Spartan Banner | Winter 2019

ABreaking DOSE OF REALITY Boundaries

Volume 58, Issue 2 • Winter 2019 Brookfield East High School 3305 Lilly Road • Brookfield, WI • 53005

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THE BANNER STAFF 2018-2019 EXECUTIVE TEAM

Editor-in-Chief NAMITHA ALEXANDER PRINT DIRECTOR EMMA JESTER DIGITAL DIRECTOR ARJUN SHREEKUMAR DATA DIRECTOR BERA DEMIRBILEK ADVERTISING DIRECTOR TESSA JESTER NEWS EDITOR VIVEK SRIVASTAVA FEATURES EDITOR CATHERINE DING LIFESTYLES EDITOR RISHAV KUMAR SPORTS EDITOR RUCHENG PAN STAFF JOURNALISTS Ananth Bhat Sabryna O’Brien Jordynn Balducci Anna Ohde Ariana Collins Elizabeth Redmond Elenore Cornelie Ali Riaz Max Equizabal Henry Rousseau Sophia Finn Henry Russo Elizabeth Gardner Viktor Sakman Emma Hitzemann Carter Shulick Mason Kelsey Jack Shulick Maddie Miller Shagun Singh Sydney Munnagle David Turicek

Adviser MRS. LINDSAY SKATRUD 2 | spartan banner • winter 2018

Editor’s Note

A Dose of Reality The truth can hurt. It can be ugly. It can be difficult. And it can be so much easier to just ignore. But then, we get hit with a dose of reality, the moment we can’t ignore the truth anymore.

My hope for the Spartan Banner is to be a mirror… a mirror that truthfully reflects our community. But more specifically, I hope this mirror points in directions often overlooked. Our staff explored the nuances of race relations in our community (pg. 8-9). We also looked into the unspoken culture of substance abuse at Brookfield East (pg. 11-15).

We realize that these topics are purposely not widely discussed; they are touchy and controversial. But please, if that’s the case, react. Let this dose of reality push yourself out of complaisance and into action. Express yourself, no matter your opinion. The greatest service our mirror can provide is to spark discussions that can lead to progress.

The truth can hurt. It can be ugly. It can be difficult. And it can be so much easier to just ignore. But facing the truth can also be empowering. When we acknowledge our realities, we finally have the power to improve them.

Namitha Alexander

Editor-in-Chief

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.

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co n t e n t s

55

66

The Time Is A A Long Way Changin’ Home

88

10 10

The Race Towards Unity

A Dose of Reality

16 16

Burning Up the Ice

18 18

Fish Out of Water

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Tackling Wrestling

The Time Is A Changin’ Written By Jordynn Balducci Designed By Zoë Brown In an attempt to provide students with a more consistent learning schedule, early release days will be eliminated in the coming school year.

Starting in the 2019-2020 school year, the students of the Elmbrook school district will bid a farewell to their traditional schedules. Quite a few changes are being thrown this way, the most drastic of them being the absence of our typically short Thursdays. Next year, there will no longer be an early release day for anyone in Elmbrook.

As a district operated on an educational minute requirement, schedules are created to have students in school for a specific amount of minutes, rather than days. For those in kindergarten through sixth grade, it’s 1,050 minutes; for seventh through twelfth, it’s 1,137. The district also has some boundaries in which these instructional minutes can take place.

Dr. Dana Monogue, the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services at the Central Office, said “Wisconsin is one of the few states in the country that doesn’t allow public schools to start before September 1st”, which means classes will always start on that day, or later. Next year, it will be on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Traditionally, students like to be done with school by that second week in June, so this was also preserved with the last day being Thursday, June 11th, and the class of 2020 scheduled to graduate on Sunday, June 14th.

All 1,137 minutes of learning must be fit into these two dates, as well as a series of breaks throughout. The district has successfully operated for many years doing this with an early release day in the normal week. More requests from the community as a whole is what invited new changes to take place.

The leading cause for making changes to the time at which students are released is bussing.

Dr. Monogue explains the issue

stems from the district have to do with transportation logistics. She said “to do a lot of work with the bus companies to add different and extra routes on Thursdays, which ends up costing a lot more money.”

By changing the end time to match the rest of the school week, it will help the district save money in two main ways.

First, a different Thursday route will no longer be required; therefore, no additional funding is needed for the separate routes.

Second, since students will be having one or two full days off each month in place of the time they would normally have off from early release, the busses will actually be used less. This ultimately saves a large sum of money for the district that Ms. Tutkowski said “will be put to a better use [for other community necessities].”

This change has also been recognized as beneficial to the families of younger children at the elementary schools. Many find it inconvenient to have to arrange for daycare or other forms of child care when they need to be at work, so that issue was greatly considered in the decision of this change.

The last big reason for switching the Thursday time is because of the requests of many teachers. The standard after school professional development meetings the staff attends will now take place on the full days off of school, to the preference of many teachers.

spring break. Typically, the placement of the break is associated with Easter Sunday for this district. However, this is not the case for all surrounding districts.

Taking into consideration that a large portion of the Brookfield East staff do not live in Brookfield or have children that attend school in the surrounding districts, it has been evaluated that setting a standard spring break between all the schools would be best. Therefore, spring break will now take place in the last week in March, regardless of when Easter Sunday falls.

