Ripples

Season StartsFall sports teams look foreward confidently

page 11

Hiking AdventureSenior’s summer trip takes her across Cali-fornia

page 5

Volume 94, Issue 1September 2, 2015

1701 E. Capitol Drive, Shorewood, WI 53211The Student Newspaper of Shorewood High SchoolShorewood

What’s Inside

Fresh FacesA host of new staff joins the Shorewood School District team

page 3

www.shorewoodripples.org

Inside Ripples

News.....................1-2

Features.................3-5

A&E.......................6-8

Sports.................11-12

Opinions..............9-10

@shorewoodrips

TADS replaces Forms and Fees Daysby Maya Schneider and Maya Lawniki

Shorewood School District began using the TADS online registration process for the 2015-2016 school year.

The registration, previously known as “Forms and Fees Days,” took place on August 13 and 14 in the SHS Arena. Under the new process, all Shorewood schools’ registration was held in the one location as opposed to at each individual school.

According to Tim Kenney, SHS principal, having all four schools in one location made registration much more efficient.

“Families that have kids at multiple schools ... take care of everything all at once,” Kenney said.

In addition to being efficient, Joanne Lipo Zovic, SHS parent, liked the sense of community the new system created.

“It had a nice community feel ... elementary, middle and high school people in the same place,” Lipo Zovic said.

Kenney sent a welcome email in early August to explain how the registration process would work. A second email from TADS was then sent to allow families time to complete the online portion before

coming to Forms and Fees Day in person. The online portion needed to be done before live registration could be completed. The district also used TADS to gather the majority of the information previously recorded in person and allowed families to pay for fees online.

The goal was to decrease the time families needed to spend at the in-person registration.

“All the stuff that used to be done on paper ... could be taken care of at home,” Kenney said.

Joe Patek, SHS assistant principal, thought the district had achieved their goal of speeding up

the entire process. “You went from having to do

all these different things in person ... to doing two things at the high school,” Patek said.

“Before there was some previous data, ... now essentially all the front end work was done. It was just astonishingly fast,” Lipo Zovic said.

Another update to district policy required that Shorewood residents provide proof of residency in order to register. Families had to supply two documents proving residency that were then scanned and returned in order to complete the registration process.

Other components of the live registration included student photos, class schedule distribution, and fee payments for those who chose not to do so online.

Kenney was the leader in setting up the new process.

“The key to this was Mr. Kenney spearheading it ... We worked together in a team,” Patek said.

Though Kenney acknowledges he had a main role in the process, he credits the whole district team and believes everyone benefitted from the registration process.

“This will be a method that we will continue,” Kenney said.

Screenshot of the log-in page for the newly adopted TADS system. The second portion of registration occured in the SHS Arena.

Olivia Loomis

Tattoo shop introduced to the communityby Lorlei Boyd and Shimana Bose

Positronic Tattoo shop opened on Capitol Drive in July.

Todd Gnacinski, owner and lead artist, works with his employees on dermals, tattoos and piercings in order to create unique works of art and a friendly environment for his clients.

“Personally, my philosophy, as far as tattooing goes, is … to work with the client to give them exactly what they want,” Gnacinski said.

P o s i t r o n i c Tattoo is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with tattoos starting at $50, and piercings and dermals ranging from $20 to $80. There are student discounts, however the age minimum for tattoos is 18 and 16 for piercings with parent permission.

Gnacinski and his staff have many years of experience in the

business and the skills to prove it. “I’ve been tattooing for five

years,” Gnacinski said. “I started out working in a shop in Oak Creek, and after I finished my apprenticeship in Oak Creek, I went to [a few] other locations … and then I moved back here.”

The other employees of Positronic Tattoo are just as experienced in their work.

“Our piercer has 15 years worth of e x p e r i e n c e … and she’s a m a z i n g . She can do any piercing, and she’s really fast, talented [and] e f f i c i e n t , ” G n a c i n s k i said. “[My staff] are very talented and loyal—pretty cool guys.”

W i t h i n two months of Positronic’s opening in S h o r e w o o d , the new business is

already receiving positive feedback from the community. Social media

sites such as Facebook have offered many ways for people to show their support for the up and coming business.

“ I n i t i a l l y , when we first opened up, we had a lot of support from the Shorewood m o m s , ” Gnacinski said. “They were really excited about it … We’ve had a lot of Shorewood moms come in and get a tattoo, … though we’ll tattoo anybody who comes through the door.”

Gnacinski believes that when school begins, the crowd will shift more toward college students.

“I think the clientele that we have coming in here is a little bit different, as of right now, but I think once college starts, we’ll get a lot more college kids here … because we offer piercings and our shop is considerably less creepy than other tattoo shops,” Gnacinski said.

Gnacinski has further hope to give his clients the most friendly and secure environment as he can.

“I want people to know that there’s a non-creepy tattoo place that are full of sci-fi dorks who

want to tattoo superheroes and spaceships, … not that we only do spaceships and superheroes …

but that’s what we really like to do,” Gnacinski said.

Gnacinski’s love for the sci-fi realm is also reflected in the store’s name, Positronic Tattoo.

“Because I’m a big sci-fi dork … I wanted to pick something

that reflected my dorkiness.” According to Gnacinski,

while Positronic Tattoo isn’t the only tattoo shop in the area, friendliness extends to other nearby businesses.

“Competition-wise, I have a good relationship with the guys who own the shop on Oakland,” Gnacinski said. “They do different work than we do … They’re not dorky enough to do spaceships.”

Gnacinski hopes to expand the business.

“In five years hopefully ... we’ll be busy enough so we can expand and open a second location,” Gnacinski said. “But if that doesn’t happen and we just stay here, and I’ll be totally happy with that too.”

Recently established Postironic Tattoo advertises its products. The shop strives to appeal to local customers.

Ben Davis

“We’ve had a lot of Shorewood

moms come in.”-Todd Gnacinski,

lead artist

NewsRipples September 2, 2015

page two

Long time math teacher leavesby Katie Eder

Long time math teacher and student council advisor, Jim Krolikowski, is leaving Shorewood to take on a new opportunity as Dean of Students at Whitnall High School.

“I am very, very thankful for all the people that I have come in contact with, and I have learned so much in my six years at Shorewood,” Krolikowski said. “I am going to miss it ... The biggest thing is that this is an ‘I’ll see you later,’ … not a ‘Goodbye.’”

According to those who knew and worked w i th Kro l i kowsk i , he was an important member of the high school community and will be missed.

“Jim Krolikowski does not have a shortage of energy,” said Tim Kenney, principal. “He has a very clear passion for

what he does. I think the students really enjoyed being in his classroom ... I’d want to be a high school kid in his math classroom. I think that the things that make a teacher a great teacher are the things that he is carrying forward to his next position.”

Although for the majority of Krolikowski’s t ime at Shorewood he taught integrated math III and computer science, many students used him as a resource for all math and science related questions.

“I told him I needed to come in for help, and he told me I could come in before school or after school or during lunch. He was available for me

and other students. That’s really something that would be hard to find anywhere else,” said Paul Boechler, class of 2015.

In addition to teaching, Krolikowski was also the advisor for student council.

“I think all his work with student council is undeniably going to be at the forefront of what people talk about,” said Kenney. “He was very involved with all [its] aspects. But really, I think he did a nice job in letting student council be run by the students.”

A l t h o u g h Krolikowski is leaving, he has no doubt that s t u d e n t c o u n c i l will continue to run smoothly.

“I had been working to make it self-sufficient ... so they could run themselves. I think student council will be just fine,” Krolikowski said.

Krolikowski is in the process of getting a degree in educational administration.

“I want to change education for the better, and this is a very good first step toward that,”

Krolikowski said. Because he previously worked at Whitnall

as a math teacher, Krolikowski said he felt his new job there was a good opportunity.

“This was a very unique position in that I taught at this school before and this position is designed … to be a grooming or mentorship kind of administrative position,” Krolikowski said.

“I would hope that what I leave behind is that students just remember that I cared,” Krolikowski said.

“I cared about why they were there. I cared

about giving them some sort of purpose or reason for coming to school instead of some mundane thing they had to do. And then making it fun ... Those … things I hope will be left behind.”

“[Krolikowski] has a very clear passion for what he does.”

-Tim Kenney,principal

AP music theory canceled due to lack of time to plan

Advanced Placement music theory, one of Shorewood’s newest class offerings, was canceled because there was not enough time to fully develop and plan the curriculum.

“When we offer a course we want to offer a high quality product,” said Tim Kenney, pr inc ipa l .

“ I w a s r e a l l y disappointed when it was canceled,” said Molly McLeod, sophomore.

The course covers many different topics related to music theory inc luding in-depth terminology, musical ph ras ing and compos i t ion , mus ic history, chord structure and cadences.

By the t ime s tuden ts f in i shed registering for classes in June, AP music yheory had over 20 students signed up for it. It was to be a semester long class taught by Karen Frink, orchestra director.

The students signed up for the class were notified through an email this summer telling them about the cancellation.

“I was interested in taking music theory because I wanted to improve my skills as a musician and to be able to sing better in choir,” said Emmie Sipe, sophomore.

M c L e o d a n d S i p e a r e b o t h i n v o l v e d i n m u s i c a t S H S .

McLeod has played piano for 10 years, violin for six, and harp for two.

“This year when I went to a music camp I took a music theory class which made me excited for the class this upcoming

year,” McLeod said. She has pervious music t h e o r y e x p e r i e n c e through orchestra and piano. Sipe, who has been in choir for three years, also has previous experience in music theory through a class she took this summer and is interested in a potential career in music.

