The Stampede: November 4, 2017

CONTENTS NOVEMBER42017
issue 1 | vol 9

12 05

STAFF STAFF EDITORIAL

Magazine Editor-in-Chief IT’S UP TO
Hailey Hagemaster UPPERCLASSMEN TO
BOOST SCHOOL SPIRIT
Online Editor-in-Chief

Zainie Qureshi

Website Manager

Nate Burleyson

Social Media Editors
Maddie Crabtree Chesney Wargo

Public Affairs Editor

Maddie Crabtree

Graphics Editor
Trinity Powell

Graphic Designers
Kennedy Homan Kainin Blissett

Photography Editor STAMPEDE STAFF
Ethan Meyers
Schools build traditions off of for the future classes, regarding the
Photographers school spirit; a school with fun amount of school spirit, if the upper-
traditions reflects a school with classmen do not step it up. All of the
Brittany Coates Maddie Crabtree student-wide enthusiasm. Metea has incoming freshmen were let down
been around for a short eight years by the games this year because the
Delaney Reed Aimee Leal making it hard for students to have stands emptied out before the games
long lived traditions, but either way, even ended.
Headlines Editor school spirit is still an important part
Chesney Wargo of a school’s legacy. Football is not the only thing to
gauge school spirit though, there are
Headlines Reporters Yes, there may have been themes plenty of other sports that receive
Thuy-An Nguyen Avani Shah for every football game and pep as- little to no recognition at all. Some
sembly, but what happens when the teams at the school are going to state
Laurel Westphal students don’t buy into it? or have gone undefeated, yet there
are few to no fans at those games as
The Score Editor This problem has become espe- well.
Kellie Foy cially apparent to the upperclassmen
this year since football games, which The whole point of school spirit is
The Score Reporters are usually a huge social event, have to show support for members of the
declined in student attendance. At school community. Majority of the
Myra Bajwa Tyler Burleyson most schools, student sections are a people that show up to these games
competition and it all reflects who are the players’ friends and family
Spotlight Editor shows up. When looking at our own because they are there to show they
Connor Smith school, the stands seem to be full but care.
not many cheers are coming from
Spotlight Reporters them. Instead of focusing on winning
Claudia Grzyb Abbey Malbon or losing, students need to cheer on
The common phrase this year has and support the students themselves.
Juthi Saha been “Our school spirit sucks,” but These games are supposed to be
the people saying it are the students. social events, yet they are losing their
Profiles Editor It is ironic because the very people true meaning. It is no longer about
Zyma Lakhani saying it are the ones that have the re- cheering on our school, but it has
sponsibility to change it. The teachers changed to complaining about it. This
Profiles Reporter can try all they want, but in the end is not the legacy to be left behind, and
Tanvi Pant the students need to make the adjust- the students have the power in their
ment themselves. hands to change it.
Perspectives Editor
Liam Sweeney There is going to be no change

Perspectives Reporters

Nate Burleyson Ryah Walker

Ben Weiss Brandon Yechout

Faculty Adviser
Adam Page

HEADLINES

PHOTO BY ETHAN MEYERS

CHAMBER STRINGS

EXPERIMENTS WITH A NEW REHERSAL SCHEDULE

TYLER BURLEYSON

When the students in Chamber Thursdays the musicians work in part- engagement in class, instead of being just
Strings walked into orchestra this year, ners or groups. one person taking up a seat and being a
they were greeted by a sheet of paper sponge listening to one teacher talk all
with a quote at the top: “Total Music The idea is that they learn from them- the time. Now really the teacher is in a
Engagement: we are simultaneously the selves, from each other, and finally, from personal setting.”
directors, the actors, and the audience the director.
members.” This year’s changes have been made
The orchestra’s members have had with purpose. Sixty percent of class time
Chamber Strings, the highest orches- initial reservations about the new class is devoted to student centered learning.
tra, is directed by Dr. Mark Liu, who structure. “My initial impression was While some directors might worry about
has spent his summer redesigning the really bad, I was like no, this is not gonna keeping student musicians on task, Liu
curriculum. work,” senior cellist Kimmy Chuang knows exactly what he’ll get from Cham-
said. ber Strings.
He has read studies, met with local
music educators, reflected on his own Senior violist Arjun Sundararajan “My personal teaching philosophy is
teaching style, and written his orchestra a agreed. “I was thinking that with less you got to set high standards. Students
new class rehearsal schedule. group rehearsals, that was just gonna always achieve more when they know
make it go worse this year,” Sundarara- they are being recognized as being possi-
In previous years, Liu’s students have jan said. ble, they are always gonna achieve more
had five full rehearsals a week during when they have their own desire to do
each eight week performance cycle. Liu is well aware of how radical that, when they’re given the freedom, the
“That’s potentially 30 to 40 rehearsals,” his departure from the typical format opportunity, the environment, and the
Liu said. is. “There’s not another public school encouragement, they will achieve their
orchestra in the state, maybe even the potential,” Liu said.
“Yet, the week before the concert every country, that rehearses like this,” Liu
director will most likely be wishing that said. Students think the plan seems to be
they had five more rehearsals. Why is going well. “I think it’s been pretty great,
that?” Liu said. Despite this, Liu is confident about because it’s more of how I want to use
his original design. “Over the summer, my rehearsal time, instead of the teacher
This year, students will be practicing something I’ve been really kind of think- telling me exactly what we’re gonna do,”
in different settings each day. ing about is: how do we get more student Chuang said.
ownership,” Liu said.
Mondays are dedicated to solo re-
hearsal time, while on Tuesdays and “It’s about student motivation, student

