25th Sep2011

First day jitters don’t last long

By Sophie Swenson

I can remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. The sky was clear and the sun was shining as I stepped out of the car and walked toward Lane, my first steps toward “growing up”. Right outside of “O”, security guards yelled for freshman to enter the auditorium, while what seemed to be an endless sea of upperclassmen were waiting to see the fresh meat.

“FRESHMAN!” was spurted, snickered, and sympathetically murmured that morning as I nervously shuffled along. Maybe it’s just because those kinds of social situations scare me out of my mind, but walking alone that morning was probably one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.

If I knew what I know now, I wouldn’t have expected myself to instantly become mature or responsible the second I entered high school; I now know that neither I, nor any other student here has reached their full potential, because they have so much more to learn and live through.

Ever since that first day, my time at Lane has been one big blur. A stressful, surreal, blur. When people say time in high school goes by in the blink of an eye, they really mean it. And even though it seems like a blink ago, the change I see in myself from the timid freshman walking to her first day of high school is tremendous. But “growing up” didn’t just magically happen as I walked through the doors of Lane. It happened slowly, subtly, and with some trouble.

As I got deeper into my freshman year, I thought I had the world in my hands. I felt a sort of teenage power never felt before, and I wanted more. But with that power came (not responsibility,) a feeling of superiority that needed to be humbled. I soon realized that I didn’t know everything, that I still had more to learn. I If I hadn’t gotten lost that first day and wandered down the empty hall long after the bell had rung, when would I have learned that there are two fourth floors? If I hadn’t gone out that night, instead of studying for the biology test, which F would scare into managing my time better? If I hadn’t said and done the things I did throughout my years at Lane, and if kindness was never taught to me by others, what kind of person would I be today?

Through mapping out my classes the night before my first day, making time for studying during the weekend, and understanding that I have just as many flaws as the person next to me, I will never forget the morals that molded me into who I am, and who I will never be again.

Making friends, making time for work, and making mistakes is what happens in your four years, and it’s that experience that will set you up for what kind of person you choose to be in the long run.

Because of the choices and mistakes I made, and the ones you are going to make during your years at Lane, the person who walks across that stage will be significantly different from the one who is reading the words right off this page.

 

Category : Opinion
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25th Sep2011

New students adjust to new environment

By Vanessa Pena

Walking into the halls of Lane in your early teens, not knowing where any of your classes are, with new thousands of new faces surrounding you, can be very intimidating.

However, the new incoming freshmen no longer have to worry about being the smallest of the bunch, thanks to the Academic Center students.

Marvin Junay, Div. 579, less than five feet tall, is glad there are seventh graders. This way he is not the youngest one around.

“I bet I am more muscular than them, but Lane is too big for a small person like me,” Junay said.

Freshman Stephanie Tariga, Div. 573, does not feel any older than or superior to the seventh graders. Instead, she continues to feel intimated by the upperclassmen and meeting new people.

“I still feel the same because we don’t see the seventh graders, and I am still short and small,” Tariga said.

Jamir Jackson, Div. 752, is not struggling with his new surroundings claiming he feels more mature attending high school compared to other friends his age just in middle school.

“I’m not intimidated because I am taking higher level classes so others should be intimated by us,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s only issue at Lane is getting called “cute” by the upperclassmen that talk to him.

Another newbie to Lane this year, Ivan Chavez, Div. 575, does not feel any intimidation since he is from a big city. Chavez is just looking forward to the club opportunities that Lane has to offer.

While the others may not feel intimidated, freshmen such as Kristi Gallardo, Div. 573, and Zachary Pierucci, Div. 572, have noticed drastic differences between their old elementary school and high school.

“The hardest part would be finding people to talk to. My graduation class was me and 16 other kids,” Gallardo said.

While both Gallardo and Pierucci are adapting to Lane, they have managed to make plans for their future years. This includes Gallardo wanting to join the Environmental Club and Pierucci playing varsity hockey with another branch of high schools in Chicago.

Tyler Carrera, Div. 578, Mr. Paul Carrera’s son, is looking forward to playing lacrosse at Lane, and feels welcomed by the upperclassmen.

“The upperclassmen don’t bother us, which I like a lot,” Carrera said.

However, Samiha Uddin, Div. 573, is still trying to get comfortable at Lane and questions why freshmen are ever given a hard time.

“What did we ever do to the upperclassmen?” she said. “Why do they make fun? They were freshmen once.”

Category : News
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25th Sep2011

Underclassmen trust siblings to hand down advice on Lane

By Sophia Swenson

Palms sweaty and hearts pounding, more than 1,000 freshmen and LTAC students enter Lane’s doors. All are nervous and, while plenty find themselves lost, only some have their own personal guides pointing them in the right direction.

