Spartan Banner | December 2015

ThE

Volume 54

Spartan BaNNER

December 2015

Issue 5

Spartan Union prepares for opening

By Anna Sipek, Sports Editor and Elizabeth Goblirsch, Executive Editor

A Spartan Union coffee mug that will be for sale.

Show your Spartan pride by buying one on opening day!

Photo Credit: Anna Sipek

The Spartan Union is set to open before Chritsmas break. It will be student run and will open first and fourth block. The business management class will be operating it, along with Jo-To-Go students. Stone Creek supplies the coffee blends, which are available for purchase along with coffee drinks. Beverages such as smoothies and hot chocolate will be sold along with caffinated drinks and will be available all year. Go to the Brookfield East website for more information, or talk to Mr. Seaman for extra details.

What’s Inside:

Letters of Intent - pg 2 Life Post Musical, What’s Next for Seniors - pg 3

Crisis with ISIS - pg 4

A preview of the Spartan Union Coffee Shop’s setup. It has a lot of room ready for relaxation or studying. Mr. Seamen hopes to pay students that work before and after school in the upcoming years. The Union has transformed from vision to reality with the help of some very dedicated teachers and alumni.

Photo Credit: Anna Sipek The Spartan Union’s tentative selection of drinks. The coffee shop products are provided by high-quality suppliers and retailers, namely Stone Creek Coffee. Though coffee isn’t the only product, the Union will also sell smoothies, hot chocolate, and apple cider.

Photo Credit: Anna Sipek

G&T department focusing on every student’s needs

By Michelle Liu, Arts and Culture Editor

For the past two years, the role of the Gifted & Talented/Talent Development program and coordinator has been taking different steps under the direction of Dr. Scott Peters, a Professor at Whitewater University. The first major advances were taken around two years ago, but some, parents and students alike, may still be unsure and hold some misconceptions as to which services the high school Gifted & Talented program provides.

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Since the 2014-2015 school year, some of the changes to the Talent Development program have come about as a result of the district putting more emphasis on allowing every student to get what they need, not just the gifted and talented. The focus has shifted more to programming and talent development.

In the past, students would first get their learned reasoning and problem solving abilities tested through the CogAT in elementary school. Their

score would then determine whether or not they get placed into the G&T program for the remainder of their primary and secondary education. As of now, this process for entering has remained the same, but what has changed is that many opportunities which were previously only opened up to Gifted and Talented students are now open to all students. The district’s decision to give all students an equal chance of succeeding is wellintentioned, but this has led

some to wonder what the point of having a designated group of “Gifted and Talented” students is, if everyone is to have access to the same opportunities.

Some students have also taken the shift to a single GT coordinator at both high schools as a sign that the GT outreach at the district level is “weakening.” However, that is not the case, as the change came about due to discrepancies between the GT programs at each high school, as well as

the push from parents who wanted a single person as the coordinator of the program.

As for the specific services the GT coordinator offers, they cover a wide range, spanning from course selection to college admissions, as well as relieving stress and providing emotional support for students.

For more information, please contact GT coordinator Peggy Riemer, or visit the Gifted & Talented page on the Brookfield East website.

Spartan Banner — December 2015

SPORTS

LETTERS OF INTENT: SIERRA FISCHER By: Brenna Verheyen, Staff Writer

After signing her letter of intent, Sierra Fischer (12) celebrates. She will be attending Carroll University in the fall as part of their track and field team.

Most of her success, stated Fischer was due to her perseverance within her sport; “ I just kept working on it and I got a little better each time.”

QUICK FACTS* OTHER COLLEGE ATHELETES

MARIAH MILLER

SPORT: Basketball COLLEGE: Cleveland State FAVORITE MEMORY: In eigth grade, she played on a club basketball team. The team went to nationals and placed eleventh overall. It was an esctatic moment.

