Vol 51 Issue 8

May 15, 2015

1111 S. Dee Road • Park Ridge, Illinois 60068

Vol. 51, No. 8

Into THE

NIGHT Park Ridge steps up efforts to enhance the Uptown area.

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

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Pay it Forward Picture Perfect

School-wide fundraiser receives record support.

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Amateur stylists help ready students for dances.

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Game Time

E-sports become more popular among Hawks.

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Not Done Yet

Eight seniors to continue playing baseball in college.

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NEWS | May 15, 2015

Scholarship sends senior to Hollywood Kristin Camiliere News Editor

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acting like kids.”

A lot of the lines that she used in her video were actually lines from politicians.

“For example, a Texas Democrat said that the Constitution was over 400 years old,” she said. “She actually said that, and she is an elected politician.

I’m a student and I know that the Constitution is 227 years old, and we have these people who are older than I am and have more education saying the Constitution is over 400 years old. That’s something we need to fix.”

When she found out about this scholarship, she only had ten days to write a script, shoot the video, and then edit the video. She immediately went to

work on writing a script. She was able to write the script in one day and send it to her Radio and TV teacher, Mr. Strom.

Kraus-Taddeo was also able to find a willing cast on such a short notice. Her cast rehearsed for two days, four hours each day. “[The cast] put in the effort like I did,” she said.

“I had really committed actors and they really furthered the video as a whole.”

The film earned the senior a Certificate of Recognition from the mayor of Park Ridge.

Kraus-Taddeo will be attending The University of Northern Iowa next year where she will be majoring in Electronic Media.

aine South senior Laney Kraus-Taddeo, recently won a scholarship that is sending her to Hollywood, California for two days to meet with actor and director Gary Sinise.

Kraus-Taddeo also won $1,000, and while she is out in Hollywood, she will get to see a movie or television show being filmed.

She found the scholarship on a scholarship website called Zinch.

“I looked at the scholarships that didn’t need essays because essays are not my thing, and video is more my forte,” said Kraus-Taddeo. “And I wanted something that could display what I can actually do SCREEN CAPTURE COURTESY LANEY KRAUS-TADDEO since I want to continue making videos and film making into college and into my career.”

The scholarship prompt was “Is the Constitution relevant today?” She had to answer this question in a five- to ten-minute video.

“The Constitution has always been relevant, but how we are using it has become irrelevant,” said Kraus-Taddeo. “We’re using it the wrong way, and that’s my problem.”

“When [the Constitution] was first written, it wasn’t used to badger someone’s religion. It wasn’t used as a weapon to win a primary or to win this or to get that. If we change the way we see it and use it, it will better our government.”

A television show provided her with the inspiration for her first scene. “‘The Newsroom’ on HBO inspired the first scene,” said Kraus-Taddeo. “I wanted someone who was oppressed by the nearby politicians to break out and have this long monologue that spotlights their views in an empowering way.”

She also wanted her video to be entertaining, but relevant.

“I wanted it to be funny, but also show problems in the U.S.,” said Kraus-Taddeo. “I also wanted the PLAYING POLITICIANS Sophomore Angelina Nocita, senior Kamille Garst, sophomore Jack cast to be played by teenagers, not only because I McMillan, and senior Gilly Yildiz (left to right) debate the importance of the Constitution. Kraus-Taddeo will be know teenagers, but because some politicians are attending the University of Northern Iowa next fall.

New school calendar may cancel Physics annual field trip

Melis Ozkan News Writer

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his year’s spring field trip to Six Flags Great America will most likely be the last one taken by Maine South physics students.

The reason the field trip will most likely be ending after this school year is because of the new school schedule. It poses some conflicts for endof-the-year field trips, like this one to Six Flags.

Since school will end earlier, AP tests will be taken later in the semester, followed almost immediately by senior finals.

Because the field trip is taken near the end of the year, and the park

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doesn’t open until the beginning of May, scheduling conflicts will likely cause the cancellation.

“We haven’t made a definite decision [that we are] not [going], but it looks like it’s just not going to work out with how the schedule works,” said Mr. Downing.

The classes that are eligible to go on the Physics field trip are AP Physics, Physics Accelerated, and Physics II. These classes are made up of juniors and seniors.

Mr. Downing noted that students who go on the field trip and are in Physics Accelerated are expected to complete a Google form that asks conceptual questions about normal force, which direction the net force

is, whether the energy is bigger at this spot at a ride, or circular motion.

There is no computation, but the students must still apply their knowledge of concepts that they have learned.

“The physics field trip was a blast,” said senior Jason Pinsky. “Going to Six Flags with such short lines is amazing as it is, let alone the actual date in which the field trip occurred: after AP tests.”

The field trip is something that students look forward to and seems to be a nice break from the stress of taking AP courses.

“It was a healthy escape from the mentally-debilitating internal stress and external pressure of the night-

mares of fourth quarter junior year,” said Pinsky.

Many students, like Pinsky, believe that it was one of the most enjoyable field trips and the best reward a school could have given to the students.

Karolina Koszczuk, a current junior, is excited to go on the field trip on May 19.

“I’m looking forward to having a fun physics day, putting our knowledge to the test, but also getting a nice, exhilarating break after very exhausting weeks of stressful studying,” she said.

Students typically stand in shorter-than-normal lines due to most schools still being in session.

PHOT

May 15, 2015

| NEWS

St. Jude brings South students together Catherine Coyle News Writer

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very year, Maine South chooses a charity to fundraise for as a school. This year, the school-wide fundraiser is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This fundraiser has given Maine South a great chance to come together as a school and raise money for a good cause.

“The money is not the important part of the School Wide Fundraiser,” said Mr. Berendt. “It’s about coming together as one school and doing something good for others.”

Between Hawkfest, the Color Run, club-sponsored food trucks, the silent auction, and many other events, we have raised thousands of dollars. The exact amount will be revealed at today’s assembly.

“The NHS Color Run alone was a huge success, raising over $10,000,” said teacher and fundraiser organizer, Mrs. O’Halloran.

The Color Run wasn’t the only successful event for the fundraiser, though. The second annual Hawk Fest attracted many students to come out and give their support.

“Hawk Fest was a huge hit,” said Mr. Berendt. “We had perfect weather and a great vibe out there. I have to thank the School Wide Fundraising events committee for pulling off a great party.”

Among the various activities at

Hawk Fest were the raffle prizes, which were made available by Mr. Egan and Mrs. Braverman.

“Mrs. Scorza, Mrs. O’Halloran, and Mrs. Kirshner led the way, and the raffle prizes were unbelievable,” said Mr. Berendt. “I have to give a shout out to Mr. Egan and Mrs. Braverman for leading the charge on getting those.”

Although the School-Wide Fundraising events committee were the ones who set everything up, they weren’t the only ones who made Hawk Fest a success.

The success of the fundraiser would not have been as great if not for the efforts of the Maine South student body.

“I think Hawkfest was a great success,” said sophomore Kamila Kazimierczuk. “There were lots of things to do. The ice cream was solid, and that obstacle course was great.”

There are high hopes for the turnout of the fundraiser.

“I think that we are definitely on pace to exceed the amount we raised last year,” said Mrs. O’Halloran.

“Hawk Fest and Pizza Madness both grew in terms of success from last year to this year. Also, we had such great participation from clubs, sports teams, etc., in all the different fundraising activities going on throughout the entire month. It has been awesome to see the school come together to support a cause.”

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

PIE IN THE FACE During their lunch and study hall periods, students

came outside to enjoy the beautiful day and partake in the activities at Hawk Fest, like the pie throwing. Gillian Mcnabola is throwing a pie made of shaving cream at Mr. Downing as he braces himself behind the hawk.

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

JAMMIN’ OUT

During Hawk Fest, seniors Roy Roman, Aaron Cortez, and Daniel Soriano (left to right) spent their free periods at the DJ booth, helping to get students excited to participate in some activities. This is the second year Hawk Fest has successfully raised money for the school-wide fundraiser.

Students and staff alike agree that this year’s fundraiser has really set a new standard for the school.

