MHS Crier | Issue 4 | 11.22.2022

munster high school 8808 columbia ave. munster, indiana 46321 http://mhsnews.net

crier

Caught by covid

Students’ reflect on the academic effects and struggles of living through a pandemic

Staring at lecturing teachers through computer screens, or using plastic dividers that interfere with the their view of the board was the day-by-day reality for students only two years ago. Returning from this reality last year, teachers were understanding as students adjusted back to the “normal” school life. However, decreased grades and standardized test scores speculate whether students have fully gotten back on track to “normal.” There has been an observed disconnect that still exists now due to the covid.

“Teachers are now starting to ramp back up to the expectations that have always been upheld by Munster, which was lenient based on the situation,” Ms. Chrisanne Terry, school counselor, said. “Last year was a huge cor recting year as far as simply emphasizing attendance for students to come to school. I feel like this year is the first

year that we’re truly getting back to normal.”

Mrs. Dana Bell, Algebra II teacher, has recognized a “covid disconnect” in her classes this year. The majority of students currently in Algebra II took Algebra I during the covid year. With the unique circumstances of learning during covid, students have varying levels of familiarity with multiple concepts. Mrs. Bell explains that alongside the evident cheating that eLearning prompted students to resort to, the overarching conditions of the pandemic took a toll on students’ learning as well.

“I think eLearning was rough because it takes a cer tain type of student that’s really internally motivated and wants to know the material,” Mrs. Bell said. “Most kids were not that strongly, internally motivated when you are at home, not seeing you’re not seeing your friends, having family getting sick, and wearing a mask everywhere. Peo ple were just not in the right mindset to learn at times.”

This lack of internal motivation still seems to be present after two years post-covid. Keira Trimolt, junior, elabo rates on the laziness that the pandemic has carved into her mentality. For this reason, the workload has taken a bigger toll on her this year, and she finds it more difficult to focus in class.

“Before COVID-19, I had so much more energy to do school work,” Keira said. “Now the smallest amount of work stresses me out. My mentality has just changed a lot, and I do not think it will be the same as it was before COVID-19 again.

Along with Trimolt, based on a Crier conducted Goo gle Form survey, 44.3% of MHS students out of 235 also feel as if their ability to focus in class has gotten more difficult since covid.

munster high school



dorothy lakshmanamurthy & sydney jones page editors

 PANDEMIC PRISON Lining up to take their ‘mug shot’, juniors Shail Patel, Keira Trimolt and senior Ayush Arora express how Covid affected students academically and how motivation and men tality have been scarce amongst students since the pandemic. Statistics shown above are sourced from a student survey. (photo by josephine mittelberger and marianna young)

71% of students were more likely to cheat on an assignment during the COVID-19 year

56% retain and remember less information that they learned that year.

From the inside

Putting a spin on his teaching, Mr. Ryan Popa, cybersecurity teacher, presented a new project for his students: send out fake emails all throughout the school, and see how many responses they can get. The goal was to prove that they could have been more malicious in taking personal infor mation.

A few weeks later, an email was sent out impersonating Mrs. Leigh Ann Westland, English teacher, trying to steal student bank account information. As Mr. Popa went to create an email letting the school know his project was fake, he received in formation stating that the hacking attempt was real.

“The big thing about cybersecurity is ethics,” Mr. Popa said. “If somebody heard about our contests and was like, ‘that’s a good idea’ and took it a step further, trying to get people to bank information. That’s what’s scary about the class, it’s not rocket science—everybody’s got a computer.”

Initially, only Mr. Morgan Nolan, prin cipal, knew about the project. The students were able to bypass the school’s security system as their attempts contained no real malware. Cybersecurity’s project bordered on gray hat hacking—perhaps they broke some ethical concerns, as no one else knew about the project, but there was no harm ful intent. In this case, the results did teach about students’ ability to pay attention— students fell for the bait “hook, line and sinker.” The email that gathered the most responses impersonated Mr. Benjamin Boruff, English teacher, with 83 responses; it was sent by the contest’s winners, seniors Victoria James and Neel Patel, Molly Pla tis, junior, and Stephen Glombicki, soph omore.

For Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, Cybersecurity students “hacked” the school

Crier, Paragon win fifth place in Best of Show at nationals

Publications attended the NSPA Nation al Student Media Convention. Last issue of Crier was awarded fifth place for Best of Show in the nation, and last year’s Paragon was awarded fifth place for Best of Show in yearbook. At the convention, Anna Evil sizor, senior and photography trainer, was awarded sixth place for sports photography.

Lauren Hoogeveen, junior and story editor, received an Honorable mention in sports writing.

reena alsakaji

Spearfishing Targets

a specific organization or individual

Phishing Targets anyone susceptible to clicking

Social engineering

Manipulating people to give up confidential information

reena alsakaji editor-in-chief 

“Just by taking a few key components of how teachers talk,” Victoria said. “With Mr. Boruff, I was able to do this from one email from him on what we were trying to spoof and an email list. I appealed to empathy, and said it was for SATs and ap plication week.”