04 / THE STAMPEDE

NOVEMBER 4 , 2017

A GREENER METEA:
STUDENTS LAY THE GROUND FOR A MORE ECO-FRIENDLY SCHOOL
THUY-AN NGUYEN

Some significant changes are be- tic bags, and calculated the number of PHOTOS BY ETHAN MEYERS
ing made to make the school more plastic bottles used by students in a year.
eco-friendly. In collaboration with the
science department, students have been For the future, the club plans to recy-
able to get involved in the school activ- cle lithium ion batteries from cell phones
ities and projects that promote sustain- and laptops and spread awareness about
ability. ways to properly recycle.

Two seniors, Sara Dixon and Alexis Hopes are high that these goals will be
Bass, have been working towards an achievable with higher student involve-
individual project to install solar panels ment.
around the school since last May. Con-
struction is due to start in October of “Nature is something that we all live
2018, but the two students will need to in and if we don’t learn to take care of it,
apply for a grant from the Illinois Clean it really ruins the experience for every-
Energy Foundation and are also relying one,” science teacher and club sponsor
on the community for help. Kiel Smith said.

“We’re going to be getting funds solely Another eco-friendly project around
from contributions by students and the school campus is the series of Recycle
hopefully we can get some sponsors as Rampages which take place during the
well,” Dixon said. football season. Started about five years
ago by science teacher Jeff Schmela and
One critical aspect of the installation late Michael Wegrzyn, students collect all
of the solar panels is that students will be the waste left behind in the stands after
able to access information from the solar football games.
panels about the energy that is produced
hourly, and use it as a learning tool in The objective, as Schmela describes, is
class. to encourage students to recycle more.

Dixon and Bass also hope that imple- “I want to get students to think about
menting a project as big as this one will their consumption and what recycling
bring greater awareness to issues such as can do,” Schmela said.
climate change and the use of green en-
ergy, expanding on the school’s already Moving forward into the school
eco-friendly design. year, all parties highlight the importance
that students become or remain envi-
“We just want to continue the vision ronmentally conscious and take action
that Metea had to implement more green towards being more environmentally
technology into our school,” Bass said. friendly.

Another outlet for eco-friendly activi- “This generation, more than any other
ties, Eco Club is most known for hosting generation in the past is going to have to
a cleanup of the prairie path along Eola live with some of the choices that we’ve
Road four times every year. made, in terms of the environment, with
climate change and all of that is going to
In the past, the club has also painted be coming to a head when this genera-
rain barrels, recycled 450 pounds of plas- tion of Metea students becomes adults,”
Smith said.