“ I to ta l ly unders tand why the class was canceled,” McLeod said.

McLeod and Sipe now both have a free period in their schedule due to the cancellation.

“I would absolutely like to take AP music theory in the future if it is offered,” Sipe said. McLeod agreed. “We have every intention to run the class in 2016-2017 school year, this allows [Frink] a full year to prepare for it,” Kenney said.

According to Kenney, one of the positive outcomes of the cancellation could be that freeing up a student’s schedule allows them to take a different yearlong class.

by Martha Dix

“I was really disap-pointed when it was

canceled.”-Molly McLeod,

sophomore by Abby Widell

Shorewood’s loss is West Bend’s gain as Tochi, a modern Asian fusion restaurant, relocates to a larger retail and residential development on the site of the West Bend Company. The East Capitol Drive location closed its doors on August 16 and will reopen at a new address, 705 Village Green Way, Suite 102 in six to eight weeks.

The new restaurant, which is in the hometown of Gregg Des Rosier, chef and owner of Tochi, will have a seating capacity of 40 and a kitchen nearly three times its previous size. Des Rosier made the choice to move when Deborah Kern, building owner, decided she was no longer interested in owning a restaurant. Kern offered him ownership of the space but they could not agree upon the terms.

“After that it seemed like the right time to relocate and now it feels like I’m coming home,” Des Rosier said.

Des Rosier will miss having Tochi in Shorewood.

“[While it was] strange to have a restaurant in another store’s basement, [the business surpassed everyone’s expectations],” Des Rosier said.

Every Tochi employee was offered a position at the new location, but all 23 declined, having been recruited by other local restaurateurs. Des Rosier received

countless numbers of calls asking for the names of his employees, a true attestment to the wonderful service provided.

“Everyone was so nice and welcoming,” said Layna Wang, freshman and frequent Tochi customer. “Not to mention the amazing food. The whole atmosphere was perfect.”

The plans for the Capitol Drive space have yet to be determined, but many have high hopes for something to come in, and quickly, especially MODGEN, the modern

general store above the space.

“Two businesses are always better than one,” said Doug Mcdonald, MODGEN manager. “Having a restaurant below our store brought in a lot of traffic and introduced new customers.”

While Mcdonald said he expects a slight decrease in sales, he is

confident that the upcoming holiday season will increase revenue and have them on track for the future.

“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing and hope for the best with this vacancy,” Mcdonald said.

Customers may be able to look forward to the return of Tochi to Shorewood and the East Side, should the right opportunity present itself. Despite the parking challenges, Des Rosier feels drawn to the area.

“We will hopefully be back soon,” Des Rosier said.

“I would hope that what I leave behind is that students just

remember that I cared.”-Jim Krolikowski,

former SHS math teacher

A sign near Tochi’s old location explains the shop’s departure. The restaurant trans-ferred locations from Shorewood to West Bend.

Ben Davis

Tochi moves to West Bend

“Everyone was so nice and welcoming ... The whole atmo-

sphere was perfect.”-Layna Wang,

freshman

Students stand for a bow after a performance last year alongside Karen Frink, or-chestra director. Frink was to teach AP Music Theory, canceled due to lack of time.

courtesy Craig Loomis

Features RipplesSeptember 2, 2015

page three

New superintendent connects with community by Monia Dix

Bryan Davis was hired as the new superintendent of the Shorewood School District for the upcoming school year.

“I saw an opportunity here in Shorewood, and I really love the strong reputation of education that Shorewood provides—alongside the ability to have the diversity of the city while still having a smaller district,” Davis said.

Tim Kenney, SHS principal, said that Davis is more thanprepared to accomplish this mission.

Davis smiles at the camera. He feels the district is in for a great year.

Olivia Loomis

“From what I have known of Davis so far, he seems to be very open, very level-headed and I have no reason to think that he will be less than great at communicating with people,” Kenney said.

According to Kenney, one of the criteria for a superintendent was that they created a five-year plan to assess the current problems of the district using feedback from the community, as well as internal review.

Davis said he has already started his plan by working to define achievement gap issues between students, as well as listening to the community to find issues to address and resolve.

“When we develop the vision, and do some strategic planning of of that vision, then [those issues] can all be part of what we’re addressing,” Davis said.

Since the departure of Dr. Blane McCann, a former superintendent, in 2012, Leah Jorn, junior, said that she thinks the superintendent position has lacked a strong

personal connection with the community. “When I heard

that [Davis] was living in the district and has kids going to district schools, I saw a stronger potential for the return of those personal connections,” Jorn said.

Davis graduated with a degree in business education at

UW-Whitewater, and then pursued a master’s degree in education and a PHD in urban education at UW-Milwaukee.

Initially, Davis was a business education teacher in New Lisbon and Oshkosh Wisconsin. He began working as an administrator in the Green Bay School District as an assistant principal and principal. He then was a superintendent in

Lake Bluff is introduced to new principal by Bella Burns

Lake Bluff recently welcomed their new principal, Eric Norland.

“I think that Lake Bluff is a school that

Columbus, Wisconsin for the last five years. Davis has three children attending

Shorewood schools. “Being a parent in the district ... allows

me to meet a lot of people and become more invested the district as a whole,” Davis said.

Davis enjoys fishing, playing golf, running down Lake Drive and seeing the sunrise in the mornings.

Davis hails from Monroe, Wisconsin, a town of about 10,000 people, south of Madison.

“It had kind of a small town feel, something I have received here in Shorewood as well,” Davis said.

Overall, Davis is excited to have all the students back to school and to begin establishing the vision and culture of learning that he sees in the future of the schools.

“We’re looking forward to just digging

in here at Shorewood and being a part of the village as much as possible, and helping our teachers do great things,” Davis said.

New high school teacher supports creativity

is doing just fantastic, so my main goal is to support the wonderful things that are going on here … [and just to] lead us forward and help us get even better,” Norland said.

Norland said his goals for the school year include the furthered incorporation of expeditionary learning, a teaching technique, into the curriculum.

“I have a background in outdoor and experiential education, and so I have a great interest in more project-based learning,” Norland said. “Implementing expeditionary learning is a big priority for this school year, and I definitely want to support that … It’s at least a four year process … but it will be something that we will want to make progress on.”

Rachel Javorsky, Lake Bluff parent, has several expectations for Norland.

“The first and foremost, is that he interacts with the students in a nice, friendly,

but stern way … My second expectation is that he is communicative with the parents in different ways, not just emails, but also standing in the hallways, and welcoming in that kind of way,” Javorsky said.

“[I would like to see Norland] continue to foster the cooperative educational environment that we come to expect from Lake Bluff,” said Jesse Pagels, Lake Bluff parent.

Norland said that he has been interested in education since he was young.

“[I’ve always] been interested in education and how people learn, and I’ve

“Implementing expe-ditionary learning is a big priority for this

school year.”-Eric Norland,

principal

always been attracted to being able to have an influence on a larger educational environment as opposed to just one classroom,” Norland said.

Prior to being principal, Norland worked as an assistant principal for four years and was also involved in special education.

Norland and his family returned to Wisconsin from Virginia.

“We love Wisconsin. The climate is much nicer. It’s kind of hot and sticky … in

Northern Virginia where we were. It was pretty crowded ... so we’re really happy to be back here,” Norland said.

Norland is excited to join the Lake Bluff community.

Olivia Loomis

by Eli Frank

“His enthusiasim about teaching...

makes it exciting to learn from him.”

Rachel Harvey, junior

“I think Shorewood is a unique and exciting place to

teach.”-Eric Matthews

integrated science teacher

Eric Matthews will be the science department’s new Integrated Science teacher, teaching all five sections of the class.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of things in Shorewood over the years … I think Shorewood is a unique and exciting place to teach, [and] I like the culture a lot,” Matthews said.

Matthews grew up in Shorewood, and is already well acquainted with the district, and looking forward to teaching here.

“I’m really excited to … have [everything] happen in the same place: my

teaching, coaching, my involvement with Watershed Wisdom,” Matthews said.

In addition to teaching the Integrated Science curriculum, Matthews has other goals for the year.

“I want to really work with students to get them prepared for upper level science, … to … equip students with the skills they’ll need to be successful down the road,” Matthews said. “[I also want to] create an environment—a learning environment—in my classroom where kids feel motivated to be successful, [and] I want to contribute to a … cool culture that is happening at Shorewood High School.”

Matthews attended UW-Madison, where he got his degree in biology and environmental science and first decided he wanted to become a teacher.

“I was enjoying [studying biology and ecology] and I found that really interesting … I was also working with high school kids a lot at that point as a coach and as an outdoor leader, and I realized I really liked … and … was effective at that, so the conclusion I

came to was, ‘Hey, why don’t you become a high school science teacher? That seems like a good career option,’” Matthews said.

C u r r e n t l y , Matthews is working on getting his master’s degree in environmental education at UW-Steven’s Point, and with a multitude of teaching experiences, he feels

more than prepared for this job.

“I’ve had a lot of different experiences—some of them nontraditional t e a c h i n g — l i k e outdoor teaching, a lot of coaching, and now, several years of traditional high school

teaching.”“[Mr. Matthews] was a great teacher

[on Watershed Wisdom] because he was able to connect everything … he taught with scenarios we are familiar with today.

The information stuck better because it was relevant and made for an interesting class,” said Corinne Ebel, senior.

Prior to his hiring at Shorewood, Matthews taught AP biology at Wauwatosa East High School for two years.

