theVol. 33, No. 3

Jan 24 ,2014Homestead High School, Mequon

7Wha

t’s In

side {

4-52 8{School board vacancies Winter in Wisconsin Price of eating organic Coach Keel honored

Gray garbage cans silently stand guard in every classroom, every commons. They bulge to maximum capacity in the caf-eteria, filled with banana peels and

half-empty milk cartons. They are the targets of countless flying wads of scraps crumpled into a ball and shot Kobe-style with the hope of mak-ing a miraculous across-the-classroom buzzer-beater teachers despise. Standing inconspicu-ously in their shadows, colorful recycling bins rarely gain the attention of passing students. Perhaps those who nonchalantly pitch recy-clables truthfully did not see the bins dwarfed by trashcans. Perhaps they just couldn’t care less whether or not their Snapple bottle ends up in a landfill, alongside other glass and plastic containers. Or perhaps they assumed it would be pointless to put the bottle in its rightful place, since it is assumed that ev-erything goes to the same dumpster anyway.

Why do the majority believe Homestead doesn’t recycle?

“I think Homestead tries to make it seem like they recycle, but in reality all of the trash gets dumped into the same bin and is never recycled,” Christal Hearn, sophomore, said.

“It’s not obvious where things belong,” Mr. Joseph Przybylski, social studies teacher, said. Without looking carefully, it is possible to mis-interpret the recycling bin as a garbage can since they are usually the same size and shape. The confusion resonates among the faculty as well. “I think even the staff is kind of like, I don’t know, do we [recycle]?” Mr. Przybylski said.

How can students help?Mr. Przybylski, as well as several other teach-

ers around the school, provides a bag to collect students’ recycling and encourage participa-tion, “which if it goes in [the recycling bin], just goes in the garbage,” Mr. Joseph Ordinans, math teacher, said. This system has proven ef-fective because it gets students actively engag-ing in recycling. Mr. Ordinans said that he asks all of his students to do their part, and “rare-ly is there recycling material in my garbage can. My students are actually participating.”

Does Homestead recycle?A recent survey of 200 students and faculty

showed that 91 percent of those surveyed believed Homestead does not recycle. Two percent were unsure, while only seven percent assumed Home-stead does recycle. According to this survey, there is a widespread belief among students and staff that Homestead does not recycle. “The Mequon-Thiensville School District recycles in many dif-ferent ways so I’m not sure why so many students and staff would think we do not,” Mr. Kyle Thomp-son, director of maintenance and operations in the Mequon-Thiensville School District, said.

When does recycling take place?In this case, “seeing is believing” may play a role in the reason

why there is such a high percentage of people who say Home-stead does not recycle. Mr. Thompson said that “the process

of cleaning and collecting recycling occurs [in the] eve-nings between 3 p.m. and 12 a.m., well after students and staff are out of the building, so they simply don’t see it.”

The daily recycling routine at Homestead is car-ried out by custodians who are “trained exactly what type of products are standard waste and what prod-ucts are recyclable and held accountable for recy-cling,” according to Mr. Thompson. “Nightly they empty both the waste baskets and recycling baskets separately. Standard waste/garbage goes in the com-pactor and recycling in the recycling compactor.”

“Our [district’s recycling] contract does include disposing of recyclables properly but does not include separating the trash from the recycling in each waste-basket,” Mr. Thompson added. “Not only would this take a great deal of time and expense to the district but the expectation at Homestead is that the staff and stu-dents take responsibility for themselves when it comes to recycling and make sure to dispose of their waste in the appropriate containers. Once a recyclable product is thrown in a standard wastebasket it becomes waste and is considered contaminated (and vice versa).”

Where does it all go?“We commingle all of our recycling that

comes from the classrooms,” Mr. Thompson said.Commingled recycling, also known as single

stream, is “a system in which paper, plastics, met-als and other recyclable materials are mixed in one collection location rather than being sorted sepa-rately,” according to Mr. Thompson. This allows for the use of only one container for all of the recycling.

After collection, the recyclables are taken to a Material Recovery Facility, which uses “a com-bination of hand sorting, sensors, magnets and gravity to sort the materials,” according to the ar-ticle “ReLoop: What is Single Stream Recycling?”

Machines and conveyor belts then divide the recycling into cardboard, aluminum, steel, paper products and dif-ferent types of plastic, while workers manually remove any trash, plastic bags and the few materials not sorted correctly. The separated materials are then baled and sold.

Why is recycling important?Lauren Watchmaker, senior and president of the

Students Keeping It Environmentally Safe (SKIES) Club, explained how recycling “helps both the environment and the economy. The EPA (Envi-ronmental Protection Agency) estimates that in-cinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job, land-filling it creates six, but recycling it creates 36 jobs.”

There is no doubt that recycling is very important to the environment, especially in schools. With over a thousand students and staff at Homestead, the school produces a lot of waste and a lot of recyclable materials.

Students play a key role in recycling such products, as well as in the efficiency of proper disposal. As Mr. Thompson said, “The more the kids recycle, putting items in the proper containers, the better it helps us.”

highlanderDoes H mestead recycle?TRASH TALK

By Erin Connolly

Illustrations by Katie Bandurski

What do students and faculty think?

A poll of 200 students and faculty reveals the majority do not believe

Homestead recycles.

2%

MaybeYesNo

91%

7%

news2

Mequon native earns national team spotWho knows someone who has been

tying his skates and playing hockey since he was four and now is on the U.S. Na-tional hockey team? The people of Mequon do; his name is Anders Bjork. Anders is a 17-year-old forward on the 2013-2014 U.S. National Under-18 hockey team.

Bjork grew up in Mequon learn-ing how to play hockey from his fa-ther, who played college hockey at the University of Notre Dame.

