[CRIER
School MARCH FOR OURMunster LIVESHigh MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR OR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIV UR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR CH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES IVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH FOR OUR 8808 Columbia Ave. Munster, IN 46321 OR OUR LIVES MARCHIssueFOR OUR MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MARCH 7 Volume 53 Feb. 15, 2019LIVES
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A MOVEMENT OR A MOMENT ? A year after Parkland, students and staff reflect on effectiveness of March For Our Lives story by
[Mimi Brody] Editor-in-Chief
“Seventeen slain by gunman at Broward County School.” “A Detestable Act.” “Death Toll is At 17 and Could Rise in Florida Shooting.” These were all headlines bannering newspapers the morning of Feb. 15, exactly a year ago today, when a gunman open fired at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The death toll was 17, but an infinite number of family members, friends and fellow Americans were deeply affected by the tragedy. “Unfortunately with all the school shootings that have taken place in my short lifetime, there’s still that numbness feeling,” Mr. Morgan Nolan, Assistant Principal, said. “Especially when it happens at a place like Parkland that is very similar to us in nature. My ears perk up and I think about my own students here— I think about my kids.” What happened in Parkland was not an isolated incident. BBC News reported this year alone, 188 people died of school shootings. Not wanting to become “another statistic about mass shootings,” a handful of Parkland students banded together to form
[Inside look] pg. 5
Battle of the Bands
March for Our Lives, a gun reform advocacy group. The student-led group held nationwide school walk-outs and marches, even inspiring students 1300 miles away in Munster to take action. Since March for Our Lives was established last February, CNN reported 67 bills aimed at curbing gun violence were passed in 26 different states and the District of Columbia. One of those states was Indiana. Students like Ella Uylaki, senior and March for Our Lives advocate, find March for Our Lives to be an effective campaign. “I think it’s been effective because it’s getting people to question (potential gun control), even if that’s not ‘let’s get rid of guns,’” Ella said. “Even if they’re not agreeing, it’s still being talked about. It’s still being heard.” Ella originally planned to take part in the nationwide walkout, but instead participated in the school-wide rally after the bulk of fellow protesters opted out in fear of punishment. “I felt that it wasn’t as effective to get the message across because no one else was walking out at that point. Everyone kind of backed down, which is understandable because there was punishment involved,” Ella said. Administration did not support students’ plans to walkout for multi-
pg. 7
Boys Basketball plays at Andrean tonight 7 p.m.
ple reasons, including safety, planning and worries the walkout would only serve a niche group of students. Upon reflection, Mr. Nolan believes if similar desires to walkout are expressed in the future, they could be accommodated with proper planning. “It’d be like ‘What are our goals?’ ‘What are we trying to accomplish?’ ‘How can we get there?’ If we need to make compromises when it comes to safety, security, rules, procedure or operations here at school, then let’s do that,” Mr. Nolan said. The Parkland shooting also led administration to reflect on ways to keep our school safer. Strict enforcement of existing policies like locking doors and entering designated entrance points occurred in the months following Parkland. New changes, like the formation of the Student Advisory Committee, and the first issuing of a school climate survey in a decade were also seen starting this school year. Students’ concerns also prompted the
school to create a safety presentation students will see in coming weeks. “Probably the biggest outcome from Parkland was students standing up and saying this isn’t about school safety, this is about us, this is about our school which I thought was powerful and good,” Mr. Nolan said. The protests not only sparked legislative change, but changed youth participation in politics. Regardless of the cause, Ben Peters, senior, feels the movement has forced politicians to consider youth issues. “I feel like March For Our Lives definitely got our voices heard as students,” Ben said. “For AP Government, I had to watch a C-SPAN congressional hearing about gun laws and the legislators were talking about the kids speaking out and saying ‘we need to do something now because it is getting out of hand.’”
[Continued on Pg 2] [photo illustration by Elizabeth Fonseca and Robert Young]
[Upcoming] Turnabout Dance tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Fieldhouse. Bring Student ID.
Students have school Monday, Feb. 18 due to cancellations
Feb. 15, 2019
A Movement or Moment? [Continued from front]
Despite March for Our Lives being successful on a state-wide level, any federal gun legislation has yet to be passed, leading many to say the movement has lost traction. Ella disagrees. “I wouldn’t say the movement has lost traction because the obvious concern is still there— awareness,” Ella said. “At the same time I would definitely say ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ It (a school shooting) hasn’t happened in a while so, so nobody’s really thinking about it.” Another common criticism, one echoed by Mr. Nolan, is that kids have a tendency to support causes online via Twitter or Instagram, but are less willing to sacrifice their time to march. Ben agrees, but doesn’t think that is a bad thing. “I think social media is helping our generation to organize these events a lot easier,” Ben said. “I also do think that, with Twitter and all that we can easily say what’s on our mind and put it out to the whole world without having to do a whole march.”
