FEATURES
6 Blueprint
Oct. 28, 2016
Oct. 28, 2016
FEATURES
Blueprint 7
DGS Survival Guide: 10 tips to taking on teen life at DGS Every day, students must fend for their reputation, academic standing and social status throughout the halls and classrooms of DGS. In order to survive this chaotic jungle, commonly known as high school, students are in desperate need of guidance. Such assistance can be provided by those who have already endured the physical and mental hardships and live to tell the story. In order to give these poor students a fighting chance, a survival guide has been created by the DGS Blueprint. It is our hope that this survival guide will help these struggling souls in their fight to thrive throughout the stressful yet rewarding experience of high school.
1: Use assignment notebooks 2: Class order: grades 9-12 3:Get Involved
5: B and C
During freshman year, Mustang Understanding what it means to follow class order at DGS is another key Discovering the best way Fury was held in order to introduce survival tip. Sitting on the correct side of the cafeteria is one way of doing so. to keep track of assignments new clubs to the freshmen. This was Senior Cara Dwan sits in the cafetorium side because of her age. is essential to a high school an important event because joining “It’s like an unwritten law that juniors and seniors sit on the cafetorium student. For some students, sports and clubs, though it takes up side, so I thought I had to obey that unwritten law,” Dwan said. assignment notebooks are time, is helpful when meeting new Although, Senior David Campbell has a different mindset, and chooses to their best friends. Writing people and being a part of the commusit in the cafeteria. things down can be a great “I don’t think it really matters, and there was an open table here,” Campway to stay on top of work. nity and school. bell said. Other students, including Senior Kenny Kruse, who is inWhile it’s clear that this is not a set school rule, all class members should senior Jillian Morris, purvolved in more than twelve extracurbe familiar with the norms surrounding their grade. chase their own assignment ricular activities, talks about some notebook to use. benefits of being “I bought a new one beinvolved. cause I don’t like how the “I think joining cover looks on the DGS one,” clubs is important Morris said. because it allows For some, an assignment you to meet new notebook is simply not needpeople and demoned. Freshman Rick Vatawat strate/develop leaddoes not use his assignment ership skills. I also notebook at all. have benefited from “I normally remember [my making friends homework], or write stuff with the staff spondown on the actual assignsors in the activiment,” Vatawat said. ties who I can now As long as you are staying go to for advice,” Freshman Maddie Puccillo stays organized by writ- on top of your assignments, Kruse said. ting her homework in her assignment notebook. it doesn’t matter how you do While others are opposed to class order, some chose to follow it and only sit in the cafetorium as juniors and seniors. it.
6: Know how to walk in the halls 7: Be resourceful at the
hallway staircase The staircases at DGS are a sharp reminder of the morning rush in Chicago, but getting to your class on the third floor is necessary and annoying. While the B and C hallway staircase is known as the worst staircase to take, there are plenty of other staircases that will get clogged. Senior Danielle Valero explains the best option to ensure getting to class in time. “Take the one that is in the D hallway closer by the A hallway because no one goes on those stairs,” Valero said. Senior Morgan Meyer walks all the way around school just to avoid the staircases, but that isn’t always the case for other students. Meyer explains what happens when grumpy students meet jammed staircases. “I saw a sophomore call a senior a freshman, and I’ve seen people swear at someone and I saw these kids about to fight,” Meyer said. While avoiding the staircases entirely may not be an option for you, one thing everyone can control is their temper, because it’s only stairs.
This is an example of the unnatural order that some studeths chose to participate in in the halls of DGS.
There is a natural order, implemented in America that you always travel on the right side of things. Cars drive on the right side of the road, we walk on the right side of the street, down the right side of the sidewalk, and we enter and exit through doors on the right. In school, walking on the right side of the hallway, and using the doors to your right, follows the natural order necessary for society to function. Senior Olivia Pandola can advocate for this. “I’m not saying I’m perfect, I’ve probably [walked on the wrong side] some point in my high school career, but I think by this point you should know which is the right way, and I understand that accidents happen,” Pandola said.
