MHS Crier 1 24 14

munster high school Vol. 48 / Issue 7 / January 24, 2014 / Munster High School 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster IN 46321

crier

Illinois legalizes use of medical marijuana

While other states, legalize marijuana Indiana shows no signs of legalization of medical marijuana or decriminalization of it Vrusha Patel Business Manager Multiple rounds of chemotherapy deteriorates the patient, which causes the patient starts to lose energy, appetite, and hair. The patient turns to medical marijuana to combat with the effects of cancer and treatment itself.

Although the patients’ situation is hypothetical, patients use medical marijuana to combat the pain caused by chronic illnesses.

Illinois legalized medical marijuana Jan. 1 2014 for patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma or

HIV. The state plans to have strict laws on medical marijuana comparatively to Colorado.

In addition to Illinois legalizing medical marijuana, states such as California, Alaska, Arizona and Oregon plan to legalize marijuana for recreational use by 2016.

Under the Controlled Substances Act, the federal government classified marijuana as a schedule I drug, along with heroin, and LSD. Although under federal law, marijuana stands illegal, 21 state have legalized marijuana for medical purposes and recreational use. Federalism allows for states to have policy making powers in which

they have the right to make policies regarding health morality crime and punishments; however, the federal government can make policies regarding them through the interstate commerce.

The Supreme Court held this in the decision of Gonzales v Raich, in which the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) confiscated prescribed medical marijuana from users; the Supreme Court held that only if the medical marijuana affected the interstate commerce it could be regulated through congress, according to Michael Gordon, government teacher.

continued to pg. 5

INSIDE LOOK Saturday 23/3

31/-3

FILLING THE EMPTY SEAT Currently the school board accepts applicants for a stand-in member to replace former Board Member Mrs. Carrie Wadas until elections in November

photo illustration by Gabrielle Dore Making Room Meetings regarding the School Town of Munster are held on the second Tuesday of every month. In these meetings, the School Board members discuss funding, policy, new programs and other issues. The seating order for the conference room consists of (from left to right) Mrs. Paula Nellans, Mrs. Mary Yorke, Mr. Richard Sopko, Mr. John Friend, Mrs. Judith Florczak, and the empty plaque that awaits the new school board member’s name. Although Superintendent, Sopko sits with the School Board, he does not vote along with the school board, rather they work close together in to implement the policies voted on.

ing as this year the new board member will participate in the selection of the new superintendent and also remains required Until Saturday, Feb. 1, the School Board to participate in conferences.

“We also want somebody who is a lifewill accept applications from any Munster citizen 18 years of age or older with an long learner,” School Board President Mrs. interest in replacing former school board Judith Florczak said. “We have to keep up with education, policy, and the funding.” member Mrs. Carrie Wadas.

The Indiana School “Mrs. Wadas, by reBoard Association resigning when she did, gives the new member I just want to say thank you to all quires new board memto elect the superintenthe people who supported me and bers to earn 75 points in dent,” School Board believed in me for the past 20 years. their first year. Points Treasurer Mrs. Paula They’ve allowed me to do what I can be earned at conferences and seminars; Nellans said. “She deloved.” -Mrs. Carrie Wadas, former each one day confercided to resign earlier school board member ence attended achieves to give that person a 10 points, and each chance.”

The state mandates that in the case of two day conference attended achieves 20 a resignation, the current board members points.

“It’s (conferences) also a learning thing have 30 days to appoint a replacement or a especially with a new person on board,” judge will select the new member.

The school board currently aims to an- Mrs. Nellans said. “It’s a good way to nounce the new board member at their learn it all.” next meeting on Feb. 10, according to Mrs. With the search for a new board member Nellans.

“We’d like to have someone younger in full swing, Mrs. Wadas reminisces on her than we are who has kids in the school or first decisions as a school board member.

“The hardest decision for me as a new recently had kids in the school,” Mrs. Nelboard member was to ask people for monlans said.

This year would pose as a big time com- ey,” Mrs. Wadas said. “For a lot of money.”

Although asking for money posed an mitment for the new board member, seeJordan Cockrum Managing Editor

“

obstacle at first, it became one of Mrs. Wadas’ proudest decisions: when the town passed the referendum last May. “We’re lucky people in our town support our schools not just with their time and talent but also with their pocketbooks,” Mrs. Wadas said.

Mrs. Wadas decided to resign after making the decision to move to a neighboring town; she was originally planning to wait until the end of her term, but felt it was unjust to choose the next superintendent if she planned to move.

“I don’t think it’s very fair for me to have a very large role in choosing the next superintendent when I have a for-sale sign in front of my home,” Mrs. Wadas said.

She brought a perspective to the board which aided them in many of their decisions during her 20 years on the board —the perspective of a parent within the school system, according to Mrs. Nellans.

“She was just a very genuine, good person,” Mrs. Nellans said. “She really put her all into it.”

Mrs. Wadas has not made a decision on her future plans.

“I just want to say thank you to all the people who supported me and believed in me for the past 20 years,” Mrs. Wadas said. “They’ve allowed me to do what I loved.”

Sunday

Up and coming Girls’ Varsity Basketball plays today at Highland at 7:30 p.m.

Boys’ Varsity Basketball plays tomorrow at Hobart at 7:30 p.m.

Boys’ Varsity Wrestling competes against Highland at 6:30 p.m.

Monday

Showtime Theater company give insight on the upcoming play “Done to Death”

page 2 Tech troubles Students and Technicians work together to fix laptop issues page 7

All in the Stars Playing for an academy team, Mikey Jimenez, junior, works towards a professional soccer career

page 11

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NEWS Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

Quick Notes

Students have winning down to a science

DECA

Science Olympiad returns from Middlebury with another victory and will travel to Regionals

DECA places first in Districts competition for the seventh year

Cassie Eberle Editor-in-chief

“This gives freshmen and sophomores a chance to compete and be on the team, learning about Science Olympiad and developing their skills, even though it is extremely rare that ninth or tenth graders are put onto the state finals roster, which is limited to 15,” Coach O’Niell said. “It also helps that there are three teams for each individual event.

More people means more insights, more ideas, and more research.”

With another Invite under their belt, the team looks to prepare for Regionals Feb. 15. Regionals serves as a qualifying tournament to see who will advance to State.

“We don’t have any competition in the region, so it is all good,” Akhilesh Mishra, senior, said.

In addition to running three teams at the invite, they will also run three teams at Regionals.

“We have three teams worth of kids that are strong competitors and have the capacity to win,” Mr. O’Niell said.

Jan. 11, DECA traveled to Hobart High School where they won first place in Districts for the seventh year in a row.

“We competed in a total of 21 different events,” Mrs. Debbie Straka, advisor, said. “You take a test and it is half of your score. The other half is on role play, which you act out.”

The club will compete at State in March, they plan on raising money for the trip to Indianapolis, according to Eashan Kumar, senior.

“We are probably going to have fundraisers,” Eashan said. “We will probably have bake sales in order to make money for the trip.”

Eashan believes their victory at Districts raised the club’s confidence levels and credits their recent success to their advisor Mrs. Straka.

“This was definitely a confidence booster,” Eashan said. “Mrs. Straka has done a great job. The future for DECA is great.”

