Ashley Yong

YEARBOOK

THE GOLDEN THREAD

[Published in Hinsdale South Vespa Yearbook Opening Copy - 2015. It was a large yet exciting undertaking to write the opening article for the yearbook. To encompass nearly fifty years of history into a single article, I visited my town's local museum and spent weeks flipping through old yearbooks and researching to accurately depict our rich history. I have revised and edited this article more than ten times and had many follow-up interviews to ensure the best quality possible. Also, because I designed the spread and made the infographics, I had an easier time designing to fit the article.]

As Hinsdale South High School prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, a reflection on the past reveals a rich history that defines who we are today. In 1965, South opened its doors to students, teachers, parents and the community. On the first day of school, there were only 400 students. 

Since that day, a golden thread was spun, one composed of the moments every student, teacher, and administrator has experienced at South. The thread holds us together, binds us and unites us as one. Since 1965, tens of thousands of students have walked the halls, their fibers intertwining with one another. As one student takes the place of another year after year, he or she contributes another fiber to the thread, strengthening the bonds between past and present. This strong, interwoven thread forms a family bound by a sense of community.

As South has evolved over nearly five decades, the thread continues to connect us to our history and the experiences of those before us. By unwinding the spool, we reveal a past with which we are often unfamiliar, a past which has set the foundation for the school we know today.

During the 1965 open house, tour guides noted how the capacity of the school at 1,700 students was to be expanded to 2,500 with construction plans of additional classroom space already in the works. The total cost to build the original school was $4,773,000, which, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor and adjusted for inflation, has a $36 million dollar buying power today. In 2010, the new artificial turf football field alone cost $3.89 million. In the original building, no field house or science wing existed. Along with these physical changes, South has experienced a culture shift over the past 50 years.

“Hinsdale South has evolved in athletics and course selection along with so many clubs to choose from,” said Debbie Kieras, 1969 graduate from the first four-year graduating class. “(Today,) there are so many more opportunities for both girls and boys.”

South’s social activities show how many of our activities are rooted in tradition and history. In 1967, South had a Fall Festival dance and crowned a queen, which turned into the first Homecoming the next year. The first school year also had a pep club that worked closely with the cheerleading squad to promote  pride.

“We were really into school spirit to keep us out of trouble with parades, dances and car washes,” Kieras said.

In 1965, the dress code banned pants for girls and T-shirts for boys. Girls wore dresses or skirts, and boys wore slacks and dress shirts.

Gender discrimination was also apparent in the gym, as conventional athletics were available for boys but not girls. At the time, boys’ sports included football, basketball, cross country, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming and diving. Title IX, an act that required an equal number of boys and girls sports teams, had not yet been enacted.

“(For girls,) there was only cheerleading for football and basketball season and the Guard (lifeguarding) for the Learn to Swim program and I was involved in both,” Kieras said. “Not until my junior year did we form a girls’ gymnastics team of about four girls and competed against ourselves.”

Today, South has 31 sports teams, including softball, Danceline, bowling, golf, tennis, water polo and more. Additionally, South has implemented co-ed Special Olympics teams for basketball, soccer swimming and track.

Academics also grew in some aspects, but the quality of teachers continually ties us to our history.

Science Teacher Tracey McDonald, who graduated from South in 1990 and began teaching full time at South in 2005 said, “When I reflect on my relationships with my teachers, I realize that I enjoyed coming to school largely because of them. My teachers had genuine concern for my advancement and my well-being. They believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself, and those small gestures helped me grow not only as a student, but as a person.”

In 1965, South only offered math, science, English and foreign languages (Spanish, French, German) at fundamental and basic levels. There were no Advanced Placement (AP) classes. As electives, students were offered shop classes, auto mechanics and woods, among others.

“There were not a wide variety of classes offered, but there was and still are dedicated teachers at South,” Kieras said. “There were so few students so there was a lot of teacher interaction—not only as mentors but as friends.”

