Inside this issue - School City of Whiting

Inside this issue:
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad season starts off great
Cecilia Gomez
Reporter
On December 6, the Whiting High School Science
Olympiad team hosted its
invitational, thus kick-starting
its competitive season. This
year, the team’s goal was to
place in the Overall Team
Division. Against 22 other
teams,
Whiting
Science
Olympiad dedicated a lot of
time a week prior to be ready
for their first competition.
That hard work and dedication paid off, however, as the
A-Team took third place
overall with 161 points, and
the B-Team took sixth in their
division.
“The past week was hectic,” said Lilly Ruiz, junior
and first place medalist in
Forensics. “But in the end it
was good. The new members
got the first feeling of competition and everyone else kind
of realized that it was compe-
tition season.”
Reporter
Whiting High School put
in extra effort to give back
this school year. In the past
years, the National Honor
Society had done the same
thing for the Thanksgiving
Food Drive for the Whiting/Robertsdale Food Pantry:
students would bring in a
few cans to their fourth hour
class to receive a dress down
day. This year, however, the
NHS decided to switch it up,
and the new tactic of getting
students to donate and help
Thanksgiving Food
Drive
Senior Directed Oneacts
3
(See Science, pg. 2)
After their scores had been
tabulated, Whiting’s teams,
Senior Directed Oneacts
Pictorial
4-5
World Affairs
Conference
6
Macy’s Parade Partici-
Above, Science Olympiad A-Team holds their 3rd place trophy.
those in need was a huge success.
“The NHS felt that since the
drive collection has been
dwindling over the past few
years, we would like to try
something new to increase
student involvement,” said
Above, NHS members and Tom
the turkey
Magic, Music, and
More, LLC
7
X-mas DIY
8
Student Questions
9
Meet the Staff
10
11
Meet the
Sophomores
12
Boys B-ball
13
Wrestling
Small school, big hearts
Alex Danielides
1-2
Girls B-ball
NHS Sponsor Mrs. Marina
Klochan.
In order to receive a dress
down day this year, students
had to bring in enough cans
to fill up their sticker chart.
Although two cans equaled
one sticker, students didn’t
need to bring in 20 cans to
fill up their charts. The NHS
created “Double Sticker
Days,” or “Tom’s Specials,”
so students could receive 10
stickers for only 10 cans. If
students brought in the special item of the day, they
would receive one sticker for
every item they brought in.
Although this new method of
14
getting students involved in
the food drive was a bit hard
to explain, it didn’t stop
students from participating.
“I’m very proud to say
that this year’s food drive
was a success. Before Tom
left he told me to relay this
message to you all: ‘Gobble
gobble,’ which translates as
‘Thank you.’ Tom was very
grateful for all of your contributions,” said Jake Jacob(See Food Drive, pg. 2)
Page 2
T h e
T a t t l e r
(Continued from Science, pg. 1)
both A and B, came out on top
in the following events: Forensics, Protein Modeling,
Technical Problem Solving,
Mission Possible and Wright
Stuff. These wins and other
medal-worthy placements by
Whiting’s Science Olympiad
led them to success at the invitational.
Jacob Brooks, who placed in
every one of his events, said
that his expectations for himself this year are to make
it his best year yet.
“I want to get to become a
returning State Champion in
Experimental Design and become a new State Champion
at another event. I really want
to go to Nationals again and
receive a medal,” Brooks
said.
After going to Nationals
last year, the team is eager to
try their hardest to return this
year, even though numerous
events are no longer on this
year’s event list. Mark Casanova, who competed in Elastic Launch Glider for the past
two years, said that no longer
Above, Science Olympiad B-Team
having that event and having
to transition to this year’s
event, Wright Stuff, has been
strange.
“Starting on this new event
with new expectations has
been different. I hope that
because this event is similar
to Elastic Launch Glider that
we are amazing. Last year,
we got fourth place at Nationals, so I have positive
hopes for the future,” said
Casanova.
Although the next invitational isn’t until January 17,
the team continues to work
late once a week.
“The purpose of the Whiting Invite is to better prepare
ourselves for our goal of
going to State. It’s good
practice (for other invitationals) and really opens the
team’s eyes to competition,”
said senior Alivia Jakubowski,
who placed first in Forensics
and Technical Problem Solving.