05

THE SCORE

PE DEPT EARNS

BLUE RIBBON
TYLER BURLEYSON

Metea Valley’s Physical Educa- PHOTO BY DELANEY REED
tion department spent last year
reviewing and improving their ATHLETES THRIVE IN MUSTANG
curriculum to adhere to the PERFORMANCE TRAINING
Illinois Association for Health, Physical Ed- KELLIE FOY
ucation, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD)
standards. IAHPERD gave Metea Blue Rib- As a student, the Physical Edu- students,” physical education teacher
bon status, one of the highest recognitions cation program is an important Justin Cronin said.
of physical education excellence in the state. piece of the academic world.
Many students at Metea are athletes The purpose for the MPT program
“We’ve been talking about applying for on school teams. Many of those ath- is to help build a foundation of indi-
it the past couple years,” PE Department letes are found to be upperclassmen on vidual and team goals for athletes, as
Chair Craig Tomczak said. “The teachers in the varsity teams of our school sports. well as having growth for improve-
our department worked really hard to align As a result, what they are found to do ment in their seasons and offseasons.
our curriculum to certain standards, to get in gym class is different from most the Based upon their different sports,
some new ideas and start bringing our pro- upperclassmen at school. student athletes fulfill this purpose
gram more forward.” through an app called Train Heroic
Between the upperclassmen at with specialized exercises that include
The process included a self-evaluation Metea, there are four different gym daily lifting and agility completed in
of the state standards for student engage- class options, also known as tracks, the weight room.
ment and current technology. Once the that they can choose from. As an up-
department submitted their self evaluation, perclassmen and member of a varsity Through the app, athletes are to
IAHPERD sent representatives for a site sport, athletes are encouraged by their perform and participate to the fullest
visit. They deemed Metea Valley worthy of coaches to participate in Track One of their ability while getting the oppor-
Blue Ribbon status, an honor currently held each quarter, which is also known tunity to have a shorten practice every
by only six high schools in the state. as Mustang Performance Training or once in a while. This gives athletes
MPT. Those who may not participate extra time for academic work to be
From the student’s perspective, there are in sports, but want to improve in their completed and other extracurriculars
two big changes. The first is choice. Several strength and agility have a chance to to be involved in outside of the typical
classes have been added this year, includ- participate in the MPT program as school day and practice.
ing the revamped Mustang Performance well.
Training, an advanced dance class, and “If the students truly buy into what
changes to the group fitness curriculum. “With MPT built in the school day, MPT offers, their performance and
it helps to give them more oppor- results will speak for themselves. We
Tomczak took care to extend that to tunities outside of school. Maybe it are in the process of doing great things
underclassmen as well: “We’ve tried to shortens up practice a little bit because here at Metea Valley. We do not want
make our freshman curriculum a little more the team doesn’t spend as much time to waste an opportunity to get better
conducive to not just the physical but also in the weight room during the in each and every day,” physical educa-
the cognitive stuff, so now freshman have season and it frees up more time for tion teacher and football coach Russ
an idea of what they might want to do as Lorenz said.
juniors and seniors.”

The second change is to how students are
assessed in their gym classes. “Throughout
this process we’ve created a lot of different
rubrics, a lot of different outcomes of how
we are going to evaluate the things we want
to evaluate,” Tomczak said. The depart-
ment hopes to make grading less subjective
and more focused on what they believe are
the most important concepts.

“If you can take some of the concepts
we’re teaching you and stay active and find
a way to incorporate it into your life, that’s
huge for us,” Tomczak said.

06/ THE STAMPEDE

NOVEMBER 4, 2017

DUPAGE VALLEY CONFERENCE MYRA BAJWA

SHAKES IT UP AGAIN
DVC SET FOR ANOTHER CHANGE TWO YEARS AFTER METEA JOINS

Remember when Metea joined the also don’t want GRAPHIC BY TRINITY POWELL
DuPage Valley Conference two their records to go
short years ago? Well, the DVC is down after playing said.
getting shaken up yet again. Glenbard a much larger and At this point, the future of the DVC is
North, Lake Park, Wheaton North, and competitive school,
Wheaton-Warrenville South will be making searching unclear. There are multiple pieces to this
leaving the DVC to form the DuKane for non-conference puzzle and each school has its intricacies
Conference with four other schools from games in state ex- that make it difficult to find a one-size-
the Upstate Eight. This leaves only the tremely difficult. fits-all solution. “With these schools
five schools from District 204 and 203 leaving the DVC, it gives us more of an
to survive on their own in a five-school “Operating as opportunity to schedule different people,
conference. five is not some- different schools, different opponents,
thing we want to and maybe that will help us out in the
There is no exact reason as to why continue to do, it’s future,” DeBruycker said.
these schools have bowed out, but since not something we
204 and 203 schools have very high are setup to do,” 07
enrollments compared to other schools in DeBruycker said.
the state, smaller schools tend to refuse
to play our teams. Also, both Naperville Because of our
schools and the three Valleys are highly size and competi-
competitive, especially in football. tiveness relative to
other schools in the
“Competing against 203 and 204 state, the Mus-
schools is not easy for anyone, and we tangs and the other
respect that,” athletic director Dan De- schools remaining
Bruycker said. in the conference
will have to travel
A possible reason for the switch is out of state, which
football and how important it is for ath- is extremely costly
letes, coaches, and schools alike. Football and inefficient. If
is one of the only sports where teams the Mustangs have
need to qualify for playoffs. Schools need to go out of state,
at least five victories to qualify, and in athletes could miss
smaller conferences it can be difficult valuable school
when teams play each other multiple time and force the
times. school to pay for the
extra gas, accommo-
Another factor is the distance. Some dations, and other
schools, such as Lake Park, have to travel expenses.
long distances for these games. The trav-
eling is expensive and time consuming, “It makes it a lot more difficult to find
so the schools farther away often face games. We could be travelling further,
difficulties coming to games. In order to we could be having not full schedules for
help alleviate the situation, Bolingbrook, certain sports. I would say that football
Oswego, and Oswego East were invited is the most difficult to schedule even
to the DVC; however, all of the schools though there are nine games because
declined the invitation. schools look at us and say ‘you got
almost 3,000 kids, we don’t want to play
A conference of five is a scheduling you. You’ve got a lineman committed to
headache. Teams may have to start Penn State, we don’t have that and we
looking for non-conference games to fill don’t want to play you, ” DeBruycker
up the season, or play schools multiple
times. Many non-conference schools

