May 20, 2013 - Grant Community High School

The Bark 

Grant Community High School Issue 6 

Table of 

Contents 

News 

Technology Policy (Pg. 1) 

Grant inducts new school policy that 

will allow students to use ipods and 

cell phones in class. 

Charlie Brown (Pg. 2) 

The Grant Theatre Department performs 

You’re A Good Man, Charlie 

Brown, as the Spring Musical starring 

Mason Diehl. 

Blood Drive (Pg. 2) 

Grant hosts the Lifesource Blood 

Drive on April 10. 

N.Y. State of Mind (Pg. 2) 

It’s a “New York State of Mind” 

from the Belvedere Club in Elk 

Grove; a first-hand look at Grant’s 

2013 Prom. 

Senior SAlute 

Class of 2013: Where are the 

Seniors Going (Pg. 4/5) 

From the east coast, to the west coast, 

the class of 2013 are going near and 

far after high school. Find out where 

our seniors are bound! 

FEATURES 

Dr. Who (Pg. 3) 

A review of the last 50 years of one of 

the longest running shows in television 

history, Dr. Who. 

Seasonal Jobs (Pg. 3) 

Some tips for students looking to 

continue or get involved with summer 

or seasonal jobs. 

Amazing Grace (Pg. 6) 

A synopsis of Grace Randolph; the 

greatest woman in comics. 

Iron Man 3 (Pg. 6) 

A review of the Box Office hit, Iron 

Man 3; starring Robert Downey Jr. 

Neon Trees (Pg. 6) 

A review of the band ‘Neon Trees.’ 

Yummy! News (Pg. 6) 

Breaking news from the “Chex 

Republic.” 

SPORTS 

Baseball (Pg. 7) 

Simeon Lucas leads the way for the 

Grant Varsity Baseball Team as the 

reigning 3rd place champs return. 

Track (Pg. 7) 

Track finishes up another great sea- 

son for both boys’ and girls’ Varsity. 

Boys’ Volleyball (Pg. 7) 

The team concludes a rough season. 

Soccer (Pg. 7) 

Girl’s soccer wraps up their season. 

Big Three (Pg. 8) 

Lombardino, Wasilewski, & Echeverr 

-ia make Grant history, as the Big 3. 

Girl’s Softball (Pg. 8) 

Girl’s softball ends the season strong! 

Boys’ Tennis (Pg. 8) 

Boys’ Tennis concludes their season. 

Grant Receives Wi-Fi For 

2013-2014 School Year 

by Zach Karlovitz 

The big news has finally arrived; 

students will officially be allowed to 

use cell phones and other electronic 

devices in the school building for the 

2013-2014 school year. The school 

will also be a wireless hotspot, which 

allows technology to play a much larger 

role in our education. It has been a 

common problem faced by many 

students receiving penalties for 

using technology ranging from 

smartphones, iPods, or even tablets 

in a school environment. The 

reoccurring problem had soon 

gained awareness with many Board 

members, and then became a cause 

for debate. As a result, the Grant 

School Board passed a new policy 

with hopes to improve the education 

process for students, and for faculty 

members. The memorandum, 

informing the teachers and staff of 

the advancements, was released 

in February, and the policy will be 

appropriately adapted and revised in 

the August Institute Days, held by 

both the faculty and staff. 

According to 

Superintendent Dr. Sefcik, the 

advancements made by the Board are 

essentially intended to be instructional, 

rather than technological. The concept 

was also created in hopes to prepare 

students for the world after high school, 

which relies heavily on technology on a 

daily basis. Furthermore, this will help 

students ensure their success in their 

continuation of careers and education. 

“One of the ways we can 

promote instructional use is to provide 

consistent access to technology to make 

learning more interactive and encourage 

students to be creative, problem solve, 

and collaborate. We also felt we 

needed to better prepare students for the 

global society in which we live. After 

graduation, students will continue on with 

their education and/or begin their career. 

In both instances, they need to be 

responsible users of technology 

and be able to utilize the 

technology in a way that furthers 

learning,” said Dr. Sefcik, 

regarding the ideology behind the 

Administration’s advancements. 

“These advancements 

are a benefit to everyone, and 

give many advantages to both 

teachers and staff. It will be 

a meaningful application with 

the appropriate use,” said Mr. 

Schmidt, current administrator, 

and principal for the upcoming 

school year, “technology has 

become a big part of the world, 

and it could be used to enhance 

instruction in the classroom.” 

“...we needed to 

better prepare 

students for the 

global society...” 

The School Board Policy 

recognizes the “increasingly-important 

role” that technology plays in our lives. 

The policy it is vital to make technology 

a prominent factor in the school 

environment. Especially considering 

both the economy and workforce 

revolves around technological advances. 

On a similar note, the technological 

advances are created with the intention 

of fostering a thoughtful, responsible 

use of social media and communication 

Juniors Chelsea Johnson & Tina Eck using a smartphone to help 

with Government homework. 

Photo by Zach Karlovitz 

tools as well. 

“I think that it’s great 

that our school is embracing these 

advancements; the school should be able 

to correlate to the century that we live 

in,” said Junior Zack Weinstein. 

“The use of electronic devices 

is a reality. Although I am sure there 

are individuals who will succeed in our 

global society without using these tools, 

they will certainly be the exception 

rather than the norm. It is time for us 

to embrace the use of technology and 

use it in ways that can improve student 

achievements, and also improve the 

overall learning experience of our 

students,” said Dr. Sefcik. 

Students may also be able to 

benefit from having immediate access 

to relevant classroom topics, such as 

current events, research, discussion 

Sophomore Tom McNulty using a smartphone as a dictionary for 

his English homework. 

Photo by Zach Karlovitz 

forums, and more. It will provide the 

opportunity to incorporate innovative 

ideas into the curriculum, for the members 

of faculty and staff. Lastly, all of these 

factors will help to create an exciting, 

interactive classroom experience, 

according to Dr. Sefcik. 

“In an effort to give our staff 

and students more instructional options, 

school leaders have developed a plan 

to rollout and provide wireless internet 

coverage throughout the entire campus. 

We anticipate this project to be complete 

prior to the beginning of next school 

year, when the new technology policy 

goes into effect. Beginning with the 

2013-14 school year, students will be 

able to bring their own mobile devices 

to campus and connect to the district’s 

wireless network. A goal of this wireless 

deployment is to better serve our students, 

staff and community. As the Director of 

Technology, my job is to ensure 

that all areas of the campus have 

good coverage and will support the 

expected number of connections. 

This approach will ensure that all 

of us can have a good wireless 

experience and we can help our 

students be prepared for the 

electronically connected society we 

live in,” according to Tom Furlan, 

the Technology Director. 

“The internet speed that 

Wifi offers will greatly increase 

the productivity and efficiency of 

our school. I also believe that new 

technology, such as Wifi, being 

used in school is a step forward. It 

will be greatly appreciated by both 

the faculty and staff alike,” said 

Sophomore Brian Fisherkeller. 

“...Wi-Fi will 

greatly increase 

the productivity 

and efficiency of 

our school...” 

“I think that any advances 

overall are good for an educational 

environment, because that’s the reality 

of our society. However, the reality for 

our school is that there may be many 

students that will misuse the privilege. I 

think if we could use this opportunity 

wisely, it will be great for our school,” 

said Ms. Scheib. 