In order to achieve the
team’s goals of doing well at
State, both the team and the
coaches, Coach Dan Nichols
and Coach Jeremy Long, believe that it will take hard
work and just as much dedication as last year.
“The team this year has a
good a year as any to go all the
way,” said Coach Long.
Thanks to the generosity of
Whiting High School, the
NHS’s goal of giving back
this Thanksgiving was a
huge accomplishment, with
even bigger expectations for
the years to come. Though
the school year is only halfway through, Whiting High
School has already accom-
plished a lot and plans on doing more by helping those in
need.
(Continued from Food Drive, pg. 1)
son, the infamous turkey
whisperer.
“This year’s food drive did a
great job of involving the students and was a lot more effective than the past years’,”
junior Leilani Bigott said.
In total, WHS collected
1,104 cans and raised $320.98
for the food pantry, more than
the school has ever raised be-
fore. However, donating to
the food pantry was not the
only way to give back. The
NHS also gave students the
option to write letters to
troops through an organization called Operation SOS. A
total of 58 letters were sent
to the troops.
This Christmas the Whiting Elks Club will again be hosting 80-100 sailors from the Great Lakes Naval Station for a
Christmas Dinner. In an effort to help support this program, the WHS Student Council sponsored a "Penny Wars"
competition among all 4th period classes. The winning 4th period will receive a dress down day.
MYAC’s Holiday Toy Drive was a great success! Over 90 students participated, $285 was raised, and on Friday, December 10, the MYAC members and sponsor Mrs. Kelly Morando went to City Hall and packaged the gifts to be distributed to over 65 families in the Whiting/Robertsdale area.
The 2014-2015 Whiting High School Reflector is on sale NOW! The EARLY BIRD SPECIAL IS…$40 if you buy it by
Christmas break! $45 if you buy it by spring break. $50 if you buy it by the end of the year. Forms are available in the
Main Office.
Page 3
Volume 92
Issue 3
Lights, camera, action: Senior Directed One-actsviser
Review
Mr. Patrick Pecher
Alivia Jakubowski
Reporter
The first weekend of November, seniors Joseph Lupo,
Adam Henricy, Ceci Gomez,
Mark
Casanova,
Alexia
Gomez, Victoria Acosta,
Alivia Jakubowski, Ambria
Sotello and Anais Araujo got
to experience their first opening weekend of the senior
directed one-acts, but this
time, they experienced the
other side of the theatre: directing. These seniors have
been a part of the one-acts for
the past six years as actors in
drama club, but now they finally had the chance to direct
their very own show. After
many months of preparation,
opening night finally arrive on
November 1 at 7 p.m.
“My most memorable experience was walking out on
stage for the first time performing and the lights being
blinding. I can remember immediately having no idea
where I was going until I just
set in to autopilot and did
what I had practiced hundreds
of times,” said senior cast
member Nolan Michniewicz.
This year’s one-acts included “Aunt Maggity’s Dark and
Stormy Night” directed by C.
Gomez
and
Casanova;
“Captain Dangerous” directed
by A. Gomez; “The Pony Expresso” directed by Sotello
and Araujo; “Yo-Ho-Ho and a
Wad of Gum” directed by
Lupo and Henricy; and “Maid
to Order” directed by Acosta
and Jakubowski.
Opening night, directors
were busy setting the stage,
getting costumes together,
and putting on make-up for
their ecstatic cast members.
Many laughs and applause
came from the audience, and
the casts and directors couldn’t have been happier.
“One of my favorite parts
of being in the plays is working with the cast. Connecting
with a special group of people makes it really fun and
makes the performance more
enjoyable. You also get a lot
of laughs and great memories,” said sophomore cast
member Jacqueline Zarate.
“Directing the one-acts was
so much fun! The shows
came out great, and I am really proud of all of the directors. We put in a lot of work,
and the finished product was
much better than I could have
ever imagined,” said A.
Gomez. “I am so happy that
I got to share this experience
with some of my closest
friends. I want to give a big
thank you to Mr. Pecher,
Alivia and Ceci, who helped
with lights and sounds, and
my co-director and best
friend, Tara Gomez!” continued A. Gomez.
Overall, 450 tickets were
sold, and the cast members
and directors were pleased by
the turnout.
“The one-acts turned out
wonderful. We had a great
crowd and got many laughs.
