Living.

Besides these two performances, they’ll be visiting the Mall of America and attending other performances. Plambeck shared that he was excited to revisit his hometown, and some choir members seem excited to switch up the choir trip location as well.

“New York is cool, but I’ve never been to St Paul,” stated junior Alex Wang. “I’m looking forward to seeing some musicals and singing choir songs for an audience.”

Photo Courtesy of LFA Communications Graduated and current choir members perform at All-School Meeting.

THE SPECTATOR FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Arts and Entertainment

Explosions in the Sky works through their next album

By Madison Olivieri Senior A&E Editor Even if you haven’t heard of Explosions in the Sky, you have probably heard their music. The band’s style has been called “cinematic” while it generally falls under the post-rock genre.

While they have earned that title of “cinematic” because of their style of music, the band hasn’t appeared on a significant number of soundtracks. Rather, they have created full soundtracks for a few different movies. Their first movie soundtrack was released in October 2004 for Friday Night Lights. This soundtrack features their most well-known work,

with two different variations of the movie’s iconic song, “Your Hand in Mine.” Their creation of the soundtrack is very fitting as three of the four band members are from West Texas, where the movie takes place. Nine years later in 2013 came the soundtrack for Prince Avalanche, and most recently was the soundtrack for Lone Survivor in 2014. The band’s unique taste in music has made them one of the most popular post-rock bands today.

Explosions in the Sky approaches music in a very interesting way; the titles of the songs all express a feeling, and the song is supposed to depict that feeling with only instruments. Songs like “Your Hand in Mine,” “First Breath After Coma,” and “The Only Moment We Were Alone” all depict how the band perceives these feelings.

“Your Hand in Mine” is a very calm and soothing track up until the fourth minute when it cre-

scendos. It evens back down into a relaxing, homework conducive track for the remaining four minutes. “First Breath After Coma” is slow and perfectly captures the cinematic nature of their music.

It’s a dramatic but simple track which bleeds into “The Only Moment We Were Alone.” The second track off of their third album, it is the perfect background music until it slows down before exploding into a climactic rush. Explosions in the Sky’s music is generally long; most songs fall between seven and ten minutes, save for a few soundtrack songs that had to be cut down. Their music is not only perfect for focusing, but it can serve as a soundtrack to one’s life; the music flows like one’s trials and tribulations.

Explosions in the Sky is currently taking a break from touring to work on their next album for the next year.

vidually. Instead of three pieces, we have about six right now, and everyone gets more chance to improvise,” said Kevin Lu. “There are more chances to perform. I think it is good because I feel like I didn’t get enough chance to perform in front of the school.

But, now I have the chance.”

In addition to a larger size, the changed practice schedule has also made a difference for the musicians as they prepared for a better performance in the concert. Last semester, the Jazz Band practices were on Tuesdays after school, which Schlipmann had to miss every other week because of administrative obligations. However, since practices are on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30 pm second semester, Schlipmann has been able “…to be there just to hear how things are going and provide a little bit more instruction.”

The band members have worked together recently to strengthen their individual improvisation on pieces. When Schlipmann passes out the tunes in practice, the mem-

ber figure out who wants to play an improvisation during the piece.

Working together to put together a piece, “everyone gives advice and actually contributes themselves to the team,” according to Lu. In addition, once the musicians get to the performing stage, they get to have a great amount of freedom.

“When we improvise, it is just like having a conversation; each person has his own unique tone and style,” said DejUdom. “You just need to feel it.”

Planning to play “Big Bertha” by Duke Pearson, “Things are Getting Better” by Cannonball Adderley, “Robin’s Nest” by Illinois Jacquet, “Flying Home” by Benny Goodman, and “Blues by Five”, a “standard Miles Davis tune”, the band is “really getting focused and organized on putting together a product that’s ready for the stage,” according to Schlipmann.

“I am definitely looking toward the jazz performance this year,” said Dej-Udom. “We have a lot of great songs…and a lot of great musicians in the band.”

Jazz Band:

By Jason Lee News Editor

The LFA Jazz Band, consisting of 13 musicians and instructed by Mr. Adam Schlipmann, is working hard to prepare for their concert on April 15. The band is carrying on the jazz tradition established here by alumnus Bix Beiderbecke in the early 1920s.

Merged into one bigger group from the two bands last year, the Jazz Band has a total of 13 musicians: Kevin Lu, Alex Xia, and Allie Wolters playing Alto Sax, Marcus Koppenhoefer playing Tenor Sax, Chelsea Langston and Eli Kuli playing Trombone, Karisma Chhabria playing Flute, David Krivoshik playing the guitar, Alex Wang and Sajjad Sainsi playing the drums, and Jane Su, Jack Ahern, and Boom Dej-Udom switching on and off to play both piano and bass. The musicians have said that having one large group seems to have enhanced their experience in the band.

“We have more sounds indi-

5

Caxy Playlist -- Winter Mix 1. Chum. . . Earl Sweatshirt 2. Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up. . . LCD Soundsystem 3. 3 Stars. . . Palma Violets Margot & The Nuclear So And 4. Broadripple Is Burning. . . Ma So’s 5. Hard To Find. . . The National 6. Blood Bank. . . Bon Iver 7. Pale Blue Eyes. . . The Velvet Underground 8. But I Do. . . Now, Now 9. 40 Mark Strasse. . . The Shins 10. Asleep. . .The Smiths

Merging, playing, and improvising

Photo courtesy of LFA Communications Before merging into one group, members from one of last year’s groups played for the school.

THE SPECTATOR 6

Arts and Entertainment

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Oscars fever sweeps LFA The community geared up to watch the awards

By Amanda Bozorgi Managing Editor As this grey February dragged on, the one thing that kept the LFA community going was the prospect of watching the Oscars this past Sunday.

This year’s awards show was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, an actor who has appeared in hit shows such as “How I Met Your Mother” and has made cameos in films such as “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.” His persona and humor are well known, similar to the previous host, Ellen Degeneres.

However, Harris had a lot to live up to this year. Degeneres hosted a fun-filled awards show that may go down in history as one of the best ever. Her snappy humor captivated the audience and as celebrities munched on the pizza that she had delivered to the show, Degeneres took a star-studded selfie that became the most tweeted picture on Twitter.