However, although the change 

will bring a great deal of 

positive change to the school, 

a set of rules is included with 

the advancements, prohibiting 

students from misusing the 

privilege. According to the Usage 

& Conduct Section of the School 

Board Policy, students will not 

be allowed to use their devices 

for academic dishonesty, in areas 

where privacy is expected, during 

school assemblies, or where 

the law prohibits device usage. 

Students will also not be allowed 

to take videos or pictures with 

their devices. These rules and 

regulations will be included in the 2013- 

2014 student handbook, as well as more 

information regarding the technological 

changes. 

Finally, the school will benefit 

greatly from the advancements as it will 

improve the educational environment 

for GCHS students. With many benefits 

for both faculty members and students, 

Grant can expect an exciting new school 

year, with hopes of a better learning 

environment than ever before. 

May 20, 2013

News/Features Page 2 

2013 Prom: 

A New York 

State of Mind 


The Prom King & Queen Nominees shown on the 

stairs at the Belvedere Club. Courtesy of VIP 

You go out and purchase a 

dozen of the nicest flowers that money 

can buy, maybe along with some 

chocolates, pending the specialty of 

the occasion. You go home and pick 

out your nicest outfit for the next day, 

maybe an Aeropostale polo with your 

older brother’s best jeans. 

Once the next morning 

comes, you practice your speech in the 

mirror while combing your hair just 

right. Everything is all set to go as you 

approach her locker; flowers in hand and 

all the confidence in the world. You feel 

like Fabio as you run the plan through 

your head. You’ll give her the flowers 

and hold her in your arms, kiss her and 

everyone in the school will come to 

applaud your act of great courage and 

bravery. Soon, marriage with her will 

ensue as the birth of your first-born son, 

maybe named Jeff-- 

You’re A Good Man, 

Charlie Brown 

by Jenna Semans 

“Suppertime!” 

The spring musical brought 

a twinge of nostalgia to parents who 

were in love with the popular Peanuts 

comic strips, and even for kids who 

had simply grown up with the Charlie 

Brown specials. Our very own Ms. 

Caitlin Scheib decided to have her own 

whopper of a time, putting together a 

Grant reproduction of the 1967 musical, 

“You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” 

With music by Clark Gessner, 

based on a book by John Gordon, (which 

based off the characters from Charles M. 

Shulz’s Peanuts), there are many people 

to credit for the production. 

With this being said, the most 

important role in this year’s musical 

was played by none other than theatre 

director Ms. Scheib. While working for 

weeks, and also managing all of the crew 

and stage direction. Her life was very 

busy until the day of final curtain. As a 

result, her hard work paid off as this was 

one fantastic production! 

“Hey watch where you’re going 

punk!” 

You snap out of the daydream 

and realize not only did you knock over a 

student, but you also passed her locker a 

long time ago. You look back with hope, 

only to realize that she is no longer there. 

Well, there’s always tomorrow. 

So you repeat the routine. Put 

on your second best outfit, comb your 

hair just right and prepare your speech 

yet again. Once entering the school, you 

see her at her locker again and prepare 

for the big moment. You fight to stay 

focused as you approach the locker. 

Your hands begin to shake and you 

sweat; you’re almost there, just a few 

more steps… Then, something terrible 

happens. Suddenly, your worst nightmare 

has become true. For although you may 

have all of the confidence in the world, 

that 3-bean burrito you had for breakfast 

has other ideas. Your body omits a noise 

loud enough to wake a dead man, and 

even worse, a smell strong enough to 

clear a hallway. You now stand frozen in 

your tracks, it’s over now. The hallway 

falls silent as all eyes turn to you. The 

girl turns to you, standing only a few feet 

away; she notices you for the first time. 

“What was that noise,” she asks 

innocently. 

Your face is bright red as your 

mind scrambles. Trying to convince 

yourself that the plan can still be salvaged, 

you try to muster up the appropriate words 

to say. Just ask her to prom, you can do 

this! 

“Good, thank you for asking,” 

you respond quickly in desperation. She 

looks back at you confused. Realizing the 

mistake, you quickly turn and run in the 

opposite direction. Well, there’s always 

tomorrow. 

Upon following the same pattern, 

pretty soon, you have found yourself 

picking out your seventh best outfit. Also, 

you forgot to water the flowers so needless 

to say, they have seen better days. The 

chocolates have also expired and time 

is running out, Prom is in less than two 

weeks. 

Now, for the seventh and final 

time, you begin walking down the hall 

towards her locker. The dead flowers 

droop aimlessly in your hand and no 

longer even resemble their original color. 

Also, you decided the eat most of the 

chocolates on the bus, and the ones that 

Working with a strong cast also 

makes a director’s job easier. Lucky for 

Scheib, this cast was brilliant, even if 

not always focused. 

“I’m playful, and I think my 

playfulness is contagious. [The cast] 

was willing to try new things,” said 

Ms. Scheib. Relatively new to directng 

musicals, Scheib showed appreciation to 

the adaptability of the cast through their 

statements about their strengths. 

The strongest quality of the 

crew that “They had dedication.” 

Scheib was pleased to know that 

they respected their roles and the 

responsibility handed down to them, 

taking notice of their hard work. 

After the last show, Ms. Scheib 

was very sad. “I’d never get to hear 

Zach Karlovitz sing ‘Suppertime’ again, 

or see Mason Diehl perform in another 

Grant production… it was like a bunch 

of mini deaths.” 

The sadness was written on 

her face, as she spoke of the graduating 

are left are expired by about a week. You 

eventually reach the locker, to finally 

and successfully stutter out the golden 

question, the ultimate request: Will you 

go to prom with me 

She replies joyfully with ‘yes’ 

and you realize that your worry was 

for nothing. In the weeks to come, the 

standard procedure of renting the tuxedo, 

and booking your table and bus from 

Prom. 

The big night finally came, and 

the GCHS Prom was off to a great start 

upon arrival at the Belvedere Club. As 

the night progressed, a traditional pattern 

formed. The dancefloor was filled to 

the brim, ranging from John Travolta 

hopefuls to variously adapted versions 

of “Gangnam Style.” You could find Mr. 

Strebel & Mr. Austin photo-bombing 

outside in the lobby, and even find many 

of the teachers jamming out as well. It 

truly was a great time for so many of the 

staff and students. 

“Preparing for Prom takes the 

entire school year. The Junior Class 

committee begins meeting in September 

and immediately begins making decisions 

on the theme, colors, favors, menu, 

etc. In addition, the committee works 

fundraisers (Mr. Bulldog, Miss Bulldog, 

Fall and Spring Blood Drive, and Winter 

Turnabout) to raise enough money to 

keep the price of tickets down. The Prom 

preparations really then kick into gear in 

early April, when Prom meetings during 

English class start and preparations for 

ticket sales also begin,” said Mrs. Herrick. 

“It was an awesome time. The 

place was really fancy and elegant. I 

thought it was really cool,” said Junior 

Collin Barber. 

A special thanks is deserved to 

both Mrs. Highley and Mrs. Herrick for 

all of the hard work they both did to make 

this great night possible. Also, a special 

congratulations to Seniors Keion Miller & 

Jane Williams for winning Prom King & 

Queen. 