As a director, it was a tough
three months with all of the
work and the setup, but I
have to say, it was truly
worth it. Shout out to my
fellow directors as well for
being a big help and support
system! If I had the chance, I
would do it again,” said
had
put in during the months prior
to the opening weekend. Mr.
Pecher spent countless hours
ensuring that the one-acts
would be a success.
“It was another great turnout of students willing to give
their fellow classmates a
chance to be their directors.
The directors did a good job,
and we had a wonderful
crowd both days,” said Mr.
Pecher.
As the curtain falls on the
senior directed one-acts, stay
tuned to hear about the Whiting Drama Club’s spring production of “Junie B. Jones”
which will be directed by Mr.
Scott Allen.
Sotello.
The senior directed oneacts would not have been
nearly as successful as they
were without the time and
effort that Drama Club Ad-
Above, Scenes from “Aunt Maggity’s Dark and Stormy Night”
Aunt Maggity’s Dark and Stormy Night
Directed by: Mark Casanova and Ceci Gomez
Captain Dangerous
Directed by: Alexia Gomez
The Pony Expresso
Directed by: Anais Araujo and Ambria Sotello
Volume 92
Page 5
Maid to Order
Directed by: Victoria Acosta and Alivia Jakubowski
Yo, Ho, Ho, and a Wad of Gum
Directed by: Adam Henricy and Joseph Lupo
Page 6
T h e
T a t t l e r
World affairs conference
Sofia Rogel
Reporter
On November 21, social studies teachers Mr. David Hoffman and Mr. Tim Hopps and
12 students attended the Rotary
Club World Affairs Conference
held at Purdue University Calumet.
The World Affairs Conference included several guest
speakers who led discussions
on worldwide issues. The topic
of this year’s conference was
human trafficking and child
slavery. The speakers stressed
how important it is to raise
aware of these issues.
“Everything was so real.
This conference showed us
students how anything can
happen. We think of human
trafficking and child slavery
as problems, but it’s more
than that. It’s a tragedy that
needs to be taken care of,”
said government student,
senior JB Lupo.
The speakers educated the
students and emphasized the
importance of both issues. To
engage students, scenarios
were created. Students had to
think critically and envision
themselves in such situations.
“This was the best World
Affairs
Conference.
It
brought to light a very taboo
subject and made it approachable for students. It’s affect-
ing more families than we
like to believe. There was
insight to prevent these atroc-
ities from occurring,” said
Mr. Hoffman.
Above, Government students who attended the conference
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Sabrina Saucedo
Reporter
Drawing the attention of 50
million people watching on
television and more than 3.5
million people live, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
marked the start of the holiday season. Besides the giant
balloons, decorative floats
and live performances, the
Whiting community had their
eyes out for two of their own:
senior Alivia Jakubowski and
junior Macie Plavec both of
whom participated in the parade this year.
The Macy’s Great American Marching Band includes
students from all 50 states
who travel to New York one
week before the parade. Jakubowski, a flute player, and
Plavec, a trumpet player,
earned the opportunity to be a
part of this event and took it.
“It was absolutely amazing!
Honestly, this was such a
dream come true, and the
whole time I felt like I was
either in a dream or movie,”
Jakubowski said.
Above, Macy’s Parade performers, junior Macie Plavec and
senior, Alivia Jakubowski
Being there for a week,
they not only had the opportunity to be a part of the parade itself, but they also had
the opportunity to meet new
people.
“Meeting people from all
over the nation and making
music with them was eyeopening and beautifully incredible,” said Plavec.
Through this experience,
the girls built friendships and
made memories that will last
a lifetime.
As the parade began they
walked in to seeing all the
faces and lights.
“I learned what it was like
to be part of something so
big, to stop thinking of yourself and doing what you can
to better the group,” Plavec
said.
Performing “Shake It Off”
at Herald’s Square in front of
3.5 million people live and
50 million people watching
the parade on television was
Jakubowski’s favorite part.
Being that this marching
band only includes high
school students, Jakubowski
will not be able to participate
in it next year; Plavec, however, would love to do it
again.
“It was life-changing and I
wish everyone could have a
chance to do something like
it,” Plavec added.
Jakubowski does hope,
though, to go back and possibly live and become and educator in New York one day.
With hard work and deter
mination, Jakubowski and
Plavec have proven that you
can make your dreams come
true.
Page 7
Volume 92
Issue 3
Magic, music, and more for the holidays
Leilani Bigott
Reporter
The annual Whiting Christmas Parade, held on Friday,
December 5, was full of cheer
for the current holiday season.
