T h e L a k e F o r e s t A c a d e m y

Volume 89 Number 3 December 9, 2010

S P E C T A T O R1500 West Kennedy Road Lake Forest, IL 60045

118-9 2Harvesting Hope

Update

See page 2 See page 8 See page 11

By Ariana BhatiaNews Editor Over the past few years, LFA has added numer-ous new facilities to campus including the new Student Center, the recently completed Crown Fitness Center, and the Fitzsimmons building. Students and faculty at LFA recently learned that the exciting new projects are not finished yet. There is another new development ho-rizon: a new girls’ dorm, to be called Ferry Hall, was approved unanimously at the Fall Trustees Meeting. The new project will also include the renovation and move of Durand House to another site on campus. “It’s always exciting for the board to approve a new major project,” noted Head of School Dr. John Strud-wick. “Fundamentally, everyone felt very good about where LFA is currently and the project made sense.” This new undertaking will be a $7.9 million, two-phase project that the board is hoping to have completed by sometime in early 2011. The new Ferry Hall will be the first building at LFA planned with the full intention of being a girls’ dorm. The 36-bed facility will have four faculty apartments attached to the wings, as well as a kitchen, a large commons space on the first floor, a smaller commons space on the second floor, and a vending area. People throughout the LFA community were excited by the announcement of this new project; how-ever, no one was more thrilled than the girl boarders.

“ I’m really excited to have a new place for girls to hang out, bond and do homework,” said sopho-more Abby Ripoli. “I think it will be a really great ad-dition to the campus and I can’t wait to see it happen!” Junior Allie Matherne felt the same way and com-mented that the students are “stoked” for the new building. “I’m extremely excited because, even if I can only live in it a semester, it will have two floors, a full kitchen, air conditioning, and a lot more hangout space,” said junior Rachel Riccio. While many see this as a great under-

taking, many upperclassmen are sad that they will not reap the full benefits of Ferry Hall. “I’m kinda sad because I have to see it all being built but probably won’t get the chance to live in it!” said junior Sarah Hong. According to school officials, after Ferry Hall is built, Field Dorm will undergo some changes as well. The 82-bed dorm will be reduced to 72 beds, manydoubles will be converted to singles and an air condition-ing system will be added to both Field and Macintosh. Girl dorm story continued on page 4

New girls dorm approved

Architect’s rendering of the new Ferry Hall Girls Dorm, which is expected to be completed in early 2011.

Vox debut concert was a huge success

Photo by Kathleen KennedyStudents in VOX perfom at an Arts Concentration concert.

Crown Fitness Center SportsMedia

By Takia BroomfieldA&E Editor

The Fine Arts Department of LFA has started a new group student singing group called VOX and the concept is already extremely popular with students. Mrs. Peg Plambeck is the official director of the group.

“Vox was created to allow non-Arts Con-centration students to participate in the school’s musical performances,” said Plambeck dur-ing an interview with The Spectator this week.

Before Vox, there was a group called Art Concentration singers, but the name and real-ity were in disagreement because most of the stu-dents were not in the Arts Concentration program.

“Vox is an attempt to meet the needs of students who want to sing in a group without being exclusive Arts Vox story continued on page 13

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By Ariana Bhatia

News Editor

This year’s Fall Trustee Meeting not only brought new ideas and projects to the table, but also included the seating 11 new trustees on the school’s guiding board. These trustees come from various backgrounds and are of different ages, na-tionalities, as well as gender—greatly improving the mix of the group as a whole, accord-ing to school administrators. “Certainly it was one of the strategic planning objec-tives from 2003,” Head of School Dr. John Strudwick commented. “This was re-emphasized in 2008 to ensure a board of trust-ees that in many ways reflected the student body and also have a real balance in terms of alum-ni trustees and parent trustees.”

According to Chief Financial Officer and Direc-tor of Financial Aid Andrew Kerr the new board members represent the largest group of new trustees ever brought on to the board at one time. While the board has been fairly diverse in past years, this influx of new members is bound to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas into the school. “I’m looking forward to it because I think it will spur more dynamic discussion and thought about the school and our direction,” said Strudwick. These 11 newcom-ers will round raise the board to a total of 34 trustees for the year. While only one trustee was added last year, this year brought many terms to an end (nine-year limit) and opened up slots for a fresh set of minds.

This fall’s meeting served as an orientation for these members. “One of the aspects of the weekend that was most fun for me was the ability to give them a tour of the campus,” Kerr commented. “The reason it was fun for me was that many are alums...all the men that are new members were chuckling about the fact that their old locker room in Glore is now a hallway.” While a lot of the agenda is routine proce-dure, the Fall Trustee Meet-ing went well as a whole. “It was one of the best board meetings we’ve had in a few years,” said Strudwick. “The school is also at a great point; the fact that we can cel-ebrate the Capital Campaign success to date—there were fireworks that Friday night and the cornerstone cam-paign celebration that day.”

11 new trustees join LFA’s board

By Mary Kate Hayes

News Editor

LFA students arrived at the A.J. Katzenmaier School in North Chicago at 7:45 a.m. on November 20 in order to partic-ipate in the Second Annual Har-vesting Hope Enrichment Day led by senior club leaders Mari-el Rogozinski, Nick Ustaski, Eric Clamage, and Director of Service Learning Sarah Collins. As part of the overall harvesting Hope Project, one of LFA’s largest social service efforts, students had the choice to help in four categories at Enrichment Day: sports, dance, art, or hospitality. The sports leaders were junior Spencer Friske and senior Ben Smiley. Se-nior Catalina Todd led the dance group; seniors Heather Choung and Ellena Sea led the art group, and juniors Andrea Shen and Shane Pen-man led the hospitality group. The sports group played soccer, basketball, and Sharks and Minnows.

“The LFA students out-numbered the AJK kids, but it still worked out,” said junior Grace Robinson. “It was pos-sible to have everyone be com-pletely involved because of the large number of LFA kids.” In the dance group, the Cheerleaders, Bomb Squad, and Salsa Club volunteered. “The enrichment day this year was just as much fun as last year,” said senior cheerleading captain Cata-lina Todd. “It’s great to spend the day with the AJK kids and have fun teaching them how to do the things you enjoy.” The art group had an interesting project cre-ating Tibetan prayer flags. “In Tibet, people make prayer flags and hang them up,” said Shen. “When the flag floats off into the wind, their prayers will be answered.” Finally, the hospital-ity group worked on decorat-ing the school and setting up breakfast. The group worked registration and made sure ev-

ery child was checked in and set up in a class for the day. New to this year’s Enrichment Day, AJK kids were able to take part in two different classes. Additionally, Rogoz-inski led a photo group in which every kid got their picture taken as well as re-ceived copies of the photos. The day concluded with an exciting Coax concert consisting of five songs. AJK kids danced and listened until their parents picked them up. Overall, both AJK kids and LFA students enjoyed the community service day. “I had a really good time at the Enrichment Day, and the kids enjoyed it as well,” Shen commented. “It was great to see LFA students working together with the AJ Katzenmeier kids.” The connection be-tween volunteers and the chil-dren was very apparent in the cheerful atmosphere of the day. “I liked being so close with the kids,” Robinson said. “I was really impressed with peo-ple’s abilities to connect with the kids and have a good time.“

Successful second annual Harvesting Hope Enrichment Day

Cholera outbreak in HaitiInformation from CNN

So far the cholera outbreak in Haiti has killed 724 people and has sickened 11,000. Epidemiologists say that the outbreak could last for months and that the entire nation is at rick be-cause they have no immunity to cholera. Health officials say that the infection is spreading quickly from congest, unsanitary con-ditions and impoverished neighborhoods. Cholera is a diarrheal illness, symptoms can be mild or severe, but if left untreated a person can die within hours. The American Red Cross have been telling people of the importance of drinking clean water and outlining specific things that can help avoid contamination.

