FLOW GODS

Lakes Community High School | 1600 Eagle Way, Lake Villa IL 60046 | lakesstudentmedia.com | @talontimes

October 2, 2015VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 1

GO TO PAGE 32 FOR THE FULL STORY

TALON TIMES | VOLUME 11.ISSUE 1 | OCTOBER 2, 2015

CONTENTSNews

Features

Opinions

Politions You Should Know

6Exploring presidential candi-dates and what they stand for

10 New School RulesNew rules that have been implemented as of this year and their effects

14 Fitbit TakeoverThe psychological toils of a fitbit and why it is so addictive

Eating in the Commons16Lakes students react to the new school rule “no eating in the commons”

20Local attractions that are perfect for the season

AYSK: Vince Staples21Long Beach rapper comes out with new album

A&E

26 Curious CommunityHow did Polley Field get its name?

28 Remembering Bryan JardinicoSenior loses fight to brain cancer

Fall Fun Activities

How the Royal Rush positions have changed and who the members are

32

Explore this year’s fall play, Figments

22

Underpass contruction complete5

4

TH

EEDITORFR

OM

2015-2016 Staff

Editor-in-ChiefMolly Polirer

Managing Editor Anjali Patel

Copy EditorSamantha Green

News EditorDavid Behnke

Opinions EditorMaia Thornton

A&E EditorAllison Gustafson

Sports EditorsStephen Gerrits

Gavin Good

Social Media CoordinatorMolly Bartlett

Business ManagersShyam Dave

Anees Pardesi

Photo & Art EditorMorgan Timmerman

Lead PhotographerJohn Beranek

Promotional DirectorMary Maravelas

Staff RepotersSamantha BoyleIsabella Fuentes

Lucas KuzmanovichEmmy Lucas

Mary McGinnisMegan Olson

Allyson RudolphNoah Rothermel

AdviserJamie Born

lakesstudentmedia.com@TalonTimes

@TTimesSports

Letters to the Editor The Talon Times editorial board welcomes letters to the editor and guest articles expressing the views of our readers. Letters are limited to 200 words, and guest stories are limited to 300. All submissions should contain the author’s name and signature. The staff reserves the right to withhold submissions or return it for more information. Letters will be edited for spelling and grammar and checked for verification. Please keep letters appropriate. Deadline for submission is two weeks before publication date. Please hand deliver or submit to: Talon Times, Lakes Community High School, 1600 Eagle Way, Lake Villa, IL 60046. Contact adviser Jamie Born or Editor-in-Chief Molly Polirer with questions.

Advertising & Subscriptions Interested in advertising with the Talon Times or LakesStu-dentMedia.com? Please contact us on our website or via email (jamie.born@chsd117.org) for contract information. Prices vary on size and placement of the advertisement.

For information about magazine subscriptions, please contact us on our website or contact our Business Managers at shyam.dave@chsd117.org or anees.pardesi@chsd117.org.

Often times we are faced with situations that require us to acclimate, to adjust to the changes that are being made, whether we agree with them or not. However, the truth of the matter is that things will not change simply because we do not agree, instead we are presented with one of two options: make a change or adjust your perspective. For our first issue of the 2015-2016 school year, our staff tackled a myriad of topics that encompass that very virtue. From in-school issues such as no eating in the commons or the absence of bells, to larger scale ideals discussed in our editorial on “accepting what we cannot change and changing what we cannot accept,” the Talon Times took a deeper look at the adjustments made all around us recently.

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NEWS

Photo by David Behnke

The underpass built below Grass Lake Road allows pedestrians to safely cross from Oak Ridge Park to McDonald Woods. The trail connects to miles of other forest preserve trails throughout the Lake County area.

Underpass Complete, Connects Vast Trail SystemConstruction has ended on Grass Lake Road, underpass is ready for pedestrian use

“Feedback has been completely positive, everybody who uses it loves it.” Dave Mohr

Photo by David Behnke

The underpass, similar to others in the area, was dug under the road over a period of many months, and landscaping was applied to the surrounding area.

ap test scores pg. 8 | new school rules and changes pg. 10

By David BehnkeNews Editor

For the past few years, a major construction project has been underway on Grass Lake Road. It took time, money and cooperation, but it has finally been completed. The new underpass connects the McDonald’s Woods forest preserve with Heritage Trails subdivision and is part of a greater network of underpasses that stretch from Lake Villa to Grayslake, all the way to Chicago.

“There was a federal grant available for the underpass, so when that grant became available, along with the co-operation of getting on board the Village of Lindenhurst, the Lake Villa Township, and the Lake County Forest Preserve, along with one more additional grant called the Safe Routes to School Grant, we could connect one side of town to Millburn [Middle School] as a safe route to school,” said Dave Mohr, Executive Director of the Lin-denhurst Park District.

This was not the main purpose of the underpass, however. Several forces drove its construction; many organizations had something to gain from its comple-tion. The park district can connect many sides of town to their parks, and the Mill-burn School District does not have to worry about stu-dents crossing busy roads.

This is not the only recent construction project in the area, however. Oak Ridge Park is to be developed right alongside the new under-pass, which was another motivator for the underpass.

“Oak Ridge Park is prob-ably going to have the only water feature for residents in Lindenhurst, so it is key to have a safe underpass so that people can get from the south side of town and the old part of town can use the underpass to get to the park,” Mohr said.

Additionally, the park will include a frisbee golf course, a soccer field and a sheltered picnic area. The funds required for this project have been acquired through grants and the park district’s budget.

“We got a four hundred thousand dollar matching grant, so we had to match that amount, in addition to our other grants,” Mohr said.

Feedback for both construction projects has been posi-tive, and residents of Lindenhurst will have a safe way to connect to the vast trail system, which includes the Mil-lennium Trail and eventually connects to the Des Plains trail system, a distance of more than 180 miles.

“Feedback has been completely positive, people who use the underpass love it,” Mohr said.

CIVIL RIGHTS:

6

NEWS

Getting to Know You: Elections

As the presidentiAl cAndidAtes Are busy cAmpAigning for the big seAt in the White house, the question arises amongst the younger generation to the relevancy of the candidates and debate issues.

By Allie GustafsonA&E Editor

DEMOCRAT

As the nation progresses and the elections take notes of current issues at hand, crime shows its relevance due to its everlasting presence in American society.

Whether it be in matters of white vs. blue collar crime to narrowed debates of gun

control.

In the heat of the 21st century, to many, opinions of civil rights movements revolve

around injustices. There comes a need for representation and change when majority bias is exercised, necessitating

opinions of candidates.

CRIME:

ABORTION:

“[W]e want our children to live in a loving, caring, committed, and stable home protected equally under the law.”

“[Abortion] isn’t about ‘choice.’ It’s about profiting on the death of the unborn while telling women it’s about empowerment.”

Martin O’ Malley Ben Carson

Hillary Clinton

Lincoln Chafee

“I respect the rights of lawful gun owners to own guns, to use their guns, but I also... want to be sure that we keep those guns out of the wrong hands.”

”It’s sad to see the Democrats take a horrific crime and try to use it as an excuse... to take away Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.”

Ted Cruz

“I have consistently voted against any federal attempt to ban women’s reproductive freedom and choices.”

“What position can a person take who has absolutely no animosity toward gay people but believes in traditional marriage?”

Carly FiorinaPhoto courtesy of chafee2016.com

Photo courtesy of msa.maryland.gov

Photo courtesy of hillaryclinton.com Photo courtesy of cruz.senate.gov

Photo courtesy of John Pemble via Flickr

Photo courtesy of Marc Nozell via Flickr

In simplistics, the clash of opinions of an unborn child ties in matters of

science, morals, religion and personal ties. Whether it be pro-life or pro-choice,

abortion debates stand out against the rest in the eyes of many across the

country.

NEWS

7

Legalization, decriminalization, taxation. Medicinal or

recreational? All of these factors tie into the American

perspective of the War on Drugs. Candidates weigh in on the options of acknowledging the problem amd the shift in

federal authority.

Transitioning from high school to college education, the impact

tuition fees and student loans seem everlasting for American

families. As the relevancy of cost comes creeping into the lives of parents and wishful students, the presidential candidates take the

matter into account.

DRUGS:

EDUCATION:

In the candidates’ agenda, the topic of the environment is centered around human impact,

climate change, sources of energy, pollution

and effects of natural disasters.

ENVIRONMENT:

ECONOMY:As the wealth gap drifts farther apart, the middle class is diminishing and

the unemployment rate is going up. These drastic changes creates a

dependence on the American federal government and support those in need

of financial aid and assistance, and allows the candidates to develop their

true plans of action.

“Full-time workers are living in poverty… The current federal minimum wage...isa starvation wage and must be raised to a living wage.”

“The minimum wage is a temporary thing. It’s a chance to get started… We shouldn’t disparage that.”