The Munster Theater Company will debut the student directed comedy, murder-mystery play “Done to Death” on Feb. 6-8 at 7 p.m.

School Grade

Jordan Cockrum Managing Editor

Munster’s grade for the 20122013 school year made public

The State graded Munster High School with an “A” for the 2013 school year. The grades were made public on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013.

Many schools were reevaluated due to the State Superintendent, Tony Bennett, purposefully assigning higher grades not based upon merit; however, Munster was not one of them.

The school grades are determined by English and Algebra I ECA scores, the number of Advanced Placement classes offered, graduation rate, and the number of minorities, according to Principal Mike Wells.

“As educators and as a school we are always looking to improve ourselves,” Mr. Wells said. “We are looking for improvement of the CCR scores, we have added four AP classes which would increases the CCR score.”

Speech

Speech team hopes to prepare for meets with extra coaching

The Speech team traveled to Lafayette on January 18th to compete in one of the most competitive competitions in their current season according to, Mr. Jordan Mayer, speech coach “We’re right in the middle of our competitive season,” Mr. Mayer said. “It’s stressful, since we’re also preparing for our post season as well.”

To help prepare them for more rigorous competitions, the Speech team will start holding team practices every Monday and Tuesday. Guest judges are brought in to observe these practices and provide feedback.

“We’re doing this to simulate competition,” Mr. Mayer said. “It’s vital to have opinions from a variety of sources.”

Corrections

In the last issue of Crier, Glenda Ritz, state superintendent was misidentified as Gloria Ritz and Ryan Myers’ last name was spelled incorrectly. Lawrence Gaines was also misidentified as a senior than a junior. Several times we misidentified the NASA program MAVEN as MARVEN. The Crier regrets its errors.

Science Olympiad traveled to Middlebury, Ind. to compete at the North Ridge High School Invitational last Saturday placing first, second and third place overall.

After coming off a first place win at the Palentine Invite and placing both second and third at the Whiting Invite, Mr. Patrick O’Niell’s, science teacher, confidence grew for this year’s team.

“They’ve realized what they can do and are more determined now to do it,” Mr. O’Niell said.

Although the team competed previously and achieved a first place win and a second and third place win, this competition differed due to the number of teams they competed with. For the first time, Science Olympiad competed with three teams instead of just one or two.

PLAYING DEAD Looking out from behind the curtain on opening night, Brianna Dittmer, junior, feels the familiar and welcome ‘shownight jitters’. As the lights dim, “Done to Death” begins.

“I just really love performing,” Brianna said. “For me, my favorite part of every show is putting it on.”

“Done to Death”, co-directed by seniors Steven Caraher and Morgan Papesh, debuts on February 6-8 at 7 p.m.

“Each one has a distinct style and each one pokes fun at their style,” Auditorium Director Dr. Larry Brechner said. “There’s a lot of twists and turns and when the audience finally figures it out they’ll go ‘Oh my gosh!’”

A comedy-filled murder mystery, “Done to Death” portrays five authors combining their unique talents and writing styles to create a story.

“There are fantasies that the authors create to express their ideas for the book,” Brianna said. “I am one of these fantasies.”

Morgan and Steven took the original play, written in the ‘70s, and modernized it to fit the audience.

“It’s a witty play,” Morgan said. “We made it very modern.”

Although the student directors modernized the play, they only changed some jokes, not the overall plot.

“Some of the references were modernized, but the story itself is really fundamentally unchanged,” Dr. Brechner said.

Choosing “Done to Death”, Morgan and Steven took many factors into account before making their final decision; both wanted a murder mystery as well as a comedy, and “Done to Death” served as the perfect mix of the two.

“We really enjoy how convoluted and ridiculous some of the scenes are in the midst of how serious the setting is,” Morgan said.

“Done to Death” separates itself from other plays the Munster Theatre Company put on in the past in several aspects; one involves it’s intimacy.

“It’s a lot smaller cast than usual, so I think the overall feel of the show is more personal,” Brianna said.

Although excited to put on “Done to Death” scheduling around the cast’s other commitments proves a challenge.

“Right now it’s very hard to work around schedules,” Morgan said. “Some people Clever characteristics are in other activities so it’s Three “unknown” character portrayals hard.” in plays, novels and literature.

Despite the slight obstacles the cast continues to Stock characters: exemplify one overcome during the proparticular characteristic duction phase , the show promises to impress audi- Type: a character who is larger than life ences, according to Steven. who has a “dominant trait” “It’s really, really, really, funny,” Steven said. Raisonneur: speaks for the author, giving the “You’ll be rolling in the author’s morals or philosophy aisles laughing. Live theSource: http://novaonline.nvcc.edu ater at its finest.”

photo by Cesar Camacho HIT YOUR MARK During after school rehearsals Anna Bilse (left), sophomore, Ethan Courtney (center), junior, and Allison Hemingway (right),

junior rehearse a scene. “Being in theater is not much hard work, but hanging out with friends to complete something.” Ethan said

speakout Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

BACKTALK

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Why do you choose to dress the way you do to school?

“I dress comfortably. “I dress to be That’s the only kind comfortable. I’m of clothes I own.” here to learn, not to put on a fashion show.”

editorial

Ian Merkel, freshman

TECH-KNOWLEDGE-Y

To find out what happened today, one looks at countless online sources. To see what one’s friends did today, he or she looks at a variety of social media sites. So, if one turns to the Internet for everything else, it only makes sense to apply the same logic to classwork.

Technology serves as an instrumental part in the lives of each and evOUR TAKE ery person in the community, and with the technology Teachers should take available at Munster, why advantage of the not utilize it? technology available Yes, teachers do use techfor use in the classroom nology in the classroom but they do not fully take advantage of the technology sitting at their fingertips.

Technology increases attention span, allows students to learn at their own pace, and even motivates students to learn, according to the National Math and Science Initiative.

Munster has laptops for a reason; yet, many

classrooms still do not use technology as much as they could be.

With the laptops, teachers could implement much more. Not only should teachers keep an updated Moodle, but written work is almost unnecessary when it can be typed up or emailed.

Not only can teachers utilize more online homework, but teachers could use the technology to provide additional resources for students.

Teachers could record lectures and upload them to Moodle so students may listen again if they see it necessary or for students who are absent to use to catch up on what they missed.

Uploading lectures to Moodle promotes the “flipped classroom” model of teaching, which proves beneficial to students, according to the National Math and Science Initiative.

Students literally carry the worldwide web in their backpacks. It seems a waste to have such potential for knowledge easily within reach and not to extend it to the classroom.

Coaches need to take a time-out William Hatczel Sports Editor Last April, the former head coach of the Rutgers Men’s Basketball team, Mike Rice was fired after one of the team’s practice videos went viral showing him physically and verbally abusing his players. In the video, Rice grabbed, pushed and threw basketballs at his players. He also yelled obscenities at them.

Coaches and players spend a lot of time together between the daily practices and every game. Most of the time they develop close bonds with each other. If a coach acts like Rice, he could potentially impair the child’s concept of self, according to National Youth

Sports Safety Foundation.

Sports are all about winning. Everyone wants to win, but the question is how far should coaches go when they try to motivate or get their players to play the right way. Every sport is full of competitiveness and tempers can flare between coaches and players, especially when they are the losing team.

