Issue 4 1 26 18

Volume 108, Issue 4

PDA causes discomfort, debate Students, faculty, administration weigh in on affection in hallways

by Grant Campbell and Greta Markey @grantc_3100 and @gretamarkey

The one time that NC Student Assistant Yolanda Rodriguez witnessed an intense public display of affection (PDA) occurred at SC. As she was coming down the stairs one passing period, she proceeded to discover two underclassmen engaging in physically romantic behavior at school.

“They were really getting into it,” Rodriguez said. “I told them ‘Guys! What are you doing?’ [I broke them apart] and told them to get to class.”

Out of 186 random student surveys at NC, all but three students have seen PDA at LT, with over 85 students encountering PDA at least once a day.

Despite the overwhelming presence of students w h o have

98.4% of 186 LT students surveyed have witnessed public displays of affection (PDA) at LT.

88.2%

viewed acts of PDA, the extremity and type of PDA they witness often vary in intimacy. While there is not a formal definition of PDA, there is a plethora of intimate actions that fall under its general umbrella. These actions range from hugs and hand holding to physical groping of a significant other.

Locally, Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park has banned hugs on school grounds, according to TIME. “[At LT], there are no policies that address [PDA] specifically,” Principal Brian Waterman said. “Some clubs and activities will include guidelines related to PDA in their field trip procedures, but that would be specific to a club.”

Rodriguez confirmed that the student handbook does not explicitly contain any policy regarding these displays of affection. Though it lacks an official policy, Rodriguez believes that avoiding these public displays should be considered common courtesy, she said.

“We have 4,000 students, and the actual number of students who are ‘consequenced’ for this type of behavior is relatively small considering our enrollment,” Waterman said. “ We believe it is best to handle each issue individually in the AP office. It’s one of those things that when we notice it, we address it and ask [them] how they think they’re making other students feel.”

In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools are tasked with creating environments free of harassment among students, TIME reported; however, many LT students feel uncomfortable with the PDA they see in the hallway. Seventy nine of the 186 interviewed students feel some-

what uncomfortable with the PDA they encounter, while 46 indicated that their level of discomfort is extreme.

“I just don’t want to see two people cuddling or making out by my locker when I have places to be,” Sydney Weber ’18 said. “There are better places to do that.”

Whether or not preventative action is taken by faculty all depends on the extremity of PDA. “It depends how profound it is,” Rodriguez said. “If you’re there making out, we’ll tell you to stop, because you really shouldn’t be doing that. Stuff like that you keep in private, not where everyone’s looking.”

There are numerous different opinions regarding PDA and the emotions people feel surrounding

Continued on page 6

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of the surveyed students see PDA at least once a week at LT, while a little under half of the interviewed students see PDA daily.

Yolanda Rodriguez Student Assistant

Suburban crime escalates, unsettles community four culprits to escape the car and run away on foot. The police were able to capture three of the four suspects, meaning there was a fugitive on the loose within the LT district. This led LT and proximal district administrators to commence a soft lockdown for the safety of the students, Principal Brian Waterman said.

“When things like that happen, we get our leadership team together—[Superintendant Tim] Kilrea, myself and the associate principals— and we discuss the information we have and make an informed decision using student safety as our number one priority,” Waterman said.

Beginning at around 12:30 p.m., the lockdown continued until the Western Springs police notified the school that the fourth fugitive was captured. School was then dismissed at 3:10 p.m.

While walking north along Ashland Avenue toward Cossitt Elementary School on Sept. 14, 2017, La Grange resident Laura Reilly suddenly heard the faint sound of sirens approaching from the distance. Soon enough, bright police lights were flashing far up the street, and it was not long until Reilly spotted several police cars chasing a vehicle with a detached bumper dragging along the pavement, emitting a terrible screeching noise.

It was not until the group of cars sped past her when she comprehended a chase was occuring, making a large thud against a parked car on Crime continues their way past.

Police chases and crimes that put the lives Struck with fear, Reilly traveled to the back of residents in danger are extremely rare ocof the parked car to notice that the wheel of currences in La Grange, Western Springs and the suspect’s vehicle had fallen off and crashed surrounding towns, according to the Neighinto the rear end. Luckily, that car was there to borhood Scout. Relative to other parts of protect her; otherwise, Reilly could have been the country, the crime index of LaGrange is severely injured.

73, meaning that La Grange is safer than 73 “Within the blink of an eye and without percent of U.S. cities. The same source gives even realizing what’s happening in front of me, Western Springs a crime index of 95. AlI totally could have gotten nailed by that tire,” Damage parked car received after wheel detached from though it is rare to hear about violent crime in she said. “It seemed like it was happening in suspect vehicle in the midst of hot pursuit. (Reilly) both communities, criminal activity continslow motion. I was in disbelief.” ued to stir the local area after the police chase After nearly injuring Reilly, the Chicago Tribune reported that the poin mid-September. The LaGrange Police Department was contacted for lice chase continued until the subject vehicle crashed into a motorcyclist this story, but did not comment or clarify whether or not recent crimes on Plainfield Road adjacent to Fuller’s Car Wash, which prompted the display an increase compared to the general Continued on page 6

North Campus

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100 S. Brainard Ave. LaGrange, Ill. 60525 South Campus

Look here for some quick reads on this issue’s features.

Page 2: Coverage on protests at Glenbard East, grassroots activism and the 2018 March to the Polls all revolving around President Donald Trump on Page 2.

Page 3: LT’s American Sign Language class educates first responders to better equip them for dealing with emergency situations.

Page 4: The Winter Olympics have come. While you enjoy curling competitions everyday, be sure to think of the work of this LT alumni who’s interning for NBC. See how he got the internship on Page 4.

If you’re there making out, we’ll tell you to stop, because you really shouldn’t be doing that. Stuff like that you keep in private, not where everyone’s looking.

67.2%

by Spiro Kass @spiro_kass

PH

aper ighlights

Page 5: Many academic teams prepare for state competions. As their seasons wind down, we wish them luck on Page 5.

of the surveyed students are at least somewhat uncomfortable with seeing PDA in the hallway, while 24.7 percent are extremely uncomfortable.

Recent crimes in LaGrange, Western Springs show increase in criminal activity

Friday, January 26, 2018

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Page 6: What is the theme of this issue’s SnapChat box?

You’ll have to go to Page 6 to find out. Don’t forget to add us: @lionnewspaper.

Page 8: Trump officially reached one year in office last week. See three students argue over his first year on Page 8.

Page 9: Don’t use up all of your cellular data in school ever again. Check out what we think of wifi being provided to students in school on Page 9.

Page 10: The Bowling team is headed to STATE! Congratulations to all athletes.

Read all about it on Page 10.

Page 11: Who is this issue’s Athlete of the Month? You’ll have to turn to Page 11 to find out.

Page 12: From fights to terrible hype videos: read the full scoop on the history of the LT Hinsdale Central Rivalry. We have it for you on Page 12.

Page 14: It may not be the summer sports, but the Olympics are back. Turn to Page 14 to read about these icy athletics.

Pages 16-17: Whether you have one, use one or know someone who does, read all the facts about fake IDs on Pages 16-17.

Page 18: See LION’s list of top Netflix originals on Page 18.

Page 19: PUPPIES! We’re just going to let Page 19 speak for itself.

Page 20: Who says you need hair to be cute? Certainly not us—this issue’s pet of the month is featured on Page 20.

4900 Willow Springs Rd. Western Springs, Ill. 60558

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Friday, January 26, 2018

Groups aim to keep activism alive

by Lars Lonnroth @larslonnroth

O

ne October afternoon, Glenbard East senior Jimmy Lynch walked to his school’s cafeteria for a lunch that was anything but normal. On that day, President Donald Trump took steps to rescind the program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

While he knew he had a friend who received protections under DACA, Lynch didn’t know all of the details about how the program worked. What he did know, however, is that the program gave his friend the ability to gain temporary legal status despite being brought to the country illegally when she was young.

“So I went looking for her [at lunch] and then there’s my friend, walking through the halls, crying,” Lynch recalled.

“We talked about DACA for the rest of the lunch period and tried to fight through it. At that point, I knew I had to do something.”

On Nov. 3, 2017, around 50 students and local activists assembled outside Glenbard East for a protest, organized by Lynch, to show their discontent with the efforts to repeal DACA. “This is something that affects my school and my friends very deeply,” Lynch said. “We organized this march to get our voices heard.”

Lynch’s demonstration was inspired in part by the surge of protests spurred by the election of Trump. As a result of Trump’s ascendancy, some left-leaning individuals were emboldened to get involved in the political process, taking to the streets in droves.

As Trump’s first year in office progressed, the massive protests of the administration’s incipient days largely subsided. But some activists argue that the energy migrated to greater involvement in newly-formed groups that aim to parlay anti-Trump energy into success for progressive candidates in the midterm election of 2018.

The question is, will it work?

People protest at The March to the Polls Jan. 20. The event drew an estimated 300,000 to Chicago in an attempt to energize people to take to the polls for the mid-term election. More coverage on lionnewspaper.com. (Lonnroth/LION)

sus Calzadilla-Palacio, founder of Young Progressive of America (YPA), said. “We can no longer sit idly by; we need to be on the forefront of this movement and unabashedly take political power and wield it together.”

According to organizers like Calzadilla-Palacio, protests were a good start but there was another route to take: organizing.

Grassroots activism

Calzadilla-Palacio founded YPA intending to enact change mainly at universities and in local government, not at a national level. Studying political science at Long Island University in New York City, he started YPA’s first chapter at his school.

One reason local and student government is YPA’s focus is that it is closer to home, but it also reflects much of what Calzadilla-Palacio sees as being flawed with the United States, he said.

“Higher education is a microcosm of what is wrong with this country,” Calzadilla-Palacio said. “You’re having an increased corporatization of higher education, increasing tuition. You’re having universities not looking at students as students but instead as money bags.”

Ever since YPA was founded shortly after the election, the organization has had two chapters emerge with an additional four coming soon, Calzadilla-Palacio said.

In addition to getting progressives involved in their local communities, he group works to get progressive candidates elected in student and local government, he said.

Lynch, the Glenbard East senior, said that part of his goal with his protest was to show that activism doesn’t have to be done only in the city.

“We don’t need to be in the city to do this. We can do this in the suburbs—as boring the suburbs are—we can bring a radical element to them if we want to,” Lynch said.

“If we work hard enough and are smart, we can do that.”

It itn’t just young people like Calzadilla-Palacio and Lynch embracing local activism, though.

For many, such as Alisa Kaplan, director of the Illinois-based Action For a Better Tomorrow (ABT), localizing activism is a way to maintain momentum that would otherwise be lost as a result of the barrage of daily news alerts.

Having a more attainable motive keeps people engaged, Ka-

Loud beginnings

Even on the day of the presidential election, Nov. 8, 2016, all indicators pointed to Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, winning. All of the polling and the pundits said that it would be a convincing victory for Clinton—it wasn’t.

Almost all predictions failed to detect the groundswell of support for Trump, even flying under the radar for some of the most consistent pollsters. When Trump won that evening, the left was bewildered and furious.

The fury stemmed, in part, from Trump’s fiery campaign rhetoric on immigration issues, his derogatory comments about women and his promise to curtail reproductive rights.

On Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration, 3 to 4 million individuals took to the street in cities across the nation to express their anger in the first ever Women’s March.

While mentioning that “peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy” and that he does “recognize the rights of people to express their views,” Trump expressed his belief that many of these protests were efforts to rehash an election that was already settled.

“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election!” Trump tweeted after the Women’s march. “Why didn’t these people vote?”

Nonetheless, Trump’s victory awoke some progressives and spurred them to try and take action.

“That kind-of shook everything and made me realize that, man, young people need to take power,” Carlos Je-

plan said, in addition to working to make change in local government.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve gotten used to [the Trump administration] but more that we’re exhausted by the outrage, and there is only so much you can do to keep it up,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan’s ABT has worked to foster continued motivation by providing education in the form of events on topics like gun control. ABT also aims to take some of the energy that would go to protests and moving that into more sustainable means of activism, such as calling local representatives.

“Last year we were driven by shock and outrage, two things that generate a hell of a lot of energy,” Kaplan said.

“But right now, we have to shift from energy driven by outrage to goal driven energy, energy dedicated to reaching a goal which is getting more progressives elected in 2018.”

That shift is visible in the second large-scale protest by the organizers of last year’s Women’s March: The March to Polls. The march, which drew nearly 300,000 to downtown Chicago Jan. 20, aimed to energize protesters for the many upcoming elections in 2018.

Even if protests aren’t as commonplace, the goal-driven activism highlighted by the March to the Polls is what will have an impact, Kaplan said.

Midterm elections

Traditionally, the party that is not occupying the White House almost always makes major gains in the first midterm election of an administration, which are poised to take place this year.

Some Democrats are hoping that the animosity towards Trump will make their gains significantly greater this year when voters go to the polls on Nov. 6.

Meanwhile, ABT’s Kaplan said that there is still a huge bar for progressive candidates to overcome—particularly in the realm of financing their races—to compete with establishment party candidates, which Kaplan thinks more focus needs to be put on.

“Progressive groups need to make campaign finance a priority if we are ever going to really change our politics because it affects who can or will run and who our public officials represent,” Kaplan said. “I don’t think this issue is getting as much attention as it should in the flurry of grassroots activity right now.”

Trump Protests Nov. 9, 2016

Election protests: Trump defeats Clinton in the electoral college. People took to the streets in anger. First indication of the protest surge of the Trump’s presidency.

Jan. 21, 2017

Women’s March: After the inauguration, 3-4 million people assembled in cities across the nation for the Women’s March—the largest demonstration in American history.

Feb. 16, 2017

Day Without Immigrants: Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric during the campaign led to many protests. Immigrants stayed home from work to show their role in society.

June 3, 2017

March for Truth: Protests occurred in various cities calling for an impartial investigation into the Trump campaign. In Chicago, the protest drew 2,000 protesters.

Jan. 20, 2018

March to the Polls: In Chicago, 300,000 people paraded through the streets for the March to the Polls, put together by the organizers of the Women’s March.

Compiled by Lars Lonnroth, Grant Campbell

German consulate presents to NC students Herbert Quelle talks to German classes, LTMUN

by Mary Okkema @MaryOkkema

German Consulate General in Chicago Herbert Quelle played his rendition of Jingle Bells on the harmonica while LT German and Model UN students sang along on Tuesday, Dec. 5. NC room 140 was packed with 80 to 100 students who meet with him and discuss German government and its policy.

“As their teacher, I can give them the educator’s perspective of Germany and German culture, the language and the history, but having a real native German diplomat come and talk to the students about the issues, situations and current events is an entirely different perspective,” German Club sponsor Shannon Murray said.

The majority of Quelle’s talk centered around the refugee situation in Germany and the German perspective of immigration, Murray said. He went into depth about how Germany welcomed to Syrian and African refugees in 2015.

However, just over two years later they are closing their borders after letting in over 1 million refugees.

“I believe it is important to meet with students, because

German Consulate General Herbert Quelle, center, poses with students after a Dec. 5 presentation at LT. (Rossetti/LION) education is a very important part of intercultural exchange,” Quelle said. “Besides being educated in your daily subjects, it is increasingly important that students develop an understanding of how to be a good global citizen. I think I can contribute to this. ” This unique opportunity came about when Mary Kate

Dudley met Quelle at the German Unification Day Ball in Chicago, her son Jack Dudley ‘18 said. Quelle agreed to her invitation to come talk to the German and MUN students.

“Meeting with the German Consul General offered LT students a chance to engage in public diplomacy without even leaving their school,” Jack said. “Having spent an entire year in Germany, I was just glad we could get a representative of their government.”

Besides the refugee crisis, he spoke about the structure of the German government, and how it compared to the United States government, MUN advisor Andrew Johannes said.

“Most of the time we would see these things in the media or in articles that we read, so having an actual in-person presentation with a first hand perspective of events that are going on like this in a country that they are learning about and can make cultural connections to,” Murray said.

The presentation lasted from sixth to eighth period. The first 30 minutes, Quelle delivered a speech about German politics and how he came to be a German diplomat. Then for the rest of the time he answered questions from the students.

“A lot of times, I feel that high schoolers can have very limited experiences with cultures outside of their own, and this was a great chance to be immersed in another culture’s political views,” MUN member Gina Cuba ‘19 said.