Math teacher Bruce Kendrick began teaching Algebra and Geometry at South since 1984, at the age of 28. Although he had planned to retire next year, he hoped to come back and substitute classes.

“I’ve enjoyed every one of those 31 years,” Kendrick said. “You learn a lot from the kids and other teachers. Since I first started, I’ve noticed the kids are the same. New ones come in every year but they’re always the same. Some are hard workers, some are not. The names have changed, but they still are kids and they’re great.”

Fellow math teacher Linda Korbus noted South’s uniqueness with its large program for the hearing impaired, kids in transitional programs and the educationally disadvantaged.

“People don’t always know how to relate to them, but you will not see a student graduate from Hinsdale South that feels discomfort around handicapped people because they’ve had so much exposure to it,” Korbus said. “They get so much respect.”

Even in only four years, South has developed in different realms from school policy to social atmosphere. Kevin Miller, a 2010 South graduate, and as of 2014 a permanent substitute teacher, sophomore football coach and varsity assistant football coach, reflected on the new cell phone policy, implemented in 2013.

“When I was in high school, our phones had to be off and in our lockers,” Miller said. “If you got caught with your phone during the school day you got an automatic detention. This year, it was strange seeing students walking the halls with their headphones in and texting each other.”

Along with the cell phone policy, the A.R.E. (Accountability, Respect, Engagement) program was born in 2010. A.R.E. was an outgrowth of the Response to Intervention Law, a process of academic intervention to provide assistance to children who have difficulties learning, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

“The staff and students are more committed now to being the best possible people that they can be and getting the most out of their time here at South,” Miller said. “It is awesome that everyone in the building is making an effort to be more accountable, respectful, and engaged.”

Like A.R.E. in its positive impact, the Hornet 101 program, instilled in 2003 by the Peer Leadership Network, eases the transition from eighth grade to high school.

“I didn’t experience peer leaders or have a freshman orientation,” McDonald said. “We just came to get our books a week before school started and then we showed up and went to our classes. The programs South has now for freshman help acclimate them to high school life and embraces them as members of Hornet Nation.”

Unlike many of the staff and much of the student body, Principal Stephanie Palmer experienced South for the first time after attending a few events with the former principal, Brian Waterman, in summer 2014.

“Hinsdale South is what I have always called a real school. It is a microcosm of society,” Palmer said. “It has highs and lows and different kinds of kids and different kinds of experiences that not every high school has. It’s a really great place for students and teachers to be to launch you into whatever comes next. It has rich experiences in order to prep you for the real world. You won’t be shocked when you go to college or out into the world because you have had that diverse experience that represents that.”

Both administrators and students agreed that South’s demographic gave students an advantage in life after graduation.

“Students can find anything they want here,” Palmer said. “Whatever kind of kid you are, you can find it here. If you want to do everything, you can do that because we’re that size too. The size is perfect. You can find something for everybody.”

“It’s really diverse and close to the national average when you look at the percentages of each separate demographic,” senior Jack Adcock said. “It’s realistic in that way. It’s important to have a real life experience especially in high school when you’re trying to develop as a person yourself and South really provides that.”

Like Palmer, Adcock felt the atmosphere of South catered to people of various backgrounds.

“The social climate is good if you’re trying to fit in,” Adcock said. “If you feel left out, there’s most likely a group of people that you can join and be a part of.”

“What impresses me the most about Hinsdale South is the energy, excitement and diversity of our students, the skill and dedications of teachers, and the talent, passion and sportsmanship of our athletes and coaches,” Palmer wrote in an article for the Stinger. “Students and teachers truly enjoy being here, and collectively they have a lot of pride in our school. It is a school that brings together people from very different backgrounds and experiences, but together they make South a very special place. We are all a part of something positive, something larger than ourselves, and something very special that will live on after we all leave.”

Adcock also saw this energy manifest itself in the attitudes and actions of many, compelling them to strive for excellence in every aspect of their lives.

