Devils' Advocate Print Issue February

Page 1

advocate devils’

HINSDALE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL HINSDALE, ILLINOIS ISSUE 85 2.22.13

The Managers Keeping the teams on the ball Page 15

Rockin’ out with Vinyl Surprise Page 24

Love online Page 20

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Devils’ Advocate February 22, 2013

Feature: Vinyl Surprise Page 24

Profile: Rajiv Desphande

Cover Story: Team Managers

Page 13

Page 15

Contents Opinion 5

Staff Editorial:

6 7

Cheers and Jeers Snap Thought Battleground:

8

Bucket List:

9

Contracted to kill

News 10 11

Advographic: Kickstarter’s 3rd Birthday

News Briefs Sports News Briefs

20 Catfished?

Profiles

Safety 22 School Are we safe at Central?

14

The Lookout

The Affordable Care Act

Skeet shooting: if Obama can do it, so can I

Feature Focus

15 18

Addy Stafford: Getting ‘Greasey’

Eddie Mapel: Swimming success

Personality Ping: Mardi Gras

27

City Scene: Naperville

28

Music review

29

Upcoming Game

letter from the editor

staff editorial staff

Though it may only be a short 28 days long, February sure feels like the longest month in the year. Maybe it’s the dismal weather and grey skies. Or the fact that the end of the school year is nowhere in sight and we’re still a good month away from our next substantial break... but no matter. Devils’ Advocate has effectively pulled a My Bloody Valentine (see the m b v review on page 27) and returned from a lengthy hiatus to rescue you from the February blues! If you spent January anxiously waiting in vain for the day when the next issue of the Advocate would magically appear in the lunchroom, I personally apologize for any stress you experienced. But I can rest easy assuring you that my staff and I spent our time off well, recharging our newspaper powers so that we might bring you our best issue yet. In this fantastic issue, you’ll find a profile on the extremely talented band of seniors better known as Vinyl Surprise, an exposÊ that sheds a light on the duties of our team managers, and several in-depth looks at the current hot button issues of school safety and gun control. Enjoy!

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mission statement Devils’ Advocate strives to provide its readers with a diverse forum for reporting and sharing information. It is a student-run, school-funded newsmagazine published monthly. Devils’ Advocate wishes to provide fair and balanced reporting on events by working with students, teachers, and the community. It strives to inform, educate, and improve the atmosphere and student body of Hinsdale Central High School.

contact information 'HYLOVŇ‹ $GYRFDWH 55th and Grant Streets +LQVGDOH ,OOLQRLV VJUDG\#KLQVGDOH RUJ &RYHU SKRWR E\ 1LFN .RSS

editor in chief Evan Lee managing editor Sarah Renehan

section editors $QDOLVD %HUQDUGL ‡ 'DQ &UXZ\V 3D[WRQ *DPPLH ‡ (ULFD +HLGOHU +DQQDK .DSHOLQVNL ‡ -XOLH .DQWHU (ULN 0DGD\ ‡ %HWV\ 0RUJDQ &DUROLQH 6XGGXWK ‡ /DUHQ /RIFK\

advertising manager Sarah Renehan

advisor Sue Grady

writing staff copy editors $QDLV &DUHOO ‡ -RML 6\HG /DUHQ /RIFK\

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photography staff

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photo editors $QNLW $JJDUZDO ‡ 1LFN .RSS Angad Ravanam

photographers

like us on IROORZ XV RQ IDFERRN twitter @hcdevilsadvo

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Staff Editorial

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B

etween the hours of 7-8 a.m., over 200 adults armed with police-issue firearms enter Hinsdale Central High School. No student supervisors pull them aside, no doors are locked in their faces, and no police are called. The lack of response to these armed intruders isn’t an accident or an oversight: all the adults toting guns are teachers. This hypothetic scenario could be the future for Central, and it’s already the reality for schools in many other states. In response to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook, legislation has been introduced—and even passed—that would give school boards the authority to arm teachers and other staff members. On Jan. 29, the South Dakota House approved a bill that allows just that, and Oklahoma, Tennessee, and South Carolina all have similar bills being debated. Virginia lawmakers have proposed a bill that would require teachers to be armed. Though it may seem like a more economic solution than hiring extra safety guards, or a more tangible precaution than securing entrances and offering more mental health services to students, we believe that arming teachers would not be a good way to discourage a school shooting. Though all supporters of the plan to arm teachers believe that they should go through mandatory training before they are actually allowed to carry guns into schools, accidents will still happen. On Jan.18, the NRA’s Gun Appreciation Day, five people were injured at firearm shows due to accidental shootings. This could just as easily happen in a classroom and injure the teacher wielding the gun, like one of the people who, on Gun Appreciation Day, accidentally shot himself in the hand. Or, like

the other four cases, accidents could injure bystanders—to put it more frankly, us students. There have been other gun-related incidents in the news that, even though no one was injured, are still reason for alarm. On Jan.14, a firearm was left unattended in the bathroom of a Michigan elementary school. The person who left the firearm, however, was not a teacher. Clark Arnold, the security guard, was a well-trained security guard and retired sheriff. If a man who has been handling guns as a part of his employment can slip up and leave himself defenseless and his firearm out for whoever wishes to take it, then it is only logical to assume that teachers with years less experience will make the same mistake, and far more often. These problems, though, have come about without the presence of any crazed gunman intent on forging the next Sandy Hook. The real problem, the biggest problem that we have with the idea of arming teachers, is that, statistically, this will not help to prevent further school shootings. In a year-long study of massshootings over the past 30 years, journalists for Mother Jones magazine found that, out of 62 mass shootings, not one has been stopped by an armed civilian. In fact, the only school shooting that was stopped by civilians was cut short after five unarmed students wrestled the shooter—a 15-year-old student—to the ground. The waste of teachers’ time and school boards’ money that is arming our educators is not the solution that we need—if it can be counted as a solution at all. Turning schools into a modern-day educational version of the Wild West will not help to solve the problem of shooters.

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SNAPTHOUGHT Q. What is the craziest Snapchat you!ve ever received?

Cheers & Jeers Cheers to Senior games. Nothing shows class pride like Target being sold out of nerf guns. Cheers to the countdown to Spring Break. See you all in Mexico.

A. One random water bottle. :.;5<(!=#$;>>(?()50@"(A;B>%&6(789

Cheers to singing Valentines. Nothing like spending $18 to embarass your friend six times in one day. Cheers to Temple Run 2. Finally we can all stop paying attention and get back to what is important. Cheers to the Variety Show. If we were as talented as \RX ZHҋG EH DEOH WR ÀQLVK WKLV &KHHU FOHYHUO\

A. I think it was a foot. C<50(C&;*1$6(78D

Jeers to Groundhog Day. We didn!t know it still existed or anyone cared. Jeers to downgrading Winter Formal to the cafeteria. &DQŇ‹W ZDLW WR GDQFH LQ OHIWRYHU OXQFKHV A. Excessive Harlem Shake videos. /"$$(E"&$=55;6(789

Jeers WR +DUOHP 6KDNH ,W ZDVQҋW FRRO WKH ÀUVW WLPH \RX butchered the dance; it wasn!t funny every time after that. Jeers to Lil B not performing at the Grammys. No based vibes in an overall unbased event. Jeers WR EHJLQLQJ RI $&7 VHDVRQ IRU WKH MXQLRUV ,W RQO\ decides your standard of living for the rest of your life.