LOUISE KEIKHOFER

SPORT: Volleyball COLLEGE: University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin MESSAGE FOR FUTURE ATHELETES: “Give thanks to your parents and coaches who are there throughout your whole career. They push you to be the best.”

MATTHEW SZEWS

SPORT: Volleyball COLLEGE: AWARDS: Greater Metro Conference player of the year ON STATE: “ We put in so much hard work since day one, getting how far we did reflected on how har we worked.”

*For More information on the players, see thespartanbanner.com

UPCOMING GAMES

December 22nd..... 4:15 at BEHS, Boys Freshman Basketball 5:45 at BEHS, Boys JV Basketball 6:00 at BEHS, Boys Swimming 7:30 at BEHS, Boys Varsity Basketball December 23rd..... 4:00 at Wilson Park Ice, Boys JV Hockey December 30th..... 9:15 at Ozaukee Ice Arena, Boys JV Hockey 3:30 at BEHS, Girls Freshman Basketball 3:30 at BEHS, Girls JV Basketball 5:00 at BEHS, Girls Varsity Basketball

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When Sierra Fischer began her track and field career in middle school, her coaches pushed her to try everything. In doing so, they led her to sprints and high jump.

Her coaches taught her not only about technique, but also about being humble and respecting others, regardless of team affiliations.

During the season, Fischer is goofy, respectful and extremely hard working. In the off season, she goes to lifting in the weight rooms, an activity she says is a must for future athletes.

Fischer continued to practice high jumps and sprints for the upcoming seasons.

But that’s not all that goes into being a goodathelete. She believes good relationships with teammates and coaches, in conjunction with preparation, is key to athleticism .

Fischer also joined the cheerleading squad and quickly fell in love with the sport, pushing track and field to the back of her mind. She says that it was last year, when she went to state for the 4 x 2 and the 4 x 1, that she truly knew what the sport meant to her. She got a lot of recruitment letters after state, but Carrol University was her final decision.

Before races, Fischer stays calm and collected before races but has a special routine she completes to ease her nerves.

“Every day has to be the exact same for every meet.”

She says that as part of the

daily preparation, she eats the same breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks.

Sierra’s advice for all current and future track athletes is, simply, to “Have a good attitude.

Don’t give up, and stay positive. Even when things are tough, just keep going.”

She’s extremely excited to run and jump again this year and hopes to make it to state again, but this time, she wants to make it in an individual event. This will be her last season with the team and she will miss how close they are with one another.

She says that she’s nervous for what college track and field brings. She says that she will miss seeing all of her other teammates in the hallways and the familiarity that the season brings.

Baby it’s sunny outside

By Nikhita Santennebur, Staff Writer

We look forward to sunny days, with the promise of ice cold lemonade, ice cream, and the beach… until someone nags us into lathering on the familiar, sticky lotion we call sunscreen.

We wear it reluctantly, in order to protect ourselves from harmful UV rays. However, many forget about the same old UV rays in the wintertime. Most tend to associate winter with cold or cloudy days. Therefore, no need for sunscreen, right? Wrong. UV rays are around all year.

Although it might be chilly or even freezing outside, UV rays can still penetrate deep into our skin, and over time cause severe damage. But first, what exactly is UV rays and how do they affect us?

UV rays, also known as ultraviolet rays, are from ultraviolet radiation, one type of radiation on the electromagnetic (light) spectrum. Since the wavelengths of UV radiation are shorter than visible light, it is invisible to the naked eye.

These rays are projected by the sun, and come into contact with our bodies.

Art courtesy of Amber Rothe

There are two types of UV rays that affect us: UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays account for up to 95% of the ultraviolet radiation coming into Earth and are prevalent all year round in almost all daylight hours; they can even penetrate clouds and glass.

Though UVA rays’ effects are less obvious than UVB rays’, further research has concluded that it is a key factor in premature skin-aging, even damaging skin cells called keratinocytes in the layer of the skin where most skin cancers occur.

