Vol 51 Issue 6

SP EC L IA ISS

1111 S. Dee Road • Park Ridge, Illinois 60068

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Vol. 51, No. 6

March 13, 2015

Culver’s • McDonald’s • Gene & Jude’s • Chipotle • Hay Caramba • Taco Burrito King • Portillos • Five Guys • The Sandlot • aradise Pup • Superdog • YA Loft- PR Library • Starbucks • Eleentary School Parks • Panera • Taco Bell • Buffalo Wild Wings • HOP • Eggsperience • Kappy’s • Denny’s • Cream of the Crepe • Mac’s • Lola’s Diner • Le Peep • Einstein’s • Maine South Weight Cage • Niles Family Fitness Center • XSport Fitness • Flahive dvanced Strength Training • Community Center • Planet Fitness Charter Fitness • Corepower Yoga • New Prospects • Baked By Betsy • Lisa’s Italian Ice • Charcoal Pizza • Uncle Dan’s • Planet moothie • Oakton Pool • Mrs. A’s cupcakes • Jackie’s Nail Salon MSNails Students weigh Spadida • Nail Beauty • Nice Nails • Lee • French 4 U&Me in on their favorite Anthony Valentino’s • DeVine Salon •local Michael Vaughn Hair Sadestinations.

Pages 6-9 n • Anasa Salon & Spa • Indira Salon Spa • Sola Salon Studios • Trader Joe’s • Whole Foods • Mariano’s • Jewel • Garden on the Run • Happy Foods • The Sandlot • ParadisePup Five Guys • WildBurger • Wally’s • Brandy’s • Portillo’s • Tasty up • Buena • TGI Friday’s • Jersey Mike’s • Subway • Potbelly’s Jason’s Deli • Tony’s Deli • Oberweis • Hinkley • Centennial Hill Out in the Cold Higher Power World Traveler Dancing Queens • Tea Lula Restaurant Gumba Joe’s Hawkettes • CafetakeTouche District 207 has•runAffresco out Spirituality is more important •Foreign second in language students PHOTO ILLUSTRATION by joshua larragoity

And the award goes to ...

of emergency days.

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than religious turmoil.

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take trips abroad.

Pages 10-11

Kick at Nationals Page 15

NEWS | March 13, 2015

Hawks come together to help those in need

competition was fun for those classes that really got into it,” said Mr. Berendt.

Even though the first-period class competition raised more awareness for the fund raiser, the main focus was on helping those in need.

“We are always looking for fun and creative ways to bring the school together and help those out that need it,” said Mr. Berendt. “This is one event that is able to do that.”

Sophomore Margaret Cahill was

one of many to be pleased with the outcome of the food drive.

“I thought it went really well,” said Cahill. “It was for a good cause, and it was nice to get the whole school involved like that.”

Unfortunately, with the week already having been shortened due to President’s Day on Monday, and then with school’s cancellation on Thursday, the food drive was only three days long.

“I just wish that they would have

extended it,” said Cahill. “We could have really used a full week to collect as much as possible.”

English teacher Mrs. Sanchez was impressed by the reaction that students and teachers had about the food drive.

“The competition was a great motivator,” said Mrs. Sanchez. “I was impressed by the enthusiasm of teachers and students for the drive.”

Although there was a good amount of food raised during the three days, there’s hope for improvement with a full five-day food drive next year.

“I hope next year we can get a five-day week so that we have the opportunity to collect as much food as possible for this worthy cause,” said Mrs. Sanchez.

Although the goal of 10,000 items was not reached, South students still did well in collecting food.

Senior Christian Martinez felt that despite the success, steps can be taken to make the food drive even more successful in the years to come.

“If we do something like this again, the incentive should be advertised a bit better,” said Martinez. “I think that would help the numbers a lot.”

All the food that was raised throughout the food drive is going to The Maine Township Food Pantry.

The food will be given to less fortunate people in Maine Township.

Although this is the first time Maine South is hosting a Color Run, some students have participated in other fun runs with zany themes.

These similar 5K’s consist of the Chicago Hot Chocolate Run, in December, and the Edison Park Turkey Trot in November.

The Hot Chocolate Run rewards their runners with a sweatshirt and a chocolate party once they finish.

The Turkey Trot releases some guilt for runners who will be indulging in a Thanksgiving feast later in the day.

Senior Lauren Waterstrat was one of many who participated in the Schaumburg Color Run last year.

“The Color Run was different from others because you’re always looking forward to making it to the next color that you don’t even realize you’re running anymore,” said Waterstrat. “It makes it much more exciting to start off in all white and then see how you

end up at the end of the run.”

Along with a face full of paint, participants will receive a T-shirt, which serves as a memento of each participant’s achievement.

The T-shirts were designed by the Color Run committee members, seniors Sarah Asson and Annie Krall.

Runners can participate with their shirt on or save it as a souvenir.

Krall, along with roughly twenty other students on the committee, volunteered their time and energy to finding local sponsors from the Park Ridge area.

Each member of National Honor Society got at least one sponsor to help Maine South reach its goal of $10,000.

The Park Ridge Youth Commission gave the largest amount with a donation of $1,000.

The proceeds from the run will go to the charity that Maine South students vote as the recipient of

this year’s school-wide fundraiser donation.

The possible charities, which started out as a list of twenty, will be narrowed down to four choices so that students can watch PSAs and cast their final votes.

The Color Run is unlike other races and can be a way to get together with friends and be active. NHS is anticipating attendance from all types of runners.

Senior Megan King, one of the members on the Color Run committee, is looking forward to the attendance at the race.

“Everyone can participate,” said King. “Tell your friends, tell your parents, tell your annoying neighbors down the block.”

The Color Run is expected to be a success and have a big crowd, and organizers hope to bring students together in a fun and active way.

Catherine Coyle News Writer

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he annual Maine South Food Drive took place Feb. 16-20, and students collected 3,900 food items for the Maine Township Food Pantry.

According to student council co-sponsor Mrs. Muir-Wilson, we set a new record for amount of food collected this year.

“We usually collect around 1,000 or 1,500 items but this year we collected almost 4,000,” said Mrs. Muir-Wilson.

The focus of the food drive was on first period classes. Whichever first period class brought in the most items would receive a breakfast.

Mr. Marsic ano’s cl ass won the competition by collecting approximately 500 items.

“I encouraged them as best as I could, but it was up to them to bring in the food,” said Mr. Marsicano.

“While I spoke about it in class and sent email reminders to them, they were the ones who attained the food, they were the ones who brought the items in, and they were the ones who helped those less fortunate than themselves.”

Mr. Berendt, Assistant Principal For Students, thought the competition was a fun way to help this year’s school-wide food drive be successful.

“I thought the first-period class

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

A HELPING HAND Boxes of food items from different first period classes were taken to the front circle, where they were loaded into the van above and taken over to The Maine Township Food Pantry, marking the end of the food drive.

NHS members to host Color Run at school

Kait Valentine

News Writer s part of this year’s schoolwide fundraiser, Maine South’s National Honor Society has organized a Color Run, which will take place on April 11 at 11:00 am.

The Color Run was founded in March of 2011, in Phoenix, Arizona,

by Travis Snyder. It is as an event designed to promote healthiness and happiness by bringing communities together to participate in the “Happiest 5K on the Planet.” However, this 5K has a twist.

What makes the Color Run different is that powdered dye is thrown on the runners, covering their skin, hair, and clothes in vibrant colors.

The runners will wear all white, so that by the time they reach the finish line, each participant is covered headto-toe in color.

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March 13, 2015

| NEWS

Ms. Pichinos leaves legacy of love and inspiration

complished artist with an infectious passion for the arts,” fellow Fine Arts teacher Ms. Moore said.

Ms. Pichinos’ outlook on teaching and life allowed her to connect so well with her students.

“She treated us as visionaries and whatever we wanted to express she let us do,” senior Tommy Russell said. “She would talk to us about her life and let us respond with the stories of our own.”

“She was a wonderful person, a friend, and a creator,” junior Christina Mihalopoulos said. “Her per-

sonality was one that you wouldn’t come across that often. Strong, passionate, willing, thoughtful and caring are just some of the many words that describe her.”

Principal Shawn Messmer remembers Ms. Pichinos working late hours and putting in extra time to benefit her students.

“I remember Ms. Pichinos going around late at night and adjusting the student work on display throughout the building to make sure that it was portrayed perfectly every single day,” Mr. Messmer said.

Mrs. Keith, the Fine Arts Department Chair, believes that Ms. Pichinos left a legacy at Maine South that will continue on for years to come.