A. A random kid sent me a picture of his afro. /0*1"&(/23%40556(789

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Opinions

BATTLEGROUND Should there be a ban on assault weapons?

Ankit Aggarwal

The U.S. Constitution is heralded as the foundation of democracy. However, the 2nd Amendment has become a subject of debate in the U.S., brought to light recently by the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Opponents of a ban on assault weapons will use the 2nd Amendment as a shield to protect their claimed right to an assault rifle. But, while drafting the Bill of Rights in 1789, when wars were fought with muskets, could the founders have envisioned an era when weapons would fire 65 rounds per minute? Could they have imagined that weapons of war with the names of M-16 and AR-15 were made available to civilians? The founders never predicted the mass shootings that has plagued this country, from the Aurora movie theater to the classrooms of Sandy Hook. These are the tragedies that have sparked a national debate on gun control, and have inspired President Obama’s recent endorsement of a ban on assault weapons. To lessen the pain and likelihood of similar incidents in the future, we must reinstate—and perhaps tighten—the ban on assault weapons. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban lasted from 1994 to 2004, but was never reinstated. A 2004 study by the University of Pennsylvania found that gun crimes involving assault weapons declined by 72 percent immediately after the ban went into effect. Later studies discovered that the number of mass shootings per year doubled since the ban expired. Australia enacted a similar ban in 1996, which prevented ownership of military-grade assault rifles and high capacity magazines. Since then, Australia has not seen a mass shooting. President Obama’s plan is by no means radical. He calls for a ban of military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazines, neither of which have a place on hunting grounds or in civilian homes. While the original ban has been criticized for being too lenient on the types of weapons considered illegal, President Obama now has the political will and national attention needed to ban all military-grade, semiautomatic guns. Enacting a ban on assault weapons will not tackle the fundamental causes behind mass shootings—violence in the media, a lack of background checks, and a lagging mental health system. But it will prevent men like Lanza from killing with such speed and devastation. It will make it more difficult to commit another mass shooting. And ultimately, it will save lives.

Ana Carell

In recent years, the debate over gun control has increased in fervor, becoming one of the most polarizing issues facing our country today. And since the Sandy Hook shootings, many left-wing activists are calling for a ban on assault weapons. But before we let emotional tragedies coerce us into rash action, and before we write off opponents of gun control as mere lunatics, let us consider the rational arguments pertaining to this topic. The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.� To me, the amendment’s meaning is quite clear. Our government runs on an intricate system of checks and balances, ensuring that no one part of our leadership gains power over the other. But having checks and balances goes beyond a simple separation of powers. The government itself must be checked by the people it governs, and the subtle threat of revolution has kept the government in check. But if assault weapons (and subsequently, the means for this revolution) are eliminated, then the system becomes unbalanced, and government control over society can advance without restraint. Furthermore, studies have conclusively demonstrated that increased gun control doesn’t curb gun violence. Despite current legislation against the use of illegal drugs, addicts still find a way to obtain them. Similarly, criminals intent on possessing an assault weapon would only have to turn to the black market to purchase one. In 2004, the National Research Council reviewed a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on an assault weapons ban. They found that banning the weapons, “did not reveal any clear impacts on gun violence.� This is not to say that some reform is not necessary. In order to prevent tragedies like the Sandy Hook shootings, owners of assault weapons could be subjected to a psychiatric exam every few years to decrease the likelihood of an insane man possessing an assault rifle. But what would outlawing assault weapons really gain us? A fleeting feeling of progress and retribution for the victims of Sandy Hook? Perhaps. A crackdown on the freedoms we possess as Americans for no rational reason? Most certainly.

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Adam Smith

Ankit Aggarwal

CONSERVATIVE

LIBERAL

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Betsy’s bucket list Go skeet shooting

#5

by Betsy Morgan

I

was recently allowed to hold a real, functioning 12-gauge shot gun that kind of looked like the one that Yosemite Sam would’ve had. Despite many claims that I would kill someone (I didn’t) or that I would hurt myself (I did, but only because of the gun’s kick), I ended up doing moderately well. I’d also like to say that I am really not a violent, “git-er-done,� gun kind of person. I generally stick to the sidelines, and though I have my share of road rage and good-hearted competitiveness, I’m a pretty calm person. So holding a surprisingly heavy shot gun was a bit of an unnatural experience for me. Also, no animals were harmed in the making of this experience. Hopefully. To be fair, there really wouldn’t have been an opportunity for me to do any real damage anyway. I went shooting in the middle of

Nowhere, Indiana, and there was a solid straight mile of fields in front of me. I was also working on the easiest setting, where the machine underneath this tall booth shoots a round clay disk straight in front of me, so all I really had to do was point and shoot. I missed. Well, at first, before I learned the basics. First of all, if you don’t hold the gun tightly to your shoulder, it kind of shoots backwards with enough force to make you lose your aim. However, the guy who was working the booth was feeling benevolent, so he let me have more than a few mulligan. I ended up getting really good at loading the gun so I could at least look like a pro until I had to shoot again. Finally, after what I think was about 12 rounds and several tutorials from the guy working the machine, I hit one of the disks.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a more purely satisfying moment than when that little orange clay disk exploded in the air. Again, I’m really not a violent person. But if you give someone a shotgun, and they can hit a nonliving target, I think that it would bring out the redneck in all of us. After that, I had to turn in my gun and extra bullets and let my Annie Oakley dream die. But I really don’t think there’s anything more truly fun than shooting stuff out of the air. I think we all have the urge to be destructive if we really let ourselves be. Also, nothing is better than the look on peoples’ faces when I can truly say, “So I shot a pigeon this weekend.� Priceless.

Want to skeet shoot? Here’s how!

1: 2: 3: 4:

Don’t load the gun until you’re absolutely ready to shoot stuff you mean to shoot. In the words of one of the workers, “It’ll blow right through you.� Hold the gun really, really tightly to your shoulder. If you don’t, the kick kind of resembles getting punched in the shoulder by a brick. Always have the safety on if you’re not ready to shoot. See Tip #1 for reason. When you’re shooting, close your non-dominant eye, spot the target, exhale, and squeeze the trigger. I learned that last part from Woody Harrelson in Zombieland, but it actually works pretty well.

%HWV\ SUHSDUHV WR VKRRW D FOD\ VNHHW 7KLV ZDV KHU ÀUVW time skeet shooting. Photo courtesy of Betsy Morgan

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Investment goes viral

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people

$319,786,629 Pebble Wrist Watch $10,266,845 raised The Pebble wristwatch is a recent WHFKQRORJLF SURMHFW WKDW XVHV H SDSHUÂłOLNH WKH .LQGOHÂłWR GLVSOD\ WKH WLPH DQG GDWH ,W LV FXUUHQWO\ WKH PRVW IXQGHG SURMHFW

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total dollars pledged

177

different countries

What is Kickstarter?

Griz Coat $29,015 raised As featured on Workaholics, the Grizcoat made a splash with its ZHLUGQHVV DQG VWUDQJH IDX[ EHDU KDW

Oculus Rift $2,437,430 raised The Oculus Rift is every kid!s dream, a personal VR machine that the user wears over his/her eyes. This product will simulate the game world in real time virtual reality.

Form 1 $2,945,885 raised The Form 1 printer is a consumer level 3D printer. The technology to produce these printers at a consumer level has only been around for a few years.