Back in the 2012 NFL season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 41-0 to the New Orleans Saints. In the second quarter, a scuffle occurred on the Tampa Bay sideline between a linebacker and the linebacker coach. This physical and verbal confrontation most likely occurred due to the fact that Tampa Bay played poorly. Player-coach disagreements are understandable, but

Crier Crier, Munster High School’s official student newspaper, may be reached at 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321, phone 219-836-3200, Ext. 3443; Fax: 219-836-3202. Published by the Honors Newspaper Advanced Writing and Editing classes, and extra-curricular involvement.

•The newspaper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for the school and community.•Crier is a source of information, entertainment, advertising and opinion for the student body, faculty, administration and community •Published material will stress objective reporting except on the editorial page where opinion writing will be featured. All published material will stress accuracy, truthfulness, integrity, honesty, responsibility, objectivity, fairness and independence.

Opinions expressed in the newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the School Town of Munster, faculty or administration.

Peyton Tinder, sophomore

“I like dressing up because it makes me feel good to look nice.”

something other than fighting should be done to improve their play and lower the tensions between them.

If the team or even an individual player plays poorly then the coach needs to address it in a proper, professional way. He needs to take the kid on the sidelines and ask him what is going on. He needs to find out if the player is confused with his strategy, maybe he is not matching up well with the opposing player he is guarding, or maybe the player is even injured.

The point is, coaches need to calm down and get to the source of the problem before he or she loses the respect of the whole team. Verbally and physically abusing your team will not help you play better and win the game.

Letters to the Editor are welcomed, but should be limited to 250 words. All letters must be signed and should be given directly to any staff member or delivered to the Pub, N155, one week prior to publication. Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and grammatical errors. Crier will accept letters from anyone, provided that the content pertains to school or school issues.

Subscriptions cost $4 per semester or $6.50 per school year. Mailed subscriptions cost $18 per year. Ad rates and policies are available to anyone upon request. Crier is published 13 times a school year.

The Staff Editor-in-Chief Cassie Eberle Managing Editor Jordan Cockrum Associate Editor Victoria Avina Lifestyles Editor Meena Kandallu

“I really don’t care what I wear to school. I just want to be comfortable.”

Catherine Tavitas, junior

“I like to wear things that make me look nice.”

Lauren Mintz, senior

Ruth Kurowski, freshman

“I don’t want to go to school in rags, but I wear a shirt or sweatshirt because I want to be comfortable.”

Jay Foreit, sophomore

“I believe in presenting myself in a professional manner.”

Josh Morris, junior

“I like to dress presentably, professionally, and comfortably.”

Mr. Steve Stepnoski, student teacher

Sports Editor William Hatczel News Editor Max Baker Social Media Director Alisa Muñoz Business Manager Vrusha Patel Head Photographer Gabrielle Dore Photographers Christopher Anguiano, Alex Baker, Ali Bauer, Natalia Bilek, Cesar Camacho, Chelsea Eickleberry, Casey Gouwens, Gage Knor, Lauren Koultourides, Pam Muangmingsuk, Alisa Muñoz Cartoonist Ryan Myers Adviser Sarah-Anne Lanman

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NEWS Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

GOING BEYOND CIVIC DUTIES We the People will compete in the American Legion Oratory, which focuses on the Constitution’s influence on American citizens Max Baker News Editor

ment works with relationship to the citizens and the government with emWe the People will participate in the phasis on the governments duties to American Legion Oratory on Jan. 26. the people while taking their own spin The American Legion, composed on on the topic at hand. military veterans, hopes to foster civic “Mine is about the duties U.S. citiknowledge and skills in the younger zens have and how we can uphold the generation of students. ideals it (the Constitution) stands for,” 27 students, the entire We the People Dan Green, junior, said. “It’s importclass, will participate ant to know about the in the American LeConstitution, because gion Oratory, a com- Eyes on civics we have an obligapetition not included The American Legion’s tion to stay informed. or designed to help history sets ideals for If we aren’t then what the We the People cur- educating the future would happen to our riculum, according to The nation’s largest representative govwartime veterans service ernment if we didn’t We the People coach organization know who we were Mr. Michael Gordon, social studies teacher. Its success depends electing into office?

“It’s a great opporWe can’t make deentirely on active tunity to discuss imcisions if we don’t membership, participation portant matters in a know what’s going and volunteerism Source: www.legion.org realm that is not soleon.” ly about academic,” Winner of the Mr. Gordon said. “The American Legion OrAmerican Legion compliments the We atory will receive a $200 scholarship; the People curriculum, which is to en- however many students like Charles gage the students in meaningful and DeCesaris, junior, find the American deep discussion of our constitutional Legion a chance of refresh their memsystem that begins with the founding ories of past We the People knowldocuments. The American Legion Or- edge. atory is an opportunity to select a fac“I think the American Legion will be et of that broad subject to explore and a product of what we learned in We the share. At it’s core, that is what We the People,” Charles said. “It seems like a People is about.” fun demonstration of civic knowledge.

Each member of the We the People I want to know as much as I can about class write a presentation on the same the government and law, because specific topic. This years topic, stu- without it I might not be able to funcdents will examine how the govern- tion.”

photo by Alisa Muñoz VARSITY CIVICS While typing his speech for the American Legion Oratory, Patrick Toth, junior, reflects on the democratic duties a citizen has in the country’s government. He hopes to convey his feelings for the

government in his speech. “I believe all citizens should be involved in politics,” Patrick said. “Without it, our citizens will not be able to grasp the simple concepts we all have the right to practice.

Striking a new chord: students receive opportunity of lifetime Two freshmen students have been selected to participate in the 2014 Indiana All-State Orchestra after almost three months of anxious waiting for results Meena Kandallu Lifestyles Editor

been sent out.

“I was angry and disappointed at first when I Freshmen violinists, Seshan Devanathan and Pat- didn’t see my name on the list,” Patrick said. “But rick Wu, were selected to play for the 2014 Indiana when they sent out the seating chart later and I saw All-State Orchestra. These students were chosen my name, I was really happy.”

The All-State Orchestra performs Saturday in Fort from a pool of musicians who applied from throughWayne, Ind. at the Indiana Music Eduout the entire state. cators Association Conference.

The students obtained ac- Pulling strings “I think it’s going to be like any othceptance based on recorded Students find benefits er performance,” Patrick said. “I’m auditions they submitted in in practicing the violin not that nervous.” mid-October. The auditions While playing the violin you After teaching both Seshan and Patcontained scales, orchestra burn 170 calories an hour rick for years, Ms. Jill Cooke, orchespieces, and a solo of choice. tra teacher, feels that she has seen the “I was pretty nervous before Over 70 different pieces of wood are used in the modern growth in these students as musicians I sent it in,” Seshan said. “I violin since she started teaching them. kept changing the recording Source: http://www.theviolinsite.com “I have been teaching these students and redoing it before I finally for so long,” Mrs. Cooke said, “I have sent it in.”

Students were notified of their acceptance at the seen a lot of improvement in their technique in that time.” end of December.

Mrs. Cooke feels glad to see her students accepted “When I found out I had been accepted, I was really excited,” Seshan said. “I felt honored that I had to the All-State Orchestra.

