THE LAKEWOOD TIMES Dec 2014.pdf · The content contained in this issue of The Lakewood Times isn’t a reflection of the staffs’ beliefs in any way and shouldn’t be taken as offensive

Vol. 94, No. 3 - December 2014 - Lakewood High School -14100 Franklin Blvd. Lakewood, OH 44107/www.lakewoodtimes.net

THE LAKEWOOD TIMES“QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIORS”

2 The Lakewood Timescontents

Editors’ letters ContentsStaff 2014/2015

Co-Editors: Matt Morgenstern Robert Searles

Assistant Editors: Veronica Gordon (Photography)Ryan Mitchell (Sports)Emily Suleiman (Copy)

Adviser: Dennis Ebner

Editorial Board Members:Mackenzie RiveraJacob Buntyn Jacklyn VollAshley HirschBrett BrownEmily SuleimanMaggie JawhariSamuel Ciancutti

As preservers of democracy, our schools shall protect, encourage, and enhance free speech and the exchange of ideas as a means of protecting our American way of life. The Times and its staff are protected by, and bound to, the prin-ciples of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various court decisions implementing those principles.

It is the mission of The Lakewood Times, the official newsmagazine of Lakewood High School, to serve as a public forum that promotes the gathering and exchange of ideas, and uphold high journalistic standards for the pur-pose of enriching the lives of our readers.

The Times is established as an open forum for student expression and as a voice in the uninhibited, free and open discussion of issues. The Times will not be reviewed or re-strained prior to publication. Content of the Times, there-fore, reflect only the views of the student staff or individual students and not school officials. Students may use online media to educate, inform, and entertain their readers. Both the school and the cyber community are entitled to the same protections and subject to the same freedoms and responsibilities, as all other student media outlined in this policy. Online media are forums for self-expression and are similar to traditional media, in their freedoms, responsibili-ties, and professional obligations. As such they will not be subject to prior review or restraint. Student journalists may use online media to report news and information, to com-municate with other students and individuals, to question and consult with experts, and to locate material, to meet their news gathering and research needs.

The Times, and staff, will strive to avoid publishing any material determined by student editors or the student edito-rial board to be unprotected, that is, material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an un-warranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright laws or electronic manipulations changing the essential truth of the photo or illustrations. Other obligations can be found in the handbook available to each student. The Times adviser will not act as a censor.

If questions arise over specific copy as defined within this policy, student journalists will seek the advice of the communications attorney from the Student Press Law Cen-ter. The Times editorial board as a whole will be responsible for determining editorial opinions, which represent the opinions of a majority of the editorial board. No single member of the Times can be held responsible for editorial content decisions. The Times is a tool in the learning pro-cess of journalism and operates as a learning laboratory. Any student may be a member of the staff, with or without prior journalism experience or enrollment on the staff for credit. As a forum for student expression, the Times will publish all letters to the editor, provided they are 300 words or less and contain the author’s name, house, and address. On occasion, we will publish letters using the “name with-held” providing the Times editor, or a team editor, knows the author’s identity.

We reserve the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if we determine it contains items of unprotected speech as defined by this policy. Let-ters will be edited for spelling and grammar. Should a letter contain errors in fact, excessive grammatical errors or be too long, it will be returned to the author for re submis-sion. Deadlines for letters and columns will be no later than ten days before the next publication date. The Times may choose to report student, staff, faculty, and alumnus deaths as he editorial board is made aware of them. We reserve the right to decide not to cover a death based on relevance, timeliness and circumstances. In cases where the editorial board decided not to cover death, letters to the editor in re-gard to that death could be printed.

Editorial Policy LaNiqua JonesRyan Swingle Mickey NestorMandy MuscatelloOzemenay Taylor Eman NaserallahChristian Bort

Underage odyssey....................4Drugs........................................6Why party man?.......................8Marijuana..................................9Snow days..............................10Traffic......................................11Holiday events........................12Bad teachers..........................13We all love Christmas music..14New Years resolutions............16Holiday recipes.......................18 Old building.............................20 Shoes......................................22Blackfish.................................24Poor police mentality..............26Commercialized Christmas....27Gym worries...........................28On the Cavs and hope...........29Winter sports..........................30

3December 2014 misc.

Editors’ letters ContentsSincerely, Matt Morgenstern and Robert Searles

I endorse hardly any of the activities in this issue—even the ones that are relatively peaceful in the time of the holidays. Still, I en-dorse this issue as something that the Times seldom does—plays with a taboo object. But it’s quite fun to do so.

All of these testimonials are anonymous, for we’d rather not have our students be persecuted for any unlawful partying. But, even for teachers, I think what can be gained from this issue is the idea that sometimes we need to step back and look at the ques-tionable times in life. I, of course, find my happiness in different, more lawful manners, but that doesn’t mean that accessorizing one’s festivities with amenities of various descents is always a bad thing. In fact, it can be all right at times.

Some may dislike this issue for some very blatant articles on marijuana legalization and views of law enforcement, as well as a cover wherein two psychedelic marijuana leafs are framing a red solo-cup that inconspicuously lords over the setting. If you don’t know what the cup is supposed to suggest, you need to get to a party or watch Animal House right away. It’s one of the more memorable of American party symbols.

Additionally, this issue deals with more relaxed (and tame) subject involving the forthcoming holiday season as well as some important issues (such as Photography Editor Veronica Gordon’s article on the Blackfish documentary).

Stay safe this Christmas break even if you want what Miley Cyrus would call a “banger.” Be blunt with your decision-making, and realize that, in the end, it’s all about having fun.

The content contained in this issue of The Lakewood Times isn’t a reflection of the staffs’ beliefs in any way and shouldn’t be taken as offensive. The main focus of this issue is on drugs and alcohol, and why students choose to do these things. All students inter-viewed asked to remain anonymous to protect their identities. The purpose of this topic was not to encourage any of the activi-ties in this issue, but was a very good topic to talk about in this day and age. Students may be peer pressured into something that they don’t want to do or may have some kind of addiction to some sort of substance. This may be relevant to many of the students and has some worth to Lakewood. This issue could be a great way to educate the students of LHS about the many different things that teenagers do today. For example, this issue of the Times contains a story about why students do the drugs they do. It explains how the student may feel and how it may affect that person’s life. The purpose of this story isn’t to persuade the students of LHS to not do the thing that they do, but to rather to take in consideration on how it affects their body and their surroundings. Because the drugs may be af-fecting your body, but it may be affecting the people who care for you the most even more. Not to mention that if a student is doing drugs and they are failing their classes, it’s probably a direct result of their drug use. My hope for this issue is that it shows the stu-dents of LHS to be safe and to not be peer pressured into anything that they don’t want to do.