Despite these high standards that Harris had to meet, the LFA community had faith in his hosting abilities.

“I’m not the biggest Neil Patrick Harris fan, but I could actually see him being a good host,” said senior Vicente Nagel.

Nagel, like many other LFA students, said that he was going to watch the Oscars in the comfort of his own home with his family.

However, Field dorm decided to celebrate Oscar night a little differently. Dorm head and history teacher Mrs. Diane Cooper confirmed that Field dorm rolled out their very own glamorous red carpet. Field residents got the chance to dress up, eat good food, and cheer on their favorite actors and directors.

The performances at this year’s show were equally thrilling as the award winners themselves.

The audience was treated to a rendition of the Lego movie’s “Everything is Awesome” performed by the pop duo Tegan and Sara, accompanied by the comic group, The Lonely Island.

Country star Tim McGraw performed the nominated song, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” and Rita Ora performed the nominated song “Grate- ful.” Jack Black and singer actress Anna Kendrick also performed.

Seve r a l films dominated the nominations this year.

“Birdman” led the ack with the most Oscar nomina-tions in quite a few different categories.

Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest” was up for Best Picture, as well as “The Theory of Everything,” “Selma,” “Whiplash,” “American Sniper,” “Birdman,” “The Imitation Game,” and “Boyhood.”

Steve Carrell’s performance in “Foxcatcher” gave him a nomination for Actor in a Leading Role, as well as Bradley Cooper in “American Sniper,” Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Imitation Game,” Michael Keaton in “Birdman,” and Eddie Redmayne in “The Theory of Everything.”

“Boy-

hood,” “AmerS n i p and “The Game” apseveral othas well. about “Boystudents had views.

“It was realhow the same and matured pletely differI felt like I him,” said seChaka.

Some LFA ever,were not

i c a n e r , ” Imitation peared in er categories When asked hood,” LFA positive rely cool to see actor grew into a coment person. grew up with nior Malcolm students, howas excited to

watch the Oscars.

When asked how she would be watching the awards show, senior Grace Kasten replied that she would watch the show if she had the time but otherwise had no plans.

Presenters for this year’s show include nominees Marion Cotillard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Reese Witherspoon.

Last year’s winners Cate Blanchett, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, and Lupita Nyong’o presented awards.

Also, Josh Hutcherson, Scarlett Johansson, Zoe Saldana and Octavia Spencer were featured as presenters.

The opening ceremony of the Oscars,

known as “Oscars Opening Ceremony: Live From The Red Carpet” was hosted this year by Robin Roberts, Lara S p e n c e r, and Michael Strahan.

As usual, the trio interviewed celebrities about the night and featured the best looks and designer creations that celebrities were wearing.

As usual, there were many different predictions from various expert sources for the winners in each category.

Oscar winner predictions were based off of not only the writer or critic’s personal preference, but also a formula involving past awards that were won by the director, film, or actor.

The film news source known as Indiewire predicted that “Boyhood” would most likely take home the Oscar, although it would definitely be a close call with “Birdman” in the nominees. It was decided that “Boyhood” should really be the winner.

Indiewire writers aren’t the ony ones who researched the predicted Oscar winners before this year’s awards. Betting money on the predicted winner for each category has gained a large following online.

There is a complex formula to determine the odds of each nominee, and this information is distributed on several different websites. Hopeful gamblers can then go through an online transaction to bet on their nominee of choice, similar to the process for betting on a race horse. Although it is doubtful that any LFA students are engaging in these online bets, each student has their own personal opinion on who should win an Oscar.

“I feel like “The Imitation Game” would definitely deserve to win the Best Picture category,” said LFA senior Romaer Chopra.

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman” ran away with the awards show. “Birdman” won not only Best Picture but also Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Screenplay.

“Whiplash” also made a strong showing at the Oscars, coming home with Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel enjoyed a successful night with Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup.

Eddie Redmayne championed the Best Actor category for his work in “The Theory of Everything” whe Julianna Moore snagged Best Actress for “Still Alice.”

Photo courtesy of www.opwrapped.com Actor Neil Patrick Harris hosted this year’s Oscars.

THE SPECTATOR FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Arts and Entertainment

Burgers and Shakes The Bros take over Date Night

7

With Romaer Chopra, Ned Kennedy, Michael Phillips, and Jordan Wolff

By Jordan Wolff Editor-in-Chief It wouldn’t be a guys’ night out if there weren’t burgers and shakes involved.

Shake Shack, a new “fast fine” restaurant in Chicago, is the perfect place for a guys’ night out. Shake Shack is guaranteed to satisfy your hunger and make for some great fun.

There is no better way to spend a Friday night after a long week of tests and quizzes than taking a trip to Chicago for a burger. We ventured to the city by train, with Romaer and Ned barely making it on time.

While our trip started off with a bit of anxiety, a smooth train ride ensured we stayed on schedule.

When we arrived in the city we summoned an Uber Blackcar, the coolest way to get around downtown. Our driver, Chimere, was a friendly woman who understood how hungry we were and got us to Shake Shack in a hurry.

We conveniently went straight from the car to the restaurant, no need to exchange money with our driver (the beauty of Uber).

Upon entering, the place was packed full;

obviously a lot of other people shared our good idea. As we stood in line we thought about what we should order. Romaer, Michael, and I ordered a double SmokeShack burger: two juicy patties, American cheese, special Shack Sauce, and (of course) bacon. Ned ordered the Shackmeister, an aggressive move that entailed downing a burger with crispy shallots on it. To top it off all the guys ordered shakes and fries.

Roughly 2000 calories per guy!

The atmosphere of Shake Shack is great too. The upbeat music, large crowd, and wooden architecture provide for a fantastic setting to enjoy your meal. The staff was friendly and provided good service.

The next twenty minutes consisted of mostly indulging in the food and awaiting our imminent heart attacks. And the food was unbelievably delicious. The combina-

tion of flavors was done with excellence and the all natural 100% Angus beef satisfied our appetites.

The consensus on the burgers was two thumbs up. On a scale of 1-10, Michael rated the burger an 8.3, Romaer rated an 8.5, Ned rated an 8, and I rated a solid 9. Despite high ratings, the guys’ consensus was that the burgers are a little bit too small.