Sidenote
Crier
eLearning.not yet.doc Administrators discuss using eLearning after missing week of school due to weather story by
[Mercedez Williams] Alt-copy Manager
Debate
deal right. However, I feel the school might think of it as “cutting corners” considering not all students will do their work. This could tarnish the schools reputation and make the school system look bad. Which could lead to loss of funding. Also there are so many procedures to follow and I’m not sure that the school would want to deal with those.
86.1%
In your opinion, do you think eLearning would work? 71.4%
Do you think eLearning should be implemented to replace make up days? 76.8%
Yes
No sources: Crier survey of 463 students on Google Forms from Feb. 2-11
Painting the way
Debate was prepared to go to both districts and Harvard. Severe Weather ruined this by causing the cancelation of Districts, which was originally on Jan. 18 and 19. After it was canceled, a committee decided when the new date would be. Unfortunately the committee decided to move the event to the same day as the Harvard nationals. This is why they decided to go to districts instead. Districts will take place today and tomorrow and will be hosted in Valparaiso. The Harvard competition has been going on for 45 years. The Harvard tournament will be held in Cambridge on Presidents’ Day Weekend, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Feb. 16-18.
Art Club paints chairs for charity, starting planning for new mural story by
[Finn Manion]
Page Editor
Corrections
In issue 6 of Crier, on page 2 in the caption “Shaped for success,” Mira Fefferman’s quote should read: “You have to build a protein in under 50 minutes.” Additionally, on page 4 the Harvest Room ad should say “Pasture Raised.” On page 6, it was incorrectly stated that there will be a competition for coaching jobs in Boys’ Track brief. Crier regrets these errors.
order to do eLearning the ‘‘Inschool must apply for it, no big
If eLearning was implemented, would you participate in it?
23.2%
‘‘
[photo by Lana Salahieh]
PREPARING FOR BATTLE Ava Quansey, sophomore, prepares for a Debate competition. “Debate was extremely stressful but the payoff is great, I love debating and honestly I’ve grown a lot as a writer and speaker because of the club,” Ava said.
easier and more convenient considering we now have to make up those days. Technology has advanced, having eLearning days seriously is not much different than being in school considering we use our laptops a majority of the time.
Crier sent out an anonymous survey to students to gather their opinions on eLearning
28.6%
know why we don’t use ‘‘ Iitdon’t (eLearning). It would be much
Why do you think we do not use eLearning?
With eLearning being a somewhat recent method of learning, administrators have to weigh the benefits and consequences of eLearning. Some of these questions are, will a teacher be available the whole day? How will we accommodate to K-4 students without school issued laptops? How will we accommodate students without internet? And lastly, does eLearning even have benefits? “There are benefits to both eLearning (and a conventional classroom),” said Mrs. Tammy Daugherty, instructional coach. “The idea that is that you give students an opportunity for a blended learning environment, which is not uncommon now in the college world or even in the work world, people work partially at home.”
13.9%
While school was out of session due to inclement weather from Jan. 28-31, one of the biggest questions students and parents alike asked themselves was, “Where is eLearning?” eLearning is when classes take place digitally during days when school is out of session. This type of day is available in other districts surrounding Munster, and it is regulated by the state. Although students and parents call out for eLearning on days like those, it is a lengthy process with many steps and lots of planning goes into it. According to Dr. Yvonne Stokes, Assistant Superintendent, the school town must balance certain criterion, including instructor access, platform experience, offline support, accommodation support, individual needs, work continuity and internet access for all students for eLearning to be implemented. Another concern is keeping up the quality of learning for students and the quality of teaching for teachers. Mr. Robert Snyder, Assistant Princi-
pal, said that with seeing other districts, it is hard to maintain the quality of education with eLearning. “If we do an eLearning day, whatever you guys would do remotely as students would need to be tantamount or equal to what we would expect of you if you were here for 50 minutes during that day.” Mr. Snyder said. “And the same thing is true for our teachers, in the same regard that you guys would have 50 minutes of English to complete on a day out, we would need our teachers to be digitally available for you in an online platform so that they’re basically teaching the classes remotely.”
‘‘
2 [NEWS]
Munster High School Crier
[photo by Lauren Morris]
THE RIGHT INCH Measuring a chair for a competition charity event, Rachel Lyons, senior, helps at Art Club. “This year we are doing a Princess Peach and Coco theme chair. This contest involves many high schools in the region, and all of our action proceeds go to domestic victim organizations,” she said. This is one of the many of the charitable events Art Club participate in.