4 The Lakewood Timesfocus

The new “Odyssey”: the underage drinking tripBy Ryan Swingle

As each week comes to a close, there is always talk of where this weekend’s “banger” will be held. Adolescents seem to crave these parties almost as much as they crave the drugs that are ever present at such “bangers.” The drug of choice for many teenagers is the “satanic” liquid of alcohol. What goes on at these parties and what is so attractive about alcohol is often a mystery to the non-party-going “common folk.” Most parties are hyped-up early in the school week in order to try to escape from the unending schoolwork. As the week goes on, the anticipation for the week-end’s festivities build. The buildup comes to a head on Friday when the hallways are buzzing with the details of that night’s par-ty. If there is a “theme” to that night’s party there is talk about what everyone will wear. Now it’s the night of the party, about 7

p.m. All of the “squads” now meet up, be-cause God forbid someone would show up to a party alone. Of the four or five people in the squad, one person will have to be the DD for the night. This person is key to the squad having a successful night of par-tying. They are in charge of transporting everyone to and from the party. Another member of the squad could attain the re-sponsibility of supplying a place to sleep for the night. This could, however, be as-signed later, or the squad could crash in the DD’s car. By the time 8:30 has rolled around, it’s time for the squad to head on over to the “trap house.” Before the squad rolls up to the trap house supplies must be attained for the night’s festivities. These supplies include, but are not limited to, drugs and alcohol. Where does one get these sup-plies if they are both underage and there

are illegal substances involved? This is where the “plug” comes in. Each squad member frantically hits up any potential plug, a supplier of drugs. When a reliable supplier is reached, the squad then hits up a local corner store as the plug buys them alcohol and picks up the drugs. Now, it’s time to get freaky. It’s now 9:00. Time for the party to start bumpin’. The squad parks on a side street near the trap house and waits. Waits for what? They already have a squad to slide into the party? Oh, no no no. They need to find another squad to unite with in order to make it not-so-awkward as they enter the trap house. Now that everyone is in the trap house, it’s time to get under the influ-ence. Depending on what kind of party you are at, protocol for sharing drugs is differ-ent. For example, if you are at a BYOB party

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Here we have a specimen having thrown up after having too much alcohol. The student’s identity is,of course, altered here. Photo courtesy of an anonymous source

5December 2014 focus

The new “Odyssey”: the underage drinking trip(bring your own beer), sharing is frowned upon. If you are at a party where “jungle juice” is present, you will throw all of your hard liquor into a large container and everyone is welcome to share “the juice.” Now, if a “skittle” party is on the agenda every squad would throw all of their drugs (preferably in pill form) into a container, and then everyone shares in the fun. The party is now starting to take off. A few squads start to show up, music starts bumping, and the drinks start pouring. It starts off with a few people who brought a few beers in a backpack, and then the bot-tles start to get broken out. Shots, shots, shots. Now the party is reaching its high point. Everyone is “feeling themselves.” People can be found playing beer pong, hooking

up in a corner, or passed out on the ground. There is usually an underclassman who is inexperienced in the party atmosphere and has had a few too many to drink. Obscene Sharpie drawings can be found on their faces from antagonizing seniors. As the night goes on, they start to awaken from their drunken stupor, alcohol is again shoved down their throat until they are even more inebriated. Now some people’s stomachs start to realize that they have had too much. Puking ensues. Bathrooms are full with party-goers waiting to rest their heads on a comfortable toilet seat and let it all out. As people start to leave and the party winds down, it is time to figure out what the squad is going to do now. Sometimes the DD has a few too many to drink so the squad can either try to sleep at the trap

house, or spend the night in the DD’s car. If the DD is not inebriated, the squad can either swing by a local fast-food establish-ment, or go to their designated sleeping area. They can figure out if a member’s par-ents aren’t home and crash there, or they can try to tip-toe past their parents into the confines of their bed. The squad may even hit up an after party and continue the binge drinking all evening. The morning after, each squad heads to the local diner to try to recover from their hangovers. As the morning comes to end, it is now time to get ready from a stern talk-ing to as they arrive home. Each member gets a nice lecture from his or her paren-tal unit, while enduring the headaches and stomach pains of a vicious hangover. The symptoms become suppressed as the weekend continues and the buildup of next weekend’s banger begins.

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“I can show you a high time”: student experiences on drugs By Mackenzie Rivera

MDMA/Ecstasy/Molly“Basically it makes your throat feel numb so it seems like it’s hard to breathe. It’s really not though, and you just get super happy like you literally feel like you’re on top of the world. Drinking with it was fun but it made me talk so much and be all over the place...like sloppy drunk but really hyper.”

Marijuana“When I smoke weed, it just makes me laugh a lot. My parents got a divorce a few months ago in the summer time, and I was upset and got a gram from my friend. I smoked it and it just took my mind off things and it made me really happy and all I could do was laugh.”

Shrooms/Psilocybin “When I did shrooms, it felt like I wasn’t my-self. The fact that my family and I went cos-mic bowling afterwards made it so much worse. When my cousins and I did it, we did it 15 min-

These following passages are descriptions by students while on various drugs. These students have remained anonymous for obvious reasons.

“Drugs in de’ Line” by Brett Brown


“I can show you a high time”: student experiences on drugs

Lysergic acid diethylamide/LSD/Acid“When I was on acid, I was trippin’. All I kept saying was, ‘I’m tripping meatballs!’ and I felt like I was trapped on this drug for like eight hours and it felt like I was in a movie.”

Cocaine“One time I sniffed coke, and I felt like I was on top of the world -- energized as ever. But the fall off it was worst than I thought. I will nev-er do it again because it made me sick to my stomach.”

“Drugs in de’ Line” by Brett Brown

utes before we went to the bowling alley and when we were at the bowling alley I felt like the pins were talk-ing to me. Afterwards, it felt like five minutes went by when really we were there for three hours.”


By Eman Naserallah

“Born to be Wild”:what makes troubled teens run?

Everyone needs a way to vent. Everyone needs a way to let out his or her problems. But not everyone is the same in expressing these inner thoughts and feelings. Some teenagers don’t have someone trustworthy to tell their secrets to, so they rely on il-legal substances to keep them going and “happy” in life. According to LHS psychology teacher Kimberley Scheer, drugs and alcohol boost our neurotransmitter chemicals that make us feel happy and relaxed. “Teenagers use them because they make it easier to over-come social shyness, awkwardness, and to have fun,” Scheer says. Dopamine and serotonin are at unusual levels for these people and it leads to a rush of pleasure that they have never expe-rienced before. However, as they grow ac-customed to the pleasure they are receiv-ing from the substance(s), their nerves will adjust to them and it will feel as if they’re not getting that same effect anymore. In order to bring your body back to balance, higher levels of the chemical are needed or your body will slow or even shut down. This then reduces the effectiveness of our body’s natural neurotransmitters. However, it is a known fact that some

