Music
Zoom In
Page 3
A special review page dedicated to music.
Page 4-5
Breaking down the trend of stress relief through
the Correspondent • Volume 48 Issue 6 • January 22, 2016 •
• John Hersey High School •
• Twitter: @Hersey_corre • Snapchat: hersey_corre • • Instagram: @hersey_correspondent •
Parking chaos causes confusion Questionable parking organization explained Kenzie Killam Katherine Wiemold Kristina Tajiri Seniors and juniors can agree that dealing with the parking lot in the morning can be a rough way to start a day. There is confusion on where to park, and how many spaces there are available. Students also wonder about how their parking pass money is used, or if there will be any future changes to the parking lot again. The beginning of the year brought a lot of confusion to drivers, mostly about which spots were for staff and which were for students. After the confusion was brought up by students, the painter admitted to making a mistake with the colors of the spots and promptly came back to fix it. “White [parking spots] is staff while yellow [parking spots] is students, Wheeling has got the exact opposite. I used to joke that they got their parking wrong, but of course they’ve been around longer,” associate principal Joseph Krajacic said. Senior passes are $190 for the whole year. Basin Passes are $135 and are available at the end of the first quarter. Parking prices may seem high but are actually low compared to other schools. “The prices of parking passes are a little high, but I’d still rather pay for the pass than fight for a spot on Waterman or take the bus,” senior Katherine Jaffe said. “When I first got here in 1996, the parking fee was raised $50 and that caused a huge uproar. At the same time, though, New Trier High School was $233 for a semester! And parking was tight there, you had kids selling to each other desperately trying to get a spot,” Krajacic said. Nowadays, the district and schools try and base the price off surrounding areas to make it fair for everybody. The funds from the parking passes are distributed into various areas. Half of that money t h e
• Eric Czarnota
• Eric Czarnota ars crowd the West (“senior”) parking lot during the frigid January afternoon.
C
school makes from selling the senior and basin lot passes goes into an account for the central district, and the other half stays at school. The money that goes to the central account is used to keep the lot in good condition. The lot is resealed, and any necessary repairs are performed before school begins. “Two years ago during the cold spell it was making the sewers collapse so that had to be fixed right away, so a SUV didn’t concave into the ground,” Krajacic said. The money that stays here is used for fighting substance abuse, physical education, and security. A parking pass is needed to park in the lot, and security guards are always monitoring to check for passes. For those who don’t pay and park in the lots, they get a warning for their first offense. The second time they will get a sticker placed on their car as a final notice. For the third time parking in the lot without a pass, the car will be towed and a letter will be sent home that explains if there is another offense, students and their families will have to pay for the towing. “We try to avoid that at all costs,” dean of students Justin Penio said. At the end of the day, students may notice many seniors and juniors rushing to get to their cars as soon as the bell rings. “It’s pretty hard to get out of the parking lot after school if people don’t leave right at 2:50,” Jaffe said Traffic and daily parking has always been an issue.
However making it easier to park requires more thought than students can see. “Unfortunately due to state laws, a lot of high schools only have one entry into the building allowed, we have two in the front and the back that was approved, but our parking is on the west side of the building, which makes it difficult for students to park and then they have to walk all the way around the building to the entrances. What we’ve looked at doing is trying to arrange it where students can access the front or the back of the building easier entry into the building. But we also have to consider staff members as well. Staff members can use side doors where students can’t, so we’ve also had conversations moving student spots to gain access to the front and back entrances to make it easier,” Penio said. With winter comes snow and with snow comes car issues. The snow not only makes car problems occur more often, but the snow piles also reduce the amount of spots available for students to use. “We try and rely on our maintenance to clear the snow. They do have a few designated spots at any time where they’ll pile a lot of the snow if their seems to be a large quality of snow covering spots we just ask that students park in a appropriate matter, try to not block traffic, but we do give some leeway if that’s the case and allow students as, long as they have a tag to park, and park somewhere we find acceptable, they can park and access the building,” Penio said. The reduced number of spots are not only weather related issues when it comes to the school parking lot. “The snow definitely reduces the number of spots for students, and the ice makes it very slippery when walking into school. And, the cold air doesn’t help the long walk,” Jaffe said.