“[Wauwatosa East] was very similar to Shorewood,” Matthews said. “It’s like twice as big—1,300 kids—but

that was a great experience that I think really prepared me to be a successful teacher [at Shorewood].”

“His enthusiasm about teaching and the things he’s teaching about ... makes it exciting to learn from him,” said Rachel Harvey, junior.

In his free time, Matthews enjoys being outside, coaching track, playing basketball and planning and leading outdoor adventures.

“I love this community … [and] I want to … continue to be involved in all of the things I’ve been able to do over the years and grow those and look for ways to make learning great,” Matthews said.

Already familiar with Shorewood, Mat-thews is ready to start the year.

Olivia Loomis

“I really love the strong reputation of

education that Shore-wood provides.”

-Bryan Davis,superintendent

“Being a parent in the district ... allows me to meet a lot of

people.”-Bryan Davis,

superintendent

Features September 2, 2015

page four

Best Buddies prepares for spring break Everglades tripby Katie Eder

While most students were using the last week of summer to hang out with friends and sleep, Best Buddies members were camping and canoeing on Wisconsin’s Namakagon River to prepare for their 2015 spring break trip to the Florida Everglades.

“Hopefully this will get them more excited for Florida,” said Christina Gagne, special education teacher and Best Buddies advisor. “And hopefully they will be more prepared … and take the challenges from this trip and apply them to Florida.”

Best Buddies is a student-run friendship club, which creates buddy pairs between students with and without disabilities. Club members raised $30,000 to travel to Hawaii in the spring of 2014.

Noah Wolfe, junior and Best Buddies chapter president, said the Namakagon River trip would be a good chance to build teamwork.

“I’m looking forward to bonding with everyone,” Wolfe said. “We will all have to work together to canoe, put up tents and make dinner.”

“We are trying something new: camping away from home ... it will be a

really interesting experience and it will be really fun,” said Kathryn Mauer, senior.

According to Gagne, students also practiced their canoeing on a day trip on the Milwaukee River last spring and on the club’s annual trip to Lion’s Camp in northern Wisconsin in May.

“We have a lot of students who will go on the Florida trip and it’s important that they are all ready. It’s also fun to spend time outside with everyone,” she said.

Gagne said the Everglades trip will be about a week long, and the majority of the trip will be spent canoeing. However, the students will also hike, explore and swim. It is being sponsored by Wilderness Inquiry, an international organization that, according to its website, connects “people from all walks of life to the naHAtural world through shared outdoor adventures.”

Like they did before the Hawaii trip, students will spend a few weeks learning about their destination.

“We will learn about the ecosystem there and the animals and the barrier islands. We will do a whole study on that so they are ready,” Gagne said.

Gagne described the Everglades trip as “more physically and more emotionally

Best Buddies poses for a photo on the Namakagon River. This trip was in prepera-tion for their 2015 spring break trip to the Flordia Everglades.

courtesy Christina Gagne

challenging,” than the Hawaii trip.“Hawaii was like, hike and explore.

We stayed in hotels, a house, and a little cabin. This is [going to be] tents, going to bathroom outside and just roughing it,” Gagne said.

Although the Florida trip will not be as expensive as the trip to Hawaii, the club

will still have to do a lot of fundraising.According to Gagne, although there is

still a lot of preparation to do, it will pay off in the long run.

“It’s worth it. When you’re there to see the students learn a new skill, especially when they can become independent, it’s really awesome,” Gagne said.

Senior competes in USA Triathlon National Championshipsby Sydney Widell

The atmosphere at the Lakefront in August was one of unparalleled excitement and intensity as elite athletes from all around the country, including Justine Spore, senior, gathered to compete in the USA Triathlon

Age Group National Championships, held on August 8 and 9. Spore, whom you might recognize on the softball diamond, tennis court, ski slopes or track, has found especial success in the triathlon, a race that challenges athletes to compete in three events — a swim, bike, and run.

“I like it so much because you are never stuck doing one thing — you get to do all three,” Spore said

On the first day, qualifying athletes raced the Olympic distance course, a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run.

Spore raced the sprint distance, a 750 m swim, 20 km bike ride and five km run, on the second day of the competition after she qualified for this triathlon last summer, placing in the top ten percent of her age group at the Naperville Triathlon in Naperville, IL.

This triathlon was different from anything Spore had previously experienced. The swim began in the Outer Harbor, the stretch of lake that runs in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum and Discovery World. Spore estimates that out of the hundreds of other people in the water with her, she was one of three who did not have a wetsuit.

“I definitely needed one. I got in the water and I couldn’t breathe it was so cold,” Spore said. “I guess it was just motivation to swim faster.”

The transition zone, or the place where athletes prepare to enter their next event,

Justine Spore, senior, runs at the Lakefront. Spore competed in the USA Triathlon National Championships.

courtesy Justine Spore

was located in front of Discovery World and was especially memorable.

“It’s very hectic. Everyone is scrambling to take off their stuff and put their shoes on,” Spore said.

That was also where the bike ride began. The route took athletes to the top Lincoln Memorial Dr. and back, then over the Hoan Bridge and to the transition area.

“It was a very nice bike ride because they close the streets off and they don’t take us down any bumpy roads or anything,” Spore said. “You have to get used to forty-five year olds whizzing past you on really nice bikes … It’s very humbling.” Spore thinks that the bike is her strongest part.

The run, which Spore found the most challenging, wound its way around Veteran’s Park and back to Discovery World. Plagued with multiple stress fractures over the course of her high school career, she trains very moderately for this portion of the race.

“There were a lot of people,” Spore said. “It was crazy. They had this huge finish line and everyone was screaming.”

Spore placed 50th in her age group and is ready to race again.

“There were a lot of people who were really into it, who trained really hard,” Spore said. “It’s so inspiring. There are so many people who are so in shape and train for hours every day. I don’t know if I could ever do that but it is something to aspire towards.”

Spore has not competed in an Olympic

Michael Joynt, incoming SIS principal, meets with Julie Wells, counselor.

Olivia Loomis

Michael Joynt has filled the permanent principal spot at SIS for the coming year.

“I want to support what works in SIS, and of course support the parents and students,” Joynt said. “The best way to do that is for me to build trust with the parents, teachers, and students; let them know I have their best interests in mind.”

After the death of Mark Harris, principal of SIS, social studies teacher, Kevin Gemignani, stepped in as interim principal for the remainder for the 2014-2015 school year.

According to Kathy Yanoff, SIS secretary, the committee interviewing candidates for the potential SIS principal knew what they were looking for. After much interviewing of several candidates by

staff and students, Joynt was hired. “He seemed like a middle school

person,” Yanoff said. “He matched the culture and spirit of [the] middle schoolers and middle school teachers.”

According to Yanoff, Joynt is no stranger to Shorewood. His older brother, Matt Joynt, was principal at SHS for five years.

“He’s from an education dynasty,” Yanoff said. “All of his brothers and [his] father are and were high school teachers or administrators. He brings a ton of experience.”According to Julia Appel, SIS student, the students are also excited for the new addition to their administration.

“My first impression of Mr. Joynt was

SIS welcomes new principal, Michael Joynt

distance triathlon yet, chiefly because she does not want to risk re-injuring herself on the longer run, but would like to try one in the future.

Spore trains all year for these races.“It’s hard to fit in workouts and practice

every day,” Spore said. She maintains a fitness baseline by

swimming through the winter before school. “I totally dislike biking in doors,”

Spore said.When summer begins, Spore focuses

her training towards the triathlon. “As soon as the weather gets nice

enough to bike, I start doing stuff. I don’t have three hours every day to go bust out a fifty mile bike ride,” said Spore, who must juggle her time between training and a job at the Milwaukee Pretzel Factory.

Spore tries to ride three to four times a week, working in different distances and training on different terrains.

“I did the hill by Lincoln Memorial seven times in one day and it definitely helped because we did it in the race,” she said.

Spore also did Watershed Wisdom, which she said included “a heck of a lot of biking and even some trail.”

While Spore admits that it is a bit of a of a drag to swim in the pool, she makes sure to keep it in her training regimen.

“It makes a huge difference to dedicate some time in the pool every week,” Spore said.

by Lydia Ashus that he seemed really nice and cool, and it’s kind of exciting to have a new person in the school district,” said Appel.

Joynt began his education at UW-Madison majoring in mathematics, and later earning a Masters in Instructional Technology from Cardinal Stritch in 2006, and a Masters in Administrative Leadership from UW-Milwaukee in 2012.

Prior to coming to the Shorewood School District Joynt worked at Cudahy Middle School as the associate principal.

According to Joynt he has almost always wanted to work in education.

“I like the energy of working with kids and teachers, and knowing that every day will be different than the day before,” Joynt said.

RipplesSeptember 2, 2015

page five

Olivia Loomis, senior, spent seven weeks of her summer in Morocco on a language-based scholarship trip.

“I began to take Arabic lessons because I got involved with the refugee community on the South Side through a church organization … I got really interested in the Arab culture. I also love languages, so I started Arabic with a tutor,” Loomis said. “It’s always been one of my dreams to study abroad.”

This love of language and community involvement opportunities are what drove Loomis to apply for the same program as one of her cousins had. Because of her prior understanding of Arabic, she was sent to Morocco.

Loomis stayed in Rabat, the coastal capital city, in an area called Hay Riad.

“The people are really proud of their history, and it’s the administrative cities. I stayed in a more Westernized area with my host family,” Loomis said.

Through her host family, Loomis was able to put her Arabic to use and further develop her skills with that language. Her host father spoke English well, but her host mother only spoke a little English, mainly being able to communicate in Arabic

“[The fact that my host father spoke English] was great because it helped us have depthful discussions that I couldn’t have had if they were in Arabic. My host mom didn’t really speak English, which was good because I had to use Arabic with her,” Loomis said.