Paint, check. Brushes, check. Member, check. The Art Club will start work on a new mural soon, as well as continuing their work on chairs for charity. “This is actually the second year we’ve done a mural, and it is essentially a horse design,” President Rachel Lyons, senior, said. “It will also have some hyper pattern of our work.” The mural was approved by Mr. Mike Wells, Principal, but the club still has to contact him about the primer being used for the mural, which is red. Rachel says it her goal to finish the mural before she graduates In addition, the Art Club is also doing a event called Chairs For Charity,
the goal of which is to rebuild the lives of families and individuals who have been through a disaster. The club is painting two chairs for this event. Emma Zajakowski, freshman, created the design a Coco themed chair and will work on that chair. “It’s going to have all the designs you see on a sugar skull on the chair with armrests that look like an ofrenda,” Emma said, “It’s going to be a deep reddish purple and the back of the chair is going to be an old guitar painted to look like the guitar from Coco. It will also have like petals at the base of the legs on the chair.” The Art Club is doing both these projects and working hard to do them. “I am very excited about the product and we’re all looking forward to it, and I’m personally looking forward to it as well,” Rachel said.
Munster High School Crier
[OPINION] 3 Feb. 15, 2019
Opinion
Killer crushes
story by
[Nadia Perdue] Page Editor
[cartoon by Mercedez Williams]
OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT Last year, in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting, many young people were vocal about gun violence and reform. This year, on the other hand, the topic has faded from conversation.
Editorial
Take a Stand
A year ago, the unthinkable happened. A gunman open fired on a high school in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring others. While school shootings have happened before, there was something different about Parkland. Living in Munster, it was shocking that such a tragedy could happen in a community so similar to our own. Perhaps the most striking difference between Parkland and other school shootings was the aftermath. Immediately, teens from Parkland gained media attention by blaming their school’s tragedy on legislative inaction. These teens used this energy and attention to create March For Our Lives, an organization whose goals are to demand gun legislation across the country and promote youth issues. While the organization successfully planned an organized school walk outs and protests across the country, participation with the movement has since died down. Regardless of whether or not you support March For Our Lives, its subsequent decline should be troubling to you as a young person. Our generation seems to hate sticking to causes. Movements like Black Lives Matter, the Women’s March and The Right to Life only become relevant to the general public when
[CRIER]
Crier, Munster High School’s official student newspaper, may be reached via mail at 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321; via phone at 219-836-3200, ext. 3443; or via fax at 219-836-3202. Crier is published through 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, integrity, honesty, responsibility, objectivity, fairness and independence. Corrections, when necessary, will be published on page 2. Opinions expressed in the newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the School Town of Munster, faculty or administration. Letters to the editor and reader suggestions are welcomed, but should be limited to 250 words. All letters must be signed and should be either emailed to the editor (miryambrody@yahoo.com), given directly to any staff member or delivered to the Publications room, 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
something bad happens that sparks outcry. However, no movement can ever be effective when there is sporadic involvement. Social change takes prolonged action. We are the generation of instant gratification, so accustomed to satisfying our need for information and socialization in seconds via social media and technology. Maybe this has crippled Our generation our ability to work should be more to achieve a long persistent in their term goal. While our generation is quick efforts for social to support various change causes, we tend to move onto the next problem or story too quickly, which hinders movements like March For Our Lives which are pushing for legislative change that could take years. However, if we let up and allow movements to just be moments, our efforts to enact change are rendered useless. As young people, we need to be more active and persistent in supporting the causes we find important. If we don’t, our wants and needs will never be taken seriously by legislators, and our voices will be ignored.
[Our take]
anyone, provided that the content pertains to school or school issues. Feedback may also be submitted on Twitter @munstermedia. Mailed subscriptions cost $25 per year. Crier’s website is http:// mhscrier.com/ Digital issues can be found on issuu.com. Crier is published 12 times a school year.
[Our Staff] Editor-in-Chief Mimi Brody Copy Editor Alyssa Bass Design Editor Megan Szymanski Graphics Editor Robert Young Web Editor Lilia Brunetti
I first heard about the True Crime Community around a year ago after coming across a YouTube video talking about a specific Tumblr group called the TCC. I decided to investigate this community more on Tumblr. I was quite appalled, almost disgusted, to find countless pieces of fanart, fanfictions and other posts of admiration dedicated to vile individuals like the Columbine shooters, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the community’s most recent heartthrob, Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. The TCC’s initial intentions are for those interested in the psychology behind murderers and serial killers. Many members of this group analyze aspects like childhood trauma, family life, and other events that might have made them into the people they were. Of course, as with anything, there are certain individuals in this group that take things to the extreme. They often write stories to idolize or sexualize them, defending these murderers of doing nothing wrong. The fact that many people are supporting them is extremely concerning. Sexualizing murderers isn’t just limited to the Internet. Hybristophilia, the sexual attraction to murderers, rapists and other criminals, has been a phenomenon for years. I think my friend Sofia Pavlic, sophomore, explains it best: “These people are so blinded by an attractive person that their morals get all messed up, and they think that a cute face excuses this behavior.” While serial killer Ted Bundy was being tried and put in jail, for instance, countless women sent him love letters. Obsessing over serial killers, school shooters, and other murderers is not only strange and immoral, but also insensitive to the victims. Seventeen people lost their lives in the Parkland school shooting last year, and many more lives were affected for the worse. Perceiving their killer, and many others, as “stan-worthy” or “hot,” completely ignores tragedies such as these.