Overall, this coming school year’s schedule is going to bring many new experiences to the students and teachers alike. Part of this district’s mission is “to become what’s next” and while only next year knows what’s to come, Elmbrook is shifting towards that change.

Ms. Tutkowski explains that as a teacher, she likes the change from early release because of its regularity. “The normal schedule will give me, as a professional learner, the opportunity to have full-day professional development,” which she believes “will allow [teachers] to engage more effectively in meaningful learning.”

Another hot topic of the discussion was

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Jos the you oth

A LONG WAY HOME Written By Elenore Cornelie Photographed By Allie Keith Designed By Zoë Brown Some students cross city and state lines to attend East—others cross seas. International students reflect on their experiences abroad and in Wisconsin.

Abdallah El-Demerdash Abdallah El-Demerdash (11), moved to Wisconsin last year after having lived in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. When he transitioned to Brookfield East High School, compared to the other schools he attended, he found the biggest differences to be education and school spirit.

“I’d say the education there is a lot harder- they’re all private schools because they don’t have many public schools,” he said.

Since El-Demerdash was used to working hard, he found the level of difficulty at Brookfield East to be easier than at his previous schools.

El-Demerdash also said, “There’s probably a lot more spirit in the other schools than here.”

In one of his schools, students would be

separated into 4 different colors, and these colors represented their individual groups.

Through these school competitions, he feels he developed more school spirit over there.

“There are these competitions that go on throughout the year,” El-Demerdash said. “You each get points for what place you get- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th- and at the end whoever wins gets a pizza party.”

Having lived in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, El-Demerdash knows 2 different languages: English and Arabic.

“I honestly kind of feel powerful that I can speak to 2 different groups of people,” he said.

When finally transitioning to Brookfield East last summer, it turned out not to be too much of a challenge for him. ElDemerdash had already been visiting

“I honestly kind of feel powerful that I can speak to 2 different groups of people.”

Wisconsin every summer to see his family, so he was familiar with the state.

During the summer, El-Demerdash also joined the football team. So, by the time he walked through the school doors, he had already become friends with his fellow teammates.

Schumann Yu Sandstrom Schumann Yu Sandstrom (12) moved from South Korea to Wisconsin 3 years ago.

Yet in the beginning, his transition from an international school in South Korea to Brookfield East High School in the U.S. came with its own challenges.

“It was kind of its own society.”

The students at his international school in South Korea were secluded and uninformed about the changes that were happening in the outside world.

“It was kind of its own society. They 6 | spartan banner • winter 2018

were English speaking people but unaware of the social changes and norms of America but it was also isolated to Korea,” he said.

This isolation between Korea and America created problems for Sandstrom when he finally moved to Wisconsin.

“Moving here was kind of hard to adjust,” Sandstrom said. “Actually, I’m still not fully adjusted. I’d say that around 11th grade I started losing that naivety and was a bit more self-aware on how others saw the way I behaved.”

Although Sandstrom has lived in Wisconsin for 3 years, there are still some misunderstandings in communicating at

home with his mother.

“I’ll say something and my mother won’t know what I meant, but then she’ll say something and I won’t know what she meant, and it may create some problems,” he said.

After Sandstrom is done with high school, he plans on moving from Wisconsin and possibly going to a college in Finland or somewhere else in the world.

Jose Martin-Vela (10), on the left, and Michelle Li (12), on the right, are students who have lived across the world. Jose is a foreign exchange student from Spain, and Michelle lived in China when she was younger. In Beijing, Michelle lived in a compound for expatriates, and she said, “it’s basically like any other neighborhood, but you meet people from all over the world.”

Jose Martin-Vela Jose Martin-Vela (10) is an exchange student from Madrid, Spain and started attending Brookfield East High School this year. His initial experience of high school in the U.S. was one of comfort. He said, “people are really nice here.”

Although his first language is Spanish, speaking English wasn’t difficult; it took him only 2-3 weeks to adjust to his new school.

“People are really nice here.”

“It’s pretty easy because I started talking English when I was 3 years old, so I can talk it pretty normal, so it’s not bad,” Martin-

Vela said. “I thought it was going to be harder but it’s pretty easy.”

Martin-Vela finds that one difference between Brookfield East High School and his previous school would be the number of students. Though the overall number of students are the same, his school in Madrid had students from kindergarten to 12th grade while Brookfield East only has 9th12th graders. He said, “here there’s like 300 [students] per grade. My school had 90 per grade.”

Apart from the difference in school size, his daily life isn’t that different from someone’s regular routine.

“I wake up, I have breakfast- well I shower first, then I go to school. Then I come back and I relax for a little bit, then I

do my homework, and then we have dinner, sometimes I play basketball or something, and that’s it I go to sleep,” he said.

During Martin-Vela’s time in Wisconsin, from halfway around the world, his parents still worry about him at his new school. He said, “They’re all the time asking if I need any help or anything.” To which he replies that he is doing just fine, and if he needs any help he will ask them.

Michelle Li Michelle Li (12) lived in Beijing, China beginning when she was four years-old.

Nine years later, her mother was offered a job in Wisconsin, and they have been living here ever since.

