October 20 2015 Bark - Grant Community High School

The Bark
Bulldog
Cup
Standings
By Willa Stauffer
The standings are the
Freshman in first place
with 32.5 points, then the
Juniors with 24.5 points,
then Sophomores with
20.5 points, and finally the
Seniors with 13.5 points.
The Bulldog Cup competition began at the first pep
assembly where the Freshman team won the T-shirt
launching activity. The
victory earned them first
place which they then kept
throughout the assembly
by guessing the answers to
the other grades academic
scores.
During the week of
homecoming many points
were awarded for window
painting, karaoke, trivia
games, scavenger hunts,
ultimate Frisbee, and the
powderpuff game.
Points were even given
out for dressing up on
themed days which all
centered on the theme Heroes of Homecoming. Big
dog mentors were awarded
special points for dressing
up every day to support
their grade.
More points will be added throughout the year so
keep up the good work and
show your school spirit!
The Bark Staff
Advisor
Mr. Boby
Editor-in-Chief
Katie McEnery
Sports Editor
Evan Viscioni
Reporters
JP Carreon
Bella Ehresman
Angelica Hornewer
Marissa Jezioro
Michelle Lumpkins
Lizeth Pacheco
Mia Reyes
Willa Stauffer
Melissa Valle
Dylan Ward
Page 1
Grant Community High School
I s s ue 1
Alumni
Hall
of
Fame
Inductee:
Major
Eric
Raasch
By: Katie McEnery
Major Eric Raasch,
United States Marine Corps,
began his many failures at Grant
Community High School.
Raasch is Grant’s
youngest, and fifth ever, Alumni
Hall of Fame inductee.
How do we know he
failed? He said so himself at the
homecoming assembly, where he
described his time at Grant. That
included being tackled countless
times in football and losing more
wrestling matches than he cares
to admit.
But his message to today’s Bulldogs was never to let
your failures stop you, just as
they have not stopped him.
“He was very hard on
us, in a good way,” said Raasch,
describing his high school coach,
Mr. Barczak. Raasch credits him
with helping to prepare him for
his incredible future.
Raasch graduated from
Grant in 1995. While at Grant, he
was involved in many clubs and
competed on the football, wrestling and track teams.
“Him turning out as
successful as he is, is not a surprise,” said Mrs. Bowles, in the
main office, who graduated from
Grant at the same time as Major
Raasch.
In 2002, Raasch joined
the United States Marine Corps.
He said he had always
had an interest in the military
after his grandfather took him
to Glenview Naval Air Station.
“I was always intrigued,” said
Raasch. After attending Officer
Candidate School, he went on
to flight school where he was
promoted from 2nd Lieutenant
to 1st Lieutenant and “Winged”
Major Raasch waits in the cockpit of Marine One after
flying President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Major Eric Raascch in helicopter cockpit - Photo courtesy of Major Raasch
The Hard Lockdown
By: Staff
On September 1, 2015
push of a button to ensure safety.
shortly before 8:30 and the end
Days later, when asked why he
of first hour, Grant was put into
kept repeating the announcement,
lockdown: classroom doors
Mr. Schmidt explained that “part
were shut and locked, blinds
of protocol is to keep consistent.”
were lowered and students were
During what was by
directed to sit in the corners.
all accounts a stressful and long
As time slowly passed, news
day students sat quietly on floors
spread throughout
and texted each
the building
other and their
that Lt. Charles
families. Grant
Joseph “G.I.
administrators
Joe” Gliniewicz,
and support staff
a 32 year Fox
came through and
Lake Police
organized planned
Department
bathroom trips,
veteran, was shot
delivered food
and killed. His
to classrooms,
death was the
and addressed
beginning of what
all those with
would become a
medical needs.
