now what?
Volume 57, Issue 4 • Senior 2018 Brookfield East High School 3305 Lilly Road • Brookfield, WI • 53005
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Editor’s Note
Now What? As senior year comes to an end, I start to think about new beginnings. While I look to the future with excitement, I know that this requires the end of many great things. My mind has been filled with many thoughts and feelings- eagerness for college, uncertainty in my future, and sorrow in leaving my friends behind. But I mostly think about how people will remember me. I know that many of my fellow seniors also reflect on their legacy here at Brookfield East. I encourage next year’s students at East to always remember your impact. Take on challenges with courage and believe in yourself. Know that with every action, you have the power to inspire those around you. Leaving a legacy is more than grades and extracurriculars; it’s how you make people feel, and the impact you make on their lives. So, reader, I hope you enjoy this snapshot into the legacy of the Senior Class of 2018. I believe that it is a great one. Natalie Schmidt
THE BANNER STAFF 2017-2018 EXECUTIVE TEAM
Editor-in-Chief NATALIE SCHMIDT PRINT DIRECTOR NAMITHA ALEXANDER ONLINE DIRECTOR ARJUN SHREEKUMAR SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR EMMA JESTER ADVERTISING DIRECTOR AARON LIU DATA DIRECTOR SIMRAN KHUNGER NEWS EDITOR ARJUN SHREEKUMAR FEATURES EDITORS AVA BARKER MIA SCHLIDT LIFESTYLES EDITOR MARIA KORKOS SPORTS EDITOR KATIE ANDREWS DESIGN TEAM
Editor-in-Chief
Will Astley Zoe Brown Natalie Gomez Rishav Kumar Isabella Moss
Emily Nelson Larissa Pasquini Josie Stanlick Stephanie Taylor
STAFF JOURNALISTS Ananth Bhat Victor Calvo Ariana Collins Bera Demirbilek Catherine Ding Langston Ford Alex Garvens Bella Koch Erin Malloy
Mission Statement
Rucheng Pan Sanju Peddagoria Matthew Peterman Julia Sales Emma Schaetz Allison Schmidt Shagun Singh Atal Sundararaman Alena Wadzinske
Adviser MRS. LINDSAY SKATRUD
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.
Cover photo taken by: Emma Jester We wanted the cover of this issue to capture all of the emotions the senior class might be feeling. As these three seniors look out through the windows of Brookfield East, they see light that symbolizes their future — bright and not too far ahead of them.
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Mr. Rose Retires
5
Schulz & Tasker Choose Service in College
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East Students Predict the Futures of Peers
8-9
COLLEGE MAP
16-18
Students Reflect on their High 10-11 School Experience
ATHLETES 12-15 19 STUDENT 8-9
Dear
SENIORS
East Athletes Pursue College Sports
12-15
Students Excel Across the Country
16-18
Dear Students
19
Predictions
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Mr. Rose Retires After 33 years of teaching, Brookfield East math teacher Mr. Rose is taking a step back from his life in the classroom. Catherine Ding
Arjun Shreekumar
Zoë Brown
Teaching was not Mr. Rose’s first calling; he started college studying business. Eventually, he started coaching high school sports, which he enjoyed so much that he decided to pursue a career in education. Ever since, he’s been teaching math.
When reflecting on his teaching career, Mr. Rose talks about his experience working with the students. Many ask him if interacting with children now is more difficult than in the past, to which Rose finds “Some of it is just if you like the people you are working with, it’s a lot easier to work with them.”
that he enjoys, such as reading and watching movies, along with traveling with his wife.
Other than teaching at East, Rose has also been the head coach of the women’s swim and dive team at East for quite a while now. Since he is so passionate about coaching, he will continue on in the position after retiring.
A downfall of leaving the classroom is that Mr. Rose won’t be doing more calculus, one of his passions. He admits, “if your not teaching it, there’s not a reason to do it, so I probably won’t do that.”