“It seems like more people are participating this year than last,” said sophomore Marie Downey. “I think they’ve really done a good job with getting the word out. It’s more widely known.”

“I believe that this year we really hit the ground running,” said Mr. Berendt. “We have taken last year’s momentum and have built on it.”

One of the last events of the year is today’s May Assembly. It will serve as a finale to the fundraiser and end the school year on a memorable note.

“We are looking to really celebrate the school year on May 15,” said Mr. Berendt. “I would like to see us do something special for the graduating class and retirees to wish them well.”

“We will also be presenting the check to St. Jude and we’ll have a representative from the research hospital,” said Mr. Berendt. “We will also be sure to have some surprises.”

Although the specifics of the assembly are still a mystery at this point, one thing is for sure; we will find out how much Maine South has raised for this good cause. $20,000 is a pretty lofty goal, but students and staff are optimistic about how much we have raised by coming together to help a good cause.

“I think we will reach our goal,” said Mr. McArthur-Self. “The stu-

dents I know who have been planning this have worked hard and been very persistent. I think it’s going to come out well in the end.”

Other students agree with Mr. McArthur-Self ’s thoughts about the hard work and effort put into making the fundraiser a success.

“Everyone has worked so hard, and so much effort has been put into all of this,” said Downey. “I definitely think we have reached that goal.”

As a result of all the effort put into the fundraising for St. Jude’s, students and teachers are looking forward to the outcome.

“I absolutely think that we will reach that goal,” said Mrs. O’Halloran. “The students, staff and community have been so involved in all the planned events and so generous in their donations.”

Mr. Berendt also believes that Maine South has raised a substantial amount of money for this year’s fundraiser.

“I think we will have had an amazing amount of money raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Mr. Berendt. “Enough to be sure that everyone who walks through the halls of Maine South will be extremely proud to be a Hawk.”

St. Jude’s mission is to provide care for children with cancer or other serious diseases, whether they have the ability to pay for the treatment or not. Maine South’s goal has been to reach last year’s amount of $20,000 raised.

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NEWS

| May 15, 2015

C-Team takes D.C. trip for Nationals competition Jake Kay

News Editor

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a s t m ont h , Mai n e S out h’s Constitution Team took a trip to Washington, D.C. to take part in the “We the People” competition. This event is commonplace for Maine South, as the team has a long history of winning the state competition and advancing to the national round.

During the trip, the C-Team members, chaperoned by Social Science teachers Mr. Trenkle and Mr. Kura, had ample opportunity to see the sights in D.C. and immerse themselves in the nation’s capital as tourists.

“We were typical tourists in D.C., so we hit the landmark buildings, like the Supreme Court, and tried to get a peek of the White House,” said senior Julia Samulak. “We also got some time to explore the well-known museums, like the Smithsonian, where a lot of us ended up taking naps due to exhaustion.”

“The trip was really fun,” said senior Melissa Walek. “We saw the Supreme Court while the gay marriage case was being heard, which was especially cool, because we were witnessing something we knew would be a famous case. We also saw the Lincoln Monument and the National Archives, which are home to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and tons of other historical documents.”

“D.C. was amazing,” said senior Sabrina Tamas. “The city and its surroundings truly make you feel our

PHOTO COURTESY ALEX ELLYIN

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Constitution Team poses with marriage equality advocates during a protest in front of the Supreme Court. Students were given the opportunity to interact with and question the protestors of the differing sides.

governmental system is important.

We even got to go to the Library of Congress, which contained part of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library.

Super cool stuff.”

The competition itself consisted of the individual units that comprise the Constitution Team being asked questions about the Constitution and having to debate it with teams from the other 49 states in the U.S. There are six units on the team, with five people in each unit.

“For the competition, we had three questions and had to write a fourminute speech for each question and then prepare for six minutes of free response questions from the judges,” said senior Elizabeth Skoronski. “The competition itself went well. We were well-prepared for the judges’ questions and we received positive

feedback from them. We were all confident in how we’d performed.”

The research that went into preparing for the event was extensive.

“The competition is pretty nervewracking, since most judges are usually lawyers or even state Supreme Court judges, yet it is super thrilling,” said Samulak. “You are sitting there with so much knowledge about your group’s topics, but you have no idea what you’ll get asked. In my unit, we even had Paul D’Ambrosio research the French Revolution.”

The C-Te am memb ers felt they performed admirably at the competition.

“The competition might have been my favorite part,” said Walek. “It was really cool to see all the hard work my teammates put in come together, and I was amazed by how much

everyone knew. You need to be able to answer all of the judges’ questions with constitutional citations and court cases.”

Maine South’s C-Team has quite the legacy at Nationals and often places among the top 10 in D.C.; however, they did not place this year.

“As a whole, we were really disappointed in the fact that we didn’t make the top 10, especially since we had received such positive feedback,” said Skoronski. “We felt the judges assessed and ranked the teams unfairly.”

“Even though we did not place in the top 10, the team as a whole still performed phenomenally,” said Tamas. “All the units have grown in their knowledge of the people on the team and the Constitution and American politics as a whole since the state competition. Mr. Trenkle really puts in a lot of work and emphasizes group work and individual learning, and he should be commended for that.”

Though C-Team did not achieve their main goal, the members are still proud of their efforts as a whole.

“We were aiming to place in the top 10, and we thought we had done well during the first two days of the competition,” said Walek. “Given Maine South’s history of making it into the top 10, we were disappointed we didn’t place this year. In the end, though, it isn’t the score that matters. I couldn’t be more proud of my teammates and how much we grew as a team throughout the year.

My senior year definitely would not have been the same without the Constitution Team.”

Rube Goldberg team competes at Nationals Jake Kay

News Editor n April 18, Maine South’s Rube Goldberg team competed in the National Rube Goldberg Machine contest, hosted by Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Maine South’s team was the only one in the Chicagoland area to participate in this event.

The team got the opportunity to compete in the national competition after winning first place at Regionals, which were hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Navy Pier Children’s Museum on February 20.

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Apart from qualifying for nationals, the team also won a trophy and were granted a chance to visit Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois for winning first place in the regional competition.

The team consists of seniors Reuben Diaz, Max Henley, Dylan Hyun, Brighten Jelke, Ryan Kovacin, Andrew Lazara, Ian Sheffert, Chris Tulban, and Matt Weiss, as well as freshman Cole Ponsi.

The machine used by the team at Nationals was the same one they used at Regionals, which they dubbed “South Science Supplies,”

though they modified it in between competitions.

“The task was to erase a chalkboard this year,” said senior Chris Tulban. “So we added various steps, from a filing cabinet rolling out, creating an ‘office pet’ we named ‘Squiddy’, and were able to come up with a machine that ran for a greater duration of time.”

The team found the competition itself to be daunting, but fun nevertheless.

“The event was great,” said senior Reuben Diaz. “We met a lot of interesting kids and some really accom-

plished adults as well.”

“The level of competition there was really high,” said Tulban. “And when you combine it with the sheer number of teams there, it was something I can never forget. People in middle school and high school have asked me if they should be on the Rube team at Maine South, and I responded to every single one of them with an absolute ‘yes’. It teaches you teamwork, commitment, problemsolving, and, above all else, provides a way for you to learn and have a lot of fun at the same time. I will miss machine building at Maine South.”

May 15, 2015

| NEWS

Mr. Messmer rocks out with guitar class Kristin Camiliere News Editor

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t’s not every day that students get to play guitar alongside their principal, but at this year’s guitar rock concert on May 7, students got to do just that.

Mr. Messmer expressed his interest in playing guitar with guitar and orchestra teacher Mrs. Oppenheim.

“He mentioned to me that he was interested in playing guitar and I proposed to him that maybe he would like to join the Guitar 1 class,” said Mrs. Oppenheim.

A principal joining a class is something that rarely happens, so it was a new experience for the students and the teacher.

“Having the principal in the classroom has been a really incredible experience for everyone,” said Mrs. Oppenheim. “It is really neat for everybody to see somebody out of their comfort zone and learning along with the students.”

