Just over 88 years ago, the Lane Tech Daily ran front page sports stories reporting on Lane’s participation in national level sporting events. The swim team finished in second place behind a high school from Atlantic City, N.J. at the National Indoor Swimming Championships held at Northwestern University.
The track team took sixth at a meet where the all-time high school records were broken in both the 60-yard hurdles and the pole vault.
By Aleksandra Bursac
As students drag themselves back to school Monday, their energy levels drop. In order to prevent sour faces from crowding the halls, Student Council has initiated a new Lane custom. An upbeat song is played every morning between 7:45 and 7:50.
Student Council Sergeant at Arms, David Nunez, Div. 454, has been playing the songs for the last few weeks.
“Recently students haven’t been turning in music so I figured I would bring my own,” Nunez said.
Student Council used to play songs only on Mondays. They felt that people coming back from weekends needed some motivation to go to school. Songs were also played on Fridays to anticipate the weekend. Then Student council began playing music everyday since they felt students needed a lift every day.
Students can submit songs to Mrs. House in Room 128. They must be on a CD-R, the only type of disk readable by the stereo in the main office which plays the morning music.
The requirements of the songs are as follows:
- The song has to be no longer than 3 minutes, some exceptions on exceeding this time would be about 20 seconds.
- The song may not contain any verbal language that is considered school inappropriate; clean versions only.
- Songs that are turned in should not contain any references to sex, drugs, or any other misconduct.
- If a CD is turned in, it should have a title of the track along with the lyrics, which will be revised by the Student Council and then decided whether it is accepted or not.
The Student Council hopes this will continue year round, but in order for that to happen people have to submit songs.
“We are asking people to submit songs because we have a limited taste on what to play. In addition, a limited music library. We can’t have the latest songs played unless we pay for the songs on iTunes, and that would be a burden if we had to do this almost every week since there are only 14 Student Council Officers,” Nunez said.
Even though the Student Council thinks playing songs is a good idea, students have mixed feelings.
“I think it’s entertaining, watching groups of people dancing down the halls and singing at the top of their lungs,” said Kate Zitek, Div. 254.
“I wish it wasn’t so loud,” said Emma Gonzalez, Div. 285. “But it’s a great way to get pumped in the morning.”
Students are not the only ones listening in.
“Some teachers love the songs. [They] even dance to them,” Nunez said. “I recall a couple of teachers dancing in the halls to the song Danza Kuduro by Don Omar.”
Not everyone is happy with the song choices.
“I really didn’t like the Eminem song [they played]. I don’t want to walk into school and hear about a guy beating up his girlfriend. Not exactly a positive way to start the school day,” said Patsy Chavez, Div. 251.
It’s not just the lyrics that can upset some people, the lack of variety in the choice of music makes some students feel left out.
“Anything by Cage the Elephant, The Who, The Kills, The Killers, Rise Against, The Beatles, Metallica, Silver Sun Pickups, The Pierces, The Cars, Chevelle, etc. would be good,” said Pioter Lesniak, Div. 574.
Though students have their differences, the Student Council will continue playing songs in the morning. Let the dancing begin.
By Julia Kulon
When she was a freshman, Jackie Campoverde, Div. 462, started to experience serious pain in her shoulders and back from carrying her heavy one shoulder bag. This pain was not something she had experienced in grade school. Halfway through Campoverde’s first semester, the pain became unbearable.
“My shoulders cried for a backpack,” said Campoverde, “At that point I really didn’t care anymore.”
Campoverde quickly switched to an old backpack of her sister’s, and the shoulder pain gradually subsided.
“Now everything is perfect,” said Campoverde.
For many, school bags are not only a case for carrying books and pens. A bag can create the perfect personality statement, the perfect health hazard, or both.
According to TeensHealth, backpacks are a better option than shoulder or messenger bags for carrying books and supplies, because they distribute their weight evenly across the shoulders. Even so, a heavy backpack could be worse for the carrier than a messenger bag. Heavy backpacks cause people to learn forward, eventually rounding their shoulders and curving their upper backs. In addition to back pain, neck and shoulder pain can also occur.