Over the years, Mr. Rose has taught many math courses at East. Currently, he teaches calculus courses. Mr. Rose explains that calculus, unlike, other math courses requires students to engage in critical thinking. He goes on to explain how calculus is different from other math courses, that it is a “problem-solving tool”. He finds this different from other math classes where “you have a lot of isolated topics that you learn for the sake of learning math.” It’s not only the subject though; he also has “really great students and parental support and most everyone is pretty motivated.”
In his retirement, Mr. Rose is looking forward to having more time on his hands. Teaching here, he’s been very busy. He explains, “often when coaching I get here at 5:15 AM and don’t leave until 8:30 PM.” He will enjoy having time to do activities
Nevertheless, he will still be coaching and helping his colleagues here and there; he says that “part of it is that I’m not totally retiring… I’m kind of just scaling back on what I normally do.”
However, after a long and successful career as a teacher, Mr. Rose finds that it is the right time to step down and have more time to enjoy life. He will be missed at East!
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Brookfield East Seniors Sophie Tasker and Dan Schulz will both be continuing education in service academies after graduating. Tasker will be attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland to pursue a career in the Navy, whereas Schulz will be in an Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program for Embry Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida to pursue a career in the Army. Taking an alternative route from enlisting right away, these programs will allow the two to get a regular degree and be an officer right after 4 years of educations.
Schulz and Tasker Choose Service in College Seniors Sophie Tasker and Dan Schulz are attending service academies to further their education and prepare for careers in the armed services.
Vivek Srivastava
Abi Bean
Zoë Brown
Tasker says she was drawn to the Navy because of the ability to travel and sail, passions of hers since childhood. Schulz said the Army fit him the best, as he has always pictured himself working on the ground. He continued that the engineering program he was interested in was best suited for the Army.
Tasker says she was drawn to the Navy because of the ability to travel and sail, passions of hers since childhood. Both boasting rigorous schedules in both math and science, Schulz and Tasker plan on obtaining engineering degrees. Tasker took classes such as Physics C and PLTW Aerospace Engineering, classes she believes “helped further her passion for math and science, and helped her get into [the Navy Academy]”. Schulz took classes such as precalculus and trigonometry, which he hopes to apply to his major of mechanical engineering.
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Schulz said he plans to be in the Army for at least twenty years and “create a steady career for himself ”, after which he wants to use his skills as an engineer to hopefully be a contractor for the military. Tasker is not sure if she just wants to fill the five-year requirement after the academy or do twenty years, but plans to put her engineering education to use regardless.
Sports also played a key role in preparation. Schulz, a football player, said the activity pushed him to be a leader and persevere through difficult physical tasks. For Tasker, track and cross country pushed her to have stamina and to keep calm in tricky situations. Sports not only provided physical preparedness but mentally conditioned the two for military life.
While both pathways allow them to reach the military as an officer, going into ROTC and the academy are quite different.
Schulz, a football player, said the activity pushed him to be a leader and persevere through difficult physical tasks.
The eligibility requirements are very similar for both options. Both GPA and SAT/ ACT standards are high, there is a rigorous physical exam for both, and there is an active duty commitment after graduation for both programs. Both programs have high benefit; not only do students receive a first-class education, but they can also receive income. Schulz explains that ROTC members are paid with a stipend and then additional salary from the government. The difference between programs, however, lies in the environment. Tasker describes the Naval Academy to be more of a boarding (Military) school while ROTC happens at a regular college with training every so often. While they may sound like easy deals, both programs are nationally prestigious and difficult to get in to. The Naval Academy boasts an acceptance rate of 9% and includes a variety of tests ranging from physical to mental. The process even includes a nomination from a senator or representative; Tasker was able to receive a nomination from Senator Baldwin and Representative Brunner. Aside from high-level classes, Brookfield East was also able to provide informational opportunities for both students. During her sophomore year, the school organized a tour of the U.S.S. Milwaukee, giving Tasker the opportunity to see the different aspects of Navy life. She claims this experience was “really cool and drew [her] to the Navy”. As for Schulz, he was able to meet ROTC officials who provided useful information at an Army college night. Military officers outside the lunch room were also extremely helpful by providing guidance.