In addition to improving her Arabic, Loomis also said she gained a greater understanding of Islam.

“[My host mother] was way more religious than the rest of the family was. She actually made a Hajj journey to Mecca, so it was interesting to see Islam that close up, through her lens,” Loomis said.

by Janneke Bannink and Eli Frank On weekends, Loomis and her host family went on trips to other parts of Morocco, including Fez, Chefchaouen, Tangier, the Sahara area and Meknes, where she gained an insight into other parts of culture in Morocco.

“[Those trips were] really nice because we got to see the variety of life,” Loomis said. “In Morocco, there’s this huge … spectrum of lifestyles … In Rabat, there were definitely areas that were very Westernized, … and even within Rabat there were people who were still holding on to that conservative lifestyle and others who were totally embracing and even idolizing the European way of living.”

One of the most memorable experiences for Loomis was the time she and her host family spent in the Sahara.

“It’s hard to express,” Loomis said, “[but] just to be around these huge piles of sand [in the Sahara] was very humbling.”

Other moments that stuck out to Loomis were those in which she no longer felt like a tourist, but instead felt comfortable with the culture and customs.

“Living in Rabat long enough to get to the point where I felt comfortable going to the grocery store and riding the public bus and feeling not like a tourist, those moments were really special,” Loomis said.

Upon her arrival in Morocco, Loomis did not experience much culture shock.

“It was hard because we were there during Ramadan so no one was eating during the day and everyone was just slightly restrained in their actions and they were all really fatigued.” Loomis said.

However, Loomis did find her return to the United States slightly jarring, requiring her to readjust.

“I remember the first night when we stayed in our hotel rooms in New York, they just seemed so luxurious, and it was like, “What the heck! How can we afford this?” But there were some not so nice things, like,

you can’t pay for amazing 20 cent bread in the street,” Loomis said. “There are things that you miss.”

Loomis encourages others to take part in similar programs.

“It is important to reach out to people that are different from you and not be afraid to make those connections with strangers whose culture and language and backgrounds don’t reflect your own, and you can learn so much from other people,” Loomis said.

Loomis also reinforced the importance

Molly Eder, senior, hiked the 240-mile John Muir Trail this summer — on her own.

The John Muir Trail goes from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, with three quarters of the trail being on the popular Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, which stretches from Mexico to Canada, with most of it in California.

“It is a hugely popular trail to hike so I was meeting new hikers every day. That was really cool, meeting people that felt the same way about backcountry and backpacking. This is my fifth year backpacking and there

were people who had only been backpacking for one year,” Eder said.

The John Muir Trail goes through the Sierra Nevada and includes many lakes, cliffs and canyons.

“A lot of the areas I was passing would usually be snow covered, but because of a lack of snow this year, I could see all this aged rock in the Sierra Mountains,” Eder said.

Eder started the trail on July 3 and finished by summiting Mount Whitney on July 24.

Hiking, backpacking and camping are an important part of Eder’s life.

“I have been backpacking since I was very small,” Eder said.

Last year, Eder decided she wanted to do a challenging hiking trip in the summer.

“My incentive to get through the school year is what I will do the next summer, so I like to do a lot of these camping trips,” Eder said. “I was looking through all these trails, and my cousin gave me the idea … when he was visiting for Thanksgiving … because

of languages and the opportunities and connections that are made possible through language.

“Even if you’d speak five words of Arabic to somebody … they’d be so excited and open their heart to you. The Moroccan population … is just super hospitable and communal and welcoming and giving and loving,” Loomis said,

“Language is a great way to access those values, and to learn from the people there, and hopefully bring those [values] back to America,.”

Molly Eder finds solitude and challenge on solo hike

Molly Eder, senior, travels across California in 24 days in a solo backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail. Eder hiked an average of 13 miles a day.

courtesy Molly Eder

… he had hiked the John Muir trail in the past. So he was like, ‘Hey look at this trail. It’s a calm thru-hike, it is on the PCT, it is a beautiful area and well kept,’” Eder said.

This was the first backpacking trip Eder did by herself.

“I was completely by myself,” Eder said. “It was just really hard mentally because I was completely on my own devices. I was around other people, but at the same time they were all self-sufficient.”

Being on her own brought new freedoms, but also new challenges.

“I learned a lot more about how I function hiking by myself this time. I could control how fast I’m hiking,” Eder said.

Eder travelled an average of 13 miles per day. In the beginning of the trip her mileage was less because she had to gain elevation, while towards the end of the trip her mileage increased.

“I’d walk for like four hours straight. A 20-mile day was my longest day and I took a total of two breaks on that day. I’ve never had that kind of freedom before,” Eder said.

The most challenging aspect of the hike was the weather.

“There were a couple days were it did have a ton of rain, hail, sleet and snow,” Eder said. “My personal philosophy is the bad days were worth doing because it makes the good days better. So even the bad days … were good because they made everything else so much better.”

Eder said she plans to continue hiking in the upcoming future.

by Madeline Wilson

Seniors’ memorable summer adventuresOlivia Loomis studies Arabic, experiences entirely new culture

Olivia Loomis, senior, surveys the Moroccan Sahara and contemplates her fragile existance. Loomis spent seven weeks studing Arabic in Morocco this summer.

Olivia Loomis

Features

Arts & EntertainmentRipples September 2, 2015

page six

Wilco, the critically-acclaimed and two-decade-long running band, pulled a Beyoncé and surprise-released their first record in four years — for free. A free, unannounced album, named Star Wars, with a cat on the cover that clocks in at just under 35 minutes, their shortest record to date, doesn’t exactly make for high expectations—or perhaps it’s just a sign that listeners are in for something new.

The opene r, a j a r r i ng , experimental instrumental titled “EKG,” is certainly proof of that. After a stretch of pleasing and accessible, but overly-polished “Wilco being Wilco” albums,

Best albums of summer 2015

Wilco is at its best when they’re explor-ing the unkown and experimenting with

something new.

Jason Isbell , a master storyteller Ryan Adams called “the best songwriter I know,” is back with his fifth solo record, Something More Than Free, the follow up to his breakthrough 2013 album, Southeastern. Fresh out of rehab, Southeastern was a dark and intimate picture of Isbell’s struggles with addiction and recovery. However, three years sober and expecting his first child with his wife, Something More chronicles a hopeful and confident Isbell, one who is looking up and forward. The stark contrast between the somber tone of Southeastern and the hopefulness that defines Something More is most apparent on the pleasing, upbeat, but stylistically familiar opener, “If It Takes a Lifetime,” where Isbell’s character confesses he “can’t recall a day when [he] didn’t wanna disappear,” but “keep[s] on showing up, hell-bent on growing up.” A willingness to leave the past in the past is readily apparent on “How To Forget”: “I was strained / I was sad / Didn’t realize what I had / It was years ago / Teach me how to forget.” Not an easy line to pull off without sounding fake, Isbell does more than manage with his newfound self-assurance. Despite its brighter overtones, a certain poignancy still manages

Star WarsWilco

“EKG” is a welcome exploration into the unknown. The same sense of freshness carries through on the Beatles-esque “More…,” before lead singer Jeff Tweedy’s words are overtaken by diluted sound and static, giving way to the catchy and driving “Random Name Generator,” which seems destined to fall into line among other well-loved Wilco classics. Right down to the name, the album’s inarguable gem “You Satellite” reaffirms all this album is. It soon explodes into a two-minute experimentation, serving as an apt centerpiece for the album, before transitioning to “Taste the Ceiling,” the most classically Wilco song of the record. Lyrically and m u s i c a l l y , this song is nothing new for the band, but Tweedy offers up one of the most t h o u g h t f u l l i n e s o f t h e a l b u m : “Why do our disasters creep so slowly into view?” — a revelation that would be right at home on any of Wilco’s recent releases. The angsty, punk rock of “Pickled Ginger” is contrasted by one of the more heartfelt tracks on the album, “Where Do I Begin.” Amid his seemingly existential

struggle, Tweedy drawls, “We’re so alone / We’re never alone,” echoing the heart-wrenching juxtaposition in Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You In The End,” in which Johnston sings, “Don’t be sad / I know you will.” In a one-song-in-two move similar to 1996’s Being There’s “Red-Eyed and Blue” / “I Got You (At the End of the Century),” Star Wars’ punchy “Cold Slope” leads seamlessly to “King of You.” However, on a note quite different from the rest of this fun, laid-back album, Star Wars closes with the hazy, dreamlike melancholy of “Magnetized,” in which Tweedy complains,

“ E v e r y o n e w a s t e s m y time,” only to counter it with a seemingly s w e e t confession of attraction: “I realize we’re magnetized.”

“ I ’ m more moved by the maybe,”

Tweedy sings on “You Satellite.” That certainly seems to be true, as Wilco is at its best when they’re exploring the unknown and experimenting with something new. They do just that on Star Wars, making it their most interesting and fully satisfying album in years.

wilcoworld.net

by Eli Frank

Wilco performs at their biennial music festival, Solid Sound, in Northampton, MA. The band surprise-released Star Wars, their first album since 2013, on July 16.