News
2 the Correspondent
January 22, 2016
State mandates SAT as new test Kayleigh Padar
The state government in Illinois is currently examining new testing options for all students who live here. After the state’s contract with the ACT testing agency expired, the state began considering a transition to the SAT. Technically, the bill to instate the SAT as the official Illinois state test has not been signed yet, so everything is still negotiable. “As a freshman right now, it doesn’t really matter to me which test we end up taking as juniors,” freshman Monika Smaga said. The SAT has always been widely accepted by colleges, but considered more as an IQ exam than a test of high school knowledge or an estimate of how a student will do in
college. The state decided to choose the SAT because the format of that test recently changed to be more similar to the ACT and the SAT is more cost effective. “This concerns me because we have done all this prep and won’t be able to use it. I feel like we wasted our time on the ACT when we should’ve been practicing the SAT since that’s the one that we will have to take. I hope this doesn’t affect our test scores,” sophomore Ana Manrique said. On April 19, juniors will take the ACT since all of the prep in their three years of high school so far has been working towards that test. On the same day, the freshmen will take the PARCC test while the sophomores take the SAT 10, which is basically a practice SAT. Each test requires different training, so teachers and administration are working to change curriculum to better prepare students to take the SAT. However, the ACT will still be available to take outside of school for any student. Many students and parents might be concerned about this tran-
sition and how it will affect test scores. “We will prepare kids on a level playing field with our curriculum, and our students will fare as well as anyone else because our lessons teach a wide range of skills that will make students think critically and choose the correct answers on any test,” associate principal Ron Kiolbassa said. While the prep might be better, students and parents can be optimistic about the new test. Even though it’s changing, the SAT measures knowledge on a national scale while many other states’ tests measure knowledge on only a state scale. “Illinois is fortunate because we give something that matters as a state exam, whether it be the SAT or ACT because students can use those tests to get into college,” Kiolbassa said. “We can craft our curriculum around any test. The questions are just skills. It’s important to know what happened in history, but in order to take any test students just have to have the skills,” Kiolbassa said. The College Board has been transparent with all new information and the staff are changing lessons in ways that will help students. The school, state, and test administrators continue working to make this transition as easy as possible for everyone involved.
School plans to switch to new grading scale Kenzie Killam
The 2017-2018 school year is full of changes, and the newest change to be approved by Distruct 214 is changing the GPA scale from a 5.0 to a 4.0. For the underclassmen that will be affected by this change, some things in their lives will be much easier and less confusing when using a 4.0 scale, especially when it is time to think about college. “Colleges look at your GPA when you are trying to get in, so colleges look at them to see if they improve throughout your four years and obviously if you do, then that’s good and they are more likely to choose you,” freshman Alison Brandvold said. Most colleges use 4.0 scales, so it will be easier to compare a student’s GPA to the admissions requirements. It will also be much easier to understand what types of scholarships students are eligible for because converting the GPA can be difficult. “I would have preferred having a 4.0 scale because it would be easier to convert your GPA to
whatever scale the college you are applying to is looking for,” senior Natalie Fuller said. One concern about the change is whether or not Advanced Placement courses and honors courses will be reflected in a students GPA. The boost in grade point value from higher level courses will not be changed in any way. Honors courses will still boost the GPA by .5 in grade point values, and AP will result in a 1.0 boost to the grade point value. “Everyone always talks about their 4.0 GPA, and we talk about our 5.0 and everyone gets confused,” senior Lucy Schmidt said. Now that the scale is changing there should be less confusion between different high schools when discussing grades. A benefit, according to the district decision makers, of the new system is that District 214 students’ weighted GPA will much more easily reflect the difficulty and rigor of the courses taken, especially compared to schools who offer fewer AP and honors classes. This new representation of a student’s work, will stand out much more when colleges are looking at potential student.
