THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
Volume 57, Issue 1 • Fall 2017 Brookfield East High School 3305 Lilly Road • Brookfield, WI • 53005
Editor’s Note
THE BANNER STAFF 2017-2018 EXECUTIVE TEAM
The Road To Success In recent years, our world has seen pressure to thrive like never before. As more is expected of us, we work to reach the rising standard of “success.” For those of us growing up in this time, our lives often seem centered around this need to reach the rising standard. But in a world focused on the final result, the journey to achievement is often overlooked. Our fall issue explores students’ personal path to reaching their goals: their road to success. Here, we tell the stories of successful students at our school, from athletes (page 14) to performers (page 10), and more. We examine what success is, and how we define it at Brookfield East (page 8). So here’s to the students of East. Here’s to all they achieve. And here’s to the stories of how they to got there.
Natalie Schmidt
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief NATALIE SCHMIDT
PRINT DIRECTOR ANA AGAPITOVA Advertising Manager AARON LIU Social Media Manager EMMA JESTER DATA DIRECTOR SIMRAN KHUNGER NEWS EDITOR ARJUN SHREEKUMAR FEATURES EDITORS AVA BARKER MIA SCHLIDT LIFESTYLES EDITOR MARIA KORKOS SPORTS EDITOR KATIE ANDREWS STAFF JOURNALISTS Sam Barnes Victor Calvo Ariana Collins Megan Daniels Bera Demirbilek Catherine Ding Langston Ford
Shagun Singh Turner Tushaus Rucheng Pan Matthew Peterman Bella Koch Nikhita Santebennur Emma Schaetz
Adviser MRS. LINDSAY SKATRUD MISSION STATEMENT
The Spartan Banner is an open forum of student expression that aims to inform, enlighten and entertain the students of the Brookfield East community. While the student body is the primary audience, the staff recognizes the publication is read by faculty, administrators, parents and the Elmbrook community. The Spartan Banner staff reserves the right to write about interesting and relevant material at a local, regional, national and worldwide level. As decision makers for the publication, staff members strive to adhere to the qualities of professional journalism with emphasis on skills defined by the Journalism Education Association.
Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor may be submitted to spartanbanner@elmbrookschools.org. Please specify what topic or article you are addressing and limit your letter to 200 words. Include your name and preferred method of contact. We reserve to right to edit for length and clarity before publishing your submissions. Please submit your letters in a timely manner.
IN THIS ISSUE 4 5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12 13 14-15 16-17 18-19
Chromebook Concerns
Parents are now notified of your chromebook history. Is it for safety reasons or a privacy violation?
Burleigh Road Construction
How does road construction affect the lives of staff and students in the Brookfield East community?
Homework, Home Games, and Headaches A Day in the Life of a Brookfield East Student
Defining Success
Everyone defines success differently; for some it’s having a high GPA and test scores, while for others it’s defined by relationships and happiness.
Les Miserables is Anything but Miserable As the fall musical heats up, we get the inside scoop with rookie actors and season professionals.
Preparing for College
Julian Rhee (12) provides insight on how to lead a successful high school career .
Brookfields Distinguished Young Women Discover how two Brookfield East seniors, Harriet Huang (12) and Priyanka Ramanathan (12), became distinguished young women.
Athletes Work Towards Excellence
East students share their journey, and advice, to having a successful athletic career.
Boys Volleyball Returns to State
How the Brookfield East boys varsity team performed in the
regular season, post season, and at state
Fall Sports Recaps
K O O B E M O R CH CONCERNS d of your ts are notifie n re a p k o ro fety reaElmb . Is this for sa ry to is h k o o b chrome ? acy violation sons or a priv
because “[Elmbrook] receives federal money...There is content out there that can be deemed unsafe and that isn’t for the school environment.” He argues that the policy “is about equipping parents and empowering them”. Such guidance will help developing students focus on their academic careers and ignore distractions. The students affected by this policy are in the age range in which they need parental guidance while they grow independent. Some students have expressed concerns with increased parental involvement in their digital lives. Calvin Tampa (9) believes that the policy should be implemented only “if it gets bad enough where [the school] must communicate to [the students’] parents.” Tanay Gummadi (12) agrees that “there must be an agreement between students and the parents.”