48 hour manhunt
The challenging
in the community.
day ended with
It was
Lieutenant Charles Joseph Gliniewicz some older
Photo Courtesy of Newsweek
also the start of
students driving
a challenging
themselves
eight and a half hour day
home, but the majority of
for the students and faculty
students were picked up by
of Grant Community High
family members in a hastily
School. Throughout the day
improvised plan.
Mr. Schmidt, our principal,
The Hard Lockdown Begins
repeated the same announcement
“I was notified of the
informing students and staff that
situation that morning directly
a hard lockdown persisted. In
by Officer Cruz,” the school
a lockdown situation the front
resource officer, said Dr. Sefcik.
doors automatically lock with the All administrators knew almost
as a Naval Aviator. He said that
the only thing he didn’t want to
fly was a helicopter. He became
the pilot of an AH-1W Cobra
Helicopter.
In August of 2010,
Raasch began piloting Marine
One, a collection of Marine
aircraft responsible for transporting the President of the
United States. About flying the
most powerful man in the world,
Raasch said, “It can be hum-
bling,” but also, “It becomes a
little surreal”
In 2013, Eric Raasch
was promoted to the rank of Major. “[Your commanding officers]
promote you based on potential,”
said Major Raasch.
Before joining the military, Raasch attended the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where he majored in Finance and Economics. Following
that, he moved to Washington
instantly because “everyone that
has a role in our school safety
plan utilizes a two-way radio.”
“Law enforcement are
the ones who communicate with
us, whether we’re in lock in or
lock down,” said Mr. Schmidt.
“We have an emergency response
plan …and [the announcements
are] repetitive by design.”
Losing the Busses at the Last
Minute
At 3:00 the Major
Crimes Task Force made the
decision to keep busses in
lockdown. Grant students would
need a different way to get home.
“It was a stressful day
for everyone,” said Dr. Sefcik.
“Ideally there would have been
more time to react to their
decision, but we did the best we
could under the circumstances.”
“It was at that time,
the administration worked
with the Illinois State Police to
release students in the manner
the police wished,” continued
Dr. Sefcik. “They requested
students be permitted to utilize
two exits only so that there were
an appropriate number of State
Police Officers at each exit to
ensure students were reunited
with a parent or consenting
adult.”
Mr. Schmidt also
spent his day working with the
superintendent to coordinate
with what was going on in the
community.
The Bus Rumor
A rumor has spread in
the community that nearby Lakes
Community High School offered
Grant the use of their busses to
send students home. According
to Dr. Sefcik, it did not happen.
“There was never any
communication from a
surrounding school district to
provide buses,” she said.
The Day Off
“The local school
districts, including Grant
Community High School, Fox
Lake, Gavin, and Big Hollow,
were in communication with
village officials and law
enforcement all evening on
September 1,” said Dr. Sefcik.
“As a result of those reports and
deliberations, we all decided that
it was in the best interests of our
students, the community, and law
enforcement, to cancel school for
September 2, 2015.”
The Announcer
The plan formulated by
the Illinois State Police required
-Next Page
-Next Page
October 20, 2015
Features
Alumni:
Eric Raasch
Continued from page 1
D.C. to work as a legislative correspondent for then
speaker of the house, Dennis
Hastert (R). Working as a legislative correspondent meant he
did research and answered questions sent in by people regarding
bills and laws, primarily about
Illinois.
Major Raasch no
longer flies the President. Currently, he is serving as an Air
Officer at Lejeune Air Base in
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Lockdown
Continued from page 1
that students be called down to
be dismissed. Mrs. Bowles in
the main office was the voice
of dismissal from 3:10 p.m.
until after 5:00 p.m. She called
hundreds of students to be
dismissed either to the exit by
the front office, or through the
auditorium doors.
When authorities gave
the “OK” to begin dismissing
students, name after name was
called into the front office by
police and security guards
before being announced over the
intercom by Mrs. Bowles.
“I guess I have a big
mouth,” she jokes when asked
how she was nominated to read
off the names of almost every
student that afternoon. Names
were radioed in at a rapid pace
and were written down on paper
so Mrs. Bowles would not miss
anyone.