Prom was an unforgettable night 

for so many students. Some took the 

date of their dreams, some may wish for 

better luck next year, and some found 

the one they have been looking for the 

whole time, when they least expected 

it. All the same, Grant looks forward to 

next year’s Prom, hoping to follow in the 

same success as 2013’s New York State of 

Mind. 

seniors she’d gotten to know so well 

through the past few performances. 

Also, she was happy and relieved to 

return to everyday life. The things 

she’ll always remember, aside from the 

wonderful students she may not have the 

opportunity to see again, were all of the 

great memories. 

Sitting with a few kids from 

crew, a slew of inside jokes resurfaced, 

proving many things would be 

memorable. ‘Do you remember when 

Zach sang Do you remember when 

Trevor ran into the dog house’ Mason 

Diehl says he will always remember the 

last show as his best memory: 

“Thinking back to all eight 

shows and thinking, this is it.” 

As a senior in his last 

performance, Diehl passes advice down 

to the future actors of the GCHS stage: 

“Always try and never give up on your 

dreams.” 

As a lead, Mason’s last 

performance was phenomenal even if 

he found it slightly challenging, playing 

a part of such high expectations. Liz 

Tobijasinka, who worked between 

costume, hair and makeup, will also 

miss the friends she made in theater and 

otherwise as a senior. 

“I will always remember all 

of the teachers I have made friends 

with; especially with the awesome Ms. 

Scheib.” 

Grant Hosts 

Bi-Annual 

Lifesource 

Blood Drive 

by Nina Reyes 

Grant held its biannual 

Lifesource Blood Drive on Tuesday 

April 10. The turnout of people 

willing to donate made the event 

a great success. Although many 

participated, many people are unaware 

of the importance of donating blood. 

According to the American Red 

Cross, every two seconds, there is 

someone in the U.S. who needs a 

blood transfusion. Getting poked with 

a needle may be scary, but doing it to 

save a life makes donating worth it. 

Everyone’s donations are 

truly appreciated and extremely 

helpful. Upon donation, Lifesource 

provides donors with food and drink 

to keep them full and hydrated. The 

company also thanks donors with 

a cool Lifesource shirt or pair of 

sweatpants. 

There were many students 

and staff involved in both blood 

drives, helping to represent Grant as a 

positive influence and benefactor for 

the community. The first blood drive 

of the year produced enough blood 

to save 756 lives, and the numbers 

increased for the following drive, 

considering sixteen-year olds are 

now allowed to donate with parental 

consent. 

The goal of the second blood 

drive of the year was to receive at least 

275 donors. Fortunately, Grant was 

successful in meeting that goal. With 

all those donations considered, we 

collected 239 units of blood, saving 

approximately 717 lives. Grant did an 

amazing job, thanks to all of the help 

from our staff and students to save so 

many lives. 

“The blood drive was a great 

success. We had a fantastic day,” said 

Mrs. Highley. 

May Bulldog 

Pride Winners 

Sophomores 

Felix Rodriguez 

Michelle Uhwat-Vicicondi 

Sabrina Enix 

Juniors 

Magdalena Wojtach 

Seniors 

Cody Meyer 

Sarah Fanella 

Hannah Fanella 

Haley Liberman 


Features Page 3 

Working for a Living 

Starting your first job in 

high school is a memorable thing 

that teaches students integrity, money 

handling, and the ups and downs of 

employment before they are actually 

thrust into a world of taxes and bill 

collectors. Though most places have 

requirements before any one person 

is hired, such as a CPR card or a 

driver’s license, many employers 

understand the hardships of a first job 

while still in school and are patient 

and lenient with underage workers. 

In Illinois, it is law for minors under 

sixteen to have a work certificate in 

order to be employed, and hours are 

also restricted for such minors, so 

freshman and sophomores need to be 

dedicated to actually land work. 

But what about juniors and 

seniors Is employment easy for 

them Many positions are available 

–created, in some cases- for teenagers 

just like us. Many students opt to 

obtain a seasonal job as this has less 

responsibility time wise and has 

many ideal positions for younger 

employees. 

If the employer is only 

hiring for the season, it’s a great 

opportunity for students to open their 

eyes to the world of business while 

still having a chance to experience 

adolescence. Especially during 

the summer, having a seasonal job 

to start as opposed to a full time 

position will make students less 

inclined to quit or stop working as 

they know their positions could be 

easily filled or end soon. Therefore, 

they still have the responsibilities 

of work, but have the wiggle room 

if they don’t like or can’t do their 

jobs. Thus, motivation is evident in 

students who would’ve otherwise quit 

a full time job and would now have a 

bad track record. 

According to aecf.org and 

their Kids Count policy report from 

2011, 28 percent of teens between 

the ages of sixteen and nineteen in 

Illinois were employed. The Annie 

E. Casey Foundation, or AECF, has 

a goal to improve this rating as it 

has significantly dropped over the 

years. The report often refers to the 

disconnected youth of America. 


This disconnected youth is described as 

such because these young adults may not 

grow to be productive members of society. 

The AECF has planned and predicted 

that with programs that encourage and 

help young adults who are struggling for 

work to land a position that will boost 

morale and self worth, leading to a more 

productive society overall. 

At GCHS there is also a 

push towards youth in the work force. 

A bulletin board in the office of Pupil 

Personnel Services advertises job fairs and 

employment opportunities for students 

as young as fourteen-years-old. Though 

this isn’t the optimum time to hunt for a 

seasonal job, with summer positions filling 

quickly already and winter positions long 

gone, it’s never too late to start searching 

for an income. 

Senior Joshua Crow has worked 

as a lifeguard at Fish Lake Beach Camp 

Ground and Resort since he was fourteen. 

His family does own it, but he has 

still learned about hard work being an 

employee as opposed to a patron. He is 

saving up his money to achieve a head start 

on his future, including funding college 

and a family. At school he’s bright and 

happy, and probably carries his charismatic 

attitude to his job. Crow is a well-rounded 

person and his job may be the source of 

his friendly disposition and his ambitious 

mind set. 

Junior Brennan Lautner went 

another route for employment, opting for a 

job that is almost the opposite of Crow’s. 

Lautner works at the Wilmot ski hill, 

teaching snowboarding to kids eight and 

up and teaching skiing to kids aged four 

to twelve. He too is saving up his money 

for college and would reapply for the job 

in a heartbeat. His favorite part of the job 

was feeling like a role model. “I knew if I 

taught them in a way which they had fun 

and got good, I would probably make them 

absolutely love snowboarding or skiing 

when they become my age.” Showing kids 

a good time and being a positive influence, 

Lautner learned how to deal with children 

and angry parents, how to be patient and 

encouraging, and learned to spend his time 

trying to make people happy. 

All in all both students’ work 

taught them many important social skills 

and good habits that the boys will keep 

with them forever. 

Need to know for the job application process- 

• Know your social security number for your application, or at least the 

last four digits. Make sure you keep it secure! 

• Make sure your employer knows when you start and end school if it’s 

a summer job, so they can plan accordingly. 

• Don’t pick a job that you can’t arrive for. If you don’t drive, pick 

a facility within walking distance, or know the local bus or train 

schedule. 