Langston Ford Namitha Alexander
P
Aaron Liu and Ana Agapitova
rivacy is a very touchy subject in America. As such, the recent decision to e-mail guardians a weekly report of students’ Chromebook search history is important to many students.
What is the reasoning behind sending reports home, and what does this mean for students? Dan Scott, Elmbrook Schools Director of Technology, explained that the policy currently affects students between second and eighth grade; however, it may be extended to high schoolers depending on its success. He furthered that the policy is necessary
One of the largest questions at hand is how such a policy would influence student use of Chromebooks. Tampa noted that his chromebook usage would not change, as he uses his device strictly in school. Moving forward, students can trust that a discussion will take place. Scott says that any change in school policy would not come without thorough deliberation so students and adults can present their opinions and come to a consensus.
Burleigh Road Construction How does road construction affect the lives of staff and students in the Brookfield East community? Allison Schmidt
I
n Waukesha County alone, an average of 8,500 students are transported by bus every day. Timing, safety, and efficiency are key to happy students and drivers. So, when road construction comes along, the community is quite literally forced to take the detour.
Victor Calvo
Rishav Kumar
cidents that put little kids in danger.” Recently, construction on Lily, just one min-
He is also responsible for bus transportation of students. This year, he dealt with many challenges that came along with construction.
Right down the road from Brookfield East, the intersection between Burleigh and Pilgrim went under construction beginning June of 2017. It was open by the time school started, but minor construction was still under way and the intersection was closed frequently for short periods until late October.
“When construction is at key places, like at Burleigh and Pilgrim, or Lily being closed, that is a disruption.” Thompson explained. “When they moved Burleigh to a four way stop instead of through traffic, we had to go around and change the bus stops to make sure they were out of construction.”
This obviously affected the students here at BEHS, especially student drivers and participants in clubs and sports. Leah Westcott (12), says how inconvenient the construction was “because [everyone] had to find alternate routes, which were slower, and it caused a lot of problems if they needed to go somewhere nearby the intersection.” For many, that somewhere was Brookfield East.
confusion where and when road construction occurs. Thompson’s first step is to notify the residents nearby, especially student drivers who must get to school every day.
Most importantly, student safety remains a priority and students get to school all in one piece.
ute away from Pilgrim, caused the road to close.
Burleigh and a main section of
The downfall of road construction, whether it be deep in the city or down in the suburbs, is that it comes in a package with accidents, fines, and police presence. Those who drive know just how many police cars hide under trees and driveways for speedy teenagers to zip around the corner.
Arteyvian Smith “disruption to not are open one day next. We have schedule and find so it makes tim-
(10) says how it’s a know when roads and closed the to change our alternate routes, ing difficult.”
Westcott and many others she knew were pulled over during this period of construction. “People also said there [were] police around because the route was used so often and there had been ac-
Chris Thompson, ficer of the Elmtrict, has a number when it comes to cation, including
Chief Strategy Ofbrook School Disof responsibilities district communiminimizing this
Road construction has always been necessary for long-term safety and developmental progress. In fact, the whole construction process increases maintenance employment, improves management, and offers better public transportation. Construction also takes time, resources, and taxes. Not to mention inconvenient conditions and road rage. So, the question idents ask is: Is
that many resit all worth it?
Well, the answer can be best put in Smith’s wise words: “[Our] hope is that it helps. The world is just trying to make it easier so main roads don’t get stopped up all the time. We should just hope that it helps in the long run, and is worth the wait.”
listens to music to “pump up or chill out”.
Homework, Home games, and Headaches A Day in the Life of a Brookfield East Student Catherine Ding and Ariana Collins Ana Agapitova
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n any given day, there are busy students, ranging from athletes to performers, hustling about in the hallways of Brookfield East. How do these students balance their schoolwork, activities, and more? How adolescents spend their time is very important, as it strongly influences their health later in life. They need plenty of sleep, good nutrition, regular exercise and time to form relationships with others. asked tell us
some about their
With this heavy load, Genova gets around six hours of sleep a night at this time of year. She admits, “I definitely feel tired during the day… I don’t always stay awake during the day.” To stay healthy, she tries to pack her lunch when she has time. Another performer is Alexis Gioia (11). She is currently in Les Miserables, Interact, Earth Club, and Latin Club. Usually, she rehearses for two hours after school on Mondays through Thursdays. Before a big show, she gets into character by envisioning who she’ll become for the show. “Over the course of three months, I will have made objectives for everything my
Bella Koch
We’ve dents to
Genova has about two hours of homework every night. She quotes, “I try to stay on top of it so that I’m not saving it all for one night.” However, this does not include the time spent doing other things like the “never-ending process of college apps”.
stulives.