“Hinsdale South taught me to not stray away from things just because they’re difficult,” Adcock said. “I learned to take advantage of opportunities when I saw them. There are plenty of students who excel athletically and academically. It’s inspiring to see that. They strive to be successful at this school and, in turn, in life.”

It’s students like Kieras and Adcock and all those in between who have held South together, through both good times and bad, when the thread is twisted and frayed—but never torn. Through nearly 50 years of wear, the thread remains a symbol of unity. Time will continue to spin the golden thread, knot it and tangle it, but forever will it last. This thread that has weaved us through our past will continue to do so in the future, each of us contributing our own fiber to the intricate golden thread.

NEWSMAGAZINE

[Published in Hinsdale South Stinger Newsmagazine Perspectives Article - 2014. As my first perspectives article, this was exciting and daunting to write. I wanted to do my actions justice and convey my emotions without sounding condescending or judgmental. Before writing I outlined, writing details hierarchically from "must include" to "would like to include." Because I am stubborn with my writing, I initially didn't want to take the advice of my copy editor to remove irrelevant details. This article taught me how to think like a reader.Confined to a small word count, I had to revise this article to cut out some details that I liked but had to delete.]

JOURNALISM CAMP

trend story

[Unpublished; Northwestern University Medill Cherubs Summer Journalism Program - 2014. To date, this is my favorite article I've ever written. I contacted people from movie directors to ordinary citizens and interviewed them for a total of five hours via phone. The article urged me to collect data form accurate/expert sources, something I didn't do often in yearbook. From my first brainstorm session to my submission of the final draft, this article took over 20 hours over the course of one week.]

Silver bolts latch the dark blue sign to the bridge tower.   The sign reads, ‘THERE IS HOPE/MAKE THE CALL.”  Next to it, taut suspension lines cling to steel supports.  The iconic red Golden Gate Bridge is suspended at 245 feet above the water, towering above the channel nestled in between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.  It is the type of architectural phenomenon that attracts tourists from across the globe.  In 1937, the San Francisco Chronicle labeled it “a steel harp.”  A symbol of California’s power and beauty.

On September 20, 2013, Kyle Gamboa ended his life jumping off the bridge.  The Fair Oaks, California student was 18 years old when he committed suicide, his body, a 75 mph bullet hurdling straight towards the water.  The Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most used suicide bridges in the world, is the site of 46 suicides in 2013 and over 1,600 since its opening in 1937, according to the Department of Transportation.

Distraught from her son’s death, Kymberlyrenee Gamboa researched the bridge’s suicide history and attended meetings at the Golden Gate Bridge District because she wanted to erect a suicide prevention barrier.

“When you have something like this happen to you, you don’t want anyone else to ever go through the pain you go through,” she said.  “Everybody knew about it.  It was Golden Gate’s dirty little secret.”

Kymberlyrenee turned to her family, friends, community and the Internet for support.  On change.org, she created a virtual petition asking the California Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, Golden Gate Bridge Board of Directors and the Highway and Transportation District to approve funding to build the barrier.  Within less than one year, the petition had accumulated 158,175 signatures from around the world.  In June 2014, the Board of Directors unanimously approved funding the $76 million 20-foot-wide steel net.  The Bridge District will fund $39 million, the Transportation District $27 million and the Mental Health Institute $7 million.

Virtual communities supporting others on topics ranging from politics and social change to funding products and events have found their way into the realm of Internet norms.  Internationally, people can access websites like change.org to start petitions, sign petitions and spread awareness.  

Similarly, crowdfunding is “raising money for a project with lots of relatively small donations from relatively large numbers of people online,” according to Professor Ethan Mollick, Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.  Both crowdfunding and virtual petitions rely on a community of people who seek change, justice, or a product.