“How the art department runs, the senior scholarships given at honors night, our main office art gallery, Art Club and some of the simple, fun projects they did, and the hundreds of students she taught who are teaching and practicing art are all part of her legacy,” said Ms. Keith. “Countless students who were inspired by Ms. Pichinos went on to become successful artists deriving their inspiration from her.”

Many students thought of Ms. Pichinos as much more than a teacher.

“Ms. P. was both a friend and a role model in addition to being a teacher,” senior Carolyn Fitzgibbon said. “She always did everything in her power to help her students in whatever area of their lives that they needed help in. From writing recommendation letters for colleges and jobs to spending her free periods talking a student out of an anxiety attack, Ms. P. gave all of herself to her students in a way that profoundly impacted all of us.”

Ms. Moore also thought of Ms. Pichinos as a key component to the success and expansion of the Art Department and its students.

“I already miss seeing her sitting at her desk in the classroom, painting, drawing or working in class creating examples for the students.”

The impact Ms. Pichinos had on her thousands of students and fellow teachers will never be forgotten.

The Fine Arts department is beginning to seek donations for the Sophia Pichinos Memorial Art Scholarship, which will be given to an artist at Senior Honors Night.

school as a township,” said Dr. Wallace. “We end up usually coming into pretty unanimous agreement on a decision, and even when we don’t, if it’s clear that there is consensus among the superintendents to go one way or another, we try to all go in on a decision because we don’t want some in and some out. That will just create more problems.”

Superintendents are tracking extreme cold well before they have to make a decision about closing school.

“We start talking as far in advance as we can, based on weather models,” said Dr. Wallace. “We’re on the phone, we’re on our e-mail, we’re texting, we’re doing conference calls, and we’re each contributing our own data.”

When deciding to call school off, superintendents try to make the call as early as possible.

“If we can make a call the night before, then we would like to because the earlier we can give families information, the better,” said Dr. Wallace.

“Parents and students may need to

make other arrangements. The more advanced notice that you can give people—and that’s students, family, and staff—the better it will be.”

Four of our emergency days have been used this year because of extreme cold, which makes the decision a little easier for superintendents to make.

“Now the good thing with the cold weather is that you are really only looking at one variable,” said Dr. Wallace.

Decisions to close school start when temperatures are predicted to be -25 or below.

“What we’ve done here in Maine Township is if the windchill looks like it’s -25 or below, then that has kind of been our demarcation point for calling off school,” said Dr. Wallace. “We have kids that have to travel by foot to get to a bus or something else, so we really have to think about that.”

Dr. Wallace has an advantage over some superintendents which allows him to make a more informed decision.

“I’m the only superintendent that actually lives in the district,” he said.

“So if it’s a snow issue, then I’m up at 3:30 or 4:00 and I’m actually driving the roads to get a good assessment.

And that’s something that you can’t really get on the news. You have to actually go out and see it.”

After this winter, the superintendents are going to get together to reflect on this cold weather and reevaluate their demarcation point.

“The north cook region is going to visit this topic and see if we want to as a group say, ‘for really cold weather, this is our demarcation point.’ That may happen, and that may not,” said Dr. Wallace.

“If this is the new normal, we need to look at our analytics again and try to get information, not just from ourselves, but from other people who can give us some information about the impacts about being outside in the cold and what should be the appropriate threshold for school-aged students,” said Dr. Wallace. “The bottom line is we are looking out for the general welfare.”

Alex Ellyin & Stephen Sakowicz

Editors-in-Chief n Feb. 3, Maine South lost an extremely dedicated and passionate member of its community when Art teacher Ms. Sophia Pichinos lost her battle with cancer.

Faculty and students remember Ms. Pichinos as a committed teacher, mentor, and friend.

Ms. Pichinos’ career began at Maine South in 1971, when she was first hired into the Art Department.

She worked at Maine South from 1971-1980 and again from 1999 to 2015.

In between, Ms. Pichinos worked for the Art Institute in Chicago as well as the University of IllinoisChicago, teaching art classes at both institutions.

Teaching an array of classes from Ceramics to Photography, as well as AP and regular-level Art classes, Ms. Pichinos had a true passion for the material she taught to students.

“It was important for her to have the students see her as a working artist—because she was a very ac-

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District 207 runs out of emergency days

Kristin Camiliere

News Editor ith school being called off on Feb. 19 because of extreme cold, District 207 has used all five of its built-in emergency days this year.

According to multiple staff members with longevity in the district, this is the largest number of emergency days that District 207 has ever used in one school year.

Since winter isn’t over, it’s possible that the district could have to use another emergency day. If this does happen, an extra school day would be added on at the end of the year. This isn’t the ideal scenario, but Dr. Wallace is more concerned with students’ safety.

“If the worst case scenario is if we go over the five days, then we go over the five days,” he said. “Our main goal is to minimize putting students at risk with the cold weather, because that’s never worth the day.”

The decision to close school is a collaborative effort between the superintendents of Districts 62, 63, 64, and 72.

“We make decisions to call off

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SouthwordS 3

COMMENTARY

| March 13, 2015

Religion doesn’t need to be a source of conflict Katrina Iorio Staff Writer

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t some point during my years wearing Abercrombie and Fitch and having braces, I found God. I got involved in a youth group at my non-denominational church, and participated in activities like the annual “Vacation Bible School” and a religious Winter Camp—activities that made it seem like Jesus was your best friend, and that reading the Bible was better than anything on TV. At this point in my life, I was innocent, hopeful, and completely dedicated to God. I spent every Wednesday night standing on chairs, two hands up, my eyes closed, singing “My God is An Awesome God,” wholeheartedly meaning every word I sung.

When my older sister revealed to me that she was an atheist, I cried for hours, and for the first time in my life, I began to question everything I knew about religion. This event opened my

eyes to the singularity that my church stood for, and that not all of it was for the greater good.

Even at a young age, I realized that many aspects of religion result in conflict—but why is that? This conflict tends to have a heavy emphasis on the differences each religion has, yet realistically, almost every religion has similar core beliefs. Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, all share beliefs in modesty, in respecting others, in respecting ourselves, and in giving to those who are less fortunate.

Why is it, then, that religion is producing the opposite effects? When I look at the abundance of religious conflict, it seems to me that, more than anything, these religions are often hurt by human hypocrisy.

Islamic culture and religion thrives on the components of quiet prayer and sacrifice. Yet, because of acts of terrorism like 9/11 that were performed by a small group of religious extremists, an entire culture’s reputation was changed forever. An attack such as this one does not depict peace in any way, so why should we associate it with a religion that does?

As human beings, we are so quick to generalize. Instead of finding a way

to get rid of conflict, we respond to events like this with more hatred.

It is apparent that every religion’s ideas are complicated and often get misrepresented. Some followers of Christianity stray from their beliefs by demonstrating hatred to those who do not assimilate to their views and ideas, leading to violent acts such as the bombing of abortion clinics led by Michael Bray, a follower of the Christian Identity movement, and fueling heinous groups like the KKK. For every religious affiliation, the problem is simple. We are often so consumed by the singularity of our beliefs that we seem to forget the core teachings of the Bible, the Quran, or whatever text it may be. We fail to recall that before anything, our religious beliefs should be fueled by kindness, by doing the greater good, by tolerance, and by respect.

At one point in my life I was consumed by the formalities of Christianity, struggling to find its true meaning. Yet, I learned that religion’s power is in what you make of it. Faith can have the power to heal, to redeem, to bring light to even the hardest of situations, if, and only if, we remember why we believe.

Second glass hallway would decrease tardies Dan Wierzchowski Staff Writer

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a relatively trivial, yet expensive, endeavor when there are other ways to spend money to improve other things more directly related to our educations. Nevertheless, the addition of the hallway would certainly reduce the number of times students are late to class, effectively resulting in an increase in instructional minutes.

While the construction could cause somewhat of a disruption until it is completed, most of it could take place over the summer when school is out of session.

Hopefully, someday, this will turn into a reality, but until then, six more weeks of winter is not only killing our plants, but my chances of getting to class on time, too.

GRAPHIC BY ANNA CAMPBELL

aine South’s hallways are a veritable rat race during the passing periods, with everyone rushing to get to class within the allotted five minutes. Yet, no hallway gets as much traffic as the glass hallway connecting the A-wing with the C wing, especially during cold, winter months such as these (March??

—only in Chicago).

Students wishing to escape rain or the bitter cold during their commute to and from the A-wing must instead endure the harsh climate of slow walking and tight spaces in the glass hallway.

One proposal which would solve this issue is the creation of a second glass hallway, running along the path of the walkway parallel to the current glass hallway, which currently serves as an outdoor method of

travel between the A and C wings.