Jill Genova (12) is an athlete and performer. She’s in Les Miserables and a varsity tennis player. Other activities include competitive ski, a few choirs, NHS tutoring board, Spanish Honors Society, and Student Council Executive board. With so many activities, Genova reveals, “Sometimes I have to miss a club event because I heave a performance or a ski race/match.” She typically spends about two hours at tennis practices, and two hours at musical rehearsals. Genova has to spend a lot of time outside practice to learn/rehearse music. Before a big meet/performance, she
character does. Before shows, I mentally scan through each song or scene I am in, and imagine my objectives.” She also has about 1.5 hours of homework each night. Despite the light load currently, Gioia notes that this does change with each term. “Last year, I was doing two to three hours with core classes and AP’s.” She sleeps about eight hours a night. Although it appears to be a lot, Gioia says that she feels more tired during November and December, when musical practices become more intense. She avoids drinking coffee to not rely on caffeine. To maintain her health, she avoids processed and low nutrient foods, and she eats more iron filled foods during tech week to get energy. Logan Bell is currently a freshman on the Cross Country team. Although he is not involved in other activities, Bell reveals, “When I’m not running with the team, then I’m at church, running by myself, cycling, swimming, working out, fishing, playing guitar, or hanging out with my family and friends.” He spends two hours a day at practices. Bell believes that “in Cross Country there’s always something special. What’s not special about hanging out with friends and coaches who push you to run faster?” To get ready for races, Bell stays “warm and loose” by running around the course. His coach tells the runners to “find your dark place.” For Bell, 1.5 hours a night is spent doing homework. He says
that he tries to spend his time wisely, though “it is very hard being a procrastinator... I just try my best to prioritize what needs to get done and when.” In regards to sleep, Bell spends about 8.5 hours a night sleeping. Bell explains, “I try to… wake up at 5:30AM to go running, biking, swimming, or to catch up on any school work”. He usually feels pretty awake. Bell stays healthy with his diet consisting of lean meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and protein bars. Bell will try not to consume dairy before race days. According to the Stanford Graduate School of Education, the maximum time spent on homework per day for teenagers should be about three hours. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that female adolescents get about 2,200 calories/day, and male adolescents get 2,800 calories/day. However, it is not a surprise that the area these students are lacking is sleep. It appears that almost none of these students get the recommended amount of sleep for teenagers, which is nine hours, as stated by the National Sleep Foundation. The effects of not getting enough sleep include limiting your ability to learn, concentrate, and raising the risks of getting illnesses. Getting sufficient sleep is one of the most important ways to stay healthy.
High school students are going through a significant phase in their life where they are developing, and sleep is essential. Athletics and performance are passions of many at Brookfield East, but learning to balance them with a healthy lifestyle is a common goal.
Definition o
Everyone defines success differently; for some it’s having a high GPA and te Ananth Baht
S
uccess is a driving factor for almost everything we do, however many people define it differently. Others believe that our environment plays a large role in setting For example, many students define our standards. For example, Ian success through academics and ex- Flynn (11), argues that many stutracurriculars, however others, such dents look to the swathe of classas Abby Werry (11), define suc- es they take when defining success. cess as “Something that is not determined by societal expectations, He said that “there is this line where but by what makes you happy”. we have reached the point where we now not encourage [people to take advanced courses] but [it] is almost looked as it is required, which isn’t fair to students.” This isn’t fair because success shouldn’t be defined on the basis of GPA and achievements.
Success is... “not determined by societal expectations, but by what makes you happy”
miss out on the social aspect of high school, the aspect most important for our lives in the future. A solution he proposed was “to cap the amount of AP’s one can take so that you only take what you enjoy or wanna pursue”. This would be a great way to relieve stress for students and sacrifice their mental and physical health for the sake of a stronger resume.