Many floats were formed into
vivid Christmas designs such as
Frosty the Snowman, Santa’s
sleigh, and much more. One of
the several floats featured Magic, Music, and More, LLC characters that brought happiness to
younger children. The guests
were Elsa, Anna, Mulan, Pocahontas, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel,
Rapunzel, Sofia the First and
Captain America.
WHS students who brought
these characters to life included
sophomores Kali Fernandez
and Isabella Waszak; juniors
Brianna Baez and Leilani Bigott; and seniors Alexis Villanueva, Tatiana Salazar and
Gerardo Rodriguez.
“It was awesome. At first I
was nervous at the thought of
just awkwardly smiling and
waving at people, but I found
out that that was not the case at
all. Happiness was just pouring out of people. There were
so many smiles and so much
excitement. It was so much
fun,” said Rodriguez.
Salazar, who was dressed as
Mulan, said her favorite part
about the night was being a
princess and seeing Santa.
While singing along to music from some of the movies of
spectators thanks to Nathan
Hale elementary teacher, Mrs.
Gerica Davis.
Mrs. Davis is a Whiting High
School graduate who now
teaches 3rd grade at Nathan
Hale Elementary. She has created her business in order to
bring joy and happiness to
children and families by having characters make visits to
more students to join the
cause.
The most recent event held
was on December 14 for children with Down Syndrome. If
you’d like to find out more
about the stories shared from
Magic, Music, and More LLC,
you can easily search their
social media sites and website.
“It has been an amazing experience bringing these characters to life. We are not only
spreading happiness to children and adults, but we are
encouraging imagination and
love of the arts. Getting to
know so many new faces has
been my favorite part of the
process. The smiles, the hugs,
the shared excitement. It’s
truly magical,” said Mrs. Davis.
Above, Magic, Music, and More LLC characters
the princesses and tossing
candy, each student had the
chance to experience the magic of the Christmas through
their characters and spread
holiday cheer to all the parade
children’s parties and other
local events. She plans to continue to expand her business by
getting more princesses and
superheroes and welcomes
Mira Veljovich
Reporter
43%
52%
34%
27%
23%
22%
Page 8
T h e
T a t t l e r
Anais Araujo
Reporter
Materials


Ingredients

18 large marshmallows

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup coarse sugar

6 lollipop sticks

12 miniature marshmallows

Colored sugar of your
choice

2 Fruit Roll-Ups

2 oz. white candy coating, melted

Pearl dragées

Assorted paste food
coloring
Instructions

1. Brush large marshmallows with corn syrup; roll in coarse
sugar. On each lollipop stick, thread three large marshmal1.
lows.
2. Flatten miniature marshmallows slightly. Brush with corn
syrup; roll in colored sugar. Cut six thin strips, about 2 in.
long, from a Fruit Roll-Up. For each earmuff, attach two sugarcoated miniature marshmallows and a Roll-Up strip using
2.
candy coating. Hold or prop up until set.
3. For buttons, attach pearls with candy coating. Using candy
coating tinted with food coloring, draw faces. Cut remaining
Fruit Roll-Up into strips for scarves; add a scarf to each snowman.
Yield: 6 snowmen.
3.
http://www.countrywomanmagazine.com/project/marshmallo
w-snowman-treats/#ixzz3KnqqRsFc
4.
5.
6.
Wooden Letters spelling out
X.M.A.S or the Initials the
recipient.
Spray paint, we used silver
but you could use red or
green for a festive finish.
Brown Gift wrapping paper.
Instructions
For this project you could
spray paint the brown paper
before wrapping, but lining
up the words would be very
difficult.
I suggest wrapping all your
gifts first and then grabbing
the spray paint and using the
“graffiti” technique on to
them.
Simply lay out the letters and
spray over the top.
For smaller gifts you could
use Initials for the Recipient.
Allow the gift to dry before
popping it back under the
tree.
Add some strings and bows
and that’s a wrap!
http://craftbits.com/project/
grafitti-christmas-wrap/
Page 9
Volume 92
Issue 3
What are your family’s Christmas traditions?