Jeb BushHillary Clinton

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders

Donald Trump

massive unemployment and human suffering, your bank may have to pay a fine... If you’re a kid smoking marijuana...

“You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars.”

“Higher education shouldn’t be a privilege...It should be an opportunity widely available for anybody with the talent, determination and ambition.”

“I am not convinced the Clean Air Act was ever intended to regulate or classify as a dangerous pollutant something as basic and ubiquitous in our atmosphere as carbon dioxide.”

Jim Webb

Rand Paul

Mike Huckabee

but it’s all of our responsibility to leave this planet in better shape for the future generations.”

The best way for education policy to catch up...is to fund students...

“[H]umans are responsible for the bulk of climate change...

the state each year deposits the student’s share of state education spending in an account.

For any eligible student who leaves the public schools,

“If you are a Wall Street executive who engaged in reckless and illegal behavior which helped crash the economy leading to

you may end up in jail for years.”

Photo courtesy of hillaryclinton.com

Photo courtesy of berniesanders.com

Photo courtesy of donaldjtrump.comPhoto courtesy of berniesanders.com

Photo courtesy of jeb2016.com

Photo courtesy of Cliff via Flickr

Photo courtesy of Rand Paul for U.S. Senate 2010 via Flickr

Photo courtesy of Noah Darnell via Flickr

8

NEWS

By Emmy LucasStaff Reporter

A new law, signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner in early August, requires all public colleges and universities

in Illinois to grant college credit for an Advanced Placement (AP) score of three or higher. With the increasing number of students enrolled in AP courses at Lakes Community High School and an average of 82 percent of those enrolled taking the AP exams, according to Lakes’ Student Improvement Plan, the concern of being granted college credit has been alleviated. AP is a program, created by the College Board, which offers college-level curriculum and examinations to students in high school. It is meant to propose a challenge and be similar to the rigorous courses taken in college. The AP exams, taken in May, test how well a student has mastered the skills and information of the AP courses they enrolled in. The test is scored on a scale of one to five, and if a student receives a score of three or higher on an AP exam, they are now guaranteed college credit in Illinois. “AP courses are a neat opportunity for students to explore college curriculum in the safety of their high school environment,” said Jori Bowen, Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction of Lakes. Policies giving students credit for AP scores have varied in the past with each university; where some colleges granted credit for scores of only four or five, others gave credit for scores of as low as two. However, the new law nullifies the discrepancies by stating that every public college and university in Illinois must grant credit for AP scores of three or above. Administrations of universities fear that if a student tests out of a certain course, then they will be unprepared for the next level of that course. However, the law allows flexibility in how each

university can grant credit by allowing it to determine what kind of credit it will offer for the AP credit. Illinois colleges and universities are allowed to decide whether the credit will go toward general education requirements, a student’s major or an elective course credit. “Either way a credit is granted. If high school students are going work to hard and achieve high results with AP testing, then they deserve to be guaranteed credit for that,” said Anne Eichman, Lakes AP European History teacher. With this new law comes a new question: How will a student’s performance and achievement in school be affected? “In theory, the law should motivate more students to take the exam and to study hard and do well for the fact that they are earning and going to be guaranteed college credit,” said Kurt Rowells, Lakes AP United States History teacher. The law enables students to accelerate their progress toward college degrees in high school by not only promoting academic achievement and challenging students to venture into college-level courses, but by guaranteeing students success through granting college credits. Promoting student achievement in high school allows students to earn college credit in some form, therefore enabling them to lighten their course load in college or take on more elective courses. “This is going to mean more students walking through the doors of college, which is not only good for the college, but good for our society,” said Eichman. Besides the motivations of hard work and taking on a challenge, AP courses also bring a financial aspect to the table. The law adds a substantial amount of financial motivation and guarantees financial savings. Given the price of approximately 92 dollars per AP exam, students who earn college credit with AP courses in high school are ultimately spending that 92 dollars on a college class that would have cost them thousands. “Ideally, the law will open the door to college to even more students for those who were prevented or felt restricted

Current AP students weigh in on how the new law will impact their experience in AP courses:

“I believe itwill

positively impact AP

experiences, as it will

encourage more students to take on challenging

AP courses,” said Emily Muller, Junior.

“[The new law] gives a greater opportunity to earn college credit and will, in no way, detract from the AP experience,” said Ethan Kiley, Junior.

“I do not think the law will

affect my experience at

all because I think that Lakes is

already putting kids in AP classes that do

not belong there,” said Timothy Ryan, Junior.

“This law will positively impact my AP experience because I believe that all my hardwork will be recognized by universities,” said Elena Gonzalez, Junior.

New Illinois Law Requires College Credit for AP Scores of 3 or Better

9

NEWSby the issue of money. If they can earn more credit as an AP student in high school and not have to pay as much for college, then that will open the door to college for far more students in Illinois,” Eichman said. Although the law enhances financial opportunities and academic achievement, B n sad that the law is much more. “It’s not just about getting the college credit; it’s about the experience and the rigor a student is attempting,” Bowen said. “As more states jump on board with the law, there will be more motivated students within high schools challenging themselves at the AP level,” Rowells said.

Including Illinois, 18 states accept AP scores of 3 or better at all public state colleges and universities. 18

Yes, students coming from another state to reside in Illinois

will also be granted college credit when achieving a score of 3 or above.

Informantion according to The Education Commision of the States

10

NEWS

New Year, New RulesStudents and faculty returned to several changes through-out the building, both in policies and renovations

By Shyam DaveStaff Reporter

Administrators at Lakes Community High School have implemented several

new policies for students this 2015-2016 school year. Among these rules, no eating in the commons the new no-bells policy have students ques-tioning why these were put in place.

One of the biggest revisions to the school day the removal of bells to start and end each period, which many students were confused about.

Principal David Newberry ex-plained that removing bells would push for a more college-like atmo-sphere in the school to prepare stu-dents for life after high school.

“I think you look at schools and.. with the bell it feels like it’s an in-stitution... Bells are telling us to go from class to class. Bells are telling us when we’re late and when we’re not,” Newberry said.

Another change requires that teachers are required to wear lan-yards with their IDs visible. While not a significant rule change, it is something that students have asked about as well as wondered wheth-er students themselves will have to start wearing lanyards.

Newberry’s thoughts on the lan-yards were mainly a safety concern for newer students and to help ev-eryone identify staff in need of emer-gency.

“It’s more of a security safety

thing. If by chance the police have to come into the building for some reason. It’s nice for an adult to hold up their picture... It helps the police or any emergency that we can deal with the situation that much faster. It’s also a good place to keep safety procedures so that everyone has it on them at all times. It’s preparing for something that will probably nev-er happen, but it’s a safety precau-tion,”Newberry said.

The most controversial new rule is that students are now unable to eat in the commons. The commons were left messy after last year and while Newberry decided against food in the commons, he is open to discuss-ing any compromises that can be reached to let students bring food

Photo by Anees Pardesi

With the removal of eating in the commons, Principal David Newberry hopes to create a cleaner environment for students, staff and visitors. Newberry hopes this new rule will encourage students to the “Eagle Way.”

11

NEWSout of the cafeteria and eat in the commons again.

“The commons just got so messy. We had a mouse living in the com-mons. I would love for the students to start a conversation about how we could keep the commons clean and still maybe eat on the tables or something, not on the furniture. I am all for giving the students all the freedom in the world but we have to reciprocate and keep the area clean,” Newberry said.

While not a new rule, a new change in the school is the incor-poration of classes now being held in the ILC instead of in an actual classroom. Two of Michael Kreck-er’s AP Government classes are now being held in the upper ILC. Newberry believes that there is no

need for technology unless stu-dents take advantage of it and that it aids a learning experience.

“We added some technology in there. So there are some collabora-tion stations that have the monitor and students can sit around those and hook their Chromebooks into the monitor and just play stuff and talk about things. I wanted to make sure that technology got used rath-er than just having it as a checkout room…We want to use the technol-ogy before it expires,” Newberry said.

Newberry stated that he wants the best for the school as well as the students, claiming students having pride in the school is the main fo-cus of these changes.

Third Floor: Mural MysteryBy John Ott & Molly Polirer

Staff Reporter & Editor-in-Chief

Due to scratches and deterioration of the entire wall, the mural on the third floor at Lakes Com-munity High School, located between the English

and Math hallways, was painted over this summer. “The wall was starting to get beat up, lots [sic] of scratches and marks and stuff [sic], so it was going to be painted. There was no really good way to paint around it, so we just decided to paint over it and start over,” said Lakes Principal David Newberry. Originally, the student-based art work was initiated by Lakes guidance counselor Ni-cole Repa. Repa talked to different groups of students to survey interest in creating art work. Then, time was spent during lunch hours and after school painting the wall. “I think we want the quality to be a little better than it was. It is tough to paint on those brick walls and make

it look refined,” Newberry said. With better quality art-work, can come a new atmosphere for students and staff at Lakes. Some of these designs can be used as backdrops for clubs such as the Royal Rush and other student-run clubs here at Lakes. Ideas for other artistic mediums have been discussed. For new artwork to go up and to keep the sophisticated look the school is going for, materials could vary from a designed wall decal to painting over attached plywood. Student artwork is being considered for the new open space on the wall, either hand-drawn or done graphically on a computer. “I’d like to see the community of Lakes. Like the football field surrounded by a theatre performance, next to the marching band, next to a classroom and more,” said Lakes senior Dallan Forbes, “All the aspects of the school on one wall would be awesome.” If you are interested in proposing new art-work for the wall, contact Newberry at David.Newber-ry@chsd117.org or schedule an appointment with your guidance counselor to share your ideas.