In the meantime, for those who feel pressured into taking adFlynn furthered that schools are the vanced classes, teachers can main source of this attitude, as “in high be a good source of advice. school you get statements where people tell you that you need to push your- Mrs. Hot, an English teacher, sugself because that raises your GPA.” gests that “sometimes we need to know the boundaries, sometimes too He continued that we are now treat- much challenge is not a good thing ed as college students rather than either and serves as a deterrent rathhigh school students due to this er than a motivator for learning. I system. Due to this treatment we would say the key to success... is to
Ava Ba
of Success
and test scores, while for others it’s defined by relationships and happiness.
Ava Barker and Ana Agapitova
find that balance between our aspirations and our abilities at the moment. I would suggest the 3 P’s. Patience, Practice, and Perseverance.” These three elements tal to a healthy definition cess, and expectations with one’s ability to
are viof sucin line achieve.
Mrs. McKenna, a guidance counselor, believes that much of the problem with overbearing standards is a lack of communication with families. She believes that “[parents] want [their children] to go to a good school, but the thing is that there are a lot of good schools and selective doesn’t mean best. A conversation is needed ... between parents and kids.” Once families are able to communicate standards, students will be able to work under less pressure and avoid the anxieties of unrealistic expectations.
In Mrs. Hot’s words, “If we only focus on academics or achievements we are missing out on that important aspect of our humanity .... look at yourself as a human being and try to succeed as a person and not just as a scholar or athlete.” Only by looking at ourselves as people can we have a wholesome definition of success that frames us for a fulfilling life ahead.
“...look at yourself as a human being and try to succeed as a person.”
If we continue defining success by GPA and trophies, we will miss out on an important aspect of our high school career: interpersonal relationships - which can only be attained by going to Wendy’s at midnight to grab a quick bite before it closes, hanging out at a football game, or spending the night watching movies with friends. We are high school students, and we should treat ourselves accordingly. It is more important to have a strong relationships, than valedictorian tassels on your graduation cap. Only by changing our definition of success to a sensible one can we hope to find true satisfaction in our futures.
Bennett Shebesta (12) steals the show (and bread) as Jean Valjean
Les Miserables is Anything but Miserable
As the fall musical heats up, rookie actors and seasoned professionals provide insight on the magic that happens before the curtain comes up. Rucheng Pan
Stephanie Taylor
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very year, East’s musical is a very prestigious activity, and this year’s musical, Les Miserables, is no exception. Each actor has worked tirelessly to earn their role. The musical is especially difficult for the freshmen who hope to get in. Just eight freshmen are in the musical this year.
Tessa Jester (9) explains how she has worked hard to be in this selective cast. She cites previous experience and her sister Emma (11) as some of her biggest influences. At Pilgrim Park, she joined Pilgrim Pizzazz. She starred in the musicals all three years,
Emma Jester and Aaron Liu
earning a lead role in 7th and 8th grade. When this year’s musical auditions rolled around, her sister provided her with insight and performance tips. Emily Nelson (9) was also part of Pilgrim Park’s musical and Pilgrim Pizzazz. Emily has danced for most of her life, helping her get accustomed to the stage. She felt prepared for auditions this year, as her prior experience taught her how to work with deadlines and time requirements. Nelson and Jester both say upperclassmen helped them adjust to their roles, such as Victoria Smurawa (10), Carolann Grzybowski (12), and Bennett Shebesta (12). These performers have also had to draw from prior experiences to move up through the
ranks. For example, despite her status as an underclassman, Smurawa has already earned a lead role. Many wonder how she could achieve such an accomplishment so early on in her high school career. She credits her previous musical experience, which helped her with performing in front of large crowds. Furthermore, Shebesta plays the lead male character, Jean Valjean. He has been involved with the musical for the past two years at East, and cites his previous musical experience as a factor in the success he has achieved. These experiences have taught him how to
exist as his own person and not rely on an ensemble to do all of the work, which helps build a stronger character. Grzybowski, who plays Fantine, started acting at the age of eight with her father at the local theater. It was here that she discovered she had an interest in theater, and her resume of shows- both school musicals and community shows- started piling up. Last year she received a Tommy Award, which, in her words, “recognized all the work she’d put in.” Overall, each and every person in East’s musical has worked relentlessly to be a part of the show. Whether it’s through prior theater experience, or the help of teachers and peers, these students have moved up the ranks to earn a role in this production.