Friday, January 26, 2018

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ASL educates first responders

Students lay foundation of sign language, hope to limit future misunderstandings

by Grant Campbell @grantc_3100

Two years ago, American Sign Language became a pilot class at LT. The program sought to gain as much student interest as possible, hoping that it would be able to sustain a full class at NC. ASL teacher Colleen Gibbons taught incoming freshman and current LT students over the summer to get a feel of the students that would potentially enroll in the first ASL class at LT. With a total of 12 students, the pilot class not only learns how to sign, but also studies deaf culture, similar to other world language classes. On multiple occasions, students learned of incidents between first responders and deaf people where the situation became hostile, even resulting in death in the case of Magdiel Sanchez, a deaf man who was shot not adhering to spoken police commands.

When Gibbons studied ASL, she was struck by a few simple interactions amongst deaf people and first responders that became complicated due to the different form of communication.

“This has been a thought in the back of my mind since my times as an ASL student,” she said. “I called hospital emergency rooms and asked, ‘if I showed up and was deaf, what would you do?’”

After learning of the death of Sanchez in class, ASL students wanted a way to educate first responders on basic sign language as well as the deaf culture. The passion from students to pass on this basic knowledge was evident, given their feelings toward the handlings of Sanchez and similar events was evident, ASL student Tess Lewandowski ’20 said. They reached out to multiple departments of first responders, including police officers, firefighters, EMTs and others to invite them to a class hosted by Gibbons and her students.

“Once I pitched [teaching first responders], it was like a run-away train,” Gibbons said. “They had so many great

ideas. I didn’t want it to be my way. Everyone’s opinions were valued and implemented. Once we put a date on the calendar, we knew we had to be ready.”

To prepare for the Dec. 12 presentation, the class spent a month writing notecards and forming a booklet of signs that could be applicable to first responders, ASL student Maggie Carrabine ’18 said.

Though Gibbons always had this in the back of her mind, the after-school class was something very unique not only for LT, but also for the ASL language.

ASL students present to La Grange Fire Department EMTs. (Campbell/LION) “This was not anything that existed before,” Gibbons said.

“It’s not like we found a book that told us how to put it all together. It was a passion project.”

To effectively educate different divisions of first responders, the ASL class split up into different groups of specialists that determined crucial signs each type of first responder would benefit from learning, ASL student Rebecca Bernier ’18 said.

“All first responders thought we did a really good job at guessing what they wanted to know,” Gibbons said. “The students did an amazing job of fielding questions from the first responders about content that wasn’t in the booklet we created. I’m just so proud of them.”

Although Gibbons is the adult teacher of the ASL class, she wanted her students to be the primary instructors at the after-school class. For the first 20 minutes of the hour-anda-half class, she gave basic instruction and then broke off into the specialized groups.

“I feel that the event went really well,” ASL student Zoey Gallagher ’20 said. “Everyone that showed up thought it was a great learning opportunity and took a lot away from it. They learned especially a lot about deaf culture; stuff that most people don’t know.”

The class generated over 20 first responders who first started by learning to spell their name in sign language, and then moved onto specific terminology geared towards their professional field.

“The presentation opened my eyes to how complex ASL is, but also how simple it can be to learn the basics,” LaGrange Park Fire Department EMT Evan Lily said. “I learned signs that were relevant to firefighters and EMTs that I hope to use throughout my career.”

As a first year EMT, Lily completed his training and is currently active in his line of duty as a first responder. After attending the after-school class, he realized the importance of limiting misunderstandings with the ASL community.

“I think all first responders should have a basic understanding of ASL and know how to identify when people are using sign language,” he said. “I think these situations can be avoided if everyone [first responders] were taught basic signs and the deaf culture as a part of their training.”

As a result of the class’ success, they hope to deliver similar presentations in the future. Multiple attendees from the presentation approached Gibbons at the end and asked her to have the same presentation at their facilities, she said.

“It can be the difference between life and death,” Gibbons said. “We want to do everything we can to avoid it. There’s a feeling in the deaf community that they are a separate community [to hearing people]. The people who came here tonight shows that they are willing to make a connection to the hearing and deaf community. To be able to enter their world shows a lot of character.”

LT gains experience at MUNUM conference New team members increase confidence at most recent conference, advance skills

by Taylor Schmitt LT’s Model UN team took 20 students-mostly sophomores and juniors-to the University of Michigan for a conference between Jan. 11 and 14. This new conference was added in lieu of LT’s attendance at a Northwestern University conference. In addition to the Michigan conference, MUN added two new day conferences and an overnight trip to Michigan State University in April. “[MUN] is a unique learning experience,” head sponsor Andrew Johannes said. “The club offers a social atmosphere which is great for meeting new people, but you also need to have speaking skills, research skills and human skills to be able to work with other people. That’s pretty unique in that other clubs might focus on only one or two of those things.”

The most recent four-day conference saw members participate in different committees, which were small groups comprised of assigned representatives from different schools or countries, Johannes said. While the team didn’t win any group awards, 12 out of LT’s 20 representatives received an individual award.

In these committees, the representatives debated various current political topics that depended on their committee.

The committees ranged from the UN General Assembly that included every school at the conference to regional commit-

Satchel Fryzel ’20 negotiates with another delegate (Andrew Johannes). tees that focused more on the current political issues of a specific region. In the past, students have spent up to 40 hours in committee at other conferences, Johannes said.

“My favorite thing about the conferences is that idea that students get to work together to accomplish a goal,” Johannes said. “For instance, last year we were assigned France for a conference and 11 students created and coordinated a game plan, and we ended up getting second at the conference. It’s

fun to see students rise to that challenge and approach new situations in unique ways.”

When not in conferences, the students spend their time doing research to prepare for the next conference, Johannes said. After they are assigned a country and position, students prepare for the conference by conducting research on current global issues.

“I think that the preparation and seeing the payoff of that preparation are huge benefits of MUN, but I also think that conferences give you the ability to grow and gain confidence,” Johannes said. “When you are able to get up and speak in front of, sometimes, 150 kids and try to get that group to vote for what you believe is the right direction, can only boost your confidence. Even for our less-experienced kids, we get to see them grow and it’s really fun to see kids mature into that process.”

Many of the seniors had conflicts for this conference, allowing the younger, less-experienced students to participate, Johannes said.

“On overnight conferences, you have the opportunity to become significantly better,” Secretary General Jack Dudley ‘18 said. “MUN isn’t something you pick up by reading.

It’s something that you have to pick up by doing it. And even though it is an academic club, it is still very much about experience. Even if you’ve done all of the research in the world, you can’t win unless you’re confident and the only way to become confident in MUN is by going to conferences.”

LT honors MLK Jr. with assembly, student presentation Black, Multicultural Club students put on music filled event in rememberance of history, Martin Luther King Jr.

by Grace DeKoker @grace_dekoker

Eighty-seven years ago, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was born. Throughout his life,. The first federally recognized commemoration of King and has legacy occurred in 1986, and has been celebrated on the third Monday of January every year since. This year, LT honored the famous activist’s memory with more than just a day off; Black and Multicultural Club (BMCC) also organized an MLK Jr Day assembly for the community . “[King] risked his life in order for future generations of African Americans to have rights, to live in a more accepting community and be able to have the same rights as Caucasian Americans,” BMCC President Nina Shearrill ‘20 said. “It is extremely worthwhile to take some time out of my life, and thank him and honor him for all the sacrifices he made.”

The presentation, titled “The Ultimate Measure of a Man” took place at the SC PAC Jan. 11, and ran from 6:30 to 9, and was the sixth year LT has hosted the event. A quote is showcased every year, chosen by BMCC sponsor Elizabeth Watkins. She tries to choose words that will inspire others, and felt that this year’s theme was applicable to the situation of the United States currently. In addition, BMCC recruited local church choirs to sing, Shearrill said.

“We mix it up, but we always try to incorporate music,” Watkins said. “[King] loved music, and [civil rights protestors] were driven by gospels and spirit music as they were marching.”

LT musicians played as well, and violinist Brandon Jackson ‘18 played an original song alongside traditional hymns with three other Sinfonietta students.

“The two spirituals that I played are very famous,” Jackson said. “Everyone in the crowd knew them, it was incredible. It was reliving history through music.”

The assembly featured historian speakers, preachers and student readings, Watkins said. Shearrill read two pieces of poetry, alongside the vice president of BMCC who read prose, she said. The first reading was an excerpt of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

“I pick out a subject matter people should know,” Watkins said. “Like Birmingham jail… from that jail cell, the vision and the picture that came out of that [are] all these different books and sermons. The quote, ‘why wait’... it moved the people to stop waiting, to march for themselves.”

The event will continue next year, and Shearrill has hopes that eventually the assembly will take place during school day. Eighty community members were in the audience, Watkins said, and she is impressed as the turnout has risen over the years.

“Everyone should know their history,” Watkins said. “[King] became a part of history, in the period where [civil rights] were devastating. History [is something] you cannot get rid of. We made history that night, we make histo-

ry by talking about why should we remember him, and why he is important. We all should know our history; it should be something for all races, without divisions.”

Local community singer performs the traditional spiritual song “We will overcome” at MLK Jr. ceremony Jan. 11. (DeKoker/ LION) Correction: As a result of an reporting error, a Dec. 1 story on a grant to The Do It For Dominic hero fund stated that Dominic Cairo died of cancer on June 22. Cairo died on June 26, not June 22. We sincerely regret the mistake.

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Friday, January 26, 2018

LT alumnus covers 2018 Olympics Interning for NBC, Jack Patel ‘14 on site for PyeongChang 2018, credits success to WLTL, LT

by Mikaela Larson @mikaela_larson

The Olympics is one of the most exclusive events in the world. A competition of the best of the best from 93 countries begins in two short weeks in PyeongChang, South Korea, and LT graduate Jack Patel ‘14 will be taking part for a month, not as an athlete but an intern for the official broadcaster of the Olympics, NBC. “I’m most looking forward to being not just at the Olympics but learning about all the competing countries,” Patel said. “The Olympics is one of the biggest culminations of so many different cultures that I can hopefully learn so much more from. I can’t wait to gain so many new experiences within South Korea and its culture while also meeting individuals from all across the globe.”

Patel, a senior studying broadcasting at Syracuse University, found the internship through an on-campus recruitment process, he said.

“Moving on from LT, I knew Syracuse would be the best place to further continue into the sports broadcasting industry,” Patel said. “Syracuse has some of the best education [opportunities] in the country for broadcasting but they also go beyond most programs. The school is so helpful to students looking to find jobs, internships or other experiences. In addition, the campus has so many opportunities outside the classroom. There are multiple radio stations, a student run TV station, a student run newspaper, numerous magazines as well as opportunities with the brand new ACC Network.”

Syracuse University is a top 10 university for communications and journalism, according to USA Today. The school’s notable alumni include Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Mike Tirico and Ian Eagle.

“Earlier this year, I was able to broadcast a Syracuse men’s soccer game that was aired digitally on the ESPN app,” Patel said. “No other school in the country can offer so many options to work in journalism and broadcasting outside of the classroom.”

While he hopes his future will include sports broadcasting, much of Patel’s work will be behind the scenes in PyeongChang, he said. As for further information, NBC has asked that

the interns do not share specifics of what they will be doing.

“From previous interns I have known, though not at Olympic level, they could be doing anything,” WLTL General Manager Chris Thomas said. “It could be getting coffee, it could be escorting olympians from interview to interview, it could be a lot of making sure people are comfortable in the green room before an interview. When you’re there you get to see the behind the scenes and just by being there you are exposed to it so much more which makes it a very valuable experience.”

Patel found his start at LT’s radio station, WLTL. A manager for two years, as a junior he was the Assistant Sports Director and as a senior he was the Promotions Director and the coRock-A-Thon Director, Thomas said.

“LT definitely gave me a jump start within in the industry,” Patel said. “I absolutely loved my time working as a student manager for WLTL and that sparked my interest in broadcasting as a career. WLTL and [Mr.] Thomas not only give students so many on-air opportunities but also a look into the industry with different conventions and speakers.

It is such a blessing that LT has so many opportunities to get involved in things you are interested in, whether that be radio, TV or something completely different. Taking advantage of the resources LT has to offer has been immeasurably beneficial to the growth of not only my career, but also as a person.”

Considered one of the best high school radio stations in the nation, WLTL and other high school media experience can be the deciding factor in receiving an internship or not, Thomas said. “[WLTL, LTTV, LION, Tab] give students the opportunities to get started earlier than most,” Thomas said. “Places like NBC Sports are going to have hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants going for the same job and they all seem to be on the same playing field because they want college students. But, when you get a kid like [Jack] Patel who has been doing radio for four years at LT and then another three and a half years at Syracuse, he’s got close to double the experience of the usual applicant, which sets him apart.”

While Patel does not expect to be covering Olympic events in person, he is fortunate and thankful to even be able to attend, he said.

McCabe’s Granola Skypes SC culinary classes

Company co-owned by LT graduates speaks to classes about health, business

by Pilar Valdes @pilarvaldes55

Chris and Susan Muth ‘73 recently had a Skype call with two of the advanced culinary arts classes at SC. Chris and Susan co-own McCabe’s Granola, an organic granola company based in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 2011.

McCabe’s Granola is now available in 800 Kroger, 45 Jewel-Osco and 45 Meijer stores, Muth said. The granola is also sold online and in many smaller grocery stores throughout the Midwest. On Nov. 12, the Muths had a video conference with two advanced culinary arts classes and spoke to them about nutrition and the food industry, culinary arts teacher Kate Mitchell said.

Chris and Susan reached out to the LT administration about establishing a scholarship in their company’s name for

a student who is interested in entrepreneurship or the food industry, Susan said.

After establishing the scholarship, the Muth’s worked with Mitchell to create a presentation for the advanced culinary arts classes that would coincide with their final project.

As a part of the final project for the class, students have to design a food truck. This semester’s food truck was to be centered around McCabe’s Granola, Mitchell said.

“They have to design a food truck using their product, their vision and their passion,” Mitchell said. “It’s really up to the students to come up with a way to use the product.”

Through Susan and Chris, the students were able to get advice from people in the food industry, which gave them a more immersive take on their project, Mitchell said.

“I think the students gained a first glance into a real world example, and it probably ignited their imaginations about what their work future could look like,” Susan said.

Chris and Susan also talked to the students about health and nutrition, mainly focusing on how foods that appear to

be healthy may not be, Susan said.

“There are so many toxins and pesticides in the food chain today,” Susan said. “They need to consider eating ‘clean’ by eating food that is good for digestion like, olive oil, flax seeds, nuts and oats, which wash out the toxins.”

After their presentation, students had time for a question and answer session, Mitchell said. The students were engaged and asked questions about how their company started and how to be successful business owners.

“I really appreciate that they took the time out of their days to talk to a bunch of aspiring culinary professionals,” Amanda Alksnis ‘20 said. “They actually wanted to hear our questions, and give us the best advice they could.”

The Skype session was recorded, and Mitchell hopes to implement McCabe’s Granola into the advanced culinary arts classes in future semesters.

“I want them to be interested and invested while learning some aspects of business,” Mitchell said. “Having business owners be involved really made the project hands on.”

Friday, January 26, 2018

academic teams

Page 5

Lyons Township has seen its fair share of state finishes in recent years. While the athletes who compete are ceratainly driven, they are not the only ones who aspire to state titles.

LT’s academic teams also seek a competitive edge, and many have their eyes on the prize and their noses in a book as their seasons peak.

Speech team steps up Brawling for the Bowl Team competes at high level to prepare for competitive post-season at regionals, sectionals, state tournaments

Scholastic Bowl looks to expand teamwork in order to win regional, sectional tournaments, compete at state

by Georgia Dougherty @georgiadoc6

by Grace DeKoker @grace_dekoker

As the end of the season approaches, of kids are used to being in activities where Speech Team is working hard to prepare for they are seeing success every time they do regionals in hopes that it will move onto sec- it.” tionals and possibly state.