Photo by Colton Jewell

Principal David Newberry has high expectations for his students.

Photo by Michael NorkusMichael Krecker’s AP Government class utilizes the new technology installed in the upper ILC.

OPINIONS

12

Change what you cannot accept, but accept what you cannot change.We are familiar with the phrase; we have seen it on inspirational posters,

in tweets, on ceiling tiles. We have welcomed it as we welcome all other small fortunes that are discarded as clichés. But the relevance of such expressions is more ingrained in our reality than perceived. As we go through our day at school directing feelings of contempt towards new rules and obligations, it is important to realize our ability to initiate change; this is “changing what you cannot accept.” If you are unhappy with modifications being made on regulations, there is something you can do about it. Whether it is sharing your thoughts with an administrator or starting a petition for your cause, advocating for yourself holds a stronger potential for solution than seen on the surface. With this understanding that you have the power to commence a change, comes the responsibility of knowing when it is applicable to a situation. We can propose solutions or express our concerns for the new “no eating in the commons” rule, but there are certain circumstances that do not elicit room for input and must be accepted as the reality of being a high school student. We cannot boycott price raises for a parking pass, we cannot un-paint what currently covers the murals in the hallway and we must come to terms with these facts as we “accept what we cannot change.”

On a grander scale, we are often faced with the same tough decisions-- should I initiate a change or accept what I have been given as the truth of my situation? Senior, Bryan Jardinico, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer this year. As an individual, Jardinico was always innovative, full of conversation, but most of all he was full of potential. Despite his situation and the depth of his pain, he continued to be an avid learner; he accepted his circumstance as fact, but never let his cancer get the best of him. It all boils down to where your energy lies. You must pick and choose what ideas you want to challenge and which you are willing welcome as facts of your existence. If a teacher writes you up, is there a point in arguing? Is it worth making a fool of yourself in front of you peers? Having your opinions be heard does not have to come through arguing the smallest things. The takeaway is this: know the situation. Before you react, assess your circumstances and really think. If you deem the situationw to be one that is truly unjust, one that you are willing to put your efforts into changing, pursue the idea but if it is a situation that, although it may bring sadness or anger, is one of permanence, allow it to be. Because, in life, we are often put between a rock and a hard place, but we must choose a path and choose it wisely.

Editorial: Dealing With ChangeUnderstanding how to use your influence to change your circumstances

STEP

1STEP

2STEP

3

Ask Yourself Do Something Accept Itis there anything you can

do about the situationif you feel the situation is worth your time and

energy

and move on life is too short to dwell on the

things you cannot change

3 easy steps to

accepting inevitable changes in life

my fitbit is ruining my life pg. 14 | what is self-respect pg. 19

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OPINIONS

By Helene SchulzeSpecial Education Teacher

Autumn, the time of year when every-thing slowly turns orange and smells like cinnamon and nutmeg. The term “PSL” refers to an overpriced beverage, and not some new acronym the U.S. government is using. Stores begin to fill with the mag-ic of gaudy Christmas decorations as well as the obligatory aisle of blue and silver dedicated to Hanukkah. Football is in full pads. Chili is always on the stove.

Most importantly, it’s the season of skinny jeans and riding boots paired with a vest, or as I like to think of it: Han Solo Season.

I approach this season with mixed emotions: school is in full swing, my cal-endar is packed, my birthday is looming and everything is pumpkin flavored.

However, there is always a beautiful constant that comes with the openings of Spirit of Halloween stores: a new round of TV shows. From September to October, I can spend all my free time discovering new shows and finding out how old fa-vorites have changed. Will my favorite characters return? Have they grown an-noying during the offseason?

I suppose that this is one of my favorite times of year for the just that reason: both the leaves and my life change.

Though this time of year is often over-whelming, it is full of new people and classes, new stressors and challenges. With the changing of the leaves, all I can do is pull on my boots and shrug on my vest.

Let’s punch it, Chewie, and see what’s new.

Hans Solo Seasonstaff perspective

On Parking Lot Flexing

We get it, you drive. You have a car. You have a lanyard. That’s cool, but why are you trying to flex on everyone? Hav-ing a car is a privilege that many people would cherish, and yes, it cer-tainly is nice to have one, but no one cares. We love you, but someone had to say it. Here are a few things that bother us:

● Hearing car keys jin-gle while a lanyard hangs out of your pocket does not make you cool.

● Showing off your li-cense at every possi-ble moment impress-es no one.

● No one cares about “your parking space.”

● Oh, you upgraded your sound system? I’m sure blasting it in the parking lot be-fore school will allow you to make many friends.

● Just keep a parking permit sticker on your license, twice the bragging, half the time.

● Speeding in the park-ing lot is sure to im-press all the teachers.

● You don’t need to spend all of your money and sell your soul in order to modi-fy your car.

● Fixing up a car can be a cool hobby, but it still doesn’t make it something worth bragging about every day on social media.

Citlalli Trujillo, junior “No it should be limited to

only medical use. It is possi-ble that you could not know

what you are buying.”

Brett Anderson, sophomore “Yeah it’s been proven to

have true medicinal benefits and it’s better than the harder drugs and it’s not as easy to

get addicted to and you can’t overdose on it.”

Should the government legalize marijuana?student perspectives

halloween by the numbers

Leon Small, junior“No, it should only be used

for medical purposes.”

Jack Bies, senior “It can be a great idea if used properly by the government. It can be a great source of revenue for the government. There are worse things out there.”

14

OPINIONS

h a t r e d s a d n e s s paranoia over-eaTing g u i l t a n x i e t y depression f i t b i t

15

OPINIONS

My Fitbit is Ruining my LifeThe psychological toils of a fitbit and why I secretly love it

By Molly Polirer Editor-in-Chief

My Fitbit was purchased on an impulse. I thought to myself “This looks like a pos-itive way to begin a healthier lifestyle

and stick to an exercise plan.” Boy, was I wrong. I would be lying if I said that my Fitbit has not taken over every aspect of my life, both physically and mentally. For those who do not know, a Fitbit is one of many activi-ty tracking bands out there, much like the Nike Fuelband or the Garmin. I have developed a love-hate relationship with my Fitbit Charge,I absolutely love to hate that thing. The captivating thing about the Fitbit, the Charge specifically, is that it tracks your steps, calories burned, flights of stairs climbed, distance you have traveled and how many hours you have been asleep, while the app that pairs to your Apple or Android device can log your calorie intake and how much water you drink, whilst displaying everything in a weekly chart. While all of this ideally sounds amazing, psy-chologically it seems to take over my entire life. I have never taken my dog for more walks than I have since purchasing my Fitbit and finally I am justified in curling up to go to sleep at 9:00 p.m. “This is the most active I have ever been in my life. Although I don’t like the guilt baggage that comes with it because getting my daily goals is on my mind almost all the time,” said former Lakes Community High School student Sarah Nagel-hout. “Now whenever I sit down I feel guilty, like I should be moving even if I really do need to rest.” The psychological effects come into play when you are approaching your “goal” for each aforemen-tioned category, as well as the competitive edge it sup-plies by letting you add your friends who also have Fitbits. Taunting messages like “ You are only 2,739 steps away from your goal, get moving” and “[insert friend’s name here] is only 1,000 steps ahead,” mani-fests a competitive drive to out-walk all of your friends.

“I’m so glad I got [a Fitbit], and I recommend ev-eryone to get one. It has changed my life in a posi-tive way by far,” said Lakes junior Natalie Iacopetti. While the Fitbit has had a positive effect on my life since buying it, I grew to become skeptical as to the accuracy behind it. Would swinging my arms count as steps? Do I really burn over 100 calories by the time I wake up in the morning? These questions compelled me to do a bit of research and here is what I was able to scrape up. According to the Berkley Science Review, step accuracy is critically acclaimed as it is almost al-ways accurate. However, rapid arm gestures, or in my case cheering at football games, can make ex-tra steps be counted because the device counts your steps based off of the movement of your arms. In terms of the accuracy behind the distance you have traveled, the band does not do precisely as it ad-vertises. When going for a run on my treadmill, the dis-tance on the treadmill did not match that of what was recorded on my Fitbit, off by as much as a full mile. When it comes to accurately measuring the amount of calories you burn, it is blatantly obvious that it is off. The Fitbit claims that it measures the calories you burn internally, by breathing, organs pumping and etc, as well as externally by exercise. I woke up one morning and read that my calories burned were already at around 400. This being said, I felt justified in eating another donut that morning. Little did I know, I did not burn nearly that much that quickly, and I was anything but justified in the part two of my morning donut escapade. While the accuracy is not completely there, do I regret purchasing my Fitbit? Absolutely not. Overall, I secretly love the psychological guilt trip that it supplies. It gives me the motivation to be active when all I want to do is lay in bed and watch “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” If you plan on purchasing one of these mind con-trolling activity trackers, be prepared to find yourself either walking laps around your kitchen during com-mercial breaks or running up and down the stairs sev-eral times before the clock hits midnight.