Victoria’s strategy towards garnering responses reflects strategies real hackers use to gather information. Moreover, the results were a red flag for Cybersecurity students—how much do other students

actually know about Cybersecurity? A large component, according to Victoria, comes from just looking twice—even some CyberPatriot students were fooled into responding.

“The more they know about you,” Mr. Popa said. “The easier it is to hack you. Most people think hacks are done in a dark room, typing on a keyboard, but really most hacks start by being a social engineer—taking advantage of human weakness with human psychology.”

Standing in the limelight

Theatre prepares to perform “Wit” at Regionals Dec. 3

lauren hoogeveen story editor

Putting another wrinkle on her face with makeup, Clover Sarkady, junior, prepared for opening night Nov. 10. The Munster Theatre Company performed “Wit” by Margaret Edson in the auditorium Nov. 10-12, the show they are preparing for Re gionals. They will be competing at Hobart High School alongside six other schools Dec. 3.

“Preparing for Regionals has been har rowing but fun,” Clover said. “Everyone is stressed, but it’s fun to figure stuff out to gether, especially my bald cap.”

At each rehearsal, members run through the show and then receive feedback from Mr. Raymond Palasz, sponsor. During this time, technicians focus most on creating lighting and sound cues. This tends to be their biggest challenge at Regionals since

at a glance Highlights from today’s paper

According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 93 school shootings with casualties at public and private schools in 2019-20, the most at that point since the 2000-01 school year.

they will be working with entirely different lighting and soundboards.

One struggle that the MTC has come across while working on the show is coordi nating props effectively, such as fake medi cal equipment. To overcome this, they work on communication by practicing more out side of rehearsal via FaceTime.

“Learning how to use medical equip ment is hard, like the fake IV taped to my chest,” Evvy Kikkert, sophomore, said. “We just need to keep working with it.”

An award ceremony is held at the end to recognize the top three performances, STO All Star Awards and others such as best lead performer.

“Theatre is a way to experience emotion while still being safe from them,” Evvy said. “Both the actor and the audience are able to experience intense emotions, walk away and realize it’s just a play.”

According to Stanford’s analysis of 11,000 letters teenagers sent to candidates during the 2016 elec tion, issues like climate change, the cost of college and reproduc tive rights were among the most frequently mentioned topics.

Today, the revival of ‘70s fashion can be seen in flared jeans and making in your own clothing. The correlation to social justice topics such as the anti-racist uprisings in the summer of 2020 is also appar ent.

“Putting safety first,” read on page 4 read on page 6 read on page 8

“Fashion forward”

“The heard and the unheard”

 A SHOWSTOPPER Running through the show, Clover Sarkaday, junior, and James Ferguson, senior, perform for the last time before an audience watches “Wit.” Contest shows always have the least amount of time to rehearse, so making a dynamic show come to life is always difficult. (photo by josephine mittelberger)

 GRAY HAT HACKING Shown above are the results from the project conducted by Mr. Ryan Popa, cybsersecurity teacher’s, sixth hour class. (photo by anna evilsizor)

Source: Valimail



Spanish and French Clubs compete in World Cup

Tip of the iceberg

After covid put the club at a halt, the Environmental Club started up again at the end of last year. Once Ms. Hannah Fus, ASL teacher, decided to step down as club sponsor, Mr. Michael Bakker, science teacher, took her place at the end of last school year. In contrast to previous years, the club has been ex tremely active; their activities consist of visiting nature preserves, foraging for mushrooms in Bieker Woods and visit ing Lincoln Park Zoo.

“The club’s purpose is to make a dif ference through education, activism and activity,” Mr. Bakker said. “We want to focus on bringing environmental issues to the forefront of people’s minds in the hopes that activism will spread and pol icy will change.”

Environmental Club’s leadership team consists of junior Eden Cook, sophomore Addy Ellis, as well as juniors

Environmental Club starts planning Earth Day event with local environmental group

Lily Hestjean, Nabeel Rabie and Benny Torres. Along with events surrounding nature, the club has held various cloth ing drives to help local families in need. So far this year, they collected 5,730 pounds of clothing which raised almost $700 for people from the community. Working with a local environmental group, the club is currently planning a station at an Earth Day event for chil dren and their families.

“My favorite part of the year has been our successful clothing drive which gen erated a lot of money for our causes,”

Nabeel said. “I hope for us to contribute and better our community and ultimate ly make a change.”

Since Mr. Bakker is also assistant swim coach, the club will meet once a month until swim season is over instead of every Thursday. For the holidays, they are planning a party to recycle and re vamp old items and celebrate their ac complishments. In the spring, the club hopes to tour the new biological sciences building at Purdue Northwest, visit the Shedd Aquarium to learn about fish pa thology, go birdwatching and start a gar dening group to fix up the courtyards.

“I hope the club accomplishes as much as possible to reduce negative im pacts on the earth by spreading aware ness and hosting events that promote conservation,” Lily said. “There are so many environmental issues for us to highlight, along with many small life style changes to better the Earth that I hope we can tell people about.”

Caught by covid

parison, in 2019, the score was 286.