Eli Frank

Something More Than Free

Jason Isbell

to weave its way through the track, especially on one of the hardest hitting lines of the album: “Now that I’ve found someone who makes me want to live, does that make my leaving harder to forgive?” Although the album carries a general sense of positivity and optimism, Isbell’s darker thoughts still surface. On the 90’s influenced “24 Frames,” where Isbell wrestles with the bleaker side of philosophy and theology: “You thought God was an architect / Now you know, He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow.” The heartbreaking “Speed Trap Town” explores the pains of life on the road. On one of the album’s most personal tracks, “Children of Children,” Isbell confronts a life-long feeling of regret surrounding the fact that his mother had him at a very young age: “I was riding on my mother’s hip / She was shorter than the corn / All the years I took from her just by being born.” Not only a high point for Isbell as a songwriter, “Children of Children” also gives his band, The 400 Unit, a chance to shine on a nearly three-minute jam. Never before have they sounded stronger.

A successful follow-up to an album praised as the highlight of one’s career is no easy task, but Isbell does just that on his latest record. Something More is a notable release and a promising sign of what’s to come — the beginning of a new, brighter chapter for both Isbell and his songwriting, an incredibly talented songwriter finally coming into his own. “I don’t think on why I’m here, where it hurts / What I’m working for is something more than free,” Isbell belts out on the record’s title track. Now, free from his alcoholism and past struggles, and happily married with a child on the way, it looks like Isbell is well on his way to “something more.”

25-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco has been the center of indie-rock/pop adoration since his 2014 hit album Salad Days. Known for his brevity, DeMarco’s latest, Another One, is his shortest release yet, a 23 minute, eight song journey through relationship missteps, heartbreak

capturedtracks.com

courtesy jasonisbell.com

Another OneMac DeMarco

and self-doubt. Other than some keyboard exploration scattered throughout the album, thematically, lyrically and musically, this is classic Mac. In an attempt to create what D e M a r c o has called a u n i v e r s a l l y a c c e p t a b l e , o r a t l e a s t u n i v e r s a l l y r e l a t a b l e , album, he has crafted a collection that includes some of the best works of his career. With direct lyrics and an addictive guitar solo, DeMarco reaches new heights on the immediate hit, “The Way You’d Love Her.” “Come on give this lover boy a try / I’ll put the sparkle right back in your eyes / What could you lose,” DeMarco, always a heartthrob, teases on the memorable “No Other Heart.” The irresistible

chorus and progression of “A Heart Like Hers” makes it another standout, along with the beach jam

a t m o s p h e r e o f “ I ’ v e Been Waiting f o r H e r . ” H o w e v e r , d e s p i t e i t s multitude of s u c c e s s e s , the album’s central selling p o i n t — “something for

everyone” mini pop — also turns out to be the album’s downfall, coming off as routine and ordinary at times. The trippy, funky, but overly repetitive “Just To Put Me Down” — “a grumpier love [song],” in DeMarco’s words — is easily forgettable, and although a strikingly beautiful song, “Without Me” falls to the background in comparison to other tracks on the album.

[Another One] fea-tures some of [De-Marco’s] strongest

and catchiest songs.

Although it features some of his strongest and catchiest songs, Another One feels overly familiar. But that’s not to say DeMarco’s

latest is not good; it is quite good, and if nothing else, it is certainly his most concise, refined and introspective release to date.

Mac Demarco plays a song in a boat on the water by his house. DeMarco’s newest album, Another One, came out on August 7.

NPR.org

Arts & Entertainment RipplesSeptember 2, 2015

page seven

Criss-cross word

Transcending time and medium, the Modern Rebels exhibit housed in the Milwaukee Art Museum portrays the enduring challenge faced by artists everywhere — the challenge to push the boundaries of convention and acceptance and to establish an identity as an artist. The exhibit, which closes September 20, is surely one to please those wishing to see a diverse and vast collection of works. Over 68 artists and 70 pieces are represented, with the works on loan from the Albright-Knox museum in Buffalo, NY.

The gallery is arranged chronologically, so that viewers can follow the evolution of our perception of “rebellion” over the centuries. The earliest pieces date back to the Post-Impressionist movement of the late 1800’s, running all the way through the Minimalist movement of the 1950’s and featuring the works of Abstract Expressionists, Modernists, Pop Artists, Cubists and Surrealists who left their mark on the artistic world during these definitive periods. The exhibit was a compliment not only to the artists, but also to the curators who organized such a sweeping and immersive history of rebellion through art.

It was a surreal experience to view fabled works of art, like Roy Lichtenstein’s Head-Red and Yellow or Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with a Monkey, in real life and at a local venue. Wisconsin native Georgia O’Keefe, who already has work is housed in the main gallery, is also represented in this special exhibit.

The show also prompts pertinent discussions about the ethics of art and the varying expressions of modern rebellion.

Modern Rebels showcases varietyby Celeste Carroll and Sydney Widell

by Shimana Bose

We really appreciated the fact that there was such a vast amount of work being shown with such varying physical appearance. Upon first look, it would seem as though there was nothing in common between the many paintings and sculptures. Vincent Van Gogh’s post-impressionistic style, something that grew as a reaction against the Impressionist movement, which favored the naturalistic depiction of color and light, certainly appeared much different than Pablo Picasso’s cubist techniques that aimed to provide the viewer with multiple physical viewpoints on the subject matter.

La Musique by Henri Matisse, painted in 1939, was perhaps one of the most fascinating and beautiful pieces to look

at in the show. Matisse, a painter of the Modernism and Fauvism movements, strove to use strong colors and personal styles in his art that contradicted the representational and realistic methods valued during the Impressionist movement, the precedent artistic movement. Two curvaceous women are depicted wearing dresses, one playing the guitar and the other sitting on the ground, perhaps listening to the music. Behind them, large, organically shaped leaves provide the background, and the legs, feet, and hands and bodies of the women are stylistically elongated, giving them the look

of exaggeration but also unconventional beauty. Upon closer look, one can see that the paint that compiles the colors of their faces and bodies is transparent in some places, and brushstrokes are evident. Perhaps some consider this effect to look unfinished and hasty, but we believe this style contributes to the piece in a positive manner. The transparent technique gives the figures in the piece a sort of movement and style that is unique to the painting itself, and defies what perfection means in the world of art, as well as the conventional definition of “complete.”

Also fascinating was Giacomo Balla’s Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash. This painting, which at first glance appeared to be a sequence of layered photographic frames depicting the movement of a walking dog, became one of the futurist movement’s most definitive icons. Futurism was a rebellion against the weight of the past, and works by these artists were characterized by their technical emphasis on movement, dynamics and modernity. Bulla’s piece typified this school of thought and was in clear contrast with the pieces around it.

These striking juxtapositions are a common theme throughout the gallery. But however different they look, all artists are unified in the way their art questioned the traditions and norms of their time.

We left the exhibit inspired to discover our own identities and question the world around us just as these great artists, whose influences continue to steer the direction of the art world, did during their lifetimes. Their legacy has been lasting, and continues to ask viewers what it really means to rebel against what is known.

Art Museum goers walk towards the entrance to the Modern Rebels exhibit. The exhibit features works of different artists from different times.

Olivia Loomis

ACROSS1. Hector Hugh Munro’s penname 2. Another name for Daminozide 3. An expert (two words) 4. Something received after a great performance (two words)8. A winter sport 11. To hurt 12. A clue13. Relating to the sense of smell18. Outer ___19. Not a cigarette, but a ___20. Most common interrogative pronoun 21. Mesozoic ___22. Lake Bluff, Atwater, SIS, for example26. Non-servile peasant27. Also known as an aerospace engineer 28. To question29. Spanish word for table 31. American physicist Ralph Eugene ____32. Organization responsible for aviation in the US36. Terra firma 37. Native American houses40. Male child 41. What ballerinas wear 43. Submerges 44. Honorific for married women 46. To utilize or operate 47. Catastrophic 48. Hawaiian greeting 49. _____ -Leste 50. A unit of volume in the origi-nal French metric system 54. Slowly come out57. Continuous dull pain 58. Filled with 59. To make a mistake 60. Father of Thor 61. Type of Greek cheese 62. Quick

DOWN 1. To sink under weight/pressure 5. A large amount 6. Japanese word for choreo-graphed patterns/movements 7. Metal craft 8. A person of holiness 9. A ruler 10. To go within 11. Another term for vial 13. Academy Awards 14. Colloquial term for hospital 15. Plural of magus 16. Air navigation agency of UN17. Organization that owns the Hadron Collider 22. ‘Get lost!’ 23. Asiatic wild dogs 24. Past of choose 25. Australian wheelchair rugby player George ___30. A location 33. On fire 34. Blend ingredients to a _____35. Tracks made for walking 37. Native American pillar38. Gradually stop doing some-thing 39. Precedes ‘bless you’ 40. What a vacuum does 41. Name for ruler of Russia 42. Scholarly books45. Elevator company47. Ingests 51. To be lit 52. All roads lead to ____53. Distribute equally 54. On the ___ hand… 55. Writer of a book56. Opposite of love57. Past tense of eat 60. Opposite of on 63. Cartoon light bulb 64. Lice eggs 65. Insect resembling a mosquito 66. Taiwanese electronics com-pany

Sudoku spectacleby Shimana Bose

Devoted, by Jennifer Mathieu, is a young adult novel that focuses on Rachel Walker, a young girl belonging to an extremely religious family.

At first, this seems to be a typical teen romance novel, but as the novel progresses, it transforms into an unconventional narrative that raises real-world questions of what and what not to believe.

Arts & EntertainmentRipples September 2, 2015

page eight

In the Unlikely Event is Judy Blume’s latest adult novel, based on true events, that took place in the town of Elizabeth, NJ, in the 1950’s. Something most extraordinary is the way that the novel tells about events that the author lived through herself as a teenager. The novel is filled with unparalleled storytelling and the contrast of the suburban dream versus the ceaseless Cold War paranoia.