Congestion in the glass hallway could effectively be reduced by half, allowing everyone to be happier, warmer, and moving faster.

Furthermore, building this structure would create an openair foyer between the old glass hallway and the new one, much like the one within the C wing, except this one would be accessible to students. Before or after school, during lunch or other off-periods, students could come here, eat at the currently-neglected picnic table, play ultimate frisbee, and enjoy the outdoors, healthily breaking up a day of learning and sitting in class.

As our school administration begins to reconfigure the space that used to house the district administration, now is the best time to make this beneficial addition.

However, many obstacles exist to prevent the construction of such a hallway. The largest, and most obvious of these, is the school’s budget. From a financial standpoint, some may think that it is highly unlikely the school will invest in

Maine South High School 1111 South Dee Road Park Ridge, IL 60068 http://www.southwords.org

Signed letters to the editor should be delivered to LRC1, given to a member of the editorial staff, or e-mailed to southwords@maine207.org.

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Scan this QR code to e-mail Southwords Editors-in-Chief

Alex Ellyin Katie Krall Stephen Sakowicz

Production Editors Joshua Larragoity Rhyanne Noche News Editors

Erin Clements Kristin Camiliere Jake Kay

Entertainment Editors Katie Kaminsky Kate Papciak Matt Weiss Features Editors Monica Bielawiec CJ Johnson Laney Kraus-Taddeo Commentary Editors

Annie Krall

Alex Ponder Sports Editors

Austin Derrick John Lavaccare Sam Tinaglia

Art/Production Team Basia Chruscinski Ryan Kovacin Adviser

Mr. Stathakis

March 13, 2015

STAFF EDITORIAL

| COMMENTARY

The many benefits of living in Park Ridge M

any students at Maine South often voice their discontent at living in Park Ridge. They mock its suburban conventionalities and its aversion to change. Nicknames such as “Action Ridge” are used ironically to ridicule the town’s perceived lack of activities. However, this discontent is the result of adolescent immaturity, not Park Ridge’s alleged limited restaurant or entertainment options.

As we age and become ready to move on to other things, we often discredit or reject familiarity. We grow bored of places we used to frequent and look forward to new experiences elsewhere. As a result, we believe that Park Ridge is an excellent place to live when we are young, but many of us can’t wait to leave.

The businesses in Park Ridge exist in two different spheres: local and corporate. National grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Mariano’s are often visited, but many people love the fresh produce at Garden on the Run, a market with organic produce owned by a local family.

Living in Park Ridge gives you the option of having a cappuccino at Starbucks or visiting locally-owned Tea Lula for a cup of blueberry tea, both of which are a short walk from one another.

While some Hawks may prefer

coffee shops in Chicago, Park Ridge offers many options.

Park Ridge is known for its wide variety of youth activities. Many children begin participating in house league sports as early as preschool and continue to compete in basketball or baseball through high school.

Travel s oftball and s o ccer tournaments are ubiquitous parts of many families’ summer plans.

These programs teach children discipline and commitment. Playing on teams with athletes who go to school with you fosters friendships and connections that last beyond the field or court.

In the summer, Park Ridge offers outdoor concerts on Friday nights outside city hall. Often, these events function as large block parties and bring people from all different neighborhoods in Park Ridge together. Children play tag in blocked-off streets and are introduced to different genres of music while wearing glow sticks on their necks and arms.

But even if Park Ridge doesn’t have what you’re looking for, what makes this place so special is its accessibility to the city. For those who have grown tired of shopping in Uptown or seeing a movie at the iconic Pickwick

GRAPHIC BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

Theater, downtown Chicago offers more abundant opportunities. Taking the train is very easy and cost effective for teens on tight budgets.

Park Ridge is a wonderful place to grow up for many obvious reasons, such as good schools and safe neighborhoods. What many fail to see however, is the history and character a town like Park Ridge possesses.

It’s not a development littered with countless strip malls. It’s a town filled with an interesting past and vibrant personalities. While many Hawks will

leave for college and claim that they will never return to their hometown, Park Ridge has the unique ability to draw us back in.

Those of us who debunk the benefits of living in Park Ridge aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities the city provides.

Living in a suburb is what you make of it. We should embrace our proximity to Chicago and the many youth sports and activities they can participate in with their friends. There really is no place like home.

Committing yourself to overcommitment Alex Ellyin

Editor-in-Chief vercommitted. This is a word that describes my high school life. I have participated in numerous clubs, outside-of-school groups, and a sport. Most weeks, I spend more time at school than at home. Whether it’s working on the newspaper, practicing for Speech Team, or being involved with other clubs, it seems to never end.

My parents and friends mostly view all this time spent as a negative, considering I’m rarely home and always busy. Most of the time, I feel the same way, having to balance this

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time spent with doing homework and relaxing.

Don’t get me wrong—I have complained countless times about having to stay at school for 12 plus hours and go from one activity to the next. But looking back, I think it’s been completely worth it.

I think of high school activities as a buffet. Everyone has their gotos, whether it’s their favorite sport or club. A lot of people stick with their favorite activity and devote all their time to that, which is not a bad thing at all.

For me though, I have done my best to try everything I can to find out if I have interests I simply don’t know about, instead of just remaining in my comfort zone.

High school is all about finding one’s passions, regardless of whether

it’s in the classroom, on the field, with a club, or a mix of all three. We are so fortunate to go to a school that presents us with nearly unlimited opportunities to find what we really like.

I have found three passions throughout high school: baseball, public speaking, and journalism. If it wasn’t for being on the baseball team, Speech Team, and Southwords, I may not have developed an interest in these pursuits.

Have I liked every club I joined?

No. Do I think I wasted my time in the clubs I didn’t like? No. After being involved with so many clubs, I now know what some of my passions are. And besides helping us prepare for college, this is the point of high school.

After my experiences on Scholastic

Bowl, I found out I would never be on “Jeopardy.” I also learned that I didn’t enjoy playing an instrument after being in band at the beginning of high school. Portraying a lawyer on Mock Trial wasn’t interesting to me, so going into law isn’t something I want to do in the future.

Obviously colleges like to see kids who participate in extracurriculars, but this is not the only benefit of being involved. Being involved also allows you to develop passions that last a lifetime.

Being overcommitted does seem negative at first glance, but the positives outweigh the drawbacks.

Yes, every day is always busy and brings up unexpected challenges with respect to the activities I’m in, but it is all worth it, because I have discovered things I truly care about.

SouthwordS 5

SPECIAL ISSUE

| March 13, 2015

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outhwords conducted a survery of Maine South students and received over 600 responses on the best restaurants, food items, and places in the Park Ridge area. The results are inclcuded below, and the top four chioces are detailed in pie charts.

Best late-night bites

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ptown Park Ridge typically shuts down around 9 to 10 p.m., causing many Maine South students to look elsewhere for late night food. McDonald’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Taco Bell, and Gene and Jude’s are some of the more popular establishments among students, but Culver’s is the favorite choice for Hawks, with 20% of the vote.

The variety of choices on the Culver’s menu entices customers.

“I like Culver’s because they are good at everything,” said senior Dan Hopkinson. “They have the fries of McDonald’s, the chicken of Wendy’s, and ice cream like no other fast food place.”

Culver’s keeps its doors open until 11:00 p.m.

The establishment is famous for their Butterburgers and frozen custard. They offer a “Flavor of the Day’”special which features a unique flavor of their fresh frozen custard.

There are many opportunities to score savings at Culver’s as well. The chain has a n online club that customers can join to receive daily deals.

Culver’s Rosemont location is convenient for many Maine South students. Other locations include Mt. Prospect and Morton Grove.

20% 18% 17% 12%

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

Culver’s McDonald’s Gene & Jude’s Buffalo Wild Wings

GRAPHIC BY ANNA CAMPBELL & BASIA CHRUSCINSKI

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PHOTO BY PATRICIA SMYRSKI

Chipotle Hay Caramba Taco Burrito King Don Juan’s Best Mexican food

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54% 18% 11% 6%

ver since Chipotle hit the Park Ridge restaurant scene, Maine South students have been hooked. Chipotle was the clear winner for favorite restaurant for Mexican food, as it won in a landslide vote, by the widest margin of the entire voluntary survey. In the survey, 54% of students, chose Chipotle.

“Chipotle has great food and great workers,” senior Michael John Siwek said. “It’s the best burrito in town and you can make your burrito hundreds of different ways.”

Not only does the restaurant attract students because of the food, but it is also a popular hangout among students. Whether it’s after a Friday night football game, the winter play, or on a weekend, the go-to Park Ridge social destination for Hawks is Chipotle.