“The milkshake was very good. Although the burgers were a little small, they were still very much worth it,” said Ned. However, even with the strong showing from the burger, the shakes proved to be everyone’s favorite.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my milkshake from Shake Shack. It tasted like real icecream—not something you find at fastfood restaurants such as McDonald’s or Wendy’s,” said Phillips.

Photo by Hunter Wolff

Ned and Michael share a romantic intimate moment while sipping a chocolate shake.

The only downside to Shake Shack was the expense of about $20 per person. Even though the food is a bit pricey, it is totally worth it.

“At first glance, $20.00 for a burger, milkshake and fries seems a tad high, but it isn’t fast food. It’s about twice the price of Wendy’s but it’s definitely twice as good,” said Phillips.

After finishing our burgers and shakes we sat in the restaurant, waiting for our food to digest so we could stand up from the table. After fifteen minutes of waiting, our adventure was ready to come to an end.

Bottom line: you will have a hard time not enjoying the amazing food Shake Shack has to offer. The guys agree: Shake Shack is “swaggerific”, “swagtastic”, and “baller”.

Photo by Hunter Wolff

The double SmokeShack and two orders of fries. Two thousand calories in all.

One of the first Shake Shack locations in the Theater District of New York City. Shake Shack’s recent IPO will allow them to expand to more locations worldwide. Photo courtesy of Shake Shack

VERDICT: “Swaggerific, Swagtastic, Baller.” Shake Shack gets the guys’ approval.

THE SPECTATOR

Centerfold

8

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

School Year Abroad: a student’s What exactly is the School Year Abroad program?

By Tori Koontz News Editor

the admissions website of the program.

“The best part of the SYA program, in my opinion, is the fact that it’s a homestay, so students stay with local families for the entire year and essentially become part of that family... That is where the most effective learning happens,” said Mrs. Kristine Von Ogden, assistant Dean of Curriculum at LFA.

According to the program, the main goal in extended living with a host family is to provide students with a complete immersion into the language they are hoping to improve with SYA. Hearing a language spoken in a home environment has been proven to be significantly more effective for reaching a level of mastery than simply learning language in a classroom for 45

School Year Abroad, an international home-stay program for high school students, has much to offer potential participants, including cultural and language immersion, global perspective, and the experience of a lifetime.

Lake Forest Academy students have been taking part in the School Year Abroad program for many years and on average the school sends 1-3 students to one of the four schools in the program. LFA is also a member school, meaning that the Academy’s students’ applications get priority in the admission process.

Currently there are SYA schools in Spain, France, China, and Italy. All the mentioned schools have a central focus on language fluency for their designated language, except Italy, which centers more on a global curriculum.

“Since 1964, School Year Abroad has sent high school juniors and seniors to study abroad in distinctive cities and towns throughout Europe and Asia...

SYA’s rigorous academic curriculum, paired with complementary educational Photo courtesy of Maddie McWilliams travel and varied extracurricular activities ensures students are in an optimal posi- There are currently three Lake Forest Academy students taking part in SYA’s program in France: Maddie McWilliams, left, River Lund, center, and Nadia Basave, right. All three tion to return to their home schools,” says are part of the junior class.

minutes daily, in a country where that language is considered foreign and therefore not spoken or heard often in everyday life.

“SYA gives students, at a formative time in their lives, an opportunity to experience different perspectives...and live for an extended period of time in another culture, witnessing first-hand the political, economic, social and personal norms of society outside of the United States,” wrote SYA president Dr. Jack Creeden on their website.

However, there are a few setbacks to SYA. All School Year Abroad schools are independent and owned by the program. This means that students are not interacting with high schoolers native to the country and are instead interacting with other students in the SYA program. However, School Year Abroad has a very simple reason for doing this. At an adolescent age, and with little to no prior experience with the language they are speaking, being fully immersed would perhaps be too challenging and overwhelming for students, says Von Ogden. With the separate school, students can learn the language in a non-threatening environment.

“Students [participating in SYA] will get a full language and cultural immersion experience. You simply cannot duplicate that if you stay in the United States,” said Von Ogden.

SYA Summer Programs A shorter yet fulfilling alternative to the year-long curriculum

By India Shelley Arts and Entertainment Editor Every year, Lake Forest Academy students have the opportunity to attend School Year Abroad programs across the globe. These programs are not only available during the school year, but also over the summer as well. Students have the opportunity to travel to Italy, Spain, France, or China in order to better their language skills and broaden their cultural horizons.

SYA says that they seek “motivated high school students with a sincere inter-

est in advancing their language skills.”

Some of the summer programs have a minimum language requirement, such as two years of high school French or Spanish, or one year of high school Chinese.

Other programs, such as the one in Italy, require no previous experience with Italian.

“I will be attending morning classes about Spanish, in Spanish, taught by native instructors,” says sophomore Jenny Levitt who will be attending the SYA Spain program this summer.

The classes that students take are traditional language classes but also include,

“At SYA we don’t study global education, we live it.”

-SYA President Jack Creeden

and are not limited to, traditional cooking classes, dance classes, or research projects that take place in their host city.

“Personally, I’m most excited for getting to finally really use my language skills that I have been working on for years!” says Levitt.

Along with taking classes, students also explore local sights, and participate in cultural explorations to enrich their knowledge of the country and its people. This is a similar program to the year-round one, but many students are not ready for a full year away.

“Some students aren’t ready to leave for an entire year,” says Kristine Von Ogden, Assistant Dean of Curriculum and French Instructor, “it’s not as much of a commitment, financial or time-wise.”

During the SYA programs the students spend four weeks staying with a host family, while the final week is spent exploring other cities and sites around the country.

The five week programs give stu-

dents a way not only to better their language skills, but also to make long-lasting relationships with their host families with whom they spend full weekend day with a week, and live with.

Madison Olivieri, a senior at LFA who participated in the SYA Spain summer program in 2014, said that her host family was one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

“Getting to know my host family and learning about the culture through them was probably one of my favorite aspects of my time in SYA,” says Olivieri.

Learning about culture and diversity is an important message that the summer programs want their students to take away. By immersing themselves in a new culture, SYA says that students are able to learn more than they ever would in a classroom environment “At SYA we don’t study global education, we live it,” says SYAPresident Jack Creeden.