Lilliana Ruiz
Reporter
“Every Christmas my
mother, sister and I exchange gifts while we
watch Disney’s Christmas
parade. After that we go
to my grandparents’ house
to exchange gifts and to
cook a huge lunch. Then,
from there, we go to my
cousins’ house to spend
time with the rest of the
family.” Mateo Carrillo,
senior
“My family’s Christmas
traditions are watching A
Christmas Carol the
night before, then waking up to hot chocolate,
then opening up presents
next to the fire place,
and then going out for a
Christmas dinner.” Jose
Ramirez, freshman
“My family’s traditions
are that we get together
for the holidays to have a
huge dinner and afterwards we go and tour
around Chicago.” Tristan
Gutierrez, junior
“My aunts get together
to make tamales and we
have a Secret Santa and
we all get together and
exchange gifts.” Lizbeth
Villaseñor, sophomore
“We usually eat tamales
or posole. After, we then
open all of our gifts. Also,
after dinner we watch
‘The Grinch Who Stole
Christmas.’” Emily Bugarin, junior
What are your plans for winter break?
Iliana Enriquez
Reporter
“Over the winter break, I
am going to celebrate
Christmas. After that, we
are
going
to
my
grandma’s house to have
dinner as a family. I am
going to enjoy the days
we have off. I don’t want
to take any single day for
granted. Everyone craves
winter break to come and
then complains about how
fast it goes by. I don’t
want to waste any of my
days off. I will probably
watch movies and enjoy
hot chocolate in my warm
house that I am very fortunate to have.” Matthew
Plavec, freshman
“I plan to do SO MUCH
over winter break! I’m
going to start by sleeping
late and eating delicious,
winter drinks and foods
like creamy hot chocolate
and steaming hot chicken
and dumplings. If it
snows enough, I’ll take
my baby nephew sledding down the white hills
in Whiting Park. On days
where it’s cold and I’m
too lazy to go outside, I’ll
stay bundled in my warm
bed and watch movies on
Netflix. Best of all, I’ll
get to have Secret Santa
with the band and share
in the holiday season
with my friends.:D”
Maggie Mills-Groninger,
sophomore
“I plan on spending some
quality time with my
beautiful family and my
lovely friends, Brianna,
Carlos, Hannah and Ray.
I also plan on catching up
with my beloved dog
Tino and catching up on
some much needed sleep
from my trip to New
York! I look forward to
eating some glorious
food on Christmas, a visit
from Mr. Clause and
celebrating Jesus.” Macie
Plavec, junior
"My plans for winter break
are the typical plans of
sleeping in, binge-watching
series on Hulu and my
DVR, and spending the
holidays with family. But
my other plans that I have
are going with friends to
Chicago to go see 'The Tale
of the Princess Kaguya' at
the Gene Siskel Film Center
and I will be volunteering
over break. I will also be
working on assignments on
Odyssey and possibly going
to a club with friends over
break. I don't have too many
set plans this break, just
going to go with the flow
and do things on a whim.
The main goal for this winter break is to hopefully
relax, have fun and make
good memories." Emily
Simmons, senior
“My family and I are
planning to spend every
waking moment with
each other during winter
break. We’ll drink hot
chocolate together, cook
dinner together, watch
movies together, and
finally, during winter
break, my family and I
will all get together for
my little brother’s anniversary. ‘Angel, may you
rest in peace. I love you,
man.’” Michael Calzada,
senior
Page 10
T h e
Sabrina Saucedo
Mira Veljovich
Reporter
Reporter
What is your favorite book?
My favorite book has to be “Go
Ask Alice” by Anonymous. I
must have read this book at
least 20 times and I can read it
another 20. It is book that has
always had my interest and one
I can't get tired of.
What is your most embarrassing moment in high
school?
I don't think I really have one
other than people making fun
of how obnoxious my voice is
(which doesn't really bother me
since I learned to get used to it,
lol).
Where do you see yourself
in the future?
In the future, I see myself
going to Purdue Calumet for
a CIT (Computer Information
Technology) major, getting
my own new car and home in
"da region" when I start off
my career, and start my own
family around my 30s.
If you could learn one random skill, what would you
learn?
If I could learn one random
skill, I would learn to draw. I
am so uncreative and can
barely draw stick people...
Maira Huizar
Layout Editor
If you could go back in time,
what time period would you
go back to?