Tessa Jester (9) as a factory girl
Victoria Smurawa (10) as Eponine
Carolann Gryzbowski (12) as Fantine
seem unnecessary or irrelevant in daily life, Julian Rhee (12), a student with a high GPA, believes that goals were the key to making his high school career successful early on. In addition to his high GPA, Rhee plays the violin and plans on attending a music school after high school to make music his profession. He stated that “making goals, making sure I knew exactly what I wanted to do, really helped me in achieving what I could achieve.”
Preparing for College Senior Julian Rhee provides insight on how to lead a successful high school career Atal Sundaraman
The college application is a senior’s ticket to Arjun Sheekumar and Ana Agapitova the college of their dreams. Therefore, it is in their best interest to make it the best they can. Students must develop a good work his time of year, many students are ethic early on and develop good habits. extremely busy with schoolwork, sports, and clubs. For seniors who plan on going to Additionally, students who are successful in college, the application process is added to high school and college likely have very high their workload. Goal setting is one method standards and goals for themselves. They to succeeding in activities and getting into push themselves and manage their time college. very effectively, which helps them earn high grades and prepare them for life after high Every post-secondary institution is differschool. ent, and each college has a different set of requirements for students to be accepted. Students are often asked to set goals for Those variations include GPA standards, themselves, which helps them have someACT and SAT scores, and involvement in thing to work towards, keeping them on the clubs, sports, and the community. track to success. While having goals may
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Furthermore, Rhee believes that “picking out the right schedule” has also helped him move in the direction of success in both high school and college. For students looking to earn a place at highly ranked colleges, it is important to take difficult courses. But it is also important to have a balanced schedule. Brookfield East students have very busy lives- with sports, clubs, homework, and even a job. Using different goal setting strategies, students are able to balance their lives and move toward success. One strategy is time management. Some students set a specific amount of time on the task at hand. This allows them to be reminded that he or she cannot waste time allotted for each subject or homework assignment. Then they plan accordingly, based on their extracurricular times. Time management is just one example of how goals keeps a student motivated. When goals are set, students can keep life balanced, and apply to the college of their dreams.
Admissions Profile - UW Madison vs. Stanford (GPA)
Admissions Profile - UW Madison vs. Stanford (ACT) 80%
60%
70%
50%
60% 40%
50%
30%
Percent Admitted - UW Madison
20%
Percent Admitted - Stanford
10%
40%
Percent Admitted - UW Madison
30%
Percent Admitted - Stanford
20% 10%
0%
0% 30-36
24-29 ACT Score
18-23
3.75 and above
3.50-3.74 GPA
3.25-3.49
Mrs. Linnihan, the shy sixteen year old, would later start the program for the Brookfield Community. She wanted to share the experience by helping girls validate their confidence, and start a club that truly develops young women. Unsurpris-
Brookfield’s Distinguished Young Women Discover how two Brookfield East seniors, Harriet Huang and Priyanka Ramanathan, became distinguished young women. Langston Ford Ana Agapitova
Y
ears ago, a shy sixteen year old girl had decided to join America’s Junior Miss, (now known as Distinguished Young Women). The pressure from her mom, and her sister’s legacy of winning years earlier, influenced her decision.
“It is nerve wracking, but very advantageous in speaking skills because it prepared her for future interviews”. ingly, Mrs. Linihan’s program did just that. Harriet Huang (12) was the only student to participate. Huang won the local Brookfield Competition, went on to win the State competition, and qualified for the National Tournament later this year. Huang’s journey throughout the program is certainly impressive. She described two challenges that pushed her out of her comfort zone. The first challenge was the interview process. It is nerve wracking, but very advantageous in speaking skills because it prepared her for future interviews. Huang specifically notes that DYW is not a beauty pageant, but simply tests how well-rounded one is. Secondly, Huang was challenged by meeting new people. She was the only girl from East, so it forced her to talk to new people. Brookfield
East
has
another
Distin-
guished Young Woman to boast about as well. Priyanka Ramanathan (12) won the Menomonee Falls DYW program. In order to highlight the concept of Distinguished Young Women testing well roundedness, she brings up the 5 main values: Be healthy, Be ambitious, Be involved, Be responsible, Be studious. The values help girls be the best version of themselves. Ramanathan was able to incorporate her Indian heritage with her talent through dance, which separated her from other competitors at the local level. The biggest impact for her was ultimately making her more aware of others and gaining more confidence. Distinguished Young Women continues to have a positive impact on our school district, thanks to leaders like Mrs. Linnihan.