“Maine South kids love Chipotle so much because it has options and it’s fast casual,” Siwek said. “If you don’t want restaurant dining or fast food, Chipotle is your go-to. It also has a chill vibe that welcomes you in.”

Behind Chipotle in the survey was Hay Caramba, with 18% of votes. Taco Burrito King was the next most popular option, receiving 10% of the vote.

March 13, 2015

Best burgers and hot dogs

Best middle school hangout

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ocated on Dempster in Niles, Portillo’s has been the go-to place for burgers and salads for a number of Maine South students. In the Southwords survey, 35% of students voted Portillo’s for the best burger and 41% voted they had the best hot dogs. Portillo’s beat out its competitors, which included restaurants such as Tasty Pup, Paradise Pup, and Wally’s, by a significant margin. The burger place with the second-largest number of votes was Five Guys, with 25% of the votes.

For many Maine South students, what makes the burgers at Portillo’s stand out from other restaurants is their ingredients.

“Portillo’s burgers have the best buns in town, by far,” said senior Ryan Kuta.

“Everything, from the lettuce, to the cheese, to the condiments, has a healthier taste to it compared to every other place in Park Ridge I’ve gone to.”

Another aspect of Portillo’s that Maine South students particularly enjoy is seeing their friends, who are employees, prepare their burgers and hot dogs.

“I personally have a decent number of friends from school who work at Portillo’s, and it’s really fun to have them make my food for me,” said senior Josh Fabella. “They make them a certain way and put different ingredients on them than they normally would, and it makes the whole experience of going to Portillo’s and eating out even more personal, unique, and engaging.”

Best hot dogs

Portillo’s Gene and Jude’s Superdawg Snappy Dog

41% 29% 21% 1%

Portillo’s Five Guys The Sandlot Paradise Pup

35% 23% 11% 6%

Best burgers

| SPECIAL ISSUE

s middle school students, it was difficult for many of us to find a way to explore places outside of Park Ridge. As a result. it is not uncommon to find middle schoolers hanging out at the Young Adult loft at the Park Ridge Public Library, or at the Starbucks uptown, which were both ranked as the top middle school hangouts by Maine South students.

The YA loft offers a tranquil and available place to sit down and enjoy a spot away from adults.

“I went to the YA loft because I thought it was a cute little area where I could be with kids my age and read,” said junior Jenny Ciupinski, who recalls spending time at the loft in middle school. With comfortable seating and entertainment in the form of magazines and computers, the YA loft was an easy go-to as middle PHOTO BY PATRICIA SMYRSKI schoolers.

YA Loft—PR Library 20% Starbucks 18% School Parks 17% Panera 11%

Starbucks is also the hot spot for bored adolescent teens, who, Frappucinos in hand, crowd the cafe’s trendy seating area. In close proximity to Uptown, Starbucks was a great place to meet up with friends, enjoy a drink, and talk about the latest gossip or middle school drama. For some, Starbucks was proof of growing up.

“If you were cool enough to be at Starbucks at 8 o’clock on a Friday night, you were the kid to be,” said junior Kathy Gaertner. “It was an indication of having more responsibility.”

Besides the YA loft and Starbucks, other uptown locations such as Panera, Oberweis, and Hinkley Park ranked highest in the best middle school hangout category.

Turn the page for more Maine South student favorites!

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SPECIAL ISSUE | March 13, 2015

BEST OF HAWK COUNTRY BEST OF HAWK COUNTRY BEST OF HAWK COUNTRY Best places that are gone

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ark Ridge is a constantly-evolving city, especially in areas such as Uptown.

With the construction of new restaurants comes the closure of some of Park Ridge’s long-standing culinary and entertainment destinations.

Maine South students ranked Lisa’s Italian Ice as the most missed Park Ridge establishment, followed by Planet Smoothie and Oakton Pool.

“I have really fond memories of going to Lisa’s with my friends,” said junior Maddie Gruber. “It was more refreshing than ice cream so it was the perfect hang-out spot during the summer. We all were so upset when it closed.”

Lisa’s opened in 2007, and was a staple of Uptown Park Ridge for six years until 2013, when the business made a conversion to a supplier format. Lisa’s Italian Ice can still be found in eight flavors at Creme of the Crepe, which now occupies the former Lisa’s location at 3 Northwest Highway.

29% 24% 11% 10%

PHOTO COURTESY LISA ROSS

Lisa’s Italian Ice Planet Smoothie Baked by Betsy Oakton Pool

Best breakfast

O

ne out of every five Maine South students surveyed prefers to have a stack of flapjacks at the Original Pancake House.

“I enjoy the Original Pancake House instead of IHOP because it’s more family-oriented and has more food options on the menu,” said senior Sabrina Tamas.

The majority of Pancake House patrons have been dining there since they were young.

“I always used to go there as a kid for their chocolate milk,” said senior Mara Cameron. “Now, whenever we get a day off, I wake up and go for their chocolate chip pancakes or skillets because it’s a cute place and you get a lot of food for less.”

The Original Pancake House is renowned for its large portions of food for a relatively inexpensive price.

“If you want a pancake bigger than your head, order the apple pancake,” said senior Molly Nuzzo. “They are amazing and huge. I’m pretty sure my whole family could share one, and I’m not an only child.”

Pancake House Mac’s IHOP Goldy’s

PHOTO BY PATRICIA SMYRSKI

Best sandwiches

20% 13% 13% 13%

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Potbelly Jersey Mike’s Subway Tony’s Deli

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44% 20% 16% 7%

PHOTO BY PATRICIA SMYRSKI

ark Ridge and its surrounding area has many great places to find a delicious sandwich, but Potbelly was the clear winner in this vote, receiving 44% of votes. Jersey Mike’s finished in second with 20% followed

by Subway which came in third place with 16% of the vote.

Potbelly Sandwich Works, which is located at 107 South Northwest Highway, has a diverse menu with a variety of food options. These include salads, milkshakes, and a secret menu. But the restaurant is best known for their sub sandwiches. The options include three types of sandwiches, “original,” “big,” and “skinny.” All three are served on multigrain or white bread, but differ in the quantity of meat, cheese, and vegetables included.

“I have tried almost every item on Potbelly’s menu,” said senior Adrianna Gorniak. “I love going to Potbelly because not only is the food amazing, but the people are so nice. I pretty much know everyone who works there since I go so often and they have my order memorized. The food and the restaurant itself is what drives me to go there so often.”

Maine South also has a staff connection to the restaurant: Special Education teacher Mr. Mazuroski is a musician who plays guitar at Potbelly on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. He plays all different genres of music, and provides entertainment while customers enjoy their sandwiches.

March 13, 2015 | SPECIAL ISSUE

BEST OF HAWK COUNTRY BEST OF HAWK COUNTRY BEST OF HAWK COUNTRY PHOTO BY PATRICIA SMYRSKI

Best place to study for finals

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hile many students prefer to study at home or the library during finals, Starbucks is still a popular destination for students.

“I like to go to Starbucks with friends because we can study, but also talk and drink coffee or tea which makes it more enjoyable,” said senior Meghan Martin.

Other students find that Starbucks products have medicinal qualities.

“Iced chai eases the pain of studying,” said senior Jessica Petersen.

Many Hawks also enjoy studying in small groups, which is very conducive at Starbucks.

“I like studying at Starbucks because it gives me motivation to actually do my work,” said senior Natalie Roman. “When you’re at your house, only you know if you aren’t doing anything. Whereas at Starbucks, all of your friends know if you aren’t doing anything.”

At home PR Library In your bed Starbucks

38% 22% 18% 10%

Best workout facilities

Best place you don’t know about

ll of the clubs, classes, and piles of homework students endure on a daily basis can be very stressful.

However, most Maine South students find that Park Ridge has an array of ideal places to exercise after school. Students chose the Park Ridge Community Center as the favorite workout facility with Core Power Yoga as the runner-up.

“The Community Center is so popular for Maine South students because it’s in a convenient location and offers a wide variety of activities,” senior Guy Olson said. “[The facility] is a great place because not only can you ball it up with your friends downstairs, but you can also get huge upstairs,” senior Caroline O’Connor said.

Core Power Yoga is also held in high regard by most students and offers a wide variety of yoga classes ranging from beginner to more advanced.

“The instructors are very motivating and encouraging,” said junior Haley Novak. “It is a great workout without having to run. My favorite part is at the end when I am so tired because they put a cold lemon rag on your forehead.”

anino’s Pizza, located at 28 South Fairview Avenue, on the south side of the Prospect Avenue railroad crossing, was voted to be the best place most Maine South students have never been. The south segment of the Uptown business district is often overlooked; however, it is home to some of Park Ridge’s best restaurants, including Panino’s, which serves pizza and other Italian specialties such as calzones and timpanos.