SPOTLIGHT

08 / THE STAMPEDE GRAPHIC BY KENNEDY HOMAN

NOVEMBER 4 , 2017

POSITIVE

STUDENT-TEACHER

RELATIONSHIPS LINKED TO

ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL
GROWTH
BEN WEISS

The common relationship between with their teachers throughout their them feel more comfortable and wel-
students and teachers tends to be one school life. comed into the school environment.
that is bound in respect.
“When I have a bond with my teach- “I used to be very shy, but [after]
Teachers tend to prioritize their stu- ers, I try harder in their classes. I ask making relationships with teachers I feel
dents based on obedience and respect, more questions and I’m more vocal in more comfortable with sharing ideas and
seeing any actions that go against their class. When students and teachers are taking chances. [Student-teacher bonds]
rules as negative. connected, it really helps everybody in may have just made me do better in my
learning, ” senior Mohammed Atif said. subjects,” senior Emily Johnson said.
There are teachers, however, that
prioritize forming a strong bond with It is also shown that creating a strong We’re all taught at a young age to
their students, especially in our recent bond with students can improve their respect our elders, but our generation
millennium. overall mental health. is growing up in an age where respect
should be equal.
While the teachers still focus heavi- In Emily Gallagher’s article , “The
ly on the academic studies, those who Effects of Teacher-Student Relation- They can go to teachers for encour-
attempt to get to know their students and ships: Social and Academic Outcomes agement and will be willing to improve
work with them in a positive manner cre- of Low-Income Middle and High School themselves in order to succeed in life.
ate an increase in the students’ academic Students”, many schools where the
ability and social skills. teachers are a positive role model for Making student-teacher bonds a
their students will experience lower necessary part of the classroom creates
“I don’t like teachers that don’t have dropout rates. an engaging and respectful environment
a relationship with me. I want that bond where all are welcomed and accepted.
type of relationship with a teacher,” Students with a low self esteem or If there’s one thing teachers can learn
senior Michael Moore said. that have a difficult time with learning, from their students, it is how much of an
will see a boost in their skills once paired impact they will have on their students’
Students that have a positive relation- with teachers that support them. It will future.
ship with their teachers end up obtaining also help those who struggle to connect
more information from their early school with their classmate. “The more we build those positive
years. Some who start off with poor rela- relationships, the more the kids are just
tionships and then develop bonds later Forming bonds with a teacher will willing to want to learn. Just the fact that
on, will show a striking increase in their make it easier to get along with their they know that there’s an adult in the
academic performance. fellow classmates as well. building that they can trust and they can
go to, I think that’s important,” social
This is linked to the fact that those stu- Social skills are a key component to studies teacher Joshua Robinson said.
dents experience positive relationships surviving in the classroom. It makes

09

GRAPHIC BY KENNEDY HOMAN

10 / THE STAMPEDE

NOVEMBER 4 , 2017

BECOMING
THE PERFECT STUDENT

IS MORE THAN JUST

TIME ANDEFFORT
CLAUDIA GRZYB

“Colleges don’t just want amazing AP classes are a promising invest- already, but when you take into account
grades and honors classes, they want to ment, joining a hard class impresses the list of expensive expectations that
see that you are well-rounded.” Every colleges, and receiving a good score on are set on high school students it seems
student has heard this advice before, the AP test in the spring can save you greatly overwhelming and unattainable.
whether it was from a guidance counsel- cash down the road.
or, parent, or graduated friend. On the bright side, we are part of
Although in the long run they are a community that understands that
As college admissions in schools na- considered cheaper, some students might students may have to deal with financial
tionwide get more competitive, students have trouble paying the immediate cost hardships.
are advised to juggle absurd amounts of of enrolling in an AP class. The AP tests
responsibilities and look past their price cost around a $100 each, with around an There is a multitude of systems in the
tags. additional $30 if you decide to invest in school that can help students pursue
an AP book to study from. their goals.
I noticed this phenomenon while
prepping for my junior year; I had it all “(In 2017) 52 percent of those who “At Metea, each case can be discussed
figured out: I would go hard. AP classes, tested took one exam. 24 percent took and fees may be waived for those in
Youth+Gov, Speech, LitMag, and News- two exams and 24 percent took three or need,” BPA advisor Brian Smith said.
Mag were all going to be additions to my more exams,” AP Test Coordinator Nikki
already challenging schedule. Liska stated. The school offers many deals for
students that need them, but it still seems
When attending each information- Besides academic commitments, that the amount of money students are
al meeting for the activities that I was colleges also appreciate the commitment expected to spend simply to look good
interested in joining, I noticed that even and leadership that you exemplify when for college, exceeds expectations.
if I could mentally prepare for the time you are in a sport. Beyond appreciating
commitments of each club, I had not those personal skills, colleges even pro- The phenomenon of taking on a
been ready for the amount of money that vide scholarships for students to contin- packed schedule can still seem ridiculous
I would have to spend on extra-curricu- ue sports into their college careers. for many average students.
lars alone this year.
Athletics are what typically come to How are they expected to achieve a
Obviously, the money that we spend mind when we think about expensive successful career out of college when it
on our club fees doesn’t just disappear high school activities. seems that the only people that will even
into thin air, it’s split up between trans- be able to get in are the ones that are
portation, permission and other manda- Doctor appointments, uniforms, trans- already ‘well off’ in high school?
tory fees. portation, private lessons, and general
permission fees all add up when you are Students should stop being encour-
But when each activity seems to be a high school athlete. aged to take on more than they (or their
at least $100 (with some over two hun- wallets) can handle.
dred or requiring multiple payments “This year’s tryouts for girl’s golf
throughout the season), it gets difficult came with a fee. It made sense to pay for When choosing activities and hobbies
for the average student to join everything the course, but if you didn’t make the to participate in, it is crucial to keep in
that they are interested in. In addition to team it seemed like an expense wast- mind to do things that you want to do.
clubs, students are encouraged to take up ed,” junior and girls’ golf athlete, Grace
challenging academic courses. Buchta said. Don’t just pick something to look
good in front of a certain school, because
College is an enormous investment that may end up being time and money
wasted.

