volume 97, issue 8

15
Ripples Soccer Stars Freshman class shows strong support on girls soccer team page 15 Wild West Students voyage to Utah for wilderness experi- ence page 6 Volume 94, Issue 8 April 13, 2016 1701 E. Capitol Drive, Shorewood, WI 53211 The Student Newspaper of Shorewood High School Shorewood What’s Inside Funds Raised Project Somalia hosts successful event page 4 www.shorewoodripples.org Inside Ripples News.....................1-4 Features................5-7 A&E...................10-12 Sports..................15-16 Opinions...........13-14 Drug Records Students give reports on their recre- ational usage of drugs and alcohol Pages 8-9 Shorewood will be participating in the fifth round of Milwaukee solar group buys this spring. These ‘group buys’ localize a solar installation program and reduce the cost of installing solar power for interested residents, and are run through the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, or MREA. Solar group buys began in Portland and have spread to the MREA, where they use a similar model and have been organizing them since 2013. The MREA is currently running programs across the Midwest, often simultaneously. “The group buy model is a great tool for installing a lot of solar in a relatively short amount of time,” said Peter Murphy, market development coordinator at the MREA. This program is run simultaneously by the MREA with a program for the city of Milwaukee, such that it will be even easier for residents to receive a discount, due to the higher quantity of people buying into the program due to the tiered pricing structure. “It’s definitely mutually The school board forayed into legislative advocacy earlier this year with their opposition to the state legislature’s transgender- discriminatory bill (AB 469). While state action regarding education has always been a concern for the board, they have taken more direct actions this year in the realm of advocating for action in the best interest of Shorewood schools. “We haven’t done [legislative advocacy in a concerted effort]. We’ve done it, … but it’s been very reactive to what’s happening … We want to be better about knowing what’s coming down the pipeline … and then being able to mobilize,” said Paru Shah, school board president. The March 22 school board meeting reflected this renewed focus, with presentations from David Bowen, Democratic state Assemblyman from Milwaukee, who educated the board on the current state of public education in Wisconsin, and Angela McManaman, president of the Milwaukee chapter of Parents for Public Schools, who shared her experience in parent advocacy and guided the board on parent advocacy models that would best fit Shorewood. “I want to make sure I can give you the educational effects of the legislature,” Bowen said Shorewood encourages solar panels by Monica Dix beneficial,” Murphy said. This structure dictates that the greater quantity of participants, the more affordable the installations become for everyone. This is because the MREA can negotiate to reduce the soft costs of the project in a dual approach, by educating the public through outreach and organizing a setup that allows a large number of customers to get solar in a relatively short window of time. “We’ve been doing it for a few years now and we see that it makes a difference to have a group buy, rather than educating, ... the group buy provides a discount and a deadline,” Murphy said. Overall, the MREA is typically able to negotiate a 15-20% discount for the program participants. “That’s something that nobody could do on their own, it’s a collective action and a grassroots proposition,” Murphy said. The MREA has brought solar group buys to neighborhoods in Milwaukee such as Bay View, Layton Heights and Riverwest. The contractor they have selected for Shorewood, Arch Electric, has worked in all of these locations as well. “We’ve worked with them a number of times in the past,” Murphy said. This is brought to Shorewood through the Shorewood Conservation Committee. Chase Kelm is the village liaison from the committee to the project. He works closely with the MREA in coordinating community outreach. Joshua Liberatore, Shorewood Conservation Committee president, is full support of the project. “It increases your negotiating power,” Liberatore said. “It’s nice to have a professional outlet doing all of the planning and the contract management.” Community members are Solar panels stand atop the math and science building of SHS. The village is offering a process for residents to aquire solar panels. Olivia Loomis Board focuses on legislative advocacy continued on page four by Eli Frank to the board at the beginning of his presentation. “Recently, as of the current school year, over $1.2 billion in funding has been removed from public schools since Republicans took power in 2011.” Shah stressed the importance for dialogue between the board and legislators like Bowen, who are interested in protecting public education. “Me and David talked about being better at communicating,” Shah said. “He knows he can call on me to say, ‘Hey, can you mobilize some people to make Rep. David Bowen educates the school board on issues in educa- tion. The board looks to become involved in legislative advocacy. Eli Frank some phone calls?’ And … we can ask him, ‘Hey, what’s going on that we should be aware of so we can be prepared?’” With the help of the board and the district, as well as other Wisconsin school districts, Bowen believes real change can be achieved in the state legislature. Both Bowen and Shah stressed that strong partnerships between boards and legislators are key to achieving change in the best interest of public school districts like Shorewood. McManaman followed up Bowen’s presentation with her own, focusing on possible models for parent advocacy that could be implemented within the district. Shorewood had a parent advocacy group separate from the PTO many years ago, but it has since burned out. Recreating a parent advocacy group is another dimension of the board’s focus on legislative advocacy, and one step in an effort to hear the views of parents within the district. “The board isn’t going to run the parent advocacy group, [but] … we’re hoping there’s going to be a groundswell of parents … I think hopefully, we’re going to start putting a plan in place [for a model],” Shah said. McManaman discussed her involvement with Parents for Public Schools, the parent advocacy model of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). She expressed appreciation for this model because it allows school districts access to a national base that offers support to individual districts and makes it easier for local chapters to gain recognition and institutional connections. However, McManaman said there were different options open to Shorewood that might not work as well in larger districts like MPS. “I think there might be some issues organizing a large, urban continued on page two

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Page 1: Volume 97, Issue 8

Ripples

Soccer StarsFreshman class shows strong support on girls soccer team

page 15

Wild WestStudents voyage to Utah for wilderness experi-ence

page 6

Volume 94, Issue 8April 13, 2016

1701 E. Capitol Drive, Shorewood, WI 53211The Student Newspaper of Shorewood High SchoolShorewood

What’s Inside

Funds Raised Project Somalia hosts successful event

page 4

www.shorewoodripples.org

Inside Ripples

News.....................1-4 Features................5-7 A&E...................10-12

Sports..................15-16 Opinions...........13-14

Drug RecordsStudents give reports on their recre-ational usage of drugs and alcoholPages 8-9

Shorewood will be participating in the fifth round of Milwaukee solar group buys this spring. These ‘group buys’ localize a solar installation program and reduce the cost of installing solar power for interested residents, and are run through the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, or MREA.

Solar group buys began in Portland and have spread to the MREA, where they use a similar model and have been organizing them since 2013. The MREA is currently running programs across the Midwest, often simultaneously.

“The group buy model is a great tool for installing a lot of solar in a relatively short amount of time,” said Peter Murphy, market development coordinator at the MREA.

This program is run simultaneously by the MREA with a program for the city of Milwaukee, such that it will be even easier for residents to receive a discount, due to the higher quantity of people buying into the program due to the tiered pricing structure.

“It’s definitely mutually

The school board forayed into legislative advocacy earlier this year with their opposition to the state legislature’s transgender-discriminatory bill (AB 469). While state action regarding education has always been a concern for the board, they have taken more direct actions this year in the realm of advocating for action in the best interest of Shorewood schools.

“We haven’t done [legislative advocacy in a concerted effort]. We’ve done it, … but it’s been very reactive to what’s happening … We want to be better about knowing what’s coming down the pipeline … and then being able to mobilize,” said Paru Shah, school board president.

The March 22 school board meeting reflected this renewed focus, with presentations from David Bowen, Democratic state Assemblyman from Milwaukee, who educated the board on the current state of public education in Wisconsin, and Angela McManaman, president of the Milwaukee chapter of Parents for Public Schools, who shared her experience in parent advocacy and guided the board on parent advocacy models that would best fit Shorewood.

“I want to make sure I can give you the educational effects of the legislature,” Bowen said

Shorewood encourages solar panelsby Monica Dix

beneficial,” Murphy said.This structure dictates that the

greater quantity of participants, the more affordable the installations become for everyone. This is because the MREA can negotiate to reduce the soft costs of the project in a dual approach, by educating the public through outreach and organizing a setup that allows a large number of customers to get solar in a relatively short window

of time.“We’ve been doing it for a

few years now and we see that it makes a difference to have a group buy, rather than educating, ... the group buy provides a discount and a deadline,” Murphy said.

Overall, the MREA is typically able to negotiate a 15-20% discount for the program participants.

“That’s something that

nobody could do on their own, it’s a collective action and a grassroots proposition,” Murphy said.

The MREA has brought solar group buys to neighborhoods in Milwaukee such as Bay View, Layton Heights and Riverwest. The contractor they have selected for Shorewood, Arch Electric, has worked in all of these locations as well.

“We’ve worked with them a number of times in the past,” Murphy said.

This is brought to Shorewood through the Shorewood Conservation Committee. Chase Kelm is the village liaison from the committee to the project. He works closely with the MREA in coordinating community outreach.

Joshua Liberatore, Shorewood Conservation Committee president, is full support of the project.

“It increases your negotiating power,” Liberatore said. “It’s nice to have a professional outlet doing all of the planning and the contract management.”

Community members are

Solar panels stand atop the math and science building of SHS. The village is offering a process for residents to aquire solar panels.

Olivia Loomis

Board focuses on legislative advocacycontinued on page four

by Eli Frank

to the board at the beginning of his presentation. “Recently, as of the current school year, over $1.2 billion in funding has been removed from public schools since Republicans took power in 2011.”

Shah stressed the importance for dialogue between the board and legislators like Bowen, who are interested in protecting public education.

“Me and David talked about being better at communicating,” Shah said. “He knows he can call on me to say, ‘Hey, can you mobilize some people to make

Rep. David Bowen educates the school board on issues in educa-tion. The board looks to become involved in legislative advocacy.

Eli Frank

some phone calls?’ And … we can ask him, ‘Hey, what’s going on that we should be aware of so we can be prepared?’”

With the help of the board and the district, as well as other Wisconsin school districts, Bowen believes real change can be achieved in the state legislature. Both Bowen and Shah stressed that strong partnerships between boards and legislators are key to achieving change in the best interest of public school districts like Shorewood.

McManaman followed up

Bowen’s presentation with her own, focusing on possible models for parent advocacy that could be implemented within the district. Shorewood had a parent advocacy group separate from the PTO many years ago, but it has since burned out. Recreating a parent advocacy group is another dimension of the board’s focus on legislative advocacy, and one step in an effort to hear the views of parents within the district.