It is no surprise that Lane serves as a home to more than one member of the same family. And with their relatives attending Lane, a few new students found the fluorescently-lit hallways to be a little less intimidating and a little more comforting.

Adam Rebora, Div. 390, a junior at Lane, had no problem giving his sister tips about new teachers and navigating Lane’s hallways, while simultaneously, “[Trying] not to let her do any freshman stuff.”

Lane lanyards, using a map in the hallways, and carrying drafting supplies have been considered standard “freshman traits” at Lane. Although some choose to wear their lanyards with pride, many freshman and LTAC students are encouraged to hide such a “newcomer give-away.”

Andrea Meza, Div. 752, an LTAC student, heard similar advice on how to avoid looking like a freshman from her sister, a current junior at Lane.

“‘Don’t wear your hang-around’,” Meza said, “’And don’t ask upperclassmen for directions because they’ll send you the wrong way’.”

Lots of the warnings seemed to be about surviving life in the hallways.

“[My cousin told me], ‘you have to be careful because the big kids don’t watch where they’re going,’” said Olivia Clafford, Div. 752, another LTAC student who stands a full foot shorter than most Lane students.

Not all Lane veterans were as helpful to their younger siblings with whom they now share a school.

Meza’s sister was not too fond of the idea of Meza going to Lane. She worried it might make a dent in her social life.

Kamila Postolowicz, Div. 752, said her sister took some time to warm up to the idea of the two attending Lane at the same time.

“She wasn’t super happy about me coming,” Postolowicz said. “Now my sister’s okay with me going here. When we see each other we don’t really talk.”

As freshman and seventh graders enter high school life, it means for many older siblings or relatives that their once little brother or sister has become a teenage brother or sister. And although they can still talk to them in the hallways, or walk them to class, it has come time for many Lane students to let their siblings head off towards their grown up lives.

“He just said ‘good luck’ and went his own way,” said Sergio Cuenca, Div. 751.

Category : Features
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25th Sep2011

LTAC students held out of high school clubs

By Erik Brito

They are in the same building, in some of the same classes, but the seventh graders of Lane will not be allowed in the same clubs with the upperclassmen.

As the new year begins, Lane’s seventh graders are eager to join the clubs offered at their new school. Approximately 90 enrolled LTAC students will be offered a list of clubs and sports just for them. Along with clubs such as Science Olympiad and Battle of the Books, the seventh graders will also have the opportunity to run their own Student Council.

Some seventh graders are disappointed about being separated from the rest of Lane’s student body.

“We interact with them in class and in the hallways,” said Jamir Jackson, Div. 752. “We should be able to join their clubs.”

“It stinks,” said Aliyah Vale, Div. 752. “I guess they didn’t want high school kids to pick on us.”

On the other hand, Kamila Postolowicz, Div. 752, believes the separation is a good idea. She said that they are still, “too young,” to be in the same clubs with high school kids.

If Lane were to allow the seventh graders to participate with the rest of the school’s clubs, many of them would react the way Alex Boush, Div. 750, did, with an enthusiastic, “Yipee!”

Unfortunately for Boush, the administration was adamant that seventh graders not participate in high school activities.

First, the LTAC’s early dismissal would mean a lot of waiting around during eighth period (when LTAC students don’t have class) in order to attend club meetings.

A second reason behind the administration’s decision to keep both programs’ extracurriculars separate, is that certain clubs offered to the LTAC students require them to be of a certain age in order to participate.

Finally, the administration wants to ensure the LTAC remains a separate program from the high school.

Still, Kaiden Friedrich, Div. 752, said, “It’d be cool to join the clubs and get a bigger variety than what we have now.”

LTAC students, Jazmin Aveces, Div. 751, and Sam Sklar, Div. 750, are indifferent towards the administration’s decision.

“I don’t really care,” Sklar said. “I spend two hours [every night] doing homework, which gives me no time for clubs.”

Aveces agrees, finding herself busy enough with the piano lessons she takes after school to even think about joining clubs at Lane.

“We want the kids to have something to look forward to once they are enrolled as freshmen at Lane,” said Ms. Beck, coordinator for the Academic Center. “Next year we hope to add more clubs.”

“They should at least let us make our own clubs,” Jackson said.

Suggestions include a drama club or ethnic clubs like the ones available for the high school students.

“Next year kids will be able to create their own clubs if they meet the [school’s] requirements,” Beck said.

The program is still new and, as Beck says, Lane is looking at other Academic Centers in the Chicagoland area for inspiration to ensure the center continues to run smoothly.

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