Teenagers naturally have a working factory in their heads. However, drugs and alcohol make that factory work overtime and overwork the teen. “Mind Factory” by Maggie Jawhari

teenagers are thrown into substance abuse due to peer pressure. As Scheer puts it, “It’s human nature to be curious about the forbidden.” Dual Enrollment Psychology teacher Dr. Charles Greanoff says that of course peer pressure and lack of positive peer influence plays a role in why students take on drugs. Guidance counselor Emily Adkins says that students reach out to her saying they do drugs because they see their friends doing them, and sometimes it’s just sim-ply out of boredom. “The most damag-ing effects I see are students who try and treat depression on their own. This is only a temporary high feeling and students do not realize the side effects of the drugs actually make them feel more depressed afterwards,” Adkins says. She also says that students report to her saying they have tried drugs because they know their limits and the amounts that their body can handle. That is wrong. “As counselors, we remind students that there is actually no way to know this and that drugs can be made up of many unknown substances,” she says. Guidance counselor Melynda Shuck-ert says that she usually sees kids come

in because their experimenting with dif-ferent drugs for social reasons. They see what their friends are doing. Of course everybody’s different, but Shuckert says that there may be some similar aspects in the students who are going through this. “There are definitely certain aspects that are similar, such as relapsing. It is very rare that a person will go into treatment, and be fine for the rest of their lives,” she says. If a student is struggling with these things, Schuckert says that the school usually tries to provide support and as much help as possible; whether it’s trying to get the stu-dent to a facility where they are provided with the help they need, or something sim-pler like just helping the student reach out to their parents to tell them about this. It is very hard to grow up and try to meet everyone’s expectations. It’s also hard to keep up with classes and tests. But think-ing it’s okay to medicate yourself to “help these problems?” You’re only making it worse. Talking to a trustworthy adult, par-ents, social and/or guidance counselors, or even teachers is just one step in mak-ing your struggle easier. It’s a painful fight, where if one doesn’t get help, it will not get better.


The benefits of themulti-named weed

By Robert Searles

One of the most controversial topics in today’s society is the use, production and distribution of cannabis (marijuana, weed, pot etc.). Although it’s been around forever, the federal government and many others still want it to be illegal. Why does the gov-ernment feel this way about this substance and what is so potentially harming about it to the public that they shouldn’t have ac-cess to it? One reason is because there are many misconceptions about marijuana and its use. However, many people believe that marijuana is probably one of the safest and most therapeutic substances around. A common stereotype is that marijuana is addictive. This is something that has been debated, but can’t really be proven. This is because nothing about weed is bio-logically addictive. However, many people believe that it’s an addictive substance because it is said that heavy use leads to things like a higher probability of dropping out of school or more relationship prob-lems. This may be true, but according to Psychology Today, only about nine percent of regular marijuana smokers will develop a serious addiction and only about ten to thirty percent of regular users will develop dependency. Not everyone who smokes marijuana will be addicted to it because it just really isn’t common. The government and many other peo-ple have this notion that marijuana is bad for you, but it’s hard to claim that when there’s counteracting proof of its value. For instance, alcohol alone kills about 2.5 mil-lion people annually while 443,000 people die from tobacco-use. Marijuana doesn’t kill you because it’s non-toxic and it is im-possible to over dose on. Regardless, the substances proved to be more lethal are still legal. Another important reason why mari-juana should be legal is simply because it is something that really can be utilized in the medical field and there are many cases to prove this (some states, such as Califor-nia and Colorado, have indeed approved it for such). One study at the School of Biol-ogy at Completeness University in Madrid,

“Born to be Wild”:Spain, researched the use of cannabinoids in treating cancer in April 2009. What they discovered is published in the April 2009 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investiga-tion. The researchers found that after a 30-day THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the cannabinoid of the cannabis plant) treatment of two people diagnosed with fast-moving brain cancer, the chemical had killed the cancerous cells while pre-serving the healthy ones. The THC killed the cancer cells by helping them feed on themselves, an event known as autophagy. More illnesses that help and are treatable with medical cannabis include HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, insomnia, anxiety disorders, and muscle disorders, among others. Not only should marijuana be legal for the aforementioned purposes, but it should also be for its practical uses. Hemp (the non-drug cannabis plant due to a lack of THC) can be used for many things that could really benefit the world. Hemp can be used to make paper and is a better alterna-tive to using trees. Trees take years to grow completely, while hemp reaches matura-tion in only four months. Even the original Declaration of Independence is written on hemp. Although the government may have their “reasons” for making marijuana illegal, the real and obvious reason why it’s illegal is simply because of money. Marijuana is a plant and therefore it cannot be patented, which means no money for the big phar-maceutical companies. These pharmaceu-tical companies would rather have you buy their own drugs, not something anyone can plant in the ground and have useful medicine for. However, some states have started to realize that marijuana could be useful. There are 23 states that have legal-ized marijuana in some way, but only four states have legalized marijuana for recre-ational use. Those states include Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, as well as the District of Columbia. Hopefully very soon other states will come to learn how useful this plant can be.

“High Repetitions” by Brett Brown

10 The Lakewood Timeslife

Winter traffic mayhemBy Eman Naserallah

Everyone has winter car troubles. Brush-ing off the layers of snow or ice that froze over the windshield during the night, is real-ly a pain. Waking up, layering up, and driv-ing to school with backed up traffic in less than 30-degree weather is not the most ideal picture for a winter commute. Why not try a different routine?

Before going to sleep every night, tune into the ten o’clock broadcast of the news, or simply go on the Weather Service app on your phone and see what the high tempera-ture for the next day is. That way, you can go pick out your outfit and can save time in the morning. If you pack a lunch every-day, set out everything you need (non-per-ishable items) which saves you even more time in your morning.

The next day wake up, eat breakfast, change clothes, and hop into the car (or mom’s/dad’s car). You can leave at an ear-lier time, around 7:45, and you can be fif-teen minutes early to school, which gives you more time to plan a route that will get

you stuck in less traffic as possible. In-stead, however, of using a main street like Bunts or Franklin, which are known to get backed up in the morning, you could use those side streets surrounding the streets. Go onto Robinwood from Detroit and head straight into the school if being dropped off. Then, if getting dropped off, the driver can turn on to Bunts and go to their desired location. Or if the parents are the type who do not like to take on the harsh traffic of Bunts, they can drop you off on Franklin, off Blossom Park.

Don’t worry about salted streets. First off, because it is a school, the streets around Lakewood High School are salted and plowed after heavy continuous snowfall. The mod parking lot is plowed and salted as well. Secondly, because LHS lands on two main streets, Bunts and Franklin, they are always being salted and plowed. And, finally, those side streets that are well ad-vised to use as detours through this winter

“Snow Car” by Maggie Jawhari

are also salted because they are in school zones. As the website for Lakewood City says, “Side street salting is concentrated at hills, intersections, curves, school zones, and railroad crossings.”

Driving on snowy roads is not an effort-less action, according to senior Saef Ottal-lah. “Driving in these [conditions] are hard sometimes. A person just has to remember to drive slow and take [their] time. Think ahead and plan things out before [leaving home.] It really does get crazy; I’ve been driving for a little over a year now and I still find it crazy,” says Ottallah.

Following these simple tips can insure you the least-traffickedcommute on your way to school. The basics are checking temperatures for the day ahead, getting up early, and leaving home at a comfortably with wiggle room in between. Don’t drift on turns, make sure your windshields are ice-free, and that donuts in the North Lot are fun when control is in your grasp.