In addition to working on their speeches “The season’s been going pretty well,” and performance, the team is also trying to speech team Head build their chemCoach Kirsten istry and rebuild Manthei said. the team becuase “We’ve had some of new members really tough tournathis year, Kass ments in the beginsaid. ning [of the season], “We’ve been which I think is a relatively new challenging, because team for the past it can be really frustwo years,” Kass trating for the new said. “Everyone’s people on the team still getting used Students receive awards at the Willowbrook who’ve never done to the the flow Winter Speech Tournament. (Kass/LION) it before. A couple of how tournayears ago we had a really strong team and ments run, so we’re doing pretty well for last year was more of a rebuilding year, so our circumstances. Team chemistry is a big I’m anticipating that this year we will do thing we’re pushing this year; getting everywell.” one comfortable on the team has been the LT’s speech team hasn’t been to state biggest obstacle so far. I expect the team to since 2014, Manthei said. Last year, Spiro get more used to speech, and eventually we Kass ‘18, Miles Hession ‘18 and Pilar Val- will start becoming more competitive. As for des ‘19 were the only members on the team now, it’s more of a learning process.” to place at regionals and move on to sectionWith last year being slightly disjointed, als, with Valdes and Hession both advancing combined with many underclassmen, the to the final round at the regional invite. team is trying to become more cohesive so “Speech team is really different from they can place as a team at regionals, Valdes another activity or sport where you might said. go and have a lot of success,” Manthei said.

“This year, we’re a lot more state orient“The kids on speech are competing every ed because we realized last year that LT has week and they may never win anything for the talent, but it’s all about the mindset of their first year or two. They may be coming getting to state,” Kass said. “So as long as we in last place every week for their first sea- have enough motivation and effort, I think son, so it’s really hard to stay motivated and we have just as equal a chance as some of the focus on improving and getting better. A lot other major schools.”

They must know when to answer a For most extracurricular academic teams, question, but also when to step down and students are sequestered into one subject let another student take over O’Connor category. Scholastic Bowl does not follow said. Team captain Alexander Kuptel ‘18 that norm, as questions cover trivia from a has high hopes of improving the dynamic of wide array of topics. Chemistry teacher and the team, a sentiment Scholastic Bowl sponechoed by Bjornstad. sor Eric Bjornstad “We’re a team said that the beauty of sport,” Kuptel said. the team is the com“My goals revolve plete unpredictability around team, not my[of what content will self.” be covered].

Another goal is “It’s not like you winning their secjust memorize a set tional and advancing number of facts,” he to the state tournasaid. “There’s a lot of ment, and even trying things that get referred to place in the finals, to [in competitions].”

Alexander Kuptel ‘18 stands with his team- Kuptel said.

Scholastic Bowl mates after a tournament win. (Markey/LION) “Anything beyond was first recognized that would be great,” he said. as a national academic competition in the Part of the focus of the team is constant 1980s, and the IHSA recognizes state comimprovement, Bjornstad said. Students petitions from 1987 onward. The questions practice once a week and study their events, given to the scholastic bowl competitors as well as compete in mock competitions stem from categories of math, science, lanto simulate the actual testing environment guage arts, social studies and fine arts. Five and put the team dynamics to the test. One people compete at once, and Bjornstad reof the most rewarding aspects of Scholasfers to his team as a “five-man Jeopardy.” tic Bowl is seeing everyone make progress, “The trivia could be about anything,” Kuptel said.

Bjornstad said. “Anything that could be “Literature used to be our weakest cateasked about. Since it’s a team, there are gory; now it’s one of our strongest,” he said. questions that anyone could answer called “Teammates know when to step up, where toss-up questions.” to help out the most.”

Despite being part of a team, teammates In order to make it to the state tourcannot communicate during the questions, nament, the team must win both their rehe said, unless it is for a bonus question. gional and sectional tournaments. The state “In order to succeed, we not only have to competition will be March 16, with the next be well-rounded, but work well together,” competition coming up at home on Feb. 13. team member Jimmy O’Connor ‘19 said.

SciOly burns bright Powerful team hopes to push LT to strong state finish

by Brandt Siegfried @brandto13

While Science Olympiad may have little tional at the University of Chicago on Jan. name recognition among students, they de- 20, and will compete once more before the serve to be talked about as this year’s team regional competition at Harper College in may deliver LT its first state finish in April. March and the state competition at the UniConfidence comes from a change in team versity of Illinois in April.

At the regional structure and a parcompetition, the top ticularly intelligent half of finishers procohort that appears ceed to the state compromising. petition, Falli said.

“Science OlymAt state, the top two piad has a pretty finishers will continbig change this year ue on to the national from previous years,” competition, hosted sponsor Bruce Falli

by Colorado State said. “Before we had University this year. two JV teams and a While the team has varsity team, but this year we’re designat- Lorenzo Orders ‘18, Charlotte Hank ‘19 com- consistently finished ing a freshman-soph- pete at the Hinsdale invite. (DeKoker/LION) in the top 10 in recent years, it has never omore team so that kids will try tougher events [and] get more competed at the national level.

“We have a distinct possibility of [going experience. I think it will help us do better to nationals],” Falli said. “[The team is] pretin state.”

Olympians, especially team captain Ian ty solid, we’re getting better and better. Our Flueck ‘18, have definitely noticed how the building events always struggled, and I saw change in team structure has changed LT’s the best tower ever at our last invite; that was encouraging. LT is blessed with a great success this year.

“We hope to give underclassmen the op- number of students that work hard, have portunity to participate in Science Olympi- ability, and have an interest. We should do ad without worrying about competing with really well again.”

LT’s Olympians agree with Falli’s the upperclassmen,” Flueck said. “The focus is on growth and experience; upperclassmen team’s real possibilities this season.

“We will be competing with tough and [are now] spending our SC practices teaching concepts that simply are not taught [at] capable schools, such as Stevenson, New SC. This team will lead to more success for Trier and Hinsdale Central,” Flueck said. “I the whole group in the future because the think our team will find success from our younger Olympians will be better prepared commitment and hard work, our amazing coaches, and our love for weird and crazy and more competitive.”

The LT teams participated at an invita- science.

Chess starts strong Newly founded team begins practice, has high hopes for post-season competition

by Hayden Claesson @_wizard_of_soz

LT’s chess club has come a long way: it playing chess on iMessage. The boys wanthas gone from some guys playing chess for ed to play in person, and were disappointed fun, to an underground club run in Will to find that LT didn’t have an official chess Bernstein’s ‘19 garage, to now reaching club. They decided to make one themselves official club status and this year; howlooking to compete at ever their origisectionals and state this nal sponsor, Jim spring.

Mshar, decided “This is everyone’s to withdraw first time playing comfrom sponsoring petitive chess,” team the team. member Michael Despite the Ahrens ‘18 said. “This blow, the boys was [the team’s] first were detertaste of playing chess mined.

They games that weren’t just Erik Chomko ‘19, Will Berenstein ‘19, Ben Ham- found a coach for fun.” in Kash to teach mond ‘19 contemplate the game. (Claesson/LION) The team at LT has them new skills goals competiting at sectionals and state ap- to improve as a chess players. In Novemproach. They have already qualified for sec- ber, the team recieved the green light and tionals by playing in three tournaments this became an official LT sponsored club from year, Ahrens said.

Peter Geddis.

In order to prepare for their upcoming “We have gotten a stipend and we had competitions, those teammates who have our first official practice,” Bernstein said. competed at those tournaments have been “The first meeting was exciting because we practicing at Bernstein’s house on Tuesdays saw all of the people who are interested in after school with their chess coach Paul playing chess.”

Kash, who is a teacher at Whitney Young The team is now honing in their skills for High School. sectionals, which is at Hinsdale Central on “Kash is an amazing chess coach,” Bern- Jan. 27. They are still meeting on Tuesday stein said. “He helps us analyze our games afternoons, and are additionally meeting on and teach us strategy to get better.”

Wednesdays to help prepare for their upThe chess team’s road to becoming an of- coming postseason. ficial club at LT has been long and tedious.

“It’s hard to say if we will go to the state The dream of becoming a team first started tournament,” Ahrens said. “We are a new when a group of boys on the wrestling team, team, and hopefully we can just get it started including Bernstein and Ahrens, had been and keep the team going after I graduate.”

NEWS

Page 6

Friday, January 26, 2018

Whenever an important event happens at LT, the LION Snapchat has it covered. Here are important sporting events from the past two months, including senior nights and Special Olympic Pack the Place:

Special Olympics Pack the Place!!!

LTHC senior night vs HC

Make sure to follow LION on Snapchat to keep up to date on what’s happening around the LT community!

@lionnewspaper

If a student would like to promote an LT-related event through the LION’s snapchat and to be potentionally featured in our next issue, please contact Kas503525@student.lths.net for more information.

Compiled by Spiro Kass and Greta Markey

Want one of your tweets featured in the next issue? Follow us on twitter @LTLionNewspaper. To be eligible to have your tweets in our paper you have to follow us. So if you think you are funny, clever or witty enough to have your tweets in here, follow us and keep the tweets coming!

Emma Dahl ‘19 @emmaad0ll

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5

the only reason I will be remembering James K Polk on the APUSH test is because it ‘s the name of the middle school in ned’s declassified. thanks nickelodeon

Tasha Youssef ‘18 @ayetashaa

25

5

Abby Seyer ‘19 @abbaswagga 10

I say we write mrs. Grider for prom queen

Hugh O’Donnell ‘18 @Hughod15

9

Michael Ahrens ‘18 @moahrens 4

life imitates art

0

Black Mirror plot: Billionaire reality tv star gets elected president

7

Miles Hession ‘18 @mileshession

0

Food Critic: sir, this pizza is far too thick and the level of sauce is superflous!

Guy who’s about to invent deep dish: oh ...you haven’t heard?

Public displays of affection Continued from Page 1

these displays. Tajia Fiolka ’18 has had Student Assistants break up some of her long hugs or quick kisses at school, she said. Though she had been asked to separate from the other student, she understands why it was broken up.

“It’s the right thing that the [administration] has to do,” she said. “It’s a school ground. We really shouldn’t be doing that but we’re young and in relationships that we want to show affection to.”

Though she has displayed affection publicly, she knows when a display of affection goes too far.

“The most inappropriate thing to see in the hallway would be a boyfriend grabbing a girlfriend’s butt,” Fiolka said. “Or them kissing and pulling [into an embrace]. It’s the grossest thing I’ve ever seen in the hallway.”

Other types of PDA veer on the side of distracting rather than disgusting.

“My favorite story about PDA, which I like to recall out of sheer ridiculousness, was at SC a few years ago when a couple was hugging and walking down the hallway,” Weber said. “To clarify, they were hugging each other while one walked for10 ward and the other one walked backward.

Not so much as gross as a make-out session on the lockers, but just ridiculous.”

In accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, Waterman is committed to conserving a comfortable student environment.

“At school, I don’t think public displays of affection are acceptable,” Waterman said. “It’s all about creating an environment where we want to treat our students like young-adults but also create an environment that is focused on education.”

Weber agrees that LT administration should not create strict rules limiting PDA. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the staff intervene, but it really isn’t their place to do so anyway,” she said. “It’s more of a social than academic [issue] and should be left to the students to be mature and know where to draw the line.”

In the LION student survey, 79 students felt that LT administration should regulate PDA more, while 107 disagreed. Administration stands with the majority of the surveyed students, and will continue the current enforcement of cutting down on PDA. They will not take any immediate action.

“I don’t know that creating a policy [about PDA] will actually help that much,” Waterman said. “Maybe emphasizing [the issue] more and explaining the expectations of students in a learning environment would help.”

Crime in community Continued from Page 1

crime level in the area.

On the night of Nov. 27, 2017, the Chicago Tribune reported that there were 23 car burglaries in LaGrange and four in Western Springs, one of which happened to the car of LaGrange resident Mary Carroll Dougherty; however, it wasn’t until later when she finally put the pieces together and realized her car was broken into.

“The glove compartment was open, everything was out, and, because we have four teenage daughters, we assumed that one of the girls who drives had quickly jumped out of the car and left it in a disarray,” Dougherty said. “Later that night, I heard people talking that there were a lot of cars burglarized, and we then put it together. It was kind of scary.”

Unfortunately, this was not the first time the family experienced burglary, Dougherty said.

Years ago, there was a crime spree where five to six houses were broken into and burglarized, she said. The criminals attempted to break into the Dougherty house but were scared away by the family dog.

“It all kind of brought that memory back,” she said.

Safety stays

Although frightened by the burglary, Dougherty does not feel any less safe as a La-

57

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How to Teach Math 1) Teach students a very tedious way to do a problem 2) Wait a week and teach them a much simpler method. Call it a shortcut and only allow it sometimes 3) Allow one month to pass and let students use their calculators because nothing matters

Grange resident, but now there are more things to consider, she said.

“I’m just more aware,” Dougherty said. “The town has grown so much with the businesses and you notice that a lot of people come to La Grange now as a destination. You used to walk around downtown and you would know everybody, but now, there is that feeling that you don’t know as many people. There’s something safe about being able to just know everybody. .”

Similarly, Reilly also believes that her experience with the police chase did not affect her sense of safety, but rather made her more conscious of the unexpected, she said.

“I feel like [the police chase] was an isolated incident,” she said, “but I would say it probably raised my awareness of how quickly those types of things happen right in front of you.”

No matter the situations that occur within the community, LaGrange and Western Springs will always be home to Lyons Township High School. Instead of worrying about the dangers to come, Waterman puts the recent crimes in perspective and shares his faith that the safety procedures implemented at LT will ensure the safety of all students and staff in any future circumstance.

“I think all of those situations are great reminders that we live in a dynamic society,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we conduct emergency drills is so, because we can’t always control what emergency situations come up.”

Friday, January 26, 2018

opiniOns PageSevenPhotoGrid

Page 7

GuestColumn Internet anxiety

Welcome to the Page Seven Grid, which some of you know as the only page in the paper. This is where we can watch people (try to) be funny. Your classmates are asked a series of questions, to which they respond with the most humorous answers. If you have a funny question, bring it to Room 220 and maybe you’ll see it in here next issue!

If you could live in any T.V. home, which one would it be?

Abby Jocke ‘18

You’ve been awarded a scholarship. What’s your criteria?

What Emoji should exist that doesn’t already?

You’re running for president. What’s your campaign slogan?

The “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends” house, because it’s unpredictable and full of cool people.

For the most time spent outside of class

An ostrich with its head in the ground

“Open Your Mind, and Open Your Eyes”

Bubble’s shed from “Trailer Park Boys”.

For having the fastest gun in the Midwest

A Tide Pod

“Join or Die”

Squilliam Fancyson’s house from “Spongebob Squarepants” because he has a hot tub in his elevator.

For being a beast at Fortnite

A pickle because my best friend looks just like one

“Let’s Assume You Are Wrong, and I Am Right, Feel Free to Bask In My Glow”

For putting sriracha sauce on everything

A skateboard. We have rollerblades, but still no skateboard

“I Think It’s Fine” [ed note: above the waist, doesn’t count]

For being a Benevolent Purveyor of Nuance

The summer snowman.

A carrot, top hat and two rocks randomly arrayed on a patch of lush, green grass

“Nope”

Ben Kidder ‘19

Meredith Jones ‘20

The “Modern Family” house because Haley Dunphy is spicy.

Charlie Deuter ‘21

A flat screen TV, I want to be more one-dimensional.

Mr. Darrah, Teacher

LetterToTheEditor “The Blunt Truth”

On November 29, 2017, Cynthia Frymark, the president of the Coalition for a Drug Free Lyons Township, gives the truth about marijuana usage.

The Lion Newspaper’s excellent coverage on October 30 of a presentation by Dr. Kevin Sabet at Neuqua Valley High School offered readers a rare chance to hear from those who vehemently oppose legalization of recreational use of marijuana.

The blunt truth, according to data from Sabet, former White House Drug Policy Advisor to three presidents, is that legalization would not cure all of the societal and budget ills its supporters suggest. Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a group founded by Sabet to inform the public about issues relating to marijuana use, states the following facts.

Legalization in Colorado has produced negative consequences. Pot gummy bears have been marketed to kids, and there are more DUIs on the roads and increased auto fatalities. More positive workplace drug tests, resulting in a lower employee pool for hiring. Colorado employers are hiring outside the state to find qualified employees. The majority of localities in Colorado have now banned sales.

Marijuana legalization will usher in America’s new version of “Big Tobacco.” Already, private holding groups and financiers have raised millions of start-up dollars to promote businesses that will sell marijuana and marijuana-related merchandise. The former head of Strategy for Microsoft has said that he wants to “mint more millionaires than Microsoft” with marijuana.