11

PROFILES

Senior Anushah Sajwani traveled to Leader for Shia Ismaili Muslims, which from the U.S. and two from the Midwest),
Mombasa, Kenya; Nairobi, Ken- was informed to Sajwani through her Sajwani being one out of the two. Appli-
ya; and Arusha, Tanzania over the mosque at a young age. cants were determined through various
summer for a network called the The Aga essays and interviews.
Khan Development Network (AKDN), “Growing up as an Ismaili I’ve been
which is a network of development agen- taught at a young age about the work he “I can’t pinpoint exactly what got me in
cies that focuses on initiatives that provide has done,” Sajwani said. but I know what they look for in potential
healthcare and education in developing participants are leadership skills, desire to
countries., inspiring her to carry out simi- Though it was always Sajwani’s hope learn from other cultures, and to be pas-
lar work throughout the rest of her life. and dream to do something like this, the sionate about a global issue,” Sajwani said.
selection process was difficult and exten-
The AKDN was founded by the Aga sive. Out of over 1400 applicants sixty four AKDN wanted to mainly focus on global
Khan- the current Imam and/or Religious were selected from eighteen countries (13 encounters involving culture, leadership,

12 / THE STAMPEDE

and service. With bringing together people from eighteen
countries, it’s main point was to teach them and make them
learn other cultures being represented like the way the peo-
ple in the country prayed and their traditional dances. Every
few days all participants would change the order in which
prayers were recited making sure we represented the order

used by all of those countries

Sajwani was able to meet UN and board members of
AKDN branches and learn about the work they’ve
done and the participants through this program
make similar changes. Sajwani’s trip also encom-
passed cultural events and classes on inquiry,
where they learn about other worldwide
issues.

In her trip her and others also worked at
service sites and learned about how to
implement sustainable development which
would benefit them in the years to come.

“Working at the service site, however, noT
only impacted me in the stereotypical

but it helped me realize what I’m truly passionate about and
altered my plans for my future career path,” Sajwani said.

One of her service sites included working at Limuru Chil-
dren’s Center (LCC), which is a school and orphanage for
children. They collaborated with the teachers on ways to en-
hance the educational infrastructure of the school. Working
at LCC impacted her to carry out similar work through
the rest of her life and in her career.

“After doing work at LCC I didn’t want to come back
to America saying ‘Wow I feel changed!’ but then go
back to my old ways and assimilate to the life I was
used to, I wanted to continuously practice all the
lessons I’ve learned. Currently I’m working on
partnering with “Global Connections”- a U.S.
based nonprofit- to raise awareness and dona-
tions for LCC,” Sajwani said.

This trip allowed Sajwani to make connections
and open her eyes to a different world.

“The camp allowed me to make friends world-
wide and not only learn about their cultures and
lifestyles but discover how through intertwining
these various global mentalities we could make an
impact,” Sajwani said.

INSIDE THE

HORRORS

OF LITTLE SHOP
TANVI PANT

With the new fall musical that is very different from who I am.
session finished and done, Mushnik is the fun and fatherly figure
many students are getting of the show and I enjoy playing some-
into the spirit by acting in one so mature yet so goofy at the same
the play or going to watch time. Spending time with my fellow cast
it. This is an inside `look members is also a ton of fun.
into two cast members
of the musical and their BB: I enjoy the social atmosphere as
perspectives regarding their soon as I walk in. It feels like being with
characters. another kind of family when you are
with the other people in the musical. The
What part do you have Little House of Terrors is also smaller
and why are you play- than other musicals, like Aida, so it is a
ing that particular part very close knit family and we bond very
in the musical? easily.