“The board isn’t going to run the parent advocacy group, [but] … we’re hoping there’s going to be a groundswell of parents … I think hopefully, we’re going to start putting a plan in place [for a model],” Shah said.

McManaman discussed her involvement with Parents for Public Schools, the parent advocacy model of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). She expressed appreciation for this model because it allows school districts access to a national base that offers support to individual districts and makes it easier for local chapters to gain recognition and institutional connections. However, McManaman said there were different options open to Shorewood that might not work as well in larger districts like MPS.

“I think there might be some issues organizing a large, urban

continued on page two

Page 2: Volume 97, Issue 8

NewsRipples April 13, 2016

page two

Prom, typically held at the Renaissance Place, will be held in the Shorewood High School arena this year on April 16. The change in location is a result of various conflicts and decisions by the prom committee.

“Depending on how prom goes this year, we may keep prom at the arena,” said Emma Anderson, junior and member of prom committee.

Stephanie Snyder, parent and prom advisor, looked at several different venues for a suitable location, and found that there were multiple different events taking place during the weekend of prom, including weddings.

Prom conflicted with several events in the following weekends including state solo and ensemble, and AP testing, which was another deciding factor in holding prom in the high school arena.

The cost of hosting prom has decreased as a result, because the cost of renting the

Prom moved to arena from usual locationRenaissance Place was more expensive than that of hosting in the arena. This will allow for more decoration because there is more leftover money in the prom budget for food and activities.

“It will be much more affordable for students, and on top of that, we can open up the facilities that we have here,” said Tim Kenney, principal.

In order to have enough decorations, the prom committee organized the Aveda mixer with the Institute of Beauty and Wellness (IBW) as a fundraiser to help support the prom festivities. The fundraiser was held on

March 18 from 5-8 P.M. IBW donated all their service revenue raised along with 10% of any revenue from Aveda retail purchases made that evening.

“Prom is supposed to be a very nice, elegant and formal event, and I think the prom committee is really committed to transforming the arena into a nice location,” Kenney said.

Most students and teachers both agree

“Depending on how prom goes this year, we may keep prom in

the arena.”-Emma Anderson,

junior and member of prom committee

The main doors to the arena opening to the parking lot. Prom will be held in the are-na this year, instead of the traditional Renaissance Place in downtown Milwaukee.

Ben Davis

that prom’s location should not affect the attendance at the event.

They also agree that the spirit of prom is more important than any prom logistics, including the location.

“The whole point of prom is for us to

be together and having fun … I had a really great experience last year and I think the fact that the tickets are cheaper this year and that prom committee has been working hard is going to ensure a great prom,” said Micaela Gayner, junior.

Ghost Train to accentuate Oak Leaf bike trailby Celeste Carroll

by Akshaya Kannan and Maya Lawnicki

The Village of Shorewood may soon see a community art installation reminiscent of Shorewood’s history r e g a r d i n g t h e r a i l r o a d s y s t e m .

Shorewood’s Public Art Committee, who developed the plan for this installation as well as for the installation of Jaume Plensa’s Spillover II sculpture in Atwater Park, calls it The Ghost Train. It will be a public interactive art project on the Oak Leaf Trail bridge in Shorewood, over Capitol Drive. If approved by the village board in mid April, the committee hopes to install the work — which will reflect the history of Shorewood and the village’s connection to the railroad system — by Halloween of this year.

Pat Algiers, chair of the Ghost Train committee and owner a n d p r e s i d e n t o f Chemistry in Place, a design and real estate firm across from Shorewood High School who designed the graphics, logos and banners for the project said that the installation will create the image of a long yellow train passing overhead the trail while speakers project the sounds of a train and railroad crossing.

“The Ghost Train is a LED lighting installation that will be located on the Oak Leaf Trail bridge,” Algiers said. “The bridge will have structural lighting from dusk until dawn, and twice each evening after dark an illusionary train reminiscent of the Chicago and Northwestern 400 [Train] will go over the bridge. The LED lights will create the illusion of a train and it will be accompanied by the sounds that a train makes.”

The 400 Train, which once was a powerful presence in Shorewood, as well as the Midwest, ran from 1935 to 1963 and once boasted being able to travel “400 miles in just 400 minutes.” A quarter of a million people rode the train every year in its heyday — now, it’s possible that most people have not even heard of it. Its travel route included the path over Shorewood’s Oak Leaf Trail, and the train’s impact was large in the community.

To execute the design aspect of the

Ghost Train, the Public Art Committee hired Marty Peck, a lighting engineer at the Creative Lighting Design & Engineering firm in Germantown, whose works can be seen at the Mitchell Park Domes, the Wisconsin State Capitol, Potawatomi Bingo Casino, as well as others.

“When the committee decided that we wanted a lighting installation on the bridge, I remembered Marty Peck’s work that I had seen years ago,” Algiers said. “I called Marty and told him that we were interested in doing

a lighting installation on the bridge. Then, Marty researched the bridge, and brought to our committee the idea of the Ghost Train.”

To find out more background information about the 400 Train and its connection to Shorewood, Algiers said the Shorewood Hi s to r i ca l Soc i e ty was approached. The historical society will

contribute to the project by providing the background information on the trains as well as informational signs — Karen de Hartog, president of the Shorewood Historical Society, said the she as well as the historical society has been passionate about communicating the story of the relationship between the trains and Shorewood to the public and believes the installation will benefit not only the community in its entirety, but students as well.

“I think there are a lot of students who have never been on a train, and hopefully [the Ghost Train] will peak their interest enough for them to find out a little bit more about [the history], perhaps come up close to the bridge to read about the history we provide … [The Ghost Train] might be a source of interest for projects, just to learn more about trains, what role they played in not only Shorewood’s history but the history of this country and the way it developed, because they were big until the cars came along,” de Hartog said.

Algiers agreed, saying the project is not only an educational opportunity for the community and students, but a way to bring the community together as a whole.

“I very much hope, and I share the hope of our committee, that the Ghost

Train is just another thing that brings our community together, and that we can be proud of, and that we and others can identify with. I think that the Ghost Train, certainly in the village, the city, the region and the state ... will be known as a place-making installation in Shorewood,” Algiers said.

The commit tee has high hopes for the impact on the community.

“I hope the Ghost Train gives people a bigger appreciation of history, but I also hope it’s something fun and enjoyable for people to participate in and bring their kids to see,” de Hartog said.

Regarding potential problems that could surround the installation, such as traffic jams and noise disruptions, Algiers said the committee has taken great care to consider these problems by getting the state, the county, the city and the village highway and transportation engineers involved.

“We’re working to coordinate stop and go lights, and we feel that this will take care of anyone’s traffic concerns. In terms of noise, the Ghost Train, once it gets

installed, will be tested and we will be able to control the sound levels,” Algiers said.

Currently, fundraising for the project is still in the process — $350,000 is needed to fund the installation, most of which has already been raised. The project has already received approvals from the city of Milwaukee, as well as Milwaukee County and the state of Wisconsin. The committee hopes to receive approval from the village board in mid April and to install The Ghost Train by Halloween, which Algiers also said would be an opportunity for the village to celebrate Halloween as well as the anniversary of the coming of The Ghost Train to Shorewood. In the long run, she also believes The Ghost Train will benefit the community by becoming an attraction and an opportunity to educate locals of all ages on our history.

“We are so happy because our goal is that, in place-making installations, people of all ages, all backgrounds, all lifestyles, can equally enjoy and appreciate it,” Algiers said. “And we feel that The Ghost Train is ... something [everyone will] like.”

Bowen educates board while they renew legislative focuscontinued from page one

district that you might not face organizing a small, suburban school district,” McManaman said. “With a community like Shorewood, you probably have a lot of options available to you for a successful parent advocacy model.”

According to McManaman, the political climate surrounding education is a popular topic when rallying parents to get together.

“The pace of parent organizing has really picked up as the pace of budget cuts also has and as Act 10 has reaped considerable damage in our school districts as well,” McManaman said.

Shah echoed this when explaining the urgency in getting this group together.

“[Conversations for the next budget

cycle] are going to start now … Another serious budget cut would be … devastating … We’ve got to get the army together … That’s what I think the new interest in doing this is,” Shah said. “We’re really going to need [a parent advocacy group] in the next budget cycle.”

“It really depends on the parents that come on board and how much time they’re willing to commit … Take the temperature of your group: who’s involved; who can you count on, what are their strengths and talents and then decide what you can support,” McManaman said.

McManaman’s presentation will be a factor in the board’s continued exploration of different parent advocacy models to further strengthen the board’s renewed focus on a concerted approach to legislative advocacy.

“I hope the Ghost Train gives people a bigger appreciation

of history.”-Pat Algiers,

chair of the Ghost Train committee

Page 3: Volume 97, Issue 8

News RipplesApril 13, 2016

page three

Project Somalia hosted their first fundraising night on March 12 from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., about a year after the club was founded. The fundraiser was hosted in the arena and included food donated by Blue Star Cafe, a Somali restaurant, a silent auction, sales of products from SOS Children’s villages and speeches by the club presidents and a local Somali man, Abdul Hamid Ali, CEO of DAAR Engineering.

The club began last year when Lolita Obolenskaya and Leah Jorn, juniors, decided they wanted to create a club to fundraise for organizations in Somalia.

“It’s very impoverished and there are lots of governmental issues that make it unstable and somewhere that needs help,” Jorn said.

Over the past year, the club has mainly focused on smaller fundraisers, like cookie dough bake sales, but they decided they wanted to try something bigger.

Ali, a friend of Obolenskaya’s uncle, had suggested the idea of a fundraising night to raise more money and awareness.

The proceeds from the club’s fundraisers go to benefit SOS Children’s villages, an organization which provides support for families and does advocacy for children’s rights in unstable countries.

“They have a lot of villages in the poorest countries that people don’t want to go into. Mogadishu’s village got bombed a couple years ago … so they’re risking their lives for [the children], like Mothers Without Borders,” Obolenskaya said.

The food for the event was all donated, but the club also received silent auction donations for the event from local businesses like Metro Market, Paper Source

Lake Bluff Elementary School hosted their inaugural World Fest event on March 18 at 6:30 P.M.

According to Julia Holmes, co-president of the Lake Bluff PTO, the idea of this event came because of different cultures at Lake Bluff.

“We have such wonderful, diverse cultures here in Lake Bluff that for years I thought we should be celebrating it and bring everyone together ... Lake Bluff is a perfect community for it because we are so diverse,” said Avery Holmes, freshman and a volunteer at the event.