“Being accepted to All-State Orchestra is a very made it as a freshman and that I was able to be a part prestigious honor,” Mrs. Cooke said. “It’s on the levof this orchestra.”

Patrick, however, remained unaware of his accep- el of All-State sports awards. The best students from tance until a few weeks after the acceptance list had the entire state audition and only the best of them

make it.”

Patrick believes that his acceptance is largely due to the amount of practice he puts in each week.

“I try to get in about 3-4 hours a day, but I don’t always have time so I try to get in more on weekends,” Patrick said. “Violin is the thing I’m best at, so I figure I’d just practice it.”

Mrs. Cooke has witnessed the hard work these selected students put in firsthand.

“I see these kids on a daily basis,” Mrs. Cooke said.

“I know that they put in a lot of time and that they’ve been working hard.”

All-State Orchestra members are also required to attend group rehearsals in Indianapolis.

“It does take a lot of my time,” Seshan said. “But I really don’t find it that much of a commitment because I’m used to practicing that long. The material is just different.”

That persistence and the drive to work hard proves as an important quality for musicians to possess, according to Mrs. Cooke.

“The most important quality a musician can have is a passion for playing their instrument and the motivation to practice even when it is difficult,” Mrs. Cooke said. “I definitely think these two possess this quality.”

INFOCUS Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

continued from pg. 1

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Illinois legalizes use of medical marijuana Washington and District of Columbia joined Colorado in legalization of marijuana for recreational use.

“Justice Louis Brandeis describes the beauty of federalism with the phrase ‘laboratories of democracy’ as states and perhaps the federal district experiment with the decriminalization of marijuana other states will evaluate and then we will have to see,” Mr. Gordon said.

If Indiana chooses to pass legislation legalizing marijuana for recreational use teachers would have no legal obligation to not smoke marijuana. It does not exist in their contracts, according to Mr. Morgan Nolan, assistant principal.

“If there are concerns with teachers not being able to do their jobs there would be contractual issues,” Mr. Nolan said.

The school would not tolerate marijuana on campus like other controlled substances such as tobacco and alcohol, according to Mr. Nolan.

“We just can’t have anyone under the influence and bring it on campus,” Mr. Nolan said.

However, Mr. Mathew Kalwasinki, psychology teacher, does not believe in the use of legal drugs in front of children or students due to the fact that teachers can easily influence students.

“Just because it’s legal it doesn’t make it good for you,” Mr. Kalwasinksi said.

Although Indiana shows no signs of legalization, Akhilesh Mishra, senior believes that all drugs should be legalized for recreational use.

“If people want to screw with their bodies, they have the right to,” Akhilesh said.

Teenagers would most likely wait until the allotted time to try controlled substances, as seen in Portugal, according to Akhilesh.

Currently, Indiana has the three strikes policy. The first apprehension would result in a misdemeanor, while others would result in a felony and harsher punishments, according to Lieutenant Ed Strbjak.

“Marijuana can influence people to choose more potent narcotics or to break the law to steal to get the drug,” Lieutenant Strbjak said. “But if the government chooses to change the law we would have to follow the law.”

Weighing in

Pullin’ weeds

In early eduction many students learn the detrimental affects of drugs; however, they do not learn the benefits of drug

After Colorado legalized the recreational use and sale of marijuana, states look at benefits

Marijuana Medical Benefits: Marijuana helps prevents cancerous cells from growing.

In addition, it could reduce the chances of colon cancer due to the fact that it may reduce inflammation of the colon.

Marijuana eliminates the cancerous breast cells without affecting the healthy breast cells. In cases which result in loss of appetite marijuana helps increase food intake. sources: National Cancer Institute

Alcohol $17.34 billion annually would be saved by reducing drug enforcement costs and increased tax revenue, if the production and sales of marijuana were legal nationwide.

The first 40 million dollars generated by the state excise tax will go towards the construction of schools in Colorado.

Citizens of Colorado can purchase up to an ounce of marijuana at a given time. Those with an out-of-state ID can only buy up to a quarter ounce.

However, nonmedical-marijuana patients cannot possess more than an ounce at a time.

This past year the Hoosier Survey announced that 53% of Hoosiers support decriminalizing marijuana.

Also, 52& to 45% of Hoosiers supported making marijuana a regulated substance like alcohol and tobacco.

Medical Benefits: In moderation, alcohol reduces the risk of heart disease, death from a heart attack, may reduce the risk of strokes, may lower, may reduce risk of diabetes. In addition the alcohol may reduce the risk of diabetes. These benefits only assist in older adults rather than young adults. sources: Mayo Clinic

Tobacco Medical Benefits: The Center of Disease Control could not finds no medical benefits of the use of tobacco. sources: CDC

Infographic by Cesar Camacho sources: The Denver Post, The Bowen Center for Public Affairs

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INFOCUS Crier / Jan, 24 2014

Timed route

Students spend different amounts of time walking to lunch and eating

RUSH HOUR While eating lunch, Michael Madura, freshman, (middle) waits for his other friends to show up. “A few of my friends have classes in north and they show up like 10 minutes late,” Michael said.

“Sometimes they rush to finish their meal or sometimes they don’t finish their meal and just leave with the rest of the table.” photo by Natalia Bilek

Jessica Burek, senior 6 minutes, 2 seconds Goes to the cafeteria from classroom in north

4 minutes, 52 seconds Waits in line for lunch and walks to table

14 minutes, 1second

Eats lunch while talking to friends

George Asya-Broughton, senior 2 minutes, 46 seconds Goes to the cafeteria from classroom in north

4 minutes, 9 seconds

Waits in line for lunch and walks to table

14 minutes, 29 seconds Eats lunch while talking to friends

Micheal Szewka, sophomore 4 minutes, 30 seconds Goes to the cafeteria from classroom in north

1 minutes, 28 seconds Does not wait in line for lunch and walks to table with lunch from home

8 minutes, 12 seconds Eats lunch while talking to friends

Gustavo Magana, junior 5 minutes, 14 seconds Goes to the cafeteria from classroom in north

10 minutes, 32 seconds

Waits in line for lunch and walks to the commons to eat

11 minutes, 0 seconds Eats lunch (potato chips) while talking to friends

TIME CONSUMER

Student, dietitian discuss how long students should take eating lunch Victoria Avina Associate Editor Five minutes late to lunch, Leo Ortiz, sophomore, rushes into the cafeteria. On the way there, he questions how long it will take to receive his lunch. How much he eats depends on that answer.

“If I know I’m really late like five minutes after my usual time,” Leo said, “I will probably get a smaller meal and eat it then see if I have enough time. If I do, I will talk to my friends a little bit.”

Leo spends around five to ten minutes eating his lunch.

He hopes that the school will either make the time of lunch longer or have four lunches instead of three.

“I think with the added minutes more people would be able to get lunch and it will be less hectic to get lunch,” Leo said.

Like Leo, senior Brenda Flores’s meal also depends on the length of the lines.

“If there’s a chicken sandwich and there’s walking taco,“ Brenda said, “I would just go with the chicken sandwich because the line is shorter.”

When the bell rings, students have 30 minutes for lunch.

Students need the time to walk to lunch and wait in line, so Leo believes lunch should last 45 minutes instead.