Tensions in North KoreaInformation from BBC News

“The situation on the Korean Peninsula is getting closer and closer to the brink of war” said the Norths’ KCNA news agency. On Tuesday four South Koreans died when the North shelled the Southern Island of Yeonpyeong and on Fri-day artillery-like sounds were heard on North Korean terri-tory close to Yeonpyeong. Gen Sharp said that Tuesday’s at-tack was a violation of the 1953 armistice. US-South Korean naval manoeuvres have angered North Korea and unsettled China, who issued a warning on Friday against military activ-ity in the area. This area extands 200 miles (320km) from China’s coast and includes areas south of Yeonpyeong. This week’s tension increases as the North undergoes a transi-tion of power from leader Kim Jong-il to son Kim Jong-un.

Afghanistan suicide bombers attack in PaktikaInformation from BBC News

Two suicide bombers attacked a police headquar-ters in Paktika province in Afghanistan. Atleast 13 police-men were injured. The bombers reportedly detonated de-vices in the compound of the regional police headquarters. The attackers were dressed as police officers and entered the main police compound about 20 minutes apart. Naw-ab Waziry, the head of Paktika’s provincial council, said “There are lots of casualties. The site was covered in blood.”

World News Roundup

Assembled by Sophia Salsbery

Photo Editor

Photo Courtesy of Tribune Media Services

Tensions between North Korea and South Korea intensify.

Photo Courtesy of Tribune Media Services

Haitians suffer as cholera spreads.

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Two of the highest pro-file Chicago trials in recent times involved celebrities Kanye West and Rob Blagojevich. The two will be tied together forever by sharing the same defense at-torney -- successful lawyer and LFA alum Sam Adam Jr.. He vis-ited his alma mater recently to talk about his recent stint as ex-Governor Blagojevich’s defense attorney, but he also spoke about his years attending LFA.

Adam told students that while defending Blagojevich, he had one barefaced belief and stuck to it throughout the entire trial: “The guy ain’t corrupt.”

During a quarrel with the trial judge, in which Judge Zagel threatened to hold Adam in contempt of court, Adam even went as far as to say that he would go to jail for what is right.

“With all due defer-ence to the court, I have a man here who’s arguing for his life. . . . I can’t effectively represent this man. . . . I can’t follow this

order,” Adam told Judge Zagel. “I’m willing to go to jail on this.”

After a triumphant out-come in Blagojevich’s corrup-tion case, Adam can be found all over the nationwide news head-lines. Because of his passionate defense of the former gover-nor, there have been numerous people who have questioned whether or not Adam is, indeed ,an ethical defense attorney.

During his presenta-tion to students, Adam com-mented on this questioning of his ethics by observers.

“It is my job to make sure that the government does its job. If someone, who the government thinks is guilty, is proven otherwise, then the government failed to do its job,” he said. “It is the government’s job to prove them guilty.”

When discussing his past years at LFA, he seemed enthusiastic to talk about his theater class with Mr. Mark Dryfoos, and the many pranks he played while here at LFA. Dryfoos exclaimed that it is funny and ironic to think that

a silly kid in his theater class called “Skippy” would end up being such a theatrical defense attorney.

While eating dinner together Adam and Dryfoos shared a story about how Dry-foos recommended that Adam should memorize the lines to a letter that he had to read aloud during a performance. Adam seemed completely op-

posed to doing this. To teach him a lesson, the night of the performance Dryfoos gave him a blank letter with no words. Adams, however, recited the let-ter by heart. Dryfoos said that Adam always took good advice, even if he seemed opposed to it.

During his visit, Adam was extremely surprised at all the new changes and facilities at LFA. He was also exceedingly

pleased when he found out that the students taking government at LFA had qualified for state in the “We the People” competi-tion the same day. Adam firmly believes that it is the job of stu-dents to change the government and better the political sys-tem when they become adults.

By Takia BroomfieldA&E Editor

Famous defense lawyer and alum Sam Adam visits LFA

Photo by Alexandra Campbell

Mary Kate Hayes

News Editor

The Alliance for Cli-mate Education recently pre-sented an entertaining cartoon at LFA’s All School Meeting dis-playing the ways high school teens affect the environment and ways teens can prevent the increase of climate change. Ac-cording to its website, A.C.E.’s mission is “to educate high school students on the science behind climate change and in-spire them to take action to curb the causes of global warming.” In the LFA community, students have already begun banding together to take ac-tion against global warming. LFA students founded an envi-ronmental club called H.E.A.T. with the purpose of “help-ing Earth, animals, and trees.” “We promote reduc-ing, reusing, and recycling,” said senior co-leader Em-ily Kulas. “This year we’ve been

putting more of our efforts into finding an animal shel-ter where we can volunteer.” Besides the mem-bers of H.E.A.T, many other students at LFA were af-fected by A.C.E.’s strong mes-sage to the student body. “I truly believe we are the people that will need to change the environment,” stat-ed junior Casey Coulter. “I be-lieve our world has reached it’s ‘tipping point’, or point of no return, where we can no longer live in the same world we do to-day. We need to do something about this, and fast. I talked to the speaker after her A.C.E presentation and this motivat-ed me even more to do some-thing to help the environment.” But not everyone was aware of the climate crisis or the actions that are easy to ex-ecute that can help so much. “I didn’t realize the consequences,” said freshman Tommy Chandler. “The presen-tation motivated me to do the small things around the house.”

“It opened my eyes to the little things everyone could do to decrease our negative ef-fects on the environment,” said junior Shane Penman. “You can unplug your device char-gers at night and turn off your lights when they aren’t in use.” Other students said this problem will affect us in the future, not in the present. “The environmental

problems seem like they will affect us more in the future when we start to really see changes in the weather and in the plants and animals and we start to not be as healthy,” said junior Lexi DeYoung. “The presentation made me more conscious about how much the little things I do every day re-ally affect the whole world.” Stressed in its recent

presentation, the members of A.C.E. underline the impor-tance of taking action now. “After the presenta-tion, I was so inspired to think of stuff that could help the world’s environment,” said junior Donwon Choi. “I actu-ally have numerous ideas. To me, the presentation repre-sented hope for our future.”

Photo taken from ema-online.orgThe ACE cartoon presentation stressed the huge difference that could be made if each person did one thing.

Alliance for Climate Education presents a “hot” topic to LFA community

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By Grace CoburnStaff Writer

The old fashioned idea of book banning is experiencing resurgence at Missouri State University thanks to efforts by Associate Professor Wesley Scroggins. He is trying to ban the book Speak, by Laurie Halse An-derson,. This national news sto-ry should be of particular inter-est to students at LFA, because Speak has been required sum-mer reading for incoming fresh-men during the last two years.