• Make sure to have copies of your photo I.D., birth certificate, social 

security card or other identification such as a passport. 

• Make sure you know your employment history. If you have never 

worked before, bypass this. Knowing your employer’s name, phone 

number, and old work address along with listing your position and the 

reason you left are typically asked questions. 

• Make sure you know at least two or three references. These are people 

who would vouch for your work ethic who aren’t family or friends. 

Though you’ll be asked this seldomly, it does come up and it’s always 

better to have an idea rather than be caught off guard by the question. 

• Make sure to give accurate personal and contact information. Not 

only is this necessary so they can contact you about the job, but also 

the phone number you give will be the one they call if they need you 

unexpectedly, which is money in your pocket. 

• Read the application carefully before you sign. This is to ensure no 

unexpected problems for you and your employer. 

• Always be kind and respectful to your employer. In a formal interview, 

make sure to appear at ease, confident, mature, and businesslike. 

from th04.deviantart.net 

Trust me: I’m THE Doctor 


Eleven actors, fifty years, and thousands of lives touched. The BBC knows how 

to make a show that sticks! With the main character being a time traveling, face changing 

alien and with the main plot an endless ball of “wibbly wobbly, timey wimey, spacey wacey” 

events, the show has an infinite number of outcomes. This has lead it to be one of the longest 

running shows in all of time and space! Doctor Who was first aired in April of 1963- meaning 

this year marks its fiftieth anniversary special! 

The BBC series of Doctor Who had apparently gone on break after the making of 

the movie with the eighth doctor’s regenerated form, but the vivacious alien was brought 

back through Eccleston, who brought a serious and brooding aspect to The Doctor. Though 

it has been argued that the show is just “Star trek traveling in time,” I prefer to think of it 

much more and utterly unique show about love, loss, control, and all of the wonderful places 

on the planet. The actors each bring a rich, comical aspect to the serious nature of the show. 

According to huffingtonpost.co.uk, Matt Smith is reportedly working on a movie with Ryan 

Gosling. Could that mean the star is leaving the lead role His three year contract is coming 

to a close and the actor has repeatedly said he didn’t want to “outshine” David Tennant, who 

took on the role for the same amount of time. 

For the fiftieth anniversary episode, it has been confirmed that ex companion Billie 

Piper will return with human Doctor hybrid David Tennant. Though there is confusion on how 

to bring back the long gone, changed companion and her version of the spaceman, the writers 

have broken paradoxes before to bring back the Doctor’s one true love, arguably. Returning to 

the world of Doctor Who has never been a complete surprise. Actress Elisabeth Sladen made 

numerous appearances as Sarah Jane Smith, in her younger and older days. Many people 

would be looking towards her returning for the fiftieth if the actress hadn’t passed away in 

2011. Though the show is under rated, every episode is an exciting adventure, illustrating the 

power of traveling in time and space and exciting fans everywhere. 

Some resident fans have high hopes for the continuation of the series. Art teacher Mr. 

Austin, who’s been watching since the classic series, says he is “really excited to see how the 

season will play out,” including his positive opinion on Clara, who is “allowing the doctor to 

evolve with her.” Junior Matt Latta embraces the changes, “The new TARDIS is astounding, 

and the new companion is refreshing and a perfect impossibility. I cannot wait to see where 

the plot goes with the oddities of Clara.” When asked who should take over the role as the 

Doctor when Smith leaves, after a few seconds of thought Austin eagerly replied, “Me,” 

while sophomore Hannah Ruoss thinks Robert Downey Jr. would make an interesting doctor. 

Tiara Thayer suggested Alan Rickman and Benedict Cumberbatch. Austin wishes Toby 

Whitehouse, whose written episodes of the show in the past, replaces Moffat as head writer, 

while sophomore Tiara Thayer hopes Joss Whedon should take over. Senior Justin Schaefer 

doesn’t care who takes over as head writer, exclaiming that “They all do a good job taking 

turns as the main writer. Whatever they are doing has been working just perfect since they 

came back in 2005.” He’s been watching the show since November, but caught himself up on 

the new series. He had “mass feels” when the previous companions, Amy and Rory, left, but 

didn’t react as hard as Mr. Austin. “I was angry with the episode the ‘Angels Take Manhattan.’ 

Tennant drained a star to say goodbye to Rose once upon a time, Smith could’ve at least said 

goodbye. It was a beautiful episode though, and I cried hysterically.” Hannah Ruoss’ favorite 

part of the show is the Doctor’s monologs, while Mr. Austin makes the wonderful point that 

is the idea behind the exciting show. “The show is just good quality. You can be scared to 

death while laughing, and it is universal. It’s witty to watch and kids can enjoy it as well, even 

though it gets scary.” He goes on to illustrate the show’s universality, bringing up the fact that 

people all around the world (from Canada, from France, from Afhanastan) watch the BBC 

show. Tiara Thayer’s experience with the show is personal, it “has given me something that 

I can really geek out about with my friends and family. It’s such a fun show with great witty 

humor, suspense, drama, romance…EVERYTHING!” 

Justin, Tiara, and Hannah picked David Tennant as their favorite doctor. With a 

trench coat, red converse, and unmistakable hair Tennant revolutionized the doctor. Mr. 

Austin likes all the actors, specifically their consistent calling cards, such as Baker’s scarf and 

Smith’s bowtie (his two favorite doctors). Matt Latta also enjoys Baker, saying “I really enjoy 

watching the older Tom Baker episodes. He was like that cool grandpa that knew kung-fu and 

had a witty solution for everything.”Austin’s favorite episode is the two part-er Forests of the 

Dead and Silence in the Library. Favorite episodes are “Blink”, which was the episode Tiara 

Thayer watched in 2006ish when she got hooked and an episode everyone loves, Silence in 

the Library, and “The Girl in the Fireplace”. Justin’s favorite episode is “The Doctor’s Wife,” 

because it’s “creepy, interesting, sad, funny, and just wonderfully done.” 

Mr. Austin would like to start a Doctor Who club, but doesn’t know how many 

people would join. So if you have a passion for space men in bowties and jammie dodgers, 

prompt him to! So let’s all raise our sonic screwdriver to the one doctor we never want to go 

away. Geronimo! 


age 4 

Senior Special 

Page 5 

Oh, The 

Places 

You’ll Go 

Fight 

the 

man. 

-Kyra 

Schmidt 

When 

in 

doubt, 

let Jesus 

take the 

wheel. 

-Miguel Mejia 

AUGUSTANA COL- 

LEGE 

DAMIEN LAWLESS 

AURORA UNIVER- 

SITY 

ELIZABETH HERNANDEZ 

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY 

ANDREA FROEHLIG 

SARAH KANDA 

OLGA KRAPIVNER 

BENEDICTINE UNIVER- 

SITY 

JACOB “TRUMP” TRUMPIS 

CHAMBERLAIN COLLEGE OF 

NURSING 

MEGHAN MEDRANO 

COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY 

JACOB ADAMS 

ANTHONY ALLARD 

WENDY ARIAS 

SERENA AVITA 

YESENIA AYALA 

JOSEPH BACHOFNER 

ZOE BAILEY 

MELISSA BARNES 

I am who I want 

to be. 