16

OPINIONS

By Mary Maravelas Promotions Director

Since starting the 2015-2016 school year, there have been many changes made to the school policies. The most controversial of these

changes, according to the student body, is the current rule that states no food is to be eaten in the commons. Although there are a few students this rule does not affect, many students seem outraged. “Students were not respectful of the environment last year,” said David Newberry, Lakes Community High School principal. There were wrappers and garbage all over the commons and after a while, a mouse had housed itself in one of the new couches. After addressing the students about the problem, N e w b e r r y believes no improvements were seen. This led to the new rule being enacted for the current school year. Upon hearing the news, many students were furious and did not agree with the policy. Students have resorted to eating in the bathrooms and standing in the hallways outside of the commons, just to eat their lunch. “This interrupts the flow o f how many people go about t h e i r day. The new rule is much too harsh of a reaction to the events of last year; this is a new year with different people and attitudes. Let them eat where they wish,” said Lakes senior Daniel Abel. This year, Lakes has altered some school procedures in an effort to mimic the “real world.” Its goal is to prepare

us for college and our future careers. For example, there is no longer a bell system in place. The rationale? In most work environments, there is no bell to remind adults where they need to be and when they need to be there. Another policy that was adopted was no eating in the commons. The rationale? Who knows? In most work environments, nobody is telling adults where and when they are allowed to snack. At a typical job in the real world, a boss rarely denies their workers the right to eat a granola bar or a bag of chips. It’s the worker’s responsibility to determine appropriate snacking time. If Lakes’ goal is to become a microcosm of society, the people making the rules need a reality check.

Students also think the new guideline interferes with their eating schedules. Countless students

do not have a lunch and would prefer not to eat in their classes because it takes

away from their learning experience. Growing kids should be snacking

throughout the day, and they are not able to snack during their study hall because of this new policy. “Now I eat my lunch during my classes which interferes with my learning,” said Lakes senior, Gianna Bombicino. Many students feel this way. In a recent poll by The Talon Times,

67 percent of students believe the new rule is interfering with their

eating schedules. At the same time, many teachers do

not allow eating in their classrooms, which makes it even harder for students to find time to eat.

Multiple students also think the rule is unfair, considering that teachers have been spotted eating in the commons throughout the day. “Teachers eat in the commons so it’s pretty unfair. I was especially mad when a teacher was yelling at me for eating as they were standing there eating soup,” said Lakes senior Jessica Hoekenga. This causes a sense of mistrust between the students and the teachers. It is very unfair that the administration is not enforcing the rules on their own staff. The teachers should be setting a good example for the school and following the Eagle Way.

Real WoRldReality CheCkwhy we should

be able to eat in the commons

17

OPINIONS

They cannot expect students to follow the rules if the teachers can’t even follow them themselves. Many students argue they can be trusted to clean up after themselves and should have the right to eat in the commons. Most students are blaming the problem on the previous class of seniors and think they all deserve a second chance. There has even been many probable solutions brought up by students, such as having designated eating areas, for example: the tables. “Put small garbage cans under the tables. No eating on the couches. Only the tables,” said Lakes senior Elizabeth Janito. Newberry would not like to make that change. “It ended up being so messy by the end of the day that it was almost embarrassing when people would come in for night [events],” Newberry said. Students have also suggested punishing the kids that do not pick up after themselves. It is not fair that the administration had to punish the

whole student body just because of a few kids who do not know how to pick up after themselves. “Just punish the kids who are disrespectful and not let them eat anymore,” said senior Jack Bies. Students are willing to prove that they can be trusted to eat in the commons. It is not only a lounge area but one of the best spots in the school to socialize with friends, finish some homework, hang out before games and eat lunch. It is one of the things everyone looks forward to when coming to high school. With this new rule being put into place, students are refusing to follow directions, leading to more of a hassle for the staff. This rule is unjust and should be removed. The administration should give students a chance to prove that they are capable of cleaning up after themselves. After all, in the real world, we need to know how to cleanup after ourselves, so why not give us the opportunity now?

The responses above are taken from survey sent to all Lakes students. 157 students responded to the survey. Sophomores through seniors are most affected by this new policy, as freshmen do not have study hall in the commons; however, the rule applies to all after-school activities and sports as well as during school hours.

“Don’t sweet talk us into getting senior lunch in the commons and not be allowed to eat,” said senior Leman Pendley.

“Where are students supposed to do homework and eat if they only have half a period because of AP classes?” said senior Timothy Ohlwein.

“A lot of the people that are affected are the athletes in the school that are unable to go in the cafeteria to eat because it’s being used by the cheer team due to lack of space,” said junior Maicey Guana.

“I’m very angry about this new rule because when I’m in study hall, I like to have a snack while I work on homework. It’s really frustrating that people had to ruin it for everyone,” said junior Megan Towne.

“This is barbaric!” said junior Julio Najarro.

“I need to eat before athletics,” said freshman Joshua Walgren.

By Samantha BoyleStaff Reporter

Feminism, like many other social movements, works to establish

equal rights for a certain group of people. These types of movements have been happeing all throughout history; for example, the fight for women’s right to vote in 1920. So why is it so widely judged and looked down upon to be a feminist? Today there are still aspects in everyday life for women of all identities that are unjust. In third-world countries there are women who are more oppressed and need the most support because they could be killed just for sharing their opinion. Feminism is not all about white supremacists who have it better off than many other people in the world. Many times the term “white feminist” or “feminazi” is heard which pertains to “extreme feminism.” These types of feminists are the ones who are usually portrayed in the media but are the ones who are not always fighting for the right kinds of equality. When some people hear the word “feminism,” they believe that it is women completely putting themselves on a hierarchy that is above men. According to the survey taken from the Lakes Community High School staff and students, about 15 percent believed this. However, 72 percent of people said that feminism was really only for equality.

There were multiple students who believe that there are two sides to feminism. “I believe that there [are] two categories of feminism. There is true feminism, which is gaining equal rights for women. Then there is twisted feminism, which is when people, not just women, justify their hatred for the opposite gender by hiding behind their feminism,” junior Jack Segal said. The definition of feminism is something that can easily be misinterpreted by many. It should mean that women are held equal to men, but women should not put themselves above men either. “Often people are mistaken about the goal of feminism. People with identities of privilege and power such as male, white, heterosexual, cisgender and able-bodied, feel threatened when those of us in marginalized groups are empowered to speak up and demand change,” said Kelsey Harrington, a Volunteer Coordinator at Sexual Assault Response, Inc. In reality, everyone should be able to come together so they all can benefit from feminism. Some men, and even women, believe that men should not be feminists using the term “meninism” or “meninist,” which is used to show that they are against feminism. There are many online pages that have photos of women or men holding signs explaining why feminism is not necessary. They are essentially making the

movement into why men would need more equality than any other gender such as in court. If the people claiming they are “meninists” pay attention to the actual reason for feminism, they would understand that its purpose is for allowing both male and female to be equal in every way possible. This proves that men can also be feminists and not feel the need to call it “meninism.” There were responses on the survey that said women already have the equality they need and that they have all the same rights as men and that a movement like feminism is not necessary or not as important as it used to be when women, for example, did not have the right to vote. “The wage gap in the U.S. is still horrible. For every dollar made by men, women [make] 77 cents and for black women it’s 64 cents,” said junior Shelbi Slade. A woman at a job that is superior in her position is still being paid less or the same amount as a male that is at the same level or even below for no reason other than her gender. This wage gap proves the sexism that is obviously still relevant in today’s society. It is important to know what feminism is and not fall into the “white feminist” category that many people seem to follow. This is why feminism is relevant--because the wage gap and “meninism” proves that sexism is still alive in today’s society.

18

OPINIONS

The Need for Feminism Feminism is something that many people misunderstand, but it

is an important term that is still relevant in today’s society.