Bjork said, “My dad got me started playing and coached me when I was young. He has always been a mentor to me and continues to help me better my-self as a hockey player and as a person.”

Bjork grew up playing youth hockey and once he got older, he moved to Chica-go to play for the Chicago Mission Midget Minors. He later became a member of the U.S. National Under-17 hockey team.

During the 2012-2013 hockey season, Bjork played in 56 games and became the seventh leading scorer on the team with 12 goals and 13 assists for a total of 25 points for the year, according to usantdp.com.

This season, according to usantdp.com, Bjork is on the Under-18 team and after 28 games, he is eighth in scoring with ten goals and eight assists for a total of 18 points.

After this year, Bjork will be attending the University of Notre Dame and playing

four years of hockey for the Fighting Irish. “I am very excited to be going to

play for the University of Notre Dame. My entire family has always been huge Notre Dame fans, and I have grown up wanting to play for them,” Bjork said.

Bjork’s little brother, Brady, is a freshman at Homestead and plays on the hockey team. The two broth-ers help each other improve and are very important in one another’s lives.

“My brother and I are extremely close. We are not just brothers but best friends as well. We work out together, skate to-gether and are constantly playing, mostly hockey-related games,” Brady Bjork said.

AP Physics program restructures its offerings

Amazon exploring use of delivery drones

Technology keeps evolving, and this time Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, is in the driver’s seat. Bezos introduced his new idea called Amazon Prime Air to the public for the first time during a 60 Minutes episode aired on Dec. 2, 2013.

Bezos explained to 60 Minutes corre-spondent Charlie Rose that he hopes [his] company will be able to deliver packages into consumers’ hands within 30 minutes of the time they place an order.” In order to accomplish this 30-minute time span, Bezos said he plans to use the developing technology of drones. Using these eight-bladed drones called Octocopters, pack-ages from the distribution center would be picked up and dropped off right at the customer’s front door using GPS.

The major roadblock for the Octocopter is getting clearance from the Federal Avia-tion Admirstration (FAA). Bezos said “The FAA rules surrounding unmanned aerial vehicles could be in place as early as 2015.”

Despite the many critics against the pur-posed Octocopters, Bezos insists it’s bound for success. “amazon is a retail business. I know that people will want low prices ten years from now. I know they will want fast delivery and drones seem to be the first step to making that happen,” Bezos said.

Skeptics are concerned with the pos-sibilities of hijackings, insuring package delivery and being able to deliver pack-ages of all shapes and sizes. Bezos said, “The Octocopters could deliver pack-ages weighing up to 5 pounds, which cover 86% of all the items we deliver.” Amazon is the world’s largest retailer ac-cording to Bezos and “one day, Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail delivery trucks on the road today.”

Kyle Raddatz, senior, said, “I think it’s a reality, but will not have a great impact because service will only be available to a small number of people because the pur-posed drones only operate within a 10 mile radius of the distribution center.”

Andrew Conley, sophomore, said, “It’s a possibility, but definitely in the distant future I see the benefits and the great op-portunities it has to offer. Depending on the production and reasonable pric-ing on the service, Amazon’s Prime Air could soon become a household name.”

Bezos concluded by telling CBS, “I know this looks like science fic-tion, but it’s not. It will work, and it will happen. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, AP Physics will be offered at three levels, AP Physics 1, 2 and 3, as com-pared to this year’s AP Physics B and C.

“The new system is that the alge-bra-based physics is changing from a one-year, three-trimester course to two two-trimester courses,” Mr. Paul Sivanich, AP Physics teacher, said.

The College Board made the change because of “too much material in that course,” Mr. Sivanich said. “The cur-

rent honors physics class that we have right now will be replaced by AP Phys-ics 1 and AP Physics 2,” Mr. David Sav-age, science department chair, said.

It will be spread out over two years. By “spreading it out, students can en-hance how much they learn on each separate unit,” Daniel Wichman, junior and current Honors Physics student, said. “Students can dig in deeper into the subject instead of going through re-ally quickly, making course content

more accessible,” Mr. Sivanich said. Even though the new system has

not been fully run yet, excitement has been generated. “We get to do lots of fun stuff in physics,” Mr. Sivanich said. “We’re excited about it,” Mr. Savage said.

The intent of the revised course of-ferings is to prepare students for their post-Homestead lives. “I’m interested in a career in the science field, so I think taking AP Physics will really get me a good jump start on that,” Wichman said.

By Nicole MartiN

Moving into elections for the Mequon-Thiensville Board of Education on April 1, both Suzette Urbashich, member and former president, and James Liska, treasurer, have decided to end their tenure on the board.

With a history in middle school and high school science educa-tion, and a full time job at Rodg-ers InHealth, Urbashich brings “wisdom in the area of experience as a collaborative leader focused on the students needs,” Dr. De-mond Means, superintendent, said.

Agreeing, Kim Ebinger, commu-nity volunteer, said, “even before be-coming a member, Suzette totally im-mersed herself in the district, taking on a parental role in PTA and PTSO.”

Looking back, Ebinger credits Urbashich for the board’s move-ment “in the direction of designed decision making [with the removal of] individual opinions and reactionary tones.”

After 17 years of serving the Mequon-Thiensville School Board as both a member and president Urbashich now looks forward to pursuing other interests. “I am very excited to be a part of the grow-ing opportunities at my job, Rodgers InHealth,” Urbashich said.

Additionally, Ebinger said, “We will lose [Urbashich’s] his-torical background on the board, which is incredibly impor-

tant to ensure that the board continues to move forward.”Another board member, James Liska, school board trea-

surer, has decided to end his tenure after six years of service on the board as both a member and treasurer. Following his own belief that “School Board members should have term limits (two consecutive terms),” Liska will spend some of his extra time writing and tutoring.