Today’s marijuana is not your Woodstock weed. In the 1960s and ‘70s, THC levels of the marijuana smoked by baby boomers averaged around 1-persent, increasing to just under 4-percent in 1983, and almost tripling in the subsequent 30 years to around 14-percent in 2014.

States that have legalized weed are left with higher rates of criminal activity and increased rates of marijuana-related traffic fatalities. In addition to public health issues associated with marijuana (psychosis, memory loss, use of other drugs) marijuana use poses significant workplace costs in terms of lost work time, healthcare, and more accidents.

These costs will rise as the drug becomes more readily available and its use increases.

A recent study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry that found that marijuana use increases the chance of developing an opioid use disorder. Like opioids, marijuana is a dead-end for pain – you’ll develop a tolerance, need to go up in the amount you smoke, and will have to smoke and be high all the time to achieve pain relief.

In my opinion, we need actual sustainable solutions to chronic pain, not just other addictive substances. Dr. Sabet correctly notes that marijuana profiteers, who seek to line their pockets at the expense of young Americans, are as bad as or worse than the tobacco profiteers who sought to create millions of nicotine addicts. The only question is whether this generation will allow itself to be duped by the fast-talking shills who dishonestly minimize risks.

compiled by Sydney Kaehler and Greg Smith

RandomChatter

Whether it’s a cafeteria conversation gone wrong or something you overheard in the hall, LT kids say weird things. If you’re upset that something that you or a friend said isn’t featured, you should email it to kae503519@student.lths.net or Snapchat it to @lionnewspaper.

“No pickle should be this floppy!”

-Xavier Armand ‘19 “Everytime Dr. Waterman says hi to me in the hallway, I faint.”

-Mattigan Kelly ‘18 “I’m only for looking!”

- Ian Graham-White ‘18 “You have to feel my fingers, right now.”

-Kate Dickman ‘21 “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t in the very back during a group picture.”

- Dylan Rounds ‘20

WriteUsALetter!

Have an opinion on a story? Are you passionate about something in the world or school? Any news? Opinions? Want to clarify something? Anything you want to tell us?

Write us a letter! Simply bring a letter, of any length, to NC Room 220, put it in Mr. Scales’s mailbox, or email the letter to Sydney Kaehler at kae503519@student.lths.net and you may see it in the next issue!

Make sure the content of the letter is appropriate, sign your letter with your name and make sure to put down your email!

LION reserves the right to edit all submitted letters, and unfortunately not all letters will be published.

Just recently, I was watching television with my parents when I looked down Christina Rossetti at my phone.

Then I heard an NBC story about cell phones.

“Christina,” my dad said, “I think this might be really important, so pay attention.”

I rolled my eyes, like most teenagers do when a parent tells them to get off of their phone.

But what I heard after that was pretty shocking. As more kids get smartphones, they became addicted to using them. The reporter continued with the story, saying that seventy percent of high school teens were at risk for developing anxiety and depression with increased use of their phones.

Seventy percent. At LT, with our student population of roughly 4,200, that’s almost 3,000 students. 3,000 of us.

It’s likely to be your friend, a classmate, or even you. I sat, listening to the reporter talk about how the more apps we have on our phone, the more at risk we are. More specifically, apps like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook can substantially contribute to increase the risks of depression and anxiety in teens.

I didn’t even need to check my phone to know that I had all three. I got to thinking, and I realized that my life is consumed by my phone. While out with friends, I post Snapchat stories of us. I post Instagram photos of all of us together; both things most teens do. Is this really as big of an epidemic as it seems?

How many of my friends can soon develop symptoms of anxiety and depression? Could we w really be physically addicted to our phones? Could it be me?

I looked back at my life, thinking about how when I was younger, without a smartphone, I spent most of my day outside, running around, reading, or having meaningful conversations with my family and friends. Now, my friends and family have those meaningful conversations over text, not in person. If we do, it’s rare, because of our insanely busy schedules. I remember a time in my life when I didn’t rely on my phone for everything, and I wish I could go back.

I think people need a break from their phones. I’m not trying to be a hypocrite– I am on my phone a lot, but I think everyone needs a break from the screen that gives us access to so much.

I challenge you, this weekend, to put your phone away.

Go outside, go out with your friends, spend an hour doing something you wouldn’t normally do if you had your phone.

Have a real conversation. Call someone, meet up with them, and talk to them, really talk to them. Talk to a family member, ask them about their childhood or just to tell you a story you haven’t heard. Talk to them about how much life has changed since they were teens. Talk to a friend, ask them questions, learn new things about them you didn’t know before. See what that feels like.

I bet it will feel refreshing to have a few hours without worrying about who’s posting what on Snapchat. Whatever you decide to do, just put your phone away and really relax. I know I will.

Write in and make your voice heard.  100 S. Brainard Ave., La Grange, Ill. 60525  LION reserves the right to edit all letters.

Opinions

Page 8

Friday, January 26, 2018

SydneySays Not equal, yet

PawsUp

n To the Super Bowl- a great excuse for the world to consume over 100 million pounds of avocadoes in one day. n To planets in retrograde- giving me the perfect cover for all my problems. n To people that lend me mechanical pencilsyou’re never getting this back. n To Jake Elliott going to the Superbowl- at least we have one LT alum making headlines for a good reason. n To health class- learning about gross STDs is fine if it’s alongside “Cool Runnings” and string tying. n To people with an iPhone 8- thank you for being our personal photographers. n To the Women’s march- for giving us cool new slogans (#notmycheeto) and also being the best thing about January. n To the winter olympics- I don’t know much about bobsled, but I do know a lot about patriotism. n To senior year assassin- something to do while waiting for college rejections. n To HQ (and Scott)- for making me feel smart for three questions.

PawsDown

n To people actually eating Tide Pods- survival of the fittest at its finest. n To 280 character tweets- if I had wanted to see a list of towns in the 708 area code, I would’ve looked in a directory. n To snap streaks- I haven’t actually held a conversation with you in three months, but at least we have a 200-day streak. n To read receipts- you aren’t even shady at this point, just rude! n To people who fill up their water bottles in the regular water fountains and not the water bottle filling station- I think that violates the “1,2,3, that’s enough for me” rule. n To January- you’re just December’s sad, goth cousin. n To gym tracks- waiting to hear my ID number called makes me feel like I’m a part of the Hunger Games. n To the FCC repealing Net Neutrality- I like my internet memes free. n To NFL football ending- what can I do to procrastinate homework on Sundays now? n To full weeks of school.

Assessing Donald Trump’s first year as president LION polled students about their opinions on the Trump presidency.

Too early to tell 21%

Yes 18%

No 61%

Other 6%

Social Issues 39% If not, where has the biggest failure come?

If so, where has the biggest success come?

Has Trump’s first year been a success?

Social Issues 3%

Other 3%

Foreign Policy 24%

Economy/Tax Reform 7%

Foreign Policy 32%

Economy/ Tax Reform 70%

Other 9%

Tax Reform 11%

FBI Affairs 19%

Paris Climate Agreement 14% Middle East

Immigration Restrictions 34%

What has been the most significant development of this presidency?

Twitter Interactions 13%

Healthcare 16%

President Donald Trump is perhaps the most contentious public figure in the 21st century. I can definitely say that I don’t agree with everything the president says, and whether you like his personality or not, President Trump has had a successBrandt Siegfried ful first year in office. Here’s why.

I need only say “economy” to start.

No, not just the 33 percent increase the Dow has seen since Trump’s election, or the lowest unemployment rate in 17 years; I’m referring to tax cuts. The reality is that under the new tax reform law, the Washington Post reports that 75-percent of Americans will pay fewer taxes. That means most American workers will take home more income than last year. The list of companies now offering their employees more benefits with savings from the cuts continues to grow, now including Walmart, which will pay $1,000 to each of its million employees and raise its minimum wage from $9 to $11 per hour.

Shifting to foreign policy, within less than a year of Trump holding office, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over ISIS, signifying that the terrorist group was officially eliminated from Iraqi territory.

It has been a little over a year since President Donald Trump took office.

Although he may have compiled a solid list of accomplishments (impressive judicial appointments and the successful fight against ISIS), he has done more harm than Sydney Kaehler good. Combine his xenophobic tendencies, insensitivity to victims of natural disaster, the brash handling of foreign affairs and a Twitter feed that resembles something similar to the Burn Book from the movie “Mean Girls,” and there you have it: Trump’s first year.

In a matter of only a year Trump has pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord (undermining America’s credibility and international cooperation on climate change), decertified the Iran nuclear deal (sending a dangerous message to many countries, especially North Korea), threatened to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem (which would overturn 70 years of international agreement and pretty much signals the end of any effort to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians), and has enforced the ever cowardly Muslim ban (temporarily banning people from seven predominantly

Few expected President Donald Trump to win the Republican nomination, let alone the general election, when he announced his candidacy in 2015. Yet here we are at the end of his first year, during which not a whole lot has really changed.

Greg Smith Perhaps the most unusual thing about Trump’s presidency is that people are pretending that something new is going on.

The only notable piece of legislation in this first year has been a tax bill that passes the Senate 51-49. Minor outrage surrounds the new law; it did not have a single Democratic vote. But nothing new is happening. Those who decry the lack of Democratic support for the new law seem to forget that the Affordable Care Act passed without a single Republican vote.

On the foreign policy front, we saw little but failures under President Barack Obama. Our military was cut, while Obama made an effort to “lead from behind,” whatever that means. Putin saw the green light and took Crimea, and notwithstanding talk of “red lines,” America took no

This success was only possible after key American military support increased under Trump to fight ISIS’s human rights atrocities.

Returning to the domestic front, Trump brought the opioid epidemic to the forefront of national awareness.

In 2015, over 33,000 Americans lost their lives to opioid overdoses and 12.5 million Americans misused their prescriptions. The CDC reports that opioid prescriptions have quadrupled since 1999, and in response, Trump declared the epidemic a public health emergency in October. He diverted $1 billion to address drug issues, and Trump administration officials have expressed support for expanding access to Narcan, the drug used to counteract a heroin overdose. For a crisis that is the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, I give Trump thumbs up for this move.

While I obviously cannot address every issue related to Trump in this column, this is your wakeup call. Even as the Hollywood celebrities and the media elite paint a certain picture, Trump has objectively succeeded in many areas since assuming the presidency. These real results and more are happening because of Trump’s leadership, and this makes his first year in office a success.

Muslim nations from entering the United States).

I suppose we aren’t able to call it a ban, since he tweeted this Feb. 1, 2017: “Everybody is arguing whether or not it is a BAN. Call it what you want, it is about keeping bad people (with bad intentions) out of country!”

And most recently, he has started beef with Kim Jong Un over “missile size.” So, say what you want about his tweets having nothing to do with his presidential ability.

The difficulty of this is that we’re supposed to highlight Trump’s first year as president, and not his personality or slip-ups (like throwing paper towel roll to a crowd of Puerto Rican hurricane victims) but the two go hand in hand. His arrogance and ignorance bleed into his presidential decisions and cause him to turn a blind eye to issues that require an open perspective. And I know there have been worse presidents—that isn’t the point. This is about Trump. The only thing that has changed since he took office is that now he has the power to make those incompetent decisions.

Until his next scandal, Trump will continue to distract the people of America with his shambolic governing style from the issues occurring right now.

action in Syria after the Russian-backed Assad regime used chemical weapons on its own citizens. China saw the same green light as Russia and built large military bases on Pacific islands to expand their maritime territory claims. Under Trump, one promising development came recently when Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – our most valuable ally in the Middle East. Hopefully Russia and China will take notice of some degree of American resolve, but that remains to be seen.

But we aren’t really any closer to a solution to tensions with North Korea, and American military units are still overcommitted and undertrained.

Trump has also been credibly accused of serious sexual misconduct, but is unfortunately unlikely to be removed from office, since a past president, also credibly accused of sexual harassment and even rape, somehow remained in office. Ironically, Trump defeated the wife and enabler of this past president in the general election.

Trump’s “movement” is not even authentically conservative. Aside from that, little is changing. We deserve better and we’re settling. But that’s nothing new.

The Declaration of Independence says, “all men are created Sydney Kaehler equal.” Are we though?

Oprah Winfrey recently faced criticism over a comment she made in 2013 on a BBC interview, saying “there are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die.”

As much as I agree with her, I can see where people who believe in “reverse racism” would find her statement hypocritical.

Some have claimed Oprah is being racist toward “old white men.” White people, like any race, can face prejudice. But it isn’t racism.

Racism is the predisposition of another race because the person thinks their own race is superior. Despite any backlash, what Oprah’s saying is actually correct. America was a different place 60 years ago.

Race riots occurred and African Americans had their own water fountains. The point is, little kids raised in that era have grown up knowing only what they saw and were taught—only to have pass on that superior mindset to their kids. The U.S. evolved, but the prejudicial mindset of some did not.

Those same people don’t understand how it feels to be a woman, with the same job as a man but still paid 79-percent less, or how it feels to be a black man, earning only 71-percent of what white men earn, according to the Economic Policy Institute, or how it feels to be Mexican and labeled a “bad hombre” by the President of the United States.

Maybe you’re reading this and wondering why a white, 17-year-old girl who’s never been the victim of racism and lives in a predominantly white community is so apprehensive about a matter that some say shouldn’t even concern me.

I’m not trying to be the next Rachel Dolezal. I’m advocating for people who aren’t getting the respect and equal treatment they deserve. No one is illegal, and it shouldn’t matter where you come from, or what color or gender you are. And it’s not just African Americans that are considered “less than” by our twisted society. It’s anyone that isn’t a rich, white male. This country was built on diversity.

When people of all nationalities came to America it was because they were in search of a new life, jobs or a good place for their kids to grow up in, and it can still be that place.

Even though everyone can marry and vote, still not everyone is treated equally or even paid the same for the same positions. Underneath a –surprise—racist, white male president, we need to celebrate our differences. We can’t make America great again, because it was never great in the first place. The history of America is disturbing, filled with the mistreatment of people and terrible laws that prohibited human beings from having basic human rights.

We will improve, but only if we allow ourselves to be more open-minded. But we’ll keep Oprah’s plan in our back pocket. As extreme as it is, the only way racism will really end is if racist people are gone.

Opinions

Friday, January 26, 2018

Page 9

StaffEditorials

AnotherView

Honors for auditions

Each of LT’s courses are assigned an academic to even be eligible for staff, of which constant ability level (preparatory, accelerated or honors/ after school commitment is necessary for the Advanced Placement) based on the standards completion of an issue. Students in these classes and expectations of the course combined with often have to take summer school in order to fit the level of academic rigor that students are all of their credits in; they dedicate their time expected to meet in class. and perseverance to pursuing things they are All audition-only classes at LT are at the ac- passionate about, but do not get as much credit celerated level. However, these types of classes, as they deserve. such as sinfonietta, wind/jazz ensemble, TabuNot only do these classes require intense lae, LION, varsity choir and madrigals, meet the commitment and consume a copious amount demanding requirements to be of time, but they also demand honors level courses instead. extreme responsibility and skill.

Our position: AudiAccording to LT’s Academic For example in Tabulae, the LT tion-only classes Ability Levels- Standards and should be an Honors yearbook, “editors, writers, phoExpectations, accelerated class- credit, instead of Accel. tographers, and layout-designers es, are “courses for students are involved in… copywriting and working at higher, challenging copyediting, interviewing, layout/ levels and school skills and/or at an accelerated design, headline writing and headline countpace,” while honors level includes “courses for ing, photography and photo-cropping, proofstudents with exceptionally rapid learning abili- reading, and yearbook staff organization.” The ties [and] advanced school skills.” tremendous work that goes into organizing our Audition-only courses fit the description of yearbook, as well as the art that other classes an honors level class. All of the audition based create, should be recognized and rewarded with classes require out of school participation where honors credit. the students are required to stay after school.

LT should encourage students to be couraThe Academic Ability Level states that “varsity geous enough to audition for a class and award choir performs frequently in the school and in students for being driven and following their the community with mandatory attendance/ passions and finding their niches. These stuparticipation expected for performances.” For dents should receive honors credit for their hard students in the LION newspaper, a journaliswork, skills and responsibilities that go into the tic writing course is mandatory for students course that they are a part of.

Staff vote: 19-5

What’s the password?

LT is a great school. It offers many diverse rating Wi-Fi means that the current cell phone opportunities in terms of curriculum and extra- policy will need to be more rigorously enforced. curricular activities, and classroom instruction Actually, it will improve the quality of educais top-notch. tion that students receive.