“There’s a lot more people in lunch and it takes more time to feed them so everyone is rushing in,” Leo said. “I have to come from north and by the time I get to lunch, the lines are really long already.”

While Leo believes that changing four lunches to three made the lines longer, Brenda thinks that the length of the lines stay the same. However, she still sees students rushing to finish their food.

“I feel like some people feel rushed to eat lunch,” Bren-

da said. “They should have more time.”

Mrs. Becky Beck,food services employee, also notices how long the lines get when she works as a cashier.

“On pepperoni bosco days and there’s kids all the way at the end, it’s a little overwhelming,” Mrs. Beck said. “It’s like I wonder ‘I hope we have enough food’.”

Students should take at minimum of 20 minutes to eat, according to Mrs. Judy Caplan, a registered dietitian.

“It’s important not just for digestion and nutrition,” Mrs. Caplan said. “It’s important to have a break in the day and for kids to develop a positive attitude towards food. If the concept is you sit down and eat as fast as you can, you’re not giving a positive concept about food.”

Mrs. Caplan also adds that students can do better academically if they have a longer lunch period.

“It could affect you academically in two ways. One, a nice lunch time reduces stress and it might give you time to relax and also for somebody it might give somebody an extra few minutes to catch up on work,” Mrs. Caplan said.

“The other thing is, real food takes longer to eat. If you’re going to eat a salad versus a candy bar or some french fries, you usually can shove french fries into your mouth much faster than you can a salad. You can eat healthier food when you have a longer lunch period. “ Although Leo would like lunch to last 45 minutes, Mrs. Caplan recommends that the lunch period last 40 minutes.

The time would allow students to receive their lunch and eat it, while socializing with their friends.

“You go to school to learn how to live, not just to get good grades. Part of enjoying food and having the time to eat nutritious food, that’s all part of learning how to be an adult. It’s training for life and your training kids at an early age to rush. You can teach kids to relate to food and to pause in the middle of the day. It’s a good thing.”

INFOCUS Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

RE-BOOT

7

CAMP Students, technicians work through technical, physical difficulties with the laptops Meena Kandallu Lifestyles Editor With their introduction to Munster schools during the 2011-2012 school year, laptops have introduced a new method of learning. However, even with the benefits that this addition of technology has provided, laptops have their share of complications.

Technical difficulties, specifically trouble with saving work, serve as one of the main complications, according to Ms. Twila Marsh, media specialist.

“Students often try to open their work to print it or turn it in and are unpleasantly surprised when they are unable to locate it,” Ms. Marsh said.

“That is the biggest problem we have with the laptops and there’s really nothing that we can do if the document has not been saved correctly.”

Ms. Marsh believes that although other technical difficulties have arose, including problems with the email filter or virus activity, none of them reach the magnitude of the document saving issue because of the technology team’s hard work.

“The media department and the tech department work hand-in-hand,” Ms. Marsh said. “Technicians will often discover a problem or glitch and send out a fix to everyone’s computer before it becomes too big of an issue.”

In addition to the technical problems with the laptops, physical damage also proves as a large concern, according to Ms. Marsh.

“These school laptops are different than a home computer that you just plug in and leave in the same place,” Ms. Marsh said. “There is a lot higher chance of damage because of the

photo by Chelsea Eickleberry

SOLVING THE PROBLEM At the Media Center, Sam Rice, senior, waits to receive a new battery. He does not think that a student should

charge it every night. “The batteries don’t last long enough,” Sam said. “I think they should last at least eight hours.“

movement they experience daily.” they really are made mostly of glass,” Austin Klawitter, sophomore, has Ms. Marsh said. experienced a slew of problems with Austin, on the other hand, does not his laptop since early in the school agree that the damage to his laptop ocyear, including lost files and pieces of curred due to his own carelessness. the computer which have fallen off.

“I do not think I treated my lap“These problems top badly,” Austin make me thorough- Common complications said. “I feel like ly upset because Students go to the Media Center we should not have I’d like to complete with the same laptop problems laptops that break my schoolwork on Damaged laptop so easily.” my own computer,” Although the Prevention: do not drop Austin said. “They technology departbackpack with laptop in it are upsetting and Low battery ment works to fix cause problems physical damage to Prevention: charge battery when I’m trying to laptops, it comes at every night learn.” a cost, according to Pages not loading Ms. Marsh beMs. Marsh.

Prevention: restart laptop lieves that the rea“We do have everyday within the school son for physical source: Mrs. Twila Marsh, media specialist insurance,” Ms. damage is students Marsh said. “But if not handling laptops carefully. five hours are spent on one student’s “Students should treat the laptops computer, it takes a lot of time and it like they are a piece of glass because puts all other repairs on hold.”

While Austin agrees that media center specialists spend a large amount of time repairing laptops, he feels frustration at the trouble that his laptop difficulties have caused for him.

“This was a big hassle for me because I had to take time out of my day to get my computer fixed when I could have been learning,” Austin said.

Jordan Anderson, junior, has also experienced technical problems with her laptop. She noticed that her laptop now runs more slowly than ever before.

“Its frustrating when I need my computer in my classes and it doesn’t work,” Jordan said.

Despite these feelings, Jordan does not take her laptop to the media center to get fixed.

“I feel like taking it to the media center would just be a waste of time,” Jordan said. “I don’t think there’s really anything that can be done about these problems.”

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LIFESTYLES Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

NO SUBSTITUTE FOR

SUBSTITUTES Due to low pay and lack of healthcare benefits, substitute teachers express frustration William Hatczel Sports Editor Over the past four months, over two dozen school districts across the state of Indiana sued Obamacare in an attempt to block the healthcare system from their schools.

The healthcare act would mandate that school districts provide healthcare benefits to substitute teachers, special ed instructors, and even part time coaches, according to cnsnews.com.

The School Town of Munster currently takes no part in this lawsuit. The district does not offer healthcare benefits to substitute teachers because they do not work full-time in the district, according to Mrs. Kathy Webb, administrative assistant.

“They (subs) are not really considered full-time employees,” Mrs. Webb said. “They are employees of ours, but as needed. They are more like fill-ins.”

If substitute teachers received healthcare benefits, the cost would rise for full-time employees, according to Mrs. Webb.

“Some employees need to work a certain amount of hours already,” Mrs. Webb said. “We have no subs that work every day.”

A challenge subs face comes from a 30 hour a week limit. Mrs. Webb, however, believes this does not affect many subs, due to the amount of hours they actually work each day.

“They work about six and a half hours a day so that is almost five days,” Mrs. Webb said. “Most subs rarely get 30 hours a week.”

This work hour restriction does not affect substitute teachers like Mr. Art Barlow, who do not usually work five days a week, but he does feel that substitute teachers deserve more.

“Realistically, we should be paid more, “Mr. Barlow said. “Benefits are a stretch. Some people have two jobs or even kids out of college who need jobs - sub.”

Another substitute teacher, Mr. Ken Guidotti,

photo by Alisa Muñoz

GIVING BACK Taking attendance while substitute teaching for an ASL class, Mrs. Janice Dobrinich, substitute teacher, cites her reason for substitute teaching as sharing her knowledge with stu-

wishes the district would pay him more than his current salary and claims he can make more money working at Target.

“I wish they would pay me twice as much,” Mr. Guidotti said. “We make only $60 a day. I can make $80 a day at Target.”