East extracurriculars have played a large role in helping Tasker and Schulz. Aside from sports, Tasker, the Vice President of Best Buddies says the activity has taught her the skill of empathy and is excited to be able to apply it in her path. Schulz, an avid participant in Key Club, said the club has given him an introduction to serving others, a skill he plans to embody for his country. Both Schulz and Tasker say that to pursue a career in the military one must be hard working and have leadership qualities. Schulz goes on to say that you must always “be confident in your decisions” and “not be afraid to voice your opinion”. Tasker said these characteristics are what she thinks politicians saw in her to be selected for the program. A combination of charisma and hard work goes a long way.
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Students Reflect on their High School Experience
Leaving high school brings many emotions; seniors sort through their feelings on high school and entering a world of independence. Emma Jester Namitha Alexander Arjun Shreekumar
“This wasn’t like High School Musical at all.” -Delani MacKay
“We had homework?” -Noah Pfaffl
“Grow up, don’t throw up” -Susano Kevin Amala
“You’re expected to screw up anyway, so you might as well do that really stupid thing.” -Katie Pollock 8 | spartan banner • senior 2018
“To all the juniors who think they have “senioritis” already: goOD LuCk, yOu haVE NO iDea wHAt’s COminG.” -Emma Schaetz
“Amazing, dope, and educational” -Thomas Marenda
“I’m going to miss everything...I won’t miss the school’s bipolar weather. You’ll melt in one room and freeze in another” -Liliana Galvan spartan banner • senior 2018|9
East Athletes Pursue College Sports Successful in high school, Spartan athletes continue to follow their passions in college. Rucheng Pan
Adi Plavsic - Basketball University of Missouri - St. Louis Adi has known she’s wanted to play basketball ever since she was a little girl. Starting in middle school, she began to dream of playing in college. As Adi looks back on her high school career, she realizes that she “didn’t have the best experience playing high school basketball.” She played on the junior varsity team freshman year, and has been on varsity ever since sophomore year. The furthest the team ever made in the state tournament was regionals. During AAU, she’s played for many different teams; including Flight Elite, Wisconsin Havoc, Wisconsin Impact, and 1on1 Milwaukee (along with her Brookfield East teammate Molly Devalkenaere). She gives a lot of credit to her 1on1 coach, Mary Ellen, and the 1on1 program because “they really got me to where I am today. I really think if I didn’t join 1on1 I wouldn’t be able to play in college.” Outside of basketball, she’s also tried tap dancing, softball and even played soccer for 9 years.
WHAT STICKS OUT TO HER ABOUT BASKETBALL: “I don’t know, there’s just some games where you can tune everything out. I know people from all over because of basketball, and I’ve been to so many places because of basketball. It’s something my family, especially my dad and I bond over.”
NEXT YEAR AT UMSL:
Eleri MacKay Hockey
Emma Jester
Lizzy Cagle - Track and Field Marquette University Lizzy never planned on throwing in college. Instead, she was focused on playing basketball in college. However, ever since she started track in the 7th grade, she’s love it. “It’s definitely been super fun. I’ve definitely grown a bunch of my relationships, with friends. Me, Natalie Rouse, and Katie Work have been throwing together since 7th grade, so we’ve formed a small family.” Her freshman year, the Varsity team won the conference triple crown: “I remember we were all so excited, and conference was super fun and regionals was a great time, and that was a super fun year that grew my love for the sport.”
HER FAVORITE MOMENT: “Sophomore year at the regional meet here at East. I broke the school record, and everyone was super excited, my coach was excited, my parents were excited. I didn’t think I would be able to do it since the school record was a foot away from my PR, and I just couldn’t believe it, and it was cool that it was a home meet, and regionals. That throw helped me get to sectionals which is pretty cool.”
