Behind the lens with Lane models

By Mary Presley

People may say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but Lane models know that the behind the scene, moments are worth even more. There is more to a photo than just a perfect shot. Most people on the outside looking in have no idea about the tricks and secrets behind getting a great photo.

Vallarie Perez, Div.266, has been modeling since she was 14.

“I started modeling when I entered this pageant and won, and the prize was the cover of the 2009 edition of the Quinceañeras magazine, and from there I got signed to a talent agency,” said Perez.

Perez is not afraid to reveal that things are not always what they seem to appear to be. The process of getting a spectacular photo is nothing compare to the finish product.

“I did a photo shoot with my cousin and we had to have really big humongous hair, so they put empty water bottles in our hair to make it huge and big, and then I had on a lot of make up and my eye shadow was super vibrant,” said Perez.

“I had so much fun and the photos came out really nice,” said Perez.

Perez is around 5’1, but looking at her photos it is sometimes hard to believe.

“During an AJ Wright photo shoot, I had to stand on a white platform that blended in with my dress, because I’m short,” said Perez

During another photo shoot Perez had to run outside in the streets, and jump up and down to try to get a perfect shot.

“The extreme photo shoots are the best! Simple is boring; I like to be outlandish,” said Perez.

Model Chitavia Murph, Div. 271, started taking photos to put in her portfolio when she was 16. During a photo shoot in High Grass Murph noticed that a spider was crawling on her. She was really scared, but had to maintain her emotions to get a good shot.

“I did what I had to do, and had to worry about the spider later,” said Murph.

On most photo shoots, models are placed in strange environments and may feel uncomfortable, but this is one of the things that people can not tell by just looking at a picture.

“I did a photo shoot by train tracks, and there were a lot of construction workers around and I had on this dress. I was sort of uncomfortable, it was like pretty princess in the ghetto,” said Murph.

Murph revealed that most of her good photos were of herself just thinking.

“The photographer will tell me to think about different emotions, and that was a shot,” said Murph.

Models sometimes have to work with whatever they find just laying around.

“One time we had to look on the ground for cigarette butts, and I had the cigarette so close to my mouth that it seem like I was actually smoking, besides that I had to smear my makeup to the point where it was not neat. They wanted me to look depressed,” said Murph.

Cecilia Soberanios, Div.272, is another aspiring model at Lane that understands that the photos she takes never tell the real story.

“I think what the pictures show is so different from what’s going on in the moment. The picture looks so different and it does not look like me,” said Soberanios.

A good photo never reveals the things that are really going on. One time during a photo shoot Soberanios had to lay in freezing water, but she had to stick out her face. Through all of that, she still had to convey a peaceful face.

“It was a really hard thing to do, but the picture came out looking really nice. It looked really exotic. At the moment if you were there, you would see me just cracking up laughing,” said Soberanios.

One time Soberanios also had to climb a tree for a photo shoot, even though she is afraid of heights.

“At first me being scared showed in my pictures, but the photographer told me to relax, and then she got a good shot. The photographer always makes sure all your insecurities do not show in the picture,” said Soberanios.

Model Agnes Kulesza, Div. 279, started modeling when she was 15 years old. Even though she has only been modeling for two years, Kulesza experienced one photo shoot that really tested her limits. How far would she go to get that perfect shot?

“I had a photo shoot downtown on a roof top, and I had to climb up a fire escape to get to this really high ladder. The photographer wanted us to hang from the ladder to take the pictures. I had on six inch heels, and when we climbed up the ladder, our heels would get stuck in the ladder, and fall off,” said Kulesza.

“It was scary because the ladder was pretty high, but the pictures turn out great,” said Kulesza.

Besides making the background of a photo look amazing, photographers also add little details to the models appearance to make them look extra special.

“They put fake eyelashes on you to make your eyes pop, and they use bronzer to make your legs look shinier,” Kulesza said.

Unlike most of the models at Lane, Mercedes Loza, Div.374, has been modeling since she was three years old. She knows what she has to do to get a good shot.

“Modeling is like acting, you have to portray a certain emotion and pose right,” Loza said.

Models always appear to be perfect, but some models like Loza get down and dirty.

“I had this one photo shoot, where they made me wear this outfit made up of nothing but leaves. Then, I had to put mud all over my body, and the mud got really hard, so it was hard for me to move, but it was really fun,” said Loza.

Loza knows that during photo shoots sometimes what she is doing may seem dumb, but in the end, she knows it is worth it because the picture comes out really beautiful.

Photographers have to bring out the hidden side of some models while hiding the blemishes of others. Either way, modeling is the art of creating a flawless image that looks real.

Going away to college not all it’s cracked up to be?

By Aleksandra Pavlovic

“I sat on my bed the second day I was at U of I,” said Lane alumni Izabela Bierc. “I thought, ‘Man, I need to get out of here.’”