“The reason crowdfunding took off is because it serves a vital need,” Mollick said.  “More people have access to be able to do that and more communities online can do this themselves, but there has always been this gap which is that you need funds to make it work.  Crowdfunding helps complete the circle that democratizes the ability to innovate ideas and make them real.”

Los Angeles resident Phelim McAleer of Ann and Phelim Media used IndieGoGo, a crowdfunding website, to fund a documentary on abortionist Kermit Gosnell.  The campaign ran for 46 days and raised $2,241,043, breaking the IndieGoGo record at the time for money raised for a film.

            “Crowdfunding is a perfect match for us,” McAleer said.  “We tell stories that Hollywood and the mainstream media won’t tell.  If that’s the case, they won’t fund these stories either.  Crowdfunding is a way around the gatekeepers.”

            The Gosnell campaign quickly became known for the controversy surrounding it rather than the documentary.  Ann and Phelim Media had originally launched the campaign on Kickstarter, a rival crowdfunding website, but were told their use of the phrase “thousands of babies stabbed to death” was too graphic.

“The whole idea of crowdfunding is depending on a popular idea is ask the public to fund it,” Phelim said.  “Why should Kickstarter decide that we’re breaking community standards.  What standards? Who decides what those standards are? It’s an open ticket to censorship.”

Another rival crowdfunding site, GoFundMe prides themselves on being used for “personal causes, whereas Kickstarter only allows creative campaigns” like education, volunteering and emergencies, according to storyteller Kelsea Little.

“GoFundMe is 'the crowdfunding site for the rest of us',” Little said.  “The beauty of GoFundMe is that it allows campaign organizers to invite others to take part in their story.  Just as we share parts of our lives on social media, we also want to share our dreams, pursuits, celebrations and challenges online with crowdfunding. People will always be eager to support their loved ones in times of need.”

This surge of virtual campaigns stems from “added transparency to the financial markets, a sense of participation in projects and media, and a general move online for financial services,” according to Zack Miller, Head of Investor Community/Partnerships at OurCrowd.  Between 2008 and 2012, crowdfunding has grown 22 percent, according to crowdsourcing.org.  Crowdfunding websites like IndieGoGo (created in 2008,) Kickstarter (2009) and GoFundMe (2010) sought to relieve financial burden.  According to statistica.com, “The effects of the global financial crisis of 2008 are still being felt and some sectors of real economic growth are not receiving the support that they need.  Crowdfunding has been presented by many as an opportunity to seek alternative forms of investment capital and to move away from the traditional cycle of bank lending.”  

“There’s a newer generation which is really motivated by the idea of helping other people,” said Ralphie Lega, Vice President of Brand Management at Mirza Minds.  “It’s the idea that there are so many hardships and we are so much more aware of it now in the digital age.  Everyone wants to help even though they don’t have a lot.”

The Mirza Mind IndieGoGo campaign, 1:Face watch, needed money to manufacture, distribute and market their watches.  Different color watches represent different charities to which some of the proceeds of the watch will go - pink: breast cancer, red: aids, blue: environment and seven others.  Within 50 days, the campaign accumulated $357,103 of their $25,000 goal.

“In order to change the world you need the support of all the people around the world, not just one or two people with millions of dollars,” Lega said.  “You need to be a movement and the only way to start a movement is to have the support of the people.”

59 percent of the worldwide capital raised via crowdfunding came from North America in 2012, according to crowdmapped.com.  The average successful campaign raised around $7,000.  But, like Lega, Miller values crowdfunding not simply at a numeric level.

“You get a sense of participation in a project that serves to further your excitement about a technology or movement,” Miller said in an email.  “You participate alongside your peers. You feel a true sense of ownership and contribution to a project or company.”

 Since their creations, IndieGoGo, Kickstarter and GoFundMe have all seen varying levels of success.  IndieGoGo has over 7,000 campaigns active at all times, a 1,000 percent increase in funds raised the past two years and 9 million visitors around the world per month, according to its website.  Kickstarter has $1,216,402,335 total pledged, 65,505 successfully funded projects and 6,587,490 total backers, according to their website.  GoFundMe gained $360 million from 6 million donors, with $1 raised by users everyday, according to their website.