The Goon $441,900 raised 2QH RI WKH KXQGUHGV RI VXFFHVVIXO ÀOPV IURP Kickstarter, The Goon is an animated movie featuring horror style elements, zombies, and action.

.LFNVWDUWHU LV WKH FURZG VRXUFLQJ website that has completely changed the way companies can work with investors. Investors, or backers, con WULEXWH PRQH\ WR D SURMHFW ZKHWKHU that is one dollar or a thousand. Breakdown: Which industry has the most backers? !""#$%& Art !$$#'$' Comics Dance &(#%'$ )*$#()! Film and Video Design "()#*)+ Fashion %(#')$ !#($%#!*( Games Music "&&#**! Most Backed: Gaming Photography *)#""' &)&#$(% Publishing &$'#+!& Technology +"#&&" Theater

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Newsfeed

news feed

February Fun Facts

Traditional Turnabout replaced by free-for-all Winter Formal

by Mariam Ardehali

Have  you  gone  to  Turnabout  in  past  years?

Are  you  going  to  Winter  Formal  this  year?

Yes Maybe

Is  holding  Winter  Formal  in  the  cafeteria  a  good  idea?

10%

10% 7%

** * **** * * ***** **** *

The dance debate

34%

**

6.4 in*

** **

Snowfall this season

90%

83%

T

66%

No

omorrow, Varsity Club will be hosting Hinsdale Central’s annual winter dance. Instead of last year’s “Turnabout�, the dance has instead been changed to a Winter Formal. In order to reach out to a wider variety of students, the Varsity Club sent out a survey about the event through school emails. “We provided a variety of themes and other options for a dance, including no dance. The option with the most votes was winter formal,� said Margaret Richter, senior and president of Varsity Club. “So to accommodate the student body, we changed the dance from Turnabout to Winter Formal for this year to please more

suburban.dictionary

Harlem Shake n.

1. Youtube craze in which one person shakes his shoulders in a crowd to the beat of DJ Baauer’s “Harlem Shake� then everyone joins in and dances wildly. 2. Advocate definition: Just another Youtube dance fad.

students and try to get more students to attend.� The “girls-ask-boys� rule of previous years has been removed, so all students are free to ask someone else to the dance. Varsity Club believes that this will also attract more students to attend the dance. In order to increase the amount of people attending future events, they always welcome new ideas and input. “Varsity club is also open to everyone all year so anyone who has any new ideas is welcome to attend at anytime and share their ideas with us,� Richter said.

Check out these Harlem Shake favorites on Youtube! “Harlem Shake — RETIREMENT HOME EDITION!� “UGA Men’s Swim & Dive Harlem Shake�

632

Number of Singing Valentines purchased

H appy

Birthday George Washington

281

How old George Washington would be today

“Harlem Shake (original army edition)�

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Boys gymnastics The team hosts their annual invite by Justin Yi Mark Schmidt

Junior Garrett Kim practices on parallel bars for the upcoming meet. This is one of the six events that will be scored at the Red Devil Invite.

T

he boys gymnastics team will host The Red Devil Invitational on March 1, 2013, which will also be the first meet of the season. The Devils will be looking to close the gap between top competitors as well as to continue carrying out gymnastic traditions. The Red Devil Invite is a sophomore and varsity competition with eight teams on all six events: floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, horizontal bar.� Because it’s the first competition the routines will not be as difficult or complex as they will in the middle and the end of the season,� said Mark Wanner, boys varsity gymnastics head coach. Central will be looking to place among some strong competitors from last year’s meet, including Mundelein, Downers Grove North, Lyons Township, and Glenbrook South.

March

06

The team had open mats early during the fall semester and the varsity team is now practicing five days a week from 3:15 to 6:30. “Gymnastics is a demanding sport which requires a good deal of repetition to learn skills and routines,� Wanner said. “We use these long practices to develop skills, routines and build strength.� In order to score higher during the meet, the gymnasts dedicate themselves to rigorous, repetitive practice. “It is all about the quality and amount of time that we spend on the equipment,� said Aiden Jones, senior. “We focus as much as we can on our routines. We figure out which tricks we want to include within our routines, get them, and then practice as much as we can.� Jones expects team to do well if they put in enough practice. “As long as we focus on hitting

March

A

6:00

jv girls water polo vs. Stagg High School

09

March

H

10:00

varsity girls track Devilette Invite

12

our routines, I expect us to perform pretty well,� Jones said. “Our performance all depends on how we do as a team, so we have to work hard on our routines if we want to do well.� In addition, the Red Devils will also be looking to carry on its reputation of gymnastics excellence/tradition as Central’s program is the oldest in the state. “We are well known for our well trained gymnasts and well run competitions,� Wanner said. “The many traditions and excellence in gymnastics is well documented on the walls of our gym.� One of these includes chanting the team motto before the meet: “Hit form win.� Overall, performance during the invite will come down to the amount of time and effort put into training. Expectations are high, and through hard work and training, the gymnastics team will hope to show what they’ve got.

March

A

4:30

varsity girls badminton Lockport Varsity Quad

13

March

A

5:30

sophomore girls basketball vs. Oak Park-River Forest

15

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6:00

varsity boys gymnastics Neil Krupicka Invite

News

Boys tracks starts %R\V EDVNHWEDOO ZLQV ÀUVW FRQIHUHQFH season with a win title in 13 years by Julie Kanter by Betsy Morgan

courtesy of hcbasketball.com

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Chase Hamilton runs down the court on a fast break. The team won the conference title with a victory against York on senior night.

T

he boys basketball team celebrated their seniors on Tuesday, Feb. 12 with a 54-39 victory over York, claiming the conference championship. The game opened by honoring the seniors and their parents with a formal escort. Central order to remain healthy. Central’s track team had an extremely successful start to their indoor season on Friday and it hopes to be able to continue its streak through the coming months.

Ankitten Aggarwal

n Feb. 8, 2013, the boys track team competed against Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South, and Oak Lawn in their first meet of the season. Both their varsity and frosh/ soph levels got first place, along with several Central athletes finishing first in their individual events. Senior Philip Pielet and junior Victor Ciardelli finished first and second respectively in the 55-meter high hurdles on the varsity level. Senior Nick Piker also took first in shot put while junior Derek Roberts took first in the 400 meter dash. Overall, between both levels, Central had 10 first place finishes and nine second place finishes on both levels. Even though this is the f irst meet for the Red Devils, the team is off to a strong start. With a f ive month season running January to May, the team has a long way to go until they compete in the sectional and state meets during the third week of May. The runners also have to avoid injury throughout the season and stay healthy in order to continue to win their meets. Two of the most common injuries are shin splints and tendonitis. In order to prevent these injuries, the runners must take ice baths, stretch, and sometimes refrain from practicing with the rest of the team in

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is now undefeated against York as they beat them last month. Brian Owens, senior, utilized his football skills by throwing a one handed pass across the court to Ian Bunting, junior. Owens led the team with 17 points in the game. Despite his notorious reputation of being the best player in the conference, David Cohn, junior from York and future team member of the Colorado State team, could not keep his team af loat. Cohn received “overrated� chants from Central’s student section. The highlight of the game came with 56.9 seconds left when non-starting seniors joined the court. Specifically, Tanner Makris, senior, entered his first game of the season after previous shoulder surgery kept him off the court. He received a standing ovation after scoring a free throw in the last minute of the game. “It was exhilarating. Hearing everyone cheer for me gave me chills. It was probably a highlight of my life,� Makris said. Underclassmen on the team agree that winning on senior night was especially rewarding. “You could tell the seniors had an extra burst, wanting to win on senior night. It was a great win especially to clinch the conference,� said Matt Rafferty, sophomore. The Red Devils finished off an extremely successful season with this conference win, taking the conference championship for the West Suburban Silver conference and had a record of 23-5 overall, making them the first conference champions since 2000.