THE SPECTATOR FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Centerfold

9

chance to experience the world

A Q&A with our SYA students

By Tori Koontz and India Shelley News Editors The Spectator contacted two Lake Forest Academy students who are currently taking part in the School Year Abroad program in Rennes, France. Maddie McWilliams, ’16, and Nadia Basave, ’16, were asked 8 questions over text messaging. Their responses have been written down exactly.

Why did you decide to participate in SYA? MM: I decided to do SYA because I wanted to experience something new. We so often get stuck in the ruts that routine creates and getting out of them was incredibly appealing to me. I also really wanted to learn French, but I suppose that’s kind of a given.

NB: I’ve wanted to do a study abroad since I was 12. I knew I wanted to go to another country to learn a new language and culture. Plus I wanted to challenge myself. I knew that this year wouldn’t be easy but I also knew that in the end I would make many memories and gain different experiences. Therefore when given the chance to actually do this I knew I had to take the opportunity.

Why did you choose the location you did?

MM: For my whole life I had built France up to be my Mecca. One could say that being offered the opportunity to go was more or less the biggest “dream come true moment” of them all.

NB: I chose France because I wanted to learn French. There was always something about the French language that interested me. Also you can’t forget the amazing culture and food they have.

What did you hope to gain from the experience?

MM: I feel as though the natural response to that question would be “fluency”. While that is definitely ONE of my goals (why wouldn’t it be), I also hope to be more self-reliant by the end.

NB: I hope that in the end I gain knowledge about myself along with more of an understanding of the world around me. I want to travel around and learn about the different regions of France.

Photo courtesy of Maddie McWilliams

Maddie McWilliams of the junior class poses for a picture in her School Year Abroad host town of Rennes, France.

What has been your favorite part of SYA? MM: I love that we are free to travel independently. It amazes me how much freedom we have in this program. We have the ability to go anywhere as long as we have a will and can find a way. I also love that in communicating with countless French-speaking people, we are able to see the progress we’re making, and that makes me significantly more confident in my spoken French.

NB: I would have to say that my favorite part of SYA is probably the traveling.

We not only travel all over France with school but we are also given the opportunity to travel independently, whether it be

in France or to neighboring countries. I’ve already travelled independently to Paris and my next independent trip is taking me to The Alps for some skiing.

Have there been any struggles or difficulties?

MM: Yes, I have had a lot of difficulty juggling the different aspects of life one has in being a host student. There are so many different expectations... Not only has my patience been tested in my ability to communicate with people, I have also learned that there is not always time in the day to do everything perfectly, and that failure is not always avoidable.

NB: Yes, definitely. That was a given from the start. The first couple months were difficult. It was frustrating when I couldn’t express myself fully to my host family or when someone would immediately switch to English when I tried to ask for something at the store.

How does your school’s curriculum compare to LFA’s?

MM: If I am totally honest, I am having a lot more trouble here than I ever did at LFA. It’s not that what we’re learning is more difficult, it’s just that there is so much more to do and get distracted by.

Photo Courtesy of Nadia Basave

Junior Nadia Basave does some shopping at the mall while on her experience abroad in France.

NB: I feel that it’s roughly the same. It felt harder because a majority of my classes are in French, but I think as the year

goes on my classes have gotten easier.

How is it living with a host family?

MM: My host family and I have had some ups and downs, but I am incredibly happy with them. At the beginning of the year, I had a lot of trouble communicating, and I wasn’t willing to make mistakes which were not helpful in trying to get to know them. We are now extremely close and I’m able to communicate, so I guess we’re doing something right as a unit!

NB: It definitely was different than I originally expected. My host family is amazing and I couldn’t ask for a better one, yet at the beginning of the year I personally found it hard to get into their routine of things and their style of home life. As the year went on, though, it got easier and I truly see them as my second family.

Overall, have you enjoyed your experience with SYA? MM: I have loved my time at SYA (though I still have about 4 more months in the program) and am incredibly privileged to have been here. I actually have grown and changed while being here and I really do owe it to the program. Also I’m bilingual so I suppose that is also a plus!

NB: Definitely, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. If I had the chance to do it again I would without hesitation. I’ve made so many friends not only within the SYA program but also in my town.

THE SPECTATOR

Opinion and Editorial

10

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Caxy Rant: A $20,000 door job

By Arthur He Op-Ed Editor Have you ever got stuck outside of the Lower Corbin (under the bridge) door because the door just refuses to open? Honestly, this situation has frustrated me on multiple occasions. Although it’s a perfectly constructed excuse to be late to class for a minute or two when you are actually at Sonia’s, it is definitely not fun to be locked outside in the cold winter weather like now.

This frustrating situation happens to most LFA students at least once every day to the point that most of us have developed tricks to get the door open. Some say you need to push the door inwards a little bit with your feet.

Some say you need to pull the door when you are swiping the card to get it open. Well, both tricks work half of the time and plenty of students are still refused entrance from that door.

So what is causing the door to be the only malfunctioning one in the school? According to Mr. Andrew Kerr, chief administra-

tive officer here are Lake Forest Academy, the doors in LFA operate on two types of systems.

One system is hardwired, like to door by the mailroom in Reid.

Lower Corbin is the only wireless “battery-operated remote censor door” in the school.

“The Lower Corbin door is physically too far from the repeater,” says Kerr, “and it is slightly out of square.”

But how can the door in Lower Corbin be too far away, but the door in Lower Korhumel works perfectly fine?

Kerr said mix of these situations eventually creates the trouble we are dealing with now. Additionally, the signal is especially weak in the winter, which ironically is when we need the door to be open as fast as possible.

Many people may not have noticed, but the same problem actually happened last year with the back door of Cressey Center.

When the school replaced that door last summer, it cost almost $9,000. In order to solve the problem in Lower Corbin, LFA needs

to replace both doors at the two ends of the lower bridge, converting them into hard wire.

“We are looking at almost $20,000 to do two doors,” said Kerr.

Apparently this is not as small a problem as many would think.

Of course, do any of the decision makers actually stand outside Lower Corbin daily wishing the darn door would work and let them in out of the inter cold?

The good news, according to Kerr, is that this project is on the “to do” list and the school is going

to fix it this summer. Thus, when the students come back next September, the door is going to work miraculously. Of course, we still have to survive this February and March.