But it’s a known fact that cellular reception There will be no more “running out of comis abysmal at NC, and the school’s network can puters,” or traveling to another room just to be unreliable at both campuses. With a growing connect to the internet for schoolwork. If a number of teachers who school doesn’t utilize Wi-Fi, incorporate technology into Our position: For the sake of it is hindering students from their instruction, often in education and convenience, using devices, most of which the form of having students are actually easier, more LT should have in-school using their cell phones, LT’s Wi-Fi available to students and mobile and more cost-effectechnological lapses, become tive for schools than traditeachers at both campuses. unnecessary hindrances tional computers. upon its students’ learning.

In addition, students can only Snapchat, text This is a fixable problem. LT is capable of and surf the web when there’s service, which improving this situation by setting up Wi-Fi is oftentimes in a classroom during a lesson. available to teachers and students at both of its If there’s service all over the school, students campuses. know that they can just wait to check for notiWith Wi-Fi in school, there is legitimate fications, and will feel less inclined to check concern about distracted students not doing during class, because they won’t worry about their work or not paying attention to classroom not having service in the hallway. If students instruction. The current cell-phone policy are allowed access to use school Wi-Fi, schools allows phones to be used at lunch, in study will save funds, have more efficient learning and hall, in the hallways and in the classroom with see better enforcement of existing rules that will teacher permission. Some may feel that incorpo- improve education in general.

Illustration by Sydney Kaehler

Lion The Voice of Lyons Township Students Since 1910

Staff vote: 18-6

Winter gloom from S.A.D.

There is a reason that when drawing a picwith these feelings, or is it Seasonal Affective ture of the sun, people also add sunglasses and Disorder at work? a smile. The sunglasses part is arbitrary simply BBC News recently tested a theory based on because a sun doesn’t need to be protected from the difference in happiness levels of Midwestitself, but that’s not the point. The point is that erners and Southern California residents. Their sunlight makes people happy. test proved two things: one being that people in Research from United Arab Emirates shows California are no happier than Midwesterners; a strong link between positive moods and time and two, out of all the factors that affect life spent in sunlight. Researchers have also found satisfaction, weather was at the bottom. that the lack of sunlight in the winter causes This doesn’t prove anything. The thing people to have an imbalance of serotonin, a about S.A.D. is that many people brush it off as brain chemical that affects your mood. Their just the “winter low.” Of course weather is at bodies also make too much melatonin, a horthe bottom— it’s a survey on life satisfaction. mone that regulates sleep, People have bigger things to and not enough vitamin D. worry about. S.A.D. is a form Our position: Seasonal Those are facts. There is, Affective Disorder is a real of depression that people don’t however, a not-so-proven form of depression that can realize even exists. It hides reason that people feel the influence and affect people within other feelings and “winter low”: Seasonal places an overall downward in the winter months.

Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). look on life. It makes you look S.A.D. is a type of depression that begins and down on the bigger problems, like hating your ends at the same times every year. It usually body in the winter months, unhappiness at starts around fall and continues into the winter work and being reluctant to get out of bed. months. You probably have it if you tend to Obviously, it’s normal to have bad days. feel happier in the summer than you do in the Everyone does. It starts to become a problem winter, continuously. This is a real form of when you feel down every day. Overeating depression that can put a serious damper on during the holidays may not be the only reason winter months. you gain weight. The fact that your bed is warm Despite the facts, there are people who may not be the only reason you can’t seem to don’t believe that this disorder is real, simply get out of bed. Feeling sluggish or hopeless may because the gloom of winter tends to be paired not just be because Christmas is over. It’s Seawith tiredness, sadness and overeating. But the sonal Affective Disorder, and it’s exactly why question is, why? Does winter always correlate you feel more depressed in winter.

Staff vote: 20-4 C ontact

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Page 10

sports

LT Hockey Club develops Varsity boys improve record in hopes of deep playoff run, prepare for final third of season

Friday, January 26, 2018

Political PyeongChang

The Olympics brings

by Mary Okkema together the best of the best @maryokkema from all over the globe. Less than two weeks away in The rivalry game against Hinsdale CenThis season the team is a mix of return- direction we are trying to take LT hockey,” PyeongChang, South Korea, tral on Dec. 15 was more than just a typical ing players from varsity and JV, as well as varsity Assistant Coach Ben Engle said. the 23rd Winter Olympics game for the LT varsity hockey team. Many and players that are new to the club. Despite “The bond is really there.” begins and is, in my opinion, of the members of the LT team had grown the new mix of players, one of the team’s Tryouts were held Aug. 29-31 and the up playing alongside the Hinsdale players. strengths is its chemistry on and off the ice. season is year round, Jacob DelPiero ‘19 Mikaela Larson one of the more scandalous and controversial Olympics After losing a game earlier in the season When competing, they dominate in penalty said. The team practices on Mondays, Tuesin recent history. against HC, emotions on the ice were run- skills and depth of skill in all their players. days and Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 While there is only seven sports, there ning high. Ultimately after a p.m. Tuesday practices are off are 102 events in 15 different disciplines and close game, LT won five to four. ice training. The team’s goal “My favorite thing has to be is to get past the first round of every single event will be missing Russia… our team chemistry,” varsity state and to be ranked top 20, the medal leader from the 2014 Sochi captain Joey Ales ‘18 said. “Evultimately getting to the state Olympics. A doping scandal of massive eryone gets along, and there are championship at the United proportion led to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban 43 Russian athletes always jokes being spit around.”

Center.

The team started out the Hockey is not an IHSA for life and any Russian competitors from season strong, placing second certified sport for various rea- the Pyeongchang Olympics. For months in both the Gator Cup Toursons, therefore the LTHC is the IOC has been testing samples for pernament in West Dundee, Ill., not sponsored by LT, Nich- formance enhancing drugs (PEDs) from and the Firestorm Big Bear olson said. There are benefits Russia dating back to 2011 because a former Tournament in Indianapolis, and drawbacks to not being Russian scientist exposed a state-sponsored Ind., Head Varsity Coach Sean an IHSA recognized sport. A doping scheme in 2016, then fled to the U.S. Nicholson said. The season hit disadvantage is that the team for safety. Without Russia, the U.S. will a rough patch in November gets less support from the stu- be competing against Norway and Canada when they lost five out of the dent body because they are an for the medal race which I don’t think is as fun. How can we feel that Cold War, comseven games played, but the independent club. boys have regained their mo“[An] advantage is that I petitive fury without our rival? They’re the mentum since then and now can make my own rules and Central to our LT. Hockey is going to be weird without have a record of 19 wins and 17 the club can make their own Russia competing, but at this point that’s a losses. rules,” Nicholson said. “We “We have molded together Miko Ortega ‘18 and Alex Conger ‘18 battle along the boards against Carl establish a culture within the drop in the bucket considering NO National pretty well over the year, and Sandburg at the Darien Sportsplex on Friday Dec. 8. (Okkema/LION) people that we have running Hockey League (NHL) players will be competing in the Olympics anymore. A bipartieveryone is committed to giving all it takes “It is definitely nice to have the balance the program.” to win,” varsity captain John Sommerfield between the kids from last year and the kids The team’s next game is on Jan. 27 against san decision from the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) and the owners was made in ‘18 said. from this year to kind of lead them in the Neuqua Valley at All Seasons Ice Arena.

April 2017, citing the worry of injury and three-week break which causes the end of the NHL season to be rushed. While I am disgruntled as a devoted hockey fan, I too am excited as we can now watch the best players you’ve never heard of.

Arguably just as talented as the NHL, the Russian Kontiental Hockey League Team holds high hopes following strong (KHL) has produced players like Artemi regional and sectional finishes Panarin, Teuvo Teravainen and Alexander Team looks to future led Ovechkin, just to name a few. Known for

by Luke Lusson producing players with nasty hands, expect by young talent, prepares @LukeLusson the Olympic games to be quicker and two for conference Saturday, The LT varsity bowling team has had an eventful past few weeks straight of highlight-reel dangles weeks. Not only did it advance past regionals and sectionals, To be honest, the U.S. will most likely possibility of state but Ethan Cabela ‘18 rolled his first ever 300, a perfect score not medal as the majority of its players play

by Hayden Claesson Madeline Gruca ‘21 goes over of 12 straight strikes. Cabela’s unforgettable game came at the in the U.S. in college or juniors; this is com@_wizard_of_soz her beam routine. (Breen/LION) Lake Park regional on Jan. 13, where the Lions took home first pared to Europe, who utilize the KHL much After many years of coaching, including two back-to-back state ti- place. more and therefore produce much stronger “It was amazing to be able to finally bowl my first 300,” players. Yes, it’s a pessimistic point of view tles, Katherine Karubas is no longer coaching LT girls gymnastics. After all her success, one might be asking what’s next for the girls gymnastics Cabela said. “But, it was even better to help LT win regionals.” but think about it: hockey will be going at LT’s team total of 6,531 pins was the second highest team all hours of the day as PyeongChang is 15 team.

The answer to this question of who will lead the prestigious girls’ score across the state for the regional tournaments. The only hours ahead of Chicago, so I’m not gonna team to knock down more pins was Hononegah High School, complain if the U.S. misses the podium gymnastics team is Darragh McDermott.

“I am lucky to take part in a program with student athletes that work who totaled 6,765 pins on their way to winning its regional. because I get 17 straight days of constant Following LT’s regional victory, it went on to place second hockey. hard and strive to improve each day,” McDermott said.

McDermott had been the coach at Neuqua Valley High School in Na- at the Taft sectional the very next weekend with a team total While hockey is great, I’m happy to be perville prior to coaching at LT and was a competitive gymnast grow- of 6,216 points. Otto Meccia ’18 led the way for the Lions, as watching on TV compared to in person ing up. Her coaching style includes a more individualized approach with he knocked down a combined total of 1,340 pins. With region- because PyeongChang is only 50 short miles als and sectionals now checked off the list, the team is now from the North Korean border. Apparently each gymnast, gymnast Micaleigh Dowling ‘19 said.

“Having a new coach is always going to have new coaching skills,” focusing solely on the state meet, where it finished 12th last my opinion is pretty common as Time Dowling Said. “That being said, I like it better because we get more time year. reported in December 2017 that ticket sales “I believe we can finish higher than we did last year because are down for many reasons, security being with just the coach rather than focusing on all of us as a group.”

The team this year is highlighted by a strong group of juniors such as the team this year has an easier time making adjustments to one of them. The country of France at one Dowling, Olivia Kalata ‘19, Grace Leonard ‘19, as well as a solid group of the way the lanes are,” starter Marco Garcia ‘18 said. “These point even considered skipping the Olymfreshman in Nicole Brom ’21 and Madeline Gruca ‘21. The team hopes adjustments are the key to success.” pics if officials were unable to receive guarThe road to state wasn’t always been smooth sailing for the antees of security assurance. to have a bright future, as only one senior will be graduating this year.

“The freshman aren’t totally used to competing yet,” Dowling said. bowlers, who had gotten off to a slow start but were able to Increased tension between the U.S. and “But, I think that each and every girl has so much potential and I think turn things around and end up with an opportunity to grab a North Korea resulting from highly reactive they will do amazing in the outcome of every meet if they just have fun state title. leaders would be my fear. I doubt they’re “We had a rough start but around early December we got going to nuke a random stadium but I with it.”

The team has done well so far this season, especially on Dec. 6, where it together and we’ve really picked it up since then,” starter couldn’t help but think of the situation that it tallied its best team score of 130 points against OPRF. That total is just Casey Van Spankeren ‘18 said. happened in the 1972 Munich Olympics The five starting bowlers for this year’s team are all seniors. where 11 Israeli Olympians were taken 10 points shy of a team state qualifying score, Dowling said.

“We really want to make it to state as a team this year,” Dowling said. The starters include Meccia, Van Spankeren, Garcia, Cabela, hostage and executed by a Palestinian terror Qualifying for state seems to be the big goal for this team, but the road and Max Campbell ‘18. group. While a bit extreme of a thought, The state meet is held in Fairview Heights and will begin that alone is enough to give me reason not isn’t exactly yellow and brick; it takes lots of practice and hard work to see success while competing. To help the team practice better, McDer- today, Jan. 26. The top 12 teams from Friday will advance to to go. the final day on Saturday, where a team and an individual will mott is taking steps to make the team as fun as possible for the athletes.

However, with North Korea sending athOne of the things that has been done to reach this goal is a “Gym- be awarded a state championship trophy. letes to the competition, I doubt they will nast of the week” page to honor those who have shown the values of the be nuking the city of PyeongChang. While LT gymnastics program such as hard work and determination, McDerthis seems like huge news, in the past 12 mott said. McDermott believes that one of the keys to success is for the Olympics, North Korea has competed seven gymnasts to have a place where they can feel comfortable and confident times. The reason the news is amplified this training. time is because of the location of the Olym“My goal for this first season is to build a positive culture in the gym,” pics; with recent demonstrations of force McDermott said. “This positive culture and high expectations for practice and military training by both nations, it was will translate to the success in how the girls compete.” rather surprising that North Korea is sendJanuary is a big month for the team, as the girls have been competing ing competitors. Keep an eye out for a pair in several big meets and invites. One of those meets came against Hinsof figure skater: they are the North’s lone dale Central on Jan. 17, where the Red Devils beat the Lions 137 to 129. competitors.

They will also be competing in the Fremd and Lake Forest Invites as well.

The Olympics may seem like a jumbled Following these meets, the team will be transitioning into the postseason, mess of confusion but that doesn’t mean the starting with the conference meet on Jan. 27. competition has to be that way. Say what “We are looking forward using the last few meets to finish the season you want about what’s going on this year Marco Garcia ‘18 bowls for LT during a meet at Rolling Lanes strong,” McDermott said. but just remember: these are the best athduring the regular season. Their battle for state begins today at WSC conference begins tomorrow Saturday Jan. 27 at Hinsdale Cenletes in the world, and you’ve got nothing St. Clair Bowl in Fairview Heights. (Breen/LION) tral at 5 p.m. on them.

Gymnastics welcomes new coach

Boys bowling advances to state

sports

Friday, January 26, 2018

Page 11

Wrestling endures challenges Injury of captain, loss of key starters creates problems, high hopes remain for end of season, postseason, state

by Christina Rossetti @c_rossetti6

At the beginning of November, LT’s famous Vaughan Gym rolls out the infamous blue and gold mats, an indicator to people around that wrestling season has begun.

“This season has been a learning experience for a lot of people,” Varsity Head Coach Griff Powell said. “We have a challenging schedule, but I think our guys have responded well.”

LT’s varsity wrestling team consists of 14 different weight classes, ranging from 106-pounds to 285-pounds. Of the 14 varsity starters, Powell said only Jimmy Ruston ‘20 and Domenic Campo ‘18 have significant varsity experience.

“Last year we had some elite level athletes,” Powell said.

“They led by example. They were vocal. It was easy for the team to see how that was done when they had so much success. That has been a challenge for our team, to see who those leaders are, and to set that example in the room.”

One of the two varsity captains chosen this year is Reno Sarussi ‘18, Powell said.

“As a captain I definitely see growth as a team this year,” Sarussi said. “Even meet to meet, it’s clear that as a group we’re constantly improving and that’s very exciting.”

Sarussi’s co-captain, Bobby Montesano ‘18, will be out for the remainder of the season due to an injury, Powell said.

“Recovering from losing Bobby to injury was one of the hardest challenges the team will face this year and was definitely a huge disappointment,” Sarussi said. “It’s undoubtedly more demanding to motivate the team without Bobby’s support on the mat, but luckily we have a great group of guys who are more than willing to work their hardest for the team.”

With Montesano injured, the team was looking for leaders in the room and found them in some of the varsity starters, Powell said.

“I think Dom has done a really nice job this year with establishing himself as another leader,” Powell said. “And I think the underclassmen are doing a really nice job of following that lead like kids have in the past.”

Campo has been wrestling since second grade, and it has always been something he has enjoyed.