Social Media Manager Adam Klaich Alt-Copy Manager Mercedez Williams Page Editors: Atarah Israel, Alexis Lindenmayer, Ava Lukacsek, Finn Manion, Zoe O’Shaughnessy, Nadia Perdue Business Manager Kammy Moore Head Photographer Elizabeth Fonseca Chief Photographer Melanie Powers Chief Social Media Photographer Lauren Kozy Photographers: Charlie Hofferth, Lana Salahieh, Lauren Morris Adviser Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman
4[REVIEW]
Munster High School Crier
Feb. 15, 2019
Charmed by Craziness
Crier staffer reviews TV shows about sociopaths
story by
[Zoe O’Shaughnessy]
Page Editor
Criminal Minds
Our fascination of how the criminal mind works gets put under the microscope as the diverse cast of characters piece together clues that lead them to the criminals. It is fascinating to put together the puzzle that by each episode’s end, shows one disturbing, sick mind. Each episode is different and gets more dark as the seasons move along. One detective, Penelope Garcia, offers a comedic relief when the show becomes too serious. This show also lets you get in the minds of each of the detectives, who hold their own personal trauma that helps them with their jobs. While each episode doesn’t connect
End of the F***ing World A young psychopath looking to move from killing animals to people and a lonely girl who is sick of her family, find each other and decide to run away from their problems together. While he’s planning to kill her, they find themselves falling for each other. It is a quirky show that will make THRILLER KILLER Ted Bundy, Penn Badgley, (Joe Goldberg, [photo illustration by Lilia Brunetti] [sources: Wikimedia Commons, ‘You’), and Thomas Gibson, (Aaron Hotchner, ‘Criminal Minds’), Deviantart] are combined into one.
Psychopaths
vs.
“More coldhearted and calculating” Charming, yet extremely manipulative
Sociopaths
Lack of remorse Disregard for laws and social
Make excellent “con artists” and white collar criminals
You
A girl meets the perfect guy — until she learns the perfect guy is insane. “You” will leave you loving and hating the main character from the first episode. On one hand, he’s a killer and stalker, on the other, most people will think he’s charming, funny and handsome. He even sticks up for a
Able to form attachments with groups of people Likely to be uneducated, unable to find stability “Hot-headed and unpredictable” [source: psychologytoday.com] [source: Mr. Matthew Kalwasinski]
with the average person, it could for someone they know. Episodes touch subjects such as child abduction, death of loved ones and cold cases that touch home with many people. The most noticeable fault of the show is the portrayal of mental illness. The “unsubs,”the suspects, are all see to have mental illnesses. While some criminals do have mental illness, people with mental health issues do not commit more crimes than people without mental health issues. The character’s depiction of mental illness brings unnecessary stereotypes into the conversation.
your heart warm . While it is only an 8 episode season, it will make you want another season, especially with the surprise ending. While it is a very good show, it can be see this show as too edgy amd melodramtic for some viewers.
young neighbor being abused by his mother’s boyfriend. “You” will leave you obsessing over every second once you get passed the first few episodes, which are boring and confusing. But the show offers a powerful lesson about social media and how easy it is to stalk people.
Conversations with a Serial Killer “The Ted Bundy Tapes” seemed like a good idea, until it wasn’t. This one sided show is an utter disappointment. True crime documentaries have been in high demand, but as the demand grows, the content declines. The director chose to have many people tell Ted Bundy’s story including childhood friends, patrol officers and
a living victim. Hearing Ted Bundy’s voice is unsettling but the show drags on and becomes more of show that makes you force yourself to continue. This show gives satisfaction to what Ted Bundy and other serial killers want- to be known. They are narcissists who only care about themselves and their needs.
TV Shows Ranked (in stars) bad
mediocre
Don’t forget to purchase your Turnabout flowers at
Dixon’s Florist (219) 836-1668 919 Ridge Road, Unit B-C Munster, Indiana 46321
average
good
exceptional
Munster High School Crier
A battle royale
[INFOCUS] 5 Feb. 15, 2019
Students prepare for Battle of the Bands and Talent Acts on Feb 22
stories by
[Adam Klaich, Alexis Lindenmayer, and Ava Lukacek]
I
Social Media Manager and Page Editors
n the weeks leading up the Battle of the Bands, bands and talent acts alike work to perfect their performances. With only two bands competing, both groups are eagerly anticipating their big night and encourage students to attend. Battle of the Bands begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Auditorium.