“Panino’s is the best pizza place in Park Ridge,” said senior Leia Atas.

“The service is great, and the food is even better. Their stuffed pizza is the best I’ve ever had. After my golf matches, I like to order pizza from Panino’s with the whole team.”

Many varieties of pizza are served at Panino’s, from thin crust to stuffed, with toppings ranging from the classic pepperoni and sausage to unusual ones like barbecue sauce and bacon. They also serve the classic Verona pizza, which replaces tomato sauce with alfredo sauce. These numerous varieties help keep customers coming back to Panino’s.

A

Community Center Core Power Yoga MS Weight Cage Charter Fitness

40% 10% 9% 7%

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Panino’s Pizza Gumba Joe’s Tea Lula Affresco

21% 19% 16% 14%

Best grocery store

PHOTO BY PATRICIA SMYRSKI

Mariano’s Jewel Whole Foods Trader Joe’s

35% 19% 18% 16%

M

aine South students voted Mariano’s as the best grocery store in the Park Ridge area, garnering 35% of the votes.

Mariano’s beat out many other popular grocery stores in the area, including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Jewel-Osco. The national chain also beat out smaller locally-owned stores such as Garden on the Run and Happy Foods.

Mariano’s is the newest grocery store in Park Ridge, having opened up in the former Dominick’s location within the past year.

As a result, it is more up-to-date and modernized than some of the other grocery stores.

“The great thing about Mariano’s is that the decor and aesthetic of the place feels much more contemporary and almost state-of-the-art than other grocery stores,” said senior Andrew Petkofski. “You just walk in and everything is so bright and shiny. It makes the entire experience much more welcoming and pleasurable and is definitely unmatched by the other grocery stores in the area.”

The store also offers a vast array of amenities, including an oyster bar, a grilling station, and a sushi restaurant.

“I just find all of the facilities they have and offer to the public to be incredible,” said freshman Eugene Caporale.

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FEATURES

| March 13, 2015

Classrooms without borders Field trips have long been a part of American education, offering students culturally enriching experiences that augment their in-school learning. And Maine South, specifically the teachers from the foreign language department, offer some pretty amazing field trips. In the upcoming months and years, there are five different trips planned to countries all over the world.

Spanish teacher Mr. Arguello will be leading a spring break trip this year. He is leaving with 13 students on Friday, March 27 for Portugal and Spain, and they’ll return on Sunday, April 5. He and his wife will be chaperoning. The cost will be $4,000 and will include airfare, hotels, and meals, as well as a guide and private transportation. The trip is booked through ACIS (American Council for International Students).

“These sorts of trips aren’t schoolsponsored because of the liability,” said Spanish teacher Mr. Dutmers. “Instead, the company that offers the trip has the insurance.”

“The reason why you take students on a trip like this is to give them the opportunity to see everything they have been working so hard on for so long come alive,” Mr. Arguello said. “They use the language, they see the culture, and they see that what they have done in class is something real with an actual application to the world we live in. As a teacher, it is really neat to see this unfolding before your eyes. It gives meaning to what you do, too.”

The group will begin their trip in Lisbon, Portugal and then work their way to Spain.

“This trip is full of highlights,” said Mr. Arguello. “The group will see the Alhambra palace in Granada, participate in a Flamenco dancing lesson and show, and explore the city of Madrid at night.”

The students have the opportunity to really hone their language skills. They have to learn to say what they want to say without having all the words they need.

“You start learning circumlocation and how to describe something in a different way, which is kind of a language survival skill,” he said.

Ensuring all the food is safe is a priority and can even be a challenge when traveling to different countries.

“You don’t want to have ice cubes in your Coca-Cola because you don’t know where the water came from,” said Mr. Dutmers. “As teachers, the safety and security of the kids is our main concentration. If you have safety and security, you will have a lot of opportunities for engagement with the culture, with the language, with the people.”

While very fun, these trips can also be a little scary.

“You’re not on American soil anymore, you’re in a different territory,” said Mr. Dutmers. “But there’s an international humanistic good spirit out there. People in Spain, people in Mexico, people are people and they want to have positive relations. We all have a sense of ‘we’re in this together’ when we travel.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY BASIA CHRUSCINSKI

SPAIN

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Italy This spring break, Italian teachers Mrs. Modica and Mrs. Weber will take a nine-day trip with students to Venice, and then make their way through Verona, Assisi, Florence, and Rome.

They will travel in a tour bus with a tour manager.

“Upon arriving in Venice we will go to the island of Lido and check in to our hotel, “ said Mrs. Weber. “After doing so, we’ll take a motor boat down the Grand Canal and most likely go to St. Mark’s square to see some of the sites and enjoy an espresso or even our first gelato,” she said.

After spending another day in Venice, the group will travel to Verona for an afternoon. There they will see Juliet’s home claiming to be the Capulets’ from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The tourist attraction features the balcony where Juliet asks, “Wherefore art thou Romeo?”

“Once we have visited Verona and Juliet’s home, we will move down to Assisi, we will visit the town and the church where St. Francis died,” said Mrs. Weber. “After that we will move onto Florence, the ‘Cradle of the Renaissance.’”

But the fast pace will allow students to enjoy the best of multiple Italian cities.

“Each city is so unique, and I think the students will love each and every stop we make,” said Mrs. Modica. “I can’t wait to hear about the students’ favorite parts,” she said.

The group will then travel to Rome, being their

Sarah Asson & Laney Kraus-Taddeo

Features Writer & Features Editor

final destination.

“We will visit all the tourist sites including St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel,” said Mrs. Weber.

“After that visit, we will head straight to a lesson on how real gelato is made,” she said.

“The goal of the trip is to bring students to the country that they have been studying for five years and to finally make all the connections of language, culture, and history,” said Mrs. Modica.

M r s . We b e r ’s h u s b a n d a n d daughter will also be accompanying as chaperones.

“We land in the morning and begin our tour immediately,” said Mrs. Modica. “And our final challenge will be coming home because everyone will want to stay having fallen in love with Italy.”

Students have been preparing for the trip for a long time, including practical preparations like obtaining a passport. “[The students have been] practicing their Italian speaking and eating skills,” said Mrs. Modica.

The trip is just as enjoyable for the teachers as it is for students.

“Many students ask me if I ever get tired of going to the same places; my answer to that is no,” said Mrs. Weber.

“The reason is that a new group of students makes me see the same places, but through their eyes.”

For Mrs. Modica, the best part is watching her students become closer as they travel together.

“Best of all is the camaraderie that develops among the entire group whether or not they were friends when they left Chicago,” she said.

March 13, 2015 | FEATURES

This spring break, Chinese teacher Ms. Shi will take ten of her students and three chaperones to China, from March 28 to April 5. Ms. Shi began taking these trips with her students in 2009, so she is no novice.

The $3,240 cost will include airfare, four and five star hotels, three meals a day, and admission to all the sights.

The group will visit Beijing, Shiyan, and Shanghai, and will be accompanied by different local tour guides in each city.

“The biggest challenge on the trip will be the flight,” said Ms. Shi. “It is a 12 or 13 hour nonstop flight.”

The students will have to quickly adjust to their new environment upon landing. In just ten days, they will visit three different cities that are hundreds of miles apart. The group will fly from city to city, and each flight will be about two to three hours.

But all of the time spent getting from destination to destination will be well worth it.

“The highlight of the trip will be climbing part of the Great Wall,” said Ms. Shi. “Another highlight, they will see the terra-cotta warriors in Shiyan

CUBA

In June of 2016, Maine South Spanish students will take a trip that has never been offered: they will be traveling to Cuba. The nine-day trip will begin with a flight to Miami, an overnight stay there, and a morning flight to Cuba.

Mr. Broska, the organizer of the trip, hopes to have a group of about twentyfive students.

“I’m encouraging them to sign up now, but it’s really early in the planning,” Mr. Broska said.

The trip is even open to students who are graduating next year.

“Cuba is something that came on the radar last month; ACIS hasn’t offered trips to Cuba, but now, with some recent changes in United States policy, it is easier to travel there,” Mr. Broska said. “You used to get a license from the US Treasury to run a trip to Cuba;

and try authentic Chinese food, not Americanized Chinese food.”

Having learned from past trips, Ms. Shi knows which activities are big hits with students.

“The kids enjoy buying things from the local markets using the language,” she said. “On the last trip, the kids tried different food like fish eyes. We also went to China’s Mao Zedong memorial hall. You line up for two hours to see him for two minutes.”

In the past, she’s also brought groups to tour a Chinese courthouse and become introduced to the Chinese court system.