Best books of summer 2015

Judy Blume

In The Unlikely Event

The story starts off with fifteen-year-old Miri Ammerman who lives with her single mother, 33-year-old Rusty. Miri, a normal teenage girl, is the main narrator of this story. She has a best friend, Natalie Osner, a crush, Mason, and dreams for the future. However, when an airplane crashes into a nearby river, and more planes start to crash, the community begins to panic, seeking answers.

No one in the community has ever seen anything like this before. The tension causes people to become paranoid and distrustful. Many believe it is the work of communists, while others turn to aliens and the supernatural. As lightning around the area begins to act strangely as well, new theories, such as government conspiracies, arise.

Disturbed and heartbroken, some of the townspeople seem like they will never recover again. However, Blume shows that life will go on by playing with time– fast-forwarding into the future and returning to the past. Blume illustrates how the fallout affects the next three generations, and how they dealt with it, using time to reveal how the characters eventually manage to find solace in one another and rationalize their experiences.

Judy Blume’s In the Unlikely Event shows how people can overcome unexplainable tragedies through friendship and kindness.

Through the emotional closeness to the characters that Blume crafts, readers feel and understand their emotions and shock and discover the wonder of living through their eyes. Blume’s In the Unlikely Event is an unfogettable story.

Devoted, by Jennifer Mathieu, is a young adult novel that focuses on Rachel Walker, a young girl belonging to an extremely religious family.

At first, this seems to be a typical teen

romance novel, but as the novel progresses, it transforms into an unconventional narrative that raises real-world questions of what and what not to believe.

The story begins with Rachel’s daily life of attending Church, caring for her five younger siblings, dressing modestly and learning to be a wife and mother. As Rachel starts to doubt whether what she is told is truly the best path, she begins to feel frustrated in the role she plays, and begins to crave more than a life of religion and housekeeping.

When she meets Lauren Sullivan, a girl who has left the community and is now working nearby, she discovers that Lauren shared her dissatisfaction of an authoritarian life, and the two quickly become friends. Lauren and Rachel exchange emails, and through their discussions, Rachel realizes that she does not want a life controlled by others. Rachel must now escape the community, or live a life that is not her own.

Mathieu uses a combination of poetry and self-questioning throughout the plot to demonstrate Rachel’s development as she discovers the world around her, as well as herself. If you are looking for a book that expresses the darker side of extremism, the questioning of one’s beliefs, and that call to pursue your heart’s desire, Devoted is a novel that won’t let you put it down.

The Accident Season, a novel by Moira Fowley-Doyle, is an eerie, dark and powerful novel filled with magic, secrets and mystery.

The main character, Cara, is a normal teen, except for the fact that both she and her family are extremely prone to accidents at the end of October. Many of Cara’s relatives have died, leading her to believe that there is more to their mishaps than just plain coincidence.

When Cara hears that this year’s accident season will likely be a bad one, she recruits her sister, her stepbrother and her best friend to solve the long-

Eli Frank

hidden secret that has been plaguing her family all these years. When she finally discovers the shadowy origins of her family’s misfortune, she is forced to face her ghosts and right their wrongs.

Throughout the novel, there is a spiritual theme, which teeters back and forth between reality and the character’s imagination. The plot and characters are rich in emotional impact, and the loss and abuse are balanced by the friendship, romance and adventures.

Fowley-Doyle blends friendship, adventure, magic and secrecy into a contemporary young adult novel that forms an exquisite story. From the intense and profound descriptions to the development of the characters, this novel has definitely won its place as one of the best books of the summer.

Elena Cruz, senior, relaxes in the grass while reading one of the best books of the summer. The list includes In the Unlikely Event, The Accident Season and Devoted.

courtesy ofdragonsandhearts.com

Moira Fowley-Doyle

The Accident Season

by Shimana Bose

Jennifer Mathieu

Devoted

courtesy judyblume.com

courtesy macmillan.com

Op/Ed RipplesSeptember 2, 2015

page nine

During the Renaissance period, women’s legs were banned from sight. In 1907, Australian underwater ballerina Annette Kellerman was thrown in jail for showing her arms and neck in a swimsuit. In 2015, women are still publically shamed when exposing their breasts.

In this age, with the development of gender equality, this unfair stanza must be recognized; it’s time to realize that if men are allowed to reveal their nipple in a public setting, women should be able to do so as well.

Many people say that because a woman’s breast is shaped differently from a man’s, it should be covered up. Because it is supposedly more prominent, it should be hidden from society.

But this thought, this ideal, is both stereotypical and misinformed.

Firstly, women and men have completely different body shapes in general. Of course, some women have more masculine features, and some men are more feminine than the orthodox standard, but the two genders are not built the same. And this difference occurs in areas other than the

chest.Women’s waists traditionally curve

more than their male counterparts’ and men have the ability to sculpt their upper abdomen in ways that women cannot physically achieve. The thighs are not the same; the shoulders have a different structure — even chins change in both angularity and possible hair growth.

Fundamentally, men and women have completely varying bodies. But for some reason, female breasts are the banned segment, the taboo of society.

Furthering into this, many men actually have more prominent breasts than many women. If it were to say that a female’s breasts were banned because of their larger size, then these males should face the same consequences for exposing their own nipples. And yet, that is not the case.

The size of the organ does not matter and the shape of the

organ does not matter within today’s standards; what does matter is who owns the breasts—the female or the male.

Sounds very sexist to me.Furthermore, cleavage is not even

banned, nor is any part of the breasts’ enveloping skin that differentiates in form. Once the areola appears, however, all is forbidden.

But, unjust as it is, this specific part of the human anatomy looks exactly the same on men as it does on women. Only again, however, society requires that the

individualized female cover up her skin, simply because of the sex she was born into. Women’s bodies suddenly become shameful and degraded.

The true difference is the actual function of the nipple, which I completely acknowledge; it is commonly understood that women produce milk after a child’s birth. People believe that because women’s breasts aid in a life-sustaining process, they are not appropriate for everyday viewing.

However, life-sustaining is very different from life-creating, and breasts have nothing to do with the latter; breasts are not sexual organs whatsoever. I do acknowledge that the different reproductive organs should remain hidden because of their complicated function that young children do not need to know about, but breasts are not involved with the act of procreation at all. They’ve just commercially been turned into a symbol of sex, objectified by the media and outdated beliefs.

This whole act of objectification results in an increased amount of threatening situations for the female gender. Because their apparently placed breasts on the front of the chests—which girls cannot always hide and should not need to—are not easily kept from sight, and because everyday people associate these organs with sex, girls become easy targets to sick predators. If we as a whole society were to reverse the thought the breasts are sexual organs,

Today’s view of anatomy must improveElena Cruz

Cruz Control

their sight would not turn on predators and females would be safer.

If women’s nipples become publicly acceptable, however, girls shouldn’t just walk around half-naked all of the time. Men cannot go into a professional setting without their shirts today, and that same principle should reflect on all women. Our culture should always aim for equality, not extremism. This ideal would just result in the fact that women can take off their blouses when working on a hot day, or that they can expose skin in a movie while keeping

it PG. All it takes is a new, accepting look at the female anatomy throughout our society.

Basically, what I’m calling for is a different outlook on this average area of skin. Instead of identifying the chest as an unequal sex symbol, we as a people — and therefore a society — must mature and realize that, if we are going to reach gender

equality, breasts need to be seen as what they are: a functioning body part, not an uncomfortable organ or a shameful piece of tissue, but an equal structure on both the male and female body.

If within 100 years, forearms could go from sex objects to completely average limbs, then breasts can do the same. It just takes a new and, at first, uncomfortable mindset. In the end, however, there could be a new step towards gender equality and improved safety for half of the entire population.

Editorial

Fundamentally, men and women have completely vary-

ing bodies. But for some reason, fe-

male breasts are the banned segment.

Our culture should always aim for equality ... All it

takes is a new, ac-cepting look at the

female anatomy throughout our soci-

ety.

Editor advice for incoming freshmen

Be confident, authentic and

humble.

Transitioning schools might seem scary, but we’re here to help

Do what makes you

happy. Don’t just join a

club or activ-ity because you think

colleges will like it.

1. Use your backpacks! It not only looks better and is more efficient, but it also leaves you with use of your hands to high-five people in the hallways!

2. Try to use the back staircases in the administration building because it will save you a lot of time between classes.

3. W a l k on the R I G H T s i d e of the hallway, w a l k out the R I G H T d o o r , and you will make the RIGHT impression on your peers.

4. When going in and out of the science building, try to use the doors that face the front lawn; they are much less crowded.

5. Don’t text and walk. EVER.

6. Just because technology is allowed doesn’t mean you should use it. Your parents got along as teenagers without technology, so you can survive for a 51-minute class period.

7. Don’t eat in the library *cough,

don’t get caught.*

8. Make a good first impression on your teachers — sometimes a little sucking up is okay.

9. Pay attention in class because information discussed will be on your finals.

10. D o n ’ t be afraid to ask to go to the bathroom or get water. As long as you’re not making a disruption, teachers will understand.

11. Teachers deserve just as much respect as your peers so give them your full attention. They just want to help you learn.

12. Tests are just tests; try your hardest but don’t beat yourself up if they sometimes don’t go as expected.

13. Open campus lunch is #1 awesome but #2 a privilege. Enjoy your freedom to go out for food but make sure you save enough time to get back to class after. (And that you clean up the front lawn once you finish eating!).