8: “You time” is necessary Keeping high school mildly stress-free can be a lot easier when you have “me time,” time to relax and unwind from a strenuous day in high school. Senior Gabrielle Grasso explains the importance of “me time.” “When I didn’t give myself ‘me time’ I became more stressed than I needed to be, so I definitely learned that it’s beneficial to take a few minutes everyday just to ground myself and de-stress,” Grasso said. Grasso then talks about what some consequences might be if she didn’t have time for herself. “When you don’t have me time you can easily become very stressed and tightly-wound, which can show itself in very ugly ways once it comes out on your friends and family,” Grasso said.
resource centers
The resource centers tucked away in the corners of DGS do exist, and are there for students’ use in order to succeed in the classroom. Going to a resource center may not be on top of a student’s list of things to do, but it is essential. English teacher Nicole Proimos explains why her English students go to the English resource center. “Extra credit no, because I think that it is something they should do to be a self advocate. Especially, if they want to go on to careers or to go to college afterwards, but I do require that they come in any time to revise as a way to make them think about the process and how they would fix things or problem solve when they are trying to write new papers,” Proimos said. Learning from the mistakes made on papers can help when writing future papers which shows how helpful the English and any other resource center is. Senior English tutor Vanessa Patino explains her point of view on the resource centers. “I think they are also useful because I used to go into math resource a lot, and there are always teachers on hand and it is easy access. Our school has them so why not use them because we are fortunate enough to have them,” Patino said.
9: Keep it up/ slow it down
One thing students face at DGS is walking at the pace that everyone else in the hallway is walking at. Slow walkers are inevitable when walking in the hallways at DGS, but the problem for students is dealing with someone walking at an awkward pace. Getting told to walk faster or telling someone to walk faster is an experience that all high schoolers will go through at least once; it is just a matter of when. Senior Patricia Barcenas explains what she has noticed as the main problem at DGS. “You really don’t need to hold your girlfriend’s hand, and just go to your class, they are only five minutes anyway,” Barcenas said.
Lush is a popular lotion and soap brand amongst highschoolers.
4: Eat in class if needed
There is a big difference in time between 4th period lunch, 5th period lunch and 6th period lunch. Often times 4th period lunch could still be considered a breakfast period because it starts before noon and 6th period could be considered a big snack because you’re so close to the end of the school day. Many students will get hungry throughout the day depending on the convenience of their lunch period, but it’s important to eat and stay energized. While you could eat in the hallway, not all of us are coordinated enough for that, so some teachers will let Senior Gerda Dirzyte enjoys a very healthy you eat in their classes. snack while listening to English Teachers The first day of class is Glenn Spitler lecture about literature. always a good time to ask when and where you can and can’t eat. Figure out who allows food and who doesn’t so you’re stomach doesn’t make that funny whale noise in the middle of class.
10: Backpack vs. Locker
Every student at DGS has been given a locker to put books and binders in. Some people go to their locker every period -which must be a real workout-, some go a few times a day, and some never go at all. There are students who will graduate without ever entering their combination. Usually, those who do not visit their locker have larger backpacks that often hit people in the hallways, smack students in the staircase and give the person carrying it back problems. This kind of backpack is universally known as the “freshman backpack.” The name comes from the idea that freshmen typically have large back packs due to confusion about how high school really works. Senior Nicole Buie talks about how she feels about “freshman backpacks.” “It is definitely manageable to go to your locker throughout the day. When I see ‘Freshman Backpacks’ I usually assume they don’t know what they’re doing,” said Buie.
Compiled By: Gabrielle Bartkeviciute, Print Editor-in-Chief; Michelle Hroma, Online Editor-in-Chief; Kim Nothdurft, Social Media Director; Danielle Prazak, Print Opinions Editor