“The students should form their own opinions on the sights they see there; it’s very important that they are also immersed in the language and that they experience the culture,” Ms. Shi said. “They’ll use what they learn in class and apply it to the real world.

Also, they can learn first hand the cultural differences, and how the culture influences the daily lives of the people who live there.”

From these experiences, students make memories that last forever. now you don’t have to get the license particularly from them. However, the US Department of the Treasury still requires that trips be what they call a ‘People-to-People’ exchange,” he said.

The US government wants to make sure that trips to Cuba are educational in nature.

“We’re going to meet different people every day we’re there,” said Mr. Broska. “One day we will meet with a choral group and get to talk with them, interact with them, maybe even sing some songs with them. We’ll get to meet artists, whether it’s painting or things like that; there’s a mural project we’re going to go visit and we get to talk to the people doing the mural project.

We want to have that people-to-people interaction,” he said.

Mr. Broska says he has always been interested in Cuba.

As a communist country, Cuba has been closed off since 1959 to US

GERMANY

CHINA

Back in October, a group of 43 German students spent two weeks with Maine South families. Now it is Maine South students’ turn to go to Germany. They will stay with their host families for two weeks in June. The popular exchange program has been going on for 20 years.

“We have an exchange program with a school in Germany,” said the German teachers, Mrs. Wolf. “The school is in Wiesbaden, about 30 minutes by train from Frankfurt in central Germany.”

There will be at least three chaperones that accompany the students on the exchange. However, the teachers at the school in Germany and the parents of the host students are also involved with the program and will help the students on a daily basis.

“The goal is for our Maine South students to develop relationships with teens from Germany and experience the life of a German teenager first hand,” said Mrs. Wolf. In the process, students become more comfortable speaking German, expand their German vocabulary and develop a deeper, more personal understanding of the German culture. Moreover, students develop a broader perspective of the world,” she said.

In order to keep these developing relationships, the students have kept in touch with their German friends since October.

“The most important thing that the students have done is to maintain and foster their relationships with the German students who were here in October,” said Mrs. Wolf. “Our students communicate with the German students on a regular basis using Facebook, texts and everything else that teenagers are into.”

The continued friendship between American and German students is the most rewarding part of the experience.

“One of the most fulfilling parts of this program is to know that students stay in contact with their German partners beyond the exchange and continue the friendships well into college years and their adult lives,” said Mrs. Wolf. “There are students who took part in the program over a decade ago and still have a friendship with their partners. It’s so great to hear the stories of how the relationships among the students developed over the years.”

Because of the close bonds the students form, it is difficult to say goodbye.

“It is amazing to see how quickly the students bond with each other and how easily our students acclimate themselves to the German lifestyle,” Mrs. Wolf said. “The departure from the host families has always been full of hugs….as well as tears from both groups of students.” citizens.

US cars. They probably have other “Right now, you don’t have those models from other countries that are multinational corporations like newer, but you’re still going to see Starbucks and McDonald’s,” the Spanish some of that influence, like, hey that’s teacher said. “You’re going to see Cuba our influence from way back before as they have been living for the last half the Cuban Missile Crisis, that’s the decade or more, and I want to see that last remnants of the US automobile before it changes,” Mr. Broska said. industry there,” he said.

Because of the economic differences Mr. Broska says he is looking between the US and Cuba, students will forward to exploring have to travel with cash. a new country with “As of now, we cannot use our bank his students. cards there—they won’t work with their system,” Mr. Broska said.

Students also won’t be able to use cell phones, so if they want to call home they will have to purchase special calling cards in Cuba.

“As far as vehicles, you will see a lot of old American cars from the sixties,” said Mr. Broska. “It will be a really interesting to see that because that is the last time they had

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FEATURES | March 13, 2015

PHOTO BY MONICA BIELAWIEC

Special Olympics brings home the gold

Emily Donahue & Monica Bielawiec

Features Writer & Features Editor

T

o know someone who has competed in the Olympics is a rarity, while knowing someone who has won a medal is even rarer. Hawks now have the privilege to know such medalists as students Kelsey Brad, Melanie Guja, Daniel Piotrowicz, and Paige Karlson participated in the Special Olympics on Feb. 3-5.

These Olympians not only competed—they brought home gold, silver, and bronze medals for snowshoeing and downhill skiing events on Chestnut Mountain in Galena, Illinois.

The Special Olympics were started in the 1950s and 60s by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The U.S. Olympic Committee approved the organization in 1971, and it has thrived ever since, reaching a total of 4.4 million contestants by May 2014.

These Olympics are year-round events for children and adults. Special Olympics has offices in 170 countries including Zimbabwe, China, Italy, and Switzerland. This is the first year Maine South has been represented in the event.

There are 45 events available in the event, ranging from aquatic and field sports to martial arts and cross country. This year, South students

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▲OLYMPIC PARADE

Special Olympics athletes prepare for the parade held in their honor on Feb. 13. The parade traveled through out the entire school while students showed their support for the athletes.

participated in the winter sports.

The participants had to put in countless hours of practice time to prepare for the real event.

“We had many practices, but due to weather, there wasn’t snow the whole time,” said the students’ teacher and coach Ms. Dwyer.

“We would train outside on the track field with the frozen goose poop,” said Brad. “We only practiced once in the snow, but it was technically snow and ice.”

This caused the transition from training to the Olympics to be difficult. The differing terrain posed many challenges for the athletes when they finally got the chance to try out the snow at Chestnut.

“I sunk a little bit more into the snow,” Brad said about snowshoeing on Chestnut Mountain. “It felt awkward.”

Regardless of the difficulty level of the races, the Maine South Olympians pulled through with amazing results: all of them came home with a medal.

Although the Special Olympics’ main focus is athletics, it also gives competitors the opportunity to meet the people they are competing against.

Brad got the chance to talk to and meet another competitor.

“Even though she wanted to win,

she said ‘nice work’,” Brad said.

All of the competitors agreed that it was more fun than intimidating to meet the athletes from other areas.

When receiving their medals, they all felt a mix of emotions.

“I was happy, excited and tired, but the weather was super cold” said Piotrowicz, who received medals for downhill skiing.

“I was glad, happy, and excited,” s ai d Guj a , w h o a g re e d w it h Piotrowicz’s sentiment.

She won two silver medals for the 200-meter and 400-meter snowshoeing events.

Along with the great accomplishments by the athletes, the event instilled a feeling of pride.

“I felt confident when I finished the race,” said Karlson.

Some competitors were even a little speechless but beyond excited with the challenges they overcame with hard work and practice.

“I felt exhausted and tired, but when I got the medal, I was crying,” said Brad, who received a silver medal for his performance on the 50-meter snowshoe race. “I was a little bit shocked and surprised at the same time. I couldn’t speak. I was a little bit delusional, you could say. I’m hoping to do it next year.”

Inside the mind of an Olympian

by Mikey Nicholson My experience as a whole was nice, but a little bit rough. Sleeping in a room with another person the night before the events was difficult because he was constantly making noise and keeping me up.

I really liked staying at the hotel, but the food was stuff that I’m not really used to eating. The best meal of the trip came on the way back from Galena when we stopped at my favorite restaurant, McDonald’s.

Then came the day of the snowshoe races.

I had to wait over an hour before my name was called for the race. I have never snowshoed before, but my reaction was that I was willing to take the challenge, because it’s something that doesn’t freak me out for it’s riskiness.

When I was racing, what was going through my mind was how well that I would do, and how much rest that I would take after it was over. It was so tiring!

I received two medals for participation.

Thank goodness that I didn’t have to ski—skiing frightens me.

March 13, 2015 | ENTERTAINMENT

Joshua Larragoity

Production Editor n the evening of Feb. 28, Maine South’s Computer Club hosted their first computer program competition called “207Hackathon.”

L ast i ng for 2 4 hou rs , t h is competition allowed students to experience real life code production within a condensed time period. The goal of this competition was quite simple: create a computer program within the allotted time.

Prepared with cases of Monster energy drinks and countless bags of potato chips, participants spent hours programming in the cafeteria, where they brought their own computers, recording gadgets, and other devices to produce their projects. There was an overwhelming number of personal desktops and laptops along with any needed sleeping equipment, including a large tent. Food and recreation in the back gym was also provided without any cost to the students.

The competition provided a friendly, team-building environment for students with an interest of computer programming and exercising the skills needed in such a career.

It challenged the groups in terms of careful time management, understanding the limits of working

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with such late hours and the basics of working together in a team.

While the main focus of the projects required some form of programming, many of them used much more than their coding knowledge. Many group members utilized their previous knowledge in art, sound/music creation, and advanced math to produce a wellrounded product in the end.