?a^Uiles

Eddie Mapel

State-ranked swimmer commits to Mizzou by Paige Pielet underclassmen. Although he looks forward to his promising future, he has been swimming competitively for almost his whole life, and a majority of that at the Westmont Swim Club. He has made lasting friendships through club swimming even before joining the high school team. On Central’s team dynamics, Mapel said, “We have made each other better swimmers. We work really well together and make up one of the better teams in the state.� Throughout the past four year they have grown very close, “It will not be the same without them,� Mapel said.

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Maddie McCormick

H

undreds of people packed into the stands wait as dead silence fills the chlorine-scented air. The 100 breaststroke is about to begin. It is a moment like this, right before a race, that senior swimmer Eddie Mapel loves and trains so hard for. Mapel first found his passion for swimming when he was five. At first it was because his parents wanted him to try it out because his older siblings had done so too. Thirteen years later, Mapel regards it as, “one of the most rewarding sports that I have ever competed in.� Not only that, but he is a USA Swimming Senior National qualifier and has competed at the USA Swimming Summer Junior Nationals in the 100 and 200 breast, placing sixth in 100 breast. Maple earned AllAmerica honors last year in the 200 medley relay. He is heading to University of Missouri next fall to swim and study either mechanical, electrical, or aerospace engineering. “I can’t wait to swim for Mizzou next year,� Mapel said. He looked at other options for college, including Purdue, Iowa, NC State, and Tennessee. For Mapel, University of Missouri was not at the top of list at first, but after a closer look into the academics and swimming at each school, he said, “None of them even compared to what Mizzou had to offer in and out of the pool.� Mapel has hopes that their swimming program will make him an even faster swimmer. He also said, “I hope to be able to compete in the NCAA’s meet by senior year.� Before leaving for college, Mapel is focused on his last year with the Hinsdale Central varsity swim team and competing at state, which is quickly approaching. He hopes to replicate or improve on last year’s successful results. “We have a really fast team this year and will hopefully do the same or even better than we did last year as a team,� Mapel said. It doesn’t just happen over night though. Mapel and the varsity team have practice once on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and twice on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. “In the heart of the season, practices are normally two hours each and around 7,000 yards,� Mapel said, “After hard training for months, you taper or rest, shave and put on a speed suit. You can actually see your time drop and feel yourself go faster.� As a senior, Mapel is a role model to the

Profiles

Angad Ravanam

Deshpande reenacts a winning game. He has gone to state for chess for four consecutive years.

All the right moves Chess team member discusses camaraderie and the value of the game by Maddy Bellman

O

nce again, Rajiv Deshpande, senior, is sharing a board with another player from the Hinsdale team. It’s been this way ever since he was a freshman, but whatever happens, Central will sweep conference and take home the bragging rights of six consecutive wins. The larger-thanaverage team of 30 students will undoubtedly celebrate yet another victory. The chess team is more complex than most would think. Not many students know of its current consecutive conference streak, two-hour, three-times-per-week sessions its members use to study strategy and formation. It’s like any other team, and one of its many dedicated members is Deshpande. Deshpande, who has played since he was seven, immediately joined the school’s chess team freshman year. In middle school, he was not given the opportunity to be a part of an official chess group, and just practiced as a hobby. Since chess is often referred to as a hobby, it is widely misconceived. One of those misconceptions is that it’s a game that focuses more on a lone person rather than a group of people. In a practice, that might be the case, but in chess tournaments, Deshpande said, teams of eight compete against each other. Depending on who is matched with whom and where their board is out of the eight, a win earns a set amount of points. The only way for one person to win is for the entire team to win.

“It’s stressful because you need to keep the team in mind over [the] individual for sure,� Deshpande said. “I remember an occasion where if I drew, we would have just won. I tried to go for the win and ended up losing.� Large matches do not include elimination after a loss, either. A chess team must work together to collectively earn enough points in order to advance and play other teams that have won. If a team loses, they match up against another team that lost. After a tournament concludes, awards are handed out to the best individual players as well as the top finishing teams. “We’re people. We’re serious, but chess doesn’t define our lives. We’re very interested in it, we’re passionate about it. We work as a team,� Deshpande said. Another misconception about chess is that it does not compare to other competitive pastimes and sports. A common example is classic American football. As two very different sports, football and chess are seen as complete opposites. They’re classified strictly by the use of brawn versus brains. However, though football doesn’t involve moving pieces around a board and chess doesn’t involve the throwing and passing of a ball, they both prove to be teachers of life lessons. “[In] football, you have to be responsible for your team, you have to find the best play, you have to make a logical decision,� Deshpande said. “Same thing in chess. You have to watch

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the game, you have to be responsible, you have to always find the best move. Chess is very intellectual. You have to analyze, but the values you get are not different.� The use of physical contact does not make one sport superior to another. All sports have different objectives, but they are similar in their team spirit “We’re pushing each other to get better, so instead of stepping on each other, [we’re] pushing each other up the hill. It’s not a stampede. It’s a group,� Deshpande said.

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Look at me, I!m Sandra Dee Central prepares for upcoming musical "#$3,&4!)$56((

I

n a few months, one girl will step out in front of swarms of people, onto the Central auditorium stage, hoping to give the performance of a lifetime.  Addy Stafford, junior, was selected to play the lead role of Sandy Olsen in the school musical “Grease�.  Stafford has been singing and acting in plays and musicals all her life.  Her career began at the age of four.  The first musical in which she participated was “Annie�, but her role was limited to an orphan in the chorus.  Playing such a small role did not bother her; instead she became creative and chose to name her background character Madison.  To be selected as Sandy in “Grease�, Stafford went through an extensive audition process.  The process resulted in a cast composed of Central’s finest singers and actors.  The time commitment that Stafford makes in ensuring that she has a successful musical career is shown in her after school schedule.  Stafford attends singing lessons two or three times a week with a vocal coach and sings during choir practice at school every day.  While not working on a show she meets with an acting coach about once every two weeks.  In addition to this, she has the rehearsals for “Grease�, which occur

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every day after school for about three hours and get progressively longer the closer it gets to showtime.  Even with the time consuming “Grease� rehearsals, she does not complain. The moment she found out she was selected as the lead in the show, her first instinct was to find her script and start practicing.  For Stafford, working on the play is not a chore, but rather a time when she is able to relax and release stress from the day. “A person in theatre gets to step up on stage and everything that is going wrong for them melts away.  It gives them a chance to escape from themselves for a while and just live in a moment where they completely connect with everyone in the room,� Stafford said.  It was this feeling of freedom on stage that encouraged Stafford to continue with theatre, but it’s not the only reason she enjoys it.  She also loves the musical cast. “The people in it are the most accepting and fun people that I have ever met and I have made some of my best friends doing it,� Stafford said.      She plans to continue her love for theatre by majoring in it in college, but Stafford also understands that pursuing a career in theatre and acting can be very difficlut.  Either way, she’s determined to try.