Photo by Arthur He

Many LFA students have experienced the panic of being locked out, demonstrated here by Sophie Hanson, ‘15.

Personal Opinion

Spring break needs to offer more trips geared towards international students the international trips, LFA only prepared one trip inside the United States to California for hiking, camping and visiting state parks.

Photo by William Murphy

Students visited Warwick Castle on an LFA spring break trip, the largest castle in England.

By Joseph Kim Staff writer Lake Forest Academy closes its dorms over Spring Vacation and boarding students are required to go somewhere else during the break, be it their homes or a

guardian’s house. For the students who decided not to go back to their homes, LFA has traditionally offered many fun trips during Spring Break. I wish more of those trips were within the USA. For the 2015 spring, LFA has prepared three international and

trip within the USA. The international trips include the Head of School Symposium trip to Cambodia and Laos, an AP Environmental Science trip, and a French trip, all of which are large-scale trips that can pressure many students economically. Compared to

There are many groups of students in LFA who want to go on trips with their friends over Spring Break, but not necessarily on a huge scale international trip.

Sure, going on trips to Cambodia or Laos would be a unique experience for many students at LFA, but there are also plenty of places inside the country where students can really enjoy their Spring Break.

Many students at LFA would also prefer traveling in the USA opposed to other foreign countries. One of the reasons would be because of the time zone differences. So many students, after long breaks, suffer from “jet lag” and have difficulties paying attention and focusing during class for the first week back at school, which can make their academic experience so much more difficult. Also many international

students at LFA would also like to travel the sites in the US and learn more about the history of the country. Despite staying in the US, many students at LFA didn’t even have a chance to step out of Illinois. Having trips to other states or places such as New York or Washington D.C. would interest a significant amount of students at LFA. Big international trips can also pressure many students financially. A significant amount of international students at LFA prefers not to go back to their home country so that they could save the cost of flights, but the alternative solution LFA provides is not much of a better option in this aspect. The big international trips LFA offers to its students can cost as much if not more than what their plane ride home would cost. Having smaller trips inside the country would significantly reduce the price and give students more options for their two weeks Spring Vacation.

THE SPECTATOR FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Editorial

Opinion and Editorial T h e L a k e A c a d e m y

A new LFA tradition?

The recent Senior Lock-In was the first of its kind. The Spectator hopes that the event will continue to be an annual tradition for years to come.

Throughout the last four years at LFA, there have always been social divides. While all 124 seniors in the class of 2015 talk to each other and get along, social groups still exist. The Lock-In took about 66 seniors and put them together for 12 hours with activities to entertain all. It provides a location and event for all students to hang out together, have fun, and be comfortable. Sure, some people gravitated towards video games while others gravitated towards Twister, but the usual social groups you might see sitting together in Hutch gladly mingled with no social boundaries.

The February timing is nice, but an ideal time would be in April.

By April, all seniors will have heard back from colleges, solidifying the fact that soon the class of 2015 will be distributed across

the globe. Rather than tiptoeing around the question of next year to avoid hurt feelings, college will become an open and maybe even welcome discussion. The Spectator believes that second semester is crucial to the timing of the Lock-In because it provides a final get together for the class of 2015, where students can reminisce about freshman year or ponder the future. Perhaps the school could even consider a lock-in following graduation.

One of the only failures of the concept is the surprisingly low number of participants. Only two thirds of the class of 2015 was in attendance. In the weeks leading up to the event, naysayers were keen to drag the event whenever it was mentioned. Some seniors shook their head at the supposedly immature activities, but if we are all being honest, who doesn’t love a good game of Apples to Apples? If the Senior Lock-In does become an annual tradition, hopefully it will gain popularity.

While 100 percent attendance might be asking a little much of a group, an event should still be able to surpass a measly 60 percent attendance rate.

As the first Lock-In ever hosted by the school, things are bound to go wrong. Not enough activities, not enough movies, or even not enough food—plenty of factors go into planning the event, and the kinks won’t get worked out until we know what the kinks are.

While pizza was a bit heavy, activities were a bit light. At 2 A.M., a pillow fight broke out amongst the seniors. However, this could have been caused by slap-happiness of the sleep-deprived seniors rather than through boredom.

The Spectator believes that the Senior Lock-In can only improve with time. As a sort of final goodbye from senior to senior, it is sure to hold a special place in everyone’s hearts.

Inquiring Photographer

In which LFA dorm would you want to live?

11 F o r e s t

S P E C TAT O R

STAFF LIST Editors-in-Chief Managing Editors

News Editors

Senior Features Editors Senior Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors Senior A&E Editor A&E Editor Senior Sports Editor Sports Editor Staff Writer Faculty Adviser

Romaer Chopra Jordan Wolff Amanda Bozorgi Allison Hechtman Michael Phillips Kristen Van Tine Tori Koontz Catherine Kvam Jason Lee Julia Mills Sophie Hanson Aban Yaqub Matt Filip Arthur He Joseph Kim Madison Olivieri India Shelley Ned Kennedy Ryan Wong Brandon Amoroso William Murphy

PUBLICATION

The Spectator is published eight times per year by the students of Lake Forest Academy and is a forum for student expression. The views and reporting herein are the sole product of The Spectator’s student reporters and in no way reflect the official views of Lake Forest Academy faculty, staff, administration or Board of Trustees.

EDITORIALS Opinions of the staff are presented in the form of unsigned editorials. Personal views are bylined or presented as formal dissents.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS “I would want to live in Ferry because it’s the cleanest and most recently renovated.” -Cece Boles, ‘15

“I would probably choose Ferry because it’s really clean and new and everyone’s really warm.” -Ryan Williams, ‘16

The Spectator welcomes responses to its articles in the form of Letters to the Editors in addition to letters on subjects of the author’s choosing. Please e-mail Letters to the Editors to Mr. Murphy at wmurphy@lfanet.org.

AWARDS The Spectator has been awarded several prestigious journalism awards in recent years. It has consistently taken first place in competitions against schools of similar size held by the American Scholastic Press Association and the Kettle Moraine Press Association.