Speak is not only a nationally-popular teen novel, but it’s also a movie that stares Twilight actress, Kristen Stew-art. Penguin Group published this novel in April of 2006. For those of you who haven’t read the book, or seen the movie, that have stirred up the na-tional debate, it’s a story about a girl who goes through the ex-perience of rape at a summer party before her freshman year begins. The protagonist doesn’t tell anyone. As she enters ninth grade she feels terribly alone; all of her friends, as well as

numerous other students, are furious at her for calling the police to the party. Through-out the entire book she goes through the struggle of find-ing her identity, and she ends up expressing it through art. Speak contains a graphic description of the sexual assault, and for this reason Scroggins wants to eliminate the book from the public school curriculum. The Spectator spoke with numerous LFA stu-dents who have read the book over the last two years and asked them for their opinions about the novel.

“Speak needs to be read,” said sophomore Nadeem Bandealy, “It describes real world events that actually happen. People should be aware of such occurrences so we can prevent them.” As the freshmen join the LFA community just this year, they can relate to the feeling of finding your identity at a new school.

“I can see why he would want to ban the book, but I think that it was a good book

for students to read as long as it’s directed towards the right age group,” said Hallie Ventling.

Librarian Grier Carson was passionate in his objec-tion to the actions in Missouri.

“It’s a real threat when people try to ban things in that

kind of society,” said Carson, “Banning something from students who are prepared is like saying, ‘I don’t think you can handle this, I don’t trust you to read it and un-derstand it, therefore I’m not going to let you see this.’”

As it turns out the best place to build Ferry Hall, is where Du-rand House currently stands. Chief Financial Officer and director of Financial Aid, Mr. Andrew Kerr explained they will, “literally pick up and move Durand house...between Macin-tosh and West Village.” Durand house, a for-mer orangery, on the Armor es-tate, will be completely gutted and rebuilt as six faculty apart-ments. The first floor will con-tain three, two-bedroom apart-ments with basements and the top floor will have three, one-bedroom apartments. Due to the gutting, five faculty mem-bers have moved off campus for the rest of the year and are liv-ing in apartments in east Lake Forest, courtesy of the school. If all goes as planned, they should be able to move back in by early spring next year.

New girl’s dorm and Durand house renovation continued from page 1

LFA Required Reading Se-lection: A Banned Book?

Photo by Bill MurphyLFA freshman discuss banned book Speak during English class.

By Taylor Jenkins

Editor-in-Chief

The U.S. Government class, led by Dr. James Quillin, recently took second place in the Regional “We The People” competition. This performance earned the Caxys a trip to the State Championships and a chance to unseat the defending Illinois Champions, Main South H.S. “We The People” is a government-sponsored, na-tional program for high school students. It tests participants in their knowledge of the U.S. Con-stitution, constitutional history and democratic citizenship. The contests take the form of a mock congressional hearing, which is judged by local experts who then select the winners. According to Quillin, the LFA students are excited to compete against Main South H.S. While the team from LFA

has shown great potential for success, Main South has won the Illinois state contest for the last 16 years. The underdog Caxy’s will have to give a his-toric performance in order to dethrone the more experienced Main South team. Despite these odds Quillin still feel confident that his students will perform under the pressure. “I think our chances are good as ever,” he said, “and we learn more about what is required for his competition ev-ery time we take part.” Historically LFA has given strong performances in the “We the People” competi-tion. They have only failed to make it to the state competition once, and they have taken sec-ond or third place every time they did advance. “We don’t get to see the other teams compete, which is an unfortunate aspect of the way the competition is struc-

tured. The judges were ex-tremely knowledgeable, asked tough questions, and, as far as I could tell, were very fair,” stated Dr. Quillin, expressing his one critique of the contest.

“This really is a com-petition where everyone wins,” he added, “ because even if you don’t take home the prize, pre-paring for the competition forc-es you to become more aware of

your rights and responsibilities as a democratic citizen, which helps to maintain and improve the long-term quality of our de-mocracy.”

Photo by Kathleen Kennedy Erin Peterson, Andrew Haddad, and Brian Richardson hard at work preparing for the state competition.

Successful Government class moving on to state level competition

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Page By Kathleen KennedyPhoto Editor

Winter has officially started and for everyone who has spent a winter in Chicago, or a winter at LFA, we know snow is on the horizon. Although many look forward to snow, because it is a sign of the holiday season and winter break, we can probably all admit that the cold winters cause some restrictions when it comes to fun activities on campus. The sludge of snow and extremely cold weather may put an end to cam-pus activities such as ultimate Frisbee, the occasional Slip-n-Slide competition, or just hanging out with your friends on the field hockey field. However, this does not have to be the end of fun. It may even be the beginning to a season filled with laughter and amusement. After the typical snowball fight, students may feel the need to leave cam-pus in order to fill up their winter days. What is there to do, you ask? For those of you who are not from the area, you can be assured that there is plenty of fun to have in the Chicago area. An obvious activity is ice-skating. Chicago offers a variety of ice rinks that could spice things up more than repetitive laps around the LFA rink. Mil-lennium Park, in downtown Chicago, contains an ice rink in the winter months. Beautifully lit buildings and an excellent restaurant surround the rink, which has free admission. This rink is often filled with carefree residents enjoying them-selves, their surroundings, and the holiday months. For those hoping to rough it out a little more on the ice, there are also numerous outdoor rinks in surrounding towns (Lake Bluff, Glencoe, Highland Park, and Winnetka, for example) that are perfect for pick-up hockey games. “I go to the rink in Lake Bluff or Lake Forest and play some pickup hockey. There are always people there to play with so it’s a lot of fun,” said junior Casey Coulter. For those willing to take the train or drive to the city, there are a variety of other options for winter fun. For example, entertainment such as “The Nut-cracker” ballet or any Chicago sports game (choose from the Bulls, Blackhawks, or Wolves) may complete your getaway day. Obviously the city is filled with places to shop; but if you’re all spent out, window-shopping on Michigan Avenue is just as much fun! Who knows, maybe something you see will end up under the Christmas tree! The holiday window decorations at Macy’s (the old Marshall Field’s) have attracted visitors for decades, and the John Hancock building has an annual display of electric trains in its lobby, which may be a fun stop while wandering around the city. If taking the train or driving downtown is not an option, do not fear. There is plenty of more local fun to be had, even during a snowstorm. Senior Em-ily Kulas suggested a few ways to simply get off campus for a short time. “Bowling is an easy way to get out for a few hours,” she said, “and a good game of broomball is always interesting.” Sledding or tobogganing are also winter classics, and easily manageable. “There are a lot of sledding hills in Lake Forest and the surrounding areas that I’m sure students could get a van run to,” stated senior Jess Kaminsky. “They are always a lot of fun!” If you do not own a sled, a tray from Hutch could do the trick! Of course there is always the option of going home with a day student and baking some gingerbread cookies, followed up by a board game and/or a movie in a comfy home. So don’t let the sludgy snow and painful winter breezes keep you locked up in the dorms for the season. Embrace the holiday lights, hot chocolate, and warm winter mittens and fill your winter days with some excitement.