Opening
[photos by Adam Klaich and Lilia Brunetti]
(above) FROM THE BASEMENT TO THE STAGE Jay Korman, left, Gabe Haro, right, practice for their performance in Gabe’s basement. “(During practice) There’s just a feeling of understanding between us because we’re all working towards a common goal,” Gabe said. (right) SING IT LOUD Milena Trivunovic sings at Free Ice Cream rehearsal.
50
The band has a very strong friendship and have spent a lot of time together. Their practices are filled with playful banter and jokes such as Ethan calling For their last year competing, seniors his fellow band members “banderGabe Haro, Ethan Stewart, and Jay oonies.” “Those (the days when they were Korman, have brought their band back originally in a band) were the good old together for their last chance to play in days and we felt like evBattle of the Bands. Members: erything was okay,” Gabe “We were a band two Ethan Stewart: Guitar said. “We didn’t have that years ago, we never Jay Korman: Bass Guitar many worries and we want played a show, and we Gabe Haro: Drums to go back to that time in disbanded because of our lives.” ‘reasons,’” Ethan said. The band is inspired by many art“But we never did a show, so I called ists including Jimi Hendrix, Beethothem up two years later and said ‘You ven, Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, know what guys, this our last opporGwen Stefani, Dave Grohl and mainly tunity, this will be Crisp 50’s last and more. The band many plays rock muonly show that we do,’ and here we are sic from their favorite bands. These together.”
Crisp
Free
my dad said ‘If you put free in front of it people will come,’” Henry said. Henry later came up with the name “Free Ice Cream.” After he came up with the name last year, he originally called his friends Returning for their second year, Free Mihail Babus, sophomore, and Milena Ice Cream has added more members Trivunovic, junior, for their first perand have high hopes. formance. This “We’ve added more Members: year, Henry asked members and I think Henry Sklar: Drums more people to everybody’s got more Milena Trivunovic: Vocals and piano join the band. practice and experi- Javaughn Richards: Auxiliary, percu Henry would ence,” Henry Sklar, sion, and vocals want to title their junior, said. Mihail Babus: Drums and piano bands album “Free The band now has Shane Hoogewerf: Bass Guitar Ice Cream” and he nine members in- Nikolai Hoogewerf: Violin would thank his stead of five, and Emma Stevens: Saxophone little brother Jack practices two times Robert Young: Saxophone in a Grammy aca week. They are in- Michael Van Deursen: Trumpet ceptance speech. spired by “The Blues Amir Henderson: Guitar “I would thank my Brothers” and any of brother Jack for making tongue faces the artists on the “Guardians of the for me when I practice so I know I’m Galaxy” soundtrack. doing bad,” Henry said. Henry came up with the band name Henry wants the crowd have fun with his dad and called his friends during their performance and for evasking if they wanted to play with him. eryone to enjoy the music. “I was talking with my dad one day “Good luck to everybody (competing), and we were thinking of different, it’s going to be a fun night.” Henry said. funny names people would go to and
Ice Cream
[photo by Lilia Brunetti]
READY TO ROCK Shane Hoogewerf, junior, plays his bass guitar at practice. “The band is full of fantastic musicians and even better people,” Shane said.
bands include The Beatles and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. If the band were to make an album, Ethan would want to call it “3 a.m.” and base it on the fun activities the band did late at night when they were underclassmen, but Gabe wanted it to be called something else. “I wanted it to be called ‘Dirty Mike and the Boys’ and it would be about Dirty Mike and his Boys,” Gabe said. The band doesn’t think they are ready for their performance as of now, but they are practicing in specific ways to get where they want to be. “We are going to improve by playing with the lights off,” Ethan said. “You have to be able to play the song without looking at the instrument, you just have to know the notes.”
Eight talent acts performing in-between bands
Serena Alvarez
Serena Alveraz, junior, will be playing “Nuvole Bianche” by Ludovico Einaudi on the piano and as a solo.
Robert Young
Robert Young, junior, will be singing “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes while also playing the song on his guitar.
Siroc (Joe Bellahcen) Joe Bellahcen, senior, will be going by his stage name, Siroc, for Battle. He is performing his original song “Ruler.”
Kelli Little
For her senior year, Kelli Little will be singing “She Used To Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles.
Gabe Haro
Gabe Haro, senior, will be performing “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers for his talent act.
Mira Fefferman and Ethan Lieser
Mira Fefferman and Ethan Lieser, juniors, will be performing “Santeria” by Sublime and “Something” by The Beatles. Both will be playing guitar.
Mimi Brody
Mimi Brody, senior, will be playing guitar and singing “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” by the Talking Heads.
Cali Grzybowski
For her performance, Cali Grzybowski, senior will be singing “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé.
6[SPORTS]
Munster High School Crier
Court is in session Feb. 15, 2019
Sidenote Girls’ Basketball
Girls’ Basketball season has ended their season with a record of 15-9. Emily Zabrecky, junior, was disheartened that the team did not make it to the championship. “I’m not the happiest with how it went,” Zabrecky said. “We could’ve made it to the Championships, but I am happy that we won our first Sectional game in nine years.”