Moreover, researchers have found that UVA rays are the rays primarily involved in tanning. UVB rays, on the other hand, are 5% of the UV radiation entering the earth on a daily basis.

UVB rays play a major role in the sunburns we know all too well. These cause skin damage on the top layers of the skin, which leads to wrinkling, and, along with UVA rays, cause skin cancer.

All this information is frightening to think about, but fortunately we have sunscreen, sunglasses and other devices to protect ourselves

from these damaging rays. Remember to buy sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher with protection from both UVA and UVB rays. It is important to apply it thoroughly even during the wintertime. It is also crucial to wear sunglasses to prevent eye damage when spending time outside.

Since UV rays can penetrate clouds, cloud coverage does not protect you from exposure. Also, ultraviolet rays can bounce off reflective surfaces like snow and ice, thus increasing the exposure to UV radiation. When skiing, snowboarding or spending times on hills, it is vital to wear sunscreen, protective eye gear, and tightly-knit, thicker clothing to prevent further damage from the radiation. This is because the effects of UV rays increase by 4% as altitude increases, making spending time on hills far more damaging than being at ground level.

Ultimately, ultraviolet rays should never be overlooked, for though they are invisible, their damage is not.

Spartan Banner — december 2015

aRTS & CULTURE Creative Christmas

Spotlight on: Tabby Rhee

By Emma Barbian, Staff Writer

the latter one taking a much longer process to go through, most of which usually are held during the winter, running from late fall to early spring.

Rhee has been playing the violin for 13 years and started the viola around two years ago. To her, it seems as though she has “been doing this for [her] entire life.” She goes to Chicago every week to take lessons from the Music Institute of Chicago and practices 1 ½ to two hours on school days when she does not have as much time. Over the weekend is when Rhee “catches up”, during which she devotes the majority of her day to practicing. Summers are even busier with preparation for the new year.

While competing, Rhee states that since she is more advanced now, she has “high expectations and sets

high standards” and that although she has been competing and performing for many years, she still gets “very nervous” but “[tries] not to think about making mistakes and what others may think” before and during her performance and tries to focus instead on “playing the best [she] can and learning from that experience.”

When asked about her future plans as a musician for college and beyond, Rhee states she “likes the violin and viola equally” but would like to major in viola performance because “the viola is more uncommon and is able to represent [herself] more accurately through its sound.” Currently, she is in the long process of applying to top music schools and preparing for college auditions.

When asked how she balances school work and

practicing, Rhee replied that her days can get very long and “school work is very important,” but practicing comes before homework. She explains that as with school work, “there’s also ‘due dates’ and skipping is unacceptable while trying to stay consistent.” In her view, “simply practicing for enough time in isn’t sufficient; you need to feel as though you’ve practiced enough with the amount of effort and concentration put in.”

In addition to musical pursuits, Rhee also enjoys learning new languages and is taking Spanish and Chinese in addition to knowing English and Korean.

With her great commitment to music, as well as the ability to balance school work and practicing, Tabby Rhee setes a fine example of hard work and dedication.

Snow Globes Simple snow globes can be made using glass mason jars.

Fill the jar with fake snow, water and corn syrup (to thicken the water) leaving some room for air. Use waterproof glue to attach a plastic or ceramic item, like a tree, to the inside of the lid – don’t use a metal object; it’ll rust. Once this is dry, apply glue around the inside edge of the lid and screw it on. The key is to ensure no water will leak.

Ornaments Candy ornaments are just right for someone with a sweet tooth. Plastic ornaments are available at Michaels individually or in packs of twelve for under $10. Select a small size candy, like M&Ms or Skittles, so that they’ll fit through the opening. Wash out the ornament, then use a funnel and fill it with the treat.

Ya’ got trouble, my friend, if you didn’t see East’s musical this year. Brookfield East Drama Department put on The Music Man December 3rd-6th at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center of the Arts.