The purpose of the celebration was to give Lake Bluff students and their families a chance to share a part of their culture with others and to create a space for people to connect.

“It gave the children and the families a chance to share part of their cultures that maybe they don’t always have an

Project Somalia hosts eventby Monica Dix and Colectivo.

In the end, the club raised about $1,700.“It was our first event so we’re proud,”

Jorn said. “People were very generous and that was really good to see.”

Evan Schmidt, economics and French teacher, attended the event.

“I thought the event was fantastic ... I’m just very proud of the students who take time out of their busy lives to think about and help people who are not as fortunate,”

Schmidt said.S u s a n

Hagström, resident, was not only also present at the event, but also has a personal connection to Somalia.

Hagström had a young Somali man named Abdi Salam stay with her about 13 years ago. When he was 10, Salam had been playing soccer with friends, when one of his friends stepped on a landmine and was killed instantly. Salam was hit with shrapnel in his knee,

which then stopped his leg from growing. Salam came to the United States because Hagström’s neighbor, an orthopedic surgeon, was going to operate on him. After his surgery, he feared his return to Somalia. Salam’s father was kidnapped a couple times because people knew he had connections abroad.

“Once they find out that you have relatives or connections abroad you become a target [for extortion],” Hagström said.

Salam had a happy ending, because when his visa was near expiration he was smuggled into Canada, and gained refugee status, but Hagström still sees the need to help the Somali people.

“[Ali] gave a very moving speech, which really struck home. These kids have nothing,” Hagström said. “It was a lovely event; I just wished that more people has come out and supported them.”

“I think the event was a good oppor-

tunity to meet people and have fun.”

-Catherine Chen,resident

World Fest highlights diversity in schoolby Yasmin Mohd-Suhilian opportunity or ability to do it here at school

… This event is the chance where they could do it. They were very supportive. Parents and some students, even their grandparents came and ... showed their cultures,” Holmes said.

Participating families brought food and drinks and some even performed.

“I really liked the dances. I thought it was a really cool way of showing culture. It was really awesome,” Holmes said. Parents agree.

“The Fest was fun. I loved some of the food ... My favorite food was the Pilipino food, the egg rolls. They were lovely. I had lots,” said David Pritchard, parent.

Many said the World Fest was a great opportunity to meet people.

“I think it brought the neighborhood together in … a celebration to know about the world. It is not like you are exposed to only one culture, but you could be exposed to other different cultures and you could have a chance to appreciate it … You [also]

get to know more about the world. I think the event was a good opportunity to meet people and have fun on a Friday night,” said Catherine Chen, community member.

The PTO members were also pleased with how the event turned out.

“I was very happy with how it turned out … I saw people getting really happy and excited. My favorite part … was seeing the

kids being so proud of their cultures and the smile on their faces, … really proud,” said Julia Holmes, president of the Lake Bluff PTO and mother of Avery.

Many people who came said Lake Bluff should do the World Fest again next year and make it an annual event.

“They totally should do it again ,” Chen said.

Crystal Liu, sophomore, and Rosa Wil-liams, junior, volunteer at the Project Somalia fundraiser on March 12.

courtesy of Lolita Obolenskya

Guatemala Club fundraisesby Olivia Holbrook

SHS Guatemala Club held its third annual Colectivo night and first Zumba night on March 5 and March 18, respectively. The goal of both events was to raise money for the Los Hogares Orphanage in Santa Apolonia, Guatemala, where SHS Spanish students volunteer every summer for the past 10 years.

Colectivo Night, the first fundraising event of the year has been a tradition at SHS thanks to the aid of the Colectivo enterprise.

“The owners of Colectivo have always been very involved in the club. The Fowlers have gone [to Guatemala], the Millers have gone, so they have always been very generous,” said Julia Clare Liegel, club co-president.

The event is hosted at Colectivo on Prospect Avenue each year; the space is donated to the club for free.

The event consists of musical p e r f o r m a n c e s by Shorewood students, games and bracelet and coffee-sales.

“Every year we play bingo, which gets people involved in the Spanish aspect of the night because we play Spanish bingo,” said Grace Reckmeyer, co-president.

“ [Co lec t ivo Night] just reminded me of how talented kids at Shorewood are. It was fun to bring everyone together for something like that,” said Morgan Florsheim, senior.

The event, which raised over $2,000, provided an opportunity for the club to

“I love how many kinds of people were

able to perform.”-Meghan Curtis,

senior

raise funds for the orphanage, but also gave young Shorewood artists the opportunity to perform.

“It was a lot of fun and it is such a welcoming environment. I love how many kinds of people were able to perform. It was a nice last hurrah for our little group that sang,” said Meghan Curtis, senior.

The success of Colectivo night has expanded each year and the club is excited about carryout the tradition for years to come.

“[Colectivo Night] has grown throughout the past three years and it has been really cool to watch it grow and become this huge event,” Liegel said.

Zumba Night made its SHS debut this year and ended up being very successful.

Cecilia Clasen, SHS alum and Guatemala trip participant, flew into

Milwaukee to lead the event.

“Ceci is a certified Zumba instructor, so whenever we are down [in Guatemala] we do a lot of Zumba with the kids to get them moving and change things up,” Reckmeyer said.

The night also consisted of bake sales and bracelet sales.

“I danced very well at Zumba night. I ate some snacks and drank some beverages after dancing,” said Tony Qian, senior.

The club would love to see Zumba night continue to grow and expand in the near future.

“Hopefully Zumba night will become the next Colectivo Night,” Liegel said.

A student band performs at Guatemala Club’s annual Colectivo night on March 5.

Olivia Loomis

Residents dress up for Lake Bluff’s first World Fest. The event celebrated diversity and culture.

courtesy of Vashti Lozier

Page 4: Volume 97, Issue 8

NewsRipples April 13, 2016

page four

Best Buddies spent their spring break canoeing and camping in the Everglades from March 23 to March 30. The group flew into Fort Myers and was greeted with a 12-mile paddle down the Blackwater River to White Horse Key on the Gulf of Mexico, where they camped for several nights.

Wilderness Inquiry, a M i n n e s o t a -based group that runs adventure v a c a t i o n s , organized the trip. The same group also put together previous trips for Best Buddies to Hawaii and an August camping “trial run” in Northern Wisconsin.

“ W e thought this p a r t i c u l a r p a c k a g e sounded very cool,” said Andy Carey, social studies teacher and chaperone.

T h e experience was a positive one, no matter what obstacles the group had to overcome. They were met with strong headwinds that greatly slowed down their canoeing, and as a result, they were forced to make camp at a closer, but different island. This one’s sandy shores were replaced entirely with sharp shells, and dusk brought in a myriad of undesirable insects including scorpions, contributing to the new name: Bug Island.

“Some of the purpose [of the trip] was to expand the comfort zone and so students began to learn more about themselves and that their limits are beyond what they imagined. They continue to expand the skills that they have demonstrated in the past,” Carey said.

The group was fortunate enough to catch sightings of dolphins and even sharks.

“Watching the reaction of the students and their enjoyment, and seeing them

Best Buddies is selling secondhand prom dresses, $25 each, to raise money for their club. The sale, which takes place in the foods room, started on March 21 and goes until prom on April 16.

“[The goal is] for people to get cheap, $25 prom dresses without having to go to a store,” s a i d S a d i e Wo l f e , freshman.

“Not everybody has … $400 to spend on a dress,” said Christina Gagne, special education teacher.

The money goes to helping the club pay the Best Buddies of Wisconsin organization, but anything extra will go to future trips.

“Just to be a Best Buddies chapter, you have to pay t h e m d u e s at the end of e a c h s c h o o l year. So every chapter does a fundraiser of some sort,” said Alice Svetic, senior.

B e c a u s e the club had no money, they needed to raise some and came up with the idea for the sale.

“ W e wanted to find something that we could do every year ... so that we don’t have to reinvent something and s o w e c a n continue to get more and more dresses,” Gagne said.

According to Gagne, they collected many dress donations.

“People have been super generous. When we started we had almost 75 dresses,” Gagne said.

“We got a lot of dresses — more than I

Best Buddies has a plethora of spring eventsby Abby Widell

Students travel to the Everglades Prom dress sale raises club fundsinteracting with each other was incredible. They could rise to the occasion and conquer the fears that they had and conquer the limitations that they might have put on themselves,” Carey said.

Leading up to the trip, the Best Buddies students worked to become more familiar with what to expect. A week before departure,

C h r i s t i n a Gagne, Best B u d d i e s c o o r d i n a t o r , took everyone to the airport for a look at what lay ahead.

“ P e o p l e think the trip is the main part, but a lot of the traveling and flying in the airport is a huge skill that the Best Buddies need to learn … everyone needs to learn that. We really make sure that they learn to travel by themselves, and while the trip is obviously the best part, it’s definitely not all we are getting out of the experience,”

said Noah Wolfe, junior. The preliminary planning was

instrumental in the success of the trip. Having had prior experience with camping and canoeing from the August expedition made a large difference.

“I would love to have a video clip of us setting up camp that first night in August and then one now to show how much smoother it went in terms of people learning what they are supposed to do,” Carey said.

The club participated in a few fundraisers such as Culver’s Day and a Ticket King Packer

ticket raffle, but the students financed the rest of the trip. However, recent anonymous donations brought in upwards of $2,500, which significantly cut costs.

“People see this as a great cause and decide to give money to support it,” Carey said.

Best Buddies students load canoes. The group traveled to Florida for spring break.

Noah Wolfe

“The purpose [of the trip] was to expand the [students’] com-

fort zones.”-Andy Carey,

chaperone

by Sabine Peterka expected,” Wolfe said. “People seem really interested in it even if they’re not buying because [the dresses] are so cheap and they are really good.”

Best Buddies plans to make the sale an annual event. They will store any dresses they do not sell this year and use them in the sale next year to continue expanding their selection.

Gagne and Wolfe said the sale did not take too much preparation.

“Really it was just making signs so people would know, and to collect the dresses and organize them into sizes

and make sure they were nice. If any of them were dirty or ripped, we wouldn’t sell them,” Wolfe said.

Despite the posters hung a r o u n d t h e school, Gagne said the turnout on the evening they opened could have been better.

“We need to have better a d v e r t i s i n g b e c a u s e w e just didn’t have enough people l a s t n i g h t , ” Gagne said.