Biddy Ball prepares for tournament on Sunday
Coaching Hall of Fame
story by
[Alyssa Bass] Copy Editor
Hanging out with your friends, low commitment and no cuts, that is why people join biddy ball, according to Cole Lesinski, junior, said. Being able to play with friends and the relaxed sense is what attracts students to biddy ball rather than the school’s basketball team. “Firstly, you can get cut from (the schools’ team), and it’s a lot of dedication, practice is every day,” Cole Lesinski, junior, said. “Biddy ball is a lot more chill. It’s a lot more relaxed and I think you have a lot more fun. It’s very low commitment, and that draws a lot of attention.” Biddy ball teams are basketball teams that can have up to ten players, there are no tryouts or cuts, teams have two practices before their season begans. Now they will be competing for their shot to win at the Championship. “Biddy ball is just a weekend thing the that a lot of guys at the school like to do,” Lesinski said. “No one usually takes it that seriously, besides the tournaments. It’s a lot of fun and it gives us something to do.” Last Sunday the first round of Tournament games started. This Sunday, and the following Sunday there will be more Tournaments. On Sunday, Feb. 24, is the Championship game which will decide who the champion. “Our team is doing pretty well, we won our first playoff game,” Adam Daniels, junior, said. “I hope we can play better as a team.” Going into the second round of playoffs, Lesinski feels self-assured and prepared for his upcoming tournament. “I’m feeling pretty confident,” Lesinski said. “We got a very good draw in the brackets. So we think we can go pretty far, there are good teams on one side and we are on the other side so we think we can make a pretty deep run.”
[photo by Megan Szymanski]
FULL-COURT PRESS After driving into the baseline, Drew Westland, junior, and Andrew Forszt, sophomore, block Luke Davidson (1), senior, as he tries to pass the ball. “I was thinking we had to start penetrating the lane more,” Davidson said. “I felt like we were going to win.”
Selection Sunday
Thunder Hornets Game 1 2/10
Game 5 2/17
Hornets
Game 7 2/17
Raptors Grizzlies
Game 2 2/10
Mavericks Rockets
Game 3 2/10
Grizzlies Nuggets Magic
Game 9 2/24
Championship
Game 6 2/17
Magic Jazz
Heat
Bracket shows which teams are playing against which and when the games are
Game 4 2/10
Game 8 2/17
Heat
[photo by Lilia Brunetti]
[source: Munsteryouthbasketball.com]
Guard discusses upcoming Fly the flags Winter international competition story by
[Ava Lukacsek]
Page Editor
After months of 12-hour weekly practice, Winter Guard will finally be able to show off their skills this weekend. The team is headed to Indianapolis for the Winter Guard International (WGI) competition. “It’s a big competition for all the guards in the world. It’s not just schools,” Chynna Vaughn, senior and Publications staffer, said. Their season began mid-November and normally practice is three times a week, on average about 12 hours.
The team has struggled with finding room to practice in the high school. They can practice at the middle school. “We don’t really have a problem with going to the middle school because the middle school is better for us to practice,” Claire Powell, junior, said. According to Brook Maul, freshman, the team has grown exponentially since last year, which contributes to why they are able to attend WGI. “This year we are a lot more advanced and we’re doing more skills we’re way ahead of where we usually are,” Maul said.
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The first Coaching Hall of Fame Induction since 2008 took place last Friday. Each of the six inductees has had a significant coaching experience. The inductees include Mr. Leroy Marsh, health teacher, Mr. John “Doc” Doherty, Mr. Mike Smith, Mr. Steve Lopez, social studies teacher, Mr. Dirk Sloan, and Mr. Don Fortner, social studies teacher. Mr. Steve Lopez, social studies teacher, has been in charge of multiple teams for 15 years. He recounted the feeling the feeling of starting a new season every year. “Every time every season came up, I always look forward to it,” Mr. Lopez said. “It’s always something exciting and always a goal to shoot for. Never to settle, but always to say, ‘Okay we got this far, let’s see if we can go for it.’”
Organization is crucial to the team, according to Powell, and the coaches help to maintain it. “(Ms. Stephanie Peterson) helps with a lot of organization. She really tries to get everything ready and make sure all of us know what’s going on,” Powell said. “She really supports us.” For Vaughn, the memories of Winter Guard are bittersweet, this being her last season with the team. “Comparing my freshman year to this year, the fact that we’re even going into the WGI and competing is amazing just overall,” Vaughn said.
GUEST OF HONOR During a basketball game on Feb. 8, Mr. Steve Lopez, social studies teacher, poses with Mr. Patrick Spohr after being inducted into the Coaching Hall of Fame. “When I found out that I was even nominated for it. I was humbled and very surprised,” Mr. Lopez said.