“Probably Ferry because the rooms and building are really nice and it’s a newer building. But I also like Field because it’s homey and cozy.” -Grace Kasten, ‘15

“Mac because it’s smallest and is very cozy.” -John Pan, ‘15

“I would stay in Atlass because I really like the community.” -Isaiah Foust, ‘15

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“Good journalism can make our world a better place.” -Christiana Amanpour

THE SPECTATOR 12

Features

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

LFA reflects on teachers carrying guns in school in the wake of Peshawar attacks

By Romaer Chopra Editor-in-Chief

On December 9th, 2014, members of the Taliban orchestrated and executed an attack in the Peshawar region of Pakistan at an all-boys public school that would kill 145 people (132 of which were children). The Pakistani government recently released that they will allow licenses to teachers in certain regions to carry weapons if they feel it increases the safety of them and their students.

Unfortunately, brutal attacks, like that of Pakistan have been occurring all too frequently. According to an organization dedicated to stopping school shootings, there have been 387 school shootings in the United States alone since 1992. While the Pakistani government believes there is merit in arming certain teachers in a school, many believe that weapons have no place in the educational process.

LFA history teacher, Dr. Stefanie Bator, understands why a country with such turmoil like Pakistan might allow teachers to carry weapons, but she, as a teacher, also wouldn’t feel comfortable having to carry a weapon.

“I think that this reaction is completely understandable. You see this argument made a lot in the United States after school shootings. Considering the situation in

Pakistan I could see why there would be this much larger push. For me as a person, I could understand that, but for me as a teacher, I would never want to carry a

gun,” said Bator.

At the same time, some members of the community believe that adding weapons to a school creates a safer environment and

Photo courtesy of thenews.com.pk

A military official in Peshawar, Pakistan, instructs a teacher on self defense and gun use.

Photo courtesy of BuzzFeed

Pakistani schoolteachers look on as an official demonstrates the features of a gun.

would work to prevent the horrific incidents that have occurred in recent history.

“I personally would feel safer if a teacher on campus carried a gun because the community here is so close, and I have zero concern that anything bad would happen to me; I trust all the faculty members. I know that those weapons would only be used with the best possible intent,’ said senior Luke Corsiglia.

Many also take a more moderate stance on the issue. Assistant Dean of Admissions Mr. Robin Bowkett remains on the fence of the idea of having a gun in school, but he also wouldn’t hesitate to have a gun if it was deemed necessary for the protection of the LFA community.

There are many different stances to the debate on whether guns should be allowed in school, but Bator also suggests that it would completely alter the power structure of a school. She believes that students won’t have the same comfortable relationship with teachers, especially if teachers are armed with large full automatic weapons.

While areas of turmoil such as the Peshawar region of Pakistan are very different from the secluded community of Lake Forest Academy, there is clearly a worldwide debate about whether arming teachers is the correct way to create the safest educational environment.

Science Olympiad preps for regional competition at Nequa Valley High

By Joseph Kim Sports Editor

Photo courtesy of Andrea Buechler

Students prepare for the Bridge Building event, one of the many events in the competition.

Some people call the Illinois Science Olympiad the true state-wide battle of the brains as hundred of schools in the state compete against each other. Science Olympiad, which began as a grassroots assembly of science teachers, has now become a premier science competition nationwide as students from more than 7,000 schools compete to prove themselves as the best young scientists in the country.

The current club leader, senior Kristen Van Tine, first formed the LFA Science Olympiad team during the 2013-2014 school year with Dr. Kerry Cedergren, who currently coaches the team. In its first year, the LFA Science Olympiad team achieved some significant successes in the 2014 Regional Competition.

“Last year, LFA’s Science Olympiad team placed 9th in the region at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy meet, which was pretty impressive since last year was our first year,” explained Van Tine.

In addition, the Experimental Methods team with Sunny Ren, Liam Kakavas and Julia Schroeder won a medal for LFA in the

competition.

Building upon that experience, another LFA Science Olympiad Team has been assembled for the 2015 regional competition, which will be held on March 7 at Nequa Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois.

According to Van Tine, the new LFA Science Olympiad team tries to meet at least once a cycle to prepare for their upcoming event.

“We meet as a team for the bonding experience, but individuals study for their events with their partners on their own. Competitors may ask science teachers for guidance with particularly difficult concepts,” said Van Tine.

The group is split into multiple different teams and studies for 23 different topics and events in the Regional Competition.

“Our goal this year is to increase involvement and interest in the club, and do the best we can in the events,” said junior Sneha Pamulapait. “We hope we may be able to win some medals as well.”

Meanwhile, the LFA Science Olympiad team has a goal of placing in the top 3 at the Regional Competition and advancing to the State Competition.

THE SPECTATOR FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Features

13

Trivia Crack app cracks the online gaming market

By Sophie Hanson Senior Features Editor The classic board game Trivial Pursuit has essentially gone digital with the extremely popular app Trivia Crack. In December, the game became the iTunes App Stores most downloaded application.

The app has continued to go viral. Many players describe it as “addictive” on the internet, and say that they “can’t stop playing.” As of January 28, 2015, the app had over 100 million downloads, according to today.com.

“I like testing how much knowledge I have,” said senior Claudia Kirby. “It’s actually kind of a confidence boost because you know more than you think you do, but it can also bring you down.”

Trivia Crack allows friends and strangers to compete in rounds of multiple choice trivia questions. The questions fall into six categories: entertainment, art, history, science, geography, and sports. The initiating player first spins the virtual wheel on his or her screen, which selects one of the six categories at random. A question is then pulled from one of the categories. These injuries range from “Who says the famous salute ‘Live long and prosper’” (Spock) to “What is the biggest source of vitamin D?” (the sun) to “Which continent touches each

line of longitude?” (Antarctic).

If the player selects the correct answer, they get to spin again and answer another question. If not, it becomes the other player’s turn. The object is to get as many questions correct as possible in order to collect points in the form of “crowns” and cartoonish “characters” that represent each category.

“The questions are easy enough so that I can get most of them right,” said senior Alec Mesrobian.

However, the questions do get progressively more difficult with each passing level.

There is no general consensus on the toughest category. Each player seems to have a different opinion on the easiest versus most difficult based on what they know more about. Someone well versed in multiple subjects might have the best luck with the game.

“The easiest is science, and hardest is entertainment,” junior Matt Fallon said. “I can usually learn something whenever I’m playing it. I’ll learn small facts, and also the fact that it’s quick.