Students like Shail Patel, junior, feel that if covid did not happen, students would be performing better on assign ments and tests. He believes that there is now an emphasis on grades and scores because people are still trying to build back up from covid. Due to this em phasis, it can seem like academic scores are overdefining a student’s value.

“Grades and test scores began to be a serious struggle for people when covid hit,” Patel said. “So, people are really fo cusing on improving them, but grades should not define who you are. There are many other factors that are so much more important.”

GPAs and standardized test scores have dipped in the past couple of years. To record the scores in all of the nation’s schools, students take NAEP, or The Nation’s Report Card, testing to gauge data on how those schools’ students are doing. Indiana’ scores have gone down slightly. The average score for students in Indiana in 2022 was 279. In com

Munster schools have been trying to compensate for the loss of learning by adding in different programs and web sites that they find useful to struggling students. To get back on track to expecta tion, administration has provided a num ber of things, includ ing Tutor.com. This website allows stu dents to receive help with any school work at any hour. They have also provided after school math tutoring in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry with Mrs. Katie Harris, Mrs. Bell, and Mrs. Chris tine Chidichimo.

“I hate to say that we are so far be hind,” Mrs. Bell said. “It’s not a race. As long as you learn, that’s all that matters.

You can say that those kids should have learned those topics covid year, yet they are learning it now. So as long as they learn it, that’s the goal. But typically if a big portion of kids do not understand something, it does not make sense to move on. That has always been the case.”

Fingers were freezing and the stakes were high at the Club World Cup. The Span ish and French club competed in a game of line soccer on Nov 15. where the Span ish Club—Team Fuego—won. The games were held because of the World Cup start ing Nov. 20. Soccer is popular in Spanish and French speaking countries, and Span ish Club and French Club thought this was a great opportunity to celebrate both cultures.

MHS to welcome pre-AP courses

MHS will be switching to what is known as pre-AP courses, replacing the Honors system. CollegeBoard’s change attempts to set up students for future AP courses. These optional pre-AP courses will be open to all students, rather than requiring students to test in. There are no AP exams for these classes.

“Most Honors kids go into the AP course track, but that next tier of kids who go an AP track struggle sometimes,” Mr. Morgan Nolan, principal, said. “It is such a big gap.”

Cafeteria introduces changes

In the past, school lunches have been the food day in and day out. This year, however, Ms. Erin West, dietitian with Chart Wells, is making changes that she hopes will positively impact students’ lunches, such as a new line, and some new menu options.

“The new additions have been very popular,” Ms. West said. “We’ve actually been running out of food.”

corrections

In Issue 3 of Crier, on page 2, the Hal loween Halls event took place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. On page 8, Ms. Brosseau’s quote should read, “It has brought me to tears multiple times because I just love my stu dents so much.” Also on page 8, the photo in “Stackin’ it up” was taken by Josephine Mittelberger. Also, the subheadline should read, “Students and staff discuss Indiana education for LGBTQ+ history.” In the photo “READING BETWEEN THE LINES,” Lucy MacDonald is a senior. Crier regrets these errors.

WIN OR DIE Prior to the Spanish vs. French club soccer match, juniors Anna belle Spicer and Chloe Reynolds, and Ms. Jennifer Kennedy Cole, French teacher, express their french pride as Mrs. Maria DeRosa-Bellahcen, Spanish teacher, protests saying “ganamos o moriamos (we win or die).” (photo by marianna young)

 EXTRA ENERGY with the addition of the breakfast line now having coffee, Ava Rozmanich, junior, is in line getting a fresh cup of coffee (photo by Ethan Pischner)

 CALLING ALL GARDENERS Explaining future plans for the Environmental Club, Mr. Michael Bakker, science teacher, tells the club members about gardening opportunities. The club is trying to learn more about what they can do, so they spent their Nov. 10 meeting talking about importance of gardening. “We are going to talk to the botany class about using the greenhouse, and we want to clean up the courtyard outside of my classroom that has planting boxes,” Mr. Bakker said. (photo by zoe clark)

sydney jones

reena alsakaji

seamus keegan

“ I hope for us to contribute and better our commu nity. We are planning to do gardening around the community in school.”

Nabeel Rabie

lauren hoogeveen story editor continued from front

junior

Source: Crier survey of 235 students Nov. 11-15

Some students do not take the drill seriously. They may talk or go on their phones.

drill. How is everyone reacting?

Putting safety first

seamus keegan page editor

Safety is one of the most import ant factors that contribute to a pos itive learning environment. Without a safe environment to learn in, students can not be successful.

With the concerns of the covid pandemic beginning to vanish in the rearview mirror and students again returning to school fulltime, student safety has become a prevalent issue again. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 93 school shootings with casualties at public and private schools in 2019-20, the most at that point since the 2000-01 school year.

“Threats like school shooters definitely scare me even more so because I’m Islamic and wear a hijab,” Jasrah Ali, senior, said. “Even if I didn’t wear one, people still come into schools and shoot kids regardless of who they are.”

Mr. Morgan Nolan, principal, said that a safe learning environment, while easy to de fine, is hard to achieve.