Looking over the past six years, Liska has been the “moral compass” and brought much “wisdom” to the school board meetings, Dr. Means said.

With his sights set on the fu-ture of the district, Liska believes that “we must demand the best ef-fort and performance from all stu-dents, whether they are gifted or less able, affluent or disadvan-

taged, whether destined for college, the farm or industry.” Mr. Brett Bowers, principal, said, “He was a strong ad-

vocate for high-quality academics, wanting all students to be challenged intellectually during their time in the dis-trict. I will always appreciate his support of the vision for Homestead that we are attempting to bring to life here.”

Though both Urbashich and Liska will be missed, one con-stant remains true: there will always be change, Dr. Means said.

Two school board members ready to retire

By Jake elchert

By aaroN Glazer

By Blake leesoN

Suzette Urbashich served on School Board for 17 years.

James Liska served on School Board for six years.

Anders Bjork, number 7, skates back on defense in a USHL Game: Team U.S.A. vs. Sioux Falls Stampede in Ann Arbor, Michigan in October 2013.Submitted photo

Submitted PhotoSubmitted Photo

PHYSICS: By the numbers

112 and 115 are the rooms at Homestead where AP Phys-ics is taught

90+ percent of kids earning a 4 or 5 on AP Physics test last year

60 students took the AP Phys-ics test last year

Scan to view video about Amazon Prime Air delivery or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98BIu9dpwHU

3Student opinion

Photo Poll

Our View: Editorial

Letter to the Editor

As members of a generation instilled with the mindset to reduce, reuse and recycle, we are exposed daily to the brightly colored bins for recyclables. It seems simple to toss an empty water bottle into the green bin opposed to the garbage can, and the choices we make now can have monumental effects on the future health of the planet.

In other words, does the presence of recycling bins necessarily guarantee that the contents are be-ing recycled? We, the Highlander Publications Staff, believe that in order to protect our planet for the future, the Homestead High School commu-nity needs to actively participate in recycling ef-forts, and both teachers and students must ensure that the proper measures are being fully executed.

According to Princeton University, recycling saves trees, protects wildlife, reduces chemi-cal use, helps curb global warming, lessens water pollution, decreases the need for landfills and in-cinerators and creates jobs. Overall, these are all positive effects for the planet and the economy.

As evidenced by the coverage on Page One, Home-stead does indeed recycle yet the majority of the stu-dent body thinks otherwise. Nevertheless, with a new, fresh, year ahead, perhaps it is time to stop saying and start doing our part to help the planet.

As a student, your part can be as simple as ensur-ing that paper, plastic, aluminum and other recycla-ble materials end up in their designated bins. If you

wish to further your involvement, perhaps consider joining SKIES, a club focusing on the value of “stu-dents keeping it environmentally safe.” Club mem-bers raise awareness, encourage participation and most importantly, participate in recycling efforts.

As a teacher, encourage students to fol-low through and ensure that a recycling bin is readily available in your classroom. More im-portantly, set an example and recycle yourself.

Ultimately, many of the habits we learn in high school continue on throughout the rest of our lives, so learning proper recycling habits today will readily prepare us for the rest of our lives and help the health of the planet.

Adviser

Editor-in-Chief

Copyeditor

Layout and Design Editors

Reporters and Photographers

The Highlander’s editorial policy is to present facts and opinions in a fair and honest manner on issues pertaining to students at Homestead. We uphold the right to speak unpopular opinions and the privilege to agree with the majority. Letters to The Highlander are encour-aged; however, we reserve the right to edit for length and grammatical errors. In addition, letters must be signed, but names will be withheld upon request. Any student who wishes to express his opinion through The Highlander should drop off the letter in room 506.

2013 All-KEMPA Award2013 NSPA Best of Show

2013 WNA Second Award in Overall Excellence2012 WNA First Award in Overall Excellence

2012 KEMPA First Place Award

Homestead High School5000 W. Mequon RoadMequon, Wisconsin 53092

The StaffMrs. Rachel Rauch

Katie Bandurski

Erin Connolly

Katie Bandurski, Janae Brown, Blake Lee-son, Molly Riebau, Sydney Roeper

Sydney Benson, Janae Brown, Erin Con-nolly, Jake Elchert, Brittany Emond, Aaron Glazer, Caleigh Koss, Anna Kreynin, Blake Leeson, Nicole Martin, Noah Melan, Molly Riebau, Sydney Roeper, Katharine Ryan, Katie Starsky, Katie Writz

Visit us online for back issues of The Highlander at https://sites.google.

com/a/mtsd.k12.wi.us/homestead-publications/

American Litho Printing530 N. 22nd Street

Milwaukee WI 53233(414)-342-5050

Jacob Sanner, junior listening to Mirrors (Remix) by Justin Timberlake

Alec Tomkiewicz, sophomore, listening to Love Lockdown by Kanye West

Katie Tye, freshman, listening to I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz

Allison Fochs, sophomore listening to First Time by Lifehouse

Imagine for a moment arriving to school, everything is pitch black, no lights in the parking lot to guide your way into the doors, no doors are open, nothing is shoveled or salted. The only lights to be seen are the ambulance vehicles from the EMTs who are on the scene helping numerous staff and students who slipped and fell. You notice locksmiths who are trying to get into the building for some heat and relief from the below zero temperatures outside. Upon entering the building, the place is a ghost town, through the night, pipes have frozen and exploded all over the building, the trash is piled up in the garbage cans, paper is blowing down the hallways, loose electrical wires are hanging from the ceiling. As you walk down the halls you can ac-tually see your breath and think to yourself which side is warmer, outside or in? What in the world is going on here? Apocalypse? Armageddon? Nope, the head custodian took the day off.