11December 2014 news

Saying goodbye to snow days?By Ashley Hirsch

Last year, the harsh winter forced North-ern Ohio schools to surpass the amount of snow days granted to each district. The exceeded calamity days motivated Ohio to make a change in its snow day system. Instead of requiring schools to complete a minimum number of days per school year, the state now requires schools to fulfill a minimum number of hours. The law change for Ohio is designed to make it easier for school districts to make up for lost time. That will mean schools will be counting hours, not days, when having to close for emergency situations. Districts will still make calls to keep students home for the day, or to delay the start of school when dangerous weather occurs. How that time is made up will now change. Under the new rules, Ohio requires a minimum 910 hours for students in kinder-garten through sixth grade and 1,000 hours

Photo courtesy of nwitimes.com

for students in middle school and high school. The plan was designed to give schools the flexibility to make up snow days by ex-tending a few hours during the school year rather than adding days at the end of the year. Hours missed above the minimum do not have to be made up. However, if a school closes enough that it will fall below the minimum number of hours, the school must extend its scheduled year. One way to make up the hours missed below the minimum required is to use blizzard bags. At the start of the 2014-2015 school year, schools will submit plans explaining how they will make up the missed hours, in-stead of days, up to the equivalent of three scheduled days. But as of right now Lake-wood is undecided of its plans. To some students, the delays are less than beneficial. Junior Antonio DeJesus

believes the delays will make it harder for certain students to get to school in the cli-mactic conditions that hindered the day in the first place. “With a single parent who works in the morning, she wouldn’t be able to take me to school…[Additionally], students, especially seniors, would find school more of a chore to come to if a delay went into effect,” says DeJesus. “Much of the student body would simply opt-out be-cause snow-days don’t exist anymore, and their disdain towards the new [protocol] would lead to eventual defiance towards longevity and being present in school.” So the student body of LHS will sim-ply have to see whether or not snow hours manifest themselves as oppositional enti-ties. Regardless, the district is slowly, but steadily, reforming the schedule in a time where everything in education is being turned on its head.

“Snow Car” by Maggie Jawhari


Winter family activitiesBy Lanuiqa Jones

This December there are many events to attend in our area for the holiday season. Here they are with the dates, times, and venues.

“The Toy Soldier & Fairy Godmother Holiday Show: Presented by Olmsted Performing Arts” This show is family friendly and tons of fun. Dates to mark on your calendar would be De-cember 13, 14, 20, and 21, at 1 and 3 p.m. They will be performing in Tower City Center, on the large staircase by the food court and movie the-ater.

They’re back! The Trans-Siberian Or-chestra is ready to make your holidays magical as they perform “The Christ-mas Attic”, their original Christmas rock opera, at 3 p.m. on Dec. 26 at Quicken Loans Arena.

If you feel “Too Close” to this event then that’s just perfect! Singer-songwriter Alex Clare will be in town Dec. 20, at 8 p.m, at the House Of Blues. Come sing along and enjoy yourself with your friends before the end of the year.

Do you like jazz? Would you like to hear some holiday music? If yes then the Jingle Bell Jazz Matinee is for you. On Dec. 14, at 2 p.m., at the 14th Street The-ater you can hear some of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra’s best play your holiday favorites. (They’re also playing at Hanna Theatre on the thirteenth in a Peanuts-themed show.)

Tuesday, Dec. 16, The 1975, Cruiser and Young Rising Sons will be at the Cleveland Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. (Additional events include the Harlem Globetrotters at Quicken Loans Arena on Dec. 27 at one in the afternoon, the stage version of A Christmas Story playing at Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre now until Dec. 21, a “Stomp” stop in January, and many others.

Cleveland will be hopping in Decem-ber as numerous performers come to the city and its surrounding areas. Photos courtesy of artists’ official websites

13December 2014 life

Society tends to overlook the impact teachers have on the learning of students. The power of an effective teacher is some-thing most of us have experienced and understand on a personal level. Almost all of us have had exceptional teachers that made a class more interesting or changed our attitudes towards learning. These teachers possessed a passion for the sub-jects they taught as well as a genuine care for their students. They inspired us to pon-der ideas, take on more challenging work, or even pursue careers in a particular field of study. Just as a “good” teacher can improve a child’s life and learning, weak teaching can also have profound and long-lasting effects. There are reasons for students per-forming poorly in school that go beyond the scope of simply lacking intelligence. For instance, If a child has an ineffective

first grade teacher for a full year, they will enter the second grade unprepared. This will have a cumulative effect and can lead to academic problems in the future. Stu-dents of ineffective teachers will often wit-ness their abilities drop. They get so dis-couraged by a particular teacher that they start to despise that subject and score lower on tests. Due to their insufficient grades, students end up enrolling in easier classes. Their lack of academic motivation eventually has the potential to affect where they apply to and which colleges they are accepted into. The effects of an incompetent teacher can extend into a student’s future. Stud-ies show that having a good teacher in the fourth grade increases the chances of stu-dents attending college by 1.25 percent. Students who consistently have competent teachers are likely to earn higher incomes

By Maggie Jawhari

“This is the value of the teacher, who looks at a face and says there’s something behind that and I want to reach that person, I want to influence that person, I want to encourage that person…behind that color, behind that language, behind that tra-dition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done for me.” - Maya Angelou

Ineffective teaching equalsIneffective student body

during their adult years than students who struggle through with below-average teachers. According to the Harvard study, the quality of teaching can lead to earning an extra 25,000 dollars during a student’s lifetime. The Harvard study also listed some characteristics to look for in good educa-tors. Those that “clarify course objectives”, “show sensitivity to the level of the stu-dents and their rate of progress”, “are car-ing, fair, and respectful”, “hold high expec-tations for themselves and their students”, “dedicate extra time to instructional prepa-ration and to helping students”, and “en-hance instruction by varying instructional strategies, activities, and assignments” are considered good teachers.


Tis’ the season for Christmas tunesBy Jacklyn Voll and Emily Suleiman

“Please Come Home”- Mariah Carey

“Jingle Bells”- Diane Krall

“Joy to the World” - Faith Hill

“Silent Night” - Joseph Mohr

“Christmas in the Room”- Sufjan Stevens

“Suzy Snowflake”- Rosemary Clooney “Let it Snow”- Dean Martin

We’ve all heard a cacophony of Christmas music over the past few weeks, but here are some generation-spanning favorites you can reserve for the day itself.


Tis’ the season for Christmas tunes

“Holly and the Ivy” - Judy Collins

“Frosty the Snowman” - Jimmy Durante“Twelve Days of Christmas” - Straight No Chaser

“Sleigh Ride” - The Ronettes

“Santa Baby” - Eartha Kitt

“Baby it's Cold Outside”-Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan

“Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” - Burl Ives

“Snowflake” art by Maggie Jawhari. The album covers are courtesy of AllMusic and Amazon


Junior Emily Suleiman: To be more patient

Senior Maggie Jawhari: To not procrastinate

Junior Ashley Hirsch: To finish a short story

Sophomore Eman Naserallah: To get into a good habit of getting to classes on time

Sophomore Mandy Muscatello: To be more productive

Senior Jacob Buntyn: To get a better job

Senior Robert Searles: To focus more on school

Senior Ryan Swingle: To be a nice guy

Senior Monique Morrison: To graduate from high school

Senior Jack McDermott: To try and raise my grades

Senior Mallory Horan: To live life to the fullest

Senior Brynn Sirca: To get accepted to my top school

New Years’ resolutions : Lakewood High School By Mackenzie Rivera

Every day towards the end of the year, near Christmas and after Thanksgiving, we get asked that one question: “What’s your New Year’s Resolution?” For some people, it’s to lose a few pounds, finish high school, go to a new college or, for that matter, just get accepted. My personal New Year’s Resolution is to go to a good college, get accepted to my top schools, and finish high school with a bang! I went around Lakewood High School and asked different people their New Years Resolutions and got many interest-ing answers...