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Cover Story

3

5

7

11

13

THE

MANAGERS Looking beyond the “water boy”

“ I did it

Johnny Campbell

because I love the game of basketball.�

Liam Jones adjusts the camera to keep the players in frame. He records the games for all levels.

think they became team manager only because they didn’t make the team.� Common stereotypes like this, along with the belief that a team manager’s role at a game or practice is to be the “towel boy,� give managers a bad rap. Noah Sarros, the sophomore basketball team manager, believes these comments are mostly because people often don’t notice the small things that a team manager does. “Many people just see what happens on the floor, not what happens in practice or anything else. The managers usually do the small things that contribute, but many people only pay attention to the big things,� Sarros said. Mr. Nick Latorre, coach of the varsity boys basketball team, said that

“Being a part of my high school’s football team was something that I thought would never be possible.� can even continue their work into college, with the possibility of gaining a scholarship to do the job. Team managers’ roles extend far beyond being a “waterboy.� “There are some people who give me grief about my job, but I think it’s because they don’t understand my role on the team. If they actually knew what I did, I think they’d think differently,� Jones said. Conor Bryan, freshman, said, “Some team managers get trash because others

Liam’s primary role for our basketball team is to videotape all of the games and to code them to make it much easier for to break down the opponents’ tendencies. He videotapes the games and then breaks it down into the opponents’ offensive possessions, Central’s defensive

possessions, and out-of-bounds plays. When the team goes back and prepares for the next opponent or when Central faces them again, it’s much easier and faster to scout out their tendencies on offense immediately rather than having to go through the entire tape and stop and fast forward. He’s got it all narrowed down s o it can get it done in a third of the time. However, his work does not end there. “He attends a majority of our practices. He helps out with practice-passing, running the clock, and running drills,� Latorre said. Jones is on the court the almost the same amount as the players. “With games, my time commitment is about 8 to 9 hours,� Jones said. Boys basketball is not the only sport that relies on team managers. The varsity football team counts on Blake Harmet, junior, to help make sure everything is running smoothly. “I am in charge of all the on-field and sideline equipment,� Harmet said. His job is split into two parts: practices and games. His main focus, however, is games. “For games, at the beginning of the

FOOTBALL

BLAKE HARMET

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Nick Kopp

I

t’s a Friday night, and the crowd is going crazy. Central’s boys basketball team is crushing the Downers Grove North Trojans. They have a 10-point lead and are cruising toward an easy victory. As the crowd cheers the players on from the bleachers, Liam Jones, sophomore, the varsity team’s manager, carefully videotapes every actionpacked moment. He’s been there since 4:00 p.m. videotaping the freshman, sophomore, and varsity games, just as long as virtually every player. Yet, many people still believe his role is insignificant. Team managers play a vital role in helping their team succeed. They assist with practices, help keep equipment organized, film games, and provide encouragement to the players. Managers

Cover Story

LIAM JONES season, I was in charge of using a tripod mechanism to film the games, both home and away. I also help the coaches motivate the team, and I try to tell the boys to ‘keep their heads up’ if we are down. They might not always like to hear the voice of the guy who is just ‘the manager,’ but I can tell I make a positive impact on our team,â€? Harmet said. Baseball also has a team manager to help coaches stay organized. Connor Neumann, senior, has been the team manager for the varsity team since his freshman year and has a wide range of duties. “My main responsibility is to keep the score book during games. I also try to help in any little way I can, whether it be filling for an extra man at practice, hitting to infielders during pre-game or anything else that may need to be done,â€? Neumann said. The stereotypes about managing are not the only misunderstandings circling the school. Rumors about the true reason team managers take on this so-called “unimportant roleâ€? spread as well. The common belief that managers get their jobs because they got cut from the team is not true. Jones, for example, did not even try out for the team. “I like basketball, but I didn’t become a manager because I wanted to be a player. I did it because I love the game of basketball, and I want to be involved in it in some way,â€? Jones said. Harmet, who uses a wheelchair, never expected to have such a large role in the team. “Being a part of my high school’s football team was something that I thought would never be possible. I can’t speak highly enough of the football program, and I can’t imagine high school without it,â€? he said. Managers are so vital to a team that colleges give out scholarships for this position. Drew Zickert, a 2012 graduate, will be the manager for the Northern Illinois University basketball team. His experience as Central’s varsity basketball team manager helped him land a scholarship.

BASEBALL

CONNOR NEUMAN

“During practice we do a lot of rebounding, passing, and encouraging the players. One of us has to film upstairs and then put the practice on each of the four coaches’ computers. When we’re not doing anything else, we have to break down games of future opponents. We have a software that makes custom edit labels, and we have to edit about five games per team that we will play,� Zickert said. “My experience as a team manager at Central really helped me get a feel of how big of a commitment it is. I spent on average about 10 hours a week volunteering my time. Now I’m helping out nearly 20 hours a week. It was also helpful that we used the same software at Central as we do here at NIU. The video coordinator really trusted me to film practice and games,� Zickert said. The preparation he received at Central along with his hard work and love for the sport will help Zickert slash his college costs by $8,000 per year. Thus, despite the stereotypes, most

team managers don’t let the comments about their position get to their head. “I just don’t even think about them. They don’t really affect me, I work hard and try my best,� Zickert said. Jones lets his love for the sport block out the remarks, “I ignore [the comments] because I’m doing what I love, and I don’t think what other people think should change what I do,� Jones said. The coaches who know the managers best know the truth of the vital role managers play in their programs. “[The managers] are instrumental to the program,� Hayes said. “They benefit the program greatly during the week and on the day of competition.� Latorre took Hayes’s comments further to sum up the true role of a team manager and said, “The role a manager plays on the team is one of helping the coaches, helping the players, and helping the program. Liam’s a part of the team, and our players treat him like he is a part of the team.�

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Nick Kopp

Nick Kopp

BASKETBALL

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Family heads to New Orleans to celebrate Fat Tuesday by Molly Leahy and Riyah Basha

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hile Feb. 12 is a normal day for most Central students, junior Catherine Grimm will be spending it a bit differently. Beads and boas don’t even begin to describe half of the things she’ll see this Mardi Gras. Better known as the ‘party of all parties’, Grimm and her family will spend it in New Orleans, her father’s hometown and the center of Mardi Gras festivities in the United States. “My Dad grew up in New Orleans, and he brought my mom to her first Mardi Gras before they got engaged; we have never missed one since,� Grimm said. Mardi Gras season is celebrated from the twelfth night after Christmas until the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras, which is French for fat tuesday, is a time to indulge in all kinds of feasts and revelry before fasting during the Lenten season. It is celebrated with carnival balls and parades put on by different krewes, which are organizations that put on the parades, balls, and carnivals that take over New Orleans each year. “Every year we watch my dad ride in Krewe D’etat with his friends,� Grimm said. Since her dad grew up in New Orleans, Grimm and her family go down south to celebrate the holiday with her extended family and friends. They love to get together in the city and take part in the festivities. “We spend time with my dad’s family in New Orleans, go to parties, watch the parades, listen to bands, and attend a Mardi Gras ball,� Grimm said. Grimm’s family also never misses out on the most important part of Fat Tuesday: the food. “Food is mainly seafood: crawfish, crabs, jambalaya, and gumbo,� Grimm said. “There are the delicious pastries, beignets, and king cake, which contains a mini baby [figurine] hidden inside. If it ends up in your mouth you host the party next year.� For Grimm, Mardi Gras has become an important part of who she is. She feels connected to the New Orleans community due to her friends and family that are involved in the festivities. “I love going to parades and watching the high schools perform and my friends and family ride,� Grimm said. Besides her father, her sister has been recently involved in the parades as well. “Just this season I was fortunate enough to watch my sister, Melanie, be the queen of the Olympians Mardi Gras Ball, something rare that she has wanted her entire life,� Grimm said. As Grimm grows older, she hopes to keep the tradition alive and to continue celebrating. “It is different every year because you take something different out of it at each age,� Grimm said. Young or old, people of all ages around the world enjoy this lighthearted holiday. So this Mardi Gras, join the party and as they say in the Big Easy: “laissez les bon temps rouler�, let the good times roll!