-Stephanie Billeck 

DYLAN BARRETT 

DAMAN BHANGOO 

BILL BLENCOE 

DUSTIN 

BORKE 

SUSAN 

CABRE- 

RA 

You can never be over-intelligent 

or over-dressed. 

-Rachel Modelski 

Hakuna matata. 

-Meghan Medrano 

Live and learn. 

-Elizabeth Hernandez 

It all begins with the relization that 

you want to make more than the average 

person. 

-Kristofer Karch 

Illinois 

RYAN CHAVES 

JEREMY COKEFAIR 

MICHAEL COOPER 

DYLAN DARGATZ 

ERIN DEPNER 

KINZIE ELEM 

YANIQUE EMMANUEL 

KEVIN ESCOBAR 

DANNY “BARNCAT” FARHAT 

KEVIN FARMER 

NIKKI FITZA 

JENNY FOXX 

AMBER FREUND 

BRANDON FUCHS 

TRAVIS FUCHS 

FLORENTINO GARCIA 

GUILLERMO GOMEZ 

LACEA GONZALEZ 

JAMES GORDON 

MARIAH GUNTHER 

CURTIS HAMMOCK 

ALLISON HATCHER 

JEN HARDY 

NICK HEATON 

KAYLA HECKE 

KRYSTAL HERNANDEZ 

RICH HUBER 

DORIAN JAMES 

KIMBERLY KAEZMAREK 

TAYLOR KELLY 

ALEX KENNEDY 

DANIEL KING 

SYDNEY LAUBINGER 

SAVANNA MACRI 

MARGARITA MARBAN 

NICOLE MAURER 

JAIR MEJIA 

MICHELLE NETTIES 

COLTON NORTON 

REYNA ORTIZ 

TUSDAI PADJEN 

LUISPAVONEY 

MATT PARENT 

VANESSA QUIROZ 

ANDREW RAMIREZ 

CARA RESNICK 

ALEX RODRIGUEZ 

AMANDA RONAYNE 

ASHLEY SAGEL 

TRAVIS SANCKEN 

LOGAN SCHRIEDEL 

BIANCO SOTO 

BEN SMITH 

JUSTIN SPANNMACHER 

DESTINY STEPHENSON 

RAE-ANNE SUTSCHEK 

ETHAN TAMISIN 

TANIA TRBOJEVICH 

KAYLA UHWAT 

SETH VINCENT 

SYDNEY VINCENT 

ALEX WEST 

SAM WHITE 

MEAGAN WIEC- 

ZOREK 

JAKE ZURIO 

DEPAUL UNIVERSITY 

PETER AUDRAIN 

DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY 

BRIANA AGULAR 

SADIE CONTRERAS 

EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY 

JORDAN VILLARREAL 

EUREKA COLLEGE 

MICHELLE PORTER 

HARRINGTON COLLEGE OF DE- 

SIGN 

COURTNEE MCCARTEN 

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY 

MADELYN LABRIOLA 

ILLINOIS WESLYAN UNIVERSITY 

DANI VON HELMS 

LE CORDON BLEU COLLEGE 

ISMAEL RUIZ 

LINCOLN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE 

DAVID MATOS JR. 

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY 

MARISSA KELLEY 

BUBNEET RANDNAWA 

MARIO TRICOCI BEAUTY SCHOOL 

MIKALA MAGUIRE 

MCHENRY COUNTY COMMUNITY 

COLLEGE 

TRENTON BOWDEN 

MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY 

ASHLEY FAULKNER 

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE 

LUIS ECHEVERRIA 

KYRA VARNEY 

NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY 

JENNIFER GIBBS 

ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY 

CHELSEN ROJAS 

ROCKFORD COLLEGE 

TAYLOR ROSSI 

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSI- 

TY-CARBONDALE 

MEGAN FUNK 

ANIKA HOLLAND 

ALAN HOLMGER 

RUBEN MORIN 

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSI- 

TY-EDWARDSVILLE 

MATT KNOPE 

RYAN ROWLEM 

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICA- 

GO 

CODY MEISTER 

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBA- 

NA-CHAMPAIGN 

MORGAN CASEY 

AUSTIN GADBOIS 

KEVIN O’NEILL 

WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY 

CONNOR HANSEN 

ASHLEY OZONA 

KRIS SMITH 

New 

Hampshire 

DART- 

MOUTH 

COL- 

LEGE 

MELISSA 

DUNHAM 

DC 

Washington 

Florida 

GEORGE 

WASHING- 

TON UNIVERSITY 

MIGUEL MEJIA 

Missouri 

Africa 

VIRGINIA STATE UNI- 

VERSITY 

DASHIA SHANKS 

Iowa 

IOWA STATE UNIVER- 

SITY 

KATIE SHOWERS 

UNIVERSITY OF 

IOWA 

CASEY BLAESING 

THOMAS BLANCH- 

ETTE 

TRUMAN STATE UNI- 

VERSITY 

STEPHANIE BILLECK 

UNIVERSITY OF MIS- 

SOURI 

ELLIOT MARR 

COLTON MORA 

JAKE RING 

New 

York 

PACE UNIVER- 

SITY 

MASON DIEHL 

NIAGRA COUNTY 

COLLEGE 

TYLER GORSKI 

PALM BEACH 

STATE COLLEGE 

BROOKE BUCKLEY 

UNIVERSITY OF 

TAMPA 

TROY SKINNER 

Virginia 

ANDY CACCHIONE 

JOSHUA CROW 

CONNOR DIERKS 

EMILY KERR 

HAIDER KHAN 

KEION MILLER 

Texas 

SARAH STORM 

“From August to December 2013 I will join a 

team of American medical doctors in Kibuye, 

Burundi Africa. The team plans on pending 

their time teaching their medical knowledge 

at Hope Africa University which doubles as a 

school and a hospital. Before they can begin 

teaching they must undergo about four 

momths of language study to learn the national 

language of Burundi. This is where I 

come in, I have been selected by the team to 

go along as their nanny. While the doctors are 

in school I will watch over their eight children 

ranging from ages 1-7. I will also assist in 

teaching grade school.” 

Nevada 

UNIVERSITY OF 

NEVADA -LAS VE- 

GAS 

HALEY LIBERMAN 

Ohio 

OHIO STATE UNIVER- 

SITY 

GABRIELLE MIGUEL 

XAVIAR UNIVERSITY 

ANJELIQUE CHANATH 

Michigan 

AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER 

SCHOOL OF CULINARY 

ARTS 

SAMANTHA CORTEZ 

UNIVERSITY OF HOUS- 

TON 

CASSANDRA PARTIDA 

Military 

NAVY 

TYLER DOBSON 

NICK NEEDHAM 

DYLAN UHLER 

Wisconsin 

BAKER 

COLLEGE 

RICK BURCHETT 

NORTHERN 

MICHIGAN UNI- 

VERSITY 

KEN MCNULTY 

TYLER FRANK 

Colorado 

UNITED STATES 

AIRFORCE ACAD- 

EMY 

KYRA SCHMIDT 

North Dakota 

VALLEY CITY STATE UNIVER- 

SITY (NORTH DAKOTA) 