The cast included many seniors who have consistently partaken in the drama department throughout their four years here at East.

Lauren Arndt Part in The Music Man: Stage Manager Future plans: I plan on going to New York and becoming a fashion designer. Do you have any future plans concerning theatre? I’m gonna be auditioning for some plays in the future, I don’t know, I might stage manage, because I have the experience.

Most memorable play/musical: I would probably say the Music Man, probably because I was a bigger part, and I really felt like I put some of my life into it. The cast was different, and now we are

Sean Wei Part in The Music Man : Charlie CowellFuture plans: I’m planning on going into some sort of either mathematical or scientific field. Primarily I’ve been focusing on a more actuarial studies area, but I really don’t know. I’m hoping to also do some community type [musicals] if the place I go to does theater, I definitely want to be apart of that.

Most memorable play/ musical: By far the most fun was “How to Succeed,” by far the cast was really energetic and flamboyant and wonderful.

Maggie Dentino Part in The Music Man: Mrs. Paroo.

Future plans: Next year, I’m taking a gap year, and the year after that I’m probably gonna go to a Jesuit school and pursue a degree in musical theater, or just regular theater.

Most memorable play/musical: I would say my most memorable one was probably either Music Man or Wizard of Oz. I’d say Wizard of Oz because, as a freshman, I kinda just got to take a back seat and I didn’t have to do much. On the other hand, Music Man gave me a bit more of a leadership role, like not just in casting, but in terms of crowd control and behind the scenes stuff, so it was a lot more work.

How the musical has helped or changed you: It’s taught me a lot about who I am and about self doubt with what you want to do. It helped me become a lot more sure about myself and also pushed me as an actor. It also helped me find different ways to connect with people and taught me a lot of life lessons.

By Nora Berens, staff writer

While many BEHS students have been preparing for the new forensics season or competing in winter sports, senior Tabby Rhee has been busy with some more musical endeavors. Quite the talented musician, she has recently secured a spot in the Final Forte (the final round) of the 2016 Madison Bolz Young Artist Competition, a highly regarded statewide competition. The contestants of the final round will be featured as soloists with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in a performance which will be broadcasted live on Wisconsin Public Radio in January.

The Bolz Young Artist Competition is one of the many competitions Rhee has participated in throughout her musical career. She has competed in competitions ranging from local to international,

Tune in With the Seniors

By Michelle Liu, Arts and Culture Editor

Crafts

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Kameron Schmor

‘Marcellus’ listens intently to Harold Hills plans for River City. Kameron stated he would love to continue acting in the future.

Advice for future drama members: Make sure you enjoy the moment. Whatever role you’re in, whether you’re thinking about doing it or not, the best advice is to just do it and have as much fun with it as you can.

Part in The Music Man: I was Marcellus Washburn. He is Harold’s best friend, a coworker so to say.

Future plans: “ I plan to go straight into aviation industry as a flight attendant. I would love to [continue acting.] The job I’ve been pursuing takes up a lot of time, however, so I don’t know how that would work.

How has the musical helped or changed you? It helped me realize how much I love working with and being with everyone in the drama department.

Lauren Arndt sits attop the stage, giving notes to the performers after rehursal.

the seniors, the ones who influenced the way the cast acted.

Advice for future drama members: Try to be more positive, as it will affect your future as well as everyone else.

Also stop caring what people think. I know it’s hard, but it’s a big part of growing up and being the bigger person.

Sean Wei prepares backstage for a showstopper.

“Mrs. Paroo” sits and knits.

Spartan Banner — December 2015

Editorial Spartan Banner Black Lives Matter: good intentions, bad message delivery

By Michelle Liu, Arts and Culture Editor Staff

Black Lives Matter (BLM), a movement described on its website as “a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society,” has made waves as of late with its numerous protests and rallies.