Fun winter ways to spend cold winter days:for boarders and day students alike

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Is your Facebook page college friendly?Facebook becoming a helpful tool in the admissions processBy Eric Clamage Editor in Chief

A new trend in the col-lege admissions process has been for admissions officers to look at applicants’ Facebook pages as part of the process. There are sto-ries told (but not always proven) that, if two applicants are con-sidered equal, a look at their re-spective Facebook pages can help admissions officers decide which student they will accept. According to Ms. Caro-lyn Schoen, assistant dean of college counseling at LFA, some college admission counselors are looking at students’ Facebook profiles to help understand who the student truly is and how they convey themselves to everyone else. Dean of College Coun-seling Jack Lewis agrees. He feels that admissions officers have gone on students’ pages to review the pictures a student has posted of one of his/her activities, or, in some cases, if an admis-sions officer wants to know more about the applicant. Lewis didn’t

think colleges are going on Face-book as often as students believe they do; however, it is a growing trend. “Students need to check their Facebook or Myspace ac-counts regularly to make sure nothing inappropriate is on the

page,” stated Lewis. “Even your friends could be putting inappro-priate comments on your page and it is not worth the risk.” The common theme among the college counselors is, according to Schoen, that stu-dents need to be smart about what

they put on their Facebook profile because they never know who is looking at it. Senior Nate Pabrai has taken steps to help prevent col-leges from looking at his profile. “I have set my privacy controls so they are not able to

view my profile or the comments on my wall,” said Pabrai, “in case they were to search me.” “I try not to swear as much in my status updates and try to keep them appropriate,” said senior Holly West. When asked, many stu-dents in the community do not ac-knowledge the risk of badly cho-sen Facebook posts in the college admissions process. Lewis stressed that first impressions are the most lasting, and that students need to take into consideration that others may view their Facebook page in a negative way. Lewis did say that col-leges looking at an applicants’ Facebook page is not right. “By strict definition,” said Lewis, “I think it is unethi-cal; but students need to realize that what they post on the Internet is for everyone to see. Students just need to be careful on social networks. The guiding principle is that what is posted on your profile could be inappropriate or offensive to others depending on how they view it.”

By Lucy EmeryEditor-in-Chief

To many people, shop-ping is a dreaded task that is avoided until it is completely necessary; but for some, shop-ping is a hobby, which they have managed to evolve into an art. Shoppers will tell you that the best deals are not ones that mys-teriously land in their closet, but ones that they watch closely and then impulsively pounce on. But stalking deals in this digital age now takes on two forms: in stores and online. In a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, reporter Kristin Samuelson quoted a re-cent study atCalifornia Institute of Technology, which stated that consumers would pay an average of 50% morefor items that they could touch, versus ordering on-line. Many LFA students said that they too would rather go to store to buy clothes. The moral dilemma of shopping online or in stores is taken a step further with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Black

The Shopper’s Dilemma:Is it better to shop online or in-stores?

Friday is the infamous day-after-Thanksgiving, when many large stores offer incredible deals, which usually start in the early hours of the morning. Then the following Monday – Cyber Mon-day -- many online stores intro-duce their best deals to shoppers. Many of the best deals are found on Cyber Monday, when higher end stores begin their sales as well as large web-sites, such as Amazon, Wal-Mart,

and Best Buy. Typically, by shop-ping online versus braving the crowds on Black Friday, you can save as much money as you would in stores, and even more time. The real conditions of lines that take twenty minutes to

get through, with seemingly the entire American public squeezed into one mall, and rude employees watching you shop, adds to some people’s enjoyment of shopping. Many people find shopping in stores the easier way to do things. Shopping in stores allows you to touch and feel the merchan-dise. Something that looks utterly fabulous online, may look like the most heinous thing you have ever laid eyes on when shopping

in person. “Everything looks dif-ferent online,” explained senior Hannah Dwyer, “You need to see it in real life to see if it will actu-ally work.” Some customers feel that the thrill of hunting through

racks of clothes is lost when you shop online. “I don’t like shopping online, because shopping in stores is fun,” said senior Erin Petersen, “It’s just a fun activity”. Senior Hailey Arnold, who was featured in a previous issue of The Spectator as one of several best dressed students, said she almost always shops in stores, but does admit to buying shoes online because (she said)

that there is little room for error once you know your shoe size. Even though the general consensus among LFA shoppers surveyed for this article seems to be a preference for shopping in stores, some people prefer to do get their shopping out of the way

by doing it online. You can sit on the couch while watching T.V. and pick out your new super chic wardrobe. The shipping costs do make people question online shopping from a fiscal stand-point; but now, many sites offer free shipping on orders above a certain price, so you simply have to spend more money. “[Shopping online] is easier and more convenient,” said junior Morgan Jones. Sometimes finding the time, and in many boarders cases, a ride to the mall, makes shop-ping online more convenient. “Shopping online is eas-ier as a boarder” said junior Ro-lan Tan “But I’d much rather go to the stores and try things on.” Shopping online also al-lows you to compare prices side-by-side, so you can be sure that you are finding the best deal. Though you can perhaps find that new item of clothing on-line for a cheaper price, you can-not put a price tag on the delight you get when you step into a store and see that shirt or dress that just screams you.

“....consumers would pay an average of 50% more for items that they could touch,

versus ordering online.”

Photo by Mr. Bill MurphyMs. Carolyn Schoen of the College Counseling Office recommends that srudents check their Facebook pages for questionable material before college admissions officers do.

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‘Tis the season for dream holiday giftsWhat’s on your wish list?By Andrea ShenA&E Editor The winter chill is setting in, the leaves have fallen from the trees, and Starbucks is offering hot chocolate and peppermint-flavored drinks, which means the holidays will be upon us before we know it. ‘Tis the season to sit on the couch and watch holiday movie marathons, eat too many candy canes and cookies, and, most importantly, unwrap presents. Every year, we eagerly open our presents, hoping for the sea-son’s coolest gadget or cutest purse. Sometimes, we are thrilled with what we find in the box; other times, we are disappointed. As much as we love the sweaters from grandma (the ones that are too embarrassing to wear in public), there is always something that tops our wish list. So if money were no object, what would be your dream holiday gift?

“Good grades, because then my par-ents would be happy for me!”–Michael O’Doherty and Cara Kings-ley

“I would take my whole advisory to Disney World, since I can’t pick one fa-vorite advisee.”- Mr. Chris Dozios

“An Audi R8 (with a subwoofer). If it’s good enough for Tony Stark, it’s good enough for me.”–Leo Rudberg

“My dream gift would be an essay grading machine. I would be able to scan papers in and enter in my expectations. Out would appear essays, graded, with comments written in my handwriting. You students would be none the wiser and I would be able to spend my evenings watching real-ity TV instead of grading these &*&^% slavery papers. Oh, the joy that such a gift would bring me…”–Mrs. Suzy Vaughn

“A ski trip to Switzerland, complete with the best hot choco-late shopping.”–Jane Strudwick

Image courtesy of river-cabin.net

Image courtesy of mamacheaps.com

Image courtesy of allstarvacationhomes.com

Image courtesy of findamachine.com--

Image courtesy of dymee.com

“My favorite gift is inexpensive… but priceless, to me. When a stu-dent recognizes the efforts I have expended on his or her behalf and says ‘Thanks,’ there is no better gift.”-Mr. Bill Murphy

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LFA Welcomes The Crown Fitness and Wellness Center

Pages by Kathleen Kennedy and Sophia Salsbery

LFA upperclassmen hang out in the lounge area before practice. The lounge area is on the first floor of the building and consists of multiple couches and tables as well as a flat screen T.V. This has turned out to be a popular pre-practice hang out space for all students.

The Crown Fitness and Wellness Center has been in use for about a month and a half and has become a popular facility for students and faculty. There is room for hanging out and exercising alone or with a team. While walking around the fitness center after a school day, one will find students using the cardio and weight machines and taking instruction from the weight trainers. The trainers are in the Crown Center at all times while it is in use by the students to assure safety. The bustling fitness and lounge rooms prove that the Crown Center has given students a motive to workout after the school day. We have highlighted for you the main spaces of the Crown Center and the equipment each room includes.