“It’s a sliding scale,” Mr. Nolan said. “Do you ever reach that city on a hill point where in this case, all 1,530 students feel safe all the time, at every single point in time? No, because there’s always risk in life.”

But according to Mr. Nolan, it is the school’s job to make sure students are aware of the risks present, and are equipped with the tools to navigate them. One resource stu

In one ear, out the other

Wearing headphones in the hall way is considered a safety issue, as students would be unable to hear an emergency.

dents have is the Student Advisory Council, whose main goal is not only to keep our stu dents safe but make sure they feel safe and encourage behaviors that promote safety. SAC is supervised by Mr. Brian Clark, Assis tant Principal of Student Services.

“I think one of the most important aspects of school safety is making sure that our stu dents have the resources like guidance and administration to go to when they don’t feel safe,” Mr. Clark said.

Having a place to go when they need help is a very important aspect for overall safe ty for a lot of students. In a time of nota ble worry and anticipation over man-made threats, students feel it is important to be able to express their concerns and have them taken seriously.

“For me, mental health is really import ant in helping keep students safe,” Delaney Craig, junior, said. “Even if threats never ma terialize, I think the thought of a threat really scares us, and some reassurance would have been really helpful.”

Social media has also played a large role in mental safety in schools and school communities. With an increase in social media usage, students have taken to the internet to bully their peers and it has an effect on students both in school and out. Education Week reports that in the 20192020 school year, 16% of public school lead ers reported cyberbullying, which was dou ble the 8% of school leaders that reported it in 2009-2010. However, when surveying students, they found no measurable increase in the prevalence of cyberbullying within the last decade.

“I think social media definitely introduc es a whole new aspect of potential mental health concerns,” said Simon Nirenberg, junior and SAC member.

One of the administration’s main goals for our school is to maintain a safety plan designed for a number of concerns from man-made threats like intruders and physical violence to natu ral threats like tornadoes and earthquakes. This plan includes both the required ele ments and additional measures, and is signed off by the superintendent and collected by the state of Indiana.

Watch your step

Using phones in school is a distraction to students. According to Mr. Morgan Nolan, principal, phones in the hallway pose the risk for misinformation. Students should not be posting on social me dia during school hours.

Whether or not efforts are successful, however, seems to depend on who you ask. While some members of the administration are confident their efforts are effective, some students still think they could do more.

“I think we do have a pretty good system in place for drills,” Delaney Craig, junior, said. “But I think that when threats do come up, administrators don’t always inform the student body, and informing us is really important to helping us feel safe.”

Other students are con cerned about the issue of the early arrival of buses before school doors open in the morning. Al though the amount of time students wait is not obscene, with temperatures dropping, students argue there is a safety concern there.

“Sometimes buses drop students off even earlier, and then you have 50 some kids wait ing outside,” Pemi Ogunjimi, sophomore, said. “I mean, those kids could theoretically just walk away, no one’s stopping them.”

Plus, Pemi mentions, standing in sub-freezing temperatures for five minutes in the morning isn’t exactly a pleasant start to the day. However, some students like Jasrah think our school does a fine job of addressing concerns. She said, in her experience, com plaints brought to administrators get han dled effectively and timely, doing everything they can to ensure students are both staying safe and feeling safe.

Students say it is clear that there is a di vide between the topics our school thinks are important to prioritize, and that of the stu dents. Mr. Nolan said the measures students choose to ignore are the most common ones. He says that generally, students do an excel lent job preparing for events like fires and lockdowns but not the smaller, more com mon issues are not always taken seriously.

“Students are very focused on their own individual sense of well-being, whereas ad ministration worries about the student body as a whole,” Delaney said. “I think students are focused on, ‘Okay, how am I going to keep myself safe’, and the administration isn’t necessarily thinking about each indi vidual person, they think about the student body as a whole.”

While the administration and resources like Student Advisory Counsel are import ant to helping students feel safe in school by providing support and information, students

Hats off

Wearing hats in school are considered a safety issue because they can hide a person’s face. In the event of an emergen cy, this would make it difficult to identify someone.

also play an important role in their own safe ty. Mr. Nolan says one of the most important things students can do for themselves is to report concerns when they come up.

“You guys are always going to know more than we are. We’re not on Snapchat and Tik Tok.” Mr. Nolan said. “We’re not going to hear the same things that students hear. So reporting those things to us so we can actu ally look into those things is the number one thing students can do. Pay attention, and be vigilant.”

Students and staff discuss the importance of providing a safe learning environment

 NO JOKING MATTER During a Science Olympiad practice, juniors Emily Li and Lily Hestjean, sophomores Jude Jimenez, Suvali Giridaran and Animesh Kar and junior Aadit Raikar simulate what students have noticed can happen during a lockdown drill. (photo by ethan pischner)

photos by ethan pischner

This is a lockdown

There are students that could be upset or bothered by the drill.

Other students may not care or don’t have any specific feelings about the drill.

Tangled in ‘twilight’

Childhood best friend Jacob Black was always the best option for Bella Swan. While he is more controlling due to his ‘alpha wolf’ nature, he is caring for Bella and will stop at nothing to protect her. Jacob knew he was losing the battle of love and still was persistent, and then soon after he failed as Bella finally married Ed ward.