“My brother had been in the kid’s club at LT and watching him practice just made me want to get out there,” Campo said. “Being a freshman on varsity and hav- Domenic Campo ‘18 pins down a Downers Grove North wrestler at a home meet. (Rossetti/LION) ing this be my last season, I really have come far and learned a lot from my coaches and this year’s team wrestle on the mat,” Campo said. “I hope teammates. These last four years have been an experience that they can see the bond our team has together and the work I will cherish forever.” ethic. I hope the younger kids on the team can always reWith a 8-10 record overall and 2-2 conference record as member the motto that I take to heart when I step out on of Jan. 22, Powell said training has begun to adjust in order to the mat: ‘mean tough’. That’s all there is to it, to just give help the team finish strong and train for regionals.

100 percent.”

“This is where we turn it up with training to get some of As the last four weeks of the regular season come to a our guys peaking at the end of the year,” Powell said. “The close, Campo said he looks at the “brotherhood bond” he way we coach is basic fundamental stuff.” and his teammates share, as something he will not forget.

Although there are four weeks of regular season meets left “Those guys are my brothers, on and off the mat,” Campo to go, team members say they have high hopes for the re- said. “We experience a lot in those four months. A lot of mainder of the season and next year. emotion goes into the sport, but having those guys to rely “I hope the underclassmen can learn a lot from watching on really helps.”

Athletic training offers aid Three times a week, student athletic trainers meet to treat and offer aid to student athletes with injuries that may occur during practices. The dedicated student trainers work two seasons per year and work with any athlete that might need assistance.

Throughout the year, trainers become close, create lasting friendships and impact each other’s lives.

“To be a trainer, you don’t necessarily have to be involved in sports,” Student Athletic Trainer Maggie Hennessy ‘19 said.

“Many trainers aren’t, or they used to be.

We have trainers who used to be super athletic but injured themselves, so they became trainers to help others, which I think is really awesome.”

After trainers commit to the club, they

begin to learn the basics of physical therapy and medicine—namely how to tape and wrap injuries, especially ankles, wrists and fingers. Athletic trainers also must be certified in first aid and basic life support CPR, Certified Athletic Trainer Kristine Vins said.

“Student trainers have an opportunity to witness the injury process first hand,” Vins said. “Under our supervision, they get to work with actual athletes so they can go into medical programs saying, ‘This is something I’ve seen and done already.’”

Along with a substantial amount of certification that has to be completed comes an even bigger time commitment. A minimum of three days per week in the training room is required to be

a trainer, with each session usually lasting until 6 p.m. Trainers also have to attend every home sporting event in the season they are assigned to, Hennessy said.

“The time commitment is a huge aspect of it,” Hennessy said. “That’s what I struggle with the most, because I’m so busy with school and homework. Besides that, learning all the proper tapings is difficult, too.”

However, the benefits are far greater than the hardships. Student athletic trainers meet friends that they otherwise might not have met and make lasting friendships that last beyond high school, Vins said.

“The people you’re with tend to become like a huge family,” Hennessy said. “ I got really close to all the people I work with and I just knew I had to keep doing it.”

Currently, wrestling is in season and Hennessy, alongside five other student trainers, work at home meets from 8 a.m. to noon, aiding athletes who may become injured during an event.

The four certified adult athletic trainers, Bob Fichter, Brad

by Harper Hill @harpss42 Ever since Henry Claesson ‘18 was 9 years old, his goal has been to become a successful swimmer. He has dedicated himself to the sport and been a part of the LT boys varsity team since freshman year, and his hard work and training up until this point has paid off. Claesson verbally committed to swimming at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, a Division I program, on Aug. 15. He officially signed his letter of intent on Nov. 11.

“Swimming at college is going to be an awesome challenge, and I’m really excited to get to swim with the team at Virginia Tech next year,” Claesson said.

Claesson was a standout athlete last year, ending the school season at the state meet with a third place finish in the 100 freestyle with a time of 45.52 and a fifth place finish in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:37.85.

Claesson was the anchor for the 200 freestyle relay which finished second, as well as for the 400 freestyle relay which finished third.

“Having been state champs is awesome, and if we could repeat that [again], that’d be a nice cherry on top,” Claesson said.

Claesson went on to swim in the Illinois Senior Championship on March 3. He got second in the 100 butterfly with a time of

49.67. He also raced in the NCSA Spring Junior National Championship on March 17, and swam the 100 freestyle in 44.85 seconds, beating his state time.

“One of the things that makes Henry so great is that not only does he work hard in the pool, he is also incredibly mentally strong,” former teammate Ben Johnston ‘17 said. “He always has a positive mindset and refuses to lose. He always has new goals [and] is one of the fastest people we have in the water.”

Claesson raced in five events in the 2017 Arena Pro Swim Series in Santa Clara on June 2-4: the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, as well as the 100 and 200 butterfly.

“His greatest strength is he’s a team player,” teammate Jeff Vitek ‘18 said. “He will do anything in his power to benefit the people around him. He will come back in any relay because he cares about his team. Henry can always find a way. He’s one of the fastest swimmers in the state.”

Claesson raced in the Speedo Winter

Junior National Meet on Dec. 6-9.

He swam in five different events and finished 37th in the 100 freestyle. Only the top one-percent of swimmers 18 years and younger in the country qualified for this USA Swimming competition. Half of the swimmers raced in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

The other half, including Claesson, raced at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Claesson, Vitek, Spencer Walker ‘18 and Callahan Dunn ‘20 are the only swimmers from LT that swam in this meet, Claesson said.

Claesson was elected as co-captain for the 2017-2018 swim season, alongside four of his other teammates including Vitek, Walker, Frank McCarter ‘18 and Sam Dillon ‘18. As an

Student trainers gain insight on how to remedy injuries, heal

by Camilla Breen @c_breen125

Skendzel, Amanda Buchanan and Vins, also must be there to ensure overall safety and assist the athletes that come from different schools, Hennessy said.

“There’s a different aspect to it that I don’t think people realize,” Hennessy said.

“We need to make sure the athletes can keep the wrappings on; like in wrestling, you need to make sure their bandages won’t fall off. We need to do a good job.”

While there are no official prerequisites to becoming a trainer, many trainers take Sports Medicine as an elective to further their knowledge and help them become better trainers, Hennessy said.

“Membership in the student athletic training club is beneficial for anyone who has any interest in going into any medical field,” Vins said. “We have had students decide that athletic training is for them and they choose to pursue it, particularly in the physical therapy, sports medicine and paramedical fields. I hope that the student trainers are given some guidance in terms of what they may want out of their future.”

upperclassman and co-captain, Claesson has a lot of responsibility, and he works to ensure the team has a strong bond.

“He leads by example by being one of the hardest workers in the pool and one of the most respectful guys out of the pool,” Vitek said. “He knows how to mix fun and serious well, and I am confident he’ll be a great captain this year as he’s a natural born leader.”

On Dec. 22, the LT boys swim team swam in a dual meet against Hinsdale Central at South Campus. Claesson finished first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:42.80.

He also finished first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.79, the third fastest time in the state thus far.

The team started the new season with the constant reminder of their championships at the past two state meets. The swimmers are working hard to measure up to these standards set over the last few years.

“I encourage any student to come to Evanston in February to watch us at state,” Vitek said. “I can’t promise any place or performance, but I can promise we will be fun to watch. We swim with heart and that’s clear to see. Henry’s a perfect example.”

The next meet for the boys varsity swim team is the Lyons Township Invitational at South Campus on Jan. 27 at 12 p.m.

Rivalry

Page 12

Friday, January 26, 2018

PatheticProductions

by Mikaela Larson @mikaela_larson

LT and Hinsdale Central may be rivals, but their excitement for the match-ups unites them. Take a read as to what different administrators, athletes and students from each school had to say:

“

The Hinsdale game is always very intense because of the atmosphere and the longtime rivalry between the schools. It is a very much anticipated game every year and the bleachers are always full.

-Ben Bryant ‘18, LT Football

“

“

The best part about being in the stands is the excitement of everyone around you. I love the rivalry because it’s the one or two games a year that a majority of the students come together to root for LT. -Lily Wojcik ‘18, Lions Den

“

My favorite part about the rivalry is that both schools have emphasized the importance of giving back, by organizing donation and charity competitions as we lead up to the next game/event.

Whether it is raising money for cancer research or assisting communities recovering from a natural disaster, LT and HCHS have demonstrated the importance of compassion in our world.

-Dr. Brian Waterman, LT Principal

“

“

I think the rivalry is so fun because of the atmosphere in either town, whether it’s La Grange or Hinsdale. You know that any game between us two will be a good game, then add in two bodies of students yelling absurdities at each other and it’s a recipe for a great time.

-Will Conn ‘18, LT Weirdos

“

“

Basketball teams prepare for Hinsdale

“

The friendly rivalry between Lyons Township and Hinsdale Central brings about a real sense of school spirit. I particularly enjoy the spirit when the students take the opportunity to come together as a school and many times as rivals to fight for a social cause.

-William Walsh, HC Principal

“

by Luke Lusson @LukeLusson

You have the player on Central and the player on LT who both know what’s at stake and both teams know that this is more than just your ordinary game.

-Brady McKay ‘18, HC Boys Soccer

“

“

“

I would say the women’s LT rivalry is not as strong as men’s. I feel like it’s more because of the fact that people attend men’s sports way more than women’s and not so much entirely the fact that it’s LT. I wish people would attend both equally and support the teams equally but I don’t think it’s going to change much.

-Rachel Dannhausen-Brun ‘18, HC Girls Soccer

“

“

I love when we cheer at each other (daddy’s money, ACT scores, funny stuff like that) but I understand why the administrations try to keep those at a minimum.

I don’t think it would hurt either school to bring back a little bit of the intensity we had our freshman year.

Those games were the best.

-Jayne Gelman ‘18, Red Devil Nation

“At 6 o’clock, we clean up.”

Those six words stated by Wes Berger in 2014 brought a new facet to the Lyons Township/Hinsdale Central rivalry: social media. In the years since, the annual football and basketball matchups have been filled with insults, thinly veiled threats and posts that often take things a little too far.

I love competition, but I prefer to let the sports do the talking, not the posts. Don’t get me wrong, school spirit is infectious and I love to see a full stadium, but I don’t think the videos should be the reason for it. Max Abrahamson ‘18 has it right; his videos showcase the athletes and the game. Obviously I am biased, since I’m a four-year LT student, but have you seen any Hinsdale videos that show the team? Show highlights? Show the rivalry? I haven’t.

It seems as though every Central video isn’t about the team but Red Devil Nation, which is sort of self-centered if you ask me. Multiple times their videos have faced backlash from their own student body for taking it too far. Most recently, the video produced for the 2017 football game at Central included students blowing their noses in one hundred dollar bills and showing off luxury vehicles and houses.

That being said, the majority of Hinsdale’s population is not millionaires with Teslas, pools in their backyards and movie theaters in their basements.

Following the video, many students came out saying they didn’t like the image it portrayed. Just as the University of Kentucky basketball program hates being identified for one-and-done players, Hinsdale is constantly battling the stereotype of “daddy’s money,” so when videos embracing this image come out, their fight becomes harder.

Following the negative comments and reactions to the latest video, RDN decided it would be best to take it down. Hinsdale: if you’re going to produce work you’re proud of, there should never be the need to take it down. My advice to you is to focus on the rivalry. Show us trick shots, big hits, one hand catches, dunks…make us scared to play you, not laugh at your absurd videos because if your team is like your humor, we’ll be walking all over you.

Compiled by Luke Lusson and Mikaela Larson

Back on Dec. 15, both the boys and girls varsity basketball teams knocked off their arch rival, Hinsdale Central, at the North Campus fieldhouse in the annual “Pack the Place” game. On Feb. 2, both teams will get a chance to sweep the Red Devils on the season, only this time they will have to grab wins in enemy territory.

“That would be big time if we beat Hinsdale Central,” guard Tyrese Shines ‘19 said.

Next week’s boys and girls matchups will most likely be the final basketball action between the Lions and Devils for the season. Last year, both LT basketball teams lost their games at Hinsdale Central, leaving them with a desire to earn revenge this time around.

“Last year’s loss was a hard one,“ forward Emma Fink ‘18 said. “We definitely want to come back strong and prove we have what it takes.”

The girls team handled Hinsdale Central earlier this season in a 54-41 victory. The boys team also beat the Red Devils, but in a much closer and low-scoring game that ended with LT coming out on top 43-40. It wouldn’t surprise many if next Friday’s matchup was much of the same way, given the intensity of the rivalry between the two schools.

“There is always extra motivation to beat Hinsdale because they are our rivals,” Fink said. “Other than that, it is just another game that separates us from winning conference.”

“

LT and Hinsdale Central’s athletic rivalry dates back to 1898, the year of the first matchup between the two schools separated by County Line Road. This year, LT and Hinsdale’s rivalry was taken to the court, field, pool and more for some exciting athletic showdowns. Here’s how the varsity games played out: Compiled by Georgia Dougherty, Isabel Tuisl Boys soccer won 2-1 on Sept. 22.

Boys golf lost 200173 on Sep. 14.

Girls golf lost 152-142 on Aug. 21.

Girls volleyball lost 1-2 on Sept. 19.

Boys bowling won both meets on Nov. 26 and Dec. 5.

Girls swimming tied 93-93 on Sept. 28.

Girls tennis lost 7-0 on Sept. 26.

Football lost 20-21 on Oct. 13.

Girls basketball won 54-41 on Dec. 15.

Boys basketball won 43-40 on Dec. 15.

Girls gymnastics lost 129-137 on Jan. 17.

Boys swimming lost 91-95 on Dec. 22.

P

ULSE

Turn to pages 16-17 for more information

Olympics

Page 14

Friday, January 26, 2018

The XXIII Winter Olympic games will take place from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25. Around 90 nations will compete in 15 different events, eight of which are described below.

Pyeongchang, South Korea

Date: Feb. 18-25 Goal: Teams of two to four people

slide down an icy path in a bobsled to cross the finish line with the fastest time.

Maximum Speed: 90 mph Weight of sled: 463 lbs

Date: Feb. 12-23 Goal: Competitiors perform either

a two-or four-minute routine with a partner or solo. Judges score routine, and the highest score wins.

Number of events: 5 Competitors: 148

Date: Feb. 12-24 Goal: Launch from top of hill and

ski around flags to reach the bottom at the fastest time.

Max Speed: 80 mph Number of events: 5

Date: Feb. 8-19

Date: Feb. 10-24 Goal: Athletes are judged on their ability to execute jumps, number of twists while in the air and how well the tricks are landed.

Number of events: 10 Uniform theme: Space

Goal: Skiiers launch from a steep

slope and ski off a ramp. They are judged on their form and how far from the ramp they land.

Max Speed: 60 mph Landing Distance: 90 to 120

meters

Date: Feb. 8-25 Goal: Teams of four compete on

ice to push eight granite stones towards circular targets. The closer they are to the center of the circle, the more points are rewarded.

Number of events: 3 Competitors: 116 from

13 nations Date: Feb. 10-15 Goal: One or two athletes lie

down on their backs on a fiberglass sled with no braking system.

The fastest team to reach the bottom wins.

Max Speed: 90 mph Number of Events: 4

Date: Feb. 10-24 Goal: All the skaters start at the

same time and race a variety of distances ranging from 500 meters to 10,000 meters.

Average Speed: 32 mph Number of events: 14

compiled by Mary Devine and Harper Hill

PRofiles

Friday, January 26, 2018

Page 15

Student to coach college football Alex Dolgner ‘18 commits to Iowa State program

by Hayden Claesson @_wizard_of_soz Almost every kid who has ever played football in America has had dreams of being the next superstar. They want to be the next Tom Brady, yet few kids want to be the next Bill Belichick.

Alex Dolgner ‘18 is one of those few kids who want to be the next great football coach.

“When I was a little kid, I was in church and I was asked what I wanted to be when I grow up for a Sunday school class,” Dolgner said. “Immediately, I thought of coaching, and people’s first responses were ‘you’re not going to get there and it won’t be easy.’”

Dolgner will become an undergraduate assistant coach at Iowa State University next fall and learn about coaching, specifically the offensive line, Dolgner said. With this position, he will travel with the players on all of their road games and join them for all of their practices and meetings.

“I’m going to be closely involved with the staff and the team,” Dolgner said. “I’m going to help them chart during team practices and conferences and help in individual practices, specifically the offensive line.”

Of course, in order to get to this position, Dolgner had to start somewhere. He started coaching the Lyons Football Club with third graders. Two years ago, Dolgner coached eighth graders, achieving victory only once. Then, the next season he improved the record of the teams he coached to a seven win team, Dolgner said. Gerald Rigo, a Peer Educator at LT, coached this team with Dolgner and saw his coaching skills firsthand.