Junior Rich Lazatin: I’m playing Are there any people that are your in-

the role of Mr. Mushnik. He is a spirations for your acting and singing

greedy and nagging immigrant role in the fall musical?

who is also the owner of a falling

flower shop on Skid Row. While RL: Some of my inspirations include two

playing Mushnik, it reminded very strong women. My first inspiration

me of my childhood and for acting is one of my favorite actresses

having to grow up in a by the name of Viola Davis. Her acting

completely new environ- style is very passionate and very human.

ment.

BB: I am inspired everyday by the peo-

Sophomore Barnali ple that surround me in the fall musical.

Behari: I am part of the One of my biggest inspirations in the fall

singing ensemble. Our musical is Ariana White. She is so talent-

part is mainly with doing ed and I wish to perform at the level that

the chorus along with she does one day.

dancing. I do play a role

as Rosie the reviver. I am Do you think theatre or choir skills

in chorus in school and make more of an impact in the musical?

do madrigals after school Why?

everyday.

RL: Choir skills are helpful in being

What do you enjoy most able to match pitch, but singing musical

about being theatre is a completely different style of

in the fall musical? music. Performers also need to have act-

ing and dancing skills in order to be able

GRAPHIC BY KENNEDY HOMAN RL: I enjoy getting to portray a character through emotion

14/ THE STAMPEDE the chance to play a character and movement.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR NOVEMBER 4 , 2017

PSA: GIRLS, CLEAN
UP YOUR ACT

Dear Ladies, bathrooms are clean and fresh, and I its prime condition, just think about the
want to live in the bathrooms! After sec- various times you had to use the same
Sometimes, I use the school bathrooms ond or third period, however, it feels like bathroom in a worse condition.
(despite how much I dislike using public a skunk used the bathroom, wiped itself
bathrooms) because situations occur. all over the floors, and proceeded to die Spray your perfume in the bathroom if
in the trash can. My question is why? you want to smell nice, because you’ll be
Situations occur to all of us, catch my doing the rest of the school’s female pop-
drift? As a fellow girl, I always try to make ulation a favor by making the bathroom
myself smell nice and the area around smell of flowers or fruits.
Sometimes, when I do use the school me smell nice.
bathrooms, I encounter some or all of the Throw the paper towels in the trash
following: paper towels in the sink, hor- If my bathroom smells bad, aerosol can where they belong; don’t just leave
rendous smells appalling to poor noses, a here I come! If I smell bad, heck, you them in the sink!
murder in the toilet, etc. know I’m bathing myself in my favorite
perfume that smells like roses. Never let the stalls or the toilets look
I really don’t want to have to use the like a horror movie, please.
bathroom after witnessing such a terri- I’m sure all you ladies do that as well,
fying sight, but my bladder wills me and seeing as how you spray perfume in the Let’s just try to make the bathrooms
forces me to use the nasty bathroom. middle of class or in the locker banks more pleasant. I, along with many other
(and letting that perfume just swim into ladies, would like to use the bathroom in
By the time I get out of the bathroom, my open mouth as I’m talking or yawn- peace instead of gagging as soon as we
I’m gasping for fresh air and almost ing). enter one.
falling to the ground. No one should ever
have to go through this misery. My point is if we take such good care Yours truly,
of our own hygiene and our own person- Veda Kada
What tasks me, though, is how clean al bathrooms, why can’t we just not turn
the bathroom is before anyone can get to the school bathrooms into a crime scene?
it.
Next time you use the bathroom in
At exactly 6:50 in the morning, the

GRAPHICS BY KENNEDY HOMAN 15

The ImmiCgorntarotvieorsny:

16/ THE STAMPEDE

COVER NOVEMBER 4, 2017

THE REPEAL OF

DACA

PROGRAM SPARKS QUESTION OF ITS

CONSTITUTIONALITY

ZAINIE QURESHI & CHESNEY WARGO ings and have paid the $465 fee can apply
for a two year provisional permit to go to
Most students worry about how school and to work. The two year permit
much homework they have or allows the individual to have a social se-
how many likes they’re going curity number, and receive work permits
to get on social media. Meanwhile, the and driver’s licenses. It must be renewed
person next to them is worrying about every two years to remain valid.
whether their family is still going to be
there when they get home. The immigra- continued on next page
tion issue in the United States has had yet
another layer added to its controversy:
DACA. The storm of drama has made
its way from the political world into the
lives of our loved ones and the homes of
our peers.

The Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals, otherwise known as DACA, has
been the center of all media recently. This
policy was administered by the Obama
Administration back in June of 2012. It
states that all those who had entered or
remained in the country illegally as mi-
nors would receive permission to remain
in the country for two years, and the abil-
ity to renew it. President Donald Trump
announced that he would not be renew-
ing the DACA program on September
5, 2017, prompting mass public outcry
by those affected and bystanders alike.
Celebrities, politicians and everyday
citizens spoke out against the decision
as soon as it was announced. The news
spread fast, and so did the rumors.