Most definitely the Roaring
20s! Ending the war brought
optimism, prosperity, and rebellion into the era. I wouldn't
mind experiencing a time full
of artistic innovation, lavish
parties and jazz music! It
would truly be amazing. Plus,
maybe I could find Jay Gatsby
in the crowd and change his
ending. ♥
What are some things that
make you really happy/sad?
Happy: summertime, Taylor
Swift, running, country music,
tennis, and Ethan Young
T a t t l e r
Sad: calculus, homework,
cloudy days, cats, laziness, my
short hair
Does one have the ability to
be in control of his or her
Alivia Jakubowski
Reporter
destiny?
Absolutely. Your everyday
choices make up who you are
and who you're going to be.
You choose your path, but
sometimes, you face obstacles
that you aren't in control of.
However, you choose how to
respond to those obstacles leading to your future and destiny.
I'm pretty sure that was the
deepest thing I ever wrote...
If you were immortal for a day,
what would you do?
I would go into the ocean, and
Page 11
Volume 92
since I wouldn't need oxygen
since I'm immortal, I would swim
with the whales all day. That
sounds really weird, but I just
really love whales.
If a planet that held life was
discovered and you were asked
Sofia Rogel
Reporter
to be the first person to go, would
you go?
Yes, I wouldn't think twice about it.
The experience alone would be an
opportunity of a lifetime. It's always
great to discover new things, and
what's better than a new planet?
What's your favorite song?
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”
What is your favorite part of the
school day?
My favorite part of the school day is
Anais Araujo
Reporter
2:50 p.m. because I get to go home
and sleep.
What would be the name or
your autobiography?
"Failing Life One Day at A Time"
Coke or Pepsi?
Cherry Coke is heaven, but I prefer Pepsi over
Cecilia Gomez
Reporter
too, just because I could.
If you could stay one age forever, what age would it be?
If I could stay one age forever, I
would be 21. At that age, your
life is pretty much your own to
mold and pave, making it a lot of
fun. Seeing that I would have all
of eternity to pave different lives
for myself, 21 seems like the
right age to live however I'd like.
If you were stuck in a TV show,
what would it be?
“Pretty Little Liars” because it's
my favorite show. I love the mystery and adventure. Plus, they all
have really nice clothes.
Gryffindor, Slytherin,
Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw? Which
Emily Brooks
regular Coke. I think it's sweeter,
and sweeter is always better.
What famous person can you
relate to the most?
I think I can relate to Jennifer
Lawrence the most. She is really
goofy and honest during interviews and I love it! I find her to be
very down to earth, which I appreciate. She hasn't allowed her fame
to give her a big head. She is also
really confident with her body
image, and herself in general.
Most importantly, she is very open
about her love of food. I seriously
think we are soul sisters. "I can
name a lot of things that taste better than how skinny feels." -Jennifer Lawrence.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
If I could have any superpower, I
would have the power to grant
wishes (but only the ones I
WANTED to grant). I would probably grant myself more powers
Mireya Huizar
Reporter
"How beautiful it is to live in a
world where nothing lasts forever. We must learn to fall in love
with the love inside us, only then
every moment living will be
worth dying for."
R.M. Drake
If you could visit any country,
where would you go?
If I could visit one country, it
would definitely be Italy! I have
always loved Italy and have
dreamed of taking a gondola ride.
I hope to one day get there and
eventually all of Europe.
Reporter
Samanta Zapien
are you apart of?
Gryffindor, for sure. Harry Potter
is in Gryffindor and I love him.
If you could experience any
event in history, what would it
be?
Definitely the first step on the
moon right by my homeboy, Neil
Armstrong.
What is one of your favorite
quotes?
Iliana Enriquez
Reporter
Christmas because it hasn’t been
snowing lately.
Lilliana Ruiz
Reporter
Whom do
you admire most?
I admire my older sister. Gaby.
Not only is she independent and
headstrong, but she is also determined to get what she wants in
life. If you could describe her in
one word, it would be fearless.
Not to mention that her and her
boyfriend, Cory, are perfect.
#relationshipgoals
What’s your favorite season?
My favorite season is spring because I like seeing all the new life
“springing” from the
ground just after a cold winter.
What’s your favorite food?
My favorite food is spaghetti.
Reporter
Reporter
If you could be any object
what would it be and why?
The backpack of an enthusiastic
backpacker. I'll be loved and
carried all around the world to
see beautiful places.
What do you want for Christmas?