The idea of claiming independence and going out of state for college was nothing short of thrilling for many, including Bierc, but numerous students have found themselves unsatisfied and are either transferring or have already transferred back to schools in Chicago.

“The initial excitement was great, but it wasn’t what I imagined,” said Bierc. “I felt like I was secluded in a bubble.”

One of Bierc’s main concerns was the lack of a fast-paced lifestyle.

“Everything was so slow. Champagne is tiny, and the city goes to sleep early. There’s not really anything to do except get involved with school. It’s in the middle of nowhere; you can’t leave.”

Bierc transferred to Depaul University on January third and is grateful for the decision.

“I fell in love with Depaul. It was how I envisioned college to be. Either way it’s a hit or miss- you either love your school or you don’t.”

Whitney Young alumni Max Fitzpatrick felt that a college town was not right for him, but Santa Monica Community College in Santa Monica, California did not seem to be the right fit either.

“It was high school all over again,” said Fitzpatrick.

“But nobody wanted to chill or make friends. The school was filled with rich kids that didn’t seem to care much for their education as long as their parents were paying for it. I wanted to learn, and I knew that I wasn’t accomplishing there what I could’ve been accomplishing here.”

Fitzpatrick plans on transferring to Columbia College as soon as possible.

“I thought that California would be awesome, and it was, but community college was just not the way to go.”

Lane graduate Izzy Carr chose to attend Grand Valley State University in order to move away from home.

“I wanted a new place, new people, a new environment,” said Carr. “The campus was pretty and the school was affordable, but it wasn’t my first choice.”

Carr wishes to be in a city and hopes to transfer to Depaul and or the University of Pittsburgh by her sophomore year.

“I can’t deal with farmville USA. At least I know that I gave it a shot.”

Wilfredo Torres, also a Lane alumni, does not feel a sense of accomplishment

in his decision to stay in-state. Torres attends Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

“I feel like I didn’t have to do much to get accepted so I’m not necessarily proud or glad that I go there,” said Torres. “I don’t belong there. I’m applying to schools all over the country so I can transfer. Even though it’s more expensive, I think I’m happier to pay for an education that I want rather than a cheap one I’m simply settling for.”

Lake View graduate Jon Parker is having a difficult time adjusting to the University of Missouri.

“Mizzou is heavily Greek oriented,” said Parker. It’s the only form of entertainment, and coming from Chicago, that’s a huge let-down. And I’m sick of the hills; I miss looking out of my window and seeing the lake.”

Parker, however, does not wish to transfer and wants to give the university another chance to impress him.

“It has a good sports team, good academics, and a big campus. I might transfer my Junior year, but I may not. Who knows?”

Amongst the disappointed students are satisfied ones that are enjoying their time away from home.

“I don’t miss Chicago,” said Whitney Young graduate Casey Ferrantella who attended Santa Monica Com

munity College with Fitzpat

rick. “[Chicago] is waiting for me. I knew what I signed up for when I left. Moving away seems to be the most logical step to take after college.

I get homesick at times, but I don’t think it hits me as hard as it does others.”

Ferrantella wishes he moved to a different part of California, but is mostly satisfied with his decision.

“You need a car in LA, and so many people are fake. It’s like one big suburb. I wish I moved to San Francisco because of its public transportation.”

Lane alumni Donovan Tolledo is also satisfied with his decision to move away to the University of Madison, Wisconsin.

“College is overrated, anyone can tell you that,” said Tolledo. “It’s hard, and it’s up to you to manage your time there. I love Madison, even though it’s a small town and I’d much rather be in Chicago at times, but I like the school and the people.”

Tolledo mentally prepared for being away from his family and friends and knew that going away to college would be challenging.

“People don’t like being by themselves, but that’s part of being an adult. You won’t just stay with your family your entire life. I think about home all the time but I like being where I am.”

Although many students are struggling with being far from home, many are deciding to tough it out and embrace the independence. Either way, reality does not come handed on a silver platter, and after being released from high school’s safe graces, life becomes a survival of the fittest.

Classroom posters make for good distraction

By Aleksandra Bursac

Why is that poster even up there? Students may come to question the odd posters or sculptures they see in their classrooms, but teachers like to put posters and other decorations all over their rooms in order to make the classroom environment more personal. Mostly the posters are about math problems or important events in history.

They might show you what the inside of a cell looks like, or tell you how to properly use an interjection. But the more personal posters or objects show students a fun side of their teachers.

Quite a few math department classrooms at Lane have styrofoam heads with wigs and hats placed around the rooms. They are fun to look at and can be seen sitting inside the windows or over doors. They have become somewhat of a private joke between teachers.

“There are cameras in them. We math teachers record you guys and look over the footage in the math lab,” jokes Ms. Jencius, an Algebra II teacher.

“But no, really they just started out as a joke. My first one was given to me by a student who made it for an art project and gave it to me. It has been up in my room ever since,” said Ms. Jencius.