14. Don’t be embarrassed if you get emotional when you’re stressed.

15. Let yourself take time to relax a little. It’s not a crime to take some time for you to de-stress.

16. PSA: PDA is not okay.

17. Participate in h o m e c o m i n g week! It’s so much fun AND you get points for your class! And you get to look ridiculous, but for the first time in high school history e v e r y o n e around you celebrates it!

18. You don’t have to conform to what you think people will like. Just be confident, authentic and humble.

19. Join plenty of clubs so you can meet new people, including us!

20. High school is for experimenting (with

LEGAL things). Do new stuff! If you don’t try it now, when will you be able to?

21. Do what makes you happy. Don’t just join a club or sport or activity because you think colleges will like it. You want to look back on your high school experience and know that you enjoyed it, not just participated in something b e c a u s e you thought someone else would.

22. If the going gets rough, know that this is only high school. Sometimes it will feel like the best time of your life, and sometimes you

just have to remind yourself that life will continue after.

Op/EdRipples September 2, 2015

page ten

RipplesEDITOR IN CHIEF:Elena Katrina Cruz

MANAGING EDITOR OF STAFF:Monica Elizabeth Dix

NEWS EDITOR:Monica Elizabeth Dix

FEATURES EDITOR:Sydney Katherine Widell

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:Eli Jacob Frank

OPINIONS EDITOR:Elena Katrina Cruz

SPORTS EDITOR:Maeve Elizabeth Mckaig

WEBSITE EDITOR:Ananya Murali

ASSISTANT WEBSITE EDITOR:Martha Katherine Dix

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS:Eli Jacob Frank

Maeve Elizabeth McKaig

DEPUTY PAGE EDITORS:Shimana Meghan Bose

Sarah Katherine “Katie” Eder

COPY EDITORS:Celeste Bernadette CarrollMaya Celeste Schneider

Madeline Elizabeth Wilson

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS:Ben Samuel Davis

Olivia Grace Loomis

BUSINESS MANAGER:Olivia Lynn Holbrook

ADVISOR:Michael Cody Halloran

By tradition and practice, Ripples is an open forum and provides a guaranteed outlet for student expression. Ripples subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Profes-sional Journalists, including the obligation to perform with intelligence, objectivity, accuracy and fairness.

Editorials are unsigned and represent the majority opinion of the Ripples editorial staff. Signed letters to the Editor are welcome, but the staff reserves the right to edit for grammar and length. For more information, contact any editor or the advisor.

Ripples reserves the right to deny advertis-ing space to any ad deemed deceiving or mis-leading. Libelous ads and those containing misstatements or mistruths are unacceptable. Publication of an advertisement in Ripples does not indicate endorsement of that ad.

Ripples students do all work to bring ten issues per year to press.

First class postage paid in Shorewood. A subscription to Ripples is available for $25.00 per year. Mail payment to:

Shorewood RipplesShorewood High School

1701 E. Capitol DriveShorewood, WI 53211

Phone Number:(414) 961-3128

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Ideas?Submissions?Suggestions?

Letters to the Editor?

Contact a Ripples editor or advisor at the number or email address listed above.

America needs equal education

There is a significant difference in the quality of education available to students in the Shorewood School District and other nearby suburbs than in inner city Milwaukee. This inequality is a fact of life not only locally, but in cities across America.

American public schools receive about half their funding from local property taxes, so richer areas have well-funded schools, while poorer areas have underfunded schools.

This large disparity in academic opportunities among students is unacceptable.

Students who attend underfunded schools often trail students who attend well-funded schools by several grade levels by the time they finish high school.

Public K-12 schools should not receive their funding from local taxes. Public schools should all receive enough funding to provide a good education to their students.

L o w - i n c o m e schools do not effectively prepare students to compete in the global economy because they often

cannot provide students with resources and support they need to succeed.

Some important characteristics of a good school include well-qualified teachers and smaller class sizes, as these tools help students meet their full potential in the classroom.

With less funding, low-income schools will be less able to provide these aspects of a good education, as underfunded schools have a disproportionate amount of underqualified and inexperienced teachers.

Experienced and qualified teachers are a crucial aspect of a student’s education. The knowledge and experience of a teacher

reflects upon what students learn.

Smaller class sizes are vital to give students individual attention so they can learn at their best.

U n d e r f u n d e d schools are less likely to provide students with these key aspects of a quality education, and as a result, low-income students are less likely to graduate high school, go to college or graduate college.

Graduating high school and attending college allows people to pursue a fulfilling career while supporting

themselves.If their education allows them a

successful career, people will be more likely to afford healthy food, clothes, housing and medical care. As a result, Americans will be less likely to resort to crime in order to support themselves.

Equal public education would positively affect society as a whole.

Americans lose billions of dollars over the lifetime of a high school dropout to help them gain access to

necessities like healthcare and food. The significant high school dropout

rate in the US leads to an increased need for Medicare or Medicaid. This causes the country to have higher healthcare costs, going toward fortified health and longevity of dropouts.

The large number of high school dropouts also increases the need for government assistance programs like Welfare, Food Stamps and housing assistance.

If Americans had fair academic opportunities, they will be more likely to get a well paying job and the need for the government’s financial assistance would decrease, saving taxpayers money.

Everyone should be allowed the same standard of education, regardless of their circumstances.

American public school funding should not be based on local taxes because equal access to good education should be a right, not a privilege.

Students who attend underfunded schools often trail students who attend well-funded schools by

several grade levels by the time they fin-

ish high school.

Madeline Wilson

The significant high school dropout rate in the US leads to an increased need for Medicare or Med-icaid. This causes

the country to have higher healthcare

costs.

Tattoo shop exceeds expectations

Positronic is an adjective used commonly in the science fiction genre, often indicating a transition from mechanical and technical into consciousness. Positronic is also the name of Shorewood’s first ever tattoo parlor, located on Capitol Drive.

Initially, I was extremely skeptical of the value of having a tattoo shop in Shorewood. In a village that strongly values a sense of family and community, a business such as a tattoo shop that is classically considered to be very edgy or even creepy seems to be out of place.

Despite my initial wariness, overall I found Positronic Tattoo to be the right tattoo shop for Shorewood, if there ever was such a thing.

While the employees may look like stereotypical tattoo artists, Positronic Tattoo is anything but stereotypical. While the shop executes piercing, dermal and tattoo procedures, they do so in an environment reflective of the community the shop resides in. Shorewoodians are famous for their quirkiness, and Positronic Tattoo does not stray from this philosophy.

The shop’s waiting area and back rooms are lined with science fiction pictures, posters and even a painted door decorated with the likeness of Frankenstein.

Todd Gnacinski, owner, is a self-proclaimed nerd and specializes in personalized tattoos, which cross the bridge

from cliché inking to artistic renderings.The shop has glowing reviews that dote

Positronic’s interior surprisingly fits in community

Overall I found Posi-tronic Tattoo to be

the right tattoo shop for Shorewood.

on the cleanliness and safety of the shop, the kind staff, but mostly the sheer talent that the employees have. With extensive experience, creativity and flexibility, the workers at Positronic Tattoo truly show what it means to be a tattoo artist.

While I still doubt that a tattoo shop fits in with the Shorewood community, I can undoubtedly say that Positronic Tattoo pleasantly defies stereotypes to create an environment in their shop that is more suitable for the village than a typical tattoo parlor. It may be the catalyst for a new, edgier future for Shorewood.

Monica Dix

Harmonics

Between the Lines

Olivia Loomis

Sports RipplesSeptember 2, 2015

page eleven

Swimmers move into the fast laneGirls team adjusts to fewer swimmers and meets new head coach

The girls swim team started their season on August 11 with a smaller but more experienced team and a new head coach who is a national level para-athlete.

“I think we can be successful. We do have a small team, and we lost some of our more accomplished swimmers last year and the year before. Everyone is going to have to work harder, but we can do it,” said Eva Jorn, senior. and captain. This year the team consists of 21 girls, whereas last year the team had over 30. With only four new swimmers — three freshmen and one senior — the vast majority of the team are returning swimmers, over half of which are upperclassmen.

Sophia Schmidt, assistant coach, said that having lots of upperclassmen will help the team quickly adjust to the new head coach, Tom Miazga.

“This is good for the team so [the upperclassmen] can help adjust the newer swimmers with Tom’s program versus [Rob McCabe, previous head coach’s] old program and help smooth out the transition,” Schmidt said.

Miazga has had experience as a club coach for Cedarburg and the assistant and JV coach for the Grafton girls for the

by Maya Lawnicki past three years. Under his instruction as assistant coach, the Grafton girls were able to win back-to-back state titles.

“Being able to take a team all the way is a good experience coming forward into this team,” Miazga said.

Miazga has started to implement a new program that many of the swimmers are not used to. This program is sprint-heavy versus the aerobic based program that McCabe implemented for several years. The program

also involves more out of water exercises and weightlifting than the girls are used to.

“I’m hoping to that everyone grows individually and learns a strong sense of dedication and commitment to the team,” said Miazga.

“I am looking forward to this new

program, and how the girls may just become a lot stronger,” Schmidt said.

Both coaches agree that the team looks very ready to take on the season, and win conference for the 10th time in a row.

“I think as a team we will be very successful. Having the strong upper classmen presence, they already know each other and they already have the strong bonds they need to be successful as a team,” said Schmidt.

Outside of coaching, Miazga competed in the Para Pan American games in Toronto this year as well as previous years, and in the Paralympic games in 2008. This year,

he was elected to be the male captain for team USA for the Pan Am games.

At an early age, Miazga was diagnosed with a common type of cerebral palsy, known as spastic diplegia. Miazga said he is thankful for his swimming career and is excited to instruct the Shorewood swim teams this year.