Photos by Morgan Timmerman

By Anjali PatelManaging Editor

T he stigma surrounding self-respect is eminently

one-sided. The act of being able to decide who has or does not have self-respect based on subjective ideals is so deeply rooted in society that it seems acceptable to determine how someone feels about themselves regardless of your relation to them. It has become acceptable to be able to dictate facts based on the inner workings of one’s mind of which you are not a part. The fallacy in the statement

that one’s dignity can be determined by someone other than that person is just that--it is called self-respect because it is recognized by every person, in themselves, as an individual. If someone feels a sense of pride and honor in their lives, who is anyone else to say it does not exist or that they should not feel it? Our actions reflect our values, but our values do not define how much dignity we feel; that sense of virtue is cultivated through the effort we put into reaching our full potential. The dilemma that is generally associated with

the meaning of self-respect is the double standard it poses between the opposite sexes; conflicting ideals surrounding the topic tend to show themselves especially in regards to women. “He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know,” a book by Jessica Valenti, is dedicated to identifying the contradictory principles between how receptive society is to men versus how we treat women in places of work, home and even in the bedroom. In order to ensure that the term “self-respect”

is not carelessly used in accordance with personal judgements against another individual, we must first redefine our views on gender roles; in doing so, we will have to act with empathy. Why is it admissible to judge a woman’s self-dignity based on her actions but not a man’s? It is not. To come to this realization as a collective whole, we have to be willing to act with compassion in order to build our views on a person based on their character and beliefs and not how much we think they respect themselves.

OPINIONS

19

SELF-RESPECTSTIGMA

SELF-RESPECT BY THE NUMBERSIn a survey of 156 Lakes students, participants were asked if they believed it is okay to tell someone they do not have self-respect. They were then asked if they themselves had ever been told they act as if they do not have self-respect.

Is it okay to tell someone they don’t have self-respect?

Of those who answered “Yes” to the previous question, the following said they have been told they act as if they don’t

have self-respect.NO (69%)

YES (31%)

MALE (58%)

FEMALE (25%)

OTHER* (17%)

*Refers to participants who are nonbinary, gender-fluid or

preferred not to specify.

Infographic by Samantha Green

By Michael Storms Staff Reporter

Fall is picking up and many in the community are looking for activities that will not break the bank or require driving far from home. From haunted

houses to apple orchards, teens have a variety of choices. Six Flags Great America is home to one popular fall event known as Fright Fest. Fright Fest allows people to visit the park throughout the fall and experience the thrill of Halloween once the sun goes down. It offers visitors to the park extended hours and an opportunity to ride their favorite rides in the dark of the night. With scare actors all over the park entertaining the guests, Fright Fest covers a variety of fears such as clowns, zombies and skeletons. Also, Lake County has several locations of haunt-ed houses for those seeking a thrill. One of the more popular haunted houses in the area is The Realm of Terror. Located in Round Lake Beach, it is open ev-ery weekend in October. Starting at $22 per person, tickets to The Realm of Terror are a cheaper scare than Fright Fest. Haunted houses offer a cheaper alternative for a shock for those not interested in roller coasters. For those who are not interested in being spooked, there are other alternatives such as the Richardson Ad-venture Farm, featuring a corn maze and pumpkin patch. The farm offers more at their location in Spring Grove. Teens can also watch live pig races and zip down a 700-foot zipline. The maze is located less than 20 minutes away from Lakes Community High School. Another fall alternative is Ziegler’s Apple Orchard, located in Grayslake, which offers an apple-pick-ing experience at a price that is cheaper per pound than shopping at most local stores. Apple orchards are an opportunity for families to pick fresh fruit from a tree, and Ziegler’s allows for and encourag-es tasting the apples from each tree that you pick. For more information about locations and hours of operation, visit lakesstudentmedia.com.

20

A&EFall Haunts and EntertainmentLocal activities that are perfect for the fall season and will not break the bank.

CHECK OUT MORE AT LAKESSTUDENTMEDIA.COM

Photo courtesy of Six Flags

figments: fall play pg. 22 | i am danger pg. 24

21

A&E

Artist You Should Know:

Critically acclaimed artist rises to prominence after debut album releases.

By Shyam DaveStaff Reporter

Long Beach based rapper Vince Staples has made quite a name for himself in the last year in the

music industry.Staples first rose to popularity from a feature with fellow popular rapper, Earl Sweatshirt. Since, Staples has collaborated with other rising artists as well as released his debut album, “Summertime ‘06,” which was well received by critics such as Metacritic, HotNewHipHop and Billboard.Staples began rapping in 2010 and released his first mixtape, “Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1,” towards the end of 2011. His popularity started to rise when another popular rapper, Mac Miller, took interest in him and ques-tioned why Staples did not put out more material. Staples told him, “that he didn’t have any beats to rap over,” which led Miller to produce an entire mix-

tape for Staples that was released in 2013. From there, Staples began to feature for many other artists and was later signed to Def Jam Recordings. Although Staples released many well produced mixtapes, his true rise to prominence came from his debut al-bum “Summertime ‘06.” “Summertime ‘06” is based around events that occurred when Staples was 13 years old. Staples’ whole al-bum is about him growing up as a teenager and what he lived through and it has a darker but more lyrical-ly deep tone to it as Staples is trying to relay a story about his life. The al-bum released on June 30, 2015 and was met with rave reviews by many critics. The album was highly com-mended for Staples’ lyrics, as well as the production. “Complex,” a well-known hip hop and youth media magazine, stat-ed that “Summertime ‘06” was a “coming of age tale, and that Staples

masters the art of using his rhymes in ways that streets can understand best.” While 2014 rap music had gone through a reform in the sense that it was more fun and enjoyable, 2015 seems to be steering back to more so-cially conscious lyricism. If Staples continues using his methods and climbing up the charts, he is bound to gain more recognition and achieve greatness in the music industry.

Photo courtesy of TSE Daniel

figments: fall play pg. 22 | i am danger pg. 24

Follow talontimes on Spotify to hear Vince Staples and

other featured artists.

Vince Staples

22

A&E

It is that time of year again, when Eagle Theatre is ready to tackle yet another fall production. Last year’s production, “The Laramie Project,” took on the very serious topic of hate crimes. However, this year Eagle Theatre takes a sharp turn onto the road of comedy with the production “Figments.” What is “Figments?” “‘Figments’ is, I think, a relatable experience of what happens when we go through writer’s block, and it’s a professional playwright in New York City who is experiencing major writer’s block because his life keeps getting in the way,” said director Abra Chusid. It sometimes can be difficult transitioning from a heavily themed play like “The Laramie Project”

to a more lighthearted production. An obstacle many directors face is whether or not a production will be taken seriously because it’s comedy. Chusid feels confident this won’t be a problem. “Every production I take seriously from an artistic standpoint because we need the same amount of support, same amount of time, same amount of resources and detail in the set and attention in the box office and care in our publicity, costumes and cast work,” Chusid said. “Figments” sounds like a play you should not miss and it is obvious it takes a lot of thought and attention to detail in order to plan out these productions. Eagle Theatre is determined to show new sides of themselves and break out new skills.

FIGMENTSEagle Theatre prepares for the famous comedic production of Figments, to take stage on Nov. 6.

By John Beranek Lead Photographer

23

A&E “I think that we are going to bring a lot of talent and a lot of surprises to people and to the audiences, because we have a lot of comedic actors and funny people in Eagle Theatre and I think you are definitely going to see some of that and you’ll see plenty of surprises,” said senior Eagle Theatre member Julia Gold.

The production premieres on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., and you can catch the show again on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. or Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for students and senior citizens and $7 for adults. Lakes Eagles Booster Club members can attend for free.

Photo by John Beranek

“[We] are really excited...to really harness the energy of so many students so excited about the community to create some really beautiful art together...” Chusid said.

24

A&E

Base Camp to Bookshelves

Photos courtesy of Danger Geist

One local soilder’s journey from Afghanistan to published authorBy Ally Rudolph

Staff Reporter

Nathan Geist was an average teenager. He attended Zion High School and was a devout member of about every club at his disposal.

During his junior year, Geist made the choice to enlist in the U.S. Army. He left junior year as an enlistee and entered his senior year as a bootcamp-completed sol-ider. This journey would not only lead to a lifetime of experience for Geist but also features in the New York Times, Chicken Soup for the Soul and a book.

Between high school and the age of 22, Geist made some big moves; his first was choosing to attend col-lege in St. Louis, M.O. Geist was moving along in his journey, but just one semester short of graduation, he was called into combat. At the young age of 22, Geist was deployed into Afghanistan.

Geist went on a nine-month deployment into the heart of Afghanistan. Serving as Chaplain Assistant, he worked to make sure all religions were accessible to every soldier deployed. His missions varied from traveling down roads that were guaranteed to have Taliban activity, handing out candy to the native chil-dren or to even fighting the inhumane animal euth-anization procedures taken against the dogs kept on base. Somewhere between life and death, Geist took on the name and persona Danger, and he has been Danger ever since.

Geist’s story does not end in Afghanistan. His jour-ney is documented in his book, “I am Danger; I am Prisoner.” He found inspiration for his memoir while overseas.