The LFA wrestling team takes advantage of their new practice room. When the mats are removed this room is also used as a mutlipurpose room where the cheerleaders are able to practice their new stunts.

Students take advantage of the new aerobic equipment at the end of the school day. Machines include treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals. Teams have designated times to use the equipment assur-ing the weight room doesn’t get too crowded.

The Crown Center gives LFA a new view to admire while walking down the endless road in front of Atlass. The facility is a big improvement for the LFA campus, giving the community another thing to be proud of.

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LFA Welcomes The Crown Fitness and Wellness Center

Pages by Kathleen Kennedy and Sophia Salsbery

The Crown Fitness and Wellness Center has been in use for about a month and a half and has become a popular facility for students and faculty. There is room for hanging out and exercising alone or with a team. While walking around the fitness center after a school day, one will find students using the cardio and weight machines and taking instruction from the weight trainers. The trainers are in the Crown Center at all times while it is in use by the students to assure safety. The bustling fitness and lounge rooms prove that the Crown Center has given students a motive to workout after the school day. We have highlighted for you the main spaces of the Crown Center and the equipment each room includes.

Students take advantage of the new aerobic equipment at the end of the school day. Machines include treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals. Teams have designated times to use the equipment assur-ing the weight room doesn’t get too crowded.

Students use the free weights which are among the many different weight machines pro-vided by the Crown Center. The indoor “runway” is used by many atheletes. For example, ladders are often set up inside the “runway” lines, giving students the chance to work on their agility.

The indoor track team works on their shoulder muscles by using the numerous medi-cine balls that the Crown Center has provided. Other equipment teams might use are squat machines, treadmills, and jump rope.

The Crown Center gives LFA a new view to admire while walking down the endless road in front of Atlass. The facility is a big improvement for the LFA campus, giving the community another thing to be proud of.

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The winner of last issue’s cartoon contest was Graham Harwood with the caption, “No one was adrdressing the elephant in the room.”

Caxy Rant: Does Anyone Really “Fear the Frog?”By Sophia Salsbery Staff Writer

Senior Sophia Salsbery shows her disappointment in LFA school spirit while Mr. Jones shows his spirit for the fierce Texas Longhorns

Photo by Kathleen Kennedy

Those who have had Mr. Justin Jones as a teacher know two things; it is easy to get him off topic in class and his multiple-choice quizzes are almost impossible. Sitting in Modern European history I knew I had to take Ms. Cooper’s ad-vice and ask him about football. “Mr. Jones, How is football doing?” He answered by ex-plaining their upcoming games and maybe a couple things they had to improve; but, to be honest, I wasn’t really paying attention. He then started talking about something else: the C-frog and how cool it would be if our frog was scarier. He also had ideas for a fight song. School spirit is something that I always thought was really important and sometimes I feel like our school lacks the little “umph” necessary to make us more intimidating. And I have long thought that our current mascot is not very intimidating. “Do you really think having a scarier mascot and fight song would be good for school

spirit?” I asked him, hoping he wouldn’t just give me a one-word answer. “Absolutely,” he said, and then turned toward me. “It gives something for the student body to rally around.” We continued to talk about specific ideas and ex-amples. He had some great ideas like using a version of the Texas A&M fight song and using a frog logo similar to the TCU Horned Frog; but he ultimately left it up to the LFA students. Insisting that the “mascot of Caxy mascot stands” (pounding his fist on the table for emphasis), Mr. Jones thought it would be interesting for the student body to create a new logo that we could all rally behind. You may ask why. I feel that with great teams like basketball, ice hockey, and field hockey, we need something that promotes our school in a more “identifiable” way. We could add a new frog logo to our athletic and Caxy wear. It would be im-portant because, as Mr. Jones has noticed, our school struggles with its identity. I couldn’t agree more. Our current frog logo is some-thing that students are unable to relate to and that it doesn’t really show the “go get it” attitude our

sport teams have. I’m not sure that we want to actually swap the Caxy for another mascot. It is who we are. We are the nation’s only

Caxys. So keep the Caxy; but couldn’t it be a 21st century Caxy? Couldn’t we make the frog have a tougher exterior and

maybe a growl on its face? What we need is an intimidating frog that we aren’t embarrassed to wear.

Catchy Cartoon Captions Students can submit their own witty captions for the cartoon by emailing them to wmurphy@lfanet.org and will then be eligable for a prize. The staff will select the best caption for the cartoon to the right and publish it in next months issue.

STAFF LIST

Editors-in-Chief Eric Clamage Lucy Emery Taylor JenkinsNews Ariana Bhatia Mary Kate HayesManaging Editor Georgiana WagemannFeature Editor Lucy IrunguSports Editor Chris BoudreauxArts & Entertainment Editor Takia Broomfield Andrea ShenOp-Ed Editors Rickey Larke Natasha Patel Erica LewisEntropica Editor Mark YinglingStaff Photographers Kathleen Kennedy Sophia Salsbery Faculty Adviser William Murphy

PUBLICATIONThe Spectator is published eight times per year by the stu-dents of Lake Forest Academy and is a forum for student ex-pression. The views and reporting herein are the sole product of The Spectator’s student reporters and in no way reflect the official views of Lake Forest Academy faculty, staff, adminis-tration or Board of Trustees.

EDITORIALSOpinions of the staff are presented in the form of unsigned editorials. Personal views are bylined or presented as formal dissents.

SUBMISSIONSThe Spectator welcomes submissions from the community. If you would like to write an article, please see Mr. Murphy (please note: if space is limited, priority goes to journalism students). We also welcome short stories and poetry for our “Featured Writers” column, and we are always interested in publishing student artwork and photographs. Please send all submissions to Mr. Murphy via e-mail at wmurphy@lfanet.org, or hand them to him directly.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORSThe Spectator welcomes responses to its articles in the form of Letters to the Editors in addition to letters on subjects of the author’s choosing. Please e-mail Letters to the Editors to Mr. Murphy at wmurphy@lfanet.org.

AWARDSThe LFA Spectator has earned a series of prestigious journal-ism awards over the last two years. 2008 The American Scholastic Press Association... 1st Place2008 The KEMPA ... 1st Place2009 The American Scholastic Press Association...1st Place2009 The KEMPA... 1st Place

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December 9, 2010

S P E C T A T O R

quote of the month

“That was a good way to spend money, however other things around school such as the TVs are not.” -Chinara Hill

“So far I think it is the best thing that LFA has done.” -Blake Choi

“They could have done that but they might have done another gym so that multiple sports can prac-tice at one time.” -Danni Alvarez

“I thnk they should have bought lights for thefootball field.” -Manny Chavez

The Inquiring Photographer:When members of the LFA community were asked their thoughts about whether or not the money was spent well by building the Crown Center they replied...