Although the late hours were lengthy and tiring, the amount of energ y and fellowship in the room remained quite high. “[The best aspect] was the camaraderie,” said senior Joshua Fabella. “It was really nice to hear people cheer when others overcame bugs in their code.”

This amount of energ y and attitude remained throughout the judging process.

“The quality of the work that was on display far exceeded my expectations and the other judges as well,” said Mr. Hurley. “It was a real sight to behold and a real credit to our kids. The entire group in the room went from project to project and was super supportive and very respectful.

The camaraderie that was shown through that between everyone that participated was very special. I think that is going to be the kind of thing that people look back on and never

IN THE ZONE

PHOTO BY RHYANNE NOCHE

KEYBOARDS AT THE READY

PHOTO BY RHYANNE NOCHE

Sophomores Marco Pilolla, Owen Young, and Santino Mistrata (left to right) create their assignment for the competition. Students had creative freedom, allowing them to make any type of computer program.

forget.”

Stu d e nt s we re wel c ome to come and go at will as long as it didn’t interfere with curfew. This competition was available to students from any of the district 207 schools.

“We had 36 kids of f icially participating in some capacity,” said Mr. Hurley. “Many more showed up just to support. We had at least 50 people during the judging and awards.”

Although the primary challenge was to produce a project in 24 hours, it wasn’t the only obstacle participants faced during the competition. Within the last 40 minutes, the school generators experienced power failures twice, each 15 minutes apart from each other.

This caused extreme stress on

After sophomore Graham Plank’s (seated at monitors) game was completed, Hackathon judges Mr. Hurley, Ed Miller, and former Maine South student, Peter Hadlaw give the program a score. The other students involved look on to see the creation.

PHOTOS BY RHYANNE NOCHE

Hackathon keeps Maine South students up all night

participants who forgot to assure that their programs were saved.

Thankfully, most did not suffer much during this panic. While there was almost an even division among desktop and laptop users, there was no time extension as it was a minor disruption in the grand scheme of things.

At noon on March 1, participants stopped coding as the judges began to evaluate the programs and bestow awards. Awards were divided into six categories: most polished; most professional; most creative; best visuals, audio, and concept; and most complete.

“We decided that because the projects were all so good, we all felt strongly that we wanted everyone to leave with something,” said Mr. Hurley. “And so when we sat down to decide who was the best in what area, we tried to shape what awards we gave around the strengths of each group.”

Every group had members who were familiar with computer science and programing in some way except for one.

“It was really cool,” said junior Dylan Redeker. “I wasn’t planning on staying the entire night, but I was helping my friend, [junior] Kuba [Wiszowaty], with music. It was really fun and I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great learning experience and I really hope it happens again.”

Based on the success of the very first hackathon, Computer Club looks forward to hosting many more in the years to come and bringing more awareness to the opportunities that a career in computer program development may hold.

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ENTERTAINMENT | March 13, 2015

Vocal Jazz lands performance of a lifetime

Elena Sasso

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

Entertainment Writer hile most Maine South students are sound asleep every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, Maine South’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble is at school at 6:45 a.m. singing to prepare for their big trip to Carnegie Hall this Spring Break, March 27 to April 6.

Vocal Jazz Ensemble is a group of 21 students that sing popular and traditional music. This year, the group was selected to perform in New York at the famous Carnegie Hall. They have been practicing for New York since the start of 2015.

“I had to send in a year’s worth of performances, submit a photo of our uniform, and complete a survey about our program,” said Vocal Jazz director, Matthew Hanes. The group set out to raise $10,000 in order to make the trip. The money will cover costs for travel, hotels, and various tourist activities that will take place throughout the trip.

“After a lot of hard work and various gigs, we reached our goal, along with a surplus of around five to six thousand dollars,” said junior, and Vocal Jazz member, Eamon Hurd.

Vocal Jazz has been fundraising since the beginning of the year. They had a benefit at Park Ridge Community Church in January, a caroling event in December, and they have been selling candy around school. Singing competitions come and go, but a trip to Carnegie Hall is one that many of these students will never forget.

“I’m looking forward to the experience itself. It’s such an honor to have been asked to go to Carnegie and it seems surreal that we’re going,” said senior Katrina Iorio. “This will be my first real trip to New York, and we have so many fun activities planned for the trip.”

New York is the perfect city for musicallyinclined students. Carnegie Hall has three main stages and has been around since 1890. The

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ALL THAT JAZZ

Vocal Jazz Ensemble practices before their debut in New York City. They are excited and honored to be performing at Carnegie Hall.

hall’s main goal is to present musical talents and emphasize the importance of both the artists and the audiences.

“We will be taking a walking tour of Central Park, visiting the 9-11 Monument and Museum, and seeing the Broadway show, ‘Kinky Boots,’” said Mr. Hanes. “I’m most excited for the members of Vocal Jazz to sing with other ‘jazzers’ from around the world, and to work with Deke Sharon. He writes and arranges the music for ‘Pitch Perfect’ and ‘The Sing Off ’ and has an amazing wealth of knowledge.”

Vocal Jazz has prepared their setlist for the show far in advance. They had the opportunity to preview their choices on CBS news in February.

“We have arrangements of ‘Sing Sing Sing,’ ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘Royals,’ ‘Heartbreaker,’ ‘I’ve Got the

Music in Me’, and a few others arranged by Deke Sharon,” said senior Trevor Ross.

This trip is especially significant for the seniors in the group because it is the perfect way to end their musical career at Maine South.

“I’m most looking forward to spending time with my Vocal Jazz family and being able to say I’ve sung at Carnegie Hall,” said senior Livvie Goble. “I have visited New York before, but I’m really excited to be going on this trip where so many great artists have performed before.”

The music department of Maine South will benefit greatly from this trip. “What they learn during these five days will be brought back to Maine South and will enrich the entire program,” said Mr. Hanes.

‘Out of the Easy’ by Ruta Sepetys: finally, a realistic heroine Anastasia Dalianis Entertainment Writer

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t’s 1950s New Orleans, and seventeenyear-old Josie Moraine is known locally as the daughter of a brot hel prostitute. She’s always wanted more out of life than the gritty French Quarter has to offer, but her lack of connections and money seems to have confined her to little education and mundane jobs.

She devises a plan to get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter puts her in the center of an investigation

14 SouthwordS

and questions her loyalty to her mother, her friends, and herself. She’s caught between the dream of an elite college and the reality of a clandestine underworld, tangled with lies and secrets.

It is difficult to find young adult books with well-written heroines.

Many young adult authors write books with fantastic side characters, but main characters—especially female main characters—lack distinct personalities.

Ruta Sepetys conquers this problem head-on in Out of the Easy, presenting Josie, a teenager who grew up in terrible circumstances, but is still believable and enjoyable to read about.

Her narration is packed with dry, self-deprecating humor, and she is

very level-headed, a quality which many young adult heroines tend to lack. She knows exactly what she wants and has big plans for how she will get it, despite the fact that all the odds seem to be set against her.

What is especially unique about her is that she is not a hero in the traditional sense. She makes questionable decisions, and does not always do the right thing.

It is not quite clear where Josie’s morals lie at certain points in the story. She is trying to figure out if she is a hero or a villain alongside the reader.

The imagery in this book was so vivid that it seemed to come to life as screenplay rather than just words on a page. Despite the fact that it is historical fiction, it was not

particularly cumbersome to read.

Sepetys manages to show the divides between Josie’s social class and the upper classes in New Orleans.

There is a love triangle in this book, but it is a minor subplot, and does not overpower the story or have much to do with it at all.

Josie is a very decisive character and does not spend a lot of time wallowing, trying to decide between two love interests.

Too often, young adult authors abandon what’s supposed to be the main plot for a romance, but Sepetys did not do this.

Overall, “Out of the Easy” by Ruta Sepetys is fantastically-written historical fiction that is still relevant today. This book deserves 5 out of 5 stars.

March 13, 2014 | SPORTS

Senior Hawkettes leave strong legacy Katie Krall

Editor-in-Chief

rom Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, the Hawkettes proved once again that they are one of the top high school dance teams in the country.

Under the guidance of eight seniors, the team took second place in the Kick division at the UDA National Dance Championship.

This year’s Hawkette seniors have experience with the demands and pressures that result from performing at Nationals. Senior captains Amanda Peck, Meghan Villano, and Laura Kroll are three-year varsity members as are Leah Schneider, Liza Hasan, and Meghan Martin. Bianca Petrucci and Colleen Meer made the varsity team their junior year and round out the Hawkette class of 2015. The senior girls leave behind an incredible legacy of success.

“When we got sixth place our sophomore year in Kick and then third our junior year, we had a really strong drive to keep doing better,” said Martin.