There is a common misconception amongst many of what a head custodian actually does. Sure, people know the basics of our job. We are the ones who come into work two to three hours ear-lier then the start of school to shovel and salt the pathways. We fix pipes that break, electrical shorts and, yes, even swing a mop a time or two. We are always the first to be called when someone gets sick all over the floor and the last to get a thank you. We are the ones you seek out when a book bag is stuck in a locker or a door needs to be unlocked because you forgot a project that is due. We are in charge of all set ups for every event that takes place from ice cream socials, special team dinners, graduation and everything in between. It is true, we make sure the halls stay clean, the trash cans are emptied, bathrooms stay fresh, and ev-erything from pencil sharpeners to heat are working properly.

So that’s it right, I mean what else is there? There is so much more to being a custodian that I don’t even like the title because of the mistaken notions that come along with it. If you would ask us why we love our job, unanimously we would all agree, it is the people that keep us here. We are the ones who find the kids who are being brutally bullied to the point where they would rather eat their lunch in a bathroom stall, with their tray on the tank facing the wall, then to be ridiculed during lunch time. We are the ones who see the lonely, somber eyes of the seemingly lost souls on auto pilot moving about the halls, feeling as if no one cares. We would rather stop what we are doing, and strike up conversations just so that individual knows someone sees you and we care. We crack jokes and lighten moods of the students who are stressing over tests. We offer sound wisdom to those who feel as if every part of their world is at its breaking point. We offer guidance to those who have personal torment, broken families, unplanned pregnancies, abusive boyfriends, eating disorders.

We hear the unspoken, repair the broken wings of the in-habitants of our hallways, and we are above all else caretakers of our campus and everyone that passes through its doors. We are counselors, party planners, comedians, psychologists, inves-tors of well being, a friendly face, givers of a caring word, en-couragers, cheerleaders and masters of organizing chaos. We are more than a group of mop swinging, bathroom cleaning and broom pushing passer byes. We are the first responding cardiolo-gists to the heart of the school, its people! Get to know us, and surely you will be surprised at the person behind the broom.

Nikki Robson, custodian

InformatIon compIled by molly rIebau

What are you listening to?

Illustration by Sydney Roeper

Feature4

As winter frosts over Wisconsin and temperatures plummet, the weath-er starts to match up closely with some of the world’s coldest places.

Antarctica Alaska Greenland

“I’m freezing!” echoes through the hallways al-most every single day beginning in the chilly fall sea-son and ending...well, it doesn’t really end. Winters in Wisconsin are famous for their unbearable arctic weather. Even Lambeau Field takes the label of “The Frozen Tundra.” So how do the Wisconsinites sur-vive?

During the holiday season, it’s easy to forget the cold, according to Morgan Bayer, freshman. “The warmth of the fire and hot cocoa along with family time distracts me from the cold,” Bayer said.

But once the excitement of the holidays and the break is over, Wisconsinites have very few distrac-tions from the intense weather. According to The Weather Channel, the average low temperatures for the months of December, January, and February are 19, 13 and 18, respectively. The record low for Wis-consin was recorded on Feb. 4, 1996 at -26 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s harder to enjoy winter once the holi-days are over because it’s just cold. There’s nothing else to look forward to,” Kyle Schneider, freshman, said.

Now, students have to take time to increase their body temperatures because they aren’t so distracted by the glee of the holidays. “The new Columbia Om-ni-Heat jackets help me combat the winter weather,” Bryce Christiaansen, freshman, said. In addition to Columbia, The North Face and Patagonia are preva-lent jacket brands throughout Homestead.

Not only does the cold make students uncomfort-able, but it also makes it difficult for many people wear winter fashion without covering it up with thick jackets and scarves. “I wear my parka almost every day and typically wear long sleeves. I never forget warm socks with my boots, either,” Logan Scarpace, senior, added.

Even though students take these desperate mea-sures to stay warm in school, many are still chilly both inside and outside of school. “I wear my coat and still shiver,” Quincy Newton, senior, said. So here’s the secret to surviving the Wisconsin winter: keep calm and stay warm.

Baby it’s cold outside

Students warm up to Wisconsin winter weather

When snow falls heavily or temperatures dip into neg-ative numbers in Wisconsin, students’ eyes remain fixed on the banner reading “School Closings” on the bottom of the TV. When “Homestead High School” appears on the screen, students rejoice. Some students relish the oppor-tunity to be active outdoors while others delight in the idea of snuggling up by the fire.

Winters in Wisconsin are notorious for being as bru-tal as they are beautiful. Students have many different views on this season, good or bad.

Danny Knuth, junior, said, “I love the winter because I like to ski, snowboard, snowmobile, hot tub outside and play pond hockey.”

Alejandro Bitetto, sophomore, agreed, “I am a fan of winter because it’s swim season and snowboarding sea-son.”

Wisconsin is definitely the place to be if you love the cold and snow, the average temperature being around 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the average snowfall during the whole winter being around 42 inches.

“I love the snow and how beautiful everything looks, but I definitely cannot stand the cold,” states Emily Shore, sophomore.

Sarah McCarthy, junior, also loves the Wisconsin win-ter, saying, “Although winter in Wisconsin looks beauti-

ful, the weather itself is kind of annoying due to slush, icy roads and freezing temperatures.”

The harsh weather in Wisconsin is also dangerous as evidenced by the influx of car accidents after snow begins

to fall every year. Cold weather along with snowstorms also become problems forcing many students to stay in-

side for a day or two rather than roughing it outside. Knuth explained, “If I was snowed in, I would watch

Netflix, play the drums and piano and go back to bed.”Bitteto would also spend time lazing around, “If I was

snowed in, I would watch some movies on Netflix and play video games.”