A brief glance at the Black Lives Matter website shows that the movement claims to go beyond the “narrow nationalism” prevalent in black communities by representing all blacks across the gender spectrum as well as placing all whose efforts have been marginalized at the forefront of the movement towards Black liberation. However, after a thorough perusal of the site, it becomes clear that although this movement has seemingly good intentions, what it actually entails is far from the social equality it claims to strive for.

One of the primary aims of the organization is to stop police brutality. The Black Lives Matter website originally stated “every twenty-eight hours a black man, woman,

Mary Slavinsky Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Goblirsch Executive Editor Simran Khunger News Editor Anna Sipek Sports Editor Michelle Liu Arts and Culture Editor Mark Maier Editorial Editor Anna Sipek Photo Editor Mrs. Skatrud Staff Adviser Nora Berens Nikita Santebennur Brenna Verheyen Staff Writers

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publication of Brookfield East High School in Brookfield, WI, The Spartan Banner strives to inform the BEHS community while providing a forum for student opinion and expression.

The Spartan Banner staff welcomes letters to the editor, guest columns, and story ideas. Submissions must be signed. Staff reserves the right to refuse libelous or obscene material and may edit for length or clarity.

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itself and what the public perceives it to be.

In addition to the disconnect within the organization, BLM is adopting an overly simplistic approach to combating police brutality and racism, in general. Police brutality against black lives is a critical issue, but the occurrence did not arbitrarily arise without cause. This isn’t merely a matter of “racist white cops.” If the police are more likely to shoot a black person as opposed to someone of any other race, the problem lies in the reputation developed by black people and neighborhoods, not in institutionalized racism.

In short, refusing to drop “black” from “black lives matter” and continuing to isolate themselves and gloss over pressing internal concerns does nothing to achieve the “less watered down unity” in defense of black people’s humanity. Rallying protests and trending hashtags will only get so far.

By Mark Maier, Editorial Editor

the

black crime is a “diversionary tactic...whose goal is to suggest that black people don’t have a right to be outraged about police violence in vulnerable black communities.”

Most murders are indeed intraracial, but according to FBI statistics, the very fact that blacks, who are a mere 13% of the US population, make up 52.5% of the murder offenders and 47.4% of murder victims in America is problematic.

The BLM website stresses that the organization recognizes the importance of polices’ lives and is not about hating the police, but the chants of the protesters say otherwise. Incidents where protesters have shouted remarks such as “What do we want? Dead cops!” and “fry’em like bacon” targeted at policemen were not uncommon and have been reported in various news media outlets, further cementing BLM’s negative image in the minds of many.

Thus, what BLM claims it truly embodies matters is known to few and is of little importance compared to how it presents

Don’t play into the hands of ISIS

Adam Storch Staff Photographer

As

or child is murdered by police.” However, that statistic is highly misleading given that according to the Washington Post, as of November 2015, 224 blacks have been killed by the police, which doesn’t equate to one death every 28 hours. Only after getting called out by various media outlets for perpetuating false claims did BLM add “vigilante law enforcement” to the statement. Another key point the site fails to mention is the fact that more than 85% of those killed were armed, which complicates matters and makes the claim that every black person killed by the police was simply “murdered” invalid.

Perhaps Black Lives Matter would be more effective if it focused more on the pressing issue of black on black murders, since it seems to prioritize white police killing black people above black people killing black people.

Now, BLM attempts to diminish the importance of black on black murders by stating that most murders are intraracial, and that the focus on black on

Albert Einstein once said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that caused them.”

When it comes to the issue of ISIS, it seems that many Americans are not getting this message. While I agree that something needs to be done about ISIS, I am always troubled by calls to go to war with them. After all, ISIS was able to come to power because of a war. That war was the 2003 Invasion of Iraq which overthrew Saddam Hussein--even though he never did anything to us. Hussein was a bad man, no doubt, but his iron fist kept Iraq under control. Getting rid of him destabilized the entire Middle East and opened a power vacuum to be occupied by someone potentially worse; ISIS has shown that that potential was indeed reached. To the various warmongers who want a third Gulf War--many of whom have never served in the military, even when given the chance--I have just one question: even if we get rid of ISIS, what happens when they’re gone?

