Commit to Courage Ceremony honors WWII veteran

By Caitlyn Kolakowski

Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel Walter Joseph Marm, Jr., was honored Thursday, Sept. 16, at Lane’s Commit to Courage ceremony in the auditorium.

Marm is a retired colonel who served in the Vietnam War. During a charge against an enemy bunker he was shot in the face and his jaw was wired shut until it healed.

Marm came to Lane because the city was hosting an event for all surviving Medal of Honor recipients. For one day, these recipients went to schools to share their stories. The event included a video featuring past recipients of the medal telling their stories, ROTC color guard presentation, a welcome from Dr. LoBosco, an introduction by Colonel Kochheiser, and a speech by Colonel Marm.

Colonel Marm’s speech included words of encouragement for Lane students.

“Continue to work and study hard. You are never done. If you take one step at a time, you will succeed,” Marm said. “You can be anything you want to be. Going to new places makes you appreciate where you come.”

Last year, certain English classes were asked to write essays about the Medal of Honor for a competition. First place winner, Taylor Person, Div. 181, received a $1,000 check. Second place went to Shane Donahue, Div. 276, and third to Alicia Walker, Div. 162. They were honored at the event.

JROTC, led by Colonel Kochheiser, helped run the event.

“[This event] was a service learning project that we had started in March. We were learning about the Medal of Honor,” said Colonel Kochheiser. “We read through and assembled the book of essays.”

The book was a compilation of the students’ essays about the Medal of Honor and featured the top three winning essays. It was presented to Colonel Marm during the event as a gift.

Overall, the administration and staff were pleased with the event.

“I was so proud of Lane and the welcome that we gave Colonel Marm,” said LoBosco. “It was the single most complimented event we have had [this year].”

“The reaction that I saw from the kids was great,” said Colonel Kochheiser. “Even though he was not that great of a speaker, the kids looked past that. It gave them a whole new perspective.”

Students also had positive things to say about the assembly.

“Colonel Marm was just a man from a small community in North Carolina but he was honored with the medal,” said Cadet Captain Sreeruppa Dey, Div. 025. “This shows me that anyone can be a hero.”

“I learned that people like him are not made up. They actually exist,” said Tina Leszkiewicz, Div. 048.

Teachers also noticed the impact the event had on students.

“It is impressive for the kids to actually see a Medal of Honor winner in person and to see that he is not a big superhero,” said Colonel Kochheiser. “This brought home the fact that he was human because the kids were able to see him and even touch him for that matter.”

Even students who did not enjoy the event as much claimed it was a worthwhile ceremony.

“The assembly was not that exciting, but really it wasn’t for us to enjoy so much as it was for us to honor an American hero,” said Ingrid Hagan-Richardson, Div. 042.

Student groups other than JROTC helped out in the event.

“I sang in the advanced mixed choir for the congressional medal of honor assembly. We sang the national anthem and the armed forces songs,” said Hagan-Richardson.

“I participated in the event because I was asked to play with the band as a part of it. The songs I played with the band were: ‘God Bless America’ and ‘America the Beautiful’,” said Leszkiewicz. “I enjoyed the fact that I was allowed to be a part of it.”

Drill Hall returned to JROTC after two years

By Vanessa Landa

After a wait of two years, the drill hall, located underneath Lane stadium, was finally returned to the JROTC this school year.

According to Colonel Kochheiser, Dr. LoBosco gave JROTC a sufficient budget to repair the room after its use by construction workers who were renovating the stadium.

During the first two weeks of school, students spent class time preparing the room for future use.

“We had to move old desks and chairs and sweep the room,” said Vivian Rivera, Div. 021. “We also got the chance to paint it, which some JROTC cadets volunteered to do, and some even fixed the floors.”

“This place brings back many memories [from freshman year]. It’s a place where I met many of my friends,” said Sreeruppa Dey, Div. 025. “I’m glad we got the drill hall back for my final year here.”

For the past two school years JROTC classes have taken place in room 148.

“We tried doing all of our activities in room 148, but because of its size and the number of cadets we had, it was too small,” said Kochheiser.

After the room was finished, students were finally allowed into the new drill hall on Monday, Sept. 21.

“The room looks better than it did before, but it will soon look even better,” said Kochheiser. “A decorating committee has formed to fix it up and soon everyone will want to hang out in the drill hall.”

Some students have very specific ideas for how they would like to use the room.

“For each different holiday, I want to put up streamers and also have a wall where we can honor the cadets with their achievements,” said Dey. “Most importantly I want it to have a homey feeling to it.”

In addition to the changes, new tables and chairs will be provided by the school. There is also storage space for the drums and practice rifles in the room.

“Now that we have it back, there is more space to conduct inspection, personal training, and team practices,” said Nyasia Ramos, Div. 168.

“We all don’t have to be crowded in 148 anymore.”

Hand sanitizer stations help Lane students stay flu-free

By Melanie Johnson

With swine flu still on the minds of so many as flu season approaches, Lane has taken extra precautions against the spread of the virus by installing 24 hand sanitizer stations around the school.

There was one confirmed case of a Lane student contracting the H1N1 virus last year. The student body was never informed, however, because Dr. LoBosco and other administrators did not want students to panic or become reluctant about coming to school.

Chief Engineer Robert Markey came up with the idea of installing the hand sanitizers around the school.

“I felt that by having the hand sanitizers in the hallways it would accommodate the students as they went to class when soap and water are not available to them,” he said. “It took two to three months for all of them to be put up because it took time for the dispensers to come in.”

CPS has made it a priority this year to prevent the spread of illness and have sent to several schools kits containing Kleenex and hand sanitizer. In addition, CPS has declared that a student infected with the H1N1 should not return to school until the student no longer has flu symptoms and is no longer on medication for the illness.

According to LoBosco, if a student is suspected of having swine flu, they will be given a mask to wear over his or her nose and mouth and taken to the Attendance Office for early dismissal.

Lane’s nurse, Ms. Kramer, believes that students can take proactive measures to support their immune system and improve their odds of avoiding the flu.

“I recommend students have the proper diet, limit sugar intake, get plenty of rest, and exercise,” she said.

It is also recommended to keep unwashed hands away from the face. Students can catch the flu just by touching their noses or mouths after touching the same doorknob an infected person touched minutes before.

Students who believe they might be coming down with the flu should inform their teacher and immediately report to room 205 for early dismissal. In the meantime, all are encouraged to regularly stop by and use Lane’s new hand sanitizer stations.