“Alex brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm on a daily basis,” Rigo said. “His greatest asset as a coach by far is his love for the game and his willingness to take on new rolls and learn new information.”

While at Iowa State, Dolgner will be coaching under Head Coach Matt Campbell, who has success coaching college football and offensive lines. Campbell coached

at the University of Toledo. He then got promoted to the head coaching role in 2011, and had four straight winning seasons with the Rockets and was top three in conference placement each year. Afterwards Campbell got hired at ISU and, despite going 3-9 in his first year, he turned it around and the team went 8-5 this past season, including two wins over top five ranked teams.

Dolgner will also work with offensive coordinator Tom Manning. Manning is also the offensive lines coach at ISU and will be working with Dolgner more than Campbell.

“I want to see [Manning’s] style, his philosophy and how he works with the lineman,” Dolgner said. “He signed a six year contract, so I’m excited to be with him my whole college career.”

While this postition may be a start, Rigo believes Dolgner can have a great carreer.

“I’m proud of the work that he has done coaching at LT,” Rigo said. “I know he hasn’t even scrapped the surface of what he is capable of.”

Iowa State Statistics 2015 Season: 3-9 - Biggest win: 24-0 vs Texas - Fun Fact: This was the first time an unranked team beat Texas since 1961.

2016 Season: 3-9 - Biggest win: 66-10 vs Texas Tech - Fun Fact: In the game vs Texas Tech, QB Joel Lanning had five rushing touchdowns.

2017 Season: 8-5 - Biggest win: 38-31 vs No.3 Oklahoma - Fun Fact: In the game vs OU, ISU held Heisman winner Baker Mayfield to a season low in passer rating in 2017.

Compiled by Hayden Claesson Source: cyclones.com

LT student stops boxing, joins Marines Antonio Perez ‘18 drops pro title, enlists in Marine Corps, plans to fight for country

“My family is what really inspired me to join the military,” Perez said. “They were very supportive of my decision.”

by Taylor Schmitt Perez decided to join the military because of his family’s background in the service, he said. Perez will be the fourth generation of service for his family. His famiAfter winning two amateur national titles in 2016 and 2017 before graduly is also active in many branches of service, including the Army, National Guard, ating high school, Antonio Perez ‘18 has decided to enlist in the Marine Corps Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy. rather than enrolling in college or continuing with his successful boxing career.

“Antonio is an inspiration to me because of the way he is,” Daniel Parker, “I was torn between boxing and the military, but then I realized that I could join the miliPerez’s lifetime coach, said. “His persona, his boxing career, his decision to go to tary young, get out and still be young and continue to fight,” Perez said. “I can also fight on the the military, everything. Every time I see him it puts a smile on my face. He’s a military’s boxing team, so it was a win-win situation for me.” blessing to so many people, and the boy has an outstanding gift in fighting.”

Inspired by Floyd Mayweather, a professional boxer whom he met, Perez began boxing Perez has already applied for a spot on the Marine Corps Boxing Team. at 7 years old when his mother signed him up for the Scottsdale Park Boxing Club, he said.

Once he gets discharged from the military, he will be able to resume his pro“I’ve always had this passion for fighting,” Perez said. “I had a lot of energy as a kid. I fessional title to continue boxing. wasn’t a troublemaker, but I did like to roughhouse. I’ve always had that fighter in me.

“I’ve always wanted to extend my passion for fighting,” Perez said. “I They call me the bullet in boxing because I’m fast.” really wanted to take it to the next level, where I’m not only fighting for After beginning to compete at the age of 11, Perez became an All-American Fighter in myself, I’m fighting for other people in this country. People who put only a year, he said. Perez also qualified for many awards, including a Silver Glove in 2013 Antonio Perez ‘18 their own life on the line for other people has always amazed me. I and Golden Gloves in 2014 and 2015. In addition to these achievements, he recieved during practice. (Perez) really wanted to follow in those footsteps.” national titles in 2016 and 2017.

Robotics Club gears up for future contests New club earns status at LT now gaining members, begins to see success while preparing for state competition

by Greg Smith Lyons Township’s growing new robotics club is now halfway through its second year. Teachers Joshua Nabasny and Blake Sauders began the club in response to interest their students showed in the field of robotics, Nabasny said.

“In the beginning, [a challenge] was getting active students,” Nabasny said. The club started with only one team (teams can have from three up to about eight members).

Now, the club has grown to 25 active members meeting twice a week.

Club member Tim Houston ‘18 works on the programming for his team’s robot, he said. For his team’s first competition of the year, at Niles West High School, formatting and syntax of the programming for the controls was initially a challenge. But Houston and his team eventually saw success.

“It was really nice to see [the robot] drive around and see it doing what you intended for it to do,” Houston said.

Going into the first competition at Niles, the team did not expect much, but performed better than expected. At one point, they found themselves in second place. The team finished in 10th place at the Niles competition out of around 40 teams.

“I feel a lot better about the one we’re working on now

Jonathon Duelm ‘18 tinkers with a new design for an upcoming competition. (Smith/LION)

than the one we did last time,” Houston said.

Houston also works on developing an autonomous sequence for the robot to perform tasks unmanned at the beginning of the competition period, he said. For completing tasks hands off only by using code the team has previously written, a team

earns significantly more points.

The club’s competitions are put on by a robotics and STEM education company called VEX, Nabasny said. VEX also provides the equipment to build the competitors’ machines.

The competitions, hosted at different area high schools, all have to do with the same challenge in a given year. This year’s challenge is cone stacking, Nabasny said. The teams are paired randomly with another group and put in a small square area where they must stack cones on mobile goals or elevated stationary stands. Different point values are assigned to moving the cones to different places, some of which are difficult to access.

Another limitation comes from the fact that VEX limits the size of the robots to 18x18x18 inches.

This year the club will compete in a total of four competitions, hosted at Illinois State University, Niles West, Neuqua Valley High School and Evanston High School.

Top finishing teams at these competitions advance to state, national, and world level competitions, Nabasny said.

The team is beginning to grow ambitious. Their goal is to continue to put in the work in order to advance to those competitions, Houston said.

“I think we have a chance [to make state] this year,” Houston said.

Page 16

Fakes

Friday, January 26, 2018

Volume 108, Issue 4

Fake with real consequences

by Lindsey Hauch @lhauch20

LION survey indicates 77.2 percent of students know someone with a fake ID. High schoolers, either three, four, five or some even six years shy from the legal drinking age of 21, know at least one student who is using a fake ID to illegally purchase alcohol or get access to college bars, for example. Although the reasons for having a fake ID vary from person to person, it is evident there is desire throughout the LT community to possess one.

“The reason I wanted to get a fake ID in the first place was for college visits,” an anonymous LT student who owns a fake ID said. “Especially when I go to college I want to have it for going to bars, which can help me meet more people and be more social. I know a lot of high schoolers use it for buying alcohol but that was not my motivation behind getting one.”

While this is not a lecture against fake IDs, it is a wake-up call to the 8.3 percent of students who indicated they own one. Common penalties of being caught using a fake ID result in fines, loss of license and sometimes arrestment.

However, LT Resource Officer AJ Hull, a police officer for the Western Springs Police for 19 years, indicated the most extreme punishment for possessing a fraudulent driver’s license is up to three years imprisonment and a $25,000 fine. The difference between punishment levels causes misconceptions behind the severity of owning a fake ID. “My worst fear with having a fake ID is being caught by the police and getting a fine,” an anonymous student source said. “I do think a lot of people underestimate the true penalty of owning a fake.”

The state of Illinois has recently updated

New

Illinois ID In 2016, the state of Illinois began issuing updated versions of state IDs and driver licenses. The numbers on the back and front of the ID above correspond with the new features.

its driver’s license, or state issued IDs, to try and combat the illegal reproduction. Drivers who received or renewed their license in the past two years may have noticed the design of their ID is different from their peers, including the material, design and flexibility. This is so it will be more challenging to replicate. In addition, many law enforcement agencies and businesses began using a new app called Age ID. Age ID scans identification cards for accuracy and reports if the ID is real, fake or needs a second look.

Alcohol consumption laws also differ by state. Nationwide, the law stands at 21 years of age for legal consumption, but Illinois has exceptions. For those 18 years of age and older, Illinois permits consumption on private, non-alcohol selling premises with parent consent, for religious and educational purposes. Note the University of Illinois: the campus bars in Champaign allow people in at 19 years of age. This rule allows police and campus officials to moniter underage drinking, because students enclosed in bars and businesses are easier to manage than off campus consumption. However, this makes the campus bars basically exempt from drinking laws of needing to be 21 to enter. While many argue for and against this rule that stands on several college campuses, it by nature decreases the number of fake IDs used to enter either establishments.

The bottom line is that developments such as updated ID designs, apps and college campus laws do not and most likely will never completely stop the selling or use of fake IDs. As high school students, it is necessary to know the attempts taken nationwide to combat them and the repercussions of being caught using one.

“I think it comes down to making [smart] choices,” Hull said.

compiled by Maddy Cohen

Editor’s note: The statistics gathered are not statistically significant but may point to actual trends.

8.3%

Yes

Do you know someone who owns a fake ID?

No

In your opinion, why do you think teenagers get fake IDs?

To fit in with older siblings/friends

22.8%

3.7%

No

91.7%

1

Two photos of the image: one larger and one smaller in the corner

2

Under ultraviolet light, a person’s photo and birth date is visible

3

Addition of patterns and images including state seal and Abraham Lincoln

4

When held up to light, there is a laser perforation in the shape of Illinois

Personal Column: Alcohol isn’t evil

LION surveyed 267 NC students regarding fake IDs and their prevelance in our community.

Do you own a fake ID (an ID or Driver’s License that has been intentionally altered)?

Page 17

Yes

77.2%

To be used during college visits

3.4%

Other

8.6%

To buy alcohol

84.3%

by Pilar Valdes @pilarvaldes55 By all legal standards, you become an adult when you turn 18.

You are able to vote, enlist in the army and serve on a jury. Yet, when you turn 18, you are still unable to legally purchase, have possession of or consume alcohol. Beyond its illegality, alcohol is extremely stigmatized in the United States. The reputation surrounding drinking perpetuates a culture of teenage rebellion. This rebellion manifests itself in irresponsible underage drinking and fake IDs. The stigma surrounding alcohol roots back to two separate time periods in U.S. history: the Puritan foundation of the United States and the prohibition era. Alcohol consumption was a part of everyday life in the Puritan communities that founded America.

Intoxication was frowned upon, but alcohol in general was not, merely because it was safer than drinking unclean water. As reform fervor became prevalent in the 1830s, consumption of alcohol also increased. This caused the rise of the temperance movement, which ultimately led to the idea of the prohibition period, where the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol was banned.

The 18th amendment was ratified on Jan. 16, 1919 and made the manufacturing and sale of alcohol a felony, attempting to make consumption impossible. But this did not stop anybody. In fact, the amendment really only encouraged illegal drinking. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, alcohol consumption increased to about 60-70 percent of its pre-prohibition levels. In essence, the 18th amendment did the exact opposite of what it was intended to do.

So, when the 21st amendment was passed in 1933 repealing prohibition, many states set 21 as the minimum drinking age because that was the age to vote at that time. When the age to vote went down to 18, the drinking age did not. Just like during prohibition, teenagers are finding ways to rebel.

Teenagers drink. Teenagers are going to drink. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations, by 18, 70 percent of teens have had at least one drink. The way American culture treats drinking is what encourages teens to do so. The idea that alcohol is bad and something that kids need to be shielded from until they turn 21 causes children to have a misconstrued understanding of alcohol and how it can impact them. Countless studies have been done that record the amount of time teenagers spend watching T.V. and how often they see advertisements for any alcoholic beverage and how it may impact them. But the truth is that an advertisement for beer shouldn’t be treated any differently from an advertisement for a makeup or food product. They are both advertisements, a company trying to sell a product to a consumer.

Teenagers are completely capable of understanding right from wrong. The set drinking age is essentially trying to shield teenagers from alcohol completely. The result is not a better understanding of how irresponsible alcohol consumption can be negative, but rather a culture of rebellion centered around irresponsibly consuming alcohol. Just like in the prohibition era, underage drinking is so vilified that it has really only caused some teens to feel more compelled to try it. Such a high drinking age encourages underage drinking because some teenagers want to seem more mature, an aspect of the rebellion that wouldn’t exist if the drinking age were lowered.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, teenagers consume more than 90 percent of their alcohol through binge drinking. This misuse of alcohol by teenagers is fostered by the stigma surrounding drinking that exists in the US. Teenagers drink in a way that is reckless and dangerous because of their desire to rebel.

Beyond the formation of unhealthy and dangerous drinking habits, the drinking age encourages teenagers to get some form of false identification. Used to buy alcohol or get into bars, having a fake ID comes with many risks. But to most teenagers, the thought of not fitting in with their friends is a much greater risk than any legal action that may be taken against them if caught with a fake ID. The stigma surrounding drinking needs to end, mostly because it is untrue. Of course drinking in excess is bad, but so is anything.

If you eat too much sugar you can die. So why treat alcohol any differently? Teenagers can understand that alcohol can be dangerous, but only after they understand that there is nothing to rebel against. End the stigma, end the rebellion. The same goes for the legal drinking age.

The drinking age needs to be lowered to 18, and eventually should be completely eradicated. Although it may be a long and difficult process for lawmakers, the results will more than likely be positive. First of all, underage drinking crimes will decrease significantly, even if the drinking age is lowered to just 18. Most students go to college at 18, and college campuses are notorious hubs of drinking and partying. By lowering the drinking age, arrests on campus are certain to go down as well.

At the end of the day, drinking isn’t something that should be looked down upon. I’m sure wine goes wonderfully with certain foods, and bars are probably a great place to get together with friends (these are guesses based on things my parents say). But until the drinking age is lowered and the stigma is gone, there will still be teenagers trying to sneak into bars, sneak drinks from their parents and buying fake IDs.

Streaming

Page 18

Rise of a video empire

by Sarah Grier @smgrier0

We live in a world of immediate news, communication and entertainment. Even President Donald Trump tweets his policy ideas. Now, when a slight buffer occurs it is a way bigger inconvenience than it should be, let alone sitting for a commercial. Netflix is a company that provides TV shows and movies immediately. No ads, no buffers (given you download the show), no commercials, just shows. The constantly changing content is available anywhere at anytime. It’s every movie junky and TV addict’s dream.

Netflix was founded in 1997 providing DVDs via mail to its subscribers. Today, Netflix has over 109 million subscription accounts to the site, 128 million viewers annually and is a $187 million company. Netflix holds the majority of the video streaming sector, continually beating out its main competitors Amazon Prime and Hulu.

Starting in November, Netflix began raising the price of its top tier plans, keeping the $7.99 one screen plan untouched. The standard $9.99 service (which includes two screens and HD) was changed to $10.99 and the premium tier (four screens and ultra HD) rose from $11.99 to $13.99.

With a large amount of monthly subscribing customers, why does Netflix continue to raise its prices? Netflix claims it is to raise more revenue for more original and new additional content.

However, Glenn Hower, a senior analyst at Parks Associates, an industry research firm, claims this price spike is because Americans are willing to spend $100 annually on television. Netflix is just capitalizing on this.

With a rising alternative entertainment service, it is no wonder that traditional TV subscribers haven fallen 2.5 percent decline this quarter. This is the historically lowest amount of subscribers to cable TV and this decline is only expected to rise to 3 percent by 2018. This is a new phenomenon known as “cord-cutting,” referring to cutting the cable cord.

Netflix has changed the way Americans view television. The idea of binge-watch a whole season on its release date was nonexistent. You couldn’t just start an episode of “The Office” on the train; but, America needs a distraction, a unifier. At the end of the day, what’s more uniting than the “Stranger Things” kids?

Friday, January 26, 2018

by Camilla Breen @c_breen125 Nowadays, it seems like Netflix adds new shows everyday. In 2017 alone, it released 34 original series and movies. Whether you’re looking for a new show to marathon or just watch casually, we’re here to make the decision easier with this list of the most popular Netflix Originals, ranked from best to worst.