This year I’m not asking for
anything material. I want to
spend all of Christmas with my
family. I also want it to snow on
Leilani Bigott
Reporter
What's your favorite holiday?
My favorite holiday has to be the
4th of July because I love the
warm weather and fireworks!
What's one of the strangest
things you've ever done?
One of the strangest things I've
ever done is when I asked a
McDonald's drive thru employee
to take a selfie with me.
Reporter
Alex Danielides
Tara Gomez
The accomplishment I’m most
proud of is my relationship with
myself. I’ve finally decided to
accept myself for who I am, something that a lot of people struggle
with. I’ve learned that in order to
get anywhere where I want to be
in life, I need to believe in myself
and start following my own intuition.
If you could be any fictional
character, who would you be?
If I could be any fictional character, I would want to be the
Little Mermaid. She can explore
parts of the world that has never
been seen before, and she can
also live out of water. She has
the best of both worlds; plus, she
lives “happily ever after.”
What accomplishment are you
most proud of?
Yesi Castelan
Reporter
If someone asked for a random
piece of advice, what would
you tell them?
I would tell them that no matter
what challenges and hardships
they must face, never to give up.
I would say to stay strong and
sm:)e.
Where's Waldo?
Waldo is where you least expect
him to be.
Page 12
Birthday: August
23
Nickname: Syd
Biggest fear:
Clowns
Favorite song:
“Talladega”
Favorite sport:
Softball
Favorite food:
Chicken fried rice
What makes you
happy: “EB”
Most embarrassing moment: All
the moments I
T h e
fall… (Which is a
lot)
Hobbies: Spor ts
Who you look
up to: My big
brother, Dominic
Biggest Pet
Peeve: Laziness
Favorite TV
Show: “Pretty
Little Liars” or
“American Horror Story”
CLASS OF 2017
Birthday: Febr uary 11
Nickname: Br andon
Biggest fear: Failing
Favorite song:
“Birds” by Migos
Favorite sport:
Soccer
Favorite food:
Tacos
What makes you
happy: Exercising, food, squad
and my girlfriend
Most embarrassing moment:
When I fell down
a hill in the middle
T a t t l e r
of a cross country
race
Hobbies: Running, eating, sleeping, playing soccer,
going on social
media, and chilling
with my girl
Who you look up
to: My cross
country coach
Biggest Pet Peeve:
People chewing
with their mouth
open
Favorite TV
Show: “The Walking Dead”
Page 13
Volume 92
Oilers gain experience
Yesenia Castelan
Reporter
This year there has been a
lot of change for the Lady
Oilers basketball team. Not
only are there many new faces on the court, but there are
also new coaches leading
program. Mr. Jovanny Gonzalez is the new head varsity
coach; Mr. Arthur Young is
the junior varsity coach; and
Mrs. Gabby Vasquez is the
assistant coach. Along with
the coaches, this young team
is eager to gain experience
and improve every day.
The new coaches are looking forward to using their
knowledge of the game to
help the girls improve their
basketball skills.
“My goal for the year is to
teach the girls who want to
play basketball new skills
and better myself as a
coach,” said coach Gonzalez.
They are helping the team
improve game after game.
They are adjusting to the
program as the girls are adjusting to the new coaching
style. The players and
coaches are working together to make this season a
good one despite obstacles
they have faced as the season has begun.
This season has had a
rough start. The young team
lost some great talent after
the graduation of key seniors last year. This year's
team features many girls
who do not have much expe-
rience playing at the high
school level, but with each
practice they are improving.
These girls have really had to
step up their game and push
themselves to do their best.
They have had to adjust to
the pace and level of varsity
basketball.
“It’s a new team and a new
season, so it’s a lot of work
and it takes a lot of effort, but
we are slowly getting better,”
junior Emily Brooks said.
Although the Oilers have
not been able to bring home a
win yet, they have grown and
achieved accomplishments
since the beginning of the
season. Brooks received a
medal for being one of the
top five players at the tournament played during the
Thanksgiving break at Washington Township.
Coach Young also said, “I
do appreciate the hard work
the girls are putting in. Every
day they are growing and
learning new skills. You can
see the team playing more
confidently and more together
as the season rolls on.”
Good luck to the Lady Oilers as they take on North
Newton at home on Friday,
December 19. Make sure to
come out to support your
team!