The amount of money a substitute teacher makes depends on whether they have a license or not, according to Mrs. Webb.

“Substitute teachers with a teaching license make $65 a day while non-licensed substitutes make $60,” Mrs. Webb said.

While Mr. Guidotti would like to receive better pay, he understands why the school does not offer him benefits like healthcare.

“I don’t feel they owe me since I am part-time,” Mr. Guidotti said. “I accept it as part of the job.”

Despite low pay and no benefits, teaching and working around kids all day makes the whole experience worth it, according to Mr. Guidotti.

“I love kids and it gets me out of the house,” Mr. Guidotti said. “I have always been interested in teaching. I have done it off and on over the years and it gives me enthusiasm.”

dents. “I wanted to share my experience with students to enhance the curriculum that was in place,” Mrs. Dobrinich said. “I love giving back to the kids and being able to teach them gives me joy.”

Wage war With mandatory maximum 6.5 hour work day for substitute teachers, 8 hour work day for other careers, salary discrepancy exists

$60

Average daily wage of unlicensed substitute teachers

Average daily wage of licensed substitute teachers

$58

$65

Average daily wage of minimum wage workers

Average daily wage of food service managers

$82 source: http://www.payscale.com

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LIFESTYLES Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

FACING THE MUSIC

9

With 56th annual GRAMMY Awards taking place Sunday, Crier staff member reviews nominees in Album of the Year category, chooses top album “The Blessed Unrest” Sara Bareilles

HHHHH Max Baker News Editor Sara Bareilles’s third studio album deserves the attention it gets from the mainstream media. The singer/songwriter creates a powerful, haunting aura in her junior effort with ballads like “Manhattan” and pop anthem “Brave.” “The Blessed Unrest” contains a perfect balance of beautifully uplifting songs paired with haunting, painful ballads that shatter the soul like frozen heartbreaks.

The unique sound Bareilles creates in this album pierces straight into the tender parts of the heart, igniting a forgotten sound in the depth of the human psyche. The listeners’ emotions burst into colorless fireworks as Sara Ba-

reilles’s voice wraps like thorny vines, squeezing every organ and burning every emotion until all that remains is beautiful, soulless bliss.

“The Blessed Unrest” goes beyond the normal singer/songwriter style and summons a symphony of piano anthems with the use of the raw power of her voice to break open the guarded hearts of the coldest critics, launching Sara Bareilles to the top of the mainstream charts.

The pleasant mix of orchestra and pop driven tracks stitches together an interesting mix that would ultimately fail if it were not so masterfully handled by Bareilles. Each track on the album could very well meld itself to the top of the pop charts the instant it would be released and remain there for the definite future.

Although Bareilles’s style of music may be beautiful, it remains somewhat unknown by the more glitzy side of pop culture, but “The Blessed Unrest” definitely deserves the title of Album of the Year.

photos by Gabrielle Dore

“Random Access Memories” Daft Punk

“The Heist” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

“Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” Kendrick Lamar

“Red” Taylor Swift

HHHHH

HHHHH

HHHHH

HHHHH

“Random Access Memories” by the masked electronic duo Daft Punk creates a pulsing album perfect for any nightclub dance floor at 2 a.m.

This EDM flavored stew bangs into the skull of anyone who enjoys the genre, but creates an annoying, thick, metronomic beat that only succeeds in creating a headache for the listener.

The lead single “Get Lucky” burrows its way into the consumer’s head, where it remains firmly lodged until an equally catchy song digs it out. The use of synthetic instruments and machines creates a unique, almost hypnotic, agonizingly painful sound which is only rivaled by the screech of a dying whale.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis arrived almost overnight with their singles “Can’t Hold Us,” “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love.”

A choice number of songs from “The Heist” create an incredibly raw emotional experience, however the rest of the album lacks the creative spark that has infected “The Heist’s” singles.

Many of the songs have common beats which dull their wow factor into nothing more than a passing shrug.

“Same Love,” the fourth single from the album, has this problem. The message is beautiful, the lyrics are mature, but the beat and riffs make it sound like any repetitive rap song bought for a dollar at the thrift store.

Kendrick Lamar’s second studio album wires itself into consumers’ brains with heavy beats and knife-inthe-heart lyrics.

The album turns stereotypical rapper cliches around. “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” uses Lamar’s big budget production to create a gritty rap album.

The sophomoric effort fails to appeal to people who aren’t fans of the genre, but perfectly appeals to anyone who enjoys various styles of hip hop.

While it’s pleasant to see that the rap/ hip hop genre of music continues to dwell underneath the glittery electronic pop of mainstream culture, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” does not deserve this award.

Country royalty Taylor Swift, winner of seven GRAMMY awards, has miraculously scrounged together a 16 track monstrosity of horrid country pop ballads which currently may win the coveted Album of the Year award at the 56th Grammys.

The singles such as “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” which exploded into the mainstream almost instantly, causes young, impressionable pre-teens to believe they can break up with a boy and then must immediately pine after the next available Y chromosome that passes their way. This album does not seem Album of the Year worthy at all.

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SPORTS Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

Not a whole new ball game

Girls Varsity Basketball team finds themselves closer together under the influence of their newest teammate Meena Kandallu Lifestyles Editor Looking out onto a group of players awaiting the beginning of practice, Coach Matthew Backs, WWMS teacher, remarks at one player who stands out. Surrounded by a sea of red and white, this player wears a T-shirt emblazoned with the word, “Portage.”

The player wearing the Portage shirt, Alex Abasi, senior, had a reason for her choice in apparel. Abasi only made the move to Munster last summer after living in Portage for her entire high school career and sees a significant difference.

“Munster is very different than my old school,” Abasi said. “Everything here, including sports and academics, is taken more seriously.”

After playing basketball her freshman year and not being able to play during her sophomore or junior years due to a lack of time, Abasi made it a point to join the Munster basketball team “I love basketball and it’s a way to get away from everything,” Abasi said. “I just missed it and I wanted to catch back up with it to see if I still had the

In addition to helping the team through her atskills.”

Despite initial uncertainty about her place on the titude, Abasi also demonstrated her strength as a team, Abasi feels grateful for how well her team- player, according to Coach Backs.

“She started the first game, so that tells you somemates welcomed her.

“Starting new is always kind of overwhelming, thing right there about her as a player,” Coach Backs but starting new your senior year when everyone said. “But the great thing about her is she’s always already knows each other is even more overwhelm- willing to take on whatever role she is given, whether she starts or not, she’s always ing,” Abasi said. “I was nervous willing to help out” about being the new girl, but honestShe has made us closer However, Coach Backs believes ly, I love my team.” as a team. Having some- that Abasi proves as more than A back injury caused Abasi to sit one new to adjust to made just a strong player. out much of the season has proved as “Alex has given us a different another obstacle for Abasi. us all talk to each other perspective, an outsider per“Having to miss so much of the seamore and it made us bond spective,” Coach Backs said. son, has been frustrating,” Abasi said. with each other.”

“Through her, we can know what “But I’m glad to be playing again and Taylor Mihalic, senior others teams think of us.”

I’m looking forward to having a realMihalic agrees that Abasi ly good rest of the season.”