Jacob should have ended up with Bella for many reasons, in cluding their chemistry and his superior physical attractiveness, but the main reason is the life she is giv ing up going with Edward. As Jacob says, be ing with him would be ‘as easy as breathing.’ She would get to enjoy the rest of her life carefree with her friends

Visuals of low exposure and green hues, a comforting coldness sheds in the state of Washington, a small town named Forks. Viewing “Twilight” for the third time has not yet disappointed me.

The story builds up from Bella, the new girl, glaring at the mysterious boy who sits with his posse at lunch; the group who are absent on sunny days. The way Bella researches all night and confronts Edward the next day seems absurd. If I’d noticed someone acting strange and in turn researched all night and accused them of being a vampire, I’d be deemed as insane.

While some might find the cinema tography and quick cuts in scenes poor

Third time is a charm First imprint-sion

On Nov. 21, 2008, a new movie fran chise came to life: “Twilight.” I didn’t care about when it first came out be cause I was never into vampire love sto ries. I was also only a year old when the movie came out. Although, I did per sonally enjoy watching the first movie of this series for the first time. I enjoyed watching it for the first time because it is a different type of movie that I would normally watch on a regular basis.

The plot of the movie is straightfor ward with Bella and Edward’s love life; it doesn’t take long for the director to introduce this aspect of the movie. As

ly done, I find them thrilling. Scenes of Edward and the vampire species run ning amuses me and never gets old. You cannot tell me that does not put a smile on your face. The Cullen family play ing baseball right before a storm is my favorite scene. Edward chasing the ball miles through the forest, the dramatic cuts between Cullens is “Supermassive Blackhole” playing, ties the scene to gether.

“Twilight” falters in questionable scenes. Awkwardness between Bella and Edward in Biology and the nick name “spidermonkey” keep me up at night. Overall, we can all agree Bella is the issue. She is the real villain.

Despite cringey scenes, “Twilight” is a perfect fall movie to laugh along with friends. I’d rate Twilight a 3 out of 5.

Bella moves from the sunny and dry vi cinity of Phoenix, Arizona to the rainy, dark, and gloomy area of Forks, Wash ington. She has to make huge adapta tions.

It entertained me how in the middle of the movie, Bella and Edward are re ally close together. This entertained me because during that part of the movie, there is this one scene that everyone calls the “spider monkey” scene. In this scene, Bella and Edward are swinging through the trees like spider monkeys, this goes to show how close Bella and Edward are, relationship wise. I’d rate Twilight a 4 out of 5.

and family, while still being able to truly live her life as a person. Being with Edward essentially throws her life away. She would no longer be able to see any of her old friends or family due to the Volturi, a power ful group of vampires who enforce vampire laws.

Becoming a vampire is a huge decision itself, and Bella can al ways end up regretting it in the future as it changes the entirety of her now eternal life.

Edward Cullen shows Bella Swan how it feels to be properly treated in a relationship, which is why he has al ways been the right choice for Bella.

Edward respects the choices that Bella makes, even if he does not fully agree with them. He never pushes Bella to make any specific choice, but he does look out for her well

being. For example, in “Eclipse,” Edward knew that he could not keep Bella warm in the freezing weather. Therefore, he did not re fute the fact that Jacob had to keep her warm because it was for her well-being.

Edward al lows Bella to make her own decisions. So, blaming Edward for her decision to be a vampire would be absurd after watching several instances in the Twilight series of him warning Bella about

the consequences of her decision. Edward says to Bella in “Eclipse,” “I know the consequences of the choice you’re making. I’ve lived through it, and to let you suffer that just for the sake of never hav ing to lose you, it’s the most selfish thing I’ll ever do.”

Edward proves to be the best choice as he advances Jacob in maturity. Jacob’s immaturity urg es him to push the boundaries as he constantly tries to force a spark between him and Bella when she repeatedly makes it clear that she loves Edward.

illustration by damien salahieh

illustration by damien salahieh

dorothy lakshmanamurthy

marianna young photographer

ethan pischner photographer

For “Twilight”’s 14 year anniversary, a first-time viewer vs. an old viewer review the first movie

photographer zoe clark

In light of hopelessness

staff opinion

The heard and the unheard

Across all of social media, and even this newspaper, it seems as if teenagers have nothing to do but drone on about our political and social situation. We take to the streets for change, yet we see our issues swept under the rug time and time again.

According to Stanford’s analysis of 11,000 letters teenagers sent to candidates, issues like climate change, the cost of college and reproductive rights were among the most frequently mentioned topics. Though important, it can be exhausting trying to advocate for certain topics. So peti tions are signed, protests are attended and letters are sent to representatives, but no change is made. By next week the topic you fought so hard for stopped trending, and the cycle repeats.

our take

Politicians should be held accountable for representing and protecting America’s youth

But should we expect representatives to make reforms on our behalf, despite us not being able to vote? Most people

opinion backtalk

would agree that those in power are there for all; however, it seems they do not consider those who can elect them into office. In our Student Life section, we cover safety issues within the school such as high school shooting rates. A study done by UChicago shows that three-fourths of Americans believe in stricter gun laws; but, according to an article from The Stacker, since the Sandy Hook shoot ing, only five bills regarding gun reform have passed. One of the bills that failed to pass was the Manchin-Toomey Amendment, which would have made background checks more thorough. Conveniently, all but three Senators that voted ‘no’ received money through political action committees for gun rights. This is one example, but this sentiment that money precedes citizens has been occurring for decades.