“What happened was I had internet access in Af-ghanistan, so every couple of weeks I would send an email home saying I’m alive, here is what we’re doing, and here are my thoughts,” Geist said.

Unbeknownst to Geist, his emails were being for-warded from family and friends to his surrounding community.

“People were telling me you should try publishing this when you get home...so to test the waters, I sent in my work to ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ and the New York Times. They both published my work, so I said, ‘okay, let’s do this thing,’” Geist said.

Currently, Geist is writing a new novel while bal-ancing everyday life.

“ Danger is just an amazing man. His work ethic is unwavering and he is always upbeat and positive,” said former Jimmy Johns coworker Kara Strege.

From Afghanistan to published author, Geist does not have any plans of ending his writing career any time soon.

To find out about Geist’s book, “I am Danger; I am Prisoner,” scan the QR code at the bottom of the page.

25

FEATURESBy David Behnke

News Editor

Hairstyles have come to the fore-front of fashion, but the flow goes beyond fashion. The flow

is a feeling one has locked deep within, waiting to be expressed. Traditional-ly, this hairstyle has been reserved for hockey players, as they glide down the rink with grace and power, hair flying behind them as a kite flies freely in a strong summer breeze. However, this trend has transitioned into student life. “I was in track, and I felt my hair in the wind, I felt it blowing, and I liked it, so I thought I should keep flowing it back,” said Lakes Community High School senior Charles Hudson. Hud-son is one of many students who have decided to make the commitment. The history of the flow goes back to an-cient Scandinavia where vikings, who historically have been portrayed having long hair, played some of the first hock-ey games. When the National Hockey League was formed in 1917, the flow had an informal definition: hair a few inches long, above the ears and side and middle sections that were longer than the rest. The man that brought about the mod-ern definition was the Montreal Ca-nadian Toe Blake. In the 1950s, most hockey players adopted this style, and it was difficult to distinguish one hair-style from another. The flow came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. The release of the movie Slap Shot in 1977 solidified the flow as a sick cut for all walks of life. Not only did the movie display the flow, but set the bar high for any young man will-ing to make the commitment. Hair does not flow on its own, after all. “It took a few months, four or five maybe,” said Hudson. The flow is not something to be messed with; it takes time, patience and money in order for it to be perfect. Luckily, there are many masters of their craft. Some men decide to take this to the next level. Jay Iden, a Social Stud-

ies teacher at Lakes Communi-ty High School, is one of the most experienced artisans of the flow. “It’s not for everyone, Dedication and patience through the “awkward” stages that perhaps make you look like a buffoon on a regular basis,” said Iden, when asked to elaborate on his views on the flow lifestyle. The time and money required for a flow may be a barrier for entry for some, while some may be un-able to grow it due to poor genetics. The stars must align in one’s favor, but once a the flow is achieved, a new being is born, whom is no lon-ger a person; a flow god has risen. Once the hair has grown, it has to be maintained. The proce-dures vary from person to person. “Healthy nutrition and lifestyle and a highly dedicated barber located 45 minutes away,” Iden said. His flow rep-resents the determination and perse-verance of highly dedicated individual. “I just shampoo and condi-tion,” Hudson said. His flow embodies freedom and youth. So after all is said and done, a flow is a reflection of the one who wears it. Styles, maintenance, cost and time differ from person to person, but one thing remains: a dope, stylish haircut. “The flow is like surfing; you

can’t force the flow, just like you have to wait for the perfect wave,” Iden Said. Perhaps the flow is a fad, and will be replaced by other hair styles. Maybe it will continue to be fashionable for years to come. Either way, the flow has put a unique mark on history.

Seniors Charles Hudson (top), Michel Norkus (middle) and Zac Carpentar (bottom) show off their flows.

GO WITH THE FLOWStyles come and go, but the flow is forever. Lakes students and staff share their experiences growing and maintaining the popular hairstyle.

Photos By Dave Behnke and Michael Storms

Instagram your flow using the hashtag

#LakesFlows

curious community pg. 26 | remembering bryan jardinico pg. 28

26

FEATURES

By Stephen Gerrits Sports Editor

For as long as it has been built,, Lakes Community High School’s football stadium has

been named Polley Field. Where did that name come from? Is it referring to the common bird phrase, “Polley want a cracker,” or some other allusion to eagles? The answer is actually much simpler than that. Polley Field was named after Warren Polley, a former superintendent of Antioch Community High School. Warren Polley was born in DuQuoin, Ill. in 1918 and moved to Antioch in 1948 where he started working at ACHS. He was a business teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant superintendent and the superintendent for 13 years during his extensive career at ACHS. He retired in 1985 and died soon after on June 19, 1985 at the age of 67. “Everybody had a lot of respect for [Polley]… He is still somebody that people talked about,” said Charlie Trout, a history teacher and soccer coach at ACHS. Trout was hired by District 117 in 1986 shortly after Polley died. He was one of three teachers still in the

district who worked with or shortly after Polley. Though Trout never met Polley, it was easy for him to tell that Polley was a respected and straightforward man who took other people’s opinions seriously. “He was a person that [said] this is the way it’s going to be, but he also kept in mind everybody,” Trout said. Long before Lakes opened in 2004, the 45-acre area of land which Polley Field sits on was used by ACHS. The district acquired the land in the early 1980s to use as a sports field complex. The complex was named after Polley in August of 1983. The land held several softball, baseball, soccer and field hockey fields. Athletes from ACHS were bussed over to the fields for their practices and games. As a soccer coach, Trout coached over 300 games in his time at the Polley Field complex. He spent a majority of his time after school in the fall at the fields with his team. Sometimes at practices he would make his players “run a Polley.” Running a Polley meant running around the three-quarters of a mile-long perimeter of the complex. After a few years of Polley Field being used by ACHS, there was a movement by the district in 1991 to

build a high school on the land. With the population of the community increasing, District 117 wanted to build a new building for ACHS where the current football practice fields are. The new school would house around 2,400 students from the towns of Lake Villa, Lindenhurst and Antioch. When it came to a vote, the plan for the school was shut down by just a few votes. A new school, Lakes, was eventually built. When the school opened, Polley Field was given to Lakes. A football stadium was added and the entire complex was renovated. Today, Polley Field is home to three soccer fields, two field hockey fields, two baseball fields, one softball field and the football stadium. With all that land, how is it maintained as well as it is? Leo Pechette, the Sports Turf Manager and his team of four takes care of the grounds. “It’s a full-time job… We maintain it to a pretty high standard,” Pechette said. With history as rich as Polley Field’s, Trout believes that the name should be around for awhile. “If [the District] deemed that it was important, I think we should honor it,” Trout said.

How Did Polley Field Get Its Name?

Photo by Stephen Gerrits Lakes Community High School football stadium has been named Polley Field since the program was established in 2004. This is the last year of the changing sign. Permanent next year.The lighted field sign was added in 2013, paid for by the Talon Club

Photo by Ryan Miles

27

By Noah Rothermel Staff Reporter

For generations, Boy Scouts have been to exclusive locations around the globe. The Boy Scouts of America is an organization that allows teenagers to have

experiences and opportunities that non-members could not achieve. The highest ranking of Boy Scouts is the Eagle Scout. This ranking requires 21 merit badges and a project that benefits both the community and the Boy Scouts. Merit badges are small courses that allow the Scout to learn a specific subject while allowing hands-on experience and help the Scout advance in the ranks. In addition to merits, local Boy Scouts can go on exclusive adventures and camping trips to places like Devil’s Lake Wisc., Boundary Waters Minn. and Philmont N.M.. Senior Russell Reding, an aspiring leader of Troop 1987, has been an Eagle Scout for four years and a Boy Scout for 10 years. He enjoys the freedom of the Boy Scouts because the boys lead the activities, not the adults. “Philmont and Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan are two of my favorite experiences as an Eagle Scout,” Reding said. Philmont is a scouting ranch in New Mexico that includes a 12-day trail backpacking trip with a view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. On days one through five, there is a trip guide teaching the five other Scouts the basics. The trip guide teaches the Scouts how to cook their own meals, orienteer and pack their bags. For the rest of the trip, there are only five Scouts. They usually take turns cooking and hanging up the bear bag. A bear bag is a finely woven net that is used to suspend food in the air to prevent bears from having a midnight snack. All the skills learned by the trip guide is the key to having a smooth and successful trip. “We forgot to pack the food, so we didn’t eat one day. Also, I almost stepped on a baby snake, which is very dangerous because they cannot regulate their venom,” said Reding. Despite Reding’s mishap, he still enjoys taking overnight trips to different places around the United States. Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan, a Boy Scout reservation in Pearson, Wisc., is a unique destination for further-advancing Scouts. Reding, who worked at Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan last summer, had the liberty to tell a famous campfire story himself. The story is told to every camper that comes to the reservation. Reding worked with a new set of campers every week, teaching them different skills. Many argue the Boy Scouts program is effective because it also educates each Scout about things they would not learn in school. The Boy Scouts of America have started pushing STEM content–science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition to all this, the Boy Scouts persistently sell popcorn and help the community while doing so. With over 38,000 troops nationwide, the Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest organizations nationwide. With so many troops, the Boy Scouts can work together to reach great heights and will continue to do so.