Students throughout Homestead agreed that the most important thing to do if snowed in is to get cozy and catch up on some vital hours of sleep.

Those who find themselves getting a bit bored during their day inside or have to travel during a winter storm should be sure to check out a couple apps made just for such situations.

The $.99 app called FirePlace turns your iPhone or iPad into a soothing, crackling fireplace, which is even capable of syncing to your favorite songs. Users with Android can download the free FirePlace Live Wallpaper and enjoy the fire while using their devices.

Another app, which is free and a bit more useful than FirePlace, is called Winter Survival Kit. This app is best used while driving through tough winter conditions or

stuck in a ditch along the side of the road. It transmits the user’s location to emergency services and can even calcu-late how long their engine can keep running if they are stuck in a ditch or snow bank.

By Brittany Emond

Logan Scarpace and Megan Trau, seniors, use their black North Face parkas to stay warm in the commons.

Photo by Brittany Emond

By noah mElan

Winter in Wisconsin: Frolic or hibernate?

AntarcticaCity: South PoleJan Average Temp: -16º F

GreenlandCity: Eismitte Jan Average Temp: -43º F

Alaska, United StatesCity: AnchorageJan Temp: 15º F

Photo by Brittany Emond

Sarah Kirtley, spohomore, stays warm in her parka and mittens

InFormatIon compIled by molly rIebau

Photo by Brittany Emond

Students Megan Trau, senior, Mackenzie Quinelvan, junior, Logan Scarpace, senior, Stephanie Murtos, senior, Will Gebhardt, junior, and Patrick Minkin, sophomore, display ugly Christmas sweaters to stay warm before break.

Bryce Juedes, Michael Schulz, and Luke Lebesch, seniors, get bundled up for the holidays in red Christmas apparel.

Photo by Molly Riebau

Photo by Anna Kreynin

While the Wisconsin winter brings frigid and uncom-fortable temperatures, it can also bring natural beauty.

5Feature

Wisconsin Russia Canada

Illustrations by Molly Riebau

Siberia, RussiaCity: Verhojansk Jan Average Temp: -53.6º F

Nunavut, CanadaCity: AlertJan Average Temp: -23º F

Search

Want to see more Pins you love in your feed? Follow hhshighlander!

Homestead+

With the chilly weather in Mequon, several trends hit it big. According to glamour.com, fuzzy Ugg boots, wool scarves, oversized sweaters and skinny jeans are all the rage this year. Julia Warshauer, sophomore, said, “This winter flannel shirts and oversized sweaters are really in. I love to wear them with combat boots.”

In addition, the men can be found strutting off their corduroys and warm sweaters. According to Nick Pe-tersen, senior, sweaters, mittens, and scarves are in this winter.

Of course, Mequonites all have steaming hot drinks in hand, whether it be from the local Starbucks or fresh

from home. Lexi Kenwood, junior, said, “My favorite winter drink is an eggnog shake.”

The one-stop remedy to fix up the boring season stands no further than our Pinterest board. Just scan our QR code to find some of our ideas or visit our URL.

By KatiE Writz

See our winter pins. Scan the QR code or

visit...http://www.pinterest.com/hhshighlander/

Wisconsin, United StatesCity: MilwaukeeJan Average Temp: 20.6º F

Winter Fashion

Pinned fromfashion-beauty-girls.tumblr.com

Winter Fashion

creativeportfolio.netPinned from Pinned from

Pinned by pinner

Pinned from

Winter FashionWinter Fashion

Winter Fashion

weheartit.comfashion-blog.us

People say there’s no school like the old school. But they don’t know about the new school. The new school is a new approach to learning called the flipped classroom.

A flipped classroom is a differ-ent teaching style that schools are testing out to make learning more applicable. Students watch short video lectures online at home and the homework is done in class. Teachers spend class time answer-ing questions and directly apply-ing knowledge with students.

Brett Bowers, principal, ex-plained that Homestead uses several components of the flipped classroom model. “The spirit behind flipped class-

rooms is what we’re trying to do at Homestead,” he said.

With the new trimester schedule more than a year un-derway, teachers are moving away from lectures and more into learning applications. “We have teachers around the build-ing using technology tools to change the feel of the class, Mr. Bowers said. And with the lon-ger class periods that trimesters allow, teachers are more able to help students learn actively.

And that idea of interaction is what flipped classrooms are all about. Greg Green, principal of Clintondale High School, a Michigan school that has revo-lutionized this teaching style, said his students prefer the

flipped classroom “because of the support they receive.”

The students drive the class; they ask questions and review topics in-depth, and they get help and face time with their teachers. “Students shouldn’t be at home struggling with home-work without help,” Green said. “[They] should be at school get-ting the support [they] need.”

Because of this support, the amount of homework assigned drops significantly, and grades improve drastically. Accord-ing to CNN’s blog “Schools of Thought,” failure rates for flipped classes such as english and math dropped more than 30 percent.

Flipping the classroom can benefit the teachers as well.

Teachers have less class prep and coursework to keep track of, according to an article called “‘Flipped’ Classrooms Take Ad-vantage of Technology” on usa-today.com. The teachers often use videos from other trusted learning sites, such as Khan Acad-emy or PatrickJMT, in addition to making a few of their own.

But there’s a large gap be-tween the two extremes of con-ventional teaching and flipped teaching. “It’s about the bits and pieces that makes [flipped teach-ing] valuable,” Mr. Bowers said. “The part I most strongly sup-port about flipped classrooms is the interacting and engaging, where we’re learning by doing instead of learning by listening.”