The best solution is for one to carry a load that is proportionate to their height and weight.
Fabiola Cruz, Div. 277, 4 feet 6 inches tall has experienced back pain since her freshman year. Although she receives a ride to school from a relative in the mornings, Cruz, who lives about 30 minutes away from Lane, walks home after school.
According to Cruz, the commute home can “feel like a really long walk, especially with a full book bag.”
“Since junior high, I have always carried a book bag that was about half my size,” said Cruz.
Cruz has considered alternatives, such as getting a book bag on wheels (suggested by her father) but was talked out of it by her mother when she came to get Cruz one day for an early dismissal.
“[Her being] present physically in the halls with all the students, and seeing how difficult it was for her to get around, she became totally against the idea of a rolling backpack,” said Cruz.
Cruz’s back pain is frequent and persistent. She can only fall asleep at night if she uses rubbing alcohol and heating pads.
Gabe Mendoza, Div. 273, thinks back pain, for the most part, is “a myth.”
“People complain,” said Mendoza, “There is always going to be that one day where someone gets homework from every subject.”
For others, the correlation between back pain and book load is taken into consideration. Luis Rios, Div. 282, spent about two weeks before school started thinking about various bag choices.
“I was trying to estimate how many books I was gonna be forced to carry,” said Rios.
Ultimately, the trendiest look won over Rios’ heart.
“But at the end, it all came down to what looked best,” said Rios,
“I went for the messenger bag. The European look is super cool.”
Danielle Morales, Div. 269, also took a more fashionable approach.
She switched from a backpack to a satchel sometime during October.
“The backpack was tiresome,” said Morales, “I couldn’t really use it beyond school, and I wanted something a little more stylish.”
Morales bought a satchel from Urban Outfitters outlet for five dollars.
“[The bag] is wide enough for my books,” said Morales, “It can also be used as a purse on the weekends, the straps are detachable.”
Morales admits the switch was motivated by her abnormally light load.
“[My] senior year has been [much lighter] than my past years,” said Morales, “I don’t have as many textbooks that I need for classes.”
In contrast, Leslie Castillo, Div. 268, converted from a purse to a backpack at the beginning of her senior year. She definitely feels the difference.
“I used to use purses,” said Castillo, “and I would carry a lot of books and there wasn’t a lot of space. My shoulders would hurt at the end of the day. It was painful.”
This year Castillo uses a black Northface backpack.
“A lot of my friends have a black Northface and I thought that if I needed a backpack, I would probably get a Northface, and I did,” said Castillo.
“I love the straps, they have padding and are extremely comfortable,” said Castillo, “I’m finally content.”
Still, Castillo worries about others.
“I see the seventh graders in the hallways carrying huge backpacks,” said Castillo. “They’re little, and I can’t help to wonder if that’s healthy or not.”
Cruz shares this concern as well, and does not want to face major back problems in the future.
“I don’t know what exactly I’m afraid of happening, but I want to become a doctor and that requires you to be on your feet a lot,” said Cruz.
Cruz ultimately attributes her backpack’s weight to her rigorous course load, and inclination to study.
But this rule does not apply to everyone.
Mendoza, who is ranked at the top 25% of his class, is in AP Physics and AP Psychology this year and carries a light load.
“I just got lucky with the teachers,” said Mendoza.
Patty Kaluza, Div. 279, agrees.
“I feel like a backpack’s weight depends on the teacher and the teacher’s way of teaching.” said Kaluza.
Kaluza, who takes AP Biology, carries a one shoulder bag that is “small, but fits everything.”
But Mendoza also feels his light backpack is a product of strategy and knowing one’s way around the “system.”
“Share lockers with someone if you have a class by [theirs],” said Mendoza, “I’m guessing that [some underclassmen] don’t know the building and don’t know what four minutes feels like in the beginning. Eventually, they’ll get used to it and learn.”