After Li moved to Wisconsin, one difference that she noticed between Brookfield East High School and her old school was diversity.

“We had an International Day where people would dress up in their cultural clothing and bring in food from their countries and we’d learn each other’s languages—so it was kind of cool to be exposed to all those cultures there,” she said. “I think you get less of an opportunity to do that here because we don’t have as much international diversity here.”

Despite this, she was grateful for how people here were very welcoming towards

her and her family. She said, “Honestly, when I first moved here I was scared that no one would accept me, especially since I went to a different school and I lived in a completely different country, but people were pretty acceptant of that and I think they didn’t really judge me for anything.”

“Honestly, when I first moved here I was scared that no one would accept me.”

Although people were very open and did not judge Li, she still had trouble making new friends since everyone had already created tight bonds with others coming

into high school. Luckily, she met someone from her ballet class who helped her and introduced her to other students.

Another challenge for Li has been speaking two languages.

“I was slowly forgetting my Chinese because I haven’t been speaking as much as I used to there. So I think that’s the biggest challenge- being able to keep up with both languages at the same time.”

When Li arrived here a few years ago, she was scared no one would accept her and had trouble making new friends. Despite this, she overcame these challenges and more; she has made plenty of friends and is enjoying her last year at Brookfield East High School. After she graduates, she is planning to attend college in the U.S.

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the

race

towards

unity

Members of the Brookfield East community discuss the role of race at school and the world.

written by erin sankey 8 | spartan banner • winter 2018

designed by EMMA JESTER

It is now 2019; the first Native American was elected to Congress, the first Somali-American was elected to the House of Representatives, as well as the first ever Korean-American. In the light of such diversity, members of the Elmbrook community argue that we forget the problems right under our noses.

Such problems are not run-of-the-mill.

David Mbele (12), an officer for Unity Club, said “people aren’t going out of their way to be offensive to other people;” rather, “there is a sense of stereotypes for people of other races.”

Such instances where these stereotypes are used, are commonly referred to as “microaggressions.” Corey Schneidewent, a four year equity team veteran and English teacher at Brookfield East, describe microaggressions as acts that involve words or phrases that “can be discouraging, and can be marginalizing for students.”

However, the students on the receiving end of certain prejudices are confronted with a difficult set of choices when dealing with microaggressions. Alyssa Rivera (10), Culture Club president, said “[she could either] get upset and become the bad guy,” or she could “ignore it.”

Fellow Culture Club officers, Bella Kim (9) and Isabella Benitez (10), elaborated on Rivera’s point and explained they have to “constantly correct people” and that assumptions can be both frustrating and discouraging. Furthermore, Benitez highlighted how consistently internalizing these microaggressions can lead to a point of “self hate.”

Kim reflected on a time when she was faced with a microaggression. During the Culture Club food sale, she brought and labeled a traditional Korean dish called Kimbap. The dish looks very similar to sushi and whenever someone would ask for it, they would ask “can I get the sushi.” Experiences like these frustrate Kim because she said “[she] feels as if [she] is always correcting people [because] people assume everything comes from the same place.”

Rivera, Kim, Benitez, and Mbele all clarified that they would not call their interactions “racist,” but the things said in the conversation come with a level of ignorance that can leave them feeling self-conscious.

The topic of race relations in the Elmbrook community spans beyond one-onone interactions, working its way into the classroom as well. Schneidewent clarified

that many issues students of color have brought up deal specifically with curriculum. He said “Some desire change in how we teach history, literature, the choices in literature that we have, or the non-choices is a better way to put it.”

Members of Culture, Unity, and SAFE Club all advertise that they want to show community members the struggles of minorities and highlight the beauty of different cultures and ethnicities. They do this through guest speakers, food days, and events such as Heritage Fest.

One of the larger events is Conversations Count, run by the Equity Team.

Schneidewent stressed how the Equity Team wants to “incorporate research and study” into what they do, which is why they partner with Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin as well as the United Way organization to run the event.

Members of Culture, Unity, and SAFE Club all advertise that they want to show community members the struggles of minorities and highlight the beauty of different cultures and ethnicities.

Schneidewent explained how during this event participants formed groups to discuss certain challenges they face. While the conversations took place, professional note takers from United Way sat in and took down key points made by students and parents. Once the event concluded, the Medical College and United Way compiled and categorized the data. Eventually, they will give the Equity Team a report with the most referenced issues and what areas they fall under.

Schneidewent said “the notetakers look at the report and decide what issues we feel we can do something about, and what can we maybe do then.”

These actions come in many different ways, some more private and some more public.

In recent years the team has held workshops for staff members to unlearn microaggressions, as well as equipping staff members with the tools to handle a situation where race is involved. Along with workshops, guest speaker Reggie Jackson was invited to speak to the community after school about the history of race relations in our area.

While workshops and guest speakers are more public events, the Equity Team partnered with SAFE Club to meet with the calendar committee to discuss the lack of recognition for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As a result of their discussions, Martin Luther King Jr. Day will officially be recognized by Elmbrook as a “day of service,” as put by Schneidewent.

Mbele explained how excited and grateful he is that the day will officially be recognized. However, he said “[he is] confused and a little disappointed that it took this long.”