“The core of [a flipped

classroom] is how you fit the time,” Green said. The teach-ers spend as much time going over the subject material as the students need in order to fully understand. “Eighty percent of class is [the teachers] support-ing students,” Green added.

The new idea of flipping has spread, and parts of it are present in Homestead classrooms around the school as teachers try to make learning as hands-on and effec-tive as possible. “[Flipping the class] encourages the students to get help and complete home-work with extra help that they would not be able to do at home,” Twinkle Dutta, junior said of the flipped approach. “This whole reserved system of doing home-work at school is really beneficial.”

6 Feature

Traditional classroom model flips upside down

By Janae Brown

The iconic Superman logo has undergone another one of its infa-mous changes recently. There has been much heated debate over the news of the new logo for the second Man of Steel movie. The second movie is scheduled to be released sometime later this year.

Many people are unsure if the public will approve or disapprove with this new change. Shayley Timm, junior, recalled, “I really enjoyed the first movie. I think this new logo is more official.”

Henry Desmond, junior had a different opinion, “I like the new one, but I don’t think adults will like it because they grew up with the older one.” An article by Scott Younis, writer and owner of the Superman Homepage, explained how the logo has changed over time. “The design of the “S” in-signia not only grew in size, but it changed shape quite a lot in those early years following Superman’s debut in Action Comics #1 (dated June 1938),” Younis explained.

By Caleigh Koss

A photo of a classroom turned upside down represents the new idea of flipping how the school day is structured.

Shuffle the Deck

Photo by Janae Brown

Illustration by Janae Brown

Dorf ’s life centers on family, friends and soccer

The Highlander Publications Staff made a deck of cards containing the names of the entire student body. For each issue, we shuffle the deck and pick a student to feature. This issue’s pick: Jenna Dorf.

Jenna Dorf, freshman, has always dreamed of making it to nationals with her soccer team. Dorf thinks back to the beginning of her soccer career at the young age of five. Ever since then she has participated on several teams, “I have been on FC Milwaukee, North Shore United, and I am currently on a Mequon team called Fusion. I have been playing here for many years.”

Nothing stopped her and her team when it came to preparing for nationals last year. Jenna remem-bers, “training almost every night in all weather conditions, being focused, determined and work-ing to become successful.” Jenna recalls, “It was the best feeling of my life to win nationals. We put so much time and energy into training and getting there and to be the second in the nation felt absolute-ly unreal.” After reminiscing of her win at nation-als, Dorf delved more into her personal interests. When Jenna is not on the field she is spend-

ing time with her family and friends. “My favor-ite summer memory is going to a lake house with three of my best friends. We went tubing, went to dinner hung out all day- it was amazing.” Jenna is enjoying her freshman year so far and is “so proud to be a Highlander because Homestead has opened me up to so many amazing things, such as drama club and making new friends.”

Dorf has also learned a lot from her par-ents and has set goals for herself for the future. “My parents taught me many values but I think the biggest lesson was to never lie.” Jenna be-lieves that in life “lying gets you no where and all it does is cause greater trouble in the end.”

When asked what she sees herself do-ing twenty years from now, she said, “I hope to be a physical therapist and have a family.”

Jenna’s Favorites

Food - PastaRestaurant - Any Italian Restaurant

Song - Ghost by Katy Perry Artist - Lil Wayne

Color - PurpleSport to Play - Soccer

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s another Superman logo

Results illustrate the difference in student performance before and after flipped classrooms, according to CNN’s blog“Schools of Thought.”

By Caleigh Koss

Jenna (right) works hard to get the ball from the competi-tion at nationals in Florida.

Submitted Photo

19381939

2013

1941

19571984

2006

Illustration by Janae Brown

Christmas. Hanukkah. Kwan-za. Across the globe, millions cel-ebrate these festive holidays, but how do the foreign exchange stu-dents here from various countries celebrate when in their new towns?

Elena Aloisio, traditionally from Italy, explained that “Christmas is kind of the same but we get back to school after the sixth of January be-cause we celebrate ‘la befana’ or ‘Epi-fania.’ That’s a day when kids get presents in a sock if they behaved and coal if they didn’t.” Instead of Santa Claus bringing presents, an ugly witch flies on a broom to deliver the gifts.

In Norway, Christmas is celebrat-ed on Dec. 24. “The most common tradition in Norway is to eat rice porridge for lunch and hide an almond in the porridge. The per-son who gets the almond wins a pig made out of marzipan. In-stead of putting out milk and cookies for Santa, we put rice porridge in a barn because our Santa lives in a barn and takes care of the animals,” according to Kristin Oeksendal Boerresen.

Another Norwegian tradi-tion includes children dress-ing up as Santa Claus for Halloween and going door to door caroling for candy.

Christmas in France is rather similar to the way we celebrate it in Wisconsin, explains Erwan Leon Said Dessailly. The French set up a Christmas tree and Santa places presents under it. How-ever, they eat Foie Gras, a part of the duck, on Christmas Day as they gather with family. The children stay up until midnight on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa Claus’ arrival and presents.

Christmas in Spain is simi-lar to the United States as well. Christina Llado Camprubi said, “We also have the ‘the three

kings’ (los tres reyes) on Jan. 6, so we get to go back to school later. This is a celebration where families all get together again, have a big meal and a typical dessert. Dessert consists of a cake with a donut shape and with a king and a vegetable in it. Somebody serves the cake and the one that gets the king means good luck for him, but the one who gets the vegetable if he/she is too old, he/she will have to pay for the meal, but if its a kid, he/she will have to do something embarrassing in front of everybody in the restaurant.”