Under DACA, individuals with no
criminal record, good academic stand-

17

Obama’s long term plan for this court order was to common example would be driving a mile above
expand it to cover more undocumented immigrants. the speed limit. On the other hand, driving 25 miles
Now that the Obama Administration has left, that ex- above the speed limit is something that you are going
pansion is left at a standstill. While this was happen- to be prosecuted against. So the idea behind the
ing, Donald Trump was campaigning for the presiden- DACA program was that the executive branch and
cy. One of his strongest stances was on immigration. the federal agencies who operate at his direction, have
Naturally, this raised questions. the authority to enforce the immigration laws. Given
that the estimates range anywhere from ten to eleven
The constitutionality of the recension is being million undocumented individuals are in the United
debated. There is no easy black or white answer. States and the fact that the executive branch does not
Since the DACA law was not passed by congressio- have the resources or the capacity to essentially deport
nal review but an executive order, there may not be a everyone who is undocumented, it’s about exercising
correct answer. We talked to Tejas Shah, an attorney at some degree of judgement and where to target their
“Franczeck Radlet” in Chicago, about the legal stand- resources,” Shah said.
ing of the program.
continued on next page
“The president in 2012 asserted his authority to
basically exercise prossed controlled discretion. A

18/ THE STAMPEDE

NOVEMBER 4, 2017

Recipients of DACA protection were no old- work ethic and timeliness. Besides the physical
er than 31 on June 15, 2012, so ages range from everyday struggles, undocumented students
10 to 36. Many of those in the program are in face internal issues that they cannot share with
high school. Many are even younger. their friends. With the sudden repeal of their
only saving grace they are now faced with
Students who are undocumented face enor- figuring out what’s next: and that’s a question
mous struggles that most of us cannot even with no easy answer.
fathom. Many are not only attending school
but also working multiple jobs to provide for Tyler Burleyson also contributed to this report.
them and their family. This leaves less time
to study for school and requires motivation,

19

SSttephaeoltlight

WINDSORSTORE.COM

NOVEMBER 4 , 2017

ARE THESE PAGES

BLANK
OR ARE THEY

WHITE?
WHY WE NEED
A MORE DIVERSE BOOKLIST

AVANI SHAH GRAPHIC BY: KAININ BLISSETT

Freshman year, my English class In AP Language and Communica- book, rather it should be judged by the
read Homer’s “The Odyssey”, as tion, the first unit students tackle is content inside and the value it will have
all Honors English I classes do. If focused on education: what is a true as a learning tool for students.
you’ve read “The Odyssey” before, you education, and how do you get it? The
probably understand the hair-tearing general consensus is that a true edu- The purpose of our English classes
boredom that the poem generates. cation is learning about the world and is to try and tackle some big questions
Upon noticing my obvious pain, my other cultures and societies, not just about humanity, examining our identi-
dad commented half-jokingly, “Why math and science. ties, our morals, and our inner desires.
are you reading Greek literature if this We are supposed to find ourselves in
is English class?” Although it was a How are students going to learn these stories and be able to understand
joke, I went to class the next day and about other cultures in the world if their struggle.
asked my teacher that exact question. most books we read are focused on a
Her response was, “Actually, Freshman small range of cultures? The answer These books are not reflective of the
Honors is supposed to be focused on is: we don’t. As sophomores, we learn struggles Americans have been facing
world literature.” I bought it for a little about American culture, and four out of in the last twenty years. We should
while until I really thought about it. the six authors studied are white men. attempt to understand the different
Every book we had read or were about The books we read are not representa- facets of American life specifically,
to read had been written by a Greek tive of modern America. by reading, books involving victims
or British author, and all of them were of police brutality, or undocumented
white males. Books such as “Catcher in the Rye” immigrants.
or “The Scarlet Letter” are used be-
How is world literature represented cause they are considered “classics” or With our salad bowl mix of cultures,
by four male authors from western part of what is known as the literary America is one of the fastest changing
culture? There are plenty of books I canon. The literary canon is a group of countries in the world, focusing mainly
could think of that would be more texts that are particularly influential on what it was fifty years ago does a
impactful than those read in freshmen for a certain time period. However, disservice to students.
honors. “The Ramayana”, for example, the canon is skewed. The canon was
an Indian poem with incredibly similar assembled by the literate, who, in the If students should be engaged in their
themes as “The Odyssey” would be 19th century when it was first forming, reading, it might be important to teach
an exemplary replacement, as it pres- were primarily wealthy white men. As novels with relevance to students’ lives.
ents a culture very unfamiliar to many a result, what we consider classics are This isn’t a cry about being political-
American students while still being an most likely a skewed representation of ly correct; it’s about misrepresenting
epic poem. influential literature. Being in the canon literature of the world by showing only
should not be a qualifying factor for a a few perspectives and taking away stu-
dents’ opportunities to grow as people.