Junior Jacklyn Voll: To get better grades

Senior Matt Morgenstern: To give up and be as happy as possible

Junior Veronica Gordon: To put more effort towards everything

Junior Ozemenay Taylor: To be more kind to people

Freshman Christian Bort: To make the most of my opportunities

Senior Sam Ciancutti: To lose weight (just kidding), excel in rugby, and get ready for college

Senior Brett Brown: To publish more books, buy a car, get new friends and girlfriend, and focus on college

Junior Antonio DeJesus: To keep loving people and be nice to them no matter who they are

Senior Ata Suleiman: To get fit

New Years’ resolutions : Lakewood High School

Senior Cynthia Fuentes: Remove negative vibes from my life to become a happier person

Freshman LaNiqua Jones: To pass freshman year

Senior Kaitlin Kasper: To get better grades and to get accepted into my top school

“New Year’s” by Brett Brown


It’s all about that bake, no turkey; recipesBy Samuel Ciancutti

When looking to the holidays, we look at the fun and joy that comes from being around those who love us and care for us. Or, at least that’s what normal people look forward to. Me? I look to the food. The luscious masses of turkey, chicken, beef brisket, corn, mashed potatoes, cheesy potatoes, cookies, cake and pies, oh my! Though we all indulge in these guilty pleasures, some people genuinely care for their health over this holiday season, while others just let the calories fall in. Taking that into account, the following recipes will tackle your most magnificent obsessions.

Baked Sufganiyot:-Doughnuts-1½ cups flour2 teaspoon (t.) baking powder½ t. salt½ stick melted butter ½ cup sugar 1 egg1 t. vanilla extract ¾ cup milk-Coating-½ stick butter¾ cup sugar2 tablespoons grounded cinnamon

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients above into a small bowl. 2. Mix the liquid ingredients and the sugar into a larger bowl.3. Gradually mix the dry mixture into the wet. 4. Cover with damp cloth and let sit for 60 minutes. 5. Knead the dough and roll into propor-tioned balls.6. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.

Baked suganiyot, pumpkin chocolate cookies, and cream cheese sugar cookies (from left to right) are some easy and interesting concoctions for all late-night baking parties. Photos courtesy of www.allrecipies.com


It’s all about that bake, no turkey; recipesCream Cheese Sugar Cookies:1 cup sugar1 cup butter1 package cream cheese ½ t. salt 1 t. vanilla extract 1 egg yolk 2¼ cups flour

1. Cream together butter that has been softened to room temperature with the sugar, cream cheese, salt, vanilla extract, and egg yolk in a large bowl. 2. Gradually mix in the flour with this mixture, as it gets more difficult to do, knead with your hands.3. Chill the dough for about eight hours, or overnight.4. The following day, roll out the dough and choose your desired shapes for your cookies. 5. Bake in a 375-degree preheated oven for seven to ten minutes or until they attain a golden brown color.6. Top with your desired frosting and sprinkles.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:1 cup canned pumpkin1 cup sugar½ cup oil 1 egg2 cups flour2 t. baking powder 2 t. cinnamon ½ t. salt1 t. baking soda 1 t. milk1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2-cups chocolate chips

1. Cream together the canned pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg together in an average sized bowl. 2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. (Sift together ingredi-ents if desired). 3. Add the dry mixture to the wet gradually while also adding in the milk and vanilla extract. Then add the chocolate chips. 4. Spoon cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet, one inch apart from each other, baking in a preheated oven at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.

20 The Lakewood TimesThe Lakewood Timeslife

Here’s to you, Old Building! One last look at LHS’s storied East wing.

21December 2014 lifelife

Here’s to you, Old Building! One last look at LHS’s storied East wing.

22 The Lakewood Timesopinion

10. C-10 Adidas OriginalsStrong, lightweight shoes. However, if you’re a person with wide feet, they’re simply not for you. Thus, they’re number 10 on the list because of their lack of feasibility for everyone. Still, though, it’s a decent piece of footwork.

9. Gilbert Crockett Pro (Vans)Vans are notorious for being the skateboarding shoes. Even though it is winter, no one can deny the good look of Vans and how the age-old shoe producer continues to grow in popu-larity.

6. D Rose 773First, these are great basketball shoes. Even though they are great, they aren’t number one. Everything about these shoes is good, so it’s hard to explain their flaws. For this price, it’s a steal. They don’t hold up well, however, and like their namesake, only get so far.

7. Nike Air Flight SquadBasketball shoes seem to make their way to the top of this list. Just released, the Air Flight Squad has a lot of potential and looks very nice, especially in regards to its coloring.

Shoes, shoes, and more shoes: giving feet something to walk aboutBy Christian Bort

Are you ready for Christmas? These are the top-10 picks that you may want to consider buying (in the order of my choice) if shoes are on any of your loved ones’ Christmas list..

8. Adidas ZX Flux 8000These shoes were the Adidas counterpart of Nike’s Roshe Run, except these are just better. Adidas allowed you to make your own image pattern with new technology. These shoes hit big and are a steal too.

23December 2014 opinion

3. Jordan IV RetroJordan is one of the bigger names in the basketball world. He easily tops every other brand of basketball shoes out there. But for these shoes, we’re not talking about performance, but rather appearance. I say this because old basketball shoes can’t compete with advanced ones, hence, they are only sought after for their look.

1. LeBron 12’sThe LeBron 11’s set the bar for modern basketball shoes when released, mak-ing them a top contender in the shoe world. The sequel to the 11’s will be a hot-seller during the gifting season, so grab them quick.

Shoes, shoes, and more shoes: giving feet something to walk about

Shoe photos courtesy of the websties of NIke, Adidas, and Vans

4. Kobe 9 ElitesThese shoes are for real basketball fans. According to my research, these shoes have some of the best traction a shoe can possibly get. However, everything else is relatively mediocre and thus the Kobe 9 Elites can’t really get off the ground (like their namesake’s new team). . Kobe 9 ElitesThese shoes are for real basketball fans. From research, these shoes have some of the best traction a shoe can possibly get. Everything else is moderate and they just can’t weight out to a better spot on the list.

5. Adidas Pure BoostAdidas takes a spot in the top-five with the Pure Boosts. These shoes are super comfortable, the design is decent, and have sold out because of Kanye West. These are shoes that are hard to compete with.

2. Jordan FuturesThese shoes are high on the list for their unique look, combining elements of past designs and new ones to indicate the movement of the Jordan label to the “future” of shoe mer-chandising. It’s a good shoe and is different from the others in the Air Jordan line.