Distinguished Young Women’s Mission Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women is the largest and oldest national scholarship program for high school girls. To positively impact the lives of young women by providing a transformative experience that promotes and rewards scholarship, leadership and talent. Distinguished Young Women is a national scholarship program that inspires high school girls to develop their full, individual potential through a fun, transformative experience that culminates in a celebratory showcase of their accomplishments.
Spartan Spirit on Sports! Our Spartan athletes always work his or her hardest to reach their goals and ultimately reach success.
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here’s a feeling you get when you achieve something great - the feeling of success. There’s a certain formula to achieving success that seems to transcend throughout life. It starts from the basics -- practice.
Matthew Johnston (12) plays football and does track and field for East. Like Heydt, he has practice during the season a f t e r school ever y day
Ben Heydt (12) plays soccer for both Brookfield East and F.C. Wisconsin. On the first day of practice, he ran 6 miles. During the season, Heydt has practice for about an hour and a half after school every day, where running is constant.
Gretchen Bruhn (12) plays volleyball for both East and for Wisconsin Premier Volleyball Club. Like other sports, Gretchen and her team practices after school every day for about 2 hours. These practices are used for building skills that the team needs to improve upon and for building team chemistry, which is crucial for a team sport such as volleyball.
Emma Schaetz (12) swims for the local Elmbrook Swim Club. She swims year-round and is constantly practicing in and out of the pool. Along with the normal swimming routine, the club has a strength trainer that the team meets with once a week for an hour. Schaetz, along with her team, run twice a week and do yoga once per week. She has committed to swim for UCLA.
“It just helps to get stronger because you’re going up against other big guys. So the stronger you are, the easier it is for you to push them out of the way and get your blocks down.”
f o r about 2 hours. J o h n ston mostly runs through plays at football practice, but lifts weights throughout the entire year, a necessity for an offensive lineman.
An estimated week for a high school athlete follows-practice on Monday, practice on Tuesday, game on Wednesday, practice on Thursday, practice on Friday, game on Saturday, rest on Sunday. It’s not the same for all sports, but the idea is the same. Practice makes up more than about 70% of the season, which should seem obvious
since more work is done in practice than in games. Swimming, for example, is a sport that heavily relies on practicing every day.
says Gretchen Bruhn, “It’s just pushing ourselves to be the best that we can in order to accomplish that goal.”
As Schaetz puts it, “Practicing every single day and maintaining your aerobic capacity and your power… is key to getting just a couple hundredths of a second off [your time]… It’s just over and over and over. It’s not like other sports where there are different plays. It’s just go. It’s just swimming.”
Let’s say that the mountain top has been reached; a state championship is won or an athlete goes on scholarship to a D1 school. Now what? There is never just one goal to meet.
Practicing will not inherently lead to success, though. There are always things that can be improved, bad habits that need to be changed. Sabrina Zhong (12), who plays tennis for East, reflects on how she practices, “Based off how we did in our last matches, our coaches will try to figure out something that we have to improve on… and maybe we’ll all work on it and build consistency, or some people will have to work on specific things.” Going to practice every day helps improve technique. Additionally, practice builds chemistry in a team sport. Running through scrimmages and knowing how everyone plays is essential to succeeding in games. Yet even in individual sports like tennis, practicing as a team helps motivate everyone. “We set a goal very early in the season for ourselves from the moment we assemble the entire team, like right after tryouts. We have made it clear every single year that our goal is to get to team state… we want to get there every year and that’s what fuels us because every single match matters there,” says Zhong. Setting a goal to practice for is as important as just practicing. The biggest motivators for high school athletes are playing for state championships and getting recruited for college. “We really want to go to state this year, so that’s a big motivator for us,”
After the state championship game last season, Matt Johnston and the Brookfield East football team had to reset and start the journey back to the playoffs again. “It’s always been the same goal. Our main goals are always beat [Brookfield] Central, win a conference championship, and make the playoffs.” Just as the goals remain the same, Johnston says, the mindset going into the season also remains the same. “We just realized that we are the 2017 team and not the team that won state last year. So we focused more on what this team was going to do and aimed at forgetting the past… We treated this season like any other season.”