The recent contro-versial addition of a new Internet restriction policy for Lake Forest Academy boarding students has left some people questioning the decision. Many feel it gives an advantage to day students, who face no such Internet restrictions for completing homework or project as-signments at home. The new rule turns the Internet for all boarding students off at mid-night, then back on again at 5:30 the next morning. The staff at The Spectator has come to rec-ognize that, even though the new rule appears to be an extreme inconvenience to boarders, the new Inter-net guidelines have the stu-dents’ best interests at heart. Our students need to get a healthy amount of sleep each night and turning off the In-ternet may be an incentive for that. Research shows that teenagers need approxi-mately nine hours of sleep every night to maintain their health. With the wellness survey taken at LFA show-ing that 30% of students are still awake after midnight, it has become clear to LFA staff that student’s nightly activities must be modified. By the time students

have finished school and practice, eaten dinner, and gone back to their rooms to start their homework, it can be as later than seven o’clock at night. With the three to four hours of home-work given, starting their work at seven certainly gives students enough time to completely finish their work before the new Inter-net disconnect time of mid-night. The new policy has given students the extra mo-tivation to get back to their rooms and complete all their homework before they are unable to access the Internet. Dean of Students Chris Tennyson called the Internet restrictions the “re-sponsible thing to do.” Be-fore the new Internet rules, students were easily tempt-ed to spend endless hours on Facebook or YouTube every night. Now with this distrac-tion limited, the administra-tion hopes that students will use their saved hours after midnight to get some sleep. “I recently started doing homework right after I eat dinner because I have to make sure to finish all my homework before twelve. It has definitely changed my schedule and makes me more aware of how I’m

spending my time,” said sophomore Hannah Thuroff. The Spectator staff ac-knowledges the inconve-nience the new rule may pose to many LFA board-ers. We also think, however, that the overall intention is positive and well-meant.Several students have complained that, although the restriction may have good intentions, it can also backfire, that on cer-tain nights students may need more Internet flexibil-ity to complete their work.Other students have pointed out that, although the staff may turn off the Internet, they cannot actually make the students go to sleep any earlier. Texting, watch-ing movies on laptops, or reading books are other ex-planations for students in the dorms lacking sleep, not simply the Internet. The Spectator staff understands that turning off the Internet is not auto-matically going to eliminate the sleep deprivation oc-curring in our school, but we do hope that the new guidelines will encourage students to correct their un-healthful sleeping habits.

Editorial: The Rule is Cool

“People may expect too much of journalism. Not only do they ex-pect it to be entertain-ing, they expect it to be true.”-Lewis H. Lapham

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Holiday movie preview The holidays are almost here, which means it is time to start planning out days for sledding, drinking hot chocolate, and making snowmen. If you have had enough apple cider and candy canes to last you until next year, it may be time

to hit up the movie theaters with the family. The winter movie season promises some of the most-anticipated films of the year, and here are some of the biggest movies coming out just in time for the holidays.

Walt Disney Pictures brings us their take on the classic fairy tale Rapunzel. Tangled is an animated musical packed with comedy, action, and timeless Disney tunes. This feel-good, family film stars Mandy Moore as the voice of the teen-aged Rapunzel and Zachary Levi as the voice of the charming Flynn Rider, a bandit who becomes Rapunzel’s knight in shining armor and her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years.

Black Swan is a psychological thriller starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as ballet dancers in a New York City ballet company. Veteran Nina (Portman) finds competition in newcomer Lily (Kunis). Swan Lake requires a ballerina to play both the innocent and graceful White Swan, which fits Nina perfectly, and the sensual and cunning Black Swan, a role made for Lily. The dancers’ rivalry develops into a twisted friendship, and Nina begins to explore a darker side of herself.

The Pevensies are back in the third installment of the Chronicles of Narnia. Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Lucy (Georgie Henley), and their cousin Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter) are transported to Narnia through a painting of a ship, the Dawn Treader. There, they join the new King of Narnia, King Caspian (Ben Barnes), on a quest to find the seven lords who were banished by Caspian’s evil uncle Miraz. Their voyage aboard the Dawn Treader takes them to the mysterious Eastern Islands, and along the way, they will encounter new friends and old enemies alike.

The holidays are a time for family, and the Fockers and Byrnes know that best. 10 years after marrying Pam (Teri Polo), the daughter of retired CIA agent Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), and two little Fockers later, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is finally starting to be accepted by his paranoid and uptight father-in-law. However, with the twins’ birthday party looming ahead, Greg must prove that he is capable of being the man of the house, which is easier said than done. Knowing these two clashing families, the holidays are bound for chaos.

After almost 30 years, the wait for the sequel to 1982’s TRON is finally over. This film focuses on the life of Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the son of video game creator Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges). Kevin Flynn has been living in the virtual world of the villainous software program known as the Master Control Program for the past 25 years. As Sam looks into his father’s disappearance, he finds himself suddenly pulled into the virtual world of TRON. Along with fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-or-death journey across a dangerous cyber universe in order to defeat a ruthless villain.

Black Swan (December 1, 2010)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (December 10, 2010)

TRON: Legacy (December 17, 2010)

Little Fockers (December 22, 2010)

Tangled (November 24, 2010)

Image courtesy of www.mposter.com

Image courtesy of www.impawards.com

Page by Andrea ShenA&E Editor

Image courtesy of www.movienewz.com

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LFA Choir and Orchestra deck the Cressey halls with cheer

Potter works magic in theaters

By Lucy IrunguFeatures Editor

With the Holiday season quickly approaching, the Acade-my’s Fine Arts Department com-pleted weeks of work by staging LFA’s Annual Holiday Concert last week. A large audience was in attendance as both the LFA Choir and Orchestra took part in the show.

“The Holiday Concert is one of our most fun concerts of the year,” commented Tim Plam-beck, director of the LFA Choir. The concert featured classic holiday songs, as well as some jazz numbers for a lively change of pace. According to Plambeck, this year the choir consisted of 35 students, with a number of talented newcomers added to the group.

“We have a really strong group of freshman this year,” ex-plained Plambeck. “But there is also a lot of talent coming from the upperclassmen.” Senior Peter Lovecchio and freshman Jessie Rosso are among those talented new faces of the LFA choir.

“There are more fresh-man involved in this year’s choir which makes it one of the young-er choirs LFA has had,” added Plambeck. Another great annual feature of the Holiday Concert was the Christmas Quiz.

“It really gets the crowd going and there is a lot of audi-ence involvement in the show because of the quiz,” Plambeck said.

“I really enjoy being in the Choir because it adds more diversity and fun to my sched-ule,” said junior Haley Wilhelm, a returner to the choir. “It’s nice to have the small break from my regular academic classes during the day.” The concert also fea-tured several performances by the LFA Orchestra as well. The Orchestra per-formed a series of song selections from Tchaikovsky and contempo-rary songs from Sleeping Beauty. “I’m was really nervous about the concert,” said sopho-more Alexandria Moton. “The songs were challenging but I was ready to put on a show.”

By Georgiana WagemannManaging Editor

On Friday, November 19th, millions of avid fans clad in scarves, robes, and lightning-bolts rushed to theaters worldwide to view the highly-anticipated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The film is part one in the two-part conclusion to the critically acclaimed and highly successful series of seven Potter movies. Even at the midnight showing attended by this reporter, fatigue was not a possibility, as the vivid cinematography, satirical dialogue, and swift action scenes flashed before the audience’s eyes. Accompanied by his two closest friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry Potter sets out on a mission to discover and destroy the seven horcruxes that hide the seven parts of Lord Voldemort’s soul. Along

the way, they embark on fearful journeys, encounter old friends, and face not only uncertainty, but death itself. So how does the LFA community feel about the Potter Phenomenon? Some, such as senior Catalina Todd, were ecstatically anticipating the movie’s premiere. Todd has not only read all of the books but has also seen all the movies. “I couldn’t wait to see the movie,” said Todd, “but I’m sad that the movies are coming to a close- I’ll have nothing to look forward to!” “I’m sad that the series is winding down,” admitted Senior Rob McNerney, “but the books are a thousand times better than the movies.” However, some people in the LFA community were not so eager about the movie’s premiere. Although senior Hailey

Arnold and junior Sophia Smith anticipated the film, they didn’t understand the decision to release the final movie in two parts. Some students admitted they couldn’t care less about Harry Potter, even going so far to say “I have a life,” words that would surely sting a Potter fan. I would personally recommend that you not see the movie unless you have at least viewed the sixth movie (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). If this movie is your first encounter with Harry Potter, then you will be utterly lost and confused, because let’s face it, the movie simply doesn’t have time to summarize what has happened in the past six books. However, if you do have some interest in the series, I highly recommend watching the sixth movie so that you can go and see the seventh without pestering the person next to you out of confusion.