Girls’ Swim
The Girls’ Swim team competed State last weekend at IUPUI. In the preliminary round, the team made it into the top 16 for the 200 meter relay, then 15 in the finals. Priscilla Zavala, freshman, said she looks forward to what the future holds. “When you swim well, or even if you don’t swim well, you still have the support of your team,” Zavala said. “It’s just really nice.”
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Munster High School Crier
[SPORTS]7
Grabbing first place
Feb. 15, 2019
Boys’ Basketball heads to Andrean at 7 p.m. story by
[Alexis Lindenmayer] Page Editor
[photo by Lilia Brunetti]
FIGHTING ON Playing in last Friday’s game, Tyler Zabrecky, senior, wrestles for the ball. The team lost against Gary West Side, 48-44. “The weekend was disappointing but it helps us achieve our goals for next year,” Zabrecky said. “We can hopefully look at this loss as a turning point in the season.”
A team’s success cannot be credited purely with one defining factor. For Boys’ Basketball, it appears to be a combination of team dynamic, practice schedule and fan support. They will take on Andrean tonight and defend their 19-4 record. For quite a while, the team was first place in the Region and was maintaining a record with only a single loss. However this past week, the team fell short against Gary West Side, Chesterton and Griffith. “Obviously, it (the losses) affects us because we hate losing,” Josh Davis, junior, said. “But at the end of the day, it’s not a bad loss because we learned from it and as long as we continue to learn why we lost and get better we will do well at Sectionals. ” The relationship and environment that a team creates outside of just basketball will help their performance
in the sport itself according to Luka Balac, sophomore. “We have really great team chemistry,” Balac, said. “Most of the guys have been together a couple years now and we are all really close.” Boys’ Basketball practices everyday after school beginning around 3:10 p.m. There, they begin by practicing shooting and they then will work on aspects ranging from passing drills to scrimmages. “I like scrimmaging against JV just because scrimmaging against Varsity sometimes isn’t as effective since we know each others plays, but JV doesn’t know our stuff as well,” Balac said. Whether it’s the student body, parents or graduated alumni, having people in the bleachers can lift any player’s spirits. “It really helps when people come out and show their support,” Davis said. “It shows how much this really means to Munster.”
Streamlining for success
Boys’ Swim prepares for home Sectionals meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. story by
[Zoe O’Shaughnessy]
Page Editor
Splashing waves in the pool and chanting the Seahorse Country chant, Boys’ Swim heads to Sectionals this weekend. Having the state record for most consecutive Sectional wins, the team aims to continue the legacy. “We hold the State record and we are going for a 34-year straight year of winning and usually we perform really well,” Justin Singh, senior, said. “It’s going to be a good meet, there’s a lot of competition, but we’ll be fine.” Having competed at 15 meets this season, Holden Raffin, junior, believes that the team’s focus is on the State Championships. “Being a year older, we are stronger this year than we were last year,” Raffin said. “Our goal heading in for this weekend is to get as many people going
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to state as we possibly can. Then after that, we are going to do our thing at State.” Leading up to Sectionals, the team changes the way they practice. “There’s this thing called taper where you start going down in yardage leading up to big meets,” Raffin said. “It allows your muscles to recover. It’s this whole process of resting your body and getting more sleep at about two or three weeks before your meet and you just go down (to the meet) and your body feels refreshed and rejuvenated.” While the team works together in the pool, they bond outside of practice with the annual TP night of the Girls’ Sectional team. “We go as a team to TP their houses and it is a fun team bonding thing for us to do,” Grant Afman, junior said. Singh learned a lot over his four years of swimming and he offers his team advice.
TP tips
Girls’ swim gives advice for Sectionals TP night Get addresses from all the swimmers beforehand
1.
2. Wet the paper so it sticks 3. If there is snow on the ground, add
coloring to make designs
4. Over TP the older boys’ houses
[source: Sam Buffano, junior]
“My advice, from what I learned over my four years, would be don’t get too tense in the moment and take it (swimming) step by step,” Singh said. “A big thing is being mentally prepared. Take it step by step, take a deep breath, and give it your all.”
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8[STUDENT LIFE]
Munster High School Crier
[BACKTALK] Turnabout
Feb. 15, 2019
Adam Wisniewski
escort: Savanah Sharpe
Where would your kingdom be? Why? “Australia because I want a pet kangaroo.” What would you abolish as king? “I would abolish skinny jeans for guys.” What would you do first as king? “I would make schools allow hats to be worn.”
Jelani Warner
escort: Jordyn Warner
[photo by Robert Young]
WAKANDA FOREVER Posing for a photo illustration, Korey Allen, freshman, sees himself as Black Panther. The movie Black Panther was an revolutionary film for black culture. “It’s (Black Panther) good for black power, and what it means to all our culture and what we did back in our day, well, their day,” Korey said.