Proposed grading scale
Advanced Placement: A- 5.0, 4.5 B- 4.0, 3.5 C- 3.0,3.5 D- 2.0, 1.5 F- 0
College Prep: A- 4.0, 3.5 B- 3.0, 2.5 C- 2.0, 1.5 D- 1.0, 0.5 F- 0
• (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun/TNS)
Community educates students about diversity Jennifer Lechowski The Muslim Students Association (MSA) sponsored an event at Vernon Hills High School last month called “Walk a Mile in Her Hijab.” This association is a 10-member organization held by the students. Members of the organization placed hijabs on non-Muslim students who wanted to gain better knowledge and understanding of the Muslim faith. A hijab is a veil that covers a women’s head and chest, particularly worn by Muslims past puberty in the presence of adult males outside their immediate family. Six of the ten members placed hijabs on 17 non-Muslim female students. The members of the association hope for more people to be aware of the Muslim faith as well as acceptance. “I think it’s great that these students are taking the initiative to further the publics knowledge of the Islamic faith,” sophomore Catherine Spann said. The organization hopes that by students wearing hijabs it will denounce negative stereotypes and more people will learn about what it means. Members hoped students would ask the females who wore hijabs to explain why they were wearing them. “I think that as long as the students trying the hijabs are okay with learning about the Muslim faith, then I think it’s fine to spread the religion,” sophomore Hope Calcagno said. For the most part the event was a success. There was one unknown male student who told one of the girls to take her hijab off. There have also been arguments from people outside of the school. Some have argued that they don’t agree with the school being allowed to have a Muslim organization. They feel that because they don’t allow other religious festivities, they should not allow Muslims to have their own events. Regardless of the outside conflicts, the principal of the school was proud of the association for hosting the event.
the Correspondent 3 Music Cage the Elephant offers alternative gift January 22, 2016
Ellen Bakal
Cage the Elephant has been around since I’ve been in kindergarten, but I’ve known about them for only a couple of years. The band’s unique vibe has always dragged me towards their music, but never has it been this good. One of the band’s most well known songs is ‘Cigarette Daydreams.’ Although the song has been out for two years, it only became a hit this past summer. After hearing this song and having it become the sound track to my summer, the only thing I wanted were more tracks similar to it. Last month, I got what I asked for- an unreal album from Cage the Elephant. They’ve been around, Click here to watch “Cage the Ele- but they haven’t had that many studio albums. phant” music videos “Tell me I’m Pretty” is only their fourth album, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl7cF9bwNHE&
but the time put into it resulted in perfection. The album sticks to their chill and alternative vibe, while still bringing a new edge to the table. Cage the Elephant does an incredible job at keeping a theme to their album while still having a variety of music. Songs like ‘Cry Baby’ and ‘Trouble’ convey a sort of sadness in an upbeat way, great songs to play on the radio. Then there’s a song like “How Are You True” that has an audience thinking rather than dancing. Nonetheless, the feisty vibe that Cage the Elephant has put out since day one is prevalent throughout the entire album. The lyrics, titles, and even cover art for the album had me intrigued instantly. Their authentic yet extremely off style sense of music has me hoping not only for more but for a tour extremely soon.
list=PLPXrepToX63eEGlFxldn1fEm8bbZLw1ii
‘Ron Pope and the Nighthawks’ proves uniqueness Nate Horne
With the generic and reoccurring music currently in the industry, I have set a personal goal to search for a new and interesting sound. I have finally found it. Ron Pope has released his newest album “Ron Pope and the Nighthawks” that includes a subtle yet intriguing style. My initial reaction was that the album was primarily country, but as I continued to listen deeper, it became clear that Pope blended multiple themes from different styles to create a unique and fitting sound. Country over-tones are placed over the almost folk-like arrangements. This is most significantly heard in the slide guitar. Slide guitar is commonly used in country, but in Pope’s new album it is used in an incredible style that perfectly compliments each and every song. Although it is seldom noticed, it adds the perfect factor of individuality and peculiarity that helps the album stand out among the rest.
An acoustic guitar is heard among the majority of the songs, causing me to categorize it as a folk album. But the acoustic guitar is accompanied by a plethora of other instruments that are used to precisely add a beneficial aspect to Pope’s indescribable music. I also must iterate how Pope never uses an instrument that has even the slightest bit of hesitance, whether it adds to the song; with an organic outlook, every song was crafted to perfection for the listeners enjoyment. What stirs the most interest among the Click here to watch the “Bad Intentions” music album for me, is that there are also reoccurvideo ring hints of pop-like melodies and gospel/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za1ZBoFHA2s soulful vocals. I love the use of a choir to support Pope’s already genuine and proThe album holds many diverse songs ranging found voice. within the idiosyncratic style. Whether Pope So with all the factors that I can barely anadecides to slow it down with delicate harmonies lyze, it proves true that Pope’s new album “Ron above his rugged and powerful voice, or if he dePope and the Nighthawks” is undescribable, cides to let his edgier rasp bellow over a meaner and only truly understandable if listened to first guitar sound and a heavier rhythm, every song hand. is noticeably enjoyable.