1. Stranger Things

2. Black Mirror

3. Mindhunter

Not surprising to anyone, “Stranger Things” is at the top of the list—and for good reason. The throwback to the ‘80s brings out nostalgia for older fans, and the kids in the show are relatable to the younger viewers. The mystery and sci-fi elements are a plus, too, and everyone who watches becomes invested in the mysteries surrounding Hawkins, Ind.

“Black Mirror” has gained some serious media attention in recent months, and it’s easy to see why: this show will make you question every aspect of technology and society, but it’s also disturbingly captivating and will leave you wanting to watch the next episode immediately. Each episode differs in theme, which adds to the entertainment value and another layer of suspense to the series.

Although new to the Netflix scene, “Mindhunter” immediately attracts watchers.

This chilling look into the minds of serial killers focusing on the why and how of crimes, does not just appeal to horror/crime junkies. By delving deeper into reasoning as opposed to just using shock value to garner views, this new drama earns a solid spot on the list.

4. Orange is the New Black

5. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

As one of the first Netflix originals to appear on screen, “Orange is the New Black” captivated audiences with its fresh take on stereotypes surrounding women, specifically, women prisoners. Each season leaves viewers overcome with emotions—one of the reasons it has become so popular.

When it first broke onto the scene in 2015, this comedy took the internet by storm. With its unconventional plot and absurd characters, the show has maintained a high reputation in the comedy world. Despite how dark Kimmy’s backstory is, the show is a bright and hilarious look into the classic “alone-ina-big-city” trope.

6. Narcos “Narcos” provides viewers with a first hand look at the Pablo Escobar run drug trade.

Although in Spanish, the series is easy to follow with subtitles. At times it lacks character developments but it brings viewers back with action-filled plot to distract from cop show tropes, bringing a view into the worst colombian drug trade.

Netflix continues to dominate in the streaming market, receiving over 128 million viewers of its site this past year. They are followed by Amazon with 85.3 million and Hulu with the fewest amount at 32 million viewers.

7. House of Cards

Number of viewers (in millions)

“House of Cards”is the first Netflix Original show, and has been a fan favorite since 2013. Yet after five seasons, it seemed to reuse the same storyline. Due to the accusations against Kevin Spacey it was moved down on the list (this is why we can’t have nice things).

9. 13 Reasons Why

8. Master of None Due to recent allegations against main writer and actor Aziz Ansari, it is hard to place “Master of None” any higher. The show offers a unique view of life in New York City.

The cast is full of diverse and witty characters whose shenanigans leave you wanting to binge watch all four seasons in one day.

Coming soon...

“13 Reasons Why” could have been a great series about the tragedy of suicide, but was turned into an over glorified drama romanticizing it. Cliché dialogue and archetypal characters could be passed off as comedic if it weren’t for the serious subject. This is why it holds the last spot on our list.

by Sarah Grier @smgrier0

Netflix (Source: Forbes)

Amazon

Hulu

Compiled by Sarah Grier

Cars 3 Jan. 31, 2018

Riverdale (Season 2) May 2018

Shameless (Season 8) June 2018

13 Reasons (Season 2) Summer 2018

AHS (Season 7) October 2018

animals

Friday, January 26, 2018

Page 19

LION Newspaper uncovers the truth behind many pet stores and offers more humane options for adoption.

Kill the mill

Inside look at humane societies

by Greta Markey @gretamarkey

Behind every wide-eyed, tongue-lolling, tail-wagging puppy you see through the glass of a local shelter or dog store, there is a story. For the 2.11 million dogs sold from puppy mills each year, that story is one of mistreatment, malnutrition and commercial motivation.

There are over 400 breeds of dogs worldwide. Many popular breeds such as retrievers, pointers, terriers and toys have been bred for specific traits that make them desirable on the market. Size, color, type of fur and demeanor are just a few of the many attributes that prospective dog owners search for when trying to find their “perfect” pet.

While there are dog breeders who run ethical and compliant practices to provide consumers with specific breeds, the dog breeding business has become lucrative and unreliable, as many breeders take advantage of the animals who cannot defend and speak up for themselves.

This is where we see the problem with puppy mills.

Puppy mills are dog breeding operations whose main goal is to churn out as many dogs as they can. In doing so, they often disregard hereditary health problems that are common to many breeds and provide their dogs with absolutely subpar living conditions. They put profit and consumerism well above the quality of life of their dogs.

Dogs in puppy mills are treated like machines, not living organisms. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), female dogs begin to reproduce at the earliest possible age and after she has her first litter, she is forced directly into producing another one. After the mother is completely physically depleted or otherwise unable to produce another litter, she is killed. Any of her pups who exhibit noticeable physical disabilities or flaws are also killed.

The pups who do survive are raised in small cages without adequate food, veterinary attention or socializa-

tion with other dogs. Many carry genetic and internal problems.

Since breeders in puppy mills are only concerned with the number and physical traits of their puppys, they quite often fail to check the dogs they are breeding for internal or hereditary disorders. The ASPCA noted that the failure to provide their paternal dogs with veterinary examinations means that diseases like epilepsy, heart disease, diabetes and other musculoskeletal disorders get passed down from litter to litter. The inadequate conditions that the dogs are raised in also mean that many puppy mill dogs contract avoidable diseases like pneumonia, heartworm and giardia before they even arrive at pet stores.

These diseases can remain unnoticed until the dog is already adopted. Puppy mills concern themselves with producing physically attractive dogs, not internally healthy ones. They will profit off of selling dogs while the new owners will flounder in unexpected veterinary bills.

Right now, 21 states have no laws that regulate commercial dog breeders and many states only require breeders to meet the United States Department of Agriculture’s low standards.

Naperville has recently proposed a ban on pet shops that sell anything other than rescue animals. The city council has tabled the discussion, but I believe this is a discussion that all cities, not just Naperville, should be having.

Consumers speak with their dollars.

If we choose to research further into the dogs that we are adopting, and make the conscious choice to not support puppy mills, they will have no money to continue their corrupt, abusive business.

Man’s best friend deserves more than cramped spaces and malnutrition. We as consumers have the power to give them the life they deserve.

Cuteness around the corner

Hinsdale Humane Society offers prospective dog owners a loving best friend.

Below are a few dogs available for adoption at the shelter as of Jan. 9.

by Maddy Cohen @maddyc700

Felicity Age: 1.5 years Weight: 36.7 pounds Sex: Female Highlights: Sweet girl- knows sit Needs: None

Monte Age: 8 months Weight: 40.6 pounds Sex: Male Highlights: Busy playful boy Needs: A patient owner, needs to be neutered

Hope Age: 2 years Weight: 39 pounds Sex: Female Highlights: Sweet lady Needs: Needs to be spayed

by Isabel Tuisl @isabeltuisl

Erin Sharkey ‘18 volunteers at the West Suburban Humane Society, located in Downers Grove, answers questions about her experience.

Q: How long have you been working at the Humane Society?

A: A little bit over a year.

Q: What are your tasks at the Humane Society? Explain a day in your life at work.

A: I begin by changing the water in all of the rooms and cages. Some of the cats I work with need medication, so I take care of that too. Then I give them their canned food and make sure their dry food bowls are full, and then clean the cages. Usually there is time left over and I get to spend it with the cats which is the best part for sure. At the end, I go into the “isolation” room for new and sick cats and repeat that whole process.

Q: How did you hear about the Humane Society’s volunteer work, and why did you want to volunteer?

A: My mom and I were at a pet store and we met a Humane Society volunteer who said that it’s a great place to volunteer and they are always looking for more help. My family and I have had great experiences with all of the pets that we have rescued, so we’ve always wanted to help take care of animals in shelters. To become a volunteer, we called the volunteer coordinator at the shelter and then had to attend orientation and training sessions.

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages you see working at a shelter?

A: There really aren’t any disadvantages other than the fact that it can be hard to see some of the animals month after month not getting adopted. It’s a lot of work during the first hour we’re there, but the second hour after we finish all the cleaning is so much fun. That’s when we get to play with the cats and make sure they get enough love and attention.

Every week I get to spend an hour sitting in a room with 10+ kittens climbing on me. It doesn’t get much cuter than that.

The older cats are super loving too. The best part is starting the day at the shelter and seeing that a bunch of the animals we’ve been taking care of have found homes.

Q: Where do the animals at the Humane Society come from? What happens to them if they’ve been there a long time?

A: They are sometimes surrendered to us by their owner, coming from high kill shelters or dropped off at the door.

If they’ve been there for a long time, the shelter does everything they can to adopt them. Sometimes they’ll do “long term foster care” to help the animal find a home. This is where the shelter pays for all the food and vet appointments while someone keeps the animal at their house, so it doesn’t have to stay in the shelter for the rest of its life.

Q: What is your opinion on animal shelters? What is the difference between shelters and pet stores? Similarities?

A: You can find great pets at both shelters and pet stores, but when you adopt from shelters you’re saving an animal who might not otherwise have a chance. From what I’ve read, many pet stores use puppy mills which encourage mass breeding, and that mistreatment is really unnecessary because there are already so many animals who need homes. West Suburban Humane Society is a no kill shelter and takes in animals from other shelters who are going to be put down. They vaccinate and neuter every animal to make sure they are healthy and can’t have more puppies or kittens who may then have to go back to the shelter. If for some reason an owner can’t take care of their animal anymore, the Humane Society will take the animal back so it doesn’t end up in the streets again. Their main goal is to keep animals off the streets which I think is really important. Animal shelters also microchip the animals in case they turn up anywhere else, and they check to make sure that owners are able to responsibly take care of their pets to decrease the chances of them being returned or mistreated. So essentially, I support shelters a lot more because everything they do is to save the animals.

GET OUT Pies by Fasano Cupcakery provides Page 20

Friday, January 26, 2018

Friday, September 23, 2016  Page 20

satisfies sweet tooth

by Spiro Kass bined to capture the classic, delicious apple @spiro_kass pie taste. I had to remind myself not to eat Within the heart of downtown LaGrange the entire pie in order to save room to taste the next one, but the taste was so tantalizing among the hustle and bustle of LaGrange that I almost could not resist.

Road, Pies by Fasano (74 S. LaGrange Rd.) Once I arrived home and sliced open the may be easy to miss. The bakery’s quality pies and service, however, definitely make it blueberry pie, I was satisfied after the first bite but was expecting a little more flavor. a destination worth visiting.

Blueberry is my favorite pie flavor, therefore While approaching the store, I immeI am very picky when it comes down to the diately received a family-owned vibe from taste. I appreciated how the thick crust efits outside appearance. Along the windows fectively cut the sugar from the sweet, bluewere handwritten signs announcing “Yes, berry compost inside, but I almost we’re open” and “Hot coffee” for pedestrifelt as if it cut it too much. I ans to see as they walk past, definitely would not say that effectively enticing them the blueberry pie was bland, to enter the store. The but I believe it could have interior of the bakery been a little sweeter. The pie was small, but served was definitely better than its purpose. I was not most pies I have eaten in the expecting a large open past, but I was expecting the area with multiple tables, pie to be spectacular due to the and the confined space ofbakery’s renowned status and fered a snug, comforting sense critically-acclaimed pies. that made my experience more The espresso definitely fulenjoyable. filled its role in accompanying the When looking through the Classic blueberry pie tasting. I didn’t expect for the selection of pies, I was extremely pie. (Kass/LION) store to sell a delicious, expensive excited to see the vast amount of options they had to offer, consisting of fruit, blended roast; it was regular drip machine cream and junior (single-serving) pies. After that had a great, modest taste and served as a good combination with the pie. what seemed like an hour of contemplaOverall, I had a very good experience at tion, I decided to try the apple junior pie ($3.00), along with an espresso ($2.50), and Pies by Fasano. The pies are definitely worth the price, and the ambiance of the bakery brought home a regular size blueberry pie was pleasant and welcoming. The apple pie ($18.00). Both pies were already pre-made and wrapped, which fortunately meant that was one of the best tasting pies I’ve ever had, while the blueberry, on the other hand, there was absolutely no waiting time to was great but less than what I expected. Its receive my order.

Once I found a seat at the table, I decided quaint setting, quality service and almost perfect pie taste made to try the apple pie first. After tasting the first bite, I was instantly satisfied; the crust, Pies by Fasano a great experience. apples, and sweetness were perfectly com-

4/5

big surprises

by Camilla Breen Out of all the cupcakes we tried, my friend and I decided that none were too @cbreen125 dry; each was dense and rich in their own After first hearing that Western Springs respects. While the specialty flavors were would be gaining a new cupcakery in the more visually interesting, Smallcakes nailed near future, I was instantly willing to try it out. A perusing of their website garnered my the recipe to a perfect classic cupcake.

The frosting, however, was a different attention due to all the flavors offered, but I story; I realized that the simpler the cupcake was eager to see if the cupcakes lived up to was, the better. The frosting was overpowerthe hype. ingly sweet, and there was too much of it to Smallcakes was actually deceivingly enjoy each cupcake. This was especially true difficult to find; their Naperville location of all the ‘wacky’ flavors. I found that the is sandwiched in a strip mall with a small bolder flavors lacked the quality and richness storefront. that the classic options seemed to have.

Seeing as their Western Springs location My friend sampled a specialty cupcake, has not opened yet, we made the trek out to “The Mudslide,” ($3.50). We noticed here Naperville to taste-test the cupcakes. Howwas a lot going on in this single ever, the lavish flavors and quality cupcake—a mountain of chocomade the trip worthwhile. late frosting and a caramel swirl Upon first arrival, I immeabove it. The caramel overdiately noticed how small powered the other flavors in the store was. It had a neat the cupcake and was very interior, but no seating— sugary; attempting to take something I was hoping a single bite proved to be there would be. Tiers of a challenge. The cupcakes neatly organized, glitzy are deceivingly large, and cupcakes greeted us from you should be sitting down behind the counter, accomto avoid getting crumbs on panied by a smaller case of ice yourself. cream flavors. There were also a Nonetheless, the classic cupcake few gluten-free cookies available Smallcake’s store logo. options were definitely the better at the counter, as well as treats (Smallcakes.com) choices. The specialty flavors ended for dogs, which is automatically up being a let down, but they are perfect for a plus.

I decided to order one classic flavor, “Va- someone with a major sweet tooth; if you combine that with the other flavors to try, nilla N Chocolate,” ($3.50) and one of their there are options for everyone here. more unique options, “Cookies N Cream,” While not open yet in, Western Springs, ($3.50). One thing I can easily say is the actual cake portion steals the show. Despite the Smallcakes (4710 Gilbert Ave. Unit 53, Westconventional flavors of chocolate and vanilla, ern Springs 60558) is sure to be a hit. With its proximity to SC, it can they were remarkably fresh, considering I be a quick stop to cure an went at 7 p.m. In my opinion, the cake was after school craving. the best part about the experience.

4/5

As the 2018 Winter Olympics approach, LION gets in the competetive spirit with an Olympic-themed crossword puzzle!

Across: 3. The month during which the games will take place.

7. The sport in which athletes try to slide a 44 lb. granite stone to a target at the far end of a long stretch of ice.

8. An individual sledding competition in which the athlete rides feet-first down an icy track.

10. The sport in which athletes wear thin metal blades under their feet and perform graceful dances on ice. (two words) 11. The white tiger mascot of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

13. The black bear mascot of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Down: 1. The city hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics.

2. The sport featured in Cool Runnings where four people get into a sled and travel around an icy track at fast speeds. (two words) 4. The sport in which athletes strap two long, thin boards to their feet and make large turns down a steep slope at high speeds.

5. The ice-based sport in which players use sticks to try to fling a small puck into a net.

6. The sport in which the athlete straps a board to their feet and rides down a half-pipe doing tricks.

9. The sport in which athletes both cross-country ski and shoot targets.

12. The Ancient Greek city-state that the Olympics are named after.

compiled by Taylor Schmitt

Type of Pet: Hairless Guinea Pig Age: 4 years old Weight: 2 Pounds Owner: Claire Lizak ‘18 Hobbies: Watching “The Office” and eating carrots Fun Fact: Bathes in olive oil to help moisturize skin Editor’s Rate: 13/10. The Lil’ Sebastian of Guinea Pigs

Want your pet to be featured in the LION? Send a photo of your pet with a short bio to coh503730@student.lths.net or kae503519@student.lths. net for a chance to win.

Compiled by Sydney Kaehler and Maddy Cohen

North Campus

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100 S. Brainard Ave. LaGrange, Ill. 60525

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South Campus

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4900 Willow Springs Rd. Western Springs, Ill. 60558