In Senegal, some residents but not all celebrate Christmas because the country is primarily Muslim. “For new year, everybody celebrates,

Christians or Muslim. It’s a national it’s a holiday that people prepare a month before,” according to Ouley Thiane Ngom. For New Year’s Eve, “everybody [old or young] gath-ers together downtown in a specific place [which changes every year] to do the countdown together and watch fireworks.” Also the government sponsors a tradition where the first baby born in the new year receives a gift from the government; which is taken very seriously in Senegal.

Whether the student body is across the globe or in the comfort of their home in Mequon, they celebrate holi-days with different and unique tradi-tions all throughout each household.

A recent study conducted by the British Medical Journal con-cludes that healthier, more or-ganic diets cost about $1.50 more a day, which is about $550.00 more a year. With childhood obe-sity rates spiking, the demand for organic foods is at its peak.

Now, even Whole Foods is facing competition as Wal-Mart chains stack nutritious foods on their shelves. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has created an “organic” seal, joining the nationwide health kick. Although the demand for healthy, organic foods is higher than ever, is the “organic” seal worth the extra $1.50 a day?

New York University profes-sor Marion Nestle, PhD, recom-mends, “If you can afford them, buy them. It really is a person-al choice but how can anyone think that substances, such as pesticides, capable of killing in-sects, can be good for you?”

Nestle’s point stems from how the nation’s obsession over organic started in the first place. Foods labeled “organic” can-not be treated with any synthetic pesticides, sewage sludge, bioen-gineering or ionizing radiation, according to the Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA).

Thus, organic foods derive pesticide use from natural sources, lowering people’s risk of being ex-posed to harmful chemicals used to treat produce and other foods.

The reason foods labeled “or-ganic” bear a heavier burden when it comes to cost is that the produc-

tion is more labor-intensive and without the use of pesticides, the yield isn’t always favorable. In ad-dition, companies find it harder to mass-produce organic foods at the same small cost as processed foods.

“Unhealthy diets may cost less because food policies have focused on the production of inexpensive, high volume com-modities, which has lead to a com-plex network of farming, storage, transportation, processing, manu-facturing, and marketing capa-bilities that favor sales of highly processed foods for maximal in-dustry profit,” Karen Fledscher, writer for Harvard School of Pub-lic Health Communications said.

However, according to a WebMD article, the US Depart-ment of Agriculture makes no claims that organic foods are “safer, healthier, or more nutri-tious than conventional foods.”

In the same article, American Dietetic Association spokeswom-an Keecha Harris, PhD, argues that there is a lack of evidence on whether or not foods labeled “organic” are actually better for you than “conventional” foods.

Harris noted the importance of buying foods, organic or inor-ganic, close to home. “They [the foods] may be organic, but the environmental footprint includes lots of petrochemicals used in transportation, whereas if you buy produce from your local farmers market, it may not be organic but it is farm-fresh and less impactful on the environment,” Harris said.

On the contrary, the Harvard School of Public Health Commu-nications argues that although healthier diet patterns, consist-ing of fish, fruits, vegetables and nuts, cost significantly more than unhealthy diet pat-terns, the extra cost outweighs the cost of treating chronic dis-eases related to eating habits.

One fact that all experts agree on is that life-long healthy diets are vital. Regardless of whether one chooses to eat or-ganic, locally grown, or con-ventional foods, eating a bal-anced, healthy diet is important to our society’s health overall.

Feature 77

With a dream of being on the radio, Kidd O’Shea, Class of ‘98, started by call-ing up radio DJs at night for experience. By age 15, he had a job at WTKM while still in school. “Homestead was very accommodat-ing,” he said. O’Shea was involved in the co-op pro-gram, which allowed him to leave early for work.While at Homestead, O’Shea enjoyed participat-ing in the theatre program.

Currently he co-hosts with Elizabeth Kay on 99.1 The Mix in the mornings. Their show was voted one of the top-five best morning radio shows, according to

wisn.com. He also reports on WISN-TV Ch. 12. “Ev-eryday is different,” O’Shea said. He loves “trying to find news ways to come up with original content.”Sara Imbrie, sophomore, said, “I like listening to him; he’s entertaining.”

In the future, he hopes to grow with the ever-changing business of radio. He also maybe one day sees himself working some-where besides Milwaukee.O’Shea’s advice for stu-dents who wish to get into radio is to get started early, by job shadowing and calling radio stations.

Alumnus makes it big on local airwaves

Going organic: Is the higher price worth it?By Sydney BenSon

Contrasting foreign and local celebrationsBy katie StarSky

By katharine ryan

Stacks of organic apples color the produce section at Sendik’s Food Market in Mequon.

Signs in Sendiks delineate the price difference between regular and organic tomatoes. Consumers have to make the decision between regular and organic, considering organic carries a higher price tag.

Photo by Sydney Benson

Ouley Thiane Ngom, Cristina Llado Camprubi, Kristin Oeksendal Boerresen and Elena Al-oisio pose outside dressed in their winter gear as they endure the snowy Wisconsin weather.

Kidd O’Shea prepares for another day of work in the 99.1 studio.

Submitted Photo

Photo by Sydney BensonPhoto by Katie Bandurski

O’Shea hosts morning radio show

Photo by Katie Starsky

8sportshomesteadHighlander

Publications

Homestead411

Not many high school foot-ball coaches can boast leading their team to 18 conference titles and four state champion-ships. Even fewer can say that their name lies in the Wiscon-sin Football Coaches Associa-tion (WFCA) Hall of Fame. Mr. Dave Keel, head football coach, is part of that select few.