Wolfe said the timing was a challenge and that they are busier during lunch than after school.

“A lot of people already bought the i r d r e s s , b u t t h e r e a r e a good amount of people that haven’t. And p e o p l e a r e

coming from other places too, not just Shorewood,” Wolfe said.

“We’re just going to open it up at noon every day and people can come in and look,” Gagne said. “The [dresses] are really nice; some of them still have the tags on them.”

“People can come in and look. The dress-es are really nice; some of them still

have tags on them.”-Christina Gagne,

special education teacher

Meghan Curtis, senior, browses for a prom dress at the Best Buddies sale. Profits will help the group pay dues and fund trips.

Olivia Loomis

encouraged to attend Solar Power Hours, information sessions about Solar Shorewood. As part of the program, residents will receive a free site assessment for their home.

“In an hour we basically provide the amount of information that it might take a homeowner or a business owner two weeks to research on their own,” Murphy said.

The Solar Power Hours are on April

Movement to increase solar energy in Shorewood set to kick off26 at the Three Lions Pub, May 24 at the Shorewood Village Center at the Library, and June 6 at the Shorewood Colectivo, all

at 6 P.M. There will be another event added in July.

“It’s basically like a listening session if residents are interested in learning more. They can hear about solar power in general, how they could install solar power on their house, how it works, what the estimated return on investment might be,

how much the cost might be, how the whole group buy process works, basically just to see how it all works,” Kelm said.

continued from page one The site assessment involves a scheduled appointment with an installer, who evaluates the solar potential of the home, and then provides the home or business owner with a proposal. They then have until the end of July to decide whether or not they want to sign onto the program. While most residents may be skeptical of Wisconsin as a solar hotspot, Murphy assures them that the investment is worth it.

“As far as the amount of sunlight that

“A listening session if residents are

interested in learn-ing more.”

-Peter Murphy,MREA market development

coordinator

“As far as the amount of sunlight that reaches WI, ...

we are perfectly positioned.”

-Peter Murphy,MREA market development

coordinator

reaches Wisconsin, we have a better solar window than Germany, [which] is basically the world leader in solar ... We are perfectly positioned for solar,” Murphy said.

The organizers encourage residents and homeowners to come out and learn about Solar at the Solar Power hours starting this month and coninuing through the summer, even if they are skeptical initially, to

help them make an informed decision.

Page 5: Volume 97, Issue 8

Features RipplesApril 13, 2016

page five

Students collaborate to assemble a motorcycleby Olivia Poole

“The only experience I had going in was how to fix a bicycle. I had no skills,” said Ava Miller, senior.

For the past two months, Miller has been working on the BUILD project.

The program consists of teams of high school students, who have 100 days to take the frame of a motorcycle and rebuild it to a cafe style racing motorcycle.

The finished product is then raced at Road America in June.

“BUILD started around seven years ago, with a group of shop teachers in conjunction with the guy, Tim Dixon who owns the Iron Horse Hotel,” said Kevin Kane, physics teacher.

Kane gathered students to participate for the second time at Shorewood this year.

“In class Mr. Kane talked about the project a couple times, sharing that if we had interest we could ask him about it and set up an interview with two of our mentors and Mr. Kane,” said Calvin Snyder, junior.

“Two years ago I was in a class with Taylor Dennis who would always show me pictures and talk to me about what it was … Ever since, I’ve kept asking Mr. Kane ‘When can I join the team?’” Miller said.

Andy Mauk, head mentor and co-owner of Moto-Scoot, allows students to utilize his service garage, just south of the Urban Ecology Center, and provides the workspace and tools the students need.

The team of seven students, three mentors not affiliated with Shorewood High School and Mr. Kane have high hopes for how the motorcycle will do.

“This year we were given an engine that was refurbished at MATC. All of the teams don’t have the same engine, and last time we weren’t given one,” Kane said.

The bike donated two months ago was run-down and looked nothing like the final product will.

“The first day we came in the bike was super muddy and only had a frame and wheels that were all dusty with spider webs on them, and now that we’re getting our parts back

(Left to right) Jon Georgeson and Joe Kosidowski, seniors, and Calvin Snyder and Will Lanphere, juniors, work on a piece from a motorcycle. The BUILD project is working on rebuilding and redesigning an entire motorcycle for a race in May.

Katie Eder

Shorewood votes for school, village boards

that we’ve painted, cleaned and polished, and we are putting them back together. That’s the most rewarding part,” Miller said.

Three weeks ago they took many parts, the frame and other components to a company in Waukesha that powder coats them. Students had to clean, sand and paint them.

“It was a very interesting process. They [used] very large paint booths the size of a garage, then placed the parts on hangers

into ovens the size of garages,” Kane said. Aside from the mentors, like Miller

said, the team had little prior knowledge.“Had we ever done something

like this experience before? Not even close. But it’s really rewarding that we are building something from scratch, making some parts by ourselves; it’s

a great creative process,” Snyder said.Ben Grabowski, Will Lanphere, and

Snyder, juniors, and Molly Eder, Jon Georgeson, Joe Kosidowski and Miller, seniors, will have a busy next couple weeks of crunch time finishing the motorcycle before testing it on April 24.

“I have no concerns at all about [not] finishing on time or [not] doing a great job. We have Andy, who is so knowledgeable and there to help,” Miller said.

The students are learning everything from painting to welding to simple mechanical skills.

“It’s a great opportunity, and has been a very rewarding experience for the students as we don’t offer shop classes here, so this is really the only opportunity,” Kane said.

With engine testing at the end of

April and the first race at the Blackhawk in May, the project will be coming to close before the school year ends.

“The hardest part is starting from not knowing anything. Sometimes I feel pretty lost when it comes to things like names of parts,” Miller said.

“Some parts are frustrating, [like] when things we’ve worked hard on stuff that doesn’t fit and we have to redo it, which can be unfortunate, but there’s nothing that would make

me wish I hadn’t done it,” Snyder said. The motorcycle will be shown at a

contest at the Iron Horse in May, where it will be judged on aesthetics and engineering.

“I’m having a fun time and I’m looking forward to seeing the motorcycle raced in May,” Kane said.

“It’s really reward-ing that we are

building something from scratch.”

-Calvin Snyder,junior

“The only experi-ence I had going

in was how to fix a bicycle.”

-Ava Miller, senior

On Tuesday, April 5, the 2016 spring elections and the Wisconsin presidential preference primary took place. Shorewood residents cast their votes for up to two seats on school board and up to two seats on the village board. There were three candidates for each race. In the school board race, Joanne Lipo Zovic, who was appointed interim board member earlier this year after Rob Reinhoffer resigned, won one of the two seats with 37% of the vote. Hilary DeBlois also won a seat on the board, with 29% of the vote, narrowly beating Nate Cade, who won 27% of the vote. In the race for village board, Allison Rozek won with the largest percentage of the vote: 37%. Incumbent Tammy Bockhorst won a second term as trustee with 34% of the vote, beating Dillon Grimes, who received 29% of the vote.

Wisconsin residents also cast their ballot for their

preferred presidential candidate. In that race on the Democratic side,

Bernie Sanders carried the state with 57% of

the vote, compared to Hillary Clinton’s 43%. On the Republican side, Ted Cruz

prevailed with a large margin of the vote

DeBlois, Lipo Zovic win school board; Bockhorst, Rozek win village boardover both Donald Trump and John Kasich, with a total of 48% of the vote.

In the close race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, Justice Rebecca Bradley beat out Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg, winning a second term on Wisconsin’s highest court with 52% of the vote.

In the race for Milwaukee mayor, Tom Barrett crushed Alderman Bob Donovan 70%-30%, winning reelection for what will be his fourth consecutive term.

Chris Abele comfortably beat State Senator Chris Larson, winning a second term as Milwaukee County executive, with 56% of the vote.

Scott Walker’s nominees fared poorly in local judicial elections. In the 31st Circuit Court, Hannah C. Dugan defeated Paul Rifelj 65%-35%. The 45th Circuit Court election was significantly closer, with Jean Marie Kies beating out Michelle Ackerman Havas in a race that ended 50%-50%. Kies won by only 1,086 votes.

Residents vote at the Shorewood Public Library on April 5. The election included candidates for Shorewood school, village board, president and others.

Eli Frank

Page 6: Volume 97, Issue 8

FeaturesRipples April 13, 2016

page six

Utah trip promotes learning, explorationby Elena Cruz

10 upperclassmen traveled to Utah over spring break for a nine-day trip led by Mike Gregornik, physical education, Watershed Wisdom and adventure education teacher.

The group drove through Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado on their way to Utah, going from an urban environment to the wi lde rness .

“Right after school on Thursday, we jumped in the van and we drove to Omaha, [Nebraska] — which was our first stop — stayed at a hotel in Omaha, and then the next morning we left there and arrived in Moab, [Utah]. So it’s about 24 hours of driving,” Gregornik said.

T h a t n i g h t w a s s p e n t u n d e r the stars at Horse Thief Campground.

“It’s way up high on a plateau, and it’s very close to a place called Dead Horse Point, which is supposed to be the most photographed spot in the United States. It’s really beautiful. You’re high over the Colorado River, and you’ve just got this huge vista which is really gorgeous,” G r e g o r n i k s a i d .

T h e y e x p l o r e d Arches National Park b e f o r e c o n t i n u i n g their journey, driving toward Willow Canyon, a remote campsite, even tua l ly ha l t i ng their travels within Grand Staircase National Monument.

“It was just three days of living on the land,” said Luis Roche, junior. “After we went through the first couple of days of Utah, we drove, stopped at certain places, but they were just generic campsites with little stores and stuff. But then for three days, we hiked probably four or five miles into this canyon, ... and we literally only had whatever we brought in our packs for three days. No phones, no nothing; just chilling underneath the stars.”

This being the main destination of the trip, the students spent the most time in this

location, immersing themselves in nature.“We base camped on top of a hill, and

then maybe 30 feet from our tents was this giant, curved-in canyon,” Roche said. “That’s where we would cook, hang out, [and] play cards, whatever. By [our tents], there was a

fifty-foot drop, and there was this little stream. Across the stream was a giant arch, probably a hundred feet [long].”

The group also visi ted a waterfall , hiked to the Escalante River, walked through chest-deep water at Slot Canyon and hunted for stones or petrified wood before packing up and heading home.

During the return journey, the group

then experienced two more highlights of the trip, both of which occurred within different atmospheres. The first pit stop was Glenwood Springs; the second was Crave.