Reporters
Anais Araujo
Leilani Bigott
Emily Brooks
Yesenia Castelan
Alex Danielides
Iliana Enriquez
Cecilia Gomez
Tara Gomez
Layout Editor
Maira Huizar
Lilliana Ruiz
Sabrina Saucedo
Mira Veljovich
Samanta Zapien
Maira Huizar
Mireya Huizar
Alivia Jakubowski
Sofia Rogel
Adviser
Printing
Ms. Hylek Mr. Cain’s Class
Page 14
T h e
T a t t l e r
Wrestlers set goals for season
Tara Gomez
Reporter
This year's wrestling
team is made up of 13
grapplers who are ready to
work hard and accomplish
not only their team goals,
but also their individual
goals.
The freshmen on the
team include Julian Mercado, David Hernandez and
Logan Shade; sophomores
Sebastian Macias, Ethan
Almanza, Carlos Madden
and Gabriel McKibbin;
juniors Andrew Fruth, Juan
Guarro and Avian Duarte;
and seniors Zach Szmuc,
Michael Calzada and Chris
Stewart. Leading team is
coach Jimmy Augustyn,
who also wrestled at Whit-
ing High School andwho has
many hopes for his team this
year.
"I hope numbers stay up
and we continue to wrestle
hard," said coach Augustyn.
The number of wrestlers
usually declines as the season
continues, but the most dedicated wrestlers make it
through the tough season. The
team is diligently working to
accomplish personal goals as
well as improve the team as a
whole.
"My goals for this season
are to win conference and
make it to semistate. I want to
push myself to become better," said Fruth.
"It’s a tough season for me
this year, but I just want to
finish this season off strong
and I really want to get the
chance to make it at least past
regionals," said Duarte.
Wrestling requires a lot of
hard work and dedication.
The team is working on improving and becoming better
wrestlers individually.
"The team as a whole is 06, but we have some great
wrestlers. Both Carlos Madden and Zach Szmuc are 5-1
individually," said coach
Augustyn.
The wrestlers believe their
team has done well overall,
but they still want to make
strides moving forward with
the rest of the season.
"As a team we're making
improvements one by one
and working hard every day
in practice to get each other
better and build each other's
confidence," said Stewart.
"I think the team is doing
well. Everyone on the team
has the potential to be a
great wrestler. There is always room for improvement," said Fruth.
"If we continue to wrestle
hard, we should have some
guys make it out of sectionals, but I want us to keep
getting better," said coach
Augustyn.
Don't miss the chance to
see the wrestlers in action!
Whiting will host a Triple
Dual at home on January 8.
Come out and support these
hard working Oilers!
Oilers getting SCHAPE’D this season
Mireya Huizar
Reporter
Whiting Basketball is all
about getting SCHAPE’D
this season. SCHAPE’D
stands for Spirit, Communication, Hustle, Approach,
Precision, Enhance and Determination. Coach Hopps
has instilled all these qualities in the team for success
on and off the court.
This year's varsity team
consists of seniors Marcus
Loncar-Correa,
Joseph
Hawkins and Kevin King;
juniors Jonathan Alonso,
Mitchell Alicea, Martin
Petruf, Gustavo Lopez, Tyler
Moskalick, Christopher Dietz
and Damien Resa; and sophomores Adam Zorich and Victor
Quinones.
On November 26, for their
first game of the season, the
Oilers traveled to HAST to
take on the Hawks. The Oilers earned a 57-31 victory—
a perfect way to start the season.
"This year's team knows
how much talent we have.
We know that we can go as
far as we want. Every day
there is a new person working
harder. We all know this is
our year to do some big
things,"
Dietz
said.
In their second game which
called for a battle against
crosstown rival, Clark, Petruf
scored two 3-pointers and a
total of 17 points, while forward Joe Hawkins scored 12.
Playing his last season for
WHS, Hawkins’ philosophy
is, "Just to go hard every day
because you never know
when it will be your last
game."
King also played very well
with a total of eight points to
help team earn the 73-62 win
over
the
Pioneers.
The following week, the
Oilers took on the Griffith
Panthers in a non-conference
game. Although the team
suffered a loss, the Oilers are
anticipating a great season.
"Our number one goal is
play our best by the time
sectionals comes. We have
higher expectations than
last year. Our team's chemistry is through the roof,"
coach
Hopps
said.
It's going to be a great
year for Whiting High
School Basketball so make
sure to come out and support your Whiting Oilers!