Mrs. Bowles had
assistance announcing names
from Mrs. Ziegler when she
needed to take a breath.
Mrs. Bowles would like to thank
all the students for their behavior
during the lockdown and the
thank you card she received at
the Homecoming pep rally. She
would also like to thank all of
her fellow staff members who
“pitched in and made it a little
less scary.”
When the lockdown was
announced, Mrs. Bowles admits
to being slightly nervous, “if
there was an intruder,” she says,
“we would all take cover.”
The Students’ Experiences
As the day went on,
I s s ue 1
Grant Community High School
Major Raasch’s 1995 senior portrait
where he lives with his wife and
two daughters. After returning to
Fox Lake for the Homecoming
activities, Raasch said, “There’s
nothing that makes me feel like
home like being here.”
“I’m very proud of my
uncle,” said freshman Tayler
Morley. “It
was cool to
skip English
class and go
celebrate his
achievement
with my
family after
the assembly.”
According to
school superintendent
Dr. Sefcik
the alumni
hall of fame
was created to honor Grant graduates,
like Major Raasch,
who go on to lead extraordinary
Major Eric Raasch with his family after the pep assembly
Photo courtesy of Katie McEnery
lives.
“It was one of the first
things I did as superintendent,”
she said.
#FoxLakeTrending
By: Dylan Ward
On September 1st within three hours of the shooting of police
Lieutenant Joseph Gliniewicz, Twitter, a highly popular
social media platform for GCHS students, buzzed with
condolence tweets and mentions of Fox Lake. News stations,
magazines, and newspapers also regularly tweeted updates
on the situation that was unfolding. By the fourth hour of
the lockdown, Twitter released its common feature of top
trending topics and Fox Lake debuted at number seven
worldwide. The town name was mentioned enough times to
beat out mentions of Kanye West’s recent announcement of
running for presidency in 2020 and Miley Cyrus’ hosting of
the VMA’s.
with students and teachers
isolated in their classrooms,
conflicting stories and rumors
spread throughout the building.
So too did boredom.
“By the 7th and 8th
[periods] of the lockdown,
most of our phones died so we
entertained ourselves by playing
telephone and connecting all of
our ID’s together to make a long
chain,” said Lexi Georgia. “I will
never forget seeing all the news
vans and so many helicopters
everywhere.”
“When I got home I
saw helicopters and trucks going
back and forth on Rollins,” said
Daniel Merino, freshman. “Also
on my street, I saw a spotter and
a sniper looking into the creeks
and swamps.”
“Little did we know a
police officer was shot near the
old cement plant,” said Zachary
Schumacher, freshman. “This
Within hours, the shooting had made national news
Photo courtesy of Dylan Ward
The shooting became one of the most serched things on Google
Photo courtesy of Dylan Ward
was a long day, so most of us
put our heads in baby cradles
and slept [while] the other half
played on our phones. They
started releasing students one by
one and it was very coordinated.
They called us down had our
parents show ID’s and handed us
to our parents.”
“We were all hungry
and confused but we saw on
twitter what was going on,” said
Camryn Giles. “Phones were
dying and no one could talk to
their parents to find out if they
were here to pick them up to
go home. In total, we were in
the lockdown for eight and a
half hours, but getting out of
the school was the worst part
because we had to get picked up
by our parents one by one and
everyone was rushing to get out.”
“We didn’t know what
was happening and the teachers
were talking back and forth to
each other saying that this is a
not drill,” said Kiara Rodriguez,
freshman. “I was thinking,
‘Wow, this is a lot more serious
than we all thought.’”
“I was stuck in my first
hour class, which was art,” said
Tayler Morley, freshman. “The
boys in our class made forts out
of the desks and smocks. My
friend Abbey and I printed off
coloring pages and colored for
most of the time.”
“After a few minutes,
everyone was on social media,”
said Madison Wilburn, freshman,
“trying to find out what was
happening.”