Cudi opens door to his soul through internally explicit lyrics Colette Tangney Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi, released his new album ‘”Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven” last month. Whether a fan or not, it’s hard to not be impressed with his level of openness and his rejection of the stereotypical template of a song, a consistent element demonstrated in previous albums such as “Day ‘n’ Nite,” “Man on the Moon: The End of Day,” and “Man on the •www.rapwave.net Moon II: The Click here to watch the Legend of Mr. “Edge of the Earth” music video Rager.” h t t p s : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / Coined ‘the watch?v=Yoeai-SbB-E
lonely stoner,’ Cudi’s fascination with self-expression and escaping reality, a central theme in any album of his, has led him to add components like adult cartoon characters ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ commentary, sound effects mirroring a scuffled microphone, and long strands of psychedelic instrumentals to put the signature intended mental trance of his work. Throughout “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven,” Cudi reminds his listeners of the realness of human emotion and how we must remember to care for one another as he sings “I’m so delicate and fragile; handle with care.” In his opener, ‘Edge of the Earth/Post Mortem Boredom,’ I would argue this song represents Cudi’s hidden ingenious; as he murmurs “Hanging on the edge of the Earth. Oh what a beautiful scene,” we begin to understand the instability of his current self as he contemplates ending his life with the pair of a slow acoustic beat. After a clip of a radio announcement shift-
Rick Ross delivers new album, students should devour it Jordan Slonke Rick Ross had a busy 2015, to say the least. Releasing two mix-tapes and an album in one year is impressive. What’s an even more impressive, however, is his new album “Black Market.” I found myself listening to it on repeat once it came out. Unlike other Ross albums, this one focuses more on the soul rap. Songs such as ‘Smile Mama, Smile’ with CeeLo Green, ‘Free Enterprise’ with John Legend, and ‘Sorry’ with Chris Brown places the focus on the emotional aspects of Rick Ross’s life, and his emotions show
through the well-written lyrics. My favorite song of the album is ‘Ghostwriter.’ Although it isn’t soul rap like the majority of the album, it has a nice beat to it and a really catchy chorus. A huge surprise to me was the fact that Rick Ross managed to get Mariah Carey on the album as they collaborated on ‘Can’t Say No’ which wasn’t one of my favorites on the album, but impressive nonetheless. I definitely recommend listening to the tracks ‘One of Us’ featuring Nas, ‘Color Money,’ ‘D.O.P.E.’ featuring Future, and ‘Ghostwriter.’
ing the song into the second half, “Post Mortem Boredom,” the track mutates into an analysis of how post-suicide has brought him nothing but utter nothingness. Though it might seem to be a dark undertone, I believe this is Cudi sending a message of the unique blessing and rarity of our lives. For those who aren’t necessarily fans of his, I ask them to listen to his lyrical makeup to uncover why he makes the choices he does. What becomes noticeably apparent is his ability to articulate humanitarian efforts and mental reassurance through verses that drift between the calming guidance of trippy melodies.
CRAYON
CR “I enjoy coloring because it’s fun and relaxing” -Freshman Madison Svoboda
CRAYON
ON
January 22, 2015
AY
ON AY
Why do you enjoy coloring?
Zoom In
CR
4 the Correspondent
“It’s a fun thing to do when I’m bored in class” -Sophomore Michael Sutor
•Heidi Freitag unior Jackie Bednar relieves stress while coloring during her study hall in the ARC. Coloring has become a popular activity because of its calming qualities.