SYDNEY MOORE 

AIRFORCE NICK ROSS 

JUSTIN SCHAEFER 

SCOTT CARLSEN MARINES 

BRIAN FOXX BRANDON CHEBNEY 

HARRY EBBESON CHARLES LYONS 

KEVIN GARCIA 

CARTHAGE COLLEGE 

RICHARD STAUFFER 

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY 

ANGELA REYNOLDS 

MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING 

MICHAEL EMCH 

RYAN FLORES 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE 

JANE WILLIAMS 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 

JUSTIN VASQUEZ 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE 

KRISTI HAHN 

CONNOR KUGEL 

EMILY WAGNER 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE 

KORI LICHTER 

AMANDA WITEK 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PLATT- 

ARMY 

JACOB RUOSS 

Pennsylvania 

Louisiana 

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURG 

RACHEL MODELSKI 

VILLE 

KYLE WHITMAN 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITE- 

WATER 

NICK FANELLA 

MALLORY GIZOWSKI 

SAMI JO ZAK 

UNIVERSITY OF KEN- 

TUCKY 

KRISTOFER KARCH 

Work Force 

BAXTER 

RUSTEN RE- 

LUCIO 

SOUTHEASTERN 

LOUISIANA UNI- 

VERSITY 

HAILEE 

GUSTAFSON 

Other 

Arizona 

Kentucky 

MISSIONARY WORK 

ABNER RAMIREZ 

ARIZONA STATE UNI- 

VERSITY 

BAILEE WALSH 

MENCOPA COMMUNITY 

COLLEGE 

ZANDRA JOHNSON 

MESA COMMUNITY 

COLLEGE 

JESSICA MORMINO 

JEWEL 

NICK SMETTERS 

AMCOR FLEXIBLES 

CHELSI KOVACH 

PURSUING CAREER IN MUSIC 

NATALIE BROOKER 


Features 

Whoever said that comics were 

only for guys Grace Randolph, former 

host of Marvel Comics’ “The Watcher”, 

a weekly comedic news show, is both 

founder and host of two comics and movie 

focused YouTube channels “Think about 

the Ink” and “Beyond the Trailer.” 

“Think about the Ink” is a 

YouTube channel about comics. On 

this channel, Ms. Randolph talks about 

what’s new in the world of comics, and 

not just about the big two (Marvel and 

DC). Ms. Randolph has on main shows on 

“Iron Man”. That’s Kind of Catchy; It’s Got a Nice Ring to It. 

by Alex Rodriguez 

May 3rd was a night of wonder, 

a night of amazement, a night of magic 

and Marvel. May 3rd was when we 

all put on our best suits, grabbed our 

best girl and went out to see Iron Man 

3. There is no doubt that the Marvel 

Studio’s powerhouse superhero is 

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, 

otherwise known as Iron Man. 

The armored avenger has 

appeared more times than anyone else in 

the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring 

in two films, being a main player in the 

avengers, having a cameo in the post 

credits scene in the Incredible Hulk, 

being mentioned in Thor, and having 

his father in “Captain America: the First 

Avenger.” It is no doubt that Stark is the 

staple that keeps the MCU together, but 

for how long 

Iron Man 3 is the first film in 

Marvel’s “Phase Two” (see last issue 

for more information regarding phase 

two) much like how Iron Man was the 

first film in the MCU. From the looks 

of things, it seems that this film is 

destined to be Marvel’s answer to The 

Dark Knight Rises, the latest Batman 

film from rival DC comics. 

Shane Black was the director 

behind the groundbreaking third film. 

the film was more of a sequal to The 

Avengers than Iron Man 2. The film 

centers around Tony Stark trying to 

get over the events in New York (The 

Avengers). My favorite part of the film 

is how its about Tony, not Iron Man, 

Tony is left alone without his armors, 

friends, or S.H.I.E.L.D. All in all Iron 

Man 3 was a great start to Marvel 

cinimatic universe Phase Two. 

Page 6 

A Very “Grace”-ful Article About Comics 


this channel,”Stacktastic “and “Between 

the pages”. “Stacktastic” informs you 

about what’s happening in comics and 

what books to pick up that week. These 

videos come out every Wednesday, which 

is known as the day new comics are 

released. “Between the pages” talks more 

about the characters or a specific comic 

title. These videos release every Friday 

and tend to be longer then “Stacktastic” 

videos. 

“Beyond the Trailer” is more 

movie-based. On this channel, Ms. 

“Everybody Talks” About The Neon Trees 


The Neon Trees are headed by 

lead vocalist/keyboardist Tyler Glenn, 

guitarist Chris Allen, bassist Brandon 

Campbell, and drummer Elaine Bradley. 

The band sparked fame in late 2008 when 

they opened several North American 

shows for The Killers, famously known 

for their hit single, “Mr. Brightside.” 

The band’s music typically falls under 

the genre of Alternative Rock, as well 

as Indie Rock. The Neon Trees released 

their first album, Habits, in 2012. The 

The Last Review 


The Neon trees 

album featured their first smash hit song 

“Animal.” This single became the band’s 

Randolph talks about everything movie 

related, trailers, reviews, and interviews. 

The best part about this channel is that 

Ms. Randolph releases a new video almost 

daily. 

Ms. Randolph writes an ongoing 

comic named Supurbia by BOOM! 

Studios. This book is about the spouses 

of superheroes and heroines, now doesn’t 

that sound like an interesting idea 

No matter what she does, Grace 

Randolph is no doubt a great example of 

women in comics, and she’s cool too. 

courtisy of Marvel studios 

most well known song until 2012. 

In 2012, they released a single titled 

“Everybody Talks” for their second 

studio album, Picture Show. The 

song became a smash hit and reached 

number 22 on Billboard’s “US Top 

100” chart, and also number 1 on the 

“Adult Pop Song” chart. The band 

has gone on to say that the song was 

inspired by early 1960’s pop music. 

Furthermore, the band has toured with 

bands such as The Offspring, Flaming 

Lips, and The Killers. Finally, the 

Neon Trees have signed a contract to 

do a world tour with Maroon 5 and 

Owl City for 2013. 

I’m a movie critic, though not as big as 

most (or any at all), but I do what I can. Many people 

might not know the classic TV show “At the Movies 

with Siskel and Ebert” now-a-days but I remember it. 

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were two of the greatest 

movie reviewers of all time; they were some of my 

inspirations to become a critic. 

We lost the first part of the duo in 1999 when 

Gene Siskel died due to complications from a surgery 

for his brain tumor. And I am deeply saddened to say 

that on April 4 th , 2013, we lost the second part of the 

classic duo. 

Roger Ebert is one of the things that made 

Chicago great. He wasn’t only the official movie 

critic for the Chicago Sun Times since 1967 till his 

death, but he was also the first movie critic to win 

a Pulitzer Prize. He had a troubled youth, fighting 

weight problems and later alcoholism. He pulled 

through and that’s another thing that made him great, 

the fact that even when things were bad, he still 

pulled threw. 

“At the movies with Siskel and Ebert” was 

a show running from 1986 to 1987 and continued as 

courtesy of pop hangover 

simply “Siskel and Ebert” from 1987 to Siskel’s death 

in 1999. Siskel and Ebert became a pop culture sensation with their famous “two thumbs up and two thumbs down” to end each 

movie reviews. I give the show two thumbs up personally. 