In order to have continued success, athletes, and everybody in general, must continue to set goals for themselves. Nobody wants to win just one championship. Nobody gets to college and thinks that they’re done. Success requires a non-stop grind. As Schaetz puts it, “When I set a goal, or there is a level of achievement, or an endpoint that I have set for myself, the process of reaching that is the success.”
Matthew Peterman Ana Agapitova and Keera Panagis Rishav Kumar and Ana Agapitova
experience on the team, the adjustment period between coaches had some struggles. As Jacob Sirny (12) described it, the season “started rough, but [the team has] grown a lot.”
Boys Volleyball Returns to State How the Brookfield East boys varsity team performed in the regular season, post season, and at state Katie Andrews Ana Agapitova Ana Agapitova
Regular Season: The boys volleyball team started the year on an unfamiliar foot after former coach Tim Owen moved to Minnesota over the summer. Coach Owen had been at East for the past nine years and had great success, which meant the new coach would have big shoes to fill. Coach Andy Nosbusch was hired in July, leaving the team only about a month to prep for the new season. Even with the amount of talent and
This growth came from not only adjusting to the new coach, but also learning how to replace All-State setter Nick Watry, who graduated last year. Watry had been a four year varsity starter with a lot of responsibility on the
court, so this year’s’ team relied on both Andrew Van Ert (11) and Ryan Reilly (10) to take on the setting duties. It’s the first year on varsity for both Van Ert and Reilly, and the biggest challenge was getting the whole team to play smoothly with the new setters. The boys’ struggles hit their peak at the Middleton Invite at the end of September, where two losses put the boys at 9-8 on the season. After that tournament the team hit its stride, finishing the rest of the season over the .500 mark with wins over ranked Germantown,
Middleton and Pius. Unfortunately for the Spartans, the Greater Metro is one of the toughest conferences in the state, and the boys’ winning ways didn’t start until after they played the toughest team in Marquette. The Hilltoppers finished undefeated in conference, giving them first place, while East placed second. The Spartans were still earned a two seed in their postseason sectional, and were playing their best volleyball at the perfect time. With a sweep of highly ranked Ger-
mantown in early October, the boys began to play well at the perfect time. They continued to play well throughout the first playoff rounds, including an upset of highly ranked New Berlin United, and earned a trip to state for the second time in the last three years.
Post Season: The first round of the playoffs held West Allis Hale, who the Spartans easily beat.
After Pius defeated Brookfield Central in their first round game, a rematch between the Popes and Spartans was set. East was able to take care of Pius again, just as they did the first time around. The third round of the postseason came with the toughest matchup, a trip to New Berlin to face the top ranked United. The boys’ headed to the match as one of the hottest teams in the state, and with a trip to state on the line, continued their winning streak with a three game sweep. This sectional win gave the boys’ volleyball team their second trip to state in the last three years.
State: To win the state championship in boys volleyball, a team has to win three matches at the state tournament. The Spartans started their state weekend with a match against Muskego. East started the very first game strong, and never looked back, completing another three game sweep. They got a lead early in each of the three games, and rarely let Muskego come close. This win set up a Saturday morning rematch with conference foe Marquette. Unfortunately, East wasn’t able to carry on their dominant play to their match with Marquette, who were the eventual state champions. The Hilltoppers were able to get leads in each of the three games in the match, and East was unable to catch up, as Marquette got a three game sweep on their way to the championship match. After another great season for the Brookfield East boys’ volleyball program, the most difficult part will now be replacing a very talented senior class. Jacob Sirny (12), Chris Freedy (12), Danny Butler (12), Ryan Prunuske (12), and Dominic Mussatto (12) were all big contributors to this year’s team, and now it will be up to underclassmen to step up and fill their roles, just as the team did this year.
Fall Sport Wrap-up Girls Cross Country Katie Andrews
Girls Volleyball Katie Andrews With a team of 11 seniors, and returning 13 members of last years team, the varsity girls volleyball team had high expectations for this year. These expectations led to another great year for the Spartans. They started the year winning the Joust, one of the toughest tournaments in the state. After graduating only one player off of last year’s team, which was the first in school history to win a conference title, the girls challenged themselves to repeating as champions. They did so through a three-way tie with Brookfield Central and Menomonee Falls. They went on to win regionals over Whitefish Bay, but were unable to get past a tough DSHA team in the sectional semifinals. Greta Hansen summed up her, and the fellow seniors, feelings on the year saying they are “proud of [their] accomplishments and impact” they have left on East volleyball.
The girls cross country team had another great season. They placed second at sectionals, which earned their team a bid at the state meet. “Making it to state was great and exceeded our expectations,” said state team member Sophie Tasker. Sophie, along with six other runners, had a good showing at state, which gave them and eighteenth place finish.
Girls Tennis Katie Andrews The girls tennis team had another great season. After multiple important seniors graduated, including Colorado State recruit Emma Corwin, other returning members needed to step up, and they did. The girls took East to team state for the fourth year in a row. Their sectional team win on the road to state was highlight of the successful season, as it was a whole team effort. At state, the Spartans were the only unseeded team to upset a ranked team in the quarterfinals, but were not able to pull off the upset of Homestead in the semifinals. .
Boys Cross Country Katie Andrews The boys cross country team is full of young talent, having one of the top ranked freshman class in the state. The team missed state by only one point, taking third in the sectional meet. Michael Grube, a senior, says he is “excited to see the future of this freshman class.” As for individuals, Jas Wodnicki finished his cross country career at the state meet, where he raced well.
Girls Swim Emma Schatz The Brookfield East girls swim and dive team has had a great season so far. They have an undefeated dual meet record with six wins and one tie. The Spartans tied for first at the Greater Metro Conference relay meet, and placed second at the GMC conference championships. The girls have put countless hours in the pool resulting in many well deserved personal best times and scores across the board, with even more expected at the WIAA state championships in early November. According to senior Leah Westcott, the team is “bringing more girls than usual to [sectionals] which means [they’re] hoping to bring a larger team to the state meet.”
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Varsity Football Katie Andrews The varsity football team ended last year the best way possible, winning the 2016 state championship over Monona Grove. “The key to success is to do your 1/11th” is the team motto, as stated by senior Alex Ratas, meaning that if each player on the field does their part, the team will be successful. They started off with a 6-0 record, a highlight being a nonconference win over Muskego in early September, before falling to Brookfield Central. They recovered from that loss by finishing the rest of the season undefeated. The boys defeated Menomonee Falls in level one of the playoffs and upset Homestead in level two, setting up a level three rematch with Central. The Spartans hope to knock the Lancers out of the playoffs for the third straight year.
Girls Golf Katie Andrews A more inexperienced girls golf team had a “great developmental year” according to junior Maddie Krogwold. The team hopes to build upon this year next season when many juniors will be returning for their senior season. A highlight of their season was placing third in conference, only losing to teams that were senior filled. a lot.” With a sweep of highly ranked Germantown on October 18th, the boys are playing well at the perfect time. They continued to play well throughout the first playoff rounds, including an upset of highly ranked New Berlin United, and earned a trip to state for the second time in the last three years.
Varsity Boys Soccer Erin Malloy The boys varsity soccer team had an exceptional season this fall. With an overall record of 9 wins, 8 losses, and 3 ties, the team made it to the playoffs. The boys knocked out West Bend West in the first round of the playoffs with a score 3-0. The next week, however, they lost 5-1 to Cedarburg, marking their final game of the season. Overall, the highlight of the season was when the team won the Waunakee invitational against several prestigious teams earlier in the season. One player, Keegan Mihm (10), described his team in 3 words: “Enthusiastic, Motivated, and Persistent”.
Ana Agapitova and Keera Panagis
Ana Agapitova