Moreover, Kim, Benitez, and Rivera are all glad to see that an important member of history is officially being recognized by the community, and see it as a moment of progress for the fight against prejudice.

However, some students have their reservations. Students such as Kim worry that people will just see it as another day off, rather than a day devoted to recognizing the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Schneidewent said, “it’s not like its some big secret. We are all aware that these issues exist, we’re just really good at sweeping it under the rug.” While officially recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. day is an “inch of progress”, as said by Rivera, she believes progress can still be made.

Mbele is excited to see where that progress will take Elmbrook. While he is sad that as a senior he will not be able to see his work bear fruit, he said “I’m so happy, I’m so excited”.

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a dose of

Reality Brookfield East seems to be cracking down on illegal substances more than ever before. However, illegal substances seem to be more prevalent with students than ever before, on and off school grounds, even after the increase in regulations. We investigated why the drug culture at Brookfield East continues to become more apparent despite school policies. We interviewed five Brookfield East students who shared their stories and perspectives. To protect their identities, they will be referred to as GREY (male senior), RED (male junior), VIOLET (female senior), BLUE (male junior), and GREEN (female senior). This story is meant to shed light and clarify the realities of the drug culture at Brookfield East.

Written by Namitha Alexander, Emma Jester, Ar jun Shreekumar, Vivek Srivastava Designed

by Shagun Allie Keith Written by Singh Designed by Allie Keith

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GREY: “I got fed up ” and I wanted to try it RED: “The first time I was peer pressured The second time I wanted to do it.”

VIOLET: “The first time I smoked was the summer after my sophomore year with my teammate.”

BLUE: “I started lean because my mom who had an upper respiratory infection and they prescribed her codeine methazine .”

GREEN: “I was in sophomore year Me and my really close friends were just at one of their houses and we drank.”

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WHY STUDENTS but itaciis helps.” have continued to consume substances, quidendam,CONSUME ut ut dellut int easucks, Nobis explici dolorrum- Namet lab inimaio.

Voluptae addition, studentssimus use weed for especially vaping. ipsam que explici de doluptae In qui offictaerum eum in rescipsuntis vellest venis According to the 2016 Elmbrook Youth GREY “I was “It’s not di justdusto for fun, it’s because these landemolupta nonsequi do- self-medication. soluptae nus iur?said, Simi, untreally venderiatiis cullabo Risk Behavior Survey, 43.7% of students depressed at one point in my life and kids are addicted to these high levels of luptaalcohol, quatemposant aute weed et volor soleste voles restios aut liciam harum sunt have consumed and 14.7% omnietur have smoking was the first time I had nicotine,” BLUE said.

“I am very addicted. aut aut illa dit moluptatur dolore plabo.

Nequi officim a intiis voluptiore sit, isque tried weed. BLUE firmly believes that those sensed any feeling of happiness.”

It’s a habit, there’s nothing I can do about it numbers have grown significantly overomnithe Students also get drugs in exceptntibus for try aligend [to stop], empoand that’s what I’m abor si dis ium ut aut utectet can venem incima nistheent dolesti years for many substances including alcohol, they lam work long rum doing.” hitam veria volorerios dolor restaurant et lamindustry ad quiwhere nobitae quunt, quidebis rendi weed, cocaine, lean, nicotine, and adderall. hours especiallyQui aftersus, a fullesday school. que alicab VIOLET also said that the people who simo officabore lam, tem. quatiur? autofeost, is voluptatem The reasons vary greatly.

“Servers need the adderall to be awake and vape in the bathroom now do not do it entioria quia volupie ndctintum, nullorio MultipleItatem studentsestrunto agree that omnis a major del- attentive to their guests,” BLUE said. “The fugitae because it is trendy or cool. They do it igni ssenim doluptaspic tores unt, is et asit lici duntiis aut voluptatiis aut que cum lacmotive is the allure of an illegal substance. hosts and serving assistants need it to stay because they are addicted.

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Natiae nate they think it’s coolcuptae and illegal,” culture has emerged from the [smoking weed] as early as et, I did, I would,” quia expeGREY preri said. autem Aporenis as mo quamet, siti ea autas sinvendebis unt “When people look to rebel, wannantotat increase drug use which CYAN said. nonsequiatat nosapitem nistthey ratessu quaeinvolorum as adallures min even pa venet exerum find something that’ll piss their parents off more students. GREY said that the groups The drug culture at Brookfield East imporis aut perovi- thatsoluptisqui secea etweed accus, ipidcreates que re quid modi ut asi to explore and that’s where they corpos go.” have formed through attract a dark path for students dunt moloribus sapidel labo- many occus. odit abo.

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“It’s an awful addiction that I wouldn’t in conem ut enient id exceat.

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Quia someone. I’m gonna drink because I had a You’re just having a good time. You can “It’s such a mind controlling drug. It hard week.”aut Furthermore, she added, “My talk ventiate about veryprestionse deep things re andperitem you can talkcoreceatem changes who as a person when qui dolorion nimilitas eosyoudisarealitass mom says the communityetwe live in fosters about veryberiorepe stupid things.” you’re addicted to it,” BLUE volenimus eaquatium dolo dolecta sitiore imincipsunt hilligendi tem-said. “You’re alcoholism nosam because parents just say ‘you However, GREY, VIOLET and BLUE not worried about your family rest expelitiis estessi ptatur, ut hitas et reptatam poriati blabore ribearum or your have a safe place in my home’.” could all recall instances when they were friends, you’re worried about getting that dolest es aexplautecate volore- highquibus eaquescared sustrum etur?