Initially launched in in Latin America in 2013, the app was translated to English and nine other languages as of December, 2014.

Photo courtesy of tryinterct

Trivia Crack generates questions for players via a vividly colored wheel of categories.

Caxy Match

Photo taken by Arthur He

Photo courtesy of vettri.net

The Spectator staff believes that freshman Elizabeth Christoph (left), in all her glory of blonde curls, closely resembles Taylor Swift circa 2008, who is pictured on the right.

THE SPECTATOR 14

Sports

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Girls’ Ice Hockey crushes Warren High School

By Ryan Wong Sports Editor This year the Lake Forest Academy Girls’ Varsity Hockey Team has been playing very well. With a recent 7-0 victory over Warren High School, the Caxys established themselves as a team to be reckoned with in the upcoming Founders Cup playoffs. It was a great game played by the whole team since they were up against a school 10 times bigger than LFA. Multiple players scored goals in the game, and those included Danielle Kelly, Carly Levin, Carly Thomas, Michaela Crolwey, and Kristin Chivers.

Captain Kristin Chivers believes that the team feels very good and is in good position now because of the big win over Warren. She also thinks that everyone on the team did a good job establishing their roles in the game.

“The team atmosphere is awesome. Everyone is excited and knows they contributed to the team in the win,” said Chivers.

“Everyone played hard and all the positions supported each other. Goalie Natalie Warnes played great and the forwards and the defensemen helped create offense, leading to the goals.”

Junior Michaela Crowley also thinks that the team is at a good position approaching the remaining games of the season, and that the team has been improving overall through various aspects.

“We feel pretty confident going into our next games. It is always fun to play in games like this because everyone has an opportunity to score,” said Crowley. “We also have the opportunity to work on skills such as passing and trying out new posi-

tions on the ice.”

The Head Coach Gia Puch has been coaching ice hockey for four years and is currently in her third season of coaching at LFA. “I think we are continuing to improve every game. The things I expect from players now are not what I expected in November. My expectations grow every game and the team is keeping up with great enthusiasm,” said Puch.

Puch also thinks that the team is succeeding because everyone is coming in and fulfilling their jobs. She also hopes that the team can make another run for the Founder’s Cup and defend the championship.

“The biggest factors of our win against Warren High School were that we were acting and playing like a team. Everyone was getting opportunities to contribute and score on any shift,” said Puch. “With the remaining part of the season, I hope the team makes another appearance at the Founder’s Cup Championship and defends the title for a second year.”

Chivers and Crowley were also chosen to play in the All-State Girls Hockey game; both of them felt really honored to be chosen and become part of it.

“I was very happy and grateful I had the opportunity to experience that,” said Crowley.

“It was an honor being chosen to the All-State team. Being able to represent LFA with the best of the best high school players in the state was the best feeling,” said Chivers. “Michaela and I played great and the other teams in the state now know they cannot take LFA girls hockey lightly.”

Photo Courtesy of LFA Communications Junior Michaela Crowley, pictured in a game against New Trier High School, was instrumental in the win against Warren High School on February 3, 2015.

Photo courtesy of Jack Zhong

Sophomore Nat Shattock defends the ball from an opponent in a recent soccer game.

Indoor soccer keeps LFA soccer players in shape

By Jordan Wolff Editor-in-Chief Four months have passed since the end of the Lake Forest Academy boys soccer season, but top JV and Varsity players have continued to keep their skills at a high level through playing indoors. A group of LFA boys, half JV and half Varsity, have formed a very competitive indoor soccer team that has played despite the snow and cold temperatures.

Coached by LFA faculty member Mr. Steve Ryder, Rey León FC--their official team name--is currently 6-1-1 through eight games, and they are currently sitting in first place in the standings. Sophomores Andrew Ryder, Nat Shattock, and Felipe Alban are the three captains of the team and are also the leading scorers with 14, 8, and 7 goals respectively.

Indoor soccer is very different from outdoor soccer. The game is played in a walled-in field and the rules are very different.

“Indoor soccer is a much faster game and uses boards, so the ball rarely goes out of play. There is no slide tackling in indoor soccer and also no offsides, meaning man marking is very important to make sure there’s not a free player down the field,” said Coach Ryder.

The league is also keeping players in

shape. A fast-paced game means players have shorter rest time and are constantly moving around the field.

“There are only six players playing, and the pitch is bigger than you may think. By the time the game ends you will certainly be sweating, that’s for sure!” said Shattock.

LFA soccer players have to keep their skills and stamina in shape during the offseason. The fast pace of indoor soccer has really helped players improve.

“A lot of the varsity players are playing on club teams to stay in shape. Other than that they are doing this to keep themselves in shape and keep their skills up. The game is much more intense but it’s probably a bit easier to play just technically. It gives everyone lots of touches with the ball; the more you touch the ball the better technically you get,” said the coach.

“Indoor helps improve your technical ability as well as general feel for the ball.

Having a good first touch is extremely important and by playing in these smaller sided games, the ball feels more comfortable on your foot when you transition to outdoor soccer. I think it’s helped keep me stay in good shape because you’re sprinting a lot and the sport is very intense. I also think my endurance has increased as well as the ability to play for longer periods of time,” said player Ryder.

THE SPECTATOR

Sports

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

15

LFA Varsity Basketball Team captures its fourth straight win in game against Mooseheart School

By Ned Kennedy Sports Editor

Photo courtesy of Jack Zhong

Senior Dejon Brissett dunks the ball in the game against Mooseheart School.

The Lake Forest Academy Caxys defeated Mooseheart School in a varsity boys basketball game recently by a score of 7941.

Senior Diago Quinn was the high scorer tallying 17 points as Ryan Clamage added a solid 14 to help the Caxys seal their fourth victory in as many games. Dejon Brisset and Daniel Joseph added 9 and 5 points, respectively, as well as some highlight dunks giving the crowd a spectacular show.

The stands were packed, as a large portion of the student body came out to support the team during Senior Night. With eight seniors on this year’s team, there was a lot to cheer about even before the game started. The crowd (as well as the players) was ready to go as soon as the eight seniors --Diago Quinn, Alec Mesrobian, Ryan Clamage, Josh Postadan, Isaiah Foust, Dejon Brissett, Brandon Amoroso and Malcolm Chaka -- stepped on to the court.