Aside from the fact that this proposed strategy has proven ineffective in the past, it’s exactly what ISIS wants.

These people are religious extremists who are willing to put their lives on the line to serve their deity, out of a belief that such an action will send them to a wonderful afterlife. They don’t fear our bombs but rather welcome them. In addition to believing that such bombs will send them to a better place, they view them as an effective means of recruitment.

Indeed, when we see bombs as a means of first resort, rather than last resort, we are at risk of killing innocent civilians.

According to Brown University’s Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs, 165,000 civilians were killed in the Iraq War--and that’s just the known deaths! The actual number may be much higher.

Regardless of the exact figure, however, the number is far too high. This fuels anti-American sentiment, and causes moderate Muslims in the area to become extreme. To quote the great MIT Professor Noam Chomsky, “If you want to end terrorism, stop participating in it.”

We also don’t know exactly where ISIS is. While Saddam Hussein was at least contained to Iraq, ISIS has spread throughout the Middle East. This has included places such as Syria; considering the fact Syria is experiencing a civil war on top of this, many people are fleeing the country as refugees. One would think that the people who claim to hate ISIS so much would want to help people who suffer at their hands--but apparently this is not the case. The previously-mentioned warmongers are usually among people in the country who want to refuse to take refugees in. They tend to bring up a concern that ISIS members may have snuck in with the refugees, but there is no evidence that this has happened or will happen. In fact, this has never happened during any refugee crisis ever.

This is simple bigotry, blaming an entire religious group for

the actions of a small number of people in it. Once again, this can fuel anti-Western sentiment, and cause moderates to become extreme. Once again, we’re doing exactly what ISIS wants.

If we want to stop ISIS, we can’t do it alone, as unilateralism has proven ineffective before. We need to form a coalition with our allies--not just our Western allies, but also those in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia has the thirdlargest military budget in the world--where have they been?

We’re starting to get along better with Iran, and we both hate ISIS--why aren’t they doing more? Perhaps forming a massive coalition is easier said than done, but this is what we should strive for.

In the longer run, however, if we want groups like ISIS to stop propping up, we should stop playing a role in their creation. The United States is not the police force of the world, and our aggressive insistence on being that has not served us well. Oftentimes when talking about extremist groups, we ask the question, why do they hate us? After 9/11, then-President George W. Bush said, “they hate our freedom.” In reality, they hate the fact that we feel we have the freedom to spread our empire across the world.

They hate the fact that we are in a state of perpetual warfare with their region of the world, regardless of how damaging that proves to be, so a handful of oil companies and defense contractors can make large profits. Of course, US foreign

policy alone doesn’t create groups like ISIS, as extremists will always exist--but we shouldn’t poke a hornet’s nest.

This is ultimately what the people so passionately calling for war will have happen, yet again. They must not be successful in their goal.

In a speech that would probably cause him to be seen as an ultra-liberal today, President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.” While we do need to utilize military resources to deal with ISIS, we cannot afford another fullscale war. The monetary and human costs have been, and would again be too massive to justify, and a lot of money can instead be better utilized at home. We could be fixing our crumbling infrastructure, caring for our elderly people, helping our poor people, reinvesting in our under-funded schools, and so much more.

Though ISIS is a priority, it is not our top priority. We must find a balance between dealing with them and dealing with our domestic problems. Working with a coalition to fight ISIS, while simultneously helping our own people at home, is the best means of allowing both problems to be solved. If we wage another large-scale war, however, we won’t stop ISIS, and then we’ll have a plethora of other problems going unsolved at home. That’s exactly what ISIS wants--let’s disappoint them!

Spartan Banner — december 2015