Despite the often highlighted success stories, many campaigns fail to meet their goals.  The 2013 @home campaign started by the Kindling Group intended to share the lives and experiences of homeless people through a film.  Over 37 days, the campaign raised only $36,149 of the $100,000 goal.

“We set our goal a lot higher than we realized we could achieve,” said Laura Wilson, Associate Director at the Kindling Group.  “But it was nice to have a source of income that was more flexible.”

Though there are numerous potential benefits from online campaigns, experts warn against being too trusting.  In an incident involving 3-year-old Victoria Wilcher allegedly being asked to leave a Mississippi KFC because of her mauled face, funds were raised under the campaign title “Victoria’s Victories” on GoFundMe.  KFC claimed there was no evidence to support the claim and the fund page was taken down.  GoFundMe urges potential donors to give only to people they know and trust.

“It's hard to tell if a project or technology is legit sometimes,” Mollick said.  “Fraud will be a bigger concern going forward.”

Like crowdfunding sites in the need for far-reaching support, the White House’s We the People website, launched in 2011, allows Americans to start and support petitions about topics ranging from foreign affairs to law reforms.  If the petition gains 100,000 signatures within the first 30 days of its release, the Administration reviews it and issues an official response.

One of the most popular petitions to the Obama Administration is titled, “Legally recognize Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group,” claiming, “their actions have been directed at homosexuals, military, Jewish people and even other Christians. They pose a threat to the welfare and treatment of others and will not improve without some form of imposed regulation.”  The petition gained 367,180 signatures in 73 days.  The White House declined to respond, citing their terms of service.

As the popularity and prevalence of crowdfunding and virtual petitions continues to grow, experts are optimistic to see how it will advance in the future.  Mollick foresees “more and better tools” while Little recognizes the social significance and positive climate

“Because of its ease-of-use and overall effectiveness, GoFundMe is quickly replacing traditional fundraising methods,” Little said in an email.  “People will always be eager to support those they love, so we expect to see this trend continue to grow.”

Miller also sees the trend’s growing potential and its stake in the marketplace.  Between 2009 and 2012, worldwide crowdfunding volume skyrocketed from $530 million to $2.8 million, according to a survey by Massolution, a crowd powered business.

“Rewards based crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending (crowdfunding that aggregates small amounts of money in the form of consumer loans) are growing like weeds,” Miller said. Also, equity crowdfunding (taking smaller investments from a group of people) is emerging as a viable method for investors to invest in the next Google, and Facebook.”

308 internationally crowdfunding platforms raised $2.7 billion in 2012, an 81 percent increase from 2011, according to Massolution.

“Don’t underestimate it,” McAleer said.  “It’s a marathon not a sprint.  Have a plan.  You have to push it and you have to be proactive.”

On the virtual petition aspect of virtual communities, Kymberlyrenee urges people to persevere.  Once the barrier is built in three years, she is not afraid that it will serve as a reminder of her son’s death, but rather as an accomplishment.

“If something moves you to change something, you can do it,” she said.  A lot of people don’t or they think they can’t.  You really don’t know unless you try.  Once you start something, resources come and they come and help you.  Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t.”

EDITING

When I first began my young career in journalism, I was one of those pompous writers who thought my first draft never needed a second thought because it was so good already. I quickly learned the power of revisions and how things can always be better. It has taught me time management because the sooner I started an article, the more time I would have to revise and ultimately, the better it would be. Our staff works predominantly off of Google Docs, which allows for easy commenting and revising. Looking back on the revision history of my opening article for the 2015 Vespa, I can see the progress of my article dating back to November all the way to January. I work closely with the Copy Editor on each of my articles for both Yearbook and Newsmagazine to ensure proper use of AP Style and overall flow of the piece.