SeaWorld has been an icon of family fun and happiness since the 1970s. Perhaps you even have memories of seeing a show at one of these parks, which are located across America. But what horrors do the performance orcas suffer in sacrifice for our enjoyment? In the CNN-sponsored documentary Blackfish, cameras take a deeper look be-hind the locked gates of the marine mam-mal industry, with shocking and heart-wrenching results. Orcas have been recognized by scientists as one of the most-intelligent sea animals. They live in packs as they roam the ocean freely, and each exclusive pack has its own exclusive language—and no two packs have the same means of communication. Families always travel together, and even an adult offspring will not stray far from its mother, which ensures steady growth of a whale clan. These animals have been dubbed “killer whales” on pure superstition from the mid-1900s—a wild orca has never harmed a human. In fact, they tend to be curious of humans passing through their habitat may even come to investigate. Just examining the way these animals live gives in-sight that they are social and extremely intelligent creatures. However, this theory was further proven by brain scans done on the whales which resulted in an

the black and white truth about orcasBlackfish:

By Veronica Gordon

Tillikum, SeaWorld’s very own “killer” whale and one of those focused on in the documentary. Photo courtesy of upi.com

unexpected discovery. Orcas have an area of the brain that humans do not. This extra region extends from their limbic system, and deals specifically with emotion. The uncovering of this part of the orca brain only further proves that they do have feel-ing and do experience a range of emotions even more heightened than our own. This research alone makes it clear that keeping these animals in captivity is not moral or humane. “Imagine being trapped in a bathtub for 25 years,” a former Sea-World trainer urges in Blackfish. “It’s no wonder that these animals develop psy-chological issues.” The performance or-cas are herded away from their packs and separated from their mothers at very young ages to live in a cramped environment with unfamiliar whales who often abuse the newcomers. An orca has approximately the same life span as a human, and the young whales

are separated from their families normally around the age of two. That’s like kidnap-ping a two year old and subjecting it to a life of captivity or slavery. In addition, whales killed on the hunt are cut open, filled with rocks, and thrown overboard to sink to the bottom, which is an illegal action that has been repeatedly-used by SeaWorld in the past. Blackfish follows the horrors of many whales and reports on a multitude of inci-dents, but focuses on the life of one male named Tilikum. Taken from his family at two years of age, he was kept in a Canadian marine park called SeaLand of the Pacific. He spent two thirds of his life locked in a 20 foot by 30 foot metal box (it was thought that if netting was used, people would cut it to set the whales free) with no light and no interaction, save for two older female whales that accompanied him and con-stantly abused him. After living like this for

years, his frustration built up and resulted with him pulling a trainer under the water during a show, eventually killing her. SeaLand closed due to the incident, and SeaWorld scrambled to get a hold of Tilikum, who was the largest orca in captivity and not yet fully mature. Upon his arrival at Sea-World, Tilikum was harassed by the other whales, who would rake his body with their teeth, without a break. SeaWorld staff placed him in isolation for his own protection. Physical protection, that is…the isolation invoked stress and de-pression that resulted in the col-


the black and white truth about orcas

Trainer Dawn Brancheau of SeaWorld, who was killed by Tillikum. Photo courtesy of www.theguardian.com

At SeaWorld marine shows regularly have train-ers and orcas in seemingly well-held “collabo-ration.” Photo courtesy of SeaWorld’s official website

lapse of his dorsal fin (which only occurs in under one percent of whales in the wild), remaining floating motionless in the water for hours on end, and gnawing on the metal grates of his tank. Tilikum’s death count is up to three people so far, which includes his attack at SeaLand, along with two more attack at SeaWorld, one in 1999 and the most recent in 2010. The 2010 attack, which resulted in the fatality of trainer Dawn Brancheau, shocked and horrified people across the country. Dawn, the senior trainer at Orlan-do Sea World, was reported to be the most responsible employee that SeaWorld had seen in decades. While performing a show, video evidence shows that Tilikum grabbed her arm and dragged her under the water. The initial arm grasp quickly developed into more aggressive measures, and Tilikum ended up scalping her and breaking many of the bones in her body, in addition to rip-ping off one of her arms. It seems impossible that SeaWorld would attempt to warp the details of an event that was captured on camera, and yet they at-tempted to regardless. They claimed that

the whale grabbed her ponytail, not her arm, and when audience witnesses spoke up, they states that yes, he did grab her arm, but she evoked the attack it was in no way an act of aggression on Tilikum’s part and instead the trainers fault for hav-ing a ponytail. “They blamed her,” a former coworker of Dawn states. “How dare you? How disrespectful for you to blame her, when she’s not even alive to defend her-self?” Tilikum is one of over 600 cases of docu-ment aggressive orcas, which leads scien-tists to confirm that it is not just him that poses a threat. “Every whale in captivity has a bad life. They’re all emotionally destroyed, it’s not just Tilikum. Each one is a ticking time bomb,” Lori Marino, a neuroscientist, states. When looking at the facts of orcas that have killed humans, one thing is im-portant to keep in mind —these animals are not naturally aggressive in the wild. How could humans have pushed them to such emotional deprivation, for our own amusement, that they would act out in such in such drastic measures?

This is just a fraction of the mistreatment that these whales endure throughout their lives in captivity. Tilikum, the now famous “murderous” whale, is still performing shows regularly at SeaWorld, and they will not let him out of their grasp anytime soon because his sperm is incredibly expensive and valuable. And that is what this comes down to—profit. Marine performance com-panies will continue to portray these wild animals as something that can be con-quered by humans, but in reality they are spontaneous and unpredictable, and al-ways will be. These industries will paint the image of a playful and harmless object that humans can simply control, but this could not be farther from reality. It’s time that the truth was uncovered for everyone to see. It’s time each and every one of us can look at these bright adver-tisements and learn to see right through them, to the reality that these animals have feelings just as we do, and that each and every day they suffer. In this case, igno-rance is not bliss. (All facts in this report were gathered from Blackfish.)


Anyone living in Lakewood has probably had a run in with our police force. In fact, our officers are infamous within the areas surrounding Lakewood. The consensus is that Lakewood police officers have either too much money, or too much time. Any run in with the police usually results in one car pulling you over or approaching you, and then quickly two or three more cars are on the scene. This type of event is very common in Lakewood, not so much in other areas such as Cleveland or West Park. With almost any incident you can al-most count on several cars and officers to arrive on scene. Intense police forces like these can be intimidating and scary to anyone, especial-ly someone who has never been involved in an altercation with the police. A resident of West Park, Patrick Brian, was riding his skateboard to Lakewood's skate park and was pulled over by police because he was skating in the street. Brian recalled the event saying, “The cop pulled out of the lane opposite of me,

Law enforcement: through traffic, and parked in front of me so I couldn't go anywhere.” The officer broke traffic laws, endangered himself, other driv-ers, and Brian just to tell a skater to get out of the street. “While the cop was lecturing me about how dangerous it is to skate in the street another car pulled up and parked behind us.” While Patrick was on the wrong side of the law in this certain situation, skating in the street is the only option due to the poor sidewalk conditions throughout the entire city. Two summers ago, I left for a walk to the store at 5:45 in the morning and I was pulled over by a police officer. He started questioning me, asking me for my I.D., where I was going, what I was carrying, etc. He told me to sit on his car while he searched through my book bag, something he was doing without legitimate probable cause. He radioed in for another officer to come help him and soon there was anoth-er officer there. The officers rifled through all of my belongings, tossing everything around with no regard for them whatso-

ever. The officers attempted to arrest me on a curfew violation even though at the time they pulled me over it was five minutes past my curfew. Both officers were extremely rude to me during the entire altercation. Even though I lived just down the block from where they pulled me over, they were both convinced that I was breaking some sort of law and seemed very determined to arrest me for something. They asked a lot of questions that seemed to be an attempt for me to in-criminate myself. In certain areas where more police are present is necessary this can be a bless-ing, but for some incidents the number of officers on scene is over the top. Lake-wood police are intense in situations where it is not needed. Officers are dangerous to themselves and others when attempting to execute their job of serving and protect-ing. Our police force is earning a very bad reputation for their actions and they may lose the respect and trust of Lakewood’s citizens.