FEATURES

Adventures of anEagle Scout

Photo courtesy of Russell RedingEagle Scout Russell Reding spent last summer as a camp counselor at Camp Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan in Pearson, Wisc. where he the opportunity to tell the camp’s famous campfire story.

Check it out!

lakesstudentm

edia.com

To read Camp Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan’s campfire tale, scan the QR code

below or visit our website.

28

FEATURES

By Mary Maravelas Promotions Director

All I remember on FebruAry 13 Is lying on the floor, and I freaked out when I saw a paramedic walk

next to me,” said Bryan Jardinico, a Lakes Community High School senior. Shortly after this incident, Jardinico was diagnosed with grade four brain cancer. His specific type of brain tumor is highly aggressive, treatment-resistant and quite rare. This specific tumor resists treatment because of how rapidly it spreads through-out the brain and body. Only about two per-cent of people are affected by this cancer in the United States each year. There are, on average, around 13,000 deaths annually. In the early morning of September 12, Jar-dinico passed away in his Lindenhurst home. During a six-month period, Jardinico went through five surgeries and 48 doses of chemotherapy with eight different drugs. Doctors believed the cancer first devel-oped when he was in his mother’s womb. “The probable cause is that while I was developing in my mother, some stray cells got trapped in my brain and they trans-formed into malignant cells, ” Jardinico said. Jardinico said he first experienced symp-toms last winter for less than two weeks. He was attending school and started to feel signs that something was wrong, such as headaches, memory loss, nausea, low grade fever and vomiting during his class-es. After just a few days, Jardinico had a seizure and was rushed into the Intensive Care Unit, here the doctors diagnosed him. After diagnosis, he had multiple sur-geries which created neurological defi-cits, causing him to relearn normal every-

day activities, such as feeding himself, walking, standing, reading, and writing. Jardinico also experienced certain side effects from the cancer such as double vision. He wore an eye patch every day to correct the problem. In late June, doctors found another tu-mor on his right lung. By August, he had three tumors, two in his brain and one in his lung. After failing three rounds of che-motherapy, his doctor discussed radiation therapy which is not known to be effective in providing a cure for his type of can-cer and comes with bad side effects. After finding out he was terminally ill, Jardinico decided not to continue with treatments. “He opted for quality of life versus quantity of life,” Chrissa Jardinico, his older sister, said. “I’m just fatigued and pretty anxious. I’ve had chronic anxiety, but this definitely aggravated it,” Jardinico said in late August. Despite his struggle, Jardinico still had a positive influence on the school. “Bryan’s strength and unique person-ality has been apparent ever since I met him. He was a motivated individual who always had a smile on his face and shared his positive outlook with everyone,” said Lakes English teacher Ashleigh Malec. Even though he had the option of be-ing homeschooled, Jardinico chose to con-tinue attending school this fall. He loved learning and was also quite the innovator. “He created a nine-digit electronic lock because he was bored and wanted to chal-lenge himself. He made small Christmas trees with LED lights and called it ‘The Neon Trees’ after the band,” Chrissa said. During Jardinico’s freshman year, he built an electronic boombox, carrying it with him while he ran the mile during

“Bryan’s strength

and unique personality has been apparent

ever since I met him. He was a motivated

individual who always had a

smile on his face and shared his

positive outlook with everyone,”

said Lakes English teacher

Ashleigh Malec.

BryanJardinico

The Talon Times spoke with senior Bryan Jardinico 15 days before he

lost his fight against brain cancer.

Remembering

“

29

FEATURESgym class. After his passing, Physical Best students were challenged to run the mile while carrying a weight in Jardinico’s memory. “The CrossFit community shows their support for fallen heroes by creating or completing workouts in honor of them. The workout we did was run 1997 meters, the year Bryan was born, while carrying a dumb-bell or kettlebell,” said Craig Stocker, Lakes Physical Best teacher. Jardinico also loved to knit and cook different rec-ipes with his family. Some of his favorites includ-ed apple crisps, zucchini chips and seafood soup. “He taught himself how to knit. He knitted friends’ names on banners and gave these to them as a token of friend-ship and did not expect anything in return. He was so sweet, kind, non-judgmental and honest,” said Chrissa. His knitting skills were well-known to more than his friends around the school. Lakes English teacher Emily Goldkind recalls Jardinico sharing his creative endeavors with the students in her class. “His talents were so versatile, ranging from knit-ting flammable fabrics to building contraptions that would burn said fabrics,” Goldkind said. Jardinico’s last gift to the school was the donation of his brain tumor slides to Lakes science teacher Jeff Newton to use in his biology classes. Jar-dinico wanted students to learn more about his cancer and to be inspired to find a cure. “My hope is that this year’s biolo-gy class, and future classes, will be motivated to learn about cancer based on Bryan’s experience and perhaps be inspired to help do something about it in the future,” Newton said. For many who never got the chance to know him, Jardinico was just that kid running through the halls with his briefcase. For those who were lucky enough to know him, he was a friend.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Jardinico“Gray is...” is a campaign that began at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the same hostpital in which Jardinico recieved six months worth of treatment. The month of May is brain cancer awareness month with an emphasis on the color gray. The Monday after Jardinico passed away, Lakes students were encouraged to wear gray to support him. Senior, Aundrea Umphrey made hundreds of gray ribbons for the students and faculty to wear. Visit our website lakesstudentmedia.com for more pictures of Jardinico and a Storify where classmates share in remembering him through social media.

“He opted for quality

of life versus quantity of life,”

said Chrissa Jardinico,

Bryan’s older sister.

30

royal rush progression pg. 32 | what’s in your bag pg. 34FEATURES

The new Portillo’s is located near Bass Pro Shops in Gurnee Mills mall on Grand Ave in Gurnee, Ill. The Buffalo Wild Wings is nearing the end of construction and is located between Marshall’s and Bed, Bath & Beyond department stores. Both restaurants are currently hiring. For more information visit portillos.com or buffalowildwings.com.

By Mary McGinnis Staff Reporter

Despite several rumors going around regard-ing restaurants opening in the Gurnee area, Gurnee residents can for sure expect a Por-

tillo’s opening in November, and a Buffalo Wild Wings opening with an unconfirmed date. The opening of a Chick-Fil-A in the area is not verified With the closest Portillo’s being nearly 30 minutes away, it can be difficult to get the food that everyone is always craving. It was announced in April that Gurnee would be opening a Portillo’s on a lot in Gurnee Mills. In 2013, the “Gurnee Wants Portillo’s” Facebook page was created by Joe Kahn, a resident of Lindenhurst, which has now been noticed by more than 4,700 people. “I started the [Facebook] page because there was always a rumor mill about whether they’d open a Portillo’s in Gurnee. Every time someone would start to build something, there would be ru-mors that it was going to be a Portillo’s,” Kahn said. The page surely proved to be a good platform for all of the in-formation concerning a new Portillo’s being built in the area. “Portillo’s was very particular about a location. It went from the old Saturn dealership to the old Applebee’s, and then finally to the site in Gurnee Mills,” Kahn said. According to a survey sent to the students and staff at Lakes Community High School in September, an over-whelming majority of people said that they would eat at Portillo’s more often if one opened up in the Gurnee area. The survey responses reveal that many Lakes stu-dents and staff are excited to be able to order the Italian beef, hot dogs and the chocolate shakes. “I always order something different, but some-

thing that I order every time I am there is a choc-olate shake because the shakes at Portillo’s are ir-resistible,” said sophomore Samantha Tangney. The cake shakes seem to be a common craving amongst the students, judging from the survey responses. Another rumor going around is that a new Buffalo Wild Wings will be opening in Gurnee. Nearly 55 percent of surveyed students and staff at Lakes said that they did not hear anything about this Buffalo Wild Wings opening, however, this opening will be a pleasant surprise to many because of the good reputation that Buffalo Wild Wings has with the Lakes community. Many of the students had pos-itive feedback about the restaurant. Their favorite parts? “Cheap boneless wings on Thursday,” said se-nior Lauren Stoughtenger. Many of the other sur-veyed students agreed that the wings were their favorite part of eating at Buffalo Wild Wings. “Atmosphere, and all the TV’s when it’s a big sports weekend,” said Lakes social studies teacher, Kev-in Kullby when asked what he likes most about the restaurant. The trademark sports theme always tends to draw in customers, especially on a big game day. The new Buffalo Wild Wings will be opening in Gurn-ee Mills near the Bed Bath & Beyond. Nearly 75 per-cent of surveyed students and staff at Lakes said that they go to Buffalo Wild Wings every once in awhile, so with a closer location, that number will most likely rise. There is also gossip about a Chick-Fil-A opening in the Gurnee area. This rumor was much less popular, as only 10 percent of Lakes students and staff had heard the rumor. However, it has not been confirmed that a Chick-Fil-A will be opening nearby, so it is safe to say that it may be a while before one opens in Gurnee.