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Online and on the prowl Teenagers utilize technology like Facebook and Tumblr to branch out and form new relationships and friendships by Kathryn Cua and Chetna Mahajan

I

n September of this past year, Manti Te’o, linebacker for the University of Notre Dame, grieved the deaths of his grandmother and his girlfriend who died in a car accident. Despite the emotional turmoil that one would expect him to endure, he never missed a game. And instead, he helped lead the Fighting Irish to win 20-3 against Michigan State. “That was for them,� Te’o said. “For my girl and my grandmother...I lost two women I truly loved.� He called his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, the love of his life. He said she inspired him.

But here is the catch: he had never in his life actually met her. Te’o and Notre Dame both admitted that Te’o’s relationship with Kekua started via Facebook his freshman year of college. Te’o said that the relationship was maintained only through online exchanges and phone calls, never in person. On Jan. 16, the sports blog, Deadspin, published an article denying the existence of a “Lennay Kekua,� claiming that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo was the face behind the profile. Te’o confirmed. Now, in the wake of this well-known and highly-criticized hoax, teenagers’ attachment

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to technology, particularly social networking, continues to be scrutinized by teachers and parents alike. There is no doubt that teens everywhere almost always have their eyes glued to their computer screens, whereas others feel naked without their cellphone. Reliance of the online social sphere is incredibly high for teens, but that does not mean they are necessarily misusing the internet and the various perks of being virtual. There is a certain sort of comfort and reason in constantly being connected through texting, tweeting, and Facebook messaging, especially for some students at Central.

5TPcdrT 5^Rdb The majority of students use online social networking as a means of communication, whether it is talking with a best friend or a person one has never met. Ryann Chioda, junior, uses the Internet to meet people and incidentally met one of her closest friends. Chioda utilized her twitter account to meet someone that she now calls her best friend. “ I have had a twitter since 8th grade. And when I was in 8th grade, I used it as a way to meet people and make friends, but when I started high school, I stopped using it. Last year, one day I was bored and decided to go on Twitter and ended up talking to this guy named Tanner who is actually from Canada. He is my best friend. We Skype all the time, I text him everyday and as crazy as it sounds, we have grown really, really close,� Chioda said. Some, like junior Audrey Gozali, use social media as a way of creative expression. Gozali has two personal tumblrs, one music blog, one YouTube channel, and a movie review blog, all of which she updates regularly. She uses these websites not only as a source for creative expression, something she feels is hard to do in school, but also to talk with people who have similar interests as her’s. Gozali, like Chioda, also found a friend online. “I actually have one pretty good friend that I made on Tumblr...we talk about all of things we like. I think it is actually pretty cool because we have really similar opinions on TV shows and movies, and it’s fun to discuss these things with her,� Gozali said. Junior Kelsey Palmros has a friend that used chatroutlette, a videochatting site, to meet a boyfriend. Chatroulette is notoriously known as a website used by younger kids and teenagers as source of entertainment because of the “ridiculous� situations that people experience while using it. While this is true, relationships conducted strictly via the internet have formed from this website. “My friend met someone on chatroulette and they dated. The relationship was completely over Skype, and eventually she found out some things about him that she did not like, so they ended it,� Palmros said. Senior Kate Duffy has utilized social media in a different way, as she has met a wide variety of boys via Facebook. Duffy also uses Instagram and Twitter to get in touch with the new people she has met. “This guy in my grade from the

Aswego East basketball team added me as a friend on Facebook around this time last year after I spotted him at a game I was cheerleading at. He was cute, so we started talking using Facebook messanger and then exchanged phone numbers—we talked for a good six months,� Duffy said. Although she felt a little strange about it at first, Duffy now thinks that meeting over Facebook is a good way to find potential mates. She says Facebook is better than dating websites because while making a fake online dating profile is relatively easy, making a fake Facebook is more difficult because the pictures people post are of themselves at social events with their friends, so it’s much harder to lie about identity via Facebook. “It was fun to have someone to talk to that didn’t know anything about me or my past. It felt good to know he wasn’t judging me for well-known but untrue rumors about me. He actually cared about me for me, not what people were saying about me,� Duffy said. In general, Duffy advises those that haven’t utilized social media to find a new love interest to do so. She believes that even though social media is looked down upon as a way to meet new people, it should not be. “I think everyone should remember this: do not ever let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. I mean, yeah, someone may be difficult to attain or a few years older than you, but if you never try, you will never know. And Facebook makes meeting new potential boyfriends pretty easy,� Duffy said. “If I didn’t take risks every once and a while, I wouldn’t have met half the people I have.� Duffy reminds people to put themselves out there when looking for love, especially on the Internet. She says doing this makes someone seem more approachable and easier to talk to. In her experiences, she has noticed that “chatting� guys first is a good way to show that she is confidence as well as interested in them. “When on Facebook, go out on a limb and put yourself out there because it never hurts to try, and if it doesn’t work out, there are plenty of other people out there,� Duffy said. “Sometimes we date or DL with people we’re not meant to be with, but later in life we’ll look back on our crazy high school relationships, and it will help us move forward to finding the perfect match for us.�

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Security crackdown Central considers possible safety improvements after current events by Zena Ibrahim and Mark Schmidt

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fter yet another mass shooting incident in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, debates for gun control and increased school security have become commonplace. The push for change has been particularly strong here in Chicago, where 500 people were killed due to gun violence in 2012. Although, according to NPR.org, studies have shown a significant decrease in gun violence in schools since 1990, the recent national developments have again prompted schools, including Central, to evaluate security systems and safety procedures.