Image Courtesy of Gina Campbell Members of the Choir get into the holiday spirit at the Holiday Concert.

Concentration students. Students with all types of vocal ranges can be a part of the group. Students voted on what the name would be and decided on ‘Vox’ which means voice in Latin,” said Plam-beck.

Plambeck has been re-hearsing the group on Monday nights with the assistance of LFA senior Olivija Cepaite and sophomore Hannah Olinger, who helped with choreography. The songs range from classical, to musical theatre, to pop. There are currently 27 members. A typical Vox concert contains four group songs and the rest are solos. Stu-dents can take voice lessons to work on their solos.

During the group’s pre-mier concert in November, Vox members performed numbers from the hit television show “Glee”, such as “Halo” and “Walking on Sunshine”, as well as classics like “Somebody to Love” and “True Colors”. The well-attended concert included many performances that were extremely theatrical, and all were fun to watch.

“It was definitely dif-ferent than what was done in the past. It was more ‘pop culture-ous’ and more active,” said senior Beverly Onyekwuluje, who at-tended the Vox event. “You were more engaged, especially during ‘Glee’ songs because I’m a fan of ‘Glee’.”

The members of Vox seemed to draw positive energy from the audience during the event.

“Things were just hum-ming along quite well at the concert and I think we are re-ally making some good noise in the LFA community,” said junior Haley Wilhelm.

With a smile she con-tinued to say, “We are working to stay in tune by blending both classical styles with pop hits. We put the “e” in Glee. VOX rocks!”

“I thought the concert was awesome! A lot of new sing-ers emerged that night, and I was highly impressed,” said senior Lamees Esmail, who attended the concert.” I personally really liked the whole show, especially the solos.”

Vox debut concertContinued from page 1

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By Lucy IrunguFeatures Editor

Speed, new talent, and a challenging schedule will make for a great season for the Lake Forest Academy girls bas-ketball team. Lead by senior captain Kathleen Kennedy, the girls are ready to prove that they can play with some of the toughest teams around the area. “We start off playing in the Cougar Classic in Vernon Hills,” said Mr. Chris Tennyson, girls basketball coach at LFA. “The tournament is mostly pub-lic schools from around the area so it should be a great change from the schools that we nor-mally play year-to-year.” The team is working on adjusting to a new playing style as well, said Tennyson, dictated by the change in players’ physi-cal talents since last year.

“The girls have been conditioned to get the ball to the tallest players near the bas-

ket,” explained Tennyson, “but this year, with our improved speed, there will be more op-portunities to open things up for the guards.” The Caxy team gradu-ated both Victoria Smith and Lauren Kraemer, two players that were more than six feet tall, who led the Caxys to numerous wins last season. This year the Caxys will try and take advan-tage of improved speed, outside shooting, and ball movement. Joining the coaching staff this year are Ms. Michelle Weber, who formerly coached the Junior Varsity girls basket-ball team, and Lizeth Turk, who also coaches at Joy of the Game, an indoor sports facility in Deerfield, Illinois. Since there is only one gym on campus, both the girls and boys basketball teams switch off going to Joy of the Game in order to provide both teams practice space.

“Joy of the Game is similar to the Waukegan facil-ity we have gone to in previ-

ous years, but it is closer to LFA which helps with transporta-tion time. It has also benefitted us in building a nice outside re-lationship,” said Tennyson.

“There is a great rela-tionship with the upperclass-men and lower classmen on the team,” commented Jackie Jacob-son, a sophomore on the team.

“I think the seniors are really great mentors for us and have really helped the newcom-ers get used to the practices,” she stated. Tennyson agreed, say-ing that the seniors have set a phenomenal example, for both new and returning players, that has really increased communi-cation on the court. The girls play a num-ber of challenging teams this winter including The Latin School of Chicago, Grant High School, and North Shore Coun-try Day School. “This year’s team is very hardworking and quick and I’m excited to see what we can do this season,” commented Tennyson.

Girls Basketball to play a challenging schedule:

Adjusting to new team dynamic

Photo Courtesy of Ruth KeysoSenior Erin Peterson, a returning starter of the team plays defense.

by Chris Boudreaux

Sports Editor

The LFA wrestling team has its largest team ever this year, with a total of 11 wrestlers covering eight differ-ent weight classes. Despite the size of the team only two wres-tlers, seniors Andrew Haddad and Matt Payne, return from the previous season. Peter Lovec-chio, the team’s third senior this year, looks to add some much needed experience to this young team.

According to team members, what the team lacks in experience it is making up for in hard work.

“The team is working really hard,” said junior Taylor Jemilo. “We are getting notice-ably better each practice.”

The effort of the team members pays off in more than one-way, according to Haddad.

“Wrestling pushes your limits and makes you work beyond them. It shapes you into a stronger person both mental-ly and physically,” said Haddad.

Coach Mathias Kerr echoes Haddad’s sentiment about hard work.

“The strength of the team members is their atti-tude and drive,” noted Kerr. “Because it is a small group, there is a good team dynamic. There is a positive attitude in the room. The guys that are committed to the team also have a lot of fight in them and a want to learn.”

The team is looking forward to a competitive and fun season due to the enthusi-asm shown by the members of the team.

“This season will be a building year,” admitted Kerr. “We have a couple wrestlers with some experience, but this is their first year wrestling at the high school level. There are also a lot of new faces so the goal is to learn and perfect the basic moves of the sport and make sure that they do not develop any bad habits this season.”

Special to The Spectator

Lake Forest Academy’s sailing team participated in its first Great Lakes High School Championship during the No-vember 13-14 weekend and won first place in the Varsity B-Division. The fall champion-ship regatta had 18 Midwestern schools competing in two 420 divisions and one Laser divi-sion. Good breezes helped create top-notch competition throughout the weekend, host-ed by the Chicago Yacht Club. The overall competition was

not decided until the final com-petition of the 12-race series. New Trier High School was the overall winner of the champi-onship event with LFA placing 10th overall. In Varsity B-Divisions, Clay Danly was the LFA skip-per, with John Luttig and Emily Shanley- Roberts alternating as crew, who won the event. Danly finished strong on Sunday with a first place in the final race to clinch the victory. In the Varsit A-Divi-sion, Hunter Johnstone was at the helm, with Hannah Kiesler and Casper Clausen crewing,

and sailed a solid series to fin-ish 10th. An honorary award was given for sportsmanship, voted by the 150 high school sailors that participated at the regatta. Freshman Emily Shan-ley Roberts won the award. Members of Lake For-est Academy’s sailing team included: Arlo Clarke, Casper Clausen, Clay Danly, Hunter Johnstone, Hannah Kiesler, John Luttig, Emily Shanley Roberts, Chris Shadek, and Max Thauer. Mr. Hunter Ratliff served as the Head Coach and Mr. Mathias Kerr was the LFA Sailing team advisor.