WHY MARQUETTE?: “I filled out the Marquette recruiting questionnaire. I also knew a girl who throws for Marquette that used to go here, so she talked to her coach and he reached out to me, and from then on we started emailing. I visited the program, and I went to a meet, like 3 or 4 times. Like started knowing the coach, started knowing the players, started realizing it would be a great fit for me.”
“I’ll have classes Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and all the classes will be done by 1. Games will be on Thursdays and Saturdays. UMSL is in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, a couple girls from my AAU team are playing on teams in that conference, so it’ll be fun to play them. I’ll be living in an apartment right away, with 4 other athletes. I’m kind of nervous, just because pre-season is pretty hard, and you have to be mentally prepared. I want to push myself, I really want to play, get those minutes.”
Other Students Pursuing Division 1 and 2 Athletics:
Sydney Gabrysiak
Emily Breider - Track and Field - Florida International University Patrick Cartier - Basketball - Hillsdale College Brad Dati - Football - Duluth University Molly Devalkenaere - Basketball - Purdue University Northwest Will Grintjes - Swimming - IUPUI Delani MacKay - Hockey - Colgate University Eleri MacKay - Hockey - Colgate University Emma Ralfs - Basketball - Northwood University Emma Schaetz - Swimming - UCLA Caleb Wright - Football - Northern Illinois University
Maija Roufus 10 | spartan banner • senior 2018
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Students Excel • Across the Country • •
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ALABAMA University of Alabama Katie Andrews
MICHIGAN Cornerstone University
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University of AZ - Tucson Noemi Duliskovich
CALIFORNIA Thomas Aquinas College
Florida International University Emily Breider
GEORGIA University of CA - Los Angeles University of Georgia University of CA - San Diego Campbell Fauber Aaron Liu
COLORADO Colorado State University Allison Brankle Ryan Prunuske
University of CO - Boulder Kevin Shrawder Katharine Work
Barrett Poetker
INDIANA DePauw University
University of Iowa
Elena Collins
Mia Bergstrom Dominic Mussatto Thomas O’Brien
ILLINOIS Bradley University
Purdue University Northwest
University of Dubuque
Indiana Tech
Eastern Illinois University
Thomas Piotrowski
KANSAS University of Kansas
Elmhurst College
Joshua Gerczak Andre Kalfayan Jacob Veenhuis
Madison Smrz
Christopher Freedy Morris Seaton Justin Parbs
Illinois State University Peter Behling
Loyola University - Chicago Johanna Hughes Olivia Storck
DISTRICT OF COLOMBIA George Washington University Northern Illinois University Mia Schlidt
IOWA Luther College
Daniel Schulz
Sophie Steigerwald Chaise Pucek Emma Schaetz
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FLORIDA Embry Riddle University
Caleb Wright
Molly DeValkenaere
Indiana University
Indiana University/Purdue University Willem Grintjes
Valparaiso University Natalie Schmidt
Daniel Butler
Aaron Hicks Steven Neitzke
KENTUCKY University of Kentucky Bailey Fitzpatrick Thomas Olsen
MARYLAND Marlyand Institue College of Art Emma Barany
Molly DeValkenaere
Fordham University