Mendoza is adamant that the standard is the same for everyone.
“I barely carry anything, but that doesn’t mean I’m not getting a quality education,” said Mendoza, “There’s simply no correlation.”
By Julia Kulon
She dug into the printed Desigual tote, her hands revealing a long-winding scroll of paper, crayons and color-pencils. Marcissa Marcias, Div. 458, looked at the semi-circle of teenagers surrounding her and with a glint in her eyes, announced, “Dig in, y’all!”
The little group looked a bit hesitant at first, but soon people surrounded the tote and the room burst with excited creativity.
The Art Club, established at the end of the first semester, is led by President Marcias and Vice Presidents, India Armstrong, Div. 471, and Taylor Vacala, Div. 473. The club is sponsored by Mr. Ara, Lane’s Graphic Design teacher.
“I wanted to join a club that had something to do with art beyond the classroom curriculum,” said Marcias, “but there wasn’t one necessarily.”
“We were in [art] class and we started having a discussion,” said Vacala. “It sort of came to us that we should create that club where we could do art together.”
The Art Department currently offers classes in the traditional media of drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, and sculpture. A new addition for the 2012-2013 year will be Mixed Media, which will be taught by current photography teacher, Ms. McMeans.
“We want to explore new techniques,” said Armstrong.
“Not all schools in the city have an art program, and the club is a realization of the many opportunities that Lane can offer to its students,” Ara said. “I think it’s great. [Club members] can come together beyond the classroom, hang out, and produce art.”
Given that the idea was sprung half-way through the school year, three promotional posters were created and hung around Lane’s hallways and cafeteria. The posters proved effective, and attracted many of the current members of the club. About 20 students attended the most recent meeting.
The club officers also relied on word of mouth.
Hector Montalvo, Div. 469, and Tammy Chen, Div. 469, found out about the club directly through Armstrong. Priscilla Montalvo, Div. 752, also came along with her big brother.
“By exploring art, you can explore yourself. Art can help you reveal thoughts and feelings,” said H. Montalvo.
The club has attracted a variety of artists. Different members have a media they want to explore and dabble in.
Jessalynn Medina, Div. 580, is a painter and a recent origami enthusiast. Medina’s godmother bought her an origami kit last year, and Medina has mastered the basics.
“I mostly fold animals: cranes and elephants,” said Medina. “Then there’s this spike-ball that I’m trying to figure out.”
A spike ball, part of modular origami, (a type of origami that involves the assemblage of many identical parts that strives to create an interesting geometric form) is a cuboctahedron made of 12 modules. It was originally created by Rona Gurkewitz and Bennett Arnstein.
Alex Vargas, Div. 545, is all about exploring the three dimensions, particularly the possible structures that could be created from sheet metal.
“The curriculum of Lane’s art department can be very limited to the teacher’s vision,” said Vargas. “For me, that’s not being an artist.But this club can help me be that artist.”
For Ruth Borguardt, Div. 564, her media of choice are wood and drawing.
“I love wood,” said Borguardt. “I’m hoping the club will actually motivate me to finish something,” said Borguardt who claims to struggle finishing her art projects.
At the end of the year, the club hopes to put on an art show at a local gallery displaying every member’s artwork and talents. The artwork will be joined together under the theme of ‘Blue.’
“I am hoping that my friend [who owns a gallery] will give us some wall space,” said Ara, “so that this could be done in a real gallery space, and properly.”
All members filled out a proposal, containing a sketch of their idea, their interpretation of the theme, and the materials they will need to execute their projects.
The art show is not to be confused with the Art & Clay Fest, an arts festival that will be happening in May at Lane. The festival, organized by Mrs. Moore who teaches Ceramics, will display the talents of art students from every department.
The club plans to fundraise for members’ needed materials. For Valentine’s Day, the club (with Ara’s help) created linoleum print cards featuring things like bouquets of flowers and octopuses making hearts with their legs.
The club paints and draws away every Monday in Room 139 after school.
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