Homestead football hasn’t always been at the top of the heap, however. “My first season in 1989 we lost six straight games to begin the season finishing eighth place [in conference],” Coach Keel recalled. The Highland-ers’ claim of the 1991 North Shore Conference title, two years after Coach Keel took the reins, was the victory that began Homestead’s legacy of success.

“With 13 straight confer-ence championships and four state titles, there’s no doubt Coach Keel is the best coach in the state,” Bryce Juedes, senior and varsity football player, said.

Coach Matthew Wolf, of-fensive line coach, believes Coach Keel’s “combination of knowledge, dedication and confidence” has played a tremendous role in propel-ling the football program to success. “He understands stu-dents’ needs and provides con-sistent expectations,” Mr. Wolf said. Juedes added, “Coach Keel demands excellence from his players. He doesn’t settle for mediocrity.”

Coach Keel demands ex-cellence both on and off the field, while he and his assistant coaches instill leadership quali-

ties in their players. “Our play-ers learn leadership skills and techniques that are directly ap-plicable on and off the field,” Coach Keel explained. “[Coach Keel] helped me reach my po-tential and grow as not only a

player, but also as a person,” Conor Quick, senior and var-sity football player, attested.

Aside from conference and state championships, Coach Keel has racked up some pres-tigious personal awards along

the way, including the WFCA Hall of Fame induction and the NOW Coach of the Year award. However, Keel dedi-cates these personal honors to his coaching staff and his play-ers. “[These are] great honors

for me personally but really are a reflection of the fantastic coaching staff we have and the special players and families in our community,” Coach Keel said. “Both awards are truly team awards and I am very

proud to represent our coaches, players and community.”

Although Coach Keel cer-tainly has the right to flaunt his achievements, he prefers to stay humble. “He never talks himself or his teams up

too much, even in situations when other people are talking the team up,” Quick said. “He always remains focused and recognizes that there is room for improvement. You can’t say that about every coach.”

Athletes of the issue help teams shoot for victory

by anna kreynin

by Sydney roeper

Recognizing a legendary coach

Coach Keel discusses strategy with his varsity football players at their game against Port Washington on Sept. 6. Homestead beat Port Washington 44-21.

Boys BasketballHead Coach: Kevin McKenna

Captains: Jerrod Walton, Luke Mueller and Seth Cooley

Next Event: Fri, Jan 24, home v.s. Port Washington

Girls BasketballHead Coach: Matt HeuserCaptains: Olivia Covill and Danielle Neil-sonNext Event: Fri, Jan 24, away v.s. Port Wash-ington

Boys HockeyHead Coach: Tony Navarre

Captains: Michael Schulz & Ryan MezeraNext Event: Fri, Jan 24, away vs. Greendale

USM Co-opHead Coach: Jason WoodCaptains: Nina Andersen, Jaime Hathaway, Rose Revolinski, Heidi GolembiewskiNext Event: Fri, Jan 24, away vs. Holy An-gels Academy

Lakeshore LightningHead Coach: Scott Matczak

Captains: Erin Connolly & Hayley BrownNext Event: Fri Jan 24, home vs. Fox Cities

Stars (co-op) Girls GymnasticsHead Coach: Mike GilesCaptains: SeniorsNext Event: Sat, Jan 25, away vs. Arrow-head

WrestlingHead Coach: Ernie Millard

Captains: Nick Price, Zach Price and Zach Lennon

Next Event: Fri, Jan 24, home vs. multiple schools

Ski TeamHead Coach: Todd ReinekingCaptains: Parker Lewis, Alden Laev, Joe Lauenstein and Sarah BarrNext Event: Thur, Jan 30, at Little Switzer-land vs. mult. schools

Boys Swim & DiveHead Coach: Mark Gwidt

Captains: Borja Morales & Chris Brogham-mer

Next Event: Thur, Jan 30, home vs. White-fish Bay

Winter Sports Box

Submitted photo: Ken Cavanaugh

Jerrod WaltonJaime Hathaway

3-Pointers Made: 7

Total Points: 113

Field Goals Made: 46

Photo by Brittany Emond

Jaime Hathaway, senior, started blocking pucks in fourth grade, playing for the Ozaukee Ice Dogs. Eight years later, Hathaway, the starting goalie for the USM Wildcats co-op girls hockey team, is described as “a goalie with tre-mendous ability and works incredibly hard to continue to get better” by Coach Jason Woods, USM Wildcats co-op hock-ey coach.

Hathaway recalled, “The best part thus far about this season is just seeing the girls come together and grow into a family. Hockey players share a bond with one another that compares to no other sport I’ve ever participated in.”

Hathaway’s strength as a captain lies within her ability to pick the team up af-ter a tough period or game.

Coach Woods said, ”Knowing Jamie is back protecting our net allows the oth-er girls to play their games and know if they make a mistake, Jaime will be able to cover them most times!”

.944 Save Percentage 516.38 Minutes Played

0.99 Goal Against Average

Submitted Photo

Jerrod Walton, senior, uses his vocal leadership to help teamates improve and to compliment them when they do some-thing well, Jack Popp, sophomore team-mate, said. Coach Kevin McKenna, boys varsity basketball coach, explained “He is willing to listen and trust his coaches, which is a good model for our younger players in the program.”

Walton started playing basketball at the age of seven and eleven years later, he is a leader of the basketball team. Coach McKenna explained, “Jerrod has become a good teammate by sharing the ball and trusting his teammates. He has guarded the opponent’s best player, and held them to under their scoring average.”

Popp said one of the biggest impacts that Walton makes on the team is his ability to put points on the board. Coach McKenna added, “Even when his offense is struggling, his defense has been very good this year.”

Stats as of Jan. 17, 2014Stats as of Jan. 17, 2014

Girls Hockey Boys Basketball