Some students might have felt intimidated to have their principal

“He’s really good at blending in with us. He’s actually pretty good at guitar.

I think he blends well with our group.”

Guitar can be challenging to learn, but that didn’t impede Mr. Messmer’s progress.

“He picked up on learning guitar fast,” said Mrs. Oppeneheim. “And it’s a team effort. The students have been learning alongside him and helping him, and it’s been great.”

Mrs. Oppenheim was pleased to have her boss in the classroom.

“I was thrilled to have him in the classroom. It was great.”

Students will play five different tunes including “Other Side,” “Good Riddance,” “Hotel California,” “Smoke on the Water,” and “Straight Up and Down.”

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY The songs that are played are chosen by the students.

OUT OF THE OFFICE Principal Messmer (left) plays the guitar with “Students come up with their own the guitar students at their rock concert. The guitar students and their teacher, Mrs. tune that they want to play and then Oppenheim, were excited to have Mr. Messmer join their class. they present it to the class. We listen join their class, but not the guitar classroom rather than nervous,” said to it and then they tell us why they students.

Mrs. Oppenheim. like it. After that, students cast their “Students were more excited “It’s a lot of fun playing with Mr. vote via a Google form,” said Mrs. and intrigued to have him in the Messmer,” said sophomore Isis Zaki. Oppenheim.

DECA trio makes it to Internationals Jake Kay

News Editor hree Maine South students, senior Ellen Longman, sophomore Jeff Galiotto, and freshman Brendan Sir, participated in the DECA International State Development Conference from April 25-29. The event took place in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, across the street from Disney World.

The three students became eligible for the international competition after placing at the regional competition that Maine South’s DECA club participated in.

“After regionals in Rosemont, each school picks the top two students from each event to compete at the ‘State Career Development Conference’,” said Longman. “Once at state, to qualify to compete in ISDC, a student has to place in the top four in his or her event at the state competition. There are just over 200,000 students registered nationwide for DECA, and about 13,000 get to go to Internationals.

There are not national or sectional competitions, so that makes it slightly easier to go to Internationals.”

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a ‘mock interview,’ where they ask you questions that you might get asked in a job interview and you have to show that you understand certain basic finance concepts.”

Besides the three Hawks present in Florida, many other local students participated in the competition.

“There were a lot of kids from the Chicago area,” said Longman. “Since I was the only girl from my team, I actually roomed with three Maine West girls. I know GBN and Maine East were also there. The president of Illinois DECA is actually a Maine East student.”

Though the experience was an enjoyable one for all three students, they did not win any awards.

“There are two different awardtype things for DECA,” said Longman.

“The first is that the top four get called up on stage in Orlando and get their awards right away. No one from Maine South got this. The second is that they eventually release the ‘percentiles’ and tell us what decile we placed in. That hasn’t been PHOTO COURTESY JOHANNES BEER released yet. Even though we didn’t DYNAMIC TRIO Freshman Brendan Sir (left), senior Ellen Longman win anything, the experience alone (middle), and sophomore Jeff Galiotto (right) traveled to Orlando, Florida for DECA was worth it.”

The competition itself was comprised of a written portion and a verbal portion, which was essentially an interview conducted by experts in the field that a student was competing in. Longman worked by herself and Galiotto and Sir were a pair.

“I was in ‘Principles of Finance’ and there were just over 200 students competing,” said Longman. “They gave awards to the top four. The first part of the competition was a written test on economics, finance, and business management. Next was

Internationals. All three students earned a Competency Certificate.

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COMMENTARY | May 15, 2015

When you miss the bullseye, try, try again Katelyn Kahn Staff Writer

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an you factor trinomials? Can you state the causes of the American Revolution? Now rate yourself from 1-4. This is the basic rhythm of the new learning targets.

Learning targets are a relatively new addition to Maine South curricula, whose effectiveness is highly debated among staff and students.

In it i a l ly, I ju mp e d on t he bandwagon of “learning target haters.”

I, along with many other Maine South students, did not see the purpose in these “rate yourself ” objectives.

I mean, really, from the perspective of an average student, it may just seem like another paper in a binder or decoration on the wall. For the teachers, it may seem like another

part of their agenda or something else to use when they want to please their bosses.

However, with some minor modifications, learning targets might not get such a bad rep.

They prepare the thinker for what’s coming next. If you know what is coming up in the unit, then you can be ready when new information is presented because you will be in the right mindset.

“Learning targets provide focus for [teachers] when we plan out a unit,” science teacher Ms. Liakakos said.

“We are careful to design learning targets that align to each learning activity so that everything that we do connects to the overall theme of the unit.”

While we may roll our eyes at learning targets in classes, there is a method to why and how they are used.

“During class, I use the learning targets to help focus my students and give them some direction in what we’re learning,” Ms. Liakakos

said. “My hope is that they see the connection of each learning target to the ‘big picture’ of the unit and can use them to self-assess their understanding during the unit.”

Despite my initial opinion, I have personally noticed real classroom benefits from the targets. In my physics class, for example, we circle how we would rate ourselves on the targets that pertain to that day. That gives us a road map of the material that will be covered that day. At the end of the unit, we re-rate ourselves on the all the targets from that unit. It serves as a nice summary of the unit in 10-15 short sentences.

Even with all these positives, there are many ways the system could be improved. In some classes, learning targets are a regular part of class, and other times, not so much. Some teachers seem to include them only at the end of the unit or when an outside observer comes in.

In order to improve students buy-in, these targets need to be used

consistently. Both feet have to be in the water. If the learning targets are going to continue to be an aspect of the classroom, then they need to be a prominent part.

The student body seems to have an overall negative feeling towards the learning targets. With some adjustments we could get more acceptance for them.

A simple solution would be to spell out the learning targets on the homework. That way you know if you understand the homework, you understand the target.

The wording of t he t arget statements is another place where changes could be made. The whole “I can this “ and “I can that” is awfully elementary and could be improved.

Additionally, instead of using such broad terms, the targets should specify towards certain details from what that unit covered.

Learning targets may seem like a hassle, however they have serious benefits that outweigh the drawbacks.

If Hillary ruled the world she’d have more than a school

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o rename or not to rename, that is the question.

A recent rumor has Hillar y Clinton, who is almost as well-known as Shakespeare, lending her name to our school, depending on the 2016 Presidential election results.

Whether this rumor has merit or not, it is still an interesting point to consider.

While it may seem appropriate to rename our high school after a presidential alumna, the renaming of a school has a plethora of negative repercussions that outweigh the benefits.

Since 1964, Maine South has built a name for itself. It is known for being one of the highest-ranking schools, not only in Illinois, but in the nation.

Maine South is known for its superb academics, phenomenal athletics, and prestigious extracurricular programs.

For many years, parents have moved to Park Ridge specifically to have their child enrolled at Maine

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ILLUSTRATION BY BASIA CHRUSCINSKI

Tara Faraji Staff Writer

South. Renaming the school to Hillary Clinton High School would create confusion. Often, a school’s achievements are attached to its name.

In order for Hillary Clinton High School to be associated with Maine South’s reputation, great lengths would have to be taken to make that connection, as many people would assume it’s a different school.

Furthermore, since District 207 is also called “Maine Township,” it would be odd to have a district with Maine East, Maine West, and Hillary Clinton

High. It would cause confusion within other school districts when preparing sport events, and the district would lose its sense of unity.

The re-branding of an entire school requires enormous amounts of effort and money. For instance, Maine South would have to change all signage, purchase new sports uniforms, and school apparel.

And, let’s not forget that Mrs. Clinton attended Maine East for the first three years of her high school career and then transferred to Maine

South for only her senior year.

Naming Maine South after a prestigious alumna wouldn’t make sense since she only spent one year at Maine South and her high school foundation was built over at Maine East.

I don’t think that the district or Maine South would benefit from this change. If Hillary wins the presidential race, it will be a proud moment for Maine South, but a moment which doesn’t require the renaming of a high school.