“The hot springs were amazing. This was the coldest year of all sixteen years doing the

trip, which kind of stunk, but the hot springs were so much better because it was freezing out,” said Marlee Lane, senior. “We had a good time just relaxing after a lot of days in the backcountry.”

Later they parked their van at Crave, a l o c a l r e s t a u r a n t i n C a s t l e R o c k .

“It was kind of a celebration dinner. It’s really good, it’s a hamburger place; but

for example they have donut buns — the buns are actually donuts — and two grilled cheese sandwiches with hamburger patties in between and all of the fixings. You eat bazaar burgers, and everyone pretty much had something different,” Gregornik said.

The group stayed at Castle Rock that night, and then drove home to make it back to Shorewood by 10 P.M. on Saturday.

Of all the experiences, students said their favorite parts of the trip had involved interactions with their fellow classmates.

“The best part was the car rides. I

Senior editors travel abroad with their Ripples

“It was such a diverse group ... It’s about learning about new perspectives.”

-Marlee Lane,senior

Maggie Burghardt, junior, journeys through a slot canyon near Escalante. This was one of the many canyons the group explored on their 9-day trip to Utah.

courtesy Marlee Lane

Mike Gregornik, trip coordinator, leads Sydney Widell, senior, through rock forma-tions in Devil’s Garden, where the group stopped on their way into Escalante.

courtesy Marlee Lane

know that sounds kind of weird because we were supposed to be camping, but the car rides were really cool. I mean, we spent four days in total driving and were just enclosed with everybody and got to know everybody really well on the way there, and then it was hard knowing on the way back we just had to separate,” Roche said.

“It was such a diverse group,” Lane said. “Learning others’ opinions and

views and getting to know them outside of school was really nice. That’s what I would say about all of [Gregornik’s] trips: it’s about the people and learning about new perspectives in a different environment and apprecia t ing nature together.”

The Utah trip occurred from March 24 until April 2, and Gregornik will be leading similar independent trips to Wyoming and Quetico this coming summer for students as well.

“No phones, no nothing; just

chilling underneath the stars.”

-Luis Roche,junior

Celeste Carroll, senior and copy editor, reminisc-es with Ripples on her balcony in Calella, Spain.

Olivia LoomisSydney Widell, senior and features editor, hits the slopes in Utah with her Ripples earlier this month.

Abby WidellMonica Dix, senior and managing editor of staff, takes her Ripples to a church in Paris, France.

courtesy of Monica Dix

Page 7: Volume 97, Issue 8

Features RipplesApril 13, 2016

page seven

Junior excels in chemistry competitionAkshaya Kannan, junior, will travel

to Carroll College on April 22 to take the national Chemistry Olympiad test after placing sixth out of 105 participants in the local competition last month.

“Chemistry Olympiad is a local and national competition where students take a very difficult chemistry exam and compete with other local or regional students as far as who does the best on that exam,” said Kris King, chemistry teacher.

Kannan qualified for the national test in the preliminary round against local students.

“There are three stages to [Chemistry Olympiad], this was the first one, this was the local one… a 60 question multiple choice test, and then a tie breaker section that is short answer,” Kannan said. “Anyone who places in the top ten would move on to nationals.”

In the national competition, Kannan will compete against more than a thousand other students on a more difficult exam.

“I’m really nervous because it’s going to be three times as hard,” Kannan said. “This one’s going to be 60 multiple choice for the first part, and then for the second part there’s going to be a critical thinking portion. For the third part you have to do two labs … it’s all within a span of close to five hours.”

The top 20 scorers in the national competition will continue on to a study camp

by Maya Schnieder

Akshaya Kannan, junior, is all smiles after placing 6th in the state Chemistry Olym-piad competition. Kannan will compete nationally this April.

Olivia Loomis

After 120 years, funeral home remains influentialby Ananya Murali

Feerick Funeral Home, a local funeral business, celebrates its 120th anniversary this year.

“We’re family-owned, family-run,” said Kyle Feerick, funeral director. “It’s wonderful to be able to help people through those difficult times.”

Kyle is the fifth generation of Feerick to be in the business, and has been working at the family business since he was 16.

The family business started with a man named William Feerick. Living on a farm in the Wauwatosa area, William started a delivery service using a horse and carriage, taking things to and from town. He was well known for this service, mostly because his horses had plumes and were easily recognizable. In 1896, he decided to begin his own funeral home while still continuing to be a delivery service. The family business moved to Shorewood in 1933.

“It’s great to be able to work with your family and carry on a tradition that’s been going on for a long time,” Kyle said.

Patrick Feerick, fourth generation, is also a funeral director.

“It’s a very emotional business,” Patrick said. “People are really counting on us; you can’t just go back and redo a funeral.”

Feerick Funeral Home is a small home with five staff members.

“Most people don’t have any idea how

from which four students will be chosen to represent the United States in an international

competition.According to King,

Kannan’s performance at the local level was impressive.

“She was very self motivated to do this … She scored sixth, well above average for AP chemistry students taking the test,” King said.

Kannan attests her performance to

preparation and help from King.“I used their

previous exams that they put online, … then I checked my answers. Anything I was doubtful on I would ask … Mr. King and he would explain to me how to do it,” Kannan said.

Kannan was also motivated from a previous experience with the test.

“I also did Chemistry Olympiad last

year as a first year chemistry student and found it very difficult … I didn’t qualify for nationals that time, but it motivated me to do it again and aim much higher this time,” Kannan said.

Because of the heightened level of difficulty on the national exam, Kannan will up her preparation for the test.

“They also have previous years’ [national] exams posted on the website so I’ll take a look at that … I’ll take a look at the types of labs they expect us to do and then what types of critical thinking questions they will ask,” Kannan said.

Erin Szablewski, junior and Kannan’s classmate, said her success is well deserved.

“Akshaya’s passion for chemistry is really impressive … it’s amazing to be able to see her achieve success in something she loves,” Szablewski said.

Although she is nervous, Kannan looks forward to the national competition.

“I’m really nervous, but I’m really excited because I was thrilled to qualify for it,” Kannan said.

King is proud to see Kannan’s success.“She should be very proud of herself,

and I am very proud of her,” King said.

Kannan is thankful for King’s help and looks ahead with excitement.

“I’m really thankful to [King] for helping me … I ask so many questions often, … he’s always open to them all the time,” Kannan said. “I’m definitely nervous

for nationals but equally as excited.”

much time goes into all the preparation, behind the scenes. They don’t realize the amount of dedication and commitment we have to put in,” Patrick said. “Every family, everybody deals with death in a different way, whether it’s for someone who had an early death or someone who has had a wonderful life and passed away at 95.”

The unique thing about the Feerick home is that they do everything they can to help out the family.

“We make sure the same person is following through from beginning to end,” Patrick said.

When a family first approaches the business, the director present spends time getting to know the family and the person.

“It’s such an honor to help people honor someone that they

really love,” Patrick said. The Feerick Funeral Home is planning

to have a summer event to celebrate their 120 years in the community.

“I was able to get from Mayor Tom Barrett a proclamation of ‘120 Years of Family Owned Business’ to hang in the funeral home,” Kyle Feerick said.

Kyle is also known outside of the business.

“I’m kind of known as a mortician musician,” Kyle said. “I play at Harry’s Bar and Grill every Thursday night. It’s great to see families that I’ve worked with in a different environment; it’s a nice balance in my life.”

“It’s great to be able to work with your family and carry

on a tradition that’s been going on for a

long time.”-Kyle Feerick,

Funeral director

“I’m definitely ner-vous for nationals,

but ... excited.”-Akshaya Kannan,

junior

“Akshaya’s passion for chemistry is

really impressive.”-Erin Szablewski,

junior

Feerik Funeral home on Capitol Drive in Shorewood will celebrate its 120th year of business this summer. The home has been in the Feerick family for four generations.

Ben Davis

Feerick celebrates anniversary of their local buisness this year

Page 8: Volume 97, Issue 8

Ripples April 13, 2016

page eight

RipplesApril 13, 2016

page nine

The following information reflects the amount of times students have smoked marijuana within the last 30 daysFreshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors

Drugs and alcohol within the high school halls:

students react and discuss their

usageA sample of 50 students from each grade

were surveyed in homeroom, shar-ing their thoughts on drugs and

alcohol. The following information reflects

the reports of the 200 teenag-

ers.

Teens share their views on marijuana Teens share their views on alcohol

The reported likeliness of doing drugs in the future, per grade:School-attendance under the in-

fluence and moral stances:Why students use illegal sub-

stances:

Of the

students that have

used drugs within their lifetimes, 29%

said they did so because they helped them relax,

28% said it was because they made them happy

and 12%said it was because they

helped them forget reality.

33% of the

student body reported that they believe drugs

are bad, while 9% think that using them is

okay. That left 58% of the school to say that

their stance depends on the specific drug.

Additionally, 22% of the student body

has come to school under the influence of an

illegal substance.

Spread, survey and graph-ics by Elena Katrina Cruz

Pho-tography by Elena

K. Cruz and Olivia Loomis

“There’s not a problem with moderate amounts of alco-hol … but I think it’s unhealthy and danger-

ous the way people drink in high school.”

-Chris Zak, junior

“Right now we’re in a safe zone with our parents and friends around us ... I think that kids should ex-periment with al-cohol to learn their

limits. Soon we’re going to go to college ... and it’s important to learn how to [be safe] now ... while we have that support to fall back on.”

-Eliana Wasserman, senior

“I am against al-cohol because it really chang-es your person-ality when you use it, and it influences you

to do bad things, and still people choose to do it because they think it’s cool.”

-Jeanna Allen, sophomore

“It’s horrible and it shouldn’t be allowed. It inhibits perfor-mance in school, it is probably pretty unhealthy

for you, and there are lots of oth-er ways to deal with life.”

-Scott Rothrock, sophomore

“I don’t think there’s a prob-lem with it. I mean it is illegal, but you can do what you want with your body;

you can make your own choices.”

-Maya Giordino, freshman

“I am not op-posed to the use of mari-juana amongst high school stu-dents … The real problem

is the social stigma ... There are a lot of applications of that substance.”

-Zach Lipo Zovic, senior

“I’m gener-ally against it because it de-creases the cog-nitive ability … I think espe-cially with the

pressures that we’re under it isn’t good for high schoolers.”