94%

of students think Central is a safe school*

Armed Guards Central already has an armed police officer in the school, the School Resource Officer, Mr. Mark Keller. A surprising note about the topic of armed guards is that several parents did not know that Central has a police officer, and others did not know that he was armed. “That was a question we got from parents, a lot of parents didn’t know we had an SRO, School Resource Officer. And then they didn’t know that he actually carries a gun,� said Mr. Michael McGrory, principal. Employing armed guards at a school brings up many concerns on a philosophical and practical level. “Having armed guards would be an interesting idea and would help security a lot; however, cost and how to pay for it is an interesting thing to think about. I don’t know if people would be happy about having armed people walking around the school,� said Trevor Cook, sophomore. Though the recent Newtown shooting has made Ada Hui, junior, “think of what could happen,� she explained that she still felt safe and agreed with Cook. “An extra police officer would definitely be nice, but it’s not really needed,� she said. Monica Isaac, junior, disagreed for the most part, stating that extra guards would settle her recent worries about safety. Though she feels generally safe, the Newtown incident has caused her to wonder about

Central’s security. “Seeing police cars outside the school and another officer walking around would definitely give me more confidence that I am safe and that there are people out there who would fight for students’ lives,� she said. “Security definitely wouldn’t let in random people without recognizing their faces,� she said. Mrs. Seema Kumar, parent of Palak Chauhan, junior, showed similar sentiments. “Hinsdale Central is overall a very safe school but after Newtown school shooting, I feel somewhat concerned. Not because of students and staff here but because he culprits of these incidents are usually outsiders,� she said. For those reasons, Kumar stated that she was in favor of increasing school security, possibly through armed guards or other means. “It may sound kind of weak, but yes, I will favor upping the security a bit, like automatic locked doors or armed guards. Better to act safe,� she said. These issues raised may end up stopping chances of bringing armed guards into schools. “It’s interesting, but I’ve seen some states that put forth proposals that allowed teachers to carry guns, and I don’t think it will go anywhere. There’s just too much opposition at this point. I think the problem to grapple with is whether or not more people carrying weapons solves the problem,� McGrory said.

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Metal Detectors While relatively uncommon and time-consuming for students, metal detectors have been installed in many schools, especially in the Chicago area, to ensure that students and visitors do not bring weapons inside the building. For some schools, this method of security has worked effectively to prevent incidents of crime. Though metal detectors can improve security for schools in larger urban districts with histories of weapon offenses, Cook doesn’t see a need for such an addition to Central. Cook stated that security should be a priority, but explained that detectors wouldn’t be as useful in “a place as safe as Hinsdale.� “You should be able to walk into the school without being searched or scanned by a metal detector,� he said. “We know Hinsdale is a very safe town rather than other Chicagoland areas, so we shouldn’t really have to rank security as high as in other

schools in other towns.� For the most part, Hui agreed, stating that using metal detectors may increase security to an unneeded level. “I feel pretty safe in Central because the teachers make me feel safe, so I don’t think too much more security is needed. Definitely not metal detectors because those would just become a nuisance,� she said. Despite being an effective measure, the security method’s reputation is not perfect. Recently, there was a shooting incident in a middle school in Atlanta, Georgia, in which a boy was shot by a fellow student despite being in a school protected by metal detectors. It is unclear whether the time necessary to maintain the system is worth the questionable safety it offers.

19%

agree with adding metal detectors

Door security Another slightly less invasive security method being considered is installing automatic locking door and key card systems on all doors inside and outside of the school. While the idea has already been applied to the school’s exterior and computer lab doors, the administration is tentatively discussing installing this extra measure to other doors as well. “I think the automatic locking doors are one thing that we’re thinking about bringing to the rest of the school,� McGrory said. Cook explained that this extra line of safety would be “an interesting idea� but could also create potential issues as well. “Overall, for security, it makes sense, but sometimes the cost and hassle can get in the way,� he said. In regards to the setbacks, Mr. Jared Friebel, English teacher, explained that he could only foresee minor problems with the doors. He also mentioned that the safety method could pose a hindrance for PE teachers who go in and out the building. Generally, though, he has few reservations about it. “It could be troublesome for faculty to get in if they don’t have a key card. But I don’t really see it as a setback,� he said. In order to minimize the difficulties that the new security would bring, Friebel also suggested administering a faculty survey after installation of the doors.

29%

agree with adding armed guards

28%

agree with adding new locks

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After school on Friday, five seniors rendezvous to have their regular jam session. There is no schedule, and their only rule is to bring their talent and instruments. After some impromptu playing, they take a chord progression on the guitar they just came up with and quickly turn it into a full-fledged song. Improv is how they practice, and it works for them. Central Seniors Kelly Hannemann, Carl Lamoureux, Jack Kengott, Evan DeLorenzo, and Max Cornell make up the band Vinyl Surprise. Hannemann plays the bass and sings the vocals, Lamoureux plays the guitar and sings backup vocals, Kengott plays the guitar,  DeLorenzo plays the drums and percussion, and Cornell plays the guitar. They have excelled and worked hard as this version of the band for almost a year. “No one can teach you the soul of music... but in order to be an actual musician you need to have some professional instruction,� Cornell said. Most members play a variety of instruments, and all have had an intense interest in music since a young age. “[I was] just born that way, I guess,� Hannemann said. In addition to singing, she also plays the bass, guitar, drums, piano, banjo, ukulele, and the harmonica. Kengott grew up with his dad playing the blues, and

that inspired him to pick up the guitar, piano, and banjo. Lamoureux’s mom was a piano teacher, so music was all around him his entire life. Besides the piano, he also plays the guitar. DeLorenzo grew up with his dad playing multiple instruments, and his parents got him started with drum lessons at the age of four. DeLorenzo has been playing percussion instruments of all kinds ever since. Cornell heard rock music growing up as kid, which motivated him to play the guitar. The members all play music outside of the band as well, participating in ensembles such as the jazz band, the marching band, and madrigals. Although they were all acclaimed musicians individually, it wasn’t until they united that they reached their full potential. “I think it was similar taste in music that really brought us together...we bonded over The Lumineers and those kinds of groups,� DeLorenzo said. Cornell, Lamoureux, and DeLorenzo started playing together when they met in Central’s Jazz Band. When Cornell and Kengott bonded over their love for good music in Mrs. Saunders English 2 Honors class, they got together to play a few times. Members trickled in and out of the group but, by the end of senior year, the five members had been defined.

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“This August, we decided to make our group a real band and stated to look for gigs and write music,� Kengott said. Their music is inspired by genres such as folk, blues, jazz, and soul. There is no way to specifically categorize their music, but they have their own unique sound, and the band will know it when they hear it. The name, Vinyl Surprise, came to Cornell one night as him and Kengott were tossing around names, mostly as jokes. When he said ‘Vinyl Surprise,’ Kengott wanted to keep it. “Well, practice—we like to call it jamming,� Lamoureux said. When jamming, someone will start with a chord progression, and from there, they play. When the band started, they did almost all improvisation. And that is where lead lines and the melodies came from. Once they booked a studio to record they came to practice to perfect and polish their four songs. “Kelly just sits down with this notepad and Max goes through the chord progression, and literally [they] didn’t talk about it before, and the melody just happened,� Kengott said about the creation of their song “Honey�. Once they find something cool, they work with it until it is perfect. Because they are not a cover band, original music is an integral

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part of their existence. All five of the band members are usually involved in the writing process of each song. “Kelly does vocals, Jack does melody, Max lyrics, and [then] it’s all basically split,� Lamoureux said. Once the song is written, they all go over it together. “I think it’s cool that with this band, when it works, we know. And if lyrics aren’t working, we say it. That’s how we get a simpler sound,� said DeLorenzo. To document this “simpler sound�, the band decided to record four of their songs over winter break for an EP. “An EP is a short 4-6 track album. It usually is a teaser for [a full] album,� Lamoureux said. Recording an EP is quite a process and was rather expensive. “The money was half of it, because without it you can’t get a studio and people can’t hear you,� DeLorenzo said. After all, that was the ultimate goal: to have their music heard by others. After contacting the studio, all of the members went to

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Backhouse Productions’ studio to record their four-song EP professionally, which was released as a download on January 25. The EP includes their four original songs: “Lost My Way�, “Blah-da-didileedoo (I Got All I Need)�, “Honey�, and “Goodbye Darling�. The EP is easily accessible, too. “Go on vinylsurprise.bandcamp.com or like [us] on Facebook, and [there’s] a misleading button. It says ‘buy now’, but click that and write $0 and you can download for free,� Lamoureux said. It can also be listened to online without even downloading. “It’s not like iTunes where you only get 30 seconds to listen to it. With [our bandcamp site], you can hear the entire album,� DeLorenzo said. With their newly released EP under their collective belt, the band has another goal to achieve. “I’d like to release an album; we’ve got a number of songs I think are pretty good, [but] there’s more to be done on that front. We definitely have to play more shows in the next few months and over the summer. I guess that’s all a band can do,� Cornell said.