“I knew the officer
very well,” said Kenny Beverly,
freshman. “And I remember he
used to always go to any event in
Fox Lake.”
“All of a sudden we
were being shoved in a corner
and being told to be silent,” said
Angelina Turner, freshman.
“The people in my class
and I were checking the Lake
and McHenry County Police
Scanner,” said Leona Kondic,
freshman. “I was a little scared,
but mainly everyone was just
anxious.”
“People were freaking
out and acting childish” said
Alexis Tellez, freshman.
Stanton Middle School
“It was hot and sweaty,”
said Brittany Caithamer, senior.
“And I was in my gym uniform
with no air conditioning.”
Caithamer and her class had to
leave the tennis courts and spent
the lockdown at Stanton without
their cellphones and had little
access to information throughout
the day.
“We had no idea what
was really going on,” agrees
Olivia Hicks, junior, who was
also at Stanton.
The Bus Situation
Major Crimes Task force
overrules state police and
prohibits use of the busses
Bus facility is put
in lockdown
3:00 pm
8:00 am
1:30-2:50 pm
Page 2
Students are released
through the front
and back exits
Grant administration works
with state police to confirm
the search and release of
Grant busses
3:10 - 5:30 pm
3:00-3:10 pm
Administration and
police work to
determine a release plan
October 20, 2015
Features
Grant Community High School
I s s ue 1
Throwback Thursday: Blast from the Past
By: Marissa Jezioro
Mr. Stanton as a senior in high school
compared to September 2015
Students may have
the idea that teachers only
exist in school, but these
transformations serve as a
reminder that they were all
once high school students just
like you.
Here’s a throwback
Mrs. Notriano as a senior in high school
compared to September 2015
look at the hair-dos, outfits
and attitudes from teachers’
younger days.
This month’s issue
presents the transformation
of David Behm, physical
education teacher and baseball
coach; Maggie Germann,
Powder Puff History
By: Bella Ehresman
Powder puff is a
football game, flag football
or touch football, typically
played between girls from
junior and senior classes or
cross-town school rivals. The
phrase powder puff originates
with an older idea of women
“powdering their noses,” or
applying makeup.
Funds from the ticket
and concession sales for the
game typically go to charity,
the senior class, or to a dance.
At Grant Community High
School the ticket sales are used
to support prom.
Also, do not confuse
powder puff with the Power
Puff Girls. The two have
nothing in common! Here, then,
is a short history of powder
puff games:
1931 -The first photographic
evidence of a powder puff
game being played was at
Page 3
Western State College of
Colorado.
1945- The first welldocumented game was played
at Eastern State Teachers
College in South Dakota.
Women played women because
so many men were serving in
the military during World War
II.
1972- The Title IX (title 9) of
the Education Amendments is
signed into law by President
Richard Nixon. After this
law puts female athletics on a
level field with male athletics,
powder puff games begin to
lose popularity as genuine
female athletes are celebrated.
2003- Partly as a result of
Title IX, some schools end
Powder puff games. At
Glenbrook North High School
in Northbrook, Ill., the powder
puff game lost the school’s
official backing and became an
Mr. Behm as a sophomore in high school
compared to September 2015
science teacher; Tom Evans,
Spanish teacher and track
coach; Erin Notriano,
psychology teacher; and Bill
Stanton, English teacher and
girl’s tennis coach.
unauthorized event.
Over time it became an
opportunity for senior girls
to haze the junior girls. In
2003 junior girls were beaten,
splattered with paint and mud,
and even had feces thrown
in their faces. Parents and
communities called for the end
of powder puff games.
2014- At a powder puff game
at Sullivan High School in
Missouri, not too far from
Ferguson, Missouri, the powder
puff games were played
between teams comprised of all
freshmen, sophomores, juniors
and seniors. The senior squad
was all white players who wore
full blackface. Newspaper
coverage was negative and
the principal announced they
would “stay away from face
painting,” in the future.