-Veronica Madell, sophomore

“It’s very harm-less … Medically, it’s been proven to help depres-sion and anxiety and stuff like that, so I think

if people open their eyes to the posi-tives about it, it can be very helpful.”

-Elie Ben Bordow, senior

5-6 times: 2%

11+ times: 4%

0 times: 60%1-2 times: 14%

3-4 times: 4%

7-8 times: 16%

0 times: 91%

11+ times: 7%5-6 times: 2%

0 times: 58%

1-2 times: 14%

3-4 times: 6%

5-6 times: 2%

7-8 times: 2%

11+ times: 18%

0 times: 77%

1-2 times: 8%

3-4 times: 4%

9-10 times: 2%

11+ times: 9%

The percentage of high school students who have used the following drugs:

0%0%

20%

20%

40%

40%

60%

60%

80%

80%

100%

100%

= Freshmen = Sophomores = Juniors = Seniors

Alcohol: 68% Marijuana: 59%

Molly: 7%

Prescription Drugs: 5%

Hallucinogens: 7.5%

Crack/Cocaine: 5%

Adderall: 10.5% Meth: 3%

Heroin: 3.5% Other 8.5%

Chance of using an illegal substance

Perc

enta

ge o

f gra

de

Page 9: Volume 97, Issue 8

Arts & EntertainmentRipples April 13, 2016

page ten

Shorewood Intermediate School preformed Aladdin Junior, much to the del ight of the community and students involved, on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 P.M.

“I found the show to be both highly entertaining and interesting. It was well done with a real ly talented cast,” said Layna Wang, freshman.

The cast consisted of seventh and eighth graders, a mix of both returning and new actors.

“I did Ms. Van Loon’s Shorewood Drama Junior classes in fourth grade and then my commitment escalated to where it is now, with me being in the middle school show,” said Vivien Janairo, eighth grader and ensemble member.

Janairo is passionate about theater and plans to continue auditioning in the future, as Aladdin was a great experience for her.

“Drama is a really great community, especial ly in this show, we’ve al l become friends. I love it,” Janairo said.

Desp i t e no t r ece iv ing a l ead , Janairo had just as much fun, and received just as much out of the process.

“I was in the ensemble of the show

Aladdin Junior entertains viewersby Olivia Poole last year … and this year I’m in ‘higher’

ensemble, but honestly I’m really lucky to be a part of the show,” Janairo said.

Not just the middle school students participating worked hard on the show.

A combined group of technicians from the middle school and high school did as well.

“I put tons of time into Aladdin, Monday through Friday and sometimes on the

weekends, but that never bothers me. We have a good time and get a lot done,” said Ikshvak Sobti, freshman and stage manager.

T h e c a s t e x p e r i e n c e d s o m e stress regarding their limited rehearsal time, and packed tech week, although this did not a ffec t the opening night of the show.

Some would even vouch that this cram time is normal, and even fun.

“My favorite part of the process is the way things get put together. Working on a show is like a giant puzzle where, in the end, everything gets put into place, sometimes not till opening night,” Janairo said.

Of the middle schoolers in the cast, there were little to no complaints about any of the requirements they had to meet.

“Some people may say that the only negative is that rehearsals can

run long but really, it’s all part of the process so I don’t mind,” Janairo said.

Open auditions were held, and soon after, a cast list was posted, complete with students of all backgrounds and skill sets.

“Auditions are a little spooky at first, but I’ve done a few now, so I’m more used to it, and the director’s and stage managers here are all so friendly, which makes everything easier,” Janairo said.

The cast of Aladdin Junior smile after a successful performance. The show was high energy and fun, introducing a group of young performers to the big stage.

courtesy of Joe King

SIS students have opportunity to collaborate in entertaining show

“I found the show to be both highly enter-taining and interest-

ing.”-Layna Wang,

freshman

Shimana Bose

Cartoon

(Top) Cole Falkner’s photograph, “Off Balance” and (Bottom) Morgan Florsheim’s digital artpiece, “Movement.” Both won a silver key.

Seniors win art awardsScholastic honors exceptional work

Two Shorewood High School students won awards for their exceptional artwork in the national Scholastic competition.

Scholastic honored artists from around the country with art awards ea r l i e r i n the yea r, and many

Shorewood students were recipients. However, for the June nationals event,

Cole Falkner and Morgan Florsheim, seniors, were each awarded a silver key. Falkner was honored for a photograph, Florsheim for a graphic arts piece.

Page 10: Volume 97, Issue 8

Arts & Entertainment RipplesApril 13, 2016

page eleven

Issue 8 crossword puzzle and solutionsby Shimana Bose

ACROSS1. To stick out 4. A disorderly and defeated retreat 8. Duck quacks cannot do this 12. Express anger 13. Radius and _____

14. Person who attends a place regularly 16. River in Europe 17. To fix 18. 1/16 of a pound19. Geeks and ______21. Basketball player, Chris _____

23. Sounds to get one’s attention 24. Where people go to relax 25. Representative symbol 27. Mineral ____29. Opposite of work 30. Type of antelope 31. Abbreviation of gigabyte

34. Author Louisa May ____37. ____ vineyards 38. The whole quantity or extent of a particular group or thing39. A small stream 40. Museo Nacional del Prado is an ____ museum 41. Three 42. ____ been working on the railroad 43. Not hard 45. Type of African tree 47. Morning ____48. Used in Chinese cooking 49. Preferred color of cheeks 50. Mother _____51. Type of wood 52. Insect similar to a wasp 55. South American beverage 58. The villain is 60. Excalibur 62. Area where events are held 64. Leave out 66. Curious to learn something 67. Respond 68. Brand of jeans 69. Clean 70. Side of a ship that is sheltered from the wind71. Willow, oak, pine, birch for example72. Golf ____

DOWN1. Type of sweet drink 2. Shadow of an eclipse 3. _____ off 4. Regret 5. Alumni of boy’s school 6. Labor ____ 7. Tattoos 8. Self- esteem

9. Type of car 10. Not a rooster but…(plural) 11. Azog 12. Type of wetland (plural) 15. Egyptian god of deserts and storms20. Mineral between sand and clay 22. Song by Boubacar Traoré26. ____ and Mouse 28. Chess opening, ____ Lopez 29. Abbreviation for a politician 30. Obtain 31. Clothes 32. Character from Legend of Zelda 33. Lump 34. Dry 35. Remain alive 36. The cords by which a hammock is suspended37. Inquire closely 40. Question 41. Objects children play with 43. Female sheep 44. Vessel regarded by a shipping-classification society as being equipped to the highest standard 45. Type of snake 46. Interrogates 49. Experience again 50. As a consequence 51. Used to measure time 52. Undercarriage with four or six wheels pivoted beneath the end of a railroad car53. Wear away 54. Nervous 55. Spanish word for sea 56. Size 57. Type of freshwater duck 59. SI unit of electromotive force61. SI unit of power63. Past tense of eat 65. What is done with shoelaces

Issue 8 sudoku puzzle Issue 7 crossword solution

Page 11: Volume 97, Issue 8

Arts & EntertainmentRipples April 13, 2016

page twelve

From the award winning author of Life of Pi, Spanish-born Canadian author, Yann Martel, comes another amazing story of humor, imagination and grief: The High Mountains of Portugal. While it contains similar themes to Life of Pi, Portugal contains a fresh and imaginative look completely different from Martel’s previous novels.

Portugal is Martel’s latest novel, just released this February. The novel consists of three shorter novellas that intertwine into one greater story as each individual story complements the others.

T h e f i r s t a n d longest story begins in Lisbon in 1904, with the introduction of a young man, Tomás as he mourns the deaths of his wife and son. When Tomás finds the journal of a 17th century priest who assisted slaves, Tomás finds that his own grief is synonymous and begins a journey to find an artifact that may help him seek his revenge on God, and “redefine” history.

While surrounded by death and darkness, Martel lightens Tomás’s pain and his heavy atmosphere with flickers of humor and slapstick comedy. The atmosphere continuously lightens as Tomás borrows his uncle’s automobile, and becomes an symbol of wonder as he travels across Portugal in search of the mysterious artifact mentioned in the journal.

The saga continues as the tale moves ahead 35 years into the future, in the 1930’s to meet another character in mourning. We find a Portuguese pathologist and avid fan of Agatha Christie, Dr. Lozora, in grief over the death of his wife. However, another level of depth is added to the story when

High Mountains of Portugal captivatesthe wife comes back as a talkative ghost.

Our pathologist creates a mystery of his own, and is sucked into a world of ghostly enigmas and the remnants of Tomás’s quest. In this story, Dr. Lozora and his phantasmal wife discuss and compare the meaning of the Gospels to Agatha Christie’s works, comparing themes that can be found in Martel’s other works.

Unlike the first story of adventure, Martel brings an entire story out of one night in Dr. Lozora’s office during an autopsy, with less humor and touches more on serious themes and ideas, such as fiction as the tools of truth. The conversation becomes an allegory surrounding dea th , so r row and t h e t r u e m e a n i n g of the human soul.

Martel continues his narrative of sorrow and grief in the final, and in my opinion, most moving story, that takes place decades later. Fifty years after Dr. Lozora’s conversation with his ghostly wife, a Canadian senator, Peter Tovy, returns to Portugal after the death of his wife.

In a combination of themes found in the previous tales, Martel intertwines and combines them to form the most powerful and heartfelt of stories of how Tovy overcomes his depression and grief. In his overwhelming misery and sorrow, Tovy retreats from his friends, job and previous home into a dark vortex of his despair and loneliness. However, in his escape, he visits a chimpanzee refuge in Oklahoma, where he surprisingly connects and makes a friend with one of the chimpanzees.

To heal his soul, Tovy allows the countryside and his new friend to alleviate him of his pain. As the quest started by Tomás comes to its finale, the journey

of love and loss comes full circle. O v e r a l l , P o r t u g a l s p i n s a

tale of a heartfelt guest of three men, decades apart, to overcome their grief.

With quirky writing and odd phrases that add to the vivid storytelling, The High Mountains of Portugal enchants and distributes with touches of magical realism that keep the reader on the edge of their

Advertisement

Yann Martel’s newest novel is story of imagination, grief, humanityby Shimana Bose

If you read and en-joyed Life of Pi, ... The High Moun-

tains of Portugal is a must-read.

seats. Martel creates a novel filled with the supernatural, adventure, love and loss that takes the reader on a journey of the human soul greater than anyone thought could be possible.

If you read and enjoyed Life of Pi, or enjoy magical realism or journeys of discovery, understanding or the meaning of the human soul, The High Mountains of Portugal is a must-read.

The cover of Yahn Martel’s The High Mountains of Portugal. Martel’s newest novel deals with themes like life, grief, adventure, love and loss.

courtesy of NPR.org

Page 12: Volume 97, Issue 8

Op/Ed RipplesApril 13, 2016

page thirteen

Ripples

EDITOR IN CHIEFElena Katrina Cruz

MANAGING EDITOR OF STAFFMonica Elizabeth Dix

NEWS EDITORMonica Elizabeth Dix

FEATURES EDITORSydney Katharine Widell

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOREli Jacob Frank

OPINIONS EDITORElena Katrina Cruz

SPORTS EDITORMaeve “The Irish” McKaig

WEBSITE EDITORAnanya Murali

ASSISTANT WEBSITE EDITORMartha Katherine Dix

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORSEli Jacob Frank

Maeve “The Irish” McKaig

DEPUTY PAGE EDITORSShimana Meghan BoseSarah Katherine Eder

COPY EDITORSCeleste Bernadette CarrollMaya Celeste Schneider

Justine Marie SporeMadeline Elizabeth Wilson

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORSBen Samuel Davis

Olivia Grace Loomis

BUISNESS MANAGER Olivia Lynn Holbrook

ADVISORMichael Cody Halloran

By tradition and practice, Ripples is an open forum and provides a guaranteed outlet for student expression. Ripples subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, including the obligation to perform with intelligence, objectivity, accuracy and fairness.

Editorials are unsigned and represent the majority opinion of the Ripples editorial staff. Signed letters to the Editor are welcome, but the staff reserves the right to edit for grammar and length. For more information, contact any editor or the advisor.

Ripples reserves the right to deny advertising space to any ad deemed deceiving or misleading. Libelous ads and those containing misstatements or mistruths are unacceptable. Publication of an advertisement in Ripples does not indicate endorsement of that ad.

Ripples students do all work to bring ten issues per year to press.

First class postage paid in Shorewood. A subscription to Ripples is available for $25.00 per year. Mail payment to:

Shorewood Ripples Shorewood High School

1701 E. Capitol Drive Shorewood, WI 53211

Phone Number: (414) 961-3128

Email address: [email protected]

Ideas?Submissions?Suggestions?

Letters to the Editor?

Contact a Ripples editor or advisor at the number or email address listed above.

Make-up policy needs revisionsEder you

like it or not

Katie Eder

In November, I was biking on North Avenue when someone swung their car door open, causing me to flip over their door and fly into the street. I landed, stunned, in the middle of North Avenue. Afterwards, sitting in the emergency room, in addition to thinking about how much my head and arm hurt, I was mostly dreading all the gym classes I was going to have to make up.

Luckily, my injuries were minor and only required me to be out of my zero hour Team Concepts class for a few weeks; however, it was still incredibly stressful and overwhelming to make up all the gym classes I missed before the semester ended in January.

My experience is not unique. I am one of the many students at Shorewood who are injured or become ill while enrolled in a gym class and must make up every missed class, even as they recover. The physical education department needs to reassess the gym makeup policies they strictly and universally enforce. Sick and injured students often are more stressed, both physically and mentally, about making up gym classes than about getting better.

For physical education class at our school, every day missed must be made up outside of your normal gym class period. Even with a doctor’s note, all students, regardless of the nature of their illness or injury, are required to make up every missed class.

If students do not make up their missed classes, their grades suffer. According to physical education department policy, with the exception of exercising with heart rate monitors, students are only allowed to do each of the other accepted makeup activities once — and there are only eight of them, including doing one home makeup, going to one open swim, attending one varsity game or going to one booster club-sponsored presentation. This rule limits the use of alternative gym makeup activities,

perhaps activities appropriate for someone who has an injury or illness. Furthermore, the recreation department and booster club presentations rarely happen, and students cannot influence when they will happen.

Because of the lack of options for gym makeups, if you have a lengthy illness or injury, you must come in before or after school, during lunch or during a free period to exercise with a heart rate monitor.

Like many students at Shorewood, I have no free periods in my schedule, and I have a club almost every day during lunch. For this reason, in order to make up my missed gym classes after my accident, I came to school around 6:10 A.M. everyday for nearly a month, to exercise with a heart rate monitor. I did this despite the fact that I was still recovering from my accident. My story is not extreme, as many students at Shorewood have similar experiences. In some cases, students are forced to drop their required gym class because they simply do not have time to finish the makeups within the semester.

The physical education policy states that, “If your son/daughter has extenuating circumstances during the semester, every effort will be made by the PE staff to create alternative assignments/activities/makeups that are acceptable by you, their doctors

and the PE staff. These modifications will be made on a case by case basis.” Despite the existence of this policy, few students are allowed to pursue such a path. Instead, students who are injured or ill struggle, often for weeks, to make up missed gym classes by exercising with a heart rate monitor.

Physical education is vital, especially because the obesity level, even among teens, is on the rise and students spend lots of time sedentary in front of screens. However, the current implementation of the policy on missed physical education classes is detrimental to the well being of ill and injured students. This makeup policy for missed classes does not exist for any of our academic classes. We do not have to come in and sit in additional classes and listen to more lectures when we are sick.

Ideally, if students have a valid medical excuse, they should be excused from their missed gym classes without being penalized. If we need to make up gym, it is far better to let us make up missed classes at home with activities appropriate for our current state of health — activities that help to preserve and build both our mental and physical well being. The physical education department needs to reassess their gym makeup policy to ensure that all students are safe and healthy.

Jeff Zimpel

From the lab: a political perspectiveTeacher captures moment from recent Milwaukee rally

Jeff Zimpel

Page 13: Volume 97, Issue 8

Op/EdRipples April 13, 2016

page fourteen

It’s time to take a break from homeworkIt’s Mi-again

Cela Migan

As the last bell rung, signaling the end of seventh hour and the start of spring break, I left school elated, choosing to ignore the pit of worry that had formed within the depths of my stomach. I had hoped, as the week progressed, to find out that my teachers were letting me off the hook with homework and projects, but, sadly, that was not the case.

It was professed to me multiple times that the assigned homework was not due as soon as we got back from break, but rather the week of. This seemed to be a poor substitution to me. If teachers assured us we wouldn’t have to work on it over break, why would they assign it?

Why let us go on our spring break with the ever-looming guilt and dread of knowing that once the break ended we would be drowning in homework and projects? Upon returning from break, the furious scramble would begin to finish assignments put off by plans and procrastination. To spare students the stress and sanity, teachers should not assign homework or projects before break.

Teachers do assign homework before break as a courtesy to notify the student of the impending due date and give them a chance to get a head start, but this often only inspires feelings of panic and awful foreboding for both those who are going away and staying home.

I did not jet off on an exotic trip over spring break, opting instead to stay within Shorewood. The free time I could have enjoyed was tarnished by feelings of guilt and obligation. I felt the need to start chipping away at the mountain of assignments that awaited me in order to not be thoroughly buried once school resumed.

The purpose of a break is to give the students and faculty a chance to rest and recharge, which the students are unable to do with assignments hanging over their heads.

The 2009 documentary film Race to Nowhere brought attention to the stress placed on students regarding the competitiveness and overscheduling in schools. It advocated for change in the school system and for educators to get rid of homework over weekends and breaks.

Race to Nowhere was shown in more than 7,000 schools and was a factor in

the decision to prohibit homework for elective classes at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, NJ.

A study at Duke University, led by Professor Harris Cooper, published in the spring 2006 edition of Review of Educational Research, found that homework has a positive effect on achievement — so long as it’s within moderation. The research was consistent with a “ten-minute rule,” suggesting the prime amount of homework that teachers should assign. The rule works in having teachers increase the amount of homework given by ten minutes for each grade; so a third grader would have

30 minutes of homework and a high school senior would have two hours.It should also be under consideration that students complete assignments at different rates. One student could finish all of their assignments on the first day of the break or be just fine starting and completing it the week that school resumes. Another may need all of break and not have the chance because of vacation plans.

The school board for the Princeton Public Schools in Princeton, NJ passed a resolution in 2015 that implemented one homework-free weekend per semester and banned projects or tests from being

due immediately after a break. Its purpose was to allow the students time to read for pleasure, explore their interests outside of school, spend time with their family and engage in outside activities.

Students should leave school jubilant for spring break and not be brought down by the prospect of assignments. Instead of assigning homework with strict due dates, teachers could offer extra credit projects, or suggest reading for fun or exploring an activity related to what’s going on in the classroom. Spring break is all about rest, relaxation, recreation and recharging -- it should not come with strings attached.

Ben Davis

The elaborate rituals that make up a high school prom are iconic. A quintessential American high school experience, prom, is composed of many hours of dramatic (and sometimes tearful) meddling, hundreds of dollars in attire and cuisine, countless c o n v e r s a t i o n s with inquisitive mothers and an anxious anticipation surpassed only by wedding c e r e m o n i e s . After such lavish preparations, to step foot in the high school arena seems not only disappointing, but unsuitable.

This spring, students were surprised to discover that prom would no longer be held at 1451 Renaissance Place, but instead in the SHS arena. This change can be attributed to a decision made by prom committee’s advisor, who chose the local venue after finding other

options booked during prom weekend. The Ripples editorial staff is confident

that the prom committee will work hard to transform the gymnasium setting to create an appropriate look for such an event. We

believe the memories prom is dedicated to producing can still be created on April 16, regardless of the setting.

However, the editors anticipate prom will return to its original venue, or one of equal appeal, next year. Upon hearing about the modification in setting,

many students were upset. Prom is the dance that attracts the highest numbers of students; indeed, it is one of the most highly attended student events of the whole year. Many look forward to the rare opportunity to splurge, the excuse to dress up and the chance to participate in an American tradition that for some marks a pinnacle high school experience. To maintain the importance and reputation of the event,

the prom committee must be committed to keeping a high standard for all aspects of the evening. The high school should provide a more regal experience for this significant event than our mundane arena.

The editors trusts that the decorations, DJ and food will all be satisfactory, but no matter how many decals are slapped onto the wall, a high school gym will be difficult to sell as glamorous. Instead of driving to the previously-used East Side location, couples will pull up in their high school parking lot, spending their prom in the same place they might have played a sweaty game of kickball in gym class earlier that week. A dance in the gym will be painfully reminiscent of bad 90s movies and stories of hormonal teens hooking up in the dingy light of the parking lot.

The cost reduction is one change that was met with elation, and the

option to go to prom will now be available to a wider group of students.

We question the manner in which the decision of the new location was made. The editors suggest that the future arrangement of venue should be a decision made by the student body. The setting of prom is a significant detail in which the student body should have

a larger voice. The more the student’s input is considered, the more enjoyable the experience will be for them — an experience that is the centerpiece of many students’ high school career.

Many Ripples editors look forward

to attending Shorewood’s prom this spring. Nonetheless, we hope the prom committee will reconsider their shift in location in following years, should the student body voice a preference for a different venue.

Editorial

High school gym lacks suitable elegance

The future arrange-ment of venue should

be a decision made by the student body.

Prom is the dance that attracts the highest numbers of students.

Page 14: Volume 97, Issue 8

Sports RipplesApril 13, 2016

page fifteen

Soccer welcomes large freshman turnoutby Sydney Widell

Girls soccer is seeing record-breaking freshman participation this season, with underclassmen making up more than half of the team’s 42 players. With two freshman making varsity after last

month’s tryouts, the underclassmen are already proving to be beneficial assets to the team, as well as ensuring the team’s potential in the next few years.

“It’s a really fun experience to get to play with the older girls, and I’ve gotten to meet so many new people,” said Josie Lang,

Softball team looks ahead with new leader

Shorewood High School is bringing a new look to the girls softball team this spring.

With the addition of a new varsity head coach, Amy Keel, who previously coached Homestead High School’s JV team, the team hopes to have its first winning season in a number of years.

Keel is very optimistic about the season and the bonding that happens on and off the field.

“I think softball teaches you to work as a team together. In order to win, you have to play together as a team,” Keel said. “They can use that going forward in their own lives whether that’s the work place or school.”

Keel stresses how important it is for the team to display teamwork on and off the field.

“I think it can [form a bond]. We have freshman and sophomores playing on varsity, along with our JV and varsity practicing together every day, which lets the senior girls teach the younger girls,” Keel said.

Justine Spore, senior, felt the same way about the importance of working as a team.

“You can’t have a one-person team in softball,” Spore said. “It’s very team oriented. It forces you to work with other people; people you might not be the best of friends with, but it’s a team sport.”

by Clayton Holbrook Grace Reckmeyer, senior, shared her thoughts on what it takes to be on the softball team.

“Every year is a little bit of a re-building year, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to get through the entire season,”

Reckmeyer said. The spring

season is usually wet. “It’s a tougher

sport to stay committed to because it’s a lot of reps, a lot of changing weather, a lot of games,” Reckmeyer said.

Celeste Carroll, senior, said many

positive things about the team bonding and how it is not hard to have a good time.

“We have pasta dinners and we have an overnight tournament that deals a lot with team bonding,” Carroll said. “It’s a very approachable sport, because a lot of the aspects of it are having a good attitude, having fun and working hard.”

Carroll also had some thoughts as to the teamwork involved in the sport and

how that can translate into the girl’s lives.

“That sense of teamwork allows people to bond in ways they might not in other places in school,” Carroll said.

The softball team is rebuilt with a new coach, a winning attitude, a fresh perspective on teamwork and is ready for

some action on the diamond.

one of the freshmen who made the varsity team this season. “It’s been so fun so far.”

Upperclassmen also appreciate the new energy that the young players are bringing to the team.

“They bring a new perspective to the team and a really fiery excitement. They are quick on their feet and really willing to try new things,” said Genevieve Vahl, senior.

Marlee Lane, senior, agrees.

“They bring competition to the team and they are keeping us on our toes and on our game,” Lane said.

“We’ve got a really solid group of players this season and they are all working very hard already,” said Kyle Konkle, head coach.

Although the season is just beginning, many team members took advantage of the opportunities to play and practice during the winter. In addition to unofficial indoor pre-season training, some already have extended experience playing together from time on area club teams.

“A lot of the freshmen have a lot of really good experience playing. Lots of them have played together for a number of years, so they already work really well together. They’ve already shown that they are

contributing team members,” Vahl said. The adjustment to this season has so

far been a fun challenge for the freshman. “I’ve learned how

to play with different people. Before this, I played for a long time on club so it’s really fun to interact with the other girls,” Lang said. “It’s been different to play on varsity with girls who are seniors.”

E x p e r i e n c e d athletes are helping to make the transition easier, whether it comes to new formations, new team

dynamics or new season goals.“With younger players, they maybe

aren’t used to the whole format and speed of high school soccer because they’ve never played with players who are four years older than them,” said Marlee Lane,

senior. “It’s definitely hard to get used to, but it’s good for them to face that challenge. We work with them to help them get mentally in the game and help them perform against people who are older.”

This season, the team is preparing to meet tough competition from Whitefish Bay and Pewaukee, while also working

to grow their younger players and establish a positive team dynamic.

Molly Eder, senior, practices her soccer skills. The soccer team is preparing for tough competition against Whitefish Bay and Pewaukee in the upcoming season.

Olivia Loomis

Ellie Dennis, freshman, tosses a ball to her teammate during practice. The softball team is optimistic about their season and is looking forward to team bonding.

Olivia Loomis

“[Freshman] bring a new perspective to the team and a really

fiery excitement.”-Genevieve Vahl,

senior and soccer captain

“I think softball teaches you to work as a team together. ”

-Amy Keel,head softball coach

“It takes a lot of mental toughness to get through the en-

tire season.”-Celeste Carroll,

senior

“We’ve got a really solid group of play-ers this season and they are all working very hard already.”

-Kyle Konkle,head coach

Girls focus on team bonding, unity with diverse group of players

Page 15: Volume 97, Issue 8

SportsRipples April 6, 2016

page sixteen

Gun goes off for track and field seasonby Kaite Eder

For the t rack and f ie ld team, which began their season on March 7, success against other teams is just as important as fostering a strong sense of community within their own.

“ I t h i n k e v e r y o n e i s r e a l l y excited,” said Ari Schermer, senior and pole vaulter. “But there are so many different groups between d i f f e r e n t e v e n t s . ”

A l i s o n R e i n h o f f e r , senior and distance runner, has been working to bring the team together.

“Within the distance girls team, we are great. It’s just like the cross-country team and we’re all very close,” Reinhoffer said. “But with the whole team, it is kind of tough because we have all types of people, not just cross-country runners. We have a gymnast doing poll vault now. We have football players who are doing throws and

jumps and so there is such a much bigger diversity in people compared to cross country … I have been trying to have inter-event mingling happen. The other day I made everyone go around and say their names and talk about their favorite events. I think we’re on the path to

have a tighter knit team as a w h o l e . ”

Dominic N e w m a n , head coach, agrees that t r a c k a n d field causes d i s t a n c e b e t w e e n e v e n t s .

“That’s j u s t t h e

nature of the events,” Newman said. “We all have different training, but we are on a time crunch. My goal is to get the practice done in an hour in half to two hours.”

Sarah Kopplin, assistant c o a c h , s a i d s h e t h i n k s i t also makes the sport unique.

“I personally think that is what makes the sport so special because you have throwers, and vaulters, and sprinters and

hurdlers and distance people who are doing these really amazing events and then you come together

(Above) Boys distance runners push themselves during a workout. (Below) Sprinters complete active warmups at the start of practice. The track team is working on bringing these athletes closer together.

Olivia Loomis

“I think we’re on the path to have a

tighter knit team as a whole.”-Alison Reinhoffer,

senior

“We have a lot of new athletes out

for the first time ... They’re inexperi-

enced and I’m anx-ious to see what they

can do.”-Dominic Newman,

head coach

as a team at a meet and you really see everybody and what they are doing and how they can showcase their talent,” Kopplin said. “We have to make a bit of an effort outside of practice or before or after progress to bring people together.”

Accord ing to Newman, it’s also difficult with so many n e w a t h l e t e s t h i s s e a s o n .

“We are a young team,” Newman said. “ We m i g h t not be young by class, by freshman or sophomores, but we have a lot of new athletes out for the first time s o t h e y ’ r e r o o k i e s . T h e y ’ r e inexperienced, a n d I ’ m a n x i o u s t o s e e w h a t t h e y c a n d o . ”

Accord ing t o Kopp l in , the team is still very strong.

“It’s been a good start in terms of people who really want to stick with track and field, learn the skills of the events, get in shape,” Kopplin said. “We have kind of formalized our team now.”

A f t e r taking second place at state l a s t y e a r , the t eam i s p r e p a r i n g to win f i rs t t h i s y e a r .

“ I ’ m e x c i t e d f o r s t a t e , ” S c h e r m e r said. “It’s a really big deal in track, and that’s where w e a r e g o i n g t o s h o w Shorewood how good we are.”

“I think keeping in mind why we are working is so hard,” said Josh Melton, junior. “You know when you are wishing you are dead, laying around the ground

Makayla Stephens, sophomore, and Keya Glosson, junior, warmup during a track practice. This sea-son, the team is focused on helping new athletes adjust to the sport and building a community.

Olivia Loomis

after a split 600, you don’t really want to go to state afterward. You don’t want to do anything afterward. It’s hard to remember why are you doing it, so we just really have to keep that in mind.”

K o p p l i n a g r e e s t h e r e w i l l b e o b s t a c l e s .

“Weather is always a big challenge in track season,” Kopplin

said. “Another c h a l l e n g e i s k e e p i n g people healthy. I t ’s a v e r y stressful time of the year, going into the las t quarter of the school year, . . . we see the strain o n s t u d e n t athletes ... and it can really affect you when

you are doing something athletic.” Accord ing to Newman,

t h e t e a m i s a l s o f a c i n g difficulties with team numbers.

“The first day of practice, when we got the master list, we had a 105 student athletes interested in track and field,” Newman said. “When the season started it dwindled to about 85. Now, I only see about 35

athletes here.”Kopplin

i s l o o k i n g forward to the progress of the whole team.

“I really am looking f o r w a r d t o w a t c h i n g people who are starting the sport as a new athlete j u s t f i n d confidence in

themselves and learn something new,” Kopplin said. “For me, it’s really gratifying when you watch this person go from never having done this before to mastering something that is really technically and physically challenging.”

“You come together as a team at a meet and you really see everybody and ...

how they can show-case their talent.”

-Sarah Kopplin,assistant coach