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12|spartan banner • winter 2018 12 | spartan banner • winter 2018

Now, BLUE feels better because he is nine months sober from lean.

But the culture still exists. What started out as a fun escape for some students has turned into a difficult addiction to harder drugs.

HOW STUDENTS CONSUME One of the first preventative steps taken at the state and district level has been to make substances difficult to obtain - how then, do students manage to keep up their usage?

It turns out, methods vary greatly between users.

BLUE explains that dealers often get their weed and vape carts from neighboring states with fewer regulations. He said “[dealers] buy as many [carts] as they want, then they sell them here, often to high schoolers that deal themselves.”

A vape cart is a small attachment to be used with a vape pen, generally filled with highly concentrated THC oil (the chemical responsible for weed’s side effects). The carts can either be in raw form or infused with terpenes, essential oils which add flavor and aroma.

Such transactions are not always safe.

GREY recalls a number of occasions where his life was at risk, saying he has been “robbed, had a gun pointed at [him] twice, [and] lost 150 bucks.”

And sometimes, all of that danger is for nothing. Because the initial source of weed, in particular, can be unclear, GREY said

he has to be wary of his health. “You don’t really know where your shit’s coming from and it’s not safe.”

These substances spread very quickly.

Dealers at the high school level are only growing more common. “You can find them anywhere,” BLUE said. “And if you knock out one dealer, there’s always another one, someone always knows someone.”

Many of these dealers are Brookfield East students. While the majority of dealers used to sell weed, BLUE said “the big craze now is for vape carts,” and “all [he] has to do is snapchat [them] and [he]’s set.”

budget hours at a time if she wants to drink at a party. VIOLET finds that this makes it more difficult to drink often, as she has to have enough time to go to a party, get drunk, get sober and finally return home.

SAGE finds herself in a different situation, getting alcohol from her parents rather than friends. “My parents weren’t strict at all,” she said. “They just kept telling me ‘you have to be safe, you can’t drive, if you ever need a ride, call me.’”

Because her parents do not mind her drinking, SAGE is not worried about getting caught. What she is more concerned about is social media.

“I was really depressed at one point in my life and smoking weed was the first time I had sensed any feeling of happiness.”

Other students get their weed, alcohol and vapes in more social settings. VIOLET explained that she does not have to pay for her drugs because she can it from friends.

“You just have to know that secondtier person that can get you stuff. It’s surprisingly easy,” she said.

What VIOLET finds more difficult is keeping her activities from her parents.

She said that keeping alcohol a secret, in particular, requires planning in advance. For example, when she does drink she makes sure to sleep at a friend’s house and refuses to get into any cars until everyone is sober.

When her parents set curfews, she has to

She recalled a time when her picture was uploaded to VSCO, a photo-sharing app, without her knowledge. “One time there was a picture of me with a red solo cup and I got nervous,” SAGE said. “I’m cautious of if I’m getting a picture taken of me.”

HOW THE SCHOOL REACTS Brookfield East follows a specific protocol that the school board created for dealing with students and their illegal substances.

This information is publicly available and can be accessed through the Elmbrook Schools website.

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If a staff member has “reasonable suspicion” that a student uses, possesses or is under the influence of a prohibited substance, action can be taken. Reasonable suspicion is legally defined as rational inferences based on specific and expressible facts.

According to Elmbrook school board policy 5131.45, if a staff member has reasonable suspicion that a student is under the influence at a school-sponsored event, a breathalyzer test can be conducted. If students do not wish to cooperate, they are required to leave the event and may be

“It’s an awful addiction that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.” suspended for insubordination.

If the first breathalyzer screening is positive, the student will be put under supervision for at least 15 minutes and then be screened again to ensure there is alcohol in the student’s system before the school can punish the student.

According to Elmbrook school board policy 5131.4, all lockers are school property and can be subject to inspection by school administrators. With reasonable suspicion, school administrators can search personal belongings in lockers, in the student’s backpack or on the student.

The Elmbrook school board policy 5146.5 states, “Students who use, possess, or are under the influence of alcohol or synthetic alcohol (e.g., powdered alcohol), unlawful drugs, controlled substances or hallucinogens, or look alike substance during school time, on school premises or during school sponsored activities shall be referred to police and immediately suspended and are subject to expulsion for major or repeated violations. As determined by the District, such students are also subject to additional educational programs and obligations.”

According to school psychologist

Aimee Schneidewent, these programs and obligations are meant to enable families to solve problems, not punish students.

“Our job is to collaborate as a team with the families for support and resources,” Schneidewent said. “Let’s say a student and their family is looking for a therapist for support; we will sometimes sit down with families to go through to find the best fit for them.”

Schneidewent explained that after a therapist has been identified, the support staff, including counselors, nurses, the school social worker and psychologist, works together with families to ensure the student’s journey to sobriety is as smooth as possible.