21

GRAPHIC BY: KAININ BLISSETT

DEBUNKING THE ‘STICK TO SPORTS’ DEBATE
NATHAN BURLEYSON
U bum.” Two polarizing words or do anything besides dunk the basket-
that are not actually words. The ball!” game. Kaepernick did it two weeks in the
phrase was the beginning of a preseason before it picked up national
tweet by NBA Star LeBron James on Sep- The thing is, athletes and celebrities coverage. What came after was a media
tember 23rd. The “bum” was our presi- have a platform. At the push of a button, and fan frenzy full of people shouting
dent, Donald Trump. The full tweet read: their thoughts can be shared with mil- their opinions. Kaepernick continued to
lions of people. Another thing is, these kneel, and he kneeled until he was forced
“U bum @StephenCurry30 already athletes are people too. Millionaires, but out of the league and blacklisted by NFL
said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no people too. owners.
invite. Going to White House was a great
honor until you showed up!” They are allowed the same freedom Let us paint a picture: a world where
to tweet about their beliefs as you and I. famous people do not speak out. Racial
The king had spoken, and he was The easiest way to debunk the “stick to injustice and continued disrespect fill the
definitely not the first one in his position sports” argument is telling an accountant air around them. Imagine you are the
to do so. Sports stars are famous and to “stick to accounting” when they try to player, living in a bubble because if you
whatever they say or do will be seen, talk about politics. That does not make speak out you can lose your job or your
shared, and tweeted about. Most of the sense though. fans and your money. Or speak and go
time a political tweet or action (wheth- along with everything you believe in.
er it be taking a knee or calling POTUS I’ve said why athletes speak out, it’s The choice is not easy but they should be
a bum) is met with a single string of due to their freedom of speech that ev- allowed to share their own opinion just
words: stick to sports. eryone in this country has. What needs to like every other human being. Who cares
be clarified is why they should speak out. if some guy with an egg avatar burns
People do not like it when someone They should speak out so that those who your jersey, your agent?
disagrees with them. People also en- look up to them have hope. They should
joy entertainment, sports, movies, TV, speak out so some people who would not A world where people with platforms
celebrity drama. So when someone like care do care. They can bring awareness to stick to their day job is a world I do not
LeBron (whom they enjoy watching) another level. want to live in, you shouldn’t either. In
stands up (or kneels down) and speaks order to succeed as a society we must let
about politics, people get upset. Look at Colin Kaepernick, the father of our most unique voices speak.
the sports protest era. He started kneel-
They say “stop it I like watching you ing silently. He never said “I am gonna
dunk a ball through a hoop, do not say sit down for this pledge” before the

22/ THE STAMPEDE

NOVEMBER 4 , 2017

THE SCIENCE BEHIND

GLOBAL WARMING
AND WHY IT’S REAL

RYAH WALKER

GRAPHIC BY: KAININ BLISSETT In wake of the recent natural nations. Since the 19th century,
disasters such as Hurricane the planet’s overall temperature
Harvey and the west coast has risen just about two degrees
wildfires, people are expressing Fahrenheit (which is a lot due to
concern for our Earth. For years, the fact that most of this warmth
scientists have done research to occurred within the last thir-
detect changes in the environ- ty-five years).
ment, including changes in cli-
mate. Climate change is nothing Some man-made fossil fuels
new to this Earth but since there that we use everyday have
is visibly abnormal weather, directly affected the Earth, such
people are starting to realize as gas for cars and animal agri-
that our planet is in trouble. culture which is the emission of
these gases through cattle.
Climate change is an issue
that the world has been dealing 2016 was the hottest year
with for a long time. on record, as stated by NASA,
which also means that the Earth
Ever since industrialization, is gradually progressing into a
man-made pollution, and large hotter state which will not be a
amounts of carbon dioxide great thing for us humans who
started to enter our atmosphere, live on this planet.
a large variety of things start to
happen to the Earth. There will be even more
natural disasters and bipolar
According to NASA, the weather for different regions.
definition of climate change is The only thing that could be
“a change in the usual weather done to stop this environmen-
found in a place. tal crisis is to reduce the use of
greenhouse gases.
This could be a change in
how much rain a place usually Due to the way that we have
gets in a year or a change in a been living for the past centu-
place’s usual temperature for ries, we have not cared much
a month or season.” This also about what we are doing to this
directly relates to the overall Earth even though there are
change in the Earth’s climates signs of change. Now is the time
from its original temperatures. to make a difference.

NASA also says that cli- We all need to realize that if
mate change is a direct result of we don’t do something about
excessive amounts of carbon di- our Earth now, the future gen-
oxide emissions from pollution erations of people, animals, and
and other man-made contami- plants may not make it.

23