Reflecting
Oscars next week, viewers question show’s diversity
on representation story by
[Atarah Israel] Page Editor
O
ne week away and still amidst an ever-changing political climate, the Oscars may be seeing some dramatic changes. Two years after facing major call-outs for a lack of diversity, the award show is expected to have a nomination pool more diverse than it has ever been. This year’s nominees includes films such as “Black Panther” and “Roma,” both movies with a majority minority cast. Questions still remain, however, a major one inquiring whether the Academy Awards will still be #OscarsSoWhite. “I’m really excited,” Zoé Short, senior, said. “Every once in a while you’ve got Oprah, or Viola Davis or the same people who keep getting nominated. But now we have such a big pool (of nominees). Well, it’s not a huge pool in terms of diversity, but it’s bigger than it has been.” Zoé Short has had her fair share of experience as an actress of color, this year adding the Theatre Company’s production of “Hairspray” to her repertoire. Having an organically diverse cast, “Hairspray” has led the Company to reach out and welcome potentially new performers. Hairspray, for Zoé, also holds emotional connotation. “It was the first movie I walked into thinking, ‘Oh, it was just gonna be a happy-go-lucky musical’ but it’s something that actually realize how powerful of an individual I truly am,” Zoe said. “With musical theatre and being black and with being a woman, [I knew] how powerful I actually am because there was representation from both sides.” For others, award shows like the Oscars hold less weight. Whether they will eagerly tune into the show or not, however, it seems widely acknowledged that the
Evolution of
Oscars has a history of white-washing its nominees. “As far as the Oscars, the Grammys - all that - I don’t really care about that stuff,” Jamie DeJoan, junior, said. “I don’t watch it. I’ve heard there was a (hashtag), ‘Oscars so white’ or something, which I certainly believe without a doubt, but, I don’t really care about them in general.” The popularization of #OscarsSoWhite during past Oscars, although effective in drawing attention, does raise questions on the permanence behind contemporary movements Students’ favorite movies as such. Taking to social media in times of protest or “Lady Bird” Hannah Cockrum need has become common freshman in present-day society, so much so that some claim “Polar Express” Ke’Nyah Foster to believe that hashtags like junior #OscarsSoWhite can easily “Dream Girls” die out. Zahrya Grimes sophomore “I definitely think there are some trendy aspects to it,” Jaime said. “People are just like, ‘Oh, I’ve seen this on Twitter, so that’s just what I believe,’ but I think that in the long term, there will be more and more people who are genuinely concerned and committed to issues such as these.” In a world of trending topics and hurried hashtags, hard hitting topics such as minority presence within media can get lost in the dust. The idea remains, however, representation matters. ““Princess and the Frog” (is my favorite movie),” Amanda Beaudouin, junior, said. “It came out when I was like 10, and I’d never really seen a black princess on the screen before then, so it was just really empowering.”
0 Best Actor
Best Picture 1“Selma” 0Best Actress
2016
0
#OscarsSoWhite
0 Best Actor Best Picture 0 Best Actress
#OscarsSoWhite
cinema
Minority nominees over the past five years
the Oscars
2015
Star studded
2018
2017
Best Actor 1Denzel Washington
4 “Fences” “Hidden Figures” Best Picture “Lion” “Moonlight”
Best Actress 1Ruth Negga
Best Actress 0 Best Actor
2 Denzel Washington Daniel Kaluuya
Best Picture Out” 1“Get
Best Picture 5“Green Book” “Black Panther”
1
2019
Best Actor
Rami Malek “BlackKklansman” “Bohemian Rhapsody” “Roma” Best Actress Yalitza Aparicio
1
What would you do first as king? “I would go celebrate somewhere nice. Get real fat.” What would you abolish as king? “I would abolish onion rings. I just do not like onion rings.”
Nick Peirick
escort: Megan Dedelow
What would you do first as king? “Buy whatever I want.” Where would your kingdom be? “The Palace of Versailles because it’s big.” What would you abolish as king? “I would abolish homework.” escort: Ana Gaither
Tyler Zabrecky
Where would your kingdom be? “My kingdom would be the castle from Disney World. I would take the castle from Disney World, put it on my island, and live there.” What would you abolish as king? “I would abolish the creation of money, so everyone could have as much money as they want.”
Javaughn Richards
escort: Milena Trivunovic
What would you do first as king? “I would make every Sept. 23 National WashedUp Quarterback Day.” Where would your kingdom be? “My kingdom would be in Honolulu because it’s warm.”
Eli Nirenberg
escort: Wisdom Ibikunle
Where would your kingdom be? “The peaks of Europe mountains in Spain, because it’s really beautiful and serene.” What would you abolish as king? “I would abolish the policy that if you’re tardy twice you get a detention. I feel like it’s really strict.”