In 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and in 2006 he lost his ability to speak due to it, but he was still 

writing reviews. On April 2 nd , 2013, he posted on his blog that was taking “a leave of presence.” He died two days after. The last 

words on his farewell post (and to the public) were “So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey 

with me. I’ll see you at the movies.” Siskel and Ebert, Thank you for all your work and being inspirations for countless critics 

(including me) I’ll see you at the movies good sirs. 

courtesy of Grace Randolph 

Yummy News! 

by Eduardo Gonzalez 

[Satire] 

Snackistan 

In a bid to make sure America 

remains a healthy country, the FDA has 

enacted the new ‘Safe Snacks Bill’, which 

requires all Americans to use a condiment to 

protect themselves from acquiring an STD 

(Snacktually Transmitted Disease). Doctors 

have lauded this new bill, saying it will 

prevent approximately 45% of Americans 

from contracting an STD such as AIDS 

(Apple Ingestion Defect Syndrome). 

However, some people are decrying 

the bill, rebutting that “this act removes 

freedoms that our constitution guarantees.” 

These few people wish to be able to consume 

foods such as peas, crackers, and squash 

without having to add a condiment “for 

safety,” instead opting to risk contracting an 

STD such as squashilis or hepapeatis. The 

FDA has replied; however, that it is more 

desirable to simply place a condiment on 

their foods rather than risk an STD. 

Already many of these people, 

calling themselves the Free Meal Group 

(FMG), are working to have the bill struck 

from law. The FDA has not yet publicly 

stated their opinion on the FMG. Most 

Americans, however, accept the SSB bill. 

Flashdrives 

Obsolete: 

BrainPlug 

Patented by Applz 

The ubiquitous flash drive, 

which has serviced the world since their 

introduction fairly recently, has become 

obsolete. The BrainPlug created by 

Applz in response to mass opinions from 

its customers, is designed to plug into a 

new TXL-02 port that must be surgically 

installed via a new technique patented by the 

Applz company. This pot’s cord would then 

be able to connect to any modern USB port 

on a computer to access memory on your 

brain. Said Thomas Reidman, the company’s 

publicist, “We hope that the new BrainPlug 

will be able to aid people by being able to 

use their brains as storage for their important 

files and their computers as backup for their 

memories.” 

Critics of the new BrainPlug 

say that the port gives criminals new ways 

to inflict harm, if not kill, a customer of 

Applz’s BrainPlug . In response to these 

allegations, Applz is planning on offering 

a new BrainPlug Plus , with password 

protection available at an increased price of 

$10,000 (surgical installation included), a far 

cry from $250 for the BrainPlug (without 

surgical installation). Applz assures us that it 

will be great. 


Sports Page 7 

The Bark Crew 

Editor in Chief 

Zach Karlovitz 

Layout Editor 

Brianna Nutting 

The Boys Varsity Track Team (shown above) 

2013 Grant 

Track Season 

Shatters Records 

by Payton Miller 

This year’s track and field 

seasons have been going well. Under 

the expertise of the coaches, this 

year’s track teams have flourished and 

even some records have been broken. 

According to Mrs. Randall, the coach 

of Girls’ track, they have a NSC 

record of 6-1. They also placed 2 nd at 

the Lady Bulldog Invitational, 4 th at 

Girl’s Soccer 


Girl’s soccer is underway at 

Grant! The current season is led by junior 

varsity coach Mr. Rivette and Varsity is 

led by Mr. Burnet. Varsity player Kyra 

Schmitt says that her team has a lot of potential 

and a lot of chemistry. Despite losing 

pretty good players, the girls still work 

well as a team. Mr. Rivette is the junior 

Boys’ Volleyball 


Boys’ Volleyball began their 

second official season at Grant with a 

tournament against Buffalo Grove, on 

March 23. They lost the tournament, 

with 4 losses over two matches. Unfortunately, 

following the first tournament, the 

troubles would continue for the Varsity 

team, as they dropped the next two games 

to both Waukegan and Antioch, falling to 

a record of 0-6. The boys would finally 

achieve their first victory in an exciting 

home match, against Westminster Christian 

High School. 

Following the success, the Boys 

entered the Blue Devil Invite at Warren 

Baseball 

by Nina Reyes 

Baseball season is here once 

again for our Grant Bulldogs. Varsity 

successfully clinched 3 rd in state last 

year. They are now ready to take it even 

farther this season, and try to take home 

first. 

the Lake County Invitational, and 5 th 

at the NSC meet. Mrs. Randall also 

mentioned about the team that 

“Effort-wise, they had a great 

season. The upperclassmen really 

stepped up and were complemented 

by emerging freshman talent.” 

Recently, the boy’s track 

team went to Libertyville High 

School for their North Suburban 

Conference Meet. According to the 

Grant website, they seized victory 

along with the titles of Meet and 

Overall Conference Champions. This 

was not the first, but the second time 

they’ve netted titles, and back-toback 

at that. This feat has only been 

accomplished by two other schools 

in the conference for as long as the 

varsity coach. He says that the girls are 

great and that they are 7-7 right now, 

and they are very hard workers. He also 

says that the girls are more organized 

and understanding of their positions. 

Mr. Brunet is the freshman coach. He 

believes that his girls are a good core 

group with talent. He also said that in 

four games they already have shown 

signs of improvement. The freshman 

team switches between captains. 

High School, with high hopes. However, 

the team dropped 5 matches at the invite, 

and fell to a devastating 1-11 record. 

“So far, we’ve had a rough start, 

but I have confidence in my team, to turn 

the season around,” said Evan Parker. 

Since the tumultuous collapse of 

the Blue Devil Invite on April 6, the team 

has struggled terribly with losses against 

Lake Forest, and two losses in the Lake 

County Tournament. Their current record 

is 6-28. In correlation, the team has fallen 

short on six of their last matches. Despite 

major struggles, the team looks to finish 

strong and rebound next season with some 

of the same leaders still present to lead the 

way. 

The team finally rebounded On 

a separate note, the Junior-Varsity Boys 

They are a dedicated team with 

great coaches and awesome fans. Their 

current record is 12-4, and still striving 

for improvement. Varsity head coach Mr. 

Behm has been coaching for 6 years now, 

here at Grant. 

“My favorite part about coaching 

is being able to help players reach their 

goals. Also, I enjoy working together with 

the players towards a common goal” said 

Coach Behm. 

Courtesy of Grantbulldogs.org 

covered in Mr. Karlovitz’ article a page 

ahead. Varsity Boys’Track had also 

won their division with a 6-0 record. 

Both the Freshmen/Sophomore and 

Varsity levels of track have won their 

divisions according to Coach Evans. 

Varsity Boys’ Track and field 

has had 15All-Conference Champions, 

with twenty school records broken in 

total. Coach Evans said that “We’ve 

been accomplishing our goals since the 

start of the season and we’re hoping 

to accomplish our final two goals of 

a team sectional championship with 

several state qualifiers and hopefully a 

chance at a state trophy.” He added that 

“I’m very proud of the team and the 

coaches.” 