By Jacob Buntyn

to serve and (annoy) you

A NYPD police officer drags away a “criminal” for protests that occurred in New York on Dec. 3. Photo taken by Robert Stolarik (NY TIMES)


Law enforcement:

Christmas is undoubtedly the most won-derful time of the year (no pun intended). It is a worldwide event celebrated on all lev-els. After Halloween, the Christmas music commences and we are all pulled into the jolly spirit. The ghosts and ghouls are trad-ed in for candy canes and reindeer. But, more often than not, one pivotal holiday is outshined, Christmas’s ugly sister, Thanks-giving. The holiday, which has been billed as time of family and “thankfulness” has been dilated by the highly commercialized Christmas holiday. As a fan of Christmas, it is easy to un-derstand why Thanksgiving is outshined at such a high degree. The promise of expen-sive presents is more appealing than thank-fulness for family and friends (seriously, what have my family and friends done for me lately?). But, why is there such a rush? Before the new school year starts, even before football season starts, Halloween begins to creep into the vicinity. By the end of August, stores begin selling Hallow-een paraphernalia. Even before Halloween

Christ-Thanks-Mas-Giving:an unabashed holiday miracle

By Brett Brown

By Brett Brown

ends, Christmas merchandise begins to spring up. By the end of Halloween, com-mercials advertising layaway on expensive presents pop up like the flu all over the me-dia. In fact, Wal-Mart was among the first to begin showing Christmas commercials. But, there is just one problem, one very lit-tle problem. There is one holiday, between cavity-ridden Halloween and capitalistic-Christmas, one holiday that promotes un-selfishness and thankfulness, Thanksgiv-ing. The forgotten holiday, the joke of the Christmas punch line, a holiday that is so undermined that children only remember it as a three-day vacation from school. De-spite its role as a pinnacle of family and friendship, it is oddly one of the least com-mercialized holidays (next to Canada Day). It is not a holiday that promotes gift-giving and fruitcake, but rather one of “not-ex-pecting-anything.” Have we become so indulged in mate-rial possessions that we cannot compre-hend the thought of a holiday that does

not “give” us something? Just think about it, most holidays involve handing out some kind of gift. For Halloween, it’s candy and a lot of trips to a dentist, for Valentine’s Day it’s a sweet card and some expensive flow-ers you bought from the gas station at the last minute, and even St. Patrick’s Day (al-though I don’t think of a bad headache the morning after as much of a gift). Oh, but not Thanksgiving, with it’s fattening foods and boring TV specials, not to mention the Black Friday celebration immediately after-wards. Plus, have you ever heard any Thanks-giving music? Halloween has its own soundtrack, and so does Valentine’s Day for goodness sake. I mean, I really wouldn’t find a song about turkey and stuffing to be a memorable tune. Plus, any song about eating a bird wouldn’t sit well with any par-ents.

“Santa Fighting Turkey” by the author

28 sports

Cavalier troubles: look to the future The Cavs will be just fine. It just takes time. As of now, Dec. 3, the Cavaliers hold an 9-7 record, and after a home win against the Indiana Pacers, are a consistently strong team without its biggest forces still actively playing for the team. Worrisome fans and analysts warn about the previous “Big Three” and how they didn’t mesh and eventually lost in the Fi-nals. The Miami Heat. The Cavs have yet to face a major test at this point in the season but they have to be ready at all times. As the Nuggets showed, the Cavs have to be ready for teams to give their absolute best. But what looks to be the Achilles heel in the team, and the reason for the four losses so far, is defense. The Cavaliers un-der Mike Brown last season finished nine-teenth in the league in points allowed per possession, which was actually a substan-tial improvement from the Byron Scott era. But they still struggled mightily. And on top of that, the biggest question about Kevin Love, beyond the inane playoff appearance questions, is his defense. And there’s good reason to criticize. Love’s problem has been relevant even in Minnesota. One, he’s not a leaper. He’s

not going to fly up and knock some shot into the tenth row. He’s not physically gift-ed body-wise to defend. He’s athletic in terms of quickness and strength, but isn’t a bruiser and isn’t going to bump a guy off the block. And also, Love’s had an effort is-sue. This is pretty common for high-usage offensive stars. Love will sometimes just not commit. He’s slow on rotations and help, doesn’t run off shooters as well as he needs to, and generally just doesn’t give great effort unless it’s for a rebound. But it’s not just Kevin. It’s also another “K” name. Kyrie Irving. Irving was in the thirty-fourth percentile last season according to Synergy Sports. He gave up a huge percentage on jump shots, over 1.0 points per possession, which is very high. Players shot 39 percent on spot-up possessions with him guarding, as he’s an over-active helper who doesn’t run off with discipline or authority. Irving’s issues are similar to Love’s in that he strug-gles with effort and physicality. But Love can be hid effectively next to a rim protec-tor. Even with help behind him, Irving can’t be. The addition of James, however, could

change this. As James takes the primary offensive threat, who Dion Waiters used to cover, Waiters moves to the secondary threat, and so on. So Irving can now cover the third perimeter weapon, usually just a spot-up shooter. That’s the Cavs’ best hope. Irving has good lateral quickness but can get turned around and doesn’t have the muscle to get up into a guard’s dribble. The new-look Cavs should be able to hide him more effectively, however that’s some-thing that needs to be worked on in the next 50 plus games. There’s every reason to think the Cavs will be in contention for a Finals spot next season. LeBron James does that, and Kevin Love only confirms it. But there are major questions that stand, the same that were there with Miami when James arrived. And no one knows better than James that the process of transform-ing a good team on paper into a truly elite contender is about philosophy, and all 12 active players buying in. In May, we’ll find out how the Cavaliers take on this massive task, and the expecta-tions that come with it.

By Ozemenay Taylor

(From left to right) Kyrie Ir-ving, Lebron James, and Kevin Love are proving that the “Big Three” concept is something that needs a bit of grease to get going. All photos courtesy of the Cavs’ official website

The Lakewood Times

29December 2014 sports

Construction junction dysfunction:By Mackenzie Rivera

Already as a spring sport athlete I’m be-ginning to feel the effects of the construc-tion happening in Lakewood’s schools. Last year around this time (I’m not sure about the other sports) softball pitchers and catchers had already began condition-ing. We had every Monday in the West Gym for a hour to a hour-and-a-half to pitch and get ready for the season. With the gym be-ing knocked down, we can’t practice or condition. Outdoor sports such as track and rugby have more opportunities to practice because their sports don’t inher-ently demand good conditions. Softball and baseball players can’t do their thing in the snow, as the balance needed (especial-ly when pitching) is not available with snow. The problem is, however, we have hardly any gym time to begin conditioning. So why not the elementary schools? Be-ing a “walking community”, we have many elementary schools such as Hayes, Taft, McKinley, and many more, along with the middle schools. Most coaches and many parents questioned why we can’t use those gyms. Well, the answer is unknown as lim-ited answers are coming from Lakewood City Schools athletic administrators. Is it too much of a hassle to ask? Baseball uses the weight room at Taft, but pitchers and catchers for softball cannot use the other elementary school gyms? To be unorga-nized is problem, but to just be lazy and not care is a bigger one.