May 15, 2015 | COMMENTARY

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

Should an AP class qualify as a college course?

College-level courses are meant to be taken in college

Maggie Bono Staff Writer

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s a sophomore not taking any AP classes, the weeks of May 4 to May 15 are just two normal weeks for me. I see my friends who take AP classes stress over such an important test, and I can’t relate to them.

AP Euro, for example, has many sophomores feeling nervous for this big test which determines whether or not the entire year was a success. And all of this is based on a single-digit numerical value.

The majority of the sophomores interested in taking AP courses do it to have an impressive mark on their transcripts and to hopefully receive college credit.

While this can lower the costs of college for students, it can also lower the quality of a college experience.

The traditional college experience is at a four-year institution. General education classes are taken, a major is selected, and the student will

hopefully graduate in four years.

If AP credits allow students to make college only a three-year journey, it shortens this life-altering period and ultimately deprives the student of valuable experiences.

This includes fewer sporting events attended as a student, fewer semesters to participate in their favorite club, etc. This also brings the real world of finding a job closer.

Why rush becoming an adult when there are important things to learn as a student?

Furthermore, colleges want to be sure that the degrees students earn represent the knowledge and experiences gained at their own institutions—not from a high school experience.

For example, two extremely selective colleges, Dartmouth and Brown, do not allow college credit from AP classes because believe that the high school learning experience cannot compare to the ones they offer.

High schoolers like myself don’t appreciate spending so much time on something that may never end up counting in our future—for credit or otherwise. Earning a three versus a four can make or break the benefits you reap from an entire year of work.

So while a student who gets a three or higher on an AP test should be able to move to the next logical course, the AP score should not count for college credit.

Scoring well on APs improves your college experience

Maggie Harris Staff Writer

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lthough taking AP classes requires a lot of hard work and completing difficult AP exams at the end of the year, there are many benefits to being in AP courses.

These benefits come from not only taking the course, but also receiving a score on the AP exams in May which should qualify as college credit.

Some may say that AP classes should not count as college courses because they are not at the collegiate level that would be offered at universities.

However, if someone takes an AP class and proves their thorough understanding by performing well on the college board’s cumulative test, they should be able to receive college credit for the AP course because they have proven they have collegiate-level understanding.

AP credit can give students more time to take a greater number

of classes in that subject. With a preliminary understanding of the material that they learned in high school, they can further pursue their interests at more advanced levels in college and ultimately be more prepared for a career.

Getting college credit in high school should be allowed because it can help you get a head start on a potential major that you want to pursue—or allow for a double-major.

Taking various college level courses in high school allows you to experience more depth in the subjects that you think you may want to pursue in the future.

Material covered in AP classes may help students realize their passions earlier so they can choose a possible major. Selecting a major, which is already a tough process, can be made easier by taking AP courses.

Taking these classes can also introduce you to the type of work you may want to do in your future career.

To simply state the obvious, it isn’t easy for students to receive college credit from AP classes.

The rigor of the classroom as well as the difficulty of the exam in May (which covers an entire year’s worth of material) merits just as much stress as it does benefits.

Given that these are college level exams, they are very challenging. So if a student is able to succeed on them, they deserve the college credit.

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COMMENTARY

| May 15, 2015

STAFF EDITORIAL

Don’t diminish habitual success A

t Maine South, all of our teams are expected to be successful. Too often, however, we feel disappointed when our teams don’t achieve the success we are used to.

After the football team won three consecutive state titles while the current seniors were in middle school, some in the student body have come to be disappointed with anything but a state championship trophy. After the Hawkettes won a national championship three years ago, whenever they come back from Disney World, we expect them to come back with a white jacket. After the Constitution Team made Top 10 at Nationals three out of the past four years, we are shocked to hear they didn’t get to compete in Top 10 on Capitol Hill.

These reactions, however, are the exact opposite of what we should be feeling.

Disappointment from those competing on the teams is understandable as they have been working to achieve those goals for

months on end. Since they didn’t finish their seasons as they desired, they are going to feel a let down, but the student body as a whole should not.

As Maine South Hawks, we should celebrate the fact that these groups were able to be so successful in the first place.

The hard work and dedication of a regional championship team should not go unnoticed simply because they didn’t win the next set of playoffs.

The support from the student body should follow the team throughout their season. More importantly though, the support from classmates must remain strong no matter what the outcome is.

Many feel that this year has been a down year for our teams simply because the end result was not what we have come to take for granted.

End results, however, don’t determine what successful season is.

The real testament to what a successful season is not based on wins and losses, but rather how

much we develop as individuals and teammates.

High school is about developing skills and honing them before entering the next stage of our lives where we put what we learned on display to earn degrees. But it is also about supporting your classmates through both the successful and difficult parts of a season.

Going to Maine South every day is a privilege, and having such outstanding teams is something we cannot take for granted.

As a nationally-ranked school in terms of academics, the education that we are lucky to receive here is extremely valuable and should be appreciated.

Competition is what drives Hawks to get better; the talented minds that comprise the student body should support each other through successes and struggles.

We can’t let ourselves overlook our accomplishments just because we have become accustomed to success.

Social skills are par for the course Stephen Sakowicz

Editor-in-Chief hile most spend the summer hanging out with friends and making the most of the time away from Maine South, a number of students work summer jobs.

Summer jobs are not only beneficial to students for financial reasons but more importantly for social reasons, as well.

There is no denying that the cost of attending college continues to rise, and pocketing some extra money while working a summer job is a great way to help you and your parents out financially. Making a couple thousand dollars, depending on the pay scale of the job, eases the burden of the heavy costs colleges are now imposing on their students.

While money is the primary motive for most students when working summer jobs, this is not the

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most important benefit to clocking in: improving your social skills is the most essential take away from summer employment.

Al McGuire, a renowne d basketball coach who won a National Championship while at Marquette once stated, “I think everyone should go to college and get a degree and then spend six months as a bartender and six months as a cab driver. Then they would really be educated.”

What McGuire is trying to say is that while having a degree from a college or university is critical to advancing our future, learning how to interact with all sorts of people is equally important.

As a caddy at the Park Ridge Country Club, talking with and helping the person I am caddying for is essential to performing the job successfully. Over my two-year career as a caddy, I have interacted with a variety of people—some with friendly personalities, some with awkward personalities, and some with despicable personalities.

From these interactions on the

golf course I have learned how to properly conduct myself while in the presence of strangers and also how to handle relationships that aren’t a perfect match.

There have been times that I felt like walking off the course after the first hole because I was yelled at and virtually hated by the person who I was caddying for, but learning to cope with and work alongside people that you don’t necessarily match up well with is a critical skill to possess. Being able to handle getting yelled at by your boss or being able to work with a coworker that you despise isn’t an easy task to complete, but experiences in caddying have better prepared me for the realities that I face in the near future in the job world.

Sacrificing a little time hanging out with friends for having a summer job will literally pay for itself. Setting aside some of the money for college lightens the load on your wallet for college, but most importantly, interacting face-toface with strangers helps you improve your social skills and prepare you for the real world.

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.

Southwords reserves the right to edit material for clarity and brevity and to reject obscene/libelous submissions.

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

May 15, 2015 | ENTERTAINMENT

Student-led production premieres this summer

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

Jack Cahill-Lemme Entertainment Writer

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his summer, current Maine South senior Katrina Iorio and junior Kelly Bauer will be starring in their own production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” held at the Park Ridge Community Church this June.

Since they were children, both Bauer and Iorio have been singing in the Park Ridge Community Church’s Women’s Chorus, “Angeli,” led by a Mrs. Sasha Gerritson. Bauer and Iorio turned to Gerritson for help creating their own musical.

Gerritson is an avid member and music director of the church and has provided the space as well as her own theatrical expertise for the production.

“She’s an amazing leader and teacher,” said Bauer. “We asked for her help in the production because we knew we could count on her amazing abilities. She’s been more than essential in helping us get this idea off its feet and she really supports our efforts 100 percent.”

This show is a favorite among the student directors because there’s such a variety of roles and a large ensemble.