Part of that is monitoring mental health. “Often times we’re not just giving the resources out regarding the substance abuse, but also for mental health support, and for physical support,” Schneidewent said. “We just want to make sure everyone’s safe.”

WHAT STUDENTS THINK OF SCHOOL POLICY Students have diverse opinions about how the school is tackling substance use at Brookfield East.

Though SAGE approves of using substances appropriately and safely for pleasure, he agrees with the school’s approach with cracking down on illegal activities on school grounds. When some of his friends have been caught with vapes, he said, “I have no pity for them.”

However, not all students support the administration’s strategy.

Though Schneidewent emphasized that the student services staff focuses on individualized help for families after finding out students are using illegal substances, some students do not seem to see this.

Instead, they only see punishments.

“A $100 ticket and a slap on the wrist, kids don’t care. They’ll just go buy another [vape],” BLUE said. He feels this punitive approach is counter-intuitive, as warnings are taken lightly.

A major way students see the school cracking down on drugs is through periodic dog searches. However, BLUE explains the dog searches have not deterred

“A $100 ticket and a slap on the wrist, kids don’t care. kids from doing drugs, but instead made them better at hiding the drugs.

“The administration keeps doing the same thing,” BLUE said. “They’re trying to crack down and catch kids. They’re not trying to address the actual problem, that these kids are addicted.”

Despite the school’s efforts to curb substance abuse, students still seem to get exposed to illegal substances. Students don’t feel like they’re getting the emotional support they need, even though the staff feels equipped with the resources necessary to help them. Clearly, there is a disconnect.

RESOURCES If you or someone you know needs assistance contact the Brookfield East Student Services Staff or any of the following helplines: Darby O’Connell, counselor Matt Ische, counselor Michelle McKenna, counselor Jason Lippold, counselor Aimee Schneidewent, psychologist Pam Brees, social worker 211/First Call for Help, a confidential hotline staffed by mental health counselors 24/7: Call 211 or text your zipcode to 898211 Addiction Resource Council Helpline, a confidential hotline providing support and crisis help: 262-524-7920 National Alliance on Mental Illness Waukesha: 262-524-8886 Peer Support Helpline: 262-549-8646 For local prevention resources, you can go to Your Choice to Live, Inc: http://www. yourchoice-live.org/

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Burning Up the Ice

Written by Maddie Miller Photos and Design by Allie Keith Following their dreams to Brookfield, Drew Ianucci and Aidan LaValley recall their journey to Tier One Elite Hockey.

Drew Iannucci (11), on the top, and Aidan LaValley (11), on the bottom, skating down the hockey rink at the Pettit center.

They played the Chicago Young Americans and won 9-3.

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Elite sports teams require full dedication.

Drew Iannucci (11) and Aidan LaValley (11) know this dedication, leaving their friends and family behind to come to Brookfield to play for the Tier One Elite Hockey League.

Both Iannucci and LaValley started hockey at a young age. “I was like three years old, my parents threw some skates on me and I went out there and fell, a lot,” LaValley said.

Interestingly, Iannucci did not begin playing hockey at first, “I actually started figure skating,” he said. “I was a figure skater for like a month or two and they figured that I should probably be in hockey lessons.”

Growing up, both played other sports, but were forced to give them up as hockey demanded a huge time commitment. Iannucci said, “last year I had the opportunity to play football because the team wasn’t going everywhere every weekend. This year all the games are on weekends and we’re traveling all the time, so I really can’t.”

LaValley echoes his thoughts. He said, “I had to quit soccer to play hockey, sometimes I really miss it.”

“I had to quit soccer to play hockey, sometimes I really miss it.”

Iannucci left his high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after Freshman year and attended the Tatnall Prep School in Delaware, where his team won the state championship. LaValley comes from a small town in New York where his team won a sectional title. Coming off of successful teams, they have heavy expectations and goals for their new team here in Milwaukee.

While moving to another state may be a big change for others, Iannucci and Aiden aren’t fazed. LaValley said, “everywhere is different but everywhere I go [my classmates] say ‘yeah there’s nothing to do here’ but that’s pretty much how it is everywhere.”

Iannucci said, “we have the same routine, travelling, practice, working out, so really nothing’s different other than weather and the roads.”

Both now live with their coach and have enrolled in Brookfield East for their Junior year. Being almost completely

independent requires a level of discipline and responsibility that makes it challenging.

“Managing your time is really difficult with rushing to practice after school,” says Iannucci. “Moms not here to help me with that,” LaValley said.

Although Iannucci enjoys the freedom of living on his own, he’ll still get homesick at times. “It’s hard, I’m homesick but my mother motivates me,” Ianucci said. “She texts me everyday when I’m at hockey, she’ll like text me to make sure my homework is done and everything”.

“It’s hard to come here for one year and try to join a friend group; they all have inside jokes and you don’t understand them.”

Many students can relate to the stress that moving to a new school brings.

Especially one the size of Brookfield East, which is much larger than either Iannucci or LaValley have experienced. “At a smaller highschool I guess I would say it’s more one on one with the teachers, you kind of know everybody too,” says Iannucci.