Without representatives that are try ing to help us, our issues are put on the

back burner. For example, according to the CDC, teenagers are 17 times more likely to have an abortion than adults. With abortions being banned in many states, better sex education is a pressing topic. If sex education was reformed, more girls would be able to walk with their peers at high school graduation. Yet, $50 million dollars were funded to abstinence education under the guise of a “Federal Prevention Program.”

At times, it is as if all we can do is watch our own demise from the side lines. As helpless as it feels, there is more that our generation can do. The issue isn’t solved by simply voting or taking to the streets—we have to stop being taken away by empty promises. Keep tabs on the actions of those in office, hold pol iticians accountable and let them know that we care about which bill is passed and when. If money dictates where this country goes, the people lose power. It isn’t too late to stop the track we are going down.

what about the future of america makes you most worried, and why?

I think the politicization of issues that shouldn’t be so debated is causing America to move further away from an efficient and fair future.”

Abhiram Kandregula senior

Crier, Munster High School’s official student newspaper, may be reached via mail at 8808 Columbia Ave, Munster, IN 46321 or at (219) 836-3200, ext. 3443. Crier is published through the Advanced Student Media: Newspaper classes and extra-curricular involvement. Crier’s official website is mhsnews.net.

•The newspaper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for the school and community. •Published material will stress objective reporting except on the opinion page. 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. All content is decided and produced solely by Crier staff.

•Letters to the editor and reader suggestions are welcomed.

Mugali junior

All letters must be signed and should be emailed to the editor (reenaalsakaji@gmail.com). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual. Editors reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, and grammatical errors.

•Anonymous sources will be used if and only if the content matter is of high importance and if identification could bring any possible harm towards the individual or others.

our staff

Editor-in-Chief Reena Alsakaji

Guest Editor Josephine Mittelberger

Story Editor Lauren Hoogeveen

As I sat in the newsroom, discussing ideas with fellow staffers, the issue of climate change was brought up. With the recent protests displayed on both the van Gogh and Monet paintings, climate change was again a prevalent issue in the news—but this time, it was not just about a hurricane or drought.

A feeling of unease fell upon staffers and I as we ultimately decided not to cover the topic. At the time, I thought there was nothing worse than sounding like a broken record.

It was not until our adviser pointed out how sad she felt that our staff, poised to change the world for the better, felt so hopeless that we didn’t want to cover it. It was then that I realized we could not ne glect the issue because it was not “anything new.”

According to the World Resources Institute, humans are now producing more greenhouse gasses than ever before. Ecotric ity finds that the impacts of climate change could be irreversible by 2030. But these facts no longer elicit a reaction—for many, they are not enough.

The United States, in particular, is a “hot bed of climate change deniers,” according to the Guardian. But there is a stark difference between those who do not seem to “believe” in the issue (you do not need to believe in science for it to be true), versus the younger generations who, like my staff and I that day, accept defeat due to hopelessness rather than ignorance.

Why is there this level of desensitization when it comes to climate change? When did the prospect of future devastation become normalized? Perhaps, it is due to the notion that climate change is a future problem, rather than something affecting us today. This idea has long been debunked.

But to acknowledge that our genera tion is defeated regarding climate change without acknowledging politicians does the story an injustice. Our failure to solve this issue is a symbol of every other flaw in the United States, and across the world—that these issues are important enough to be used as leverage, but not as important as money in the back of one’s pocket.

In an essay called “Hope in the Dark,” Rebecca Solnit discusses the idea of hope in relation to the devastating circumstances that have marred our world for the last few years—these circumstances bring about feel ings of uncertainty and hopelessness. Cli mate change cannot continue to be swept under the rug as a ticking time bomb. This is not a rally cry to “just vote harder,” nor is it a sweet sentiment about how everything will be fine. But if we neglect the act of trying, we have already lost the fight against climate change.

Photography Trainer Anna Evilsizor

Page Editors Sydney Jones, Seamus Keegan, Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy

Photographers

Business

Cartoonist Damien Salahieh

Adviser Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman

reena alsakaji editor-in-chief

“

The ‘my way or the high way’ mindset as it leads to extreme polarization. Americans must learn to compromise and commu nicate.”

Katherine Sheehan senior

“

Division of America is through the roof. People are becoming more and more opinionated and are being taught to hate others for simply having their own opinion.”

Lindsay Opiola freshman

“

Inflation prices because eventually homelessness is going to increase and we can’t enjoy what we used to have.”