2015- The Grant powder puff
game raised approximately
$1,200.
Mrs. Germann as a sophomore in high
school compared to September 2015
College
Snapshots
University of Illinois Chicago
Where: Chicago, Illinois
Distance from Grant: 56.2
miles (1 hour and 19 minutes)
Known for: Majors in General
Psychology, General Science
and Registered Nursing
Average ACT: 21-26
Average GPA: 2.75-3.75+
Athletics: University of Illinois
Chicago Flames D1 in NCAA
Cost out of state plus fees:
$25,800
Cost In-state plus fees: $13,401
Cost of room and board:
$10,882
Cost of books and supplies:
$1,400
Annual cost for In-state:
$26,692
Annual cost for Out-ofState:$38,082
Scholarships: nearly two-thirds
of students receive grants or
scholarships
Acceptance rating: 72.1%
Mr. Evans as a senior in high school
compared to September 2015
University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign
Where: Champaign-Urbana
Distance from Grant: 183 miles
(3 hours and 10 minutes)
Known for: Majors in
Engineering, Business
Management and Marketing/
Communications
Average ACT: 26-31
Average GPA: 3.62-3.78+
Athletics: Illinois Fighting Illini
D1 in NCAA
Cost of out of state plus fees:
$30,796-$35,800
Cost of in state plus fees:
$15,636-$20,640
Cost of room and board:
$11,010
Cost of books and supplies:
$1,200
Annual cost for in-state:
$30,346-35,350
Annual cost for out of state:
$45,506-$50,510
Scholarships: awards over
1,500 scholarships annually
Acceptance rating: 59%
October 20, 2015
Sports
I s s ue 1
Grant Community High School
Stuck in the
Dog House
By: Evan Viscioni
Grant 17 North Chicago 0
September 26th- The Grant
Bulldogs snagged their first win
of the season on homecoming
Saturday against the North
Chicago Warhawks. The team
came out firing on all cylinders
as they pummeled North Chicago
17-0.
The game started off
when North Chicago fumbled a
snap that flew 15 yards over the
quarterback’s head! When he
tried to pick it up he was blasted
by linebacker Jason Hurley
and the ball went flying. Later
linemen Ricky Allen caught the
ball in the end zone and, after the
extra point, the Bulldogs were
up 7-0 by the end of the first
quarter!
In the second quarter
sophomore linebacker Ryan
Frank had the first interception of
his varsity career as he picked off
a Warhawks pass across the field.
“I saw the ball floating
across the middle and jumped
on the opportunity,” said Ryan
Frank, “it was cool to help my
team out.”
Ricky Allen scooped up
yet another fumble and advanced
it 54 yards down the field to give
the Bulldogs a field position
within striking distance of the
uprights. Grant got a field goal
out of the deal as sophomore
kicker Andrew Ryczek
nailed a 20 yarder to put the
Bulldogs up 10-0 going into
the half.
In the second half
Kenyon Jones, sophomore,
found the end zone for the
third game in a row. Jones
ended up rushing for 88
yards and a touchdown in
the win. Senior running
back Riley Whitney played
an outstanding game as he
rushed for more yards than
the entire North Chicago
team
“We played a good
game, the offense moved
the ball well” said Whitney
“I was glad the team was
able to get a win.”
Whitney ran for 112
yards on 11 carries compared
to North Chicago’s 99 yards on
the ground.
Lake Forest 40 Grant 6
October 2 - The Bulldogs
dropped their record to 1-5 after
a decisive loss to the Lake Forest
Scouts.
Wide receiver Kemar
Miller took an 85 yard kickoff
return all the way back for a
Grant touchdown to start off the
second half. The Bulldogs had
trouble moving the ball all night
as they only picked up one first
down in the defeat.