He said, “I see a new person every single day. It’s hard to come here for one year and try to join a friend group; they all have inside jokes and you don’t understand them.”

Making friends is one thing, having the time to socialize outside of school is another with the time demands of their league. Iannucci said, “it’s hard to come here and join a friend group when you can’t hangout with them. We honestly don’t have any time.” Most of their weekends are spent travelling to various meets.

For LaValley and Iannucci, it can be difficult not being able to take a day off and enjoy being a normal high schooler.

Iannucci said, “usually once or twice a week I think about [taking a break]. Hockey is all I think about usually. It’s all there is to think about.”

Both of them feel the pressure on the ice. LaValley says, “this is the biggest year for both of us just because it’s the biggest league for our age to play in.”

Iannucci agrees. He said, “it’s more of a job, not a hobby.”

Even with so much time in the rink, school is still important to Ianucci and LaValley. “School is a huge priority,” Iannucci said. “You have to make sure your grades are there so when you have a chance to go D1, hopefully, then you have the grades to get in.”

Although hockey takes up the majority of their time, they find opportunities to do other activities. “I like to mountain bike, it’s one of my favorite hobbies,” Iannucci said.

He also does charity work, helping the sled hockey team back in his hometown.

The pressure to make the right decisions can be overwhelming. Seeking a role model as a positive influence can help with that responsibility.“My mother motivates me everyday,” Iannucci said.

LaValley said, “My dad is my biggest inspiration, always on me about stuff.”

There are many factors that can make a place seem like home. For Iannucci that is having comfortable relationships with his teachers. “I do have learning disabilities, and I have to be able to go to my teachers and talk to them,” he said.

Fortunately both Iannucci and LaValley feel they have found their place here at Brookfield East, “I’ve made a lot of friends, I’m friends with my teachers. And I think me and LaValley are very comfortable,” Iannucci said.

Both Iannucci and LaValley hope to get scholarships for D1 college hockey. Though if things don’t workout as planned, they have other aspirations. “If that doesn’t happen I’d love to go to a great school for physical therapy,” Iannucci said. “Something to do with sports medicine or like a professional team like the NHL or NFL”.

Iannucci is also interested in a career in astronomy. “That would be really interesting to me because I’ve always had a telescope as a kid just looking up at the moon,” he said.

For LaValley he is set on the sport for now. He said “I haven’t thought of anything beyond hockey.”

By this time next year Iannucci will be at another high school for his senior year.

“I cannot tell you where now, like I have no clue,” he said. “I have to get drafted hopefully which is coming up in a little bit which would be the NAHL or the USHL.” LaValley has the same hopes to be drafted into the next level of elite hockey.

With tools like social media, Iannucci and LaValley keep up with their friends at home and people they have met along their journey. In a few months they will be in another city pursuing their passion. spartan banner • winter 2018|17

Fish out Diving state champion Braden Rumpit looks back at his career as he prepares for his future at UW Madison.

Swimming is a unique mix of teamwork and individual success. The Brookfield East Boys Swim team use these fundamental aspects to create memories in and out of the pool.

Many swimmers on the East team have been swimming for a majority of their life.

Ido Korabelnikov (11) started swimming when he was six; similarly, Brian Daniels (12) started when he was 10. They both wanted to join swim because it was a fun activity they could do with their friends.

Over their long swim careers, they had many memorable moments. Korabelnikov remembers when he was thirteen or fourteen, he anchored during state. “I anchored and I jumped in like three seconds behind and then won by seven [seconds],” he said.

Korabelnikov felt like the hero of the team.

Korabelnikov also fondly remembers his highschool conference relays. He said it was enjoyable to simply be with the team and compete against other schools. “The energy everyone has during team conference relays, really helps us to compete better,” he said.

Daniels struggled to make it to state.

He injured his shoulder and had a grueling journey to get to the meet. He said it was simply overuse in an attempt to be the best he could be for state.

Besides having good memories in the pool, Daniels recalls how he would “hang outside the pool [and] go hiking or camping with the guys.” Daniels appreciates the opportunities he has had to make so many close friends since he joined swimming.

As the start of the season, Daniels and Korabelnikov both had many goals. Daniels said his goal was to make it to state again in the 500 and 200 freestyle. Meanwhile, Korabelnikov could not wait to compete in the newly aligned conference. With the old schools in the conference, no one on the team swam any of their “strong” events and still beat their competition handily.

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Written by Rucheng Pan Designed by Allie Keith Photography by Stevens Point Journal

As the season wraps up, it is clear that the Spartan swimmers have met and surpassed their original goals. Daniels qualified for state in the 200 yard freestyle and 500 yard freestyle with a third and second place finish at sectionals, respectively. He and Korabelnikov were both part of the 200 yard and 400 yard freestyle relay which both placed first at sectionals. Korabelnikov placed second in both the 50 yard and 100 yard freestyle.

Braden Rumpit (12) dives during the Division 1 2019 State Boys Swimming and Diving Championships at the UW Natatorium in Madison. Rumpit will be diving collegiately at the university next fall.

of water Written by Shagun Singh

As he ends his high school diving season, Braden Rumpit (12) thinks back on why he has found so much success this year. He believes that much can be credited to his training schedule; Rumpit practices year round, competing during both the club and high school season.

