October 2019
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Spectrum Staff wishes everyone a Happy Halloween! THE SPOOKTRUM Volume 94, Issue 3 “The Maroon and Gold in Black and White” October 28, 2019 Ryan Keller exceeds inside and outside the classroom By Emma Okuma know where, or for what, exactly. The Spectrum Staff Writer There’s a good chance it’ll be Case West- Fall sports High school is ern, though,” Keller says. sometimes seen as the best Drumming started as a hobby for updates, spooky movie four years of your life, with Keller, but he soon realised his full po- recommendations and college as a close second. tential after becoming the drummer for High school is described the high school jazz band as a sopho- haunted house reviews by many as a balancing act more. Keller explains that “Getting the inside! due to the variety of activi- hands-on experience started my journey ties that are offered and the to learn and play drums my own way.” workload that some choose Running also became a major part of to take on. his life when cross country started. For Ryan Keller, “The pre-season starts a couple a talented member of the photo courtesy of Ryan Kellermonths before mandatory practice be- drum line, a varsity runnerRyan Keller, professional gins, and for cross country I’ll max out on the cross country team, multitasker at 55-60 miles per week,” Keller says. and an excellent student, high school is a place “During the normal season, we keep at 40-50 for all of his hobbies. miles in a week, but the meets replace a few “I’m pretty sure everybody has multi- workouts. We taper near the end of the season ple talents, and I just had the good fortune of to preserve our leg strength and make sure we finding mine so early,” Keller says modestly. aren’t burnt out during the post-season.” Making time for everything can be Being both a runner and a drummer difficult if you have a full schedule. For Ryan, means that this ambitious senior has to think this hectic schedule includes a ton of honors a lot during his day, and in multiple ways. and AP classes, practices for both band and During school, he focuses on his classes at cross country, and anything else at home that hand, after school he can worry about keeping needs to be done. Don’t mistake the multiple up with coach while running and hitting every extracurriculars as less focus on academics; beat on his drums. Keller scored a perfect 36 on the ACT. “I’ll be going to college, but I don’t See Avon Lake on page 4 Fall photos by Nicole Duvall Do’s and don’t’s when preparing for college applications Fall is fully underway and with edge, but how well ly if you don’t have a good idea which col- Halloween comes the stress of college ap- you know the ACT or leges you want to look at. plications. For most seniors this is crunch SAT and can manage DO NOT rush to spend time and time, because as October comes to a close, time. Luckily, these energy visiting a college that you haven’t so does the Early Action deadline for many skills don’t require researched. You may take a whole week- colleges. As a senior currently engrossed an expensive tutor. end to visit a college that, upon further in the stress of applications, I have learned There are countless consideration, doesn’t interest you at all. firsthand what is important to do BEFORE free practice tests on- DO research before you sched- senior year. Below I’ve compiled a list of line, allowing anyone ule your visits. Is this college the size you do’s and don’t’s for underclassmen, in to practice the mate- want? Does it have the majors you’re in- hopes that they can learn from my mis- rial, format and time terested in? If you’re still testing the wa- takes and avoid procrastination. limits. By continually ters and want a broad guide, I highly rec- 1. Testing: ACT and SAT are taking these practice ommend the Fiske Guide to Colleges. This pushed once or twice in high school, with Livie Crimaldi tests and timing your- book delivers honest summaries of any a free SAT being offered once at ALHS, but self, you should be very prepared come the well known college in the country, includ- the majority of testing is your responsibili- real deal. Besides, soon everyone taking ing student input and strong programs. If ty to schedule and complete. them will have the advantage of taking the you want to understand life on a particular DO NOT wait until the spring or sections individually, a privilege my class college campus outside of the vanilla de- summer before your senior year to take ei- was never granted. Enjoy the leg up, un- scription on its website, unbiased student ther for the first time. Although these tests derclassmen. can be found on www.unigo.com. This require, at minimum, up to a sophomore 2. Visits: During sophomore website provides student reviews to almost year education to know the material, it’s and junior year, you’ll start to feel pressure any college, including answers to specific best to give yourself at least three oppor- to visit colleges. I, for one, would be con- questions like “What do you consider the tunities after your first attempt to improve cerned when all my friends had seen col- worst thing about your school?” and “De- your score. leges and I hadn’t been to any yet. scribe students at your school”. DO practice, practice, practice. DO NOT panic if you feel behind. These tests are not really assessing knowl- There is no rush to visit colleges, especial- See College on page 2 Page 2 The Spectrum October 28, 2019 Benefits of a meat free life A large stigma following the en- vironmental change community is that in order to be committed to its principals, you need to first be committed to eating meat free. However, what every activist and participant will agree on is that the small things add up. Eating meat free, even as little as just once a week, can have huge benefits for the world. Agricultural and livestock industries are credited with producing Nicole Duvall most of the world’s greenhouse gases. Beef production alone contributes to the release of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. When combined in large quantities, these gases build up and essentially trap heat inside, by Mary Shabab contributing to higher temperatures. With such high demand for meat, production is only increasing. In the past 50 years, meat consumption per person has nearly doubled. The challenge of eating meat free is that most people College prep pre-senior year are accustomed to its inclusion on their daily meal plate. Like From Do’s on page 1 many others, I grew up loving chicken tenders and cheese- I promise you will see some negative aspects that colleges would nev- burgers. Meat was included and credited as a large source of er showcase on a tour. protein. I had my preferences, and I had my extreme dislikes 3. Resume: Freshman year, when your councillors say get when it came to what I was eating. It wasn’t until I was much involved, they mean it. College applications are a flurry of questions about clubs and extracurriculars, and it is in your best interest to older that I was introduced to the idea of going meat free. have activities to fill up as many of those blanks as possible. What I like to tell people who wish to start their meat free DO NOT join one club senior year to check a box on your journey is that there is no bad time, or place, to start. When I resume. The Common App will inevitably ask about years involved first started, I wasn’t entirely committed. I was okay with giving and leadership positions for each club, and colleges don’t want to see up red meat, which I didn’t particularly care for anyways, but one measly year of Key Club (but still join Key Club, service is good for the soul). I found myself getting stuck on specific things. What about DO pick a couple clubs/sports that you are interested in buffalo chicken dip? What about ribs? Hotdogs? Turkey sand- early on. If they interest you, you’re more likely to stick with them wiches? All of these foods just seemed more desirable now that throughout high school. Colleges also want to see leadership, so do I “couldn’t” have them. With time I was able to get over those your best to work you way up to a leadership position in at least one cravings, but it is largely credited to the discovery of newer food of your activities. Whether that be team captain or vice president, colleges love a contributing member of society. favorites.Many companies have started to produce mock-meat 4. Essays: Last on the list of preparation is essays, most products. A rise in foods such as tofu chicken, meatless meat- likely the last minute insertion into your Common App that will cause balls, and bean burgers have hit shelves in an abundance of you the most stress. stores. These products are a great source of protein and many DO NOT save the big daddy Common App essay for the nutrients. end. This 650 word beast is required by all the colleges you apply to, and is probably the most personal aspect of your application.