Hillsdale College
Natalie Rouse
Northern Michigan University
NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina State University
Patrick Cartier
Nicole O’Malley
Northwood University Emma Ralfs
MINNESOTA University of MN - Duluth Bradley Dati Ellen Hill
University of MN - Twin Cities Victoria Berry Benjamin Heydt Riley Houlihan Varsha Nandakumar Olivia Passow Siobhan Sullivan Emily Prondzinski
Jocelyn Chase
OHIO Cedarville University Abigail Barlow
University of Cincinnati Erik Solie
PENNSYLVANIA Drexel University Jorie Gabrysiak
SOUTH CAROLINA Coastal Carolina University Owen Andrae
University of South Carolina Anna Mularz
MISSISSIPPI University of Mississippi
TENNESSEE Belmont University
MISSOURI Saint Louis University
TEXAS Southern Methodist University
Samuel Estacio
William Fitzpatrick
Makenna Berry Lilly Perkins Bella Petropoulos Cailyn Reid
John Holcomb
Truman State University
WASHINGTON Seattle University
Joshua Horner
University of Missouri Madeline Carter
University of Missouri - St. Louis Adriana Plavsic
NEBRASKA University of Nebraska - Lincoln Adam Mueller Eric Powell Anna Seim
UTAH Brigham Young University Harriet Huang
Martin Wilson
University of Washington - Seattle Claire Dwinell Isabella Koch
ARMED FORCES Marines Daniel Waszak
United States Naval Academy Sophie Tasker
University of Nebraska - Omaha Army Vonnell Rushing
MASSACHUSETTES Harvard University and New England Conservatory Julian Rhee
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Grand Valley State University
Delani MacKay Eleri MacKay
Winona State University
ARIZONA Arizona State University Eva Gapinski MacKenzie Schmirler
Zion Abts
NEW YORK Colgate University
Jack Lutynski Justin O’Leary Keera Panagis
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Cardinal Stritch University Sofia Finch • Duazong Yang
Carroll University
Emily Gaskell • Meghan Hayes • David Holzem • Ashley Smith
Carthage College
DEAR CLASS OF 2018,
Emily Roubik • Bennett Shebesta
Lawrence University Conservatory Margaret Slavinsky
Marquette University
Nora Berens • Catherine Botchek • Elizabeth Cagle • Shabri Dean • Albert Eddinger • Nina Lutz • Quinn Manders • M Rami Mardini • Allison Mihm • Emily Rouse • Sarah Smerz • Emma Smith • Elijah Stiyer
MATC
Megan Arnold • Samantha Ruhnau-Gee
Mount Mary Kira Langkau
MSOE
Jacob Austin • Georges Hussussian • Jonathan Kasun • Jacob Sirny • Ryan Toth
St. Norbert College
Emily Larsen • Lydia Scott • Michael Stanaszak
UW-Eau Claire
Abigail Bean • Gina Behling • Gabrielle Etes • Tiaja McKay • Joseph Myrold • Brittany Schober • Emily Urfer
UW-La Crosse
Ellie Burbach • Greta Hansen • Matthew McKibbin • Sam Reinke • Olivia Russo • Cailtlin Walton • Michael Weisse
UW-Milwaukee
Vasiliy Agapitova • Anastacia Agapitova • Hannah Ames • Amineh Badwan • Andrew Bailey • Janelle Boehm • Tristan Butkiewicz • Victor Calvo • Benjamin Ekker • Marie Freres • Jackson Gardner • Alexander Garvens • Carolann Gryzbowski •
Senior class, I do not feel honored at this moment to write you a letter. Maybe that is the exact reason why I should… My anxiety has just gone up and I am repeating negative thoughts about myself, a situation I constantly talk to my students about. Perhaps I can use some of the advice I have shared with you many times before.