“I’m most proud of going from 25th in the state during freshman year to third at state during junior year,” he said. “Every-

thing is thanks to my commitment to diving year round rather than just the high school season.”

There are many different reasons Rumpit dives. He said, “One of the most enjoyable things is learning a new dive because regardless of whether or not you’re successful you get to know that you faced your fears.”

Despite his successes on the diving board, he is most grateful for the experienc-

es outside the pool. “More than anything I love the teammates, competitors, and friends I’ve met through diving, especially the people who are all 3 at once,” Rumpit said.

Many of his favorite memories come from spontaneous team activities. “We do a lot of really fun stuff we normally don’t get to do,” he said, “like put[ting] a slip n’slide on the 5 meter platform - coaches cook pancakes for the swimmers and divers too.”

While diving brings Rumpit joy, it also gives him an adrenaline rush. During one of his scariest dives, Rumpit said “ I was so terrified I was shaking as I stood on the end of the platform but I forced myself and I ended up perfectly safe and sound. Afterwards I had so much adrenaline I could hardly stand.”

Rumpit has many plans for the future.

He is going to dive at UW-Madison for the next four years. He is excited for the new opportunities, particularly “more 3 meter tower diving rather than just 1 meter diving.”

While he is “excited for a lot more diving,” Rumpit said “there aren’t a lot of opportunities to dive after college.” Still, Rumpit would consider staying involved with diving by “coaching a high school team or messing around with cliff diving and show diving.”

As for the present, Rumpit is focused on being a leader for his team. He said “I’m trying be the teammate I would’ve wanted my freshman year, answering questions, helping with organization, communication, transportation and generally being supportive of our new divers.”

Even though Rumpit began diving at the early age of 12, his diving journey is far from over. He looks forward to creating new memories and achieving more goals as he continues his diving career.

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tackling WRESTLING

East athletes explains how wrestling has allowed them to change as people through hard work and commitment.

John Champe (11) wrestles an opponent from Wauwatosa East at the boys conference meet on February 2nd.

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For many wrestlers at East, wrestling is a family tradition.

Stephen Multhauf (12) said, “I joined wrestling back in 1st grade, because my whole family did it, my dad did it, my cousins did it, everybody did it and my dad just signed me up for it.”

Simon Lupton (9), Lucas Mandella (11), and Connor Thorpe (10) all echo the same statements, saying they first joined wrestling because of their fathers.

Many wrestlers play other sports; Mandella is a pole vaulter for the track and field team, and Lupton plays soccer, football, and runs track as well. He believes wrestling has benefited his other sports as wrestling “teaches the ability to keep going and give it my best effort.”

“[I have an] overall goal of being the best I can be; constantly improving and evolving into a better wrestler.”

However, others, like Thorpe, prioritize wrestling. In preparation for the upcoming season, Thorpe lifts at various spots such as “Next Level”, but has begun to lift at East as well. In addition, Thorpe competes in offseason tournaments in the olympic style freestyle.

Some one-sport athletes may

experience burnout, but Thorpe is consistently motivated by the “overall goal of being the best I can be; constantly improving and evolving into a better wrestler. It makes me want to be better every time I step out.”

Some of the boys’ other motivations include coaches and teammates. The coaches have shown to be major role models for the wrestlers. “It may not look like it but my coaches are actually really good. Like really good,” Mandella said. “In wrestling, my mentor is Coach Nelson, he’s really good and gives good tips.”

The athletes train everyday for two hours and participate in meets most Thursdays and Saturdays. Multhuaf said, “There is a lot of mental toughness that you have to have for wrestling.”

The other boys agree, explaining that one has to have a strong mentality when wrestling.

Lupton said, “perseverance is a big thing [the coaches] teach us.” and Thorpe explained that the wrestlers have to be “really disciplined to fully commit to the sport and make weight.”

In anticipation of the upcoming season, the Spartan wrestlers have many goals. Thorpe wants to “win more tournaments on top.”

Lupton’s goal: state champion.

“I want to be at that level, it’s going to be hard and I’m going to get tough competition early on but that’s what I want,” he said.

“Those guys will challenge me early so later in the season I can be challenger for that state title.”

Mandella and Multhauf share

the same goal - a trip to state.

Multhauf said, “I had an injury last year which prevented me from going to state last year, so my goal is to bounce back and make it to state.”

“Perseverance is a big thing [the coaches] teach us.”

With the lofty goals comes a speck of nervousness. “You always play around with the ‘what-if ’ scenarios’ kind of stuff but I don’t want to think about concerns to much,” Thorpe said.

Although, many wrestlers agreed with Thorpe on pushing away the nerves, one constant concern for the wrestlers has been injuries. When asked what his main concerns were, Mandella said, “I just don’t want to get injured.”

The high physical demand of wrestling calls for a high concern of injury. Lupton said, “I had some injuries during last year and it took a while to heal so I’m hoping to not get injured this year.”

Above all the other emotions is excitement for the upcoming season. “I love my team and I can’t wait for all the things that come along with it.”, Thorpe said. “Just being able to compete this many times within that time period is just so much fun and I just love going out and trying to prove myself to everyone else”.

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