Ali

“

Manager Josephine Mittelberger

Zoe Clark, Ethan Pischner, Marianna Young

In the middle of their season, Girls’ Basketball prepares for Conference

The ball is in our court

lauren hoogeveen story editor

Walking anxiously onto the court, Gracyn Gilliard, freshman, waits for her first high school Varsity basket ball game to start. Immediately scor ing off of steals in the first quarter, she sparked an ambitious energy that raised the team’s morale throughout the rest of the Nov. 2 game. The girls ended the game against Knox with a score of 76-60.

“I was really nervous, but I think having that adrenaline rush helped me the most in the beginning,” Gilliard said. “I had a lot of energy and I was just eager to impact the game. Once I got that steal, I was able to calm my self, and the team’s energy just took

off.”

Undefeated, Girls’ Basketball’s re cord is 4-0 as of Nov. 18. They have been preparing for Conference by working on defensive strategies, re bounding and taking high percentage shots. Practicing everyday after school, they also have been focusing on their mindset while playing, like being dis ciplined on both ends of the floor and making sure players understand their roles. Their first Conference game is tonight at Andrean at 7 p.m.

“Our minds give out faster than our bodies ever will, so everyday we work to push our bodies past our lim its to expand what we can do,” Trinity Hogge, senior, said. “If we don’t have a strong mentality, then we will be de feated easily.”

As the new Varsity coach, Coach Deandre Williams looks forward to his 16th year coaching basketball. Pre viously coaching at Hammond High, Bishop Noll and Morton Senior High School, he was also awarded a basket ball scholarship to Lewis University in high school. Hoping to focus on fine-tuning skills, incorporating life lessons and integrating new coaching philosophies, Coach Williams gives credit to the seniors on the team for stepping up as leaders and making the transition smooth.

“I’m excited for the opportuni ty to coach each player in reaching their maximum potential, in hopes of transforming those skills from the basketball floor today, to become leaders in our communities tomor row,” Coach Williams said.

Back into the swim of things

and Sectionals on Feb. 2. To help his team achieve these goals, Charlie Ol mstead, junior, plans to push his team to their full ability.

“To help the team as much as I can to achieve their potential, I plan on reaching the team by exerting the hard work while still being there for them,” Olmstead said.

Boys’, Girls’ Swim prepares for official start of season

Preparing for future competitive meets, the Girls’ and Boys’ Swim team held their Intrasquad Meet on Nov.

17. The boys and girls split up into two randomized teams to compete against each other.

“The meet made me look forward to future meets,” Bailey Sechowski, freshman, said. “This is my first year, and I enjoy being with all the girls on the team.”

Both Boys’ and Girls’ Swim teams strive to win Conference on Jan. 21

Both teams practice from 5:45-7:15 a.m. before school and 3:15- 5:15 p.m. after school. Addison Sanow, junior, explains that practice hours can be hard to adjust to, but they are worth it.

“Having practice both before and after school can be very difficult,” Sanow said. “However, one personal goal I have is to make my practices pay off. I also think being more together as a team is another goal I have. Not just the girls, but both boys’ and girls’ teams together.”



reena alsakaji

Following up to five years without a com petition season, Cheer starts off their first competition strong by coming in first at Mount Vernon High School Oct. 22.

The competitions will continue beginning in February. For the last few years, Cheer has held off on competitions due to the pan demic, as well as a lack of desire. But seniors Meagan Hudson and Tyra Wheaton pushed for competitions this year.

“My favorite part of the season is getting that competitive mentality back. For compe titions, you are fighting for a goal,” Hudson said. “ I like lighting that fire for the younger girls because they have not had to do that.”

Until February, Cheer plans to put a lot into their preparation based on the edits they received. The biggest challenge is returning after all the time lost.

“A lot of people were looking at us at com petitions,” Hudson said. “When we stopped, Munster was high up. The challenge is get ting those expectations to the standards it was before.”

Dive prepares for first meet Nov. 21

The dive team is preparing for their up coming season and their first meet Nov. 21 at Crown Point. They practice the dives they already know, and do what they can to learn new dives and dive techniques.

“One of the things I’m doing for myself is making sure to practice repetition, and get feedback from other, more experienced div ers so I can make sure I’m ready for our next season,” Jeorgia Garcia, sophomore, said.

The team gained three new divers this season, so their focus has been on catching them up to speed with the rest of the group.

 STEPPIN’ ON THEM Dodging Addi Eskridge (30), senior, from Knox, Trinity Hogge (20), senior, dribbles the ball down the court while Gracyn Gilliard (22), freshman, looks on. At the Nov. 2 game, Hogge scored 12 out of the 76 points total. “Being disciplined is important because it shows how organized one can be as a whole,” Hogge said. “If the team isn’t disciplined, then you can’t expand as a player.” (photo by anna evilsizor)

editor-in-chief

 BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT Standing on the diving board, Riley Kazragys, junior, sets up for an inward dive. (photo by anna evilsizor)

 STRIKE A POSE Performing an extension lib, Lauren Sims, junior, and Scarlett Mrvan, soph omore, cheer into the crowd during the Aug. 26 football game. “My favorite part of cheer are the team bonding days, having fun at games and seeing our friends in the crowd,” Mrvan said. (photo by zuzu smith)

 ON THE SURFACE Pushing her arms through the water, Jennifer Barajas, sopho more, practices her backstroke. (photo by zoe clark)

keegan

Cheer has first competition in five years, places first

dorothy lakshmanamurthy

Fashion Forward

A look into fall fashion trends and their origins

josephine mittelberger guest editor

backtalk

What is your least favorite fashion trend and why?