“I started swimming because a few very special people in my life showed me that I am capable of achieving whatever I am willing to work for, disability or not. I am so humbled and content knowing I have an immense opportunity to return the favor,” Miazga said.

Senior captains created a “big sister little sister” program this year where an upperclassman and underclassman

Senior club swimmers compete at junior national championships

form close relationships and help each other through their high school swim season. Natalie Dess, senior, said she is looking forward to this program.

“I’m really excited to see how the friendships and relationships grow this year,” Dess said.

“So far the team has a very cohesive atmosphere. Everyone is working together and ... being supportive of each other. From a coach’s standpoint, you couldn’t ask for more,” Miazga said.

The team’s first dual home meet was on August 26 against Grafton.

Miazga and Schmidt address the girls swim team. Both Miazga and Schmidt said they are confident in the team’s abillity to win conference for the tenth year in a row.

Olivia Loomis

Eva Jorn, Zach Hammond and Michael Perry, seniors, traveled to Indianapolis for the 2015 National Club Swimming Association (NCSA) Junior National Championships from July 28 to August 1. All three swimmers had previously competed at the national level at the NCSA Spring Championships in Orlando last March, and Jorn had qualified the year before.

Although this was Jorn’s third time at a national meet, this was her first time qualifying individually, as she had been on relays her first two times.

Jorn said that qualifying individually rather than on a relay gave her a new sense of accomplishment.

“With the relays, [I thought] ‘I’m here, but there are other people who helped get me here.’ With my individual races, I got myself [to nationals], so I felt a little bit

by Maeve McKaig better about it,” Jorn said.Jorn had qualifying times in the 200m

fly, 100m fly, 100m free and had a “bonus cut” in the 50m fly, meaning that she did not have the qualifying time, but because she was a within a number of seconds from it and had already qualified, she was able to swim that event.

She had preliminary times of 2:24.94 for the 200m fly, 1:06.10 for the 100m fly, 1:01.77 for the 100m free, and 30.64 for the 50m fly, none of which sent her to finals.

“I was happy about just getting there because it had been my goal all season. I managed to get my cut without tapering,

which normally doesn’t happen, so I was really happy about that,” Jorn said. “My

times weren’t the best, but I learned a lot about setting goals and even resetting goals.”

Perry made cuts in the 100m fly, 200m fly, 200m free and 50m fly. He swam the 100m fly in 58.64, the 200m fly in 2:13.15, the 200m free in 1:57.49 and the 50m fly in 26.81.

Although all of his preliminary times

were personal bests, Perry did not make it to finals.

“I had best times in all of my events, but I felt like some of them could have been better,” Perry said. “Because this was only my second time competing at this level, there is a certain amount of nervousness. Even though ... I knew how fast I could go, I still was a little bit freaked out actually standing up there. I was in shape [physically]; it was just mentally I was not necessarily there.”

Perry said that he felt more pressure in Indianapolis than in Orlando.

“I might have been even more nervous than I was the first time. The first time my goal was just to get to the meet, so I wasn’t really concerned with competing ... but this time I also really wanted to qualify for finals, which didn’t end up happening, but that was something

I had my sights set on,” Perry said. “I felt like more pressure was being put on me, not necessarily by anyone else but by myself.”

Hammond qualified for the 100m breast, 50m breast, 200m breast and 200m IM. He swam the 100m breast in 1:08.95, the 50m breast in 32.85, the 200m breast in 2:32.69, and the 200m IM in 2:23.46.

Although he did not make it to finals, Hammond said he looks to work toward making finals for his senior season.

“There are goals that I’ve always had, mainly to final at [a championship meet] and set club records,” Hammond said.

Perry and Jorn said they feel the same.“Whenever you don’t achieve the goal

that you want to achieve, you get frustrated. But now I’m a lot more determined to work even harder this year and figure out what I need to do in order to come back to finals at the spring junior national meet [next year],” Perry said.

“I’m definitely excited now that I’ve been to nationals individually. I want to actually get my cut in the 100 fly, maybe get some more cuts, drop some more time, and I definitely want to go back [to nationals],” Jorn said.

Rachel Munson, class of ‘15, also competed at the meet. She placed third in the

100m and 200m breast, with times of 1:09.15 and 2:33.21, respectively. She won the 50m breast in 31.62, an NCSA meet record. She also competed in the 200m IM.

Munson is swimming at the University of Minnesota this fall.

Zach Hammond, senior, swims breaststroke at the University of Madison pool. Ham-mond traveled to Indianapolis for the 2015 NCSA Junior National Championships.

“Everyone is work-ing together and

doing a great job ... [I] couldn’t ask for

more.”-Tom Miazga,

head coach

“I was happy about just getting [to na-tionals] because it

had been my goal all season.”

-Eva Jorn,senior

“I’m a lot more de-termined to work

even harder this year ... in order to come

back to finals.”-Michael Perry,

senior

courtesy Zach Hammond

SportsRipples June 3, 2015

page twelve

Girls XC starts season with over 60 runnersby Celeste Carroll

Girls cross country expects a strong start to the fall season after a summer of productivity and an increase in roster size.

Throughout the summer, group runs were led by senior captains: Alison Reinhoffer, Olivia Holbrook, Claire Stowe and Morgan Florsheim, with the goal of training for the start of the fall season on August 18 while also forming supportive relationships.

“Summer running is captain-led,” said Sarah Kopplin, head coach. “Our four captains did a really good job of leading these runs, and on average we had over 20 girls a day here.”

T h e t e a m h a s increased in size by over twenty people this year, from 41 girls the previous season, to 63 girls currently-- a record amount of participants, according to Kopplin.

“We have 23 freshman [on the team so far], which is by far the most we’ve ever had. There’s a lot of positivity, with a lot of people returning from last year. People are excited to see each other again,” Kopplin said.

Holbrook believes that the high number of participants also contributes to the positivity when it comes to the team dynamic.

“The team dynamic is amazing. It is

incredible that even with 63 girls we can all be the best of friends. Each runner is fully invested in the team and that is something truly special,” Holbrook said.

Kopplin also has positive hopes for the state cross country race this year, as only four senior runners graduated last year, and all seven state runners from the previous year have remained on the team.

“We’re going to have a lot of very strong people, and we got third in state last year,”

Reinhoffer said. “We want to win state, and this is the year to do it.”

“We want to work hard, and encourage everyone to work hard, every single day,” said Meghan Curtis, senior.

“We’re really using [state] as a motivator. It gets us through abs and hurdles and things,” Curtis said. “We’ve got high hopes, and with

good reason.”Kopplin also mentioned some exciting

changes concerning the coaching staff this year.

“My assistant coach Nick Szczech has been a volunteer coach with us in the past. [This year] the school found the funds to be able to pay him. To be able to offer him a paid position is great,” Kopplin said.

Additionally, new assistant coach Kenzie

Vicker will be volunteering with the team this year.

However, Kopplin also says that running itself goes beyond just the physical aspects many people may think of when they think of it. There are many things the team talks about concerning positive body image, confidence, and connection with the team. These things, Kopplin says, are beneficial for both the runner and the team as a whole, and are key

in creating a supportive atmosphere.“We talk a lot about goals and body

image, things beyond just running,” Kopplin said. “We answer the question, ‘why do you run?’ It’s a story that’s consistently changing from the time you’re a freshman to when you’re a senior. There are a lot of aspects to running...you can connect with nature, connect with your body; there are a lot of reasons.”

Cross Country runners gather before a workout. Athletes anticiapate another great season and look forward to connecting with their expanded team.

Olivia Loomis

Mountain biking shifts gear

The mountain biking team went to a clinic led by Joe Maloney, a professional mountain biker, the week of August 23.

“It is pretty special that a professional athlete is working with us on multiple occasions,” said Stephan Van Dorn, coach.

Maloney lives in Washington but grew up in the Milwaukee area. Currently he is back in Wisconsin participating in the Wisconsin Race series.

“It will be nice to have … training with a pro because Joe really knows what he is doing,” said Carter Warren, senior.

Warren said he is looking forward to practicing biking skills with Maloney.

“I do not think every sport in Shorewood has access to this kind of talent,” Van Dorn said.

The team has five races this year rather than four, as in the previous year. The races are two-day events; on Saturday, the athletes can pre ride the course and then race on Sunday.

“The pre-ride is critical to knowing the course and having a good race,” Van Dorn said.

The team has to camp for four

out of the five races, which Warren said is a team bonding experience.

“One of my favorite things is camping with the team and getting to

know all the other kids,” Warren said.

This year the team has 22 athletes, making Shorewood one of the largest single school mountain biking teams in the league.

“It’s a pretty cool thing to have 22 riders from a single school district,” Van Dorn said.

This year’s team includes six new members.

“We have definitely have more kids than last year,” said Ava Miller, senior.

The ages of the athletes range from seventh grade to seniors in high school, which Miller says creates an interesting team dynamic.

“It’s really helpful for the middle school kids to be around the kids in high school and get to know them better,” Miller said.

The team practices three times a week for an hour and a half.

“I think it will be a successful year if the athletes have fun, stay safe and improve as riders,” Van Dorn said.

Their first race was on August 30.

by Martha Dix

Team learns from professional biker

“It is pretty special that a professional athlete is working with us on multiple

occasions.”-Stephan Van Dorn,

coach

“We want to work hard, and encourage

everyone to work hard, every single

day.”-Meghan Curtis,

senior

“It’s really helpful for the middle school kids to be around the kids in high school

and get to know them better.”

-Ava Miller,senior