“There’s really something for everyone and anyone who wants to be a part of it,” said Iorio.

“It takes preparation, organization, and a lot of commitment from everyone involved, but because it’s a show so many of us have always dreamed of doing, we know that we can make it great.”

Iorio and Bauer have made their process unique in that there will be no auditions for this particular production.

Since the company is composed mainly of Maine South Fine Arts students, applicants were asked to fill out a form detailing how they would like to participate in the show (crew, pit, cast, or

ANY DREAM WILL DO Juniors Kelly Bauer, Elena Sasso, Catie O’Rourke, and senior Katrina Iorio

meet with “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” participants at Park Ridge Community Church. The four girls intend to get as many people involved in the production as possible without making any cuts.

even a particular role) at the interest meeting held on April 28 at the Park Ridge Community Church.

However, no one who wanted to be involved in the show was denied participation, as this is a “no-cut” program.

Rehearsals began May 9, and each rehearsal lasts for roughly six hours each Saturday leading up to the show’s performances.

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” written by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice, debuted on Broadway in 1982. In

the show’s first year, it received six Tony award nominations as well as three nominations at the Drama Desk Awards.

It is based on the classic story from the Bible’s Book of Genesis which tells of Joseph and his “coat of many colors.”

“Joseph” will have its opening night on June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Park Ridge Community Church located at 100 Courtland Ave, and will close with the following night’s 7:30 p.m. performance. The performance is free and open to the public.

‘Rags and Bones’ re-imagines classic stories

Anastasia Dalianis

Entertainment Writer

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iterature is often filled with dark, deadly, and sometimes twisted tales.

“Rags and Bones” includes many cl assic stories rei m a g i n e d by a collection of young, acclaimed authors including Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, and Holly Black. Some famous, some lesser known, these authors wrote twelve separate stories that are all set within the realms of science fiction, dystopian, fantasy, and realistic fiction.

Two of the most striking stories in the collection are E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops,” retold by Carrie Ryan, and “Sleeping Beauty,” retold by Neil Gaiman.

“The Machine Stops” is a dystopian story told from the perspective of a young boy trapped in an underground community. The people do not interact with each other, yet they all share a common belief in a higher power known as the Machine.

Despite its brief length, Ryan paints a vivid picture of a bleak and frightening society, and the main character’s transition from a defiant young boy to a decrepit old man, corrupted by the augmented messages of the Machine.

The story spans several decades, but incorporates an appropriate amount of detail and shows not only

the progression of the main character’s age, but also of his personality and outlook on life.

Despite the fact that the story only has one character who spends most of his time in one room, there is underlying suspense and intensity throughout. “The Machine Stops” is a memorable story that provides a powerful and haunting glimpse of the future.

Ne i l G ai m an’s re te l l i ng of “Sleeping Beauty” was very dark and entirely unexpected. The story is not told from Sleeping Beauty’s point of view, but from Snow White’s.

With the unsettling word choice and lush descriptions that he has become famous for, Gaiman created a well-planned world and believable characters in very few pages.

Snow White herself was a nice

twist from the stereotypical fairy tale princess—she did not want to marry Prince Charming and, in fact, ran away the day before her wedding in order to go find Sleeping Beauty.

“Sleeping Beauty” was simultaneously creepy and thrilling, and wove together several famous fairy tales without becoming convoluted.

“Rags and Bones” is an especially good book choice for over the summer. It has twelve short stories that don’t take too long to read and contain a lot of variety.

The stories are fantastically wellwritten, and each one opens up a new world for the reader. It’s a perfect book to read when relaxing on vacation or hanging out at home. It is recommended not only for fantasy fans, but anyone, regardless of their preferred book genre.

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ENTERTAINMENT

| May 15, 2015

Improving The

Park Ridge

PHOTO BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

Nightlife

Katie Kaminsky

Entertainment Editor

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h e Par k R i d ge Uptow n entertainment district is currently composed of many chain restaurants and a few local boutiques. With the addition of three unique restaurants in 2015, The Pick, Holt’s, and Fiddler’s, Park Ridge is hoping to improve the area’s nightlife, and to rival that of neighboring towns such as Evanston, Rosemont, and Edison Park.

Currently, the biggest problem for Park Ridge is the debt that plagues the city after the installment of the block that contains Noodles & Company, Jason’s Deli, and Houlihan’s. This section of Park Ridge’s Uptown district also holds multiple condo buildings.

“After the complete financial mess that resulted from the attempt to completely transform one corner of Uptown, I can’t imagine more ‘city driven’ development in the future,” said newly-elected first ward alderman and Maine South alumnus John Moran (’99).

The installment of the three new restaurants will hopefully bring economic success and begin to pull Park Ridge out of the red. “ The direct impact [of the restaurants] is increased sales tax,” said Moran. “We hope that all three

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are successful and therefore will generate substantial sales tax revenue within our Uptown area.”

The money that comes from sales tax is also beneficial because it will help to reduce overall property taxes for the Park Ridge area.

“Businesses generate sales taxes which will reduce the property tax liability the city will have to tax our residents,” said Shawn Hamilton, Park Ridge’s city manager. “Property taxes account for 25% of the city’s total revenue, so basically $1 more in sales tax is $1 less in property taxes.”

Park Ridge has typically always been characterized as a city lacking a nightlife. The addition of these restaurants will begin to bring new excitement to the town.

The Pick will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and will be located where the old Pickwick restaurant was.

Holt’s will be a pizza place, located on the corner of Summit and Prospect. It will have many TVs, similar to the sports bar atmosphere of Moretti’s in Edison Park.

The third restaurant, Fiddler’s, will be located on Main St. across from the train station and will serve Irish food and drinks.

All three of these restaurants are different from many others in Park Ridge because they are not part of

a larger corporation—they are family owned and operated.

The lack of restaurants like these in the past can be partially attributed to the restrictions placed on businesses in town.

“Park Ridge used to have very strict regulations on the number of TVs and even the sizes of TVs a restaurant could have,” said senior Nora Quinn.

“I know they’re changing a lot of these restrictions to make the problem better and attract more people.”

A change in the restrictions will help places like Holt’s survive because they will be able to bring in customers who want to watch several different sporting events with large groups of people.

However, the biggest challenge for new businesses in Park Ridge in the past has been the strict liquor codes.

“The liquor ordinances didn’t need to be changed specifically for these businesses, but they have been rewritten and approved,” said Moran.

“This was done to help streamline the process and make Park Ridge more business friendly and competitive with Edison Park, Glenview, and Rosemont.

Hopefully these changes will help attract even more businesses to town.”

As the town continues to grow and add more businesses, there will hopefully be a positive impact on the local boutiques, the multiple

chain restaurants, and the Pickwick.

The basic goal of attracting more businesses is to limit the debt that the city has endured, and to transform the Park Ridge area.

“My parents go out every weekend and they only go to Edison Park rather than Park Ridge because of the better food options and better bars,” said senior Holly Horkavi.

The well-developed entertainment districts of neighboring cities cause competition for Uptown Park Ridge.

“If restaurants were open later, it would improve Park Ridge’s nonexistent nightlife,” said senior Jessica Petersen. “My family would go to Zia’s on the weekends over Noodles or Potbelly’s for dinner.”

Although the city will not undergo a complete transformation, these changes to Uptown will be helpful.

The addition of these restaurants, and the encouragement from local officials for new business ventures will help to transform the nightlife Park Ridge. The economic success of the city depends on its ability to bring in new businesses and attract more people to the area.

“My hope is that there may eventually be a need for the city to step in and address issues with parking to accommodate all of the patrons on Friday and Saturday nights,” said Moran.

May 15, 2015 | ENTERTAINMENT

Young stylists help students prepare for their mane events Julia Koza

Entertainment Writer ress: found. Nails: painted. Hair: undone.

With a laundry list of tasks to finish before the big night, it is easy to get tangled up when trying to find a fitting hairstyle.

While salons charge anywhere from $60 to over $100, seniors Mary Grace Inserra and Leia Atas and sophomore Ann Kapustiak have been instrumental in helping girls prepare for dances at substantially lower costs.

All three of these talented students learned how to create a variety of hairstyles, ranging from complex updos to simple braids, on their own.

“I had a sport injury and became confined to the indoors for a summer,” said Kapustiak. “I then spent my days looking up tutorials on YouTube and then trying them on myself and friends.”

YouTube has been a critical tool in teaching Inserra, Atas, and Kapustiak to develop their hair styling skills. Professional hair stylists have also helped in this process.

“I try to be observant when I watch hair stylists do hair at the salon,” said Inserra. “My friends send me pictures of different hairstyles and I try to learn to recreate them based on professional opinions.”

The hair styling services of Kapustiak, Inserra, and Atas have benefitted many Maine South students in the costly process of preparing for a dance. While some charge a small fee, other student hair stylists charge nothing at all.

“I don’t like to charge people for doing hair,” said Atas. “I like doing it as a favor for people.”

“I have been told that I am very reasonably priced compared to the salon,” said Kapustiak.

“And, I also am available to go to the customers’ house. You don’t get that at a salon.”

On some occasions Atas, Inserra, and Kapustiak

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the red carpet.

“Julianne Hough and Anna Kendrick are my muses because they both always look so effortless,” said Kapustiak. “Most of my customers bring many red carpet photos of things they like.”

The red carpet is one of the best places to look for hair styles because there are celebrities sporting many different variations of simple updos and curls.

“When I’m looking for a hairstyle to do, I always look to the professionals because they really know what looks best,” said Inserra.

Atas, Inserra, and Kapustiak are similar to professional hair stylists because of their hectic schedule on the day of an event. Each of the students have multiple client appointments. In order to schedule themselves properly, they must consider the amount of time it takes to create the hairstyle.

“I usually start doing hair around 1:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m.,” said Inserra. “Usually I plan out time frames, but nothing ever goes as planned, and some styles take longer than they should.”

Although Atas, Inserra, and Kapustiak dream of a day when all appointments will go as scheduled, in reality there are always challenges that create chaos.

“I often have to last-minute curl or braid some of my friend’s hair who didn’t know what they wanted,” said Inserra. “I really have to think on my feet and determine what would go best with their dress and bone structure.”

Although it can be stressful, the hard work put in is well worth it when these young stylists see their work in photographs.

As prom season rolls around, students jump at any chance to save a bit of money while preparing for the big event. Inserra, Atas, and Kapustiak have all been a significant help in lowering the cost of a dance, and their styles have not gone unnoticed.

▼Braid maze

▼Up and at ‘Em

Ann Kapustiak incorporated multiple braids into junior Natalie Reczek’s soft curls for her Polish prom, Studniowka.

Mary Grace Inserra created an intricate braided updo for senior Julia Anderson for the 2014 Girl’s Choice Dance.

PHOTO courtesy Mary Grace Inserra

PHOTO courtesy Leia Atas

▼Pretty And Pinned Leia Atas used pins to create a sparkling updo for Brittany Lung’s (‘14) senior prom.

are busy providing hair services for other students, leaving them with little time to style their own hair.

“For some reason, I always leave myself until last and I’m always rushing to get ready,” said Inserra.

“The stress is totally worth it because I get to see my best friends look stunning.”

With such a hectic schedule before pictures, it is not uncommon for Atas to fashion a simple hairstyle for herself.

“Usually I just curl mine or do a low bun,” said Atas. “I don’t like to do anything too intricate.”

These students endure countless stressful hours prior to the start time of a dance. They typically have several appointments throughout the day.

“Around 1:00 it gets pretty nuts,” said Atas.

“After I finish doing everyone’s hair, my room smells like hair spray and burnt hair, but I love the smell because it gives me a sense of accomplishment.”

There are multiple people involved on the day of a dance, particularly the family members of these young hair stylists.

“My mother drives me to many girls’ houses over the course of a couple hours,” said Kapustiak.

“Some houses are on completely different sides of town so my driver’s license will definitely be a blessing.”

Weeks before a dance, requests flood in from their friends. There are always specific hairstyles and techniques that Atas, Inserra, and Kapustiak favor over others. Braids are a common request, and they can be added to multiple different types of styles.

“I love to french braid hair and just incorporate braids into formal hairstyles,” said Atas. “I also love to curl hair and put it into ringlets into a low bun.”

Hollywood’s award season is more about the hairstyles than the dresses for these girls. The student hair stylists often draw inspiration from

PHOTO courtesy Ann kapustiak

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FEATURES | May 15, 2015

E-sports redefine video game culture Monica Bielawiec

Features Editor ideo games have come a long way— starting from single-knob games such as “Pong” to motion-controlled games such as “Wii Sports.” Thanks to new technology and a growing entertainment industry, a new generation of video games has developed, bearing enhanced graphics, higher levels of difficulty, and varying challenges.

Online gaming has also been evolving as gaming programmers create virtual games that redefine the video game culture. Electronic sports—or e-sports— are a new genre of competitive gaming that challenges players in the same way that real time sports do. In recent years, gamer participation has spiked as the popularity of e-sports increases.

Don’t be fooled—e-sports go beyond your usual FIFA, MLB, or Madden games.

E-sports include competitive online games such as “League of Legends,” “Halo,” and “Counterstrike.” They can be played on any “PvP” (player versus player) accommodating console, but are most common on the PS4, Xbox or PC. With online streaming and easier online access, competitive gaming has reached a popularity it has never seen before.

Maine South students are among those that participate in e-sports, both competitively and for recreation.

“I watch tournaments that are streamed on the Internet and follow various leagues within that e-sport,” said junior Hubert Bertkowicz.

“As for playing, I play at home in my free time and whenever I have the chance. Most of the time, I play with my friends using Skype or other forms of communication such as Teamspeak or Mumble.”

Because so many people are involved in online gaming, tournaments are becoming much more popular and prizes are becoming even bigger.

Teams and solo players compete in a variety of competitions, with viewership that compares with some of the most popular televised events.

“Last year’s League of Legends World Championship had more concurrent viewers than game seven of the NBA finals,” said Bertkowicz.

The 27 million people that tuned in to watch the League of Legends World Championships is more than the viewership of the 2014 NBA finals, Daytona 500, or World Series.

E-sports are especially popular among students. This encouraged Maine South to create its own competitive

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online gaming team.

“Maine South actually has a ‘Dota 2’ (multiplayer battle arena video game) team that competes against other high schools nationally,” said Mr. Hurley, computer club sponsor. “There is also a huge amount of interest in ‘League of Legends,’ but we just haven’t been able to get our act together to organize a team—in part because so many people play it.”

Although they are a different type of sporting event, e-sports promote and strengthen many positive skills including communication, strategic planning, and performing confidently in highpressure situations.

“A split second could be the difference between a win for you or a win for the enemy team,” said junior Jake Knific. “If you don’t already have these skills, playing e-sports and competitive gaming will definitely help you develop those skills.”

However, e-sports go beyond fostering good gaming skills—there are many other advantages of online gaming.

“The thing that I like the most is the anonymity,” said Bertkowicz. “You can play the game and no one cares if you’re white, black, gay, or transsexual— they see you as who you are in the game and only that.”

Community is also a huge part of online gaming.

Gamers rave at the great support shown from player to player.

“Each game has a unique and fascinating community around it consisting of blogs, social media pages and even websites,” Bertkowicz said.

“Each community is friendly and welcomes a new player with open arms.”

As with any activity, there are a few negative sides to competitive gaming. Sometimes there are disrespectful or “toxic” members of the gaming communities, and t h e y o f t e n bring a negativity to the games.

ILL Fortunately, other players take US TR ATI it upon themselves to selfON BY BA police the gaming SIA CH RU communities and SC INS KI “report” the

inconsiderate players.

Because e-sports require long hours in front of a computer screen, many argue that they also negatively impact the physical health of students.

“The biggest disadvantage is that they discourage physical activity,” said Mr. Hurley. “This will always be a concern for a generation of kids who has never known a world without the Internet and video games.”

With this in mind, many argue that actual sports are much more beneficial to students.

However, what many don’t realize is that there are many similarities between the two.

“All of the intangible lessons that any team sport would teach are inherent in e-sports—practicing to improve, team responsibility, learning from mistakes, communication, problem-solving, etc.,” said Mr. Hurley.

Competitive gaming teams also consist of teams, coaches, gameplay analysts, management, and a strong fan base. These groups work together to practice and prepare just like any other team.

“E-sport players and teams practice up to 12 hours daily and within those hours, they discuss strategy, play scrimmage games against other teams, and hone their skills,” said Bertkowicz.

“Most of the professional players have reaction times that are less than a quarter of a second.”

Fan support is also an important part of e-sports, just like it is in regular sports. Many gamers rave at the constant support and sportsmanship their fans show, cheering for every team and attending a variety of tournaments.

“E-sports are identical to real sports in that e-sports events can fill stadiums just as easily as normal sports can,” said Knific.

It is easy to see that world of competitive gaming is growing fast. According to Super Data Research, more than 70 million people watch worldwide— and those numbers will keep on growing.

“They are pretty popular now, but honestly, we haven’t even scratched the surface,” said Mr. Hurley. “Last August, Amazon bought Twitch.tv (a live streaming video platform for games) for just under 1 billion dollars. That’s billion with a ‘b’.”

The future of e-sports is looking bright, and many say we should expect to see competitive gaming as an influential part of the entertainment industry.

“I would not be surprised to see, in my lifetime, e-sports eventually being played on a mainstream cable channel like ESPN,” said Mr. Hurley.

PLUG IN, TUNE OUT

May 15, 2015 | FEATURES

Features Writer & Features Editor

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hether it is students with their headphones on in study hall or in the hallways, music accompanies students more frequently than ever, though some may be using the tunes as a distraction and escape to avoid social interaction.

Music plays a prominent role in students’ lives, so it’s no surprise that the students call upon different musical genres at different times during the day.

“I like country music for fun but I listen to folk-rock when I need to focus,” said sophomore Elizabeth

Dort. “I listen to music when I walk to and from school, during passing periods, and lounge. It helps pass the time and it’s fun and entertaining.”

While music can serve the purpose of getting students to focus in study hall, or unwind from a stressful class, it can also show students’ diversity in both taste of artists and genres.

“I really like a lot of [artists] that other people don’t really know about,” said sophomore Katie Boyce. “I like indie-folk or indie-rock, and some of my favorite artists are Vance Joy and Benjamin Francis Leftwich.”

Because of the many genres and styles of music that students have access to and enjoy, having similar taste in music can be a bonding experience, especially for students who enjoy unique music styles.

“I think that music can connect people in a special way,” said sophomore Georgia Slojkowski. “If you’re able to bond with someone over music, you can have a deeper understanding of the person.”

Music at school can be beneficial to a student, especially after a stressful class or to help focus on work.

“If you’re using [music] during a lounge period and you want to get homework done, it helps you focus,” said sophomore Reese Baresky. “And in the hallways, no one really has meaningful conversations. You can still say ‘hi’ with music on.”

On the contrary, music can also

distract from a conservation.

“If someone’s trying to talk to you and you’re listening to music, your focus isn’t completely on what they’re saying,” senior Leah Donahue said.

Though music can be used in many ways, from stress-relieving after a colossal test to getting pumped up before a big game, many appear to be using their headphones as an escape from social interaction during passing periods or studies.

“Music is a stress-reliever at times,” said sophomore Kristen Woo. “However, students should take the high school opportunity to connect and refine their social skills, instead of turning to music. I love music, but forming friendships is a social skill that you’ll need for the rest of your life.”

As a result of some unwritten rule, students have established that, besides a simple ‘hi’ or wave, conversing with students who have their headphones in is off limits. This assumption may be causing a lack of communication in the hallways, but has already been ingrained in many students minds as the norm.

“Most p eople will avoid conversations with someone who is listening to music,” said sophomore Marisa Wilkens. “To me, at least, it’s a sign that say they don’t want to talk.”

Similarly, the reason for fewer hallway conversations might be the distraction of listening to music.

“Music tends to in hibit communication among people because it’s usually hard to hear what someone is saying while wearing headphones,” said junior Julia Araneta. “But I think a lot of people only listen to music if they don’t want to talk or aren’t looking for a conversation in the first place.”

Because nearly all students carry their music with them everywhere, “plugging in” can become a crutch students depend on to keep them from having to interact with their peers.

Time will tell whether this socially-acceptable tendency to shut out the outside world will have any lasting interpersonal effects on our generation.

Nick Ruben ‘15

“When I have earbuds in, I don’t want to talk to anybody.”

Stacey Sremac ‘17

“It’s cutting other people out and it’s hard to approach people who have their earbuds in.”

Liam Conlon ‘18

“I like jamming to my music in between passing periods.”

Dylan Blake ‘16

“I don’t listen to music, so it’s not a problem for me.”

PHOTOS BY JOSH LARRAGOITY

Emily Donahue & Christina Johnson

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SPORTS

| May 15, 2015

Baseball players prepare for final games Julia Sirvinskas

Staff Writer ith strength, experience, and talent up the middle, as well as a flexible, versatile roster, the 2015 boys’ baseball team is looking forward to a successful season.

The team, coached by Head Coach Bill Milano and Assistant Coach Mark Ori, held an 11-9 record at press time, including an exciting comeback win over Deerfield that proved their ability to perform in high-pressure situations.

Eight of the 16 seniors on the team will be playing baseball at the collegiate level, including all three captains: Zach Parker playing at Lewis University, Stephen Sakowicz heading to Dickinson College, and Caleb deMarigny moving on to Union University.

In addition to that, Phil Bork is going to DePauw University, Matt Houck is playing at Ohio Wesleyan University, Hank Schau is going to Madison Community College, Johnny McKenna is moving on to Benedictine University, and Jarrett Gustafson is playing at Carthage College.

Although the team has struggled in conference play, going 4-6 thus far, Parker sees the importance of veteran players needing to step up and lead the team.

“We are for sure one of the most experienced teams in the conference,” he said, noting the four returning starters, as well as the strength up the middle of the field.

With Parker behind the plate, deMarigny at shortstop, Sakowicz at second, and Schau in center

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field, the Hawks’ solid line of defense has helped win many games.

However, many other positions are still looking to be solidified. Coach Ori says the team has had many opportunites for players to step up and find a role.

Although this year’s team lacks the consistency of last year’s, the players do not see this as a disadvantage, as it causes players to work even harder to prove themselves.

“We are still moving the lineup around game by game in search of guys to fill in those positions,” Parker said. “Overall, we should be able to make a push this year with the talent we have.”

“Last year, we had the ability to overpower any team we played and we didn’t have to play our best baseball to win,” Sakowicz said. “This year, we are focused on going out and battling every game and know that we need to limit our mistakes to give ourselves a good chance of winning.”

The progressive growth has aided in making the team’s lofty goals closer to a reality. With a deep playoff run anticipated by both the players and the coaches, the captains realize the importance of putting the team first.

“The only statistic I care about is wins,” Sakowicz said. “Individually, my goal is to help the team win as many games as possible and to continue to improve as a player.”

“I want to do whatever I can to help win games, and whatever comes along with that individually is just icing on the cake,” deMarigny said.

All three captains mentioned the goal of playing for a state championship, and with the talent on this team, it seems like a realistic one.

Aside from achieving success on the field, Coach Ori hopes to instill values in his players that they can use throughout life.

“I stress the importance of hard work, dedication, and paying attention to details,” Coach Ori said. “I hope to help my players grow both as ball players and more importantly as people.”

Coach Milano agreed that coaching players off the field has a great effect as well.

“I enjoy helping positive, hard working, and fun loving people on and off of the baseball diamond,” he said. “The players at Maine South always compete and enjoy playing the game. They are a great bunch of kids.”

With the support of their coaches in mind, many of the seniors are soaking up the little time they have left to play as Hawks.

“It’s an honor to put on the Hawk uniform,” said Parker. “Although I will be continuing my baseball career next year at the collegiate level, I’m currently focused on making the most out of my last high school season.”

Also finished with the recruiting process, deMarigny sees his final season with a new light and optimism.

“It really brings the fun back into the game, and makes you want to go hard every single day because who knows when it will be your last time on the field with the guys you’ve played with since tee ball.”

Girls’ soccer strikes into playoff mode Emily Stevens Staff Writer

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s the regional championship approaches, the varsity girls’ soccer team is working harder than ever to have a strong finish to their season. The 2015 season has brought the girls close together and a lot of young talent into the spotlight. With a younger team come different approaches and tactics to being successful.

“Having a younger team this year is going to affect our future teams since they are going to have great chemistry for several seasons,” said senior captain Jackie Viola. “The younger girls have really stepped up and have been making a huge difference on the field.”

Not only do the Hawks expect to see a strong team for the rest of the season, but also for future seasons to come. The girls this year have had a solid chemistry from the start of the season which has generated more goals than in past seasons.

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Though they still have troubles with consistency, says Viola, they plan on improving and working hard for the regional title.

“We need to focus on our set plays, communication, and playing as a unit and I have no doubt we will do great things,” said junior captain Taylor Barzowski.

The girls went 7-1-0 into the PepsiCo Showdown Tournament and were able to defeat two great teams in their conference, Huntley and Lyons.

Though they have lost only a few games since then, Barzowski believes that they will return on their winning streak and have a great finish to their season.

As captains, Viola and Barzowski have the task of keeping the team level-headed during games, which could seem very tough with a young and inexperienced team. However, both captains commented that they don’t have to do much, because all the girls are vocal and positive leaders.

“Everyone, even underclassmen, gives their input and helps the team move forward,” said Viola. “I think we have something really special this season and I hope we can begin to prove it on the field.”

Though the girls have been through many obstacles, they are extremely supportive of each other and put the team over anything.

While most see soccer as a team effort, it can become tough on individuals if they are struggling.

The team is always willing to put in the work to continue their great chemsitry and do whatever is necessary to get results they have wanted since the start of the season.

“Being a captain is definitely a learning experience, but I have a great support group behind me, which helps a lot,” Barzowski said.

The girls’ main emphasis is growing from their mistakes and this has no doubt shown on the field as the season progresses into its final stages.

UPCOMING EVENTS Boys’ Volleyball: Hawk Invite, May 23

Girls’ Soccer: Regionals at Maine South, May 19-22

Baseball: at Loyola, May 18

Softball: at New Trier, May 18

Boys Track & Field: Conference at Wilmette, May 15

Boys’ Tennis: Conference at Winnetka, May 15-16

Girls’ Water Polo: Sectionals at Glenview, May 15

May 15, 2015 | SPORTS

Volleyball peaking at the right time

Michael Greco

Staff Writer he boys’ volleyball season is coming to a close for the Hawks, and this year has certainly been an eventful one. During the season, the Hawks have had issues with consistency, going 3-4 in conference play, but they still have an 11-7 record.

Early in the season the Hawks dealt with injury issues. They often had to move players out of position in order to compensate for their losses.

“The first half of the season was a learning process,” said Head Coach Gary Granell. “Shifting players to new positions was a big challenge that our team needed to learn in order to be versatile.”

While their start of their season was a little rocky, the team has continually had high expectations throughout the season and heading into the playoffs.

Coach Granell has two main expectations for his team as they head down the home stretch of their regular season.

“My first goal is for us to continue our upward trend and for us to continue to win,” said Coach Granell. “We also want to win the rest of our conference match-ups and continue that success into the playoffs.”

Every win by the Hawks this season has been due to the hard work put in by the players, during not only the season, but the offseason as well.

Many of the players continue to develop their skills outside of Maine South by playing on club volleyball teams.

“We have a fair number of players who continue to play with clubs during the offseason, and this allows them to develop their skills even farther than they do during the season,” said Coach Granell.

The members of the team share Coach Granell’s opinion.

“Playing for clubs during the offseason helps to prepare each player on the team for the season,” said senior hitter Evan Walsh. “Club teams are a huge key in preparing for the season.”

The players showed their development in the middle of the season, winning five of six games to bounce back from a loss to New Trier April 21.

“New Trier’s defense is very tough, and their offense is overpowering,” said junior Jake Sidner.

The Hawks lost to the Trevians last Wednesday in two close games, and they look to use that game as experience.

The Trevians will provide a big test for the Hawks during the playoffs because they are one of the many teams in the conference that is stateranked.

“We play in a very tough sectional with stateranked teams like Loyola, Hersey, and New Trier,” said Coach Granell. “I believe that we can beat these teams and make a run at the title.¨

PHOTO BY RYHANNE NOCHE

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BRICK WALL

Jacob Serrano (13) and Jake Sidner (16) go up to stop a New Trier spike as Evan Walsh (17) covers the block during the Hawks’ game against the Trevians at Maine South on May 6. The Hawks lost the match 2-0 but look to rebound and finish their conference season on a high note.

Walsh and the rest of the team share the same optimism for the Hawks.

“New Trier was a big test for our team even though we lost,¨ Walsh said. “After facing them and playing together more, now I believe that we can beat New Trier and all the other teams in our conference.”

The Hawks’ success this season can not only be attributed to preparation by the team and the coaches, but also by veteran leadership from seniors on the team. Walsh and senior Zac Jaconetti are the two captains for this year’s team, and they have played a key role in winning on the court and guiding the younger players off of it.

Walsh will also be setting an example for his teammates by moving on to play college volleyball at Carthage College in Wisconsin next year.

“Our senior captains have been big for us all season,” said Coach Granell. “Evan Walsh and Zac Jaconetti show leadership on the floor and show the way to act both on and off of the court.”

Younger players on the team also share this apprection of the captains.

“Evan and Zach have been great leaders all year and they have led us well,” said Sidner.

While the seniors have been great, the younger players on the team have also contributed greatly to the team and made a difference, whether it be experienced juniors or new sophomores.

“Sophomore Paul Rzepniewski is stepping

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up for our team and he was a big reason for our success during our last tournament,” said Coach Granell. “We are a junior heavy team with some good players. Declan Cannon is playing very well, along with our setters James d’Ambrosio and Patrick Doherty. They have played a big role over the course of the season.”

Since starting the season on March 24th with a win against Libertyville, the Hawks have relied upon their strengths to be successful.

They went through a stretch of inconsistency from their April 14 loss against Evanston to their April 24 loss against Barrington, but the Hawks rebounded well, having won their last four games since.

By sticking to their strengths, the team has been able to persevere through their tough stretch.

“Our strength has been our offense, and I feel that we can score on anybody,” Coach Granell, said.

“Our offense has allowed us to stay afloat while we were dealing with some inconsistencies during the season.”

The Hawks have seemed to overcome the early struggles they encountered, and the team wants to be in peak form for the Hawk Invite on May 23, their last tournament of the year.

The Hawks will then look to take down foes Loyola and New Trier in Regionals and Sectionals in the last week of May.

ON TWITTER fo r HAWK SPORTS U PDAT ES

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Boys’ track and field sprints to success

John Lavaccare

Sports Editor ccording to head coach Jason Kacprowski, the boys’ track and field team has just one goal every year.

“The goal every year is for kids to run, throw, and jump their best at the end of the season...we want to qualify as many kids for the State meet as possible.”

Because it features a focus on both strength and athleticism, track and field attracts many athletes who also play other sports. These athletes come from sports as diverse as football, soccer, and wrestling, not to mention the many cross-country runners for whom track is a natural extension of their talents.

“Kids who play multiple sports have a mental

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advantage, in terms of conditioning their minds to compete and persevere, over kids that stick to one sport,” Coach Kacprowski said. “This helps them more than anything they may gain physically from playing multiple sports.”

Another unique thing about boys’ track is that many of the athletes compete in more than one event.