J
Zoom In the Correspondent 5 Coloring brings back childhood memories January 22, 2016
Lauren Theisen Heidi Freitag
With the end of the semester, students’ minds are consumed with achieving certain grades and doing well on their finals. For most students, this part of the school year is an overwhelming time and they are trying to reduce their levels of stress. A popular way of reducing stress is one of our childhood favorites, coloring. Whether it’s done in or out of the lines, coloring is becoming popular for calming people of all ages down while helping their brains stay active. “I find coloring fun and calming. It’s a good stress reliever, and you can listen to music while you color as well,” junior Alexandra Tianybok said. Students are bringing back an activity from their childhood and using it to help them cope
with their school anxiety and emotions. “When I color I feel more bright and cheerful,” sophomore Haley Skiko said. Coloring can have m a n y impacts on people, no matter what the age group. Along with coloring in coloring books, students are also finding it fun and helpful to download coloring apps on their iPads. In doing so, students can take a break from school work and relax by focusing on something that brings them back into their youth. “I really enjoy both electronic coloring books and physical ones because they let my mind wander and give me a moment to not think and stress,” sophomore Mili Meredith said. Various levels and themes •Art courtesy in coloring exist for people
Coloring club begins Andrea Cannon There seems to be a school club, sport, or activity offered for every interest-a new one has been added to that list. Coloring club has begun and was organized by junior Hannah Mulroe and junior Alexandra Tiahnybok. Mulroe and Tiahnybok both find coloring to be a favorite pastime which gave them the idea
to take initiative and create a club for it. Coloring Club will meet every Friday starting last week before school at 7:00 a.m. in the library. The club will be supervised by librarian Katie Alexander. Everyone is welcome and supplies will be provided, but members are encouraged to bring their own. At each meeting, there will be a piece of paper for members to write song suggestions for music
to choose from based on their interests and the level of difficulty they would like. “I use all kinds of adult coloring books. They are more detailed and appeal more to my eye than kids coloring books,” Skiko said. A popular form of coloring is one called ‘mandala’; these coloring designs represent spiritual and ritual symbols in Indian religions, an ornate collection of patterns. The intricate elements of ‘mandala’ have been used in recent coloring interests to not only relax from their calming aesthetic, but it makes for many times a beautiful end product. But, beyond ‘mandala’, it really just comes down to the specific person, and what they think will put them at ease and have the most fun with. “I have my favorite coloring book called ‘Scandinavian Folk Art.’ In it are wild animals and flowers everywhere with lots of trees, cute houses, and birds all around,” Tiahnybok said. Coloring templates can be customized to suit any interest and gives people the opportunity to do something creative while taking their mind off stressful topics.
of Mady Cohodes
that is played while coloring. After each Friday, coloring pattern suggestions will be taken for the following week’s coloring. “When you’re coloring, you are doing something fun and when you are doing something fun, you’re relaxed.”, Mulroe said. Coloring club is something for all ages and genders. “There are different patterns and many levels of difficulty.”, Tiahnybok said. Join the newest club Fridays in the ARC.
Enter The Correspondent coloring contest Click on the link below, print it out and turn in your colored copy to room 118 by Jan. 29. • http://bit.ly/1QbCwDi •
6 the Correspondent
Sports
January 22, 2016
Senior Monsie Plata picks up a spare Above: during practice.
Junior Joey Coffaro dribbles up the court, calling out the Above: offense for the upcoming possession. eft: Senior L Kevin Starr going up strong for a lay-up while being heavily guarded by his defender.
•All bowling pictures taken by Caroline Stiefbold
bove: Senior Zack Cooper blows by his A defender and attacks the basket against Elk Grove on Jan. 8; the game resulted in a loss.
•All basketball pictures taken by Eric Czarnota ottom B right: Junior Emma
Wrenn practices for tomorrow’s tournament at Cherry Bowl Lanes.
Senior Michael Lelito Basketball
5 4 3 2 1
“We listen to Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber before our games.” “As a team, we all have the same sense of humor.” “We have the best manager in the state, John Okon.” “One of our assistant coaches is the best foresnic scientist in the country.” “We have the best bench mob in the area with the best celebrations.”
5 4 3 2 1
5 Facts
Senior Christian Maggio Swimming
“There are only five of us on the team, so we have to work harder.” “Because we have such a small team, we are really good friends.” “We all encourage each other as much as possible even when we are going against each other.” “We all have been in the sport since we were about three years old.” “Some of us have been competing together since first grade.”
Sophomore Mackenzie Kamysz Gymnastics
5 4 3 2 1
“Our strength and conditioning coach is a state medalist and a Hersey alum.” “We practice more often than there are days in the week.” “Our varsity and JV teams bond very well together.” “We are really close with the girls swimming team.” “We always listen to Taylor Swift on the bus rides before a meet.” •Compiled by Mark Milligan