Lakes 34 Grant 14
September 19th- After a rain
delay, the Bulldogs traveled to
Senior Ben Schram runs aginest North Chicago on Homecoming, Photo courtesy V.I.P
Lake Villa to take on the Lakes
Eagles. The Bulldogs scored
an early touchdown in the first
quarter, as sophomore running
back Kenyon Jones scampered
into the end zone for a one yard
touchdown to give the Bulldogs
a 7-6 lead. A sloppy second
quarter put Lakes up 20-7 going
into the half. The Eagles soared
above the Bulldogs the entire
second half and Grant lost 34-14.
Vernon Hills 21 Grant 18
September 11th- The Bulldogs
came up just short as they lost
a nail biter to the Vernon Hills
Cougars. Grant jumped out to
an 18-14 lead going into the
fourth quarter, but gave up a
touchdown with 3:15 remaining
on the clock. The Bulldogs then
drove all the way down to the
Cougars 41 yard line but after an
intercepted pass the game was
over. Sophomore running back
Kenyon Jones played in his first
varsity game and ran for 120
yards and a touchdown on 34
carries!
Glenbrook North 30 Grant 0
September 4th-An underprepared
Bulldogs team with only one
practice the week of September
4th lost to the Glenbrook North
Spartans 30-0. The team missed
two practices that week because
of the manhunt after the death
of police Lieutenant, Joseph
Gliniewicz. In the contest
running back Isaac Jamie carried
the ball 26 times for 112 yards,
but it wasn’t enough.
Crystal Lake Central 48 Grant 12
August 28th_ The first half went
well for the Bulldogs, they
trailed only 6-13 against a very
good Tigers team. The Bulldogs
went on a long drive in the first
half, which was capped off by a
26 yard touchdown run by senior
running back Riley Whitney.
However in the second half the
Tigers came out of the locker
room hungry and the Bulldogs
were on the menu!
Senior Girls Win Powder Puff Again
By:Marissa Jezioro and Michelle Lumpkins
SEPTEMBER 23, 2015- “I
crushed the juniors’ dreams and
smelled their tears!” said Yasmina Gavojdian.
After a dramatic entrance onto the Paul G. Lewis
field by the senior girls, the 2015
Annual Powder Puff game was
underway. The seniors won the
coin toss and chose to keep the
ball. The game was back and
forth throughout before ending
with a senior victory in overtime.
After a scoreless first
five minutes, the senior running
back Jasmine Sangster took a
handoff to the end zone and
started a scoring frenzy.
Three fast plays later,
Ameerah Muhammad put points
on the board for juniors. The
game was tied seven to seven
when Mckaylie Krey was intercepted at the five yard line.
“I was breaking ankles
left and right” said senior Jasmine Sangster.
Page 4
Jasmine Sangster runs the ball in the
senior girls powder puff win.
Photo courtesy of yeabook
Sangster made big plays
for the offense and put the seniors up 14 to 7 just before the
half. As the second half
began, the juniors pushed back
and scored their second touchdown with a drive from Ameerah
Muhammad. The seniors were
up again when Jasmine Glover ran the ball in changing the
scoreboard 21 to 14. With two
consecutive drives from Ameerah Muhammad the juniors were
within seconds from stealing the
victory. The score was then 28 to
21 with 7 seconds on the clock.
Just as all seemed lost
for the seniors, Mckaylie Krey
completed a 15 yard pass to
Mackenzie Sacken for a touchdown to tie the game and send it
to overtime.
The juniors started overtime with a few strong plays but
were stopped short by the senior
defense. The seniors scored with
a pitch to Yasmina Gavojdian
who ran it in for a touchdown
that ended the game 35-28.
The senior section of
Paul G. Lewis field erupted in
cheers at the seniors’ victory.
“We put up our best
fight,” said Heather Steinke,
junior, “We held them off from
scoring and we put our all into
the game.”
Senior girls celibrate their victory over the juniors on September 23rd.
Photo courtesy of yearbook.
Junior Ameerah Muhammad runs the ball towards the end zone.
October 20, 2015