Mr. Kennedy is the varsity coach. He 

says that his team is a young energetic 

team that gets along well with each other 

and that the girls keep improving every 

day. The captains are Leah Nehila, Haley 

Dierks and Mallory Gizowski. Whether 

it’s freshman, junior varsity or varsity, our 

girls are having fun and scoring some goo 

ooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaa 

aaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllls while doing it. 

Volleyball team has struggled as well with 

a 4-10 record. 

This is the first official season as 

an IHSA sport. The team also achieved 

their official Varsity win in program 

history this year. Furthermore, their first 

conference win on May 15, against North 

Chicago. The team has compiled a 6-28 

record and closed out the season with a 

history making four game win streak, 

finishing just 22 games under .500. 

“We’re doing alright, given we’re 

still new to the IHSA Conference. It’s 

been a great time, I love the experience,” 

said Sophomore Clayton Keel. 

The Boys’ Varsity Team has their 

next match is in Evanston for the “Spring 

Fling” tournament. They look to improve 

their record and finish the season strong. 

There are many key players in 

our outstanding baseball program. Varsity 

team captains are Jordan Villarreal, Jake 

Ring, Brent Spohr, Tyler Gorski, Simeon 

Lucas, and Ryan Noda. 

Our boy’s baseball team 

is filled with determination and 

brotherhood as they continue to play 

great; striving for the goal to return 

to state a second consecutive year. 

Entertainment Editor 

Alex Rodriguez 

Copy Editors 

Payton Miller 

Nina Reyes 

Jenna Semans 

Contributors 

Eduardo Gonzalez 

Adviser 

Mrs. Balanag 


Sports Page 8 

The Big Three 

By: Zach Karlovitz 

Softball 

Brandon Lombardino, Luis 

Echeverria and Brad Wasilewski, better 

known as the Big 3, are a dominating 

force in the NSC Conference for 

throwing, in both shotput and discus. 

Headed by Lombardino, who is currently 

ranked as the third 

best thrower in the 

nation, the three have 

placed in the top two 

for every outdoor 

invite this season. 

On April 11, the three 

broke the Stevenson 

High School shotput 

record, while 

participating at the 

Stevenson Patriot 

Relays. Contrary to 

the typical throwing 

meets, the relays 

consist of the three 

throws put together 

for a total score. 

Despite the cold 

and dreary weather 

conditions, the “Big 

3” totaled a relay 

mark of 159’5”. 

Aside from shotput, 

they also broke the Discus record with 

a mark of 441’2”. These totals beat the 

Stevenson Discus record by an amazing 

12 feet, and the Shotput record by 11 

feet. 

The “Big Three” would 

continue to amaze many, just a few days 

later at the Vernon Hills Meet, on April 

15. Lombardino would take first place 

in both shotput and discus, with the 

stadium record of 62’1/22” for shotput. 

Echeverria would then take second place 

for discus and third place for Shotput. 

Finally, Wasilewski took second place for 

shotput, and third place for discus. 

Also, in a previous meet, the 

Scarpino Indoor Invite, located at Buffalo 

Grove, they took first place in each of the 

three heats that they participated in. The 

meet occurred on March 2. 

“I can’t wait for the State 

competition. All three of us keep 

progressing every week. We have a good 

shot to lead our team to the first Top 3 

finish in Grant throwing history,” said 

Brandon Lombardino. 

“It’s an exciting time; all 

three of us have been working since 

freshman year and it feels great to see 

all of the hard work pay off,” said Luis 

Echeverria. 

“Being part of the Big Three 

is a supportive, 

yet competitive 

relationship. All 

three of us are 

aiming for those 

state titles. When 

one of us gets 

a good throw, 

we congratulate 

him for his 

performance. 

But, it also makes 

us want to beat 

that throw, so it 

pushes us throw 

better,” said Brad 

Wasilewski. 

The Big 

Three continue 

to lead the way 

for Grant this 

spring, and are the 

student leaders of 

the best throwing program in the state. 

Brandon placed 1st at the NSC Boys 

Championship with a new shot put best 

and placed 1st in discus. According to 

Milesplit.com Brandon is the number 

1 discus thrower in IL and 2nd in the 

nation by 2 feet. Luis placed 5th for 

discus at the NSC Boys Championship. 

Brad placed 3rd for shot put at the NSC 

Boys Championship. 

By: Nina Reyes 

Though they got started with 

a rough start with the weather, our girls 

varsity and JV softball team has had a 

great season. “It’s been 17 years since 

grant softball has won the regional title 

and that’s what we hope to achieve,” 

said Caitlyn Moran and indeed they did. 

With all their hard work and dedication 

they earned the spot of being NSC Prairie 

Division Champions. JV has a current 

record of 13-9 and varsity holds an overall 

record of 16-8 with a record of 10-2 in the 

division. 

“It started off rocky, but then 

I think we all began to learn and work 

together as a team rather than individually, 

realizing that we win more working 

together,” said JV player Nicole Buckley. 

Leaders of the varsity team, Kayla Uhwat 

and Jamie Reiser have done a great job 

pushing the team to the best of their 

ability. 

“I loved the team this year. 

We work so well together and everyone 

is always supportive,” said Brianna 

Dreschler. 


Boy’s Tennis 

Though the weather is 

finally heating up, there is no way to 

stop the rain. Though April showers 

bring May flowers, April showers 

also bring complications to outdoor 

spring sports. The varsity tennis 

team has only been able to play a 

few matches due to the wet courts. 

Whether playing doubles or singles, 

slipping and sliding on the court 

would lead to a long, slow game 

with a high possibility of injuries. 

As there aren’t any indoor tennis 

courts available to Grant, the boy’s 

tennis team is having a hard time 

finding somewhere dry to even practice 

, which makes finding court time hard 

according to the players and coaches. 

Lack of time to practice the art of tennis 

has resulted in a rocky season, two wins 

eight losses and seventh place in the 

Grayslake North Varsity Invite. 

Coach Anderson (who’s no 

newbie to the world of tennis having 

played on the Round Lake team for 

four years and even played shortly in 

college at WIU) likes tennis because it 

is “the sport [that] requires the players’ 

ability to find and maintain a balance 

of power and finesse.” At Grant, he 

has coached five years and has learned 

to deal with the many problems of the 

Midwest. “The weather has decimated 

the season so far. Our ability to practice 

game-like situations or play matches 

has been extremely limited this season.” 

Sophomore and varsity player Corrigan 

“Corey” Luetke agrees with his coach, 

“It’s horrible. We have to replay two 

matches rescheduled due to rain.” The 

energetic Luetke who’s been playing 

for three years including this one also 

says he likes the sport because it is 

“physically and mentally challenging, 

having to choose where to put the ball. 

Senior Dustin Wilson, who’s been 

playing the sport since sophomore year, 

gives advice next year’s varsity team: 

“Hard work will pay off. Stick with it!” 

He also gives a shout out to teammates 

Corey and Dennis, saying that’s what 

he’ll miss most after he graduates. 

Varsity was 2-9 overall in dual 

matches. They placed 4th at the spirit 

of Northwest Tournament. 3rd doubles 

took 2nd place and 1st and 2nd doubles 

took 3rd place. 

Varsity Boys’ Tennis Courtesy of VIP Varsity Boys’ Tennis Courtesy of VIP 

March 20, 2013

May 20, 2013 - Grant Community High School

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