With fashion trends constantly cycling through, not everyone may know where they originally be gan. In light of some recent fall fashion trends, the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s are analyzed.

Although the Matrix look is not what is fashionable today, the y2k trend has gained traction. Leather pants, low rise pants and claw clips are back in style. The 2000s was the start of the new millennium, and they sure tried to look like it. They went for a futuristic look with mesh shirts and metallic or shiny materials. To top it off, the ultra-low rise, ultra-flared jeans paired with a crop top were the go to of the decade, show ing off as much of the midriff as possible.



“The early 2000s is a style that I admire because it was so eccentric,” Evvy Kikkert, sophomore, said. “It was an era where people didn’t necessarily know what they were doing and that is comforting since the early 2000s doesn’t have as obvious of an aesthetic.”



“If I could go back in time for the fashion, I’d go back to the ‘90s or early 2000s,” Angelica Rzeznikowski, senior, said. “It feels powerful to wear what I want to wear, and not have anybody be able

Neon ‘90s

With the rise of the “grandma” look and bucket hats, it is clear that the ‘90s still has influence today. There were muted colors, and minimalist styles became popular. Halfway through the decade the schoolgirl look became more popular because of stars like Britney Spears. Subcultures that are still popular today include streetwear—baggy jeans, graphic tees and statement sneakers.



“I find my fashion inspiration from ‘90s music artists, one of them is definite ly Aaliyah,” Ari Jamerson, junior, said. “I love the baggier look and making it chic and feminine.”



“My favorite trend right now is corduroy,” James Ferguson, senior, said. “The fact that it has a visible texture is fun.”

The normalization of athleisure wear can be seen as rooted in the ‘80s. The ‘80s was the beginning of womens’ bodies shaping the clothing rather than the clothing shaping them. Alongside sportswear, a “New Romantic” look took over— puffed sleeves, oversized accessories and an overall more eccentric look for both genders.

“I’m big with bright colors, so I’d say I take most inspiration from the ‘80s,” Alexis Perez, senior, said. “I literally own like 12 blazers because of “Heathers,” I love them.”

“I really enjoy the ‘80s because of all the bright colors and neon,” James Fergu son, senior, said. “I like neutrals on me, but if everyone was wearing neon, I’d love to wear neon. But no one really wears neon any more, unless you’re a middle schooler.”

Electric ‘80s Retro ‘00s Mellow ‘70s

Today, the revival of ‘70s fashion can be seen in flared jeans and making your own clothing. The correlation to social justice topics such as the anti-racist uprisings in the summer of 2020 is also apparent. ‘70s fashion was the adaptation of “hippie” fash ion in the mainstream, crochet, patchwork and embroidery worked its way into fashion collections. Women and men began gender bending clothing: womens’ formal and informal clothes began to blend together and men could wear bright colors and prints.

“In general, everyone knows me for being like the hippy crystal girl,” Maya Prince, senior, said. “I like to influence other people to dress however you want, you are you.”

“I like that decade because of the mu sic,” Tatum Hernandez, senior, said. “Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, and obvi ously Queen are my biggest inspiration.”

Clothes from soph omores Evvy Kikkert, Daniella Lesina and Autumn Moore, Ari Jamerson, junior, and seniors Reena Alsakaji, Alexis Perez, Angelica Rzeznikowski and Jay Smith

“I don’t feel that strongly about fashion. I just want everyone to wear what makes them comfortable and feel good about them selves.”

“I hate the oversized clothing trend be cause my parents re fuse to buy me any, and all of my friends wear it better than me.”

“I don’t like puffy dresses because they look silly.”

“Those ugly 2000’s side parts and patch work clothing.”

“Generic suits. They’re overused, not different, and all similar.”

“My least favorite fashion trend is the groutfit, because the name sounds very unappealing to me.”

“I’m going to go with any type of cropped pant, neon or super skinny jeans.”

“A croc heel. Why is it invented? The only person that can pull it off is TikToker Chris Olsen. If anybody else wears it, I don’t un derstand it.”

“I don’t like how some teachers just wear a pair of gym shorts and a Munster Football t-Shirt to school. I’d prefer if they’d wear a suit and tie while they teach gym class.”

“The 2000s velour tracksuits, I’ve always found them tacky and they only belong in ‘Mean Girls.’”

Wesley Harle, freshman Jacob LaBadie, freshman

Tina Tsataros, sophomore

Joey Hladek, junior

Gaby Ruiz, senior

Ali Mugalli, junior

Daniella Nahnsen, senior

Mr. Dillon Pierie math teacher

Thien Nguyen, sophomore

Ms. Hannah Fus ASL teacher



photos by anna evilsizor and josephine mittelberger