But there’s a question looming over their heads: what about college? All the band members are heading to different places next year, some for music such as Hannemann who will be attending Berkeley College of Music. “College is the obvious roadblock. We’ll see what happens. We hope to meet back up again over breaks, and maybe if some of us are living in the same area we could play a little bit,� Cornell said. But right now, the band is staying focused on the present. They’re working towards their album, and just having fun playing and making great music. “We want to play gigs in front of a lot of people, and make beautiful music,� Kengott said. Vinyl Surprise performed recently at Lilly’s in Lincoln Park, Chicago, on February 8. “This [band] is important; I want as many people as possible to hear our music. That’s important to me,� DeLorenzo said. And now people have. With the EP released, everyone can hear Vinyl Surprise’s unique original songs and download them. They not only recorded their music so people could hear it, but they did it for themselves too. “We recorded [the music], and it was beautiful for us,� Lameroux said.

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Upcoming Concerts Howie Day 2/28 City Winery

Imagine Dragons 3/4 House of Blues

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marks the spot )ROORZ WKHVH FOXHV WR ÀQG DQ ; KLGGHQ VRPHZKHUH DURXQG Central. Bring the X to the Advocate room (249) to claim your special prize. The X will be hidden after 8th period. &RQJUDWXODWLRQV WR 9LFWRULD 6RXORII IRU ÀQGLQJ ODVW PRQWKҋV ;

Clue 1: John Nellinger P!nk 3/9 United Center

Clue 2: Drop it low Jeff Tweedy 3/14 Vic Theater

Clue 3: Show stopper! Django Django 3/15 Metro

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Music review: They Might Be Giants

3/16 Vic Theater

mbv My Bloody Valentine "#$%&'!()$*+,()-!!!"#$%&''($)*&+,-.,+"'/0

Animal Collective 3/16 Riviera Theater

Kate Nash 3/18 Empty Bottle

Local Natives 3/25 Vic Theater

There’s something comforting in the tracks of m b v.  Whether it’s the all-consuming distorted guitar, or the sweetly personal synthesizer, or even just the wispy vocals of Bilinda Butcher, My Bloody Valentine’s first original album in two decades is serene. The first three tracks inundate the listener with overloaded distortion, filling the air. There’s no space to be had here, and these are certainly best listened to in a car or with over-ear headphones.  But by the time the band reaches “Is This and Yes,â€? the listener is ready for a change, and My Bloody Valentine delivers. There’s an emotional release, and it makes the first three tracks all the more appealing.  m b v is surprisingly well-organized given the pathless nature of the individual songs within. Each track is a logical follow-up to the previous one, which is to be expected after a two-decade production period. It seems that the neurotic perfectionism of Kevin Shields has paid off in that respect. Â

m b v i00s simply listenable, for old fans and newcomers alike.  Even if the style of music isn’t for everyone, the album is certainly well put together and polished. What’s most interesting about mbv is the two-decade production period.  The haunting echoes of the album seem to allude to the tumultuous existence of My Bloody Valentine.  And yet while the production period seems to find a home in the music, it hasn’t affected the quality of the record in any way.  Despite two decades of technological and musical innovation, m b v has continuity, which most artists can only hope to achieve. m b v isn’t going to satisfy every listener, or even most listeners.  It’s too exotic and too elusive.  But the underlying artistry of the album is supremely impressive.  Over the course of two decades, My Bloody Valentine has managed, somehow, to craft a shockingly well-orchestrated work. Â

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City scene "#$./!,0!$1&(&2&0

Naperville

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ituated to Hinsdale’s northeast is our neighbor, the fifth most populous city in Illinois and the 174th most populous in the country, Naperville, IL. Naperville is considered one of Chicago’s liveliest suburbs, and it is easy to see why just driving around town. Everywhere you look there is action going on, from the endless shops and restaurants both local and chain to the the beautiful parks and of course the Naperville Riverwalk. But more than just a peaceful suburb to raise a young family or come back and retire, Naperville has made use of technology and city innovation more than any of our neighboring suburbs. Visiting the Naperville Public library, the Nichols Library and Naper Boulevard Library, I could see how much attention the city pays to making sure that every facility is up-to-date. The high schools in the area, most notably Naperville North and Nequa Valley High look more like college campuses. The entire city just emanates a vibe of cleanliness and liveliness, and is a perfect place to spend an afternoon.

The Naperville Riverwalk is the town’s downtown shopping strip that lies right alongside the DuPage River. 4*((.+2456'/#.57 The walkway is just under two miles, and is a very relaxing place to spend an afternoon. The scene while I walked along the brick path was just picture perfect. The few remaining geese and ducks fluttering about this time of year were fun to watch, and I can only imagine how lively the riverwalk will be once the weather warms up again and the duck and goose population here is back up to full swing. All around me there was a plethora of people: parents with their young children, grandparents, entire families, young couples, and groups of friends. And the most beautiful part of the walkway were the numerous fountains along the way. Included in this was the Dandelion Fountain I saw. My favorite aspect of the riverwalk was the fact that, while enjoying the beauty of nature and the picturesque scenes of families and friends, I was also right next to a string of small restaurants and local clothing shops. If you are looking for a tranquil place to spend a Sunday afternoon without having to spend any money, Naperville Riverwalk is the place to be.

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Angeli’s Restaurant is located on 1478 Chicago Avenue in Naperville, and is a quaint locally owned and operated Italian eatery 8''0&+29#*0+: and catering service. The restaurant is a “quaint� and excellent place to go if you are in search of a casual yet classy lunch or dinner stop with your friends or family. Inside, there is nothing too extravagant about the style. Red and white tablecloths cover the tables, and the walls are decorated with traditional handdone paintings, and the whole place is generally very clean. The lighting is enhanced with charming Christmas lights that drape from the ceilings, so the atmosphere feels very open. For lunch, I myself ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo, a popular dish that many restaurants often never make quite right. However, the one I had at this restaurant was just perfect. The amount of cheese was just enough, and it was not too dry nor overbearingly thick, and the chicken was soft and chewy. But the best feature was the waiting service. The waiters and waitresses were extremely warm and friendly, and I could tell they really cared about providing their customers with the best service possible. Our orders arrived promptly and were the right temperature, and the staff was very attentive. Angeli’s Restaurant is an superb place to eat, and I definitely recommend it.

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afterthought

As i gaze into the darkening sky, the cool wind of KLM still blows through my hair and reminds me of the harrowing journey I took to get here. -Ankit Aggarwal

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