UW-Whitewater Lauren Davies • Ronald Edwards • Joseph Fritsch • Jake Harder • Joseph Hoff • Alexis Holley • Joseph Koceja • Michelle Kugler • Vienna Lee • Ronald McConville • Calvin Pearson • Katherine Pollock • Alexander Ratas • Joshua Schroeder • Claire Seemann • Caitlin Seibel • Noah Stewart • Hunter Thomas • Matthew Volden WCTC Susano Kevin Amala • Keyontis Barksdale • Blake Bold • Dean Borngesser • Mckenna Cavan • Colin Davis • Lilian Erkander • Finn Feuersthaler • Hunter Fischer • Jacob Haefemeyer • Tyler Hromadka • Olivia Kress • Edward McKibbin • Bethany Orgovan • William Owen • Nolan Patterson • Austin Perez • Harrison Rosa • Samuel Shields • Noah Singer • Timothy Soto • Thomas Twitchell • Derek Werchowski • Duane Ziege
UW-Madison
Ava Barker • Thomas Brewer • Gretchen Bruhn • Anna Bruk • Wilson Buebendorf • Diana Carp • Everett Cartier • Marcella Cook • Klaire Dembny • John Desmond • James Domach• Rose DunDun • Alexander Fisher • Liliana Galvan • Hayley Garrity • Jillian Genova • Michael Grube • Natalie Hameister • Mitchell Harold • Paige Herzog • Luke Hyndiuk • Matthew Johnston • Cole Johnstone • Joseph Kajuch • Arman Kamrani • Christina Kirmis • Philip Klinker • Maria Korkos • Jenna Krakauer • Michael LeClaire • Caroline Lieu • Kathleen Malloy • Anthony Mikolajewski • Anna Mortensen • Ella Mortensen • Matthew Peterman • Noah Pfaffl • Nicole Pink • Priyanka Ramanathan • Alexander Rusnak • Joshua Schwarz • Steven Serbiak • Hana Siddiqui • Peyton Simon • Carlie Smith • Maria Steigerwald • Collin Stewart • Samuel Tallmadge • Thomas Tsakonas • Abigail Warren • Leah Wescott • Caroline Westrick • Jan Wodnicki • Michal Wodnicki • Cade Wormington • Sabrina Zhong • William Zimmerman Sandra Ibraheem • Inderpreet Khera • Rachel Kolt • Luke Komornicki • Connor Lynch • Connor McQuown • Asher Mejac • Mohamed Nasef • Sophia Nehmer • Sydney Panfil • Addison Parr • Nikola Roufus • Isabella Sparapani • Turner Tushaus • Brenna Verheyen • Jack Wolkomir • Josiah Xiong
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Apprenticeship
Samuel Barnes •Gaven Post
Work
Sierra Bouchard-Kummer • Nasiera Cloyd • Alex Dehn • Logan Figueroa • T’Keyah Handy • Masyn Harvey • Joseph Holcomb • Umar Shiraz Khan • Caleb Kotowski • Kiril Lauzums • Jaime Maertz • Ryan McGinnis • Tyler Nell • Tyler O’Brien • Joel Osinga • Kelsey Printz • Ethan Schneider • Branden Severson • Shania Staples • Jacob Stauff • Dylan Wall
I am going to move myself back to the present. I am inhaling for five seconds, and exhaling for the next ten. It may take me two breaths, it may take me 30 minutes, but I will continue to breathe until I am back in the present. All I can share is what I am learning in my own life. If I want to put my best foot forward, I have to control my anxiety, move myself to the present, and in the present I can find creative ways to handle the situation. If I am unable to control my anxiety, the negative thoughts, self-rejection, and doubt become too loud to maintain any situational awareness outside my own head. Case in point was my interaction with Namitha this morning, when she asked me to write this letter. She and a colleague from the Spartan Banner walked into my classroom, and their seemingly innocuous request immediately elevated my anxiety. When Bera stopped by the classroom not 30 minutes later, I explained to him that I had been asked to write this
letter and asked his opinion on my introduction. Bera was polite, but explained that he was with Namitha when she asked me to write it, and was coming back to make sure I was not procrastinating! Anxiety is a mind numbing drug that can be highly addictive. When I finally decided to acknowledge my anxiety, I could begin to learn new ways to manage it. I am talking about a serious commitment to long term treatment. My treatment has included daily deep breathing, aerobic exercise, and processing with trusted family and friends. If I can accept myself, I can accept others. If I can talk kindly to myself, I can talk kindly to others. If I can forgive myself, I can forgive others. You have a unique set of circumstances and challenges that your life has presented and will continue to present, and that is what makes you perfect for your specific purpose. Remember, the most important thing you will do in life is have relationships with other people. That starts with having a healthy relationship with yourself. Love yourself, get your anxiety down so you can be creative in your own life and it will echo in the situations, people, and relationships around you. Anxiety down, creativity up. Best wishes, Mr. Zeidler
Undecided
Michael Arndt • Alexia Castillo • Abel Christiansen • Justin Christiansen • Tanay Gummadi • Aniya Hopgood • Molly Malloy • Calahan Martin • Kate Stehr
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