Taylor Mihalic, senior, believes that while Abasi stands out as truly a team player and is glad to have gained from joining the team, the team also gained her on the team.

“The team has gained a lot from having Alex,” Mifrom having her as a player.

“She’s a really strong player,” Mihalic said. “She halic said. “She’s very positive and supportive as a has definitely made the team stronger through her teammate and she always tries to do the best for the team.” positive attitude and basketball skills.”

“

BOYS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

Students enjoy playing their own version of basketball on Sundays in the school gym; Biddy ball provides students with chance to play competitive basketball without having to worry about winning or practicing Victoria Avina Associate Editor

photo by Natalia Bilek

REACHING UP Looking up at the rim, Conor Bubash, sophomore, goes up to finish a layup over a defender. “The competition is great, it is fun to play with the guys and there is just a lot of messing around,” Bubash said. “It all depends on the team if you are going to score a lot and if they have some good defense. Bubash also enjoys the fact that he can have fierce competitions with friends.

“I like being able to play with my friends,” Bubash said, “I also like having intense rivalries with them.

Every game, Rathnam Venkat, senior, tells his sophomore teammates Zach Simmick and Dylan Harish that he can guard the best player on the other team. Like always, they both laugh because he never sticks with it.

“The biggest reason why it’s fun is that you don’t have to be good to play,” Venkat said. “I’m definitely not the best player, but I still love competing. Even though our team is 0-9, we still have a blast playing.”

Venkat enjoys how laid back Munster Youth Basketball (Biddy ball) players can act. He still remembers when one of his teammates started exercising in the middle of a game.

“When we were playing the blue team, Peter Panos (senior) started doing push ups after he air balled the shot,” Venkat said. “It was really funny because it was in the middle of the game.”

Yiorgo Karnezis, sophomore, enjoys that biddy ball allows him to play with his friends and meet new people. He likes the competition it offers.

“It’s pretty competitive,” Karnezis said. “It’s kind of like intramural in colleges to see who is the best in the school.”

The boys acting competitive stems from many of them already participating in a sport, according to Matt Specht, senior.

“It’s gets very competitive,” Specht said. “A lot of the athletes play against each other. We’re not very good at basketball, but we still play anyway. Obviously, if we were good at basketball, we would play on the team.”

Although the players like to joke around, the atmosphere can also become intense, according to Karnezis.

“There are some people who take it to far, but those are the fun people to play with,” Karnezis said. “They really

mean no harm. They’re looking after their team. It keeps it competitive.”

Venkat also feels the intensity of the atmosphere when it becomes hard for the team he plays with, The Timber Wolves, to score points.

“I feel frustrated when I miss a lay up or when we turn the ball over,” Venkat said. “Sometimes I only score a few points. Our team’s problem is not making enough baskets.”

Although the Timber Wolves has not won a game yet, Venkat saw improvement at their last game Sunday.

“The best moment for our team is when we almost beat the team we faced last weekend,” Venkat said.

“Only losing by four shows that we are starting to improve.”

During the game, Venkat noticed the team communicating to each other more. He hopes to see more progress before they enter the tournaments.

“I feel like we were making progress. We have the potential to play well,” Venkat said. “The main goal of our team is to win one game.”

Niko Kujovich, senior, does not pay attention to winning and only sees biddy ball as a hobby.

“It’s more just like for fun and recreational use,” Kujovich said. “It’s not as organized as meeting for practices.”

While there are players who do not consider themselves good, Kujovich has confidence in himself.

“I had a good game where I scored 20 points. It’s not as much as a big deal.

Not everyone is like a extremely good so sometimes scoring is easy. There some players this year that scored over 30 points.”

Since most teams never practice, they just show up to the games and hope for the best, according to Specht.

“I’m just looking forward to playing every Sunday,” Specht said. “It’s competitive, fun basketball with a bunch of guys that really don’t know how to play basketball.”

1 1 Sporting news SPORTS

Crier / Jan 24, 2014

photo by Gabrielle Dore

CONTROLLING SKILLS Dribbling in his front yard before his Academy practice, Mikey Jimenez, junior, dribbles in his front yard “My first touch has to be spot on,” Jimenez said. “I focus on my touch. I have to make sure both of my feel are equal with my technique.”

Trophy showcase

From the first time he put his cleats on to the time he made the academy, Jimenez won numerous accolades Team

Team

Team

Indiana Inter

Cruz Azul

Chicago Fire

Eclipse

Description

Description

Description

Description

Team

Won second place in 3v3 tournament

Top scorer in indoor season

First tournament with Fire

Played top teams in country

Where the wild things are Group of friends enjoy going out doors together to hunt in order to spend some quality time with each other while getting away from the real world for awhile William Hatczel Sports Editor A hut sits in the middle of the lake with two boys sit inside, sheltering themselves from the snow, cold conditions outside.

Seniors Paul Derolf and Nick Powell went out to the lake owned by the Lansing Country Club to go ice fishing two weeks ago. Instead of sitting outside dealing with the snowy, cold weather, Derolf decided to bring his ice fishing hut.

“We use an ice fishing hut to stay warm,” Derolf said. “It all depends on the weather and what you prefer.”

Derolf considers himself an outdoors man and would rather be there

than anywhere else.

“I am a big outdoors type of guy,” DeRolf said. “I would rather be there than in a city. I relax when I get out there with the boys.”

Many factors play a role in a fisherman’s patience, according to Derolf.

“You have to be a lot more patient,” Derolf said. “The fish are slower because the water is colder. You also have to know the lake.”

Another test of their patience comes from waiting for a fish and staring at their fishing rod while waiting for it to start shaking.

“The rods are smaller and more sensitive so you are able to see the tip of the rod shake,” Derolf said. “You set it down and keep an eye on it. You just

sit there and wait for it to move.”

The boys also like to hunt, geese, duck, and deer. They look to help the environment while enjoying a good meal, according to DeRolf.

“Some people feel bad for hunting as they feel that the animal is helpless,” DeRolf said. “But you are actually helping keep the population level and stopping the spread of diseases.

Powell enjoys spending quality time outside with friends along with having the chance to forget their hectic lives for a while.

“I just like being outdoors with friends and spending time with them,” Powell said. “It is just an escape for me and the boys.”

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Currently the boys’ basketball team has a record of 9-3.

They defeated the Michigan City yesterday 65-41.

“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” Pat McCarthy, senior, said.

The strength of the team consists of teamwork, while they look to work on their defense according to McCarthy.

“I expect us to play hard, play smart and get a win,” McCarthy said.

BOYS’ SWIMMING

With muscles strained, Mikey Jimenez, junior, takes a much needed breath of air. Sweat covered his brow as he took off running for another two miles of his four mile run.

Currently Jimenez plays for the Chicago Fire Academy, a premier soccer academy for up and coming professional players.

“Basically, they’re club teams,” Jimenez said. “The ranking goes Professional, reserves, than academy. A lot of professional coaches come to the games and look to see if you can develop into a pro.”

Jimenez goes to the academy Monday through Thursday every week from 6 to 8:30 for the last four years.

“I love the game,” Jimenez said. “When I was younger, my Kindergarten teacher asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and I said a professional soccer player. It hasn’t changed since then and I’m just as passionate as doctors or lawyers about becoming what I want to be.”