Ms. Mead also has a head in her classroom, along with a few others.

The walls of room 253 are plastered in movie posters. The bright colors and funny catch phrases can really be a relief to a bored student’s mind. Film classes are held in the room, but AP English and Composition is also taught there by Ms. Ewers.

“At the beginning of the year my students were very interested in the posters, but I think that with time, decorations fade into the background,” said Ms. Ewers.

Personal taste can be reflected in the decorations of a classroom and sometimes teachers can be surprised that their art is acknowledged in an unexpected way. Mr. Maslanka’s room has had a Pink Floyd poster up on the wall for eleven years now.

“I have had it up there since I began teaching, the original one fell down at some point and a student of mine bought me a new one,” said Mr. Maslanka, who teaches AP English and Philosophy.

The poster was originally put up because Maslanka likes the band, but he never expected his students to use it as inspiration for their AP t-shirt last year. They used a flamingo from the flamingo Prompt -which is an AP English essay prompt by Jennifer Price examining the popularity of the plastic pink flamingo in the 1950s- and drew it with the classic Pink Floyd rainbow spilling out of its mouth

“It was my favorite AP class shirt,” said Maslanka.

“I also remember in my second year of teaching, two of my students were pointing at the poster and they seem to have liked it, one of them was Liam O’Donnell who is now a Special Ed teacher here at Lane,” said Maslanka.

Mr. Valderrama, an English teacher, has two Marilyn Monroe pop art paintings up on his classroom wall.

“I see the two paintings every day but I don’t know why he has them up there since this is a British literature class,” said Rachel Brustein Div. 251.

“They are cool, but sometimes I do stare off at the wall instead of paying attention to some of the lectures,” said Brustein.

But Valderrama had personal reasons to put the Marilyn paintings up.

“A friend of mine did an Andy Warhol rendering of Marilyn with stencils. He had them lying around in his house and I asked him if I can take them to school with me,” said Valderrama.

Andy Warhol pioneered the technique of taking a photograph and turning it into a painting very popular in the 60s.

Sitting in class for 46 minutes and listening to a lecture can sometimes drag. Some students space out or even doze off. But the fun works of art and other decorations in classrooms can take away some of the boredom when a student finds himself scrutinizing an unfamiliar painting or odd sculpture.

Importance of adolescent confidence starts at home

By Sapna Rathod

A firm handshake, eye contact, and a natural pace of speech are ways to evoke confidence through body language. This is sometimes hard to fake in high school.

Mr. Bertenshaw, a teacher in the English department, feels strongly that every student has a reason to be confident.

“Kids these days are easily misled,” Bertenshaw said, “They lose a sense of independence and allow themselves to become dependent.”

Dora Callahan, Div. 259, believes that the high school experience can allow a person to become nervous.

“It was the beginning of freshman year when things were shaky,” said Callahan, “Only because I was new to how high school worked and it was really intimidating.”

A lack of confidence in adolescents is a reoccurring discussion. Counselors often believe that a lack of confidence can sometimes start straight from the home. If a child is criticized frequently by family members and friends, they eventually will begin to doubt themselves in everything they strive to achieve.

An anonymous junior has always felt that talking to her counselor is something that she would refrain from telling her friends.

“Sometimes I want to vent about things that I don’t want my friend’s knowing” said the anonymous student. “And I know the counselors are there so I can talk to them, but there’s just some things I would rather keep to myself.”

Mrs. Lori Dulberg, one of the 12 counselors at Lane, equates confidence with self-esteem.

“A lack of confidence can effect students motivation,” Dulberg said, “They can fear rejection, or even a lack of success. Eventually, it can turn into something self-destructive.”

Stephen Yoshida, Div. 250, feels a lack of confidence in his own talents.

“Other than being terrified of talking to girls, I lose a lot of confidence when I play guitar.” Yoshida said. “I know I’m good, but I know that at any moment, I can make an ugly mistake.”

Alejandro Serrano, Div. 269, has problems with his self-esteem on a weekly basis.

“When I sing every Sunday at church,” Serrano said, “I’m surrounded by many that sing very well, and I personally don’t think I’m really that good.”

Genamarie Wojtal, Div. 282, felt a strong lack in her confidence when she took a fashion design class in New York last summer.

“On the last day of class we had a final exhibition of the work we did over a month’s time,” Wojtal said. “I really did not want to put any of my work up because I felt it was not as good as some of the people in the class and I was embarrassed to have it displayed next to theirs.”

Ms. Langford, a psychology teacher, believes that no matter how confident a teenager can present themselves to their peers, every child has insecurities.

“Being popular doesn’t make you a secure kid,” Langford said, “Insecurities are powerful, no matter what.”

In a high school setting, some teachers hope they have a massive influence on the lives of their students.

Confidence can sometimes be an emotional roller coaster ride; everyone will have their ups and downs.

“If you got it, flaunt it.” Wojtal said.