Mesrobian was asked if the excitement of Senior Night and the energy of the crowd affected the game.

“I would have to say yes, plus the packed house got everyone riled up. It was pretty cool to hear the crowd noise that loud after

Photo courtesy of Jack Zhong

LFA varsity basketball team huddles before a recent game against Mooseheart School.

every bucket,” said Mesrobian.

As soon as the ball was thrown into the air, the high-flying Caxy’s put on a show forcing Mooseheart to call an early timeout with only two minutes off the clock.

This frustration was created due to an early run started off by a spectacular ally oop finished off by Brissett. After the first quarter, LFA had a 20-10 lead. From that point, they never looked back, adding 21 more points in the second quarter to finish the half up 41-21.

The Caxy bench served a pivotal role in Thursday’s game. With such a lopsided

margin the whole team was able to come off the bench and contributed to the cause.

Amoroso was the high scorer off the bench, coming in and contributing eight points and a couple of assists.

At the end of the day, LFA played a inspiring basketball game. With the crowd packed and the fans on their feet, the Caxys came away with a great victory. It may not have been the closest game but with a combination of spectacular dunks and a lot of scoring, it sure was an amazing game to watch.

Freshman Alondra Arreola set to play soccer for Mexican National Team

By Aban Yaqub Senior Features Editor

Alondra Arreola has just signed to play for the Mexican National Team, quite a feat for an LFA freshman. As a child, Arre-

ola was heavily involved in many recreational activities. She dipped her toes in tap dancing, ballet, volleyball, basketball, and soccer in order to assess what sports she did and didn’t like. But Soccer was her forte, and she hopes to pursue soccer as a

Photo courtesy of Alondra Arreola

Freshman Alondra Arreola and her team pose for a picture after a recent game.

professional career.

Her focus on soccer has not stopped Arreola from excelling in volleyball and basketball at Lake Forest Academy, both on a varsity level, and she continues to play volleyball and basketball simply to remain active throughout the seasons. What attracted Arreola, in fact, to the aura of soccer, was how active of a sport it was.

“You just get to be more creative in soccer. I play center-mid position, so I can do things like take people on, make plays, and spread the ball out,” Arreola explained.

Since the start of her involvement in soccer, Arreola has played for several teams.

She began playing for her park district’s team, the Wheeling Wildcats. She has also played for the Spartans, Chicago Fire, and Chicago Magic, for which she currently plays. Arreola has taken up coaching the younger group of her father’s team, FC Athletico. Soon, she will also play for the Mexican National Team for the U17 girls division.

Arreola has achieved thus far, of course, with hard work, discipline, and immense dedication. With the unwavering support

of her father, Arreola discovered and cultivated her talent.

Training is intense. Arreola practices twice a day for two teams, and plays usually about three games every weekend.

Each practice ranges from an hour to an hour and half. Arreola practices in the mornings with FC Athletico, and at 9pm with Chicago Magic.

“We start off with a jog, about 10 laps around the field. Then we do a lot of strength work for a good 30 minutes, I’d say. One of our main focuses is on technical skills, like controlling the ball and juggling. At the end, we scrimmage for about 20-30 minutes,” Arreola said.

“He (her dad) tries to push us (my brother and me) the most. He teaches us to be the leaders of the team, to carry the team, and to get everyone to be motivated to become better,” Arreola commented.

It seems sportsmanship and athleticism are strong suits of the family. Arreola’s brother, Luis Arreola ’17, has also been contending for a position on a professional USA soccer team since last year.

16

Sports

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

Alumna Meredith Rowe transitions from player to coach

By Catherine Kvam News Editor Lake Forest Academy graduate, Meredith Rowe, who played on the LFA field hockey team, recently underwent the transition from player to coach at Middlebury College where she graduated in 2014.

“As someone who has always been passionate about playing field hockey, it was never going to be easy for me to stop playing,” said Rowe. “When my senior season ended in the fall of 2013 it was hard for me to imagine my future without being involved with field hockey.”

Instead, Rowe saw the opportunity as assistant coach as a viable option to continue her love of the game, even if it was solely on the sidelines.

Although she wishes she was still playing, “nothing is more rewarding than watching our team succeed,” said Rowe.

Rowe accounts her easy transition to an already existing bond between her and her teammates from her previous years of playing and coaching experience.

“I coached at field hockey camps in the area, Windy City Summer League, Sports Made Personal, and my personal favorite, LFA’s preseason,” said Rowe.

Rowe has returned to her alma mater over the years to help coach LFA’s varsity field hockey team during preseason by running drills and playing in scrimmages.

“Meredith is a great coach and leader because she’s very positive and supportive, and takes the time to thoroughly ex-

plain each drill and skill,” said current Caxy senior player Amanda Bozorgi.

Rowe’s continued commitment to LFA has had a large effect on the team as a whole.

“She always comes back to LFA, and... that means a lot to the people beneath you,” said LFA Field Hockey Coach Diane Cooper. “They are aspiring to be her.”

Her passion for field hockey started long before playing at Middlebury. During her four years at LFA, everyone considered Rowe to be an invaluable member of the field hockey team. Serving as captain her senior year, she led the team by example, while making sure that everyone was just as excited to play as she was.

“Meredith was a person who ate, slept, and breathed field hockey. She just had this attitude that you can’t coach,” said Coach Cooper. “I think she will always bleed the orange and black.”

Rowe describes her primary role as assistant coach as facilitating an enthusiastic space for the players to develop their skills.

“When the energy is high, the players are motivated and want to compete.” said Rowe. “Every single player is giving it her all, and as a result, the entire team improves as a whole.”

However, this is not her only role as assistant coach. Rowe is responsible for the planning of practices and workouts, as well as coordinating reservations and hotels for when the team plays away games.

Practices take place during the week and games are played on the weekends, though occasionally during the week, as well.

Additionally, Rowe accompanies the team to away games.

“Although some of the bus trips may be long, they are always something the team looks forward to!” said Rowe.

Her newfound coaching role has changed her outlook on the game and coaches as a whole.

“It has definitely been a learning experience and has made me truly appreciate all of the hard work and attention to detail that coaches put into practice every day to make their team better,” said Rowe.

Photo courtesy of Middlebury College