Working on his dream, Jimenez intends to finish high school and get a degree, before attempting to go professional. While the Chicago Fire Academy team helps Jimenez’s chances of becoming a professional soccer player, he intends to join the high school team next year in hopes of acquiring a scholarship.

“My parents think I should get a degree, so I have something to fall back on, but if the opportunity arose to get signed now, I would definitely take it,” Jimenez said.

Despite the enormous physical and emotional strain the conditioning and the training puts on his body Jimenez claims the pros outweigh the cons, because all of the training should pay off in the future.

“I love doing this. It’s my passion,” Jimenez said. “It’s all about finding your why, what you want to do, and why you want to do it.”

Yesterday, Boys’ Swimming completed against Lake Central.

They now look to compete at the Chesterton Dual meet next Thursday.

“It is a tough meet,” Matt Specht, senior said. “We are going up against the number one team in the State.”

In addition to preparing for the upcoming Chesterton meet, the team also prepares for their conference meet Feb. 1.

GIRLS SWIMMING

Max Baker News Editor

With winter season underway, sport teams prepare for upcoming games, meets

Girls’ Swimming also competed against lake Central last night.

“It will be a very difficult meet for us because they have a lot of talent,” Smith said. “It will be a pretty close meet.”

The team looks forward to having fun despite the strong competition they will face.

“The Chesterton meet is really fun and usually has more team spirit because we know the other team pretty well.”

BOYS’ AND GIRLS DIVING

Mikey Jimenez, junior, plans to receive degree while playing for the Chicago Fire academy team in hopes of playing for some professional soccer team in his future

Girls’ Diving competed at Conference last Saturday while Boys’ Diving will attend their Conference meet Saturday, Feb. 1.

Anderson believes that the team’s strengths of will allow them to perform well at their next meet.

“We have experienced girls with the abilities to be very competitive and we have depth as a whole,” Emily said, “And we have three new guys with potential to grow into competitive divers.”

BOYS’ HOCKEY

NOT JUST FOR KICKS

The Varsity Hockey team played four games last weekend and ended up with a 3-1 record.

“We capitalized on our powerplays and played with high intensity,” Nick Kotz, junior, said.

The team prepares to face Lake Central tonight in their final Conference game. The team needs to play disciplined in order to have success, according to Kotz.

“We have to stay out of the box,” Kotz said.

12

SPORTS Crier / Jan. 24, 2014

LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FLOOR Varsity Dance team hosts invite tomorrow while they look forward to the tough competition they prepare to face

Vrusha Patel Business Manager

photos by Natalia Bilek

SMILING TOUCH Performing the halftime show at the Boys’ Basketball game last week , seniors Sarah Sharpe (front), and Jackie Dye (back), performs one of their routines by performing a tilt. STRIKING POSE Holding her posture, Julianne Rice, junior, performs another routine.

The Dance Team competed at the New Deer competition last Saturday. They placed fourth in both the Jazz and Pom categories. Although the team hosts a meet tomorrow, judges will not evaluate the team.

“The purpose is to see where we would place from a different set of judges compare to our normal competition,” Jane Sannito, junior, said.

Expectations on performance have rose since last year’s state competition due to the fact that the team placed first in their lyrical routine, and second in their Jazz and Pom routines, according to Sannito.

“I think it’s because we took State, we dance better as a team,” Sannito said.“We have had people coming and work with us and they believe that we can do well.”

Different choreographers taught the routine to them over the summer “I think Jazz is my favorite because it’s a lot different from what we have done in the previous years and the other cookie cutter routines from the different schools,” Sannito said. “It has a lot of potential.”

Meredith Simmons, junior, feels that the Cello Song by Bach, stands out due to the fact that the jazz routine contains a ballet influence.

“The Jazz routine is different because our routine is more dancing with the music and it’s more fast paced, where as with our lyrical routine we are telling a story,” Simmons said.

On the other hand Catherine Tavitas, junior, favors the lyrical routine.

“I like lyrical the best because I like that style of dancing and I can use my emotions better,” Tavitas said.

Lake Central, for their jazz routine, and Crown Point, for their Pom routine, stand as main competitors at the Munster Invite, according to Tavitas.

“They practice a lot and they are together in their movements so they are polished in their routines,” Tavitas said.

Academic schedules stand as one of the team’s weakness, according to Tavitas.

“We have a lot of motivation to do well and we have a strong team technique wise,” Tavitas said.

However, Simmons believes that embodiment of the songs stands as a weakness.

“We’re working mostly on our spacing and musicality,” Simmons said.

The Munster invite prepares the team for the state competition, March 14 to 15.

It allows the team to foresee their placing, as well as, competitors’ routines, strengths and weaknesses. The team will go to Taylor competition Feb. 8.

“We are definitely hoping to place well.

We never really know because the competition is difficult,” Sannito said. “We just leave it all on the floor and the Judges take it from there.”

Wrestling with disappointment

Boys’ Wrestling received fourth place at conference last Saturday after coming out with mixed results; team looks back on conference matches while preparing to perform better for next week’s start of the post-season Victoria Avina Associate Editor

After Dylan Deyoung, junior, won his first match against Lowell during a conference meet Saturday, he prepared to face a Kankakee Valley opponent that had a record of 30-8 next.

“I lost a point to him,” Deyoung said. “I didn’t get pinned, but I lost the point. He ended up going and wining the whole tournament.”

Deyoung believes that he could have made it to the finals if he wrestled against the Kankakee Valley opponent later, instead of early in the tournament.

“He was definitely the hardest. He won all tournaments,” Deyoung said. “I am confident that if I had a better draw against him, I probably could of second in the tournament. But since I had to face him so early, It messed up the bracket for me a little bit.”

That match served as Deyoung only lose that day.

He then went on to beat Highland and Andrean.

Overall, the Boys’ Wrestling team placed fourth, according to Deyoung.

“The meet went pretty well,” Deyoung said. “We had a lot of people place in the top three.”

Elliot Maul, senior, believes that the team could have done better than fourth place if they did better in all their rounds.

“We started off very strong in the beginning,”

Maul said. “We all had bad rounds which caused us to lose our edge over our opponents in scores.”

Rudy Magana, senior, watched nervously on the side as his teammates started losing in the second round, the round that did not have many wins.

“It was nerve wrecking for us seniors because we wanted to win Conference as a team,” Magana said.

Magana believes that the team could have received a high score if they had more wins the second round.

“After the first round, I think the team got a little bit too confident,” Magana said.

Although the seniors had hopes of winning Conference, the challenge of having a young team caused them to have a disadvantage. Magana feels that the lack of experience in the team prevented them from winning.

“It’s up to us, the seniors, to teach the ropes in the room and how to get things done the proper way,” Magana said.

While Magana watched his fellow wrestlers struggled to win their matches, he also had to overcome his own match with his long-term friend from Hobart.

“I took second place,” Magana said. “It feels great.

I feel like I could have done better, but I had a worthy opponent from Hobart.”

photo by Chelsea Eickleberry

LOSING BALANCE Working on his take-downs, Jason Crary, (right), freshman, performs a single leg take-down on his younger brother Cody (left). “You need to keep your head up (during the take-down),” (Jason) Crary said. “You just have to try to take him down any way you can.”