Wrestling looks to have another successful season

LFA wins Varsity B-Division sailing title

Photo Courtesy of Bruce DanlyClay Danly and John Luttig compete in the Great Lakes High School Championship

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by Chris BoudreauxSports Editor

In an era where infor-mation is easily attainable and consumers are searching for the fastest most efficient way to gain it, professional sports me-dia is leading the trend. As peo-ple continue to abandon their televisions for the Internet,

sports has been an early adopt-er of many new technologies, changing the way that sports fans follow such major events as the World Series or Confer-ence Championship games in NCAA football. Many LFA students – who mirror sports fans across the country -- have tapped into Twitter, Facebook, and text messaging to enhance their involvement in following national sporting events. Senior David Levine,

Sports fans turning more often to Twitter, Facebook, and theirSmartphones to follow the news

for example, frequently checks his Blackberry Smartphone to access an ESPN mobile app, which he uses to follow Bears games or the standings in a NASCAR race. “The ESPN mobile app makes my life a lot easier”, said Levine, who is himself a budding race car driver. “It al-lows me to check up on my fa-

vorite teams or NASCAR driv-ers at any time or any place.” Senior Dylan Ennis also uses a different form of so-cial media to follow his sports. Ennis, like many younger sports fans, is a user of Twitter, uses tweets to follow games while they are happening. “Twitter allows me to get short recaps of games more easily and quickly than I would be able to get online” said En-nis.

LFA also has an alumni connection in this field of social networking sports media. Brad Stewart, Class of 2010, started a website called Fanhuddle which focuses on this alter-native way to follow and blog about sports. Stewart currently attends Northwestern’s famous Medill School of Journalism. FanHuddle is a site that not only provides news but also opinion and entertainment about the professional sports teams in cities of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Fanhuddle, already an estab-lished part of the wave of Inter-net sports media, is branching out towards other forms of me-dia as well. According to Stew-art, FanHuddle is using Twitter,

Facebook, and RSS Feeds to get the news and information out to fans as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“I think with more ac-cess to information on the In-ternet, people aren’t satisfied anymore with just hearing one reporter’s take on a story”, said Stewart. “They want to get mul-tiple opinions and Fan Huddle

provides one of those opinions.” Stewart himself also uses a lot of alternative media to follow sports. “I use social media ev-

ery day to follow sports. I’d say, more often than not, I read a headline on Facebook and click a link to an article from Face-

book rather than finding it di-rectly on a sports news website, like ESPN. Plus, you get to know people’s opinions on what’s happening rather than just hearing the news,” said Stewart. It appears that the evo-

lution of sports media will con-tinue. According to ESPN.com, 40% of its total viewers access the website online to address their sports needs. Alternative sports media has a very bright future and the user base contin-ues to grow. “Sports media, as with all forms of media, has an excit-ing but also uncertain future,” said Stewart. “Information is going to keep coming at a faster and faster pace and it’s going to be up to the consumer to de-termine what is a trustworthy source of infomation and what isn’t.”

Image courtesy of Twitter.com

Image courtesy of ESPN.com

Image courtesy of FanHuddle.com

By Eric ClamageEditor in Chief

Director of Athletics Kevin Versen is trying to find three students to broadcast

“This is a great opportunity for any student, specifically anyone who is interested in the field of

communications”-Kevin Versen

LFA sporting events online. The school is affiliated with an online sports broadcasting website called ihigh.com. On this webpage, schools are able to upload sporting events and

Image Courtesy of Shutterstock,com

Athletic Department hopes to provide students a valuable opportunity in sports broadcasting

community gatherings for peo-ple to watch. “This is a great oppor-tunity for any student, specifi-cally anyone who is interested in the field of communications,”

said Versen. According to Versen, many high schools nationwide are now trying to stream their sports contests online for stu-dents, families, faculty and alumni to see. A minimum of three students is needed for the project, one to film the games

and the two to serve as the an-nouncing team. Any students who have aspirations of be-ing on Sports Center someday could earn valuable experience though this project.

“It is not only good ex-posure for our students,” said Versen, “but it allows boarding students’ parents, especially in-ternational parents, to see their children play, even though they could not be there in person.” Junior Adam Mills likes the idea as a way to increase

LFA’s sense of community. “I think it would be a great idea for LFA to stream sporting events online,” said Carolyn Gillette, “because it will allow students to support their friends when they can’t physi-cally be there for other rea-sons.” Giovanni James be-lieves that it would be a good idea because, “people tend to be very busy at this school and this would just help them find time for LFA sports.”

Versen has tried to make this opportunity a class-room experience; however, no department has come forward to take such a course into its de-partment curriculum yet.

Versen thought, how-ever, that if students show interest in the broadcasting project than there might be a possibility it could turn in to a class credit as an independent study.

December 9, 2010

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Photo courtest of Latina.com

Where’s Wagemann?

Caxy Match

This edition’s look-alike is a comparison between a LFA student and a famous actor. Freshman, JJ Munoz, and actor Rico Rodriguez.

Top 10:Ways to scare parents away from FacebookBy Mark Yingling

Entropica Editor

I can’t imagine logging onto your Facebook account and

discovering that your mom or dad has sent you a friend request.

If my parents are like yours, hopefully it’s your dad. He will not

stalk you every day, like a mother would, or “check up on you”,

as my mom would call it. Having a parent be on Facebook, let

alone being friends with them, can force one to dramatically

change the way they edit their profile or comment on other

people’s walls.

“I’ve almost stopped using Facebook altogether be-

cause everything I do, whether it’s posting a picture or making

a status, my mom feels the need to “like” it and comment on it,”

said one anonymous student.

Receiving a friend request from a parent (especially a

mom) can be devastating, emotionally and socially. Therefore,

I have compiled a list of ways to help you prevent getting that

horrific friend request:

10. Tell your parents that Facebook is too technologically ad-

vanced and complicated for them.

9. Threaten to never accept their friend request if they get a

Facebook account.

8. Tell them all the “weird” parents do it.

7. If they ask you if they should get a Facebook account, politely

reply: “Yeah, if you want to scar me for the rest of my life.”

6. Tell them they will have too many creepy old middle school

or high school classmates trying to re-connect with them.

5. (For the mom) Tell her it will reduce the amount of time she

has to watch “Desperate Housewives” or “Oprah.”

4. Stretch the truth by saying: “Oh, there’s no use in getting one,

I never go on mine anymore, and neither does anyone else.”

3. Tell them that Facebook does not allow anyone born after

1990 to create an account.

2. Threaten to get a tattoo if they create an account; that should

do the trick.

1. Tell them to get a MySpace account.

“Where’s Wagemann” is now a reoccuring feature to the paper. We have set up a scenario where one Lake Forest Academy student, Georgiana Wagemann, is hiding

somewhere. Try to find her but be careful, she’s sneaky/creepy.

Photo by Kathleen Kennedy

Photo by Sophia Salsbery

Riddles/Jokes of the Month1.What gets bigger the more you take away?

2. What has four wheels and flies?

3. What did the cowboy say to the pencil?

4. Why do gorillas have big nostrils?

5. What kind of keys do kids like to carry?

6. Did you hear about the man who lost his whole left side?

1. A hole! 2. A garbage truck 3. Draw, partner! 4. Because they have big fingers 5. Coo-kies! 6. He’s all right now!

Answers: