! Features August 23, 2011The Correspondent10

Summer actions prep for school yearKevin Hyde

As the summer sun comes to a seemingly permanent horizon, students are beginning to show signs of preparation for the ten months of schoolwork that will ensue.

Whether it be taking summer classes or be-coming more organized, it is clear that students have been partaking in variety of activities that will help in the preparation for the school year.

Summer reading has been a resounding re-minder of the demise of summer, as students are beginning to buckle down and prepare for their English classes.

“I started my summer reading book pretty early, so that I would have time to space out my reading time. I think that it has just been a re-minder that school is in fact coming, but I am actually kind of glad that we have to do this, so that I won’t be totally out of it when school comes,” junior Michelle Bolker said.

Summer education has not only been ex-empli!ed in the form of summer reading, but also in the attendance of summer school.

Some students have expressed interest in obtaining credit hours as well as preparing for a regular school day.

“I took summer school mainly to get my information processing requirement out of the way, but it really helped in the long run because it forced me to get up at my usual school year time. All in all, I do feel a little more prepared since I took the class over the summer and now am not going to be as shell-shocked when I get back to school,” junior Jensen Smith said.

Since waking up early seems to be the bane of most students’ day, a few are preparing them-selves a new sleep schedule to ease them back into their routine.

“Lately, me and my friends have been com-ing home earlier and trying our hardest to wake

up at a reasonable time, so that when we have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. everyday, it won’t be as grueling, and we can actually pay attention in class,” Bolker said.

Although students seem to be preparing themselves over the summer, the administra-tion and sta" have also been making prepara-tions over the summer. Some of these instances include the freshman orientation day and the freshman mentor program.

“We really want to make a smooth transi-tion for both our incoming freshmen, as well as our upperclassmen [mentors],” assistant princi-pal Rich Golminas said.

“By being a freshman mentor, it is prepar-ing me by having to refresh myself with all the rules and regulations that I will have to tell all of the freshmen,” junior Tori Valadez said. “I de!-nitely think that getting up early will also be a big ‘wake up call.’”

Sta" and administration has also been re-ceptive with preparing course changes and Swap-O days.

“Once I got my schedule, I was able to !nd out exactly when I was able to change my classes if need be. As for the actually Swap-O day, it went pretty smoothly and I felt like everything was prepared nicely,” senior Molly Jahrling said.

All in all, there has been a general sense of preparedness with students.

#rough ways like summer reading, sum-mer school, and rearranging of schedules, stu-dents have proven to show attempts at prepara-tion for a smooth school year.

Administrators have also shown prepa-rations through orientations, programs, and course changes.

“I feel prepared, but now the only hard part will be waking up and actually staying on top of everything,” Smith said.

Maxwell BestivinaGarret Matchen

While most students were snuggled up in their beds in their air conditioned houses, ju-nior Andrew Jaeger was out in the blistering heat making the school more attractive for his Eagle scout project.

His goal, along with the help of many friends and family members, was to clean up the $ower boxes and the giant “H” brick work out in front of the school. He cleaned out the old wood chips and revived the front.

Jaeger and his co-workers came out at nine in the morning in order to !nish his project. Jae-ger ran on the same schedule for the next three days, and took a total of 18 hours to complete.

“Everyone working together helped made the project easier and get done faster,” Jaeger said.

“Yeah it was a lot of fun. Andrew and I have been friends for years so most of his friends are my friends. When you’re surrounded by people whose company you enjoy, it’s not really work anymore,” junior Diana Cleveland said.

“We took the brick work out in front and

cleaned it up since no one ever noticed it. We also took the planter box in front and cleaned it up and added new longer lasting plants that can sustain sunlight easier,” Jaeger said.

#e job had its ups and downs. “Brick work sucks, it’s hard and not as fun as it looks and takes forever to get done,” Jaeger said.

“No, my part wasn’t di%cult. I was just roll-ing sealer on with a paint roller,” Cleveland said.

To clean the giant “H”, steps included re-moving grass and weeds between cracks, power washing bricks, and adding a new layer of seal-ant to protect it.

As for the planter’s box, Jaeger and the

volunteers removed most of the old and dead plants, prepared the $ower bed and replaced the old plants with newer plants.

Jaeger and everyone who helped was quite proud in the work they all put in.

“I chose the school to help out because I wanted to do something I could visually see ev-ery day.”

Many people pitched in to help. “#e Han-nans helped a lot everyday and provided most of the supplies. Besides that there was my family and a whole lot of friends that all pitched in,” Jaeger said.

Eagle Scout projects are always big and any help is appreciated. Boy scouts perform Eagle scout projects to obtain Eagle status. Deciding to help out at school can be much appreciated by anyone who walks by to enjoy the scenery.

“Scouts are always doing projects, so were always looking for help, just ask,” Jaeger said. As for future projects for Jaeger, it seems as if there is nothing planned yet.

“Nothing (is planned) as for now, but hope-fully in the future,” said Jaeger.

Are grades the main priority in most students lives? One would think they would be in this day and age when GPA’s and test scores are so important in getting into college and becoming a successful person in the real world.

In some students lives grades come second or even third to sports, jobs, and extra curricular activities, but it seems that in summer being in these activi-ties can actually help them get ready for school. Kids with summer jobs can be more prepared when school comes around compared to the average couch potato.

Summer seems to organize stu-dents and keep them ready for school. “No matter what season I am in, hav-ing a sport keeps me organized because I know I have less time,” senior Matt Brant said.

Most student athletes or extra-cur-ricular activity members agree that it is easier to go back school once they have a summer job. Some students believe it is an all around positive. Many would argue that a student with a summer job is more prepared for the year to start because they have adapted to being on a schedule.

Scott Bakal

Boy scout ‘paves’ his way to Eagle status through volunteer work

Busy summer, easy school year

Junior Andrew Jaeger and volunteers spent three days !xing up the curb appeal.

Brites

Carlos AndinaConnor Hargett

!e Van Lady: A name notorious throughout the hallways and parking lot of this school. However, most students know little about the woman with the stickers.

“I don’t know much about her except a lot of people get annoyed with her in the parking lot. She just seems to be doing her job,” senior Hannah Johnstone said.

Her name is Carol Gresens, and she has been warding o" parking lot intruders for 19 years. While she is o#en unappreci-ated and linked to student frustration, her job is an important one.

“If we didn’t have outside security there wouldn’t be any parking spots,” Gresens said. If parking passes were not enforced, then students would be free to illegally park in the lots which would increase crowding and take spots from students who actually pay for their spots.

“I guess even though it can be annoying having her driving around, she keeps the lot from becom-ing overcrowded by people without passes,” junior Erin Johnson said.

Students who try to park without a pass will have a tough time getting past Gresens, who has developed a keen eye for cars in the lot.

“By now I know almost all the cars in the lot,” Gresens said.

Gresens even notices when cars (and their li-cense plate numbers) are passed down from sibling to sibling.

Identifying all the parking passes from a van may seem impossible, but Gresens must o#en pa-trols the lot by foot in order to ensure each car is valid.

“I’ll walk the lot to see if people have their tags,” Gresens said.

One problem that seems to come around every year which may seem surprising, is the duplication of parking passes.

“Every year people try to duplicate passes,” Gresens said. In order to make sure each car is legal to park in the lots, Gresens must o#en take extra time on suspicious cars.

“O$cer Hamrick runs the plate if there’s any questions as to whose car it is,” Gresens said. And chances are, if she doesn’t recognize the car, it is either new or illegally parked. However, this year students have been relatively disciplined.

“!e students have been excellent,” Gresens said. Her ever popular nickname, “Van lady”, is has even grown on her.

“[I don’t mind being called the van lady] at all, before kids used to call me other things,” Gresens said. “Now people wave with %ve %n-gers. !ey used to wave with one.”

Natalie Czarnota

A#er a long week of drama and studying all night long, Friday is usually the most antici-pated day of the week. It’s a time to forget about all the problems faced during the week and to hang out with friends.

“[I like Friday because] it’s the end of school and the beginning of the weekend,” junior Ala Folta said.

However, when students get together with their friends, they o#entimes can’t think of any-thing to do. !is usually results in spending their night bored. However, a wide variety of fun activities to take part in are available to stu-dents.

Most students enjoy hanging out with friends on a Friday night. Depending on what mood a student is in, the opportunities to do something fun are endless.

If students feel stressed and don’t want to go out, putting on some music and dance with friends is an easy %x, bake a batch of cookies, or play board games such as ‘Monopoly’ and ‘Life.’ Another good idea is to play video games; Wii Sports or Xbox Kinect are both adventurous way to spend time with friends, while getting exercise at the same time.

When excitement is desired, cosmic bowl-ing, playing laser tag, and playing glow-in-the-dark mini golf is available.

“I like to go bowling, it gives me time to hang out with my friends,” sophomore Diana

Jasionek said.Going up at a football game and showing

school spirit to cheer on the school is a great way to spend a Friday night in the eyes of stu-dents. “I like going to football games because it’s a good place to hang out with friends,” Folta said.

Sometimes students don’t feel like going out anywhere or hanging out with anyone. If this is so, students could use this time to pick up a new hobby including painting, cooking or learning to play a new instrument.

Going to a cra# store such as Michael’s or JoAnn Fabrics can inspire one’s creative side and provide ideas for a cra# project such as scrap booking, making jewelry, or sewing a pair of &eece pajama pants. !ese cra#s could also be enjoyed with friends if desired.

Whatever the choice is, there’s always some-thing to do a#er eating dinner with friends. Dinner could be found at a newly discovered restaurant, or one could save some money and cook dinner at home.

By looking through recipes online, students can %nd a new dish every weekend and have fun preparing it with friends, for the Friday to come.

Whatever mood students %nd themselves in, something can always be done. By planning something to do ahead, Monday will come with a new routine and there will be something to look forward to on Friday. “I always look for-ward to a fun weekend,” Jasionek said.

!

When students came back from the summer, they got a surprise: cookie prices had doubled.

At Wheeling High School, students have made shirts and Facebook groups protesting the increased cookie prices, which has done something good.

Sometime toward the end of Sept., smaller, reduced price cookies were of-fered in the cafeteria. “It might not be as good as the old 25 cent regular sized cookies, but it’s better than no cookies at all,” junior Jessica Jreisat said.

!e reasons over the addition of this cookie can be varied. Some might see it as another way to make money, but others might see it as a way to keep stu-dents from protesting over prices.

It could be both. “!ey’ll get some sales back from old buyers,” sophomore John Pham said. Either reason, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

Brites

Physi-cal educa-tion teacher J e a n i n e K o n k o l -ewski took two junior leaders gym classes to C o v e n a n t

Harbor in Lake Geneva, WI on Sept. 29 for an all day %eld trip.

!e students were at school at 5:30 a.m. to take attendance and get on the bus for the hour car ride.

Once there, the classes were split into six groups. Each group went through team building and problem solving tasks all day through challenges and ropes courses.

“!e beginning problem solving stu" was so much fun,” junior Karlie Bless said. “I loved working with my group the whole time.”

B96 blasts beats during lunch hours

Increased cookie prices incite district revolutions, changes

Features October 7, 2011The Correspondent10

DJs from B96 performed at all three lunch periods on Sept. 28.

!e popular music was played loudly and pumped up the students in the cafeteria for Homecoming.

Friendly dance competitions took place among students, surrounded by about a hundred other students, to win free tickets to homecoming.

“I liked watching the dance compe-tition because the music was good for getting people pumped up for home-coming,” sophomore Reilly Philipps said.

Many enjoyed the jam and it did get students excited and enthusiastic for Homecoming.

Junior leaders train in Lake Geneva

Carol Gresens exceeds role of “The Van Lady“

Students seek alternative Friday nights activities

Hang out with friends

Go out in publicStay home

68%14%18%

Poll: How do you spend your Friday nights?

Carol Gresens, or “the van lady” keeps watch over cars throughout the day.

Features February 11, 2011The Correspondent10

Match up time

Foreign exchange program mixes cultures and creates family experiences

Abby FeslErin Kinsella

Imagine moving to a country for a full year during high school. Imagine the feeling of not know-ing the language, leaving family behind, and staying with a foreign host family. Not everyone can do it, but for foreign exchange student Gabriel Leon, it became a reality this year.

He has traveled quite the dis-tance to study, visiting from Ecua-dor and staying with the Mullen-Muhr’s.

Leon is the third foreign ex-change student for senior David and sophomore Anna, who have had two other guests from Germa-ny and Colombia.

“Our family thinks it is im-portant to do this because we like experiencing other cultures and meeting people from other places,” D. Mullen-Muhr said.

!eir commitment to enrich-ing their lives with other cultures began long ago, as their mother, JoAnn Mullen-Muhr, hosted ex-change students in her family when she was growing up.

In fact, the Mullen-Muhr’s "rst guest was the son of one of the stu-dents her family had housed when she was a child. !e two families have forged a unique relationship over the years; one that has lasted through time and great distance.

“I went to Colombia for three weeks last summer to visit our "rst

student and his family. It was re-ally fun traveling to a new place and learning about a new culture from that point of view rather than hosting a student here,” D. Mullen-Muhr said. It seems as though the exchange part goes both ways, as both the host family and the guest seem to learn and share a lot about their respective cultures.

“Having a foreign exchange student is like a movie because you get to experience a new culture in your own home. It’s fun because they bring new things that they do in their country,” A. Mullen-Muhr said.

Leon has brought more than his culture into the Mullen-Muhr home. A member of the varsity soccer team in the fall, Leon unfor-tunately su#ered a knee injury and had to have surgery. It’s di$cult situations like these that make this program more than just a vacation. !ese students are thrown into a new place, a new culture, and a new home without the comforts of fam-ily, friends, and language.

“It’s a hard experience, but it is nice to visit new places. !e hard-est part is learning English, the cul-ture, and the rules,” Leon said.

But the Mullen-Muhrs are do-ing their best to make him feel like part of the family and get accus-tomed to America. Leon struggles especially with language, o%en re-sorting to speaking Spanish with his family and friends from Ec-uador when the language barrier

becomes over-whelming.

!e stu-dent who stayed with the Mul-len-Muhr’s last year was from Germany, Jakob Baungartener, picked up on the language very easily, and even took the AP US History course. !e family hopes for simi-lar success for Leon. A%er all, B au ng ar t e n e r was virtually at the same place l i n g u i s t i c a l l y when he arrived, speaking rough and choppy Eng-lish.

By the time he le% a year lat-er, he was &uent in the language and had made deep connections with both the Mullen-Muhr family and various friends that he still keeps in contact with through Facebook.

Leon has experienced much in America other than language, such as seeing snow for the "rst time in his life. And a lot of it.

“[When it "rst snowed,] I went to play in the yard, I had no

idea what it was,” Leon said. Leon had the opportunity to

also visit Colorado with the Mul-len-Muhr’s and go skiing.

Both Leon and Baungartener were random placements through the organization NWSE. Leon ar-rived in August and plans on stay-ing until June, graduating with Da-vid and the rest of the senior class.

Emily Swanson

People have many cheesy sto-ries about how they found their perfect match. It’s possible for a student to "nd her sweetheart in high school. Data Match is a survey that is willing to help students in "nding their special someone.

Students "lled out the survey during second period on Jan. 26, 27, and 28. Data Match requires a student to "ll out her grade, gen-der, and certain questions that will match her up with other students sharing her interests.

“Data Match is fun to "ll out,” sophomore Tori Valadez said. “!e questions are humorous, and the results are so unrealistic. It bright-ens up the dreary winter.”

Data Match was founded in 1983 and has been actively giving surveys to di#erent high schools across the country since. Schools across America also use this sur-vey as a fundraiser for their school. Hersey uses Data Match as a fun fundraiser for Post Prom.

“It’s a fun way to see how some-one’s likes and dislikes compare to other kids around the school,” as-sistant principal John Novak said. “It’s fun and light hearted. It’s a good way to have fun with a fun-draiser.”

“It’s a simple fundraiser that easily gets the majority of the school to help with,” freshman Me-

gan Salt said. “I think it’s fun to see who has

the same interests as I do at Hersey,” sophomore Emily Kagan said. “I don’t think the results are legit, but that doesn’t matter. It’s funny any-way.”

Many students don’t believe that Data Match will actually work.

“I don’t think it’s accurate at all, but it’s fun to do,” sophomore Anna Freitag said. “I "lled it out be-cause I wanted to see who I would get matched up with.”

“It’s not an accurate way to choose your next boyfriend or girl-friend because it doesn’t touch on any of the things that really matter in a relationship,” Valadez said.

When Data Match is handed out, it is an optional quiz for stu-dents. It doesn’t matter if they take it or not.

“It was interesting how the kids handled Data Match,” instructional assistant Katie Pardun said. “When I was talking about data match and explaining it the students laughed and made fun of it.

“When it was time to pass them out I put them in front of the class and said they could take one if they wanted one. !e kids took them and "lled them out as if the quiz was their "rst priority.”

Data Match results will be re-leased in two weeks during the 4, 5, and 6 lunch periods.

Gabriel Leon, foreign exchange student from Ecua-dor, had quite an experience this winter, witnessing

snow for the !rst time.

Abby Fesl

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FeaturesFebruary 11, 2011 The Correspondent

World Vision enables child sponsorshipShea Anderluh

More than 60 years ago, a man named Bob Pierce met a young girl living in poverty in Chi-na. Kicked out by her parents, she was penni-less and homeless. Pierce began sending $5 per month to sponsor the little girl in need. From that act of kindness grew World Vision. Today, World Vision has grown into a global ministry, helps 100 million people in 100 countries, and provides hope for four million children through child sponsorship.

Connecting with needy people around the globe may seem impossible for our community. It’s one thing to send a wad of cash to aid “pov-erty in Africa,” and another to actually see how the donations are being spent, and how they help one special person as he or she grows up. World Vision child sponsorship allows sponsors to do just that.

!at’s why !e Correspondent has made the decision to sponsor a little boy. Pushpen-dra Govind Prasad is 6-years-old, and lives in Sitapur, India. Pushpendra lives with his par-ents, one sister, and one brother. His father is a farmer, but despite both of his parents’ e#orts, it’s di$cult to meet the family’s needs.

“We felt that it was time to put our words into action, and help in any way we could,” ju-nior Lauren Kelley said

!e $35 a month will be pooled with do-nations from other sponsors and spent towards the betterment of his community. With 40 thousand sta# worldwide, World Vision takes on impoverished areas individually and doesn’t leave until the root causes of poverty have been diminished in ways that enable the whole com-munity to make progress.

“!e sta# collectively felt it was necessary to expand our charitable reach beyond just our immediate communities and into the interna-tional community,” senior Mike Lechowski said.

!e Sitapur program was established by World Vision in 2005 and has made many ac-complishments already. Establishing libraries has enhanced the learning environment. Cel-

ebrating Independence Day has bolstered na-tional pride. Health education and water sanita-tion have provided healthier lifestyles and safe water.

Two thousand children have been honored with World Vision birthday parties; a chance to feel special and loved. Come Nov. 21, Pushpen-dra will turn 7-years-old, and the journalism sta# will celebrate with him.

!e "nancial donations sponsors make are just the tangible help. Communication with the children, kind words, and thoughtful gestures are just as important to bridge the gap between poverty and those with the means to help as the donations are.

“We’re looking forward to getting to know Pushpendra and learning about his community and his life,” Kelley said. “It’s a small price to pay to change someone’s life for the better.”

!e Correspondent’s relationship with Pushpendra is just beginning, but it will be an enduring one. Underclass members have pledged to continue and get the cooperation of incoming sta# members for years to come.

Scholarships provide students with opportunity

Now that the college application process is mostly completed, the focus for most seniors has shi%ed. Gaining the title of “second semester seniors” is a big deal, but now they need to put their newfound status to good use.

Lucky for all seniors, the college and career center (CCC) has many resources for getting the dream college education funded.

One lesser known of feature of the CCC is its resources for scholarships. On-line, there are complete listings of schol-arship applications that will be received in the CCC, and blank applications are available for any student to choose from.

!e college resource section online also features links to popular scholarship search engines, and Naviance provides students with scholarship matchups.

In the building, students can visit CCC assistants Kathy Emery or Nancy Davis with questions.

“I used the college and career center to "nd scholarship applications,” senior Kim Ferraro said.

A binder "lled with listings of all the scholarships they are projected to receive is also available. Using the CCC is a quick and easy way for all students to relieve the stress that comes with paying for college.

Rachel Lundstrom

Who’s your

Kevin Hyde

According to the Princ-eton Review, only about 15 percent of high school stu-dents know what they want to pursue in college. With business management and administration being the top major for college freshmen, there o%entimes seems to be a lack of diverse career choices among high school and col-lege students. !is is not the case for sophomore Sarah Zidek, however.

!ough popularized by television shows like “NCIS” and “CSI,” the world of detec-tive work and forensic science

is not what most teens think of when choosing a career. Zidek, however, "nds the world fascinating and "tting for a pos-

sible career choice. “Right now I am really interested in becoming a detective, but I am also looking into forensics,” Zidek said.

In addition to watching shows portraying the profession, Zidek holds respect for real life detectives. “I think it’s really cool what de-

tectives and forensic scientists do for their community,” Zidek said.As far as inspiration, Zidek began taking advantage of popular

displays of forensic science and other related "elds. Zidek also has taken advantage of the resources the school o#ers in the working world.

“I started watching the show ‘NCIS’ which really sparked my in-terest in forensics. !en, last year I went on the forensics career trek. !e trek also got me involved in the detective side of things,” Zidek said.

In order to succeed in any job or aspect of life, it is important to have the support of people who are close, and Zidek has just that, which makes the decision that much easier. “My family and friends think it’s a cool thing to do and completely support my career choice,” Zidek said.

A%er high school, Zidek plans to attend college in order to help better her knowledge of forensic science and detective work.

Zidek explained that going to school for such a career is a must and that she hopes to learn as much as she can in order to attain a high ranking position. “Determination is de"nitely a key part in be-coming a forensic scientist or a detective because all of the training and schooling you have to go through,” Zidek said.

Rather than settling for a "eld that plenty of students decide to go into, Zidek has set her sights on becoming the best she can be in whatever "eld she may choose. “I know there are a lot of people who want to be teachers, and I know for sure that that is just not for me. My ideal goal would be becoming head detective of a city police de-partment,” Zidek said.

Nominated By: Ala FoltaHave a friend that should be featured in the Correspondent? Head on to CorrespondentLIVE.org and tell us why we should feature them.

11

Sophomore follows passion for forensic science

Ashley Hawkins

Shea Anderluh

Every year, hundreds of kids look forward to the age old tradition of go-ing house to house and getting candy. However over the years, parents have become more and more weary of the crazies out there, so the Choir program here brought a solution, Happy Hersey Halloween.

“It’s so much fun. We get to dress up and lead games and cra!s for the children. Also, we get to work with our friends so it’s really cool,” senior Anna Voinovich said.

Happy Hersey Halloween takes place on Oct. 29, transforming the Eng-lish hallway to another world. Children go door to door in the hallway where students are ready to give them treats. Dressed up like childhood favorites, such as a pirate, a fairy, and a ballerina; they have bagfuls of safe candy to hand out to the kids.

Diana Crispin

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Features October 15, 2010The Correspondent

Kevin Hyde

Numbers are vital in both academic and so-cial settings. ACT scores, GPA, class rank, SAT scores, and grades are all simple numbers that carry a great deal of importance in the lives of students.

"e ACT is one of the most important tests a student here will take. "e ACT is scaled out of a 36, with 36 being a perfect score. "e number a student scores on this test is recorded and sent to colleges across the country, sup-posedly showing the student’s academic merit. Whether or not a student likes how the system works, this number can be the determining fac-tor in getting into a university, receiving a schol-arship, or even getting a job.

“My ACT just sums up how I perform on one day in my life, even though it still is so de-#ning of our high school career,” junior Molly Jahrling said.

Coupled with ACT scores, a student’s GPA is a source of academic. A student’s grade point average tells them how they are perform-ing academically compared to their peers.

“GPA makes me have more drive and deter-mination to do better on tests and homework,” sophomore Anna Howard said.

Other students feel their grade point aver-ages are vital on their college endeavors.

“I feel pressure to do well and get a high GPA to do well and get into the college I want,”

sophomore Annie Weber said. A student’s course load can be another

their de#ning factor. A more rigorous schedule will look better on a college application; how-ever, much more work is needed.

“Having a lot of honors and AP classes is tough, but manageable. "e payo$ is worth it,” sophomore Elizabeth Odegard said.

As a result of these numbers, students may #nd themselves frustrated.

“I #nd it a bit ridiculous, especially because my ACT and GPA don’t match. I think all stan-dardized tests are pointless because they are only good for seeing who’s a good test taker and who isn’t,” Jahrling said.

"ese self-de#ning numbers do not lie only in areas of academics. Many events in a student’s life can be considered a turning point. One of these events is obtaining a drivers license, as well as getting a car.

“I turned 16 on Nov. 9, but didn’t get my li-cense until the spring of 2010. Once I got my li-cense, I was lucky enough to get a car, so 2010 is a year I will always remember for being the year I really started to grow up,” junior Erin Hartwig said.

A student’s personality reigns unique for herself. Whether or not she knows it, numbers can exemplify these personalities.

“I wake up at 6 a.m. every morning. Since it is at that same time everyday, I think it shows how precise of a person I am,” senior Maggie DeLeon said.

Annie Bruce During the school year, it is hard to #nd a

place to get away from all the stress; however, an easy way to get a quick escape from the reality of school is in our own backyard. Chicago.

While most students have been to the top of the Willis Tower and have taken enough pho-tographs at the Bean to #ll an entire scrapbook; there are plenty of di$erent ways to have new adventures in Chi-town.

With Halloween approaching, a popular idea is to take a haunted cruise. Cruises are available on Friday and Saturday nights in Oc-tober for $30 and last an hour, according to the Chicago Traveler website.

Looking for something a little less expen-sive? "e Lincoln Park Zoo is free.

“My favorite part of the zoo would prob-ably have to be the dolphins, because I think it is so crazy that they can teach the dolphins such amazing tricks,” senior Katelyn Derrig said.

In addition, museums, such as the plane-tarium, art institute, and the #eld museum, have

days when general admission is free. To #nd out when these deals are o$ered, students can check the museum website. Another free place for fun is Millenium Park. “Millenium Park [is one of my favorite places], the scenery is amazing, and they have concerts there over the summer,” se-nior Mary Deasis said.

Senior Natalie Gaynor also cites the con-certs at Millenium Park as a Chicago favorite. “I really like the outdoor [concerts] at Pritzker Pavillion, usually it’s the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the Grant Park Symphony. In the winter I go to Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts at the Symphony Center,” Gaynor said.

A Chicago classic is, of course, Navy Pier. “"e ferris wheel is de#nitely the best part, even though I am afraid of heights,” Derrig added.

For the rest of October, Navy Pier has fall #reworks on Saturdays at 9 p.m.. Also, they cur-rently have a “Fright Fest,” which includes night shows for twenty dollars on "ursdays through Sundays.

However, if with a student ID, they will take #ve dollars o$ the price of admission, according

to the Navy Pier website. For those who are unscathed by insane

heights, check out the Willis Tower Skydeck on the one-hundred and third %oor of the 1,450 foot building. According to the Skydeck web-site, “Each ledge is comprised of three layers of half-inch thick glass laminate into one seamless unit.” Intense, right?

“It was great to see the city from so high up; it’s pretty cool and not that scary,” Gaynor added.

Even though Chicago is a mere twenty miles away, it’s easy to forget the many options it presents.

Getting down there isn’t hard. “"e train is a great way to get downtown, especially with the student discount! As long as you pay attention to the announcements for which stop you’re at, it’s hard to get lost,” senior Anna Voinovich said.

Take some time this year to rediscover the magic of Chicago and discover some of the hid-den secrets the city has to hold.

10

BritesChoir hosts hallway friendly trick or treating for kids

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Number crunching woes:

Windy city o!ers unique get-a-way for students

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“Zero. Since I’m thankful I haven’t broken any bones.”

“Nine. It’s my soccer number and the number of siblings I have.”

“Three. I’m three years apart from each of my siblings and I have three flowers in my tattoo.”

“Twelve since that’s how many times I’ve been to a Chicago Bulls game.”

Teens lives are dictated by numerical values academically and socially

What number defines you?

Teddys

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