The road to Nationals began at the UDA summer camp at Northern Illinois University. There, the Hawkettes competed against other dance teams from the Midwest and secured their bid to Nationals. In September, Coach Jackie Graney began choreographing the Kick and Pom routines that the team would compete with at Nationals.

PHOTOS COURTESY LEAH SCHNEIDER

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PHOTO BY RHYANNE NOCHE PHOTO BY RYANNE NOCHE

BORN TO DANCE

The Hawkettes strike the final pose of their Kick routine while competing in Orlando, Florida. The team took second place at the UDA National Dance Championship.

helping out,” said Schneider. “We stayed after practice to make sure everyone had the choreography and made sure the younger girls were in the right mindset for Nationals.”

At the end of January, the team flew down to Orlando for Nationals.

The competition comprised two days, with preliminaries and semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday.

Each day, the Hawkettes rose at 5 a.m. for hair and makeup in the senior captains’ rooms. They would then depart from their hotel to either ESPN Wide World of Sports or Disney’s Hollywood Studios to perform. Once inside the venue, there was time for the Hawkettes to stretch and warmup before being sent through a tunnel which functioned as a large waiting room for teams about to compete.

“Going through the tunnel is the most stressful part of your entire life,” said Martin. “You have to stay together and constantly be doing stuff, or else you start over-thinking things.”

Beyond the tunnel walls, many Hawkette parents and supporters lined up in anticipation of the performance.

“Our parents are extremely important to the whole process,” said Villano. “They do all the fundraising KICK IT UP A NOTCH Juniors Lexi Basso and Kristi Debruzzi perform and organizing, and get us food.” at Kick finals alongside senior Leah Schneider. The eight senior Hawkettes helped The Hawkettes qualified for Pom mentor their younger teammates this season.

FOLLOW

“Being the seniors, we knew we had a lot of responsibility to make sure that the girls younger than us were on the same page and wanted to win just as badly,” said Villano.

Several months before Nationals, the team competed in tournaments in Milwaukee and Detroit that allowed them to receive feedback from judges and see how other teams’ routines were coming along. During this time, the seniors commitment to success did not wane.

“The seniors put a lot of time into

@S out hwords Sp or t

semi-finals and Kick finals on Sunday.

As a result, the senior class spent their last official day as Hawkettes executing what they do best: a kick-line that has received national attention for its merits and comparisons to the Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall.

While taking second in Kick fell short of the seniors’ goal of becoming National champions, the girls left the competition with much more than blue ribbons and trophies.

“Hawkettes teaches you how to cooperate with other people and the importance of hard work,” said Amanda Peck. “When I think about Hawkettes, I don’t just think about dance. I think about everything else that comes with it.”

Even though none of the senior Hawkettes plan to dance competitively in college, they do not regret their time spent dancing at Maine South.

“Hawkettes has shaped me into being a strong individual,” said Schneider. “It teaches you discipline, dedication, and time management.”

The senior Hawkettes do not plan on losing touch after graduation. “ We h a v e m a d e l i f e l o n g friendships,” said Villano.

The Hawkettes seek to return to Nationals next season inspired by the legacy of the senior class.

ON TWITTER fo r HAWK SPORTS U PDAT ES

SouthwordS 15

HOCKEY | GIRLS’GYMNASTICS | BOYS’ SWIMMING | BASKETBALL | CHEERLEADING | HAWKETTES | WRESTLING

Anderson leads girls’ basketball to regional title Cole Nelson & John Lavaccare Guest Writer & Sports Editor

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he girls’ basketball team is especially young this season. The team only has three seniors, Elizabeth Skoronski, Maureen Gaffney, and Nina Anderson. Those three have been counted on to set the tone for a group of less-experienced junior and sophomore players.

Anderson has had an especially notable season.

She led the team in every statistical category, including points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks, and received All-Conference honors for the second year in a row.

“She’s been All-Tournament at every tournament that recognizes that sort of thing,” Coach Mark Smith said. “She’s a senior captain who has had a huge impact.”

Anderson will be moving on to play at Illinois Wesleyan next season, and says that her experience playing for Maine South has helped her move to the next level.

“Both of the programs are very similar,” Anderson said. “They’re very well-structured programs. I think [having learned from] Coach Smith is going to help

me at Wesleyan. He’s a great coach.”

The leadership by Anderson and her fellow seniors has helped create a tight-knit culture.

“I think our greatest strength is the ability to connect and build a family-like atmosphere,” Coach Smith said. “The chemistry of this team has come a long way.”

The girls’ basketball program has had a recent run of success. They continued that run this season, winning a regional championship, the team’s eighth in the last ten seasons.

“We’ve advanced to the Supersectional or beyond in three out of the last ten seasons, and probably with teams that weren’t as talented as the top three or top four in the state,” Coach Smith said. “That’s what makes it real special, when the team bonds together and does something that is extraordinary.”

In order to reach that goal, the team had to overcome obstacles during the season, including a losing streak around the midway point of the season.

“We’ve gone through bumps during the season, and we’ve overcome them all,” Anderson said. “We had to get over [the losing streak] and keep moving forward, and I think we did a good job of that.”

The team withstood the losing streak and closed

out the season on a high note, with marquee victories over York, Loyola, and Evanston late in the season.

“Since the new year, we have recommitted ourselves to playing together as a team,” Coach Smith said. “In our second half, we’ve had some special wins.”

“Those wins were really important to our team,” Anderson said. “They showed how, when we all work together and play as a team, we can win any game.”

The team finished third in the conference, with a 16-16 record over the course of the season. They started their playoff run against District 207 rival Maine East, and proved themselves with a 60-22 victory.

Next, they faced Resurrection in the regional championship. The Hawks had suffered a previous loss to the Bandits at their Christmas tournament.

They avenged that loss with a 35-17 victory to capture the regional championship.

Though they lost to a highly-ranked New Trier team at Sectionals by a score of 60-40, winning the regional title was no small feat. The returning underclassmen will carry the lessons they’ve learned from this year’s success as they become leaders themselves next season.

Boys’ swimming makes a splash in postseason Alyssa Darlak Staff Writer

ith the boys’ swim team graduating a handful of seniors last year, it was up to the younger guys to step up and fill in their spots in this new season.

After weeks of practice, this younger team was able to get second place at the Conant, Hawk, and Maine East Invites. The group won two of their eight dual meets, and that satisfied the team.

“It doesn’t sound very good, but we always swim against some swimming powerhouses like New Trier, GBS, Niles North and Evanston,” said senior Sam Frey.

The team finished in fifth place at Conference, and the next week, the team went on to Sectionals at Glenbrook South, where they also placed fifth. The team’s 200 and 400 freestyle relays received fourth in Conference and third at Sectionals.

The Hawks have qualified for state the past two years with these relays; however, third in Sectionals was not good enough to send the relays to State this year.

“Although we didn’t qualify for State in our relays, it was still a great season,” said senior Phil Wachowski.

A handful of swimmers had time drops this season, including seniors Jon Ramoska, Alex Sulek, Wachowski, and Frey, junior Conor Brosnan, and sophomore Jake Finegold. Frey dropped four seconds in the 100 freestyle and close to three seconds in the

PHOTO BY RHYANNE NOCHE

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VICTORY LAP

Senior Phil Wachowski prepares for the postseason in practice. His teammate, Senior Jon Ramoska, had notable success, reaching the State meet.

50 freestyle.

Wachowski placed sixth at Conference in the 50 freestyle, and fifth in the same event at Sectionals.

Individually, Ramoska had a number of achievements in his final high school season. Throughout the

season, he only lost once in his 100 and 200 freestyle races. He received All-Conference in the 100 freestyle and also got second place at Conference in the same event.

At Sectionals, he once again placed second in the 100 free, and with this time, he was able to qualify for State. He was ranked 23rd in the state before the State meet.

“For State, I [did] a lot of mental preparation,” Ramoska said.

He visualizes his race each night before bed and pictures himself looking up to see his goal time on the board. In practice, he has been working on perfecting his starts, turns, and underwater strokes, in hopes of knocking off a few seconds from his time.

While many swimmers use this routine, Ramoska differs in using some unique techniques in order to get himself ready for competitions.

“Before each race, I hit myself,” said Ramoska. “I slap my arms, legs and pound on my chest. I usually shadow box a little to get the blood flowing in my arms. This is followed by putting some water on my body to get used to the temperature, and lastly, I shake my head. By shaking my head, it helps me to get in the zone and only think about swimming, ‘shaking’ everything else off my mind.”

Ramoska ended his high school career by finishing 32nd in the 100 free at the State meet with a time of 47.93.