Photos by Mary McGinnis

31

SPORTSBy Gavin Good

Sports Editor

Lakes Community High School math teacher Brian Phelan is taking over the girls basketball program this year and, with his return to coach-

ing, he is bringing forth new energy while trying to maintain the same values the program already has. “I think in the past, the girls have always played hard. I think that is one constant we are going to con-tinue to work with. In terms of X’s and O’s, we are tweaking a few things, but in terms of their play on the court just playing hard, playing smart, and playing to-gether, I think they have always done that,” Phelan said. Regarding specific X’s and O’s, Phelan’s team will primarily play man-to-man defense and will trap and use a full-court press at times throughout the year. Also joining the program with Phelan will be Trey Williams and Jamie Dykstra, who are both Lakes alums. They will help Phelan with the day-to-day running of the program as assistant coaches. Phelan, who was the varsity Boys Basketball coach for several years, pointed to a strong summer from the girls in the program as a sign of promise for the season to come. “The summer was good. [The coaching staff] threw new stuff out to [the team] and they absorbed it real quick and asked good questions so that was a huge reward,” Phelan said. The program has also been having record open gym turnouts and Phelan has observed leaders emerge amongst the upper-classman, both of which he believes to be good signs for the program. “I saw a lot of the ju-niors and seniors take over and grab ownership of the open gym and kind of manage [them],” Phelan said. Phelan cited depth as a key component of his team this year and believes that having many different players makes his team stronger. “We have a lot of depth and variety. I do not think there are any two girls that have the same game. Everybody has a different strength that they bring,” Phelan said. A few years down the road, Phelan hopes that Lakes is an established, strong presence in the area in girls basketball. “My vision is that when Lakes is on someone’s sched-ule that the opposing staff and players know they are in for a fight. My vision is [that] the Lakes program is well

respected for be-ing well c o a c h e d , and the players are playing for something b i g g e r than them-s e l v e s , ” P h e l -an said. “ [ T h a t ] they are u n s e l f -ish on the court and supporting one anoth-er regard-less of their role in the p r o g r a m . We truly want to emphasize, support and carry out a team first motto.” Phelan even has an idea for the Royal Rush during games: they should add a “turkey” every three de-

fensive stops, to a board or sign throughout the games, much like how K’s are lit up in neon lights at baseball games for strikeouts. Overall, Phelan hopes that his team can come together and reach their goals during the season.

“At the end of the day, we are all working towards a common goal and just having a good product on the court that is all working together regardless if you are the coach, the assistant coach, a starter, a support play-er, or if you are a freshman or a sophomore you know, [the idea is] that everybody has this commitment to something that is bigger than themselves,” Phelan said. The season begins on Monday, Nov. 2 and tryouts will run until Wednesday, Nov. 4. “The enthusiasm, the buzz around here has been great,” Phelan said. “I think people are just chomping at the bit to get the season started.”

“My vision is that when Lakes is on someone’s schedule, that the opposing staff

and players know they are in for a fight.”

Photo by Gavin GoodBrian Phelan returns to Lakes basketball, this time as the girls varsity coach.“[I have] been waiting for the right time and situation [to return]. the right time and right situation happened and I jumped on the opportunity to coach the girls program,” Phelan said.

New CoachNew Expectations for Girls Basketball

royal rush progression pg. 32 | what’s in your bag pg. 34

2032

SPORTS

Royal Rush: By Stephen Gerrits

Sports Editor

The spirit and pride of Lakes Community high School, the Royal Rush, is heading into their fifth year of having leaders. This student-run organization is

rich in tradition. From the crazy themes, the throwing of powder and deafening chants, the Royal Rush provides the students and athletes with a fun experience.

Traditionally, three senior boys are chosen as the leaders. Last year’s leaders chose to move on from that tradition and picked five successors, three of which are girls. For the first time in the Rush’s history, females are allowed to lead the student section alongside their male counterparts.

Mia Parenti, John Ott, Olivia Muzones, Tanner Cappel and Sarah Cribb have taken the helm this year. The group of leaders have taken pride in the fact that there is strength in numbers.

“It’s a lot easier with more people. We hope we can make it out to other events, not just football games,” Muzones said. “It’s a lot easier to divide up tasks and make it to more events.”

As far as girls being leaders, the group has considered it an advantage too. Girls being a part of decision- making helps bring out different ideas from another point of view.

“I think it brings out different ideas and creativity when you have girls and guys mixed together to get both sides… It makes it a little more interesting and more fun for everyone,” Parenti said.

The female leaders say that adding a girl’s perspective has also improved the huge task of organizing everything for the Rush. Ordering T-shirts, planning themes for games and leading chants has been going smooth for the new leaders.

“I think being a girl on the Royal Rush brings a lot more organization to this whole little thing we have going on here,” Muzones said.

15

John OttSarah Cribb

Olivia Muzones

2033

SPORTS

“Staying organized and planning ahead makes the games successful and fun for everybody,” Cribb said.

According to the leaders, the Royal Rush has rarely gone to sporting events besides football and basketball games in the past. It is a real problem that they say they are trying to fix. They want to support as many teams as possible this year.

“We have five leaders… If we’re able to get one or two leaders at an event, I think we will be able to run a fan section,” Ott said. “Other than that, a lot of it is on having students show up to support our teams. We’ll advertise at school and use social media to make sure people know when and where to support our teams.”

Looking forward at the lists of exciting activities that come with being a Royal Rush leader, tailgating, new toys and powder, a fan favorite, ranked high for the leaders.

“[I’m] looking forward to tailgating,” Cappel said. Ott is also excited for tailgating but mostly his new,

homemade T-shirt cannon.

“I like my T-shirt cannon. I enjoy that and tailgating as well. It’s a lot of fun,” Ott said.Muzones is most excited for the props they will use in the stands.

“We plan on incorporating some more powder and maybe some pom poms,” Muzones said.

A major goal for this year is to have the best fan section possible. In order to accomplish their goal, they cannot stress enough that total participation is needed.

“You need to have a lot of enthusiasm. You need to be ready to scream and shout and lose your voice,” Parenti said.

Attendance is also a key factor in the success of the fan section.

“Show up to every game… that you can make of course,” Cappel said.

These Royal Rush leaders are ready for the big responsibility of leading the fan section. They believe that things are looking good for the Rush this year.

“It’s going to be a good year,” Cappel said.

15Photos By Molly Bartlett

Mia ParentiTanner Cappel

The Progression

SPORTS

34

What’s in Your Bag?By Colton Jewell & Morgan Timmerman

Staff Reporter & Photo Editor

A whole lunch at school can vary from $2-5, but Lakes Community High School junior Cameron Ruiz spends a lot of money on his lunch. I spend around $40-50

on my lunch,” Ruiz said. Ruiz has loads of food in his bag, using most of his backpack space to store his food for lunch. Ruiz really loves to eat food, which is very im-portant to most athletes. Only weighing 155 pounds, Ruiz eats all the food in his bag everyday. Even with all that food, Ruiz still buys food at school. “Yeah, I get hungry quickly,” said Ruiz. Among his snacks, Ruiz brings bags of blueberry bagels. Whole bags of bagels. His bagels are his pride and joy. If he could choose only one food to eat, it would be his bagels. “My blueberry bagels...fill me up and are very tasty,” said Ruiz. His lunchbag is his backpack. “I get quicker access to my food because I always have my backpack,” Ruiz said.

Talon Times caught up with junior Cameron Ruiz in the commons to find out what’s in his bag. Ruiz participates in both football and track. He has competed at the track state finals two years in a row and medaled in 2013 and 2014 in long jump.

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Photos by Morgan Timmerman and Colton Jewell

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1. 6 Bagels Rather than plain bagels, Ruiz prefers blueberry bagels because “Blueberries are raw.” 2. Banana Ruiz said, “[Bananas are a] quick snack, they are good for you and I like them.” 3. Carmex “[Carmex is] easy to carry around and keeps my lips from being being dry and chapped.” 4. Nature Valley Bar “[Nature Valley Bars] contain a lot of protein and keep me energetic.”

5. Coconut Passion Fruit Lotion “[Lotion] keeps me moist 24/7 and girls’ lotion smells nice.” 6. Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers “I love peanut butter, I love crackers and put together it makes me even happier.” 7. Hair Pick Ruiz said he keeps a hair pick in his backpack because his hair gets tangled throughout the day. 8. Sprinkled Donut Crunch Cereal Ruiz said, “This cereal fuels me for practice.”

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