Really we should start conditioning in November/December just as any other year. The students, teachers, principals, and the Board of Education of Lakewood City Schools knew that it was going to be hard, but having being told that we can-not start conditioning till February when the season is in March, is the schools just not being organized. When dealing with disorganization, when a building is going to be knocked down in the middle of the school year is a big problem. To my knowl-edge, the principals and others in charge of this construction are taking one season at a time. But that plan is not a great one. You need to start planning for the season ahead. Also, because of softball not having a coach for a while and the Board of Edu-cation waiting till November, we can’t even get a gym in Lakewood because we need a coach (or “adult”) with us at all times. Being a senior is very stressful, with the applications, college visits, getting col-lege coaches to look at you, and dead-lines. Knowing that this construction was supposed to be done our senior year, on top of the school not being organized, makes it just so much more stressful. If the construction was supposed to be done this year, the school had so much time to think about the plan and gym plan. Why are the schools still disorganized? Maybe the school wasn’t ready or maybe it was a shock to everyone in the city of Lakewood

softballers without gymsthat we were going to get construction. As a student and an athlete, I feel we should have a say in this. With taking away the gyms, what are the physical educa-tion students supposed to do? Swim the whole semester? While playing a sport, I don’t have to take gym, so I don’t know a lot about it. But from what I hear from a lot of gym students, you HAVE to participate unless you have a doctor’s note. But if a student doesn’t know how to swim or has a medical issue with chlorine, then what hap-pens to that student? Go walk the track in the middle of January? Now I understand that the gym teachers may have a plan or they may not, but if students do have a medical issue will they fail because of it? The other day, parents of the softball team were putting together fundraisers for the spring season. The school expects us to have a great season or one better than last years, but we don’t even have any-where to practice it. If that’s the case, then we can raise our own money and go to gym and pay for it. The city of Lakewood gives out free gym time to the mens’ bas-ketball teams in Lakewood. Is this reason-able? The athletes of the prized population of Lakewood, the students, shouldn’t have to wager for time when their seasons (that produce acclaim, scholarships, and defi-nite physical fitness) will be blooming as quickly as the lilies in March. We want to be one of the best sports programs in North-east Ohio, right?

Readjustments in building projects throughout the town have made gym condi-tioning that much more difficult to procure. East Gym photo taken by the author

30 The Lakewood Timessports

Winter sports previewsBoys’ Basketball:Captains: Rotation of four seniors from game to game

Critical games include regular season games against Glenville, Brecksville, Avon Lake, Westlake, and Elyria.

Playoff aspirations include another strong season and defending the previous year’s West Shore Conference Championship.

Stand-outs include returning All-Conference players senior Wes Gerhardt and junior Logan Swift-Stewart as well as returning letterman Nick Porter.

Final coach remarks: “It will be very difficult to match last seasons 21-4 record and conference championship. However if this team will pick up defensively, play unselfishly, and commit to a team rebounding effort, anything is possible.”

Girls’ Basketball:Captains: Seniors Mikayla Harper, Madison Clause, and Taylor Shaw

Critical games include the Stark County Hoopfest Tournament vs. Stow-Munroe Falls, and regular season games against Berea-Mid-park, Avon, Rocky River, Westlake, and Magnificat.

Playoff aspirations include continuing success and being competitive in the West shore Conference through the loss of many seniors.

Final coach remarks: “I’m excited about the upcoming basketball season. Although we lost six seniors, we still have the balance and depth to be competitive in the West Shore Conference.”

Hockey:Captain: Senior Luke Walkush

Critical games: Rocky River and Bay Village

Playoff aspirations include strong play in all regular season and tournament games and to make the GCHSHL Baron cup.

Stand-outs will include returning starters Walkush, senior Nate Bonacuse, and junior Jake Gregory. Also look for senior Joe Young to have a strong year -- his first at goaltender.

Final coach remarks: “With our returning letterman as the core, we hope that our new additions to the team will complement our strong points and help us improve different areas of our game.”

Wrestling:Captains: None

Critical meet: “Top Gun” tournament in Alliance. It’s one of the tougher tournaments around.

Season Goals/Expectations: Our goals this year are to increase our team GPA and strive for excellence on and off the wrestling mat.

Standout Wrestlers: Senior Arrien Robinson, last year’s West Shore Conference Champion.

Coach’s comments: “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” -Dan Gable

By Ryan Swingle, Ryan Mitchell, and Matt Morgenstern

31December 2014 sports

Winter sports previewsBoys’ Swimming:Captain: Senior Shawn Sovie

Critical meets are against Bay, Rocky River, and Westlake. According to Head Coach Allison Davila (who also coaches the girls’ team), “Those will all be close match-ups.”

Playoff aspirations include great Conference performances, advancing more swimmers from Sectionals to Dis-tricts, and some qualifying at States in both swimming and diving.

Stand-outs (especially on relays) will include Sovie and sophomores Preston Polen and Nick Ferrone. According to Davila, there are also some new freshmen who promise to have an impact after swimming on some club teams.

Final coach remarks: “It was definitely tough losing 17 seniors. However, we have a really strong up and coming freshman class that I think will step up. I am excited to see how this season goes. Can’t wait!”

Girls’ Swimming:Captains: Seniors Hannah Burke and Taylor Wohlfeil

Critical meets are against Bay, Rocky River, and Westlake.

Playoff aspirations include great Conference performances, advancing more swimmers from Sectionals to Dis-tricts, and some qualifying at States in both swimming and diving.

Stand-outs will include junior Cate Schleckman and sophomores Kelly Reis and Julia Neff.

Final coach remarks are the same as the Boys’.

Gymnastics: Captains: Seniors Marisa Elis, Lily Jancik, and Nathaly Rodriguez

Critical meets include those against Eastlake North and at their Rock and Roll Tournament.

Playoff aspirations include participating in Sectionals.

Stand-outs will include sophomores Emma Yonkers and Emily Pearlman with freshman Catilin Cimino. Assistant coach (and English teacher) Kate Laino says she has high hopes for Cimino.

Final coach remarks: “I think we have eight returning veterans and then, as of right now, some 15 new girls. The majority of them do not have much gymnastics experience, so with a team that large, it’s going to be a new chal-lenge getting them all up to par.”

32 The Lakewood TimesflashbackThis cover is from an October 2007 issue of the Times. It was actually the first issue of that school year.

Documents

THE LAKEWOOD TIMES Dec 2014.pdf · The content contained in this issue of The Lakewood Times isn’t a reflection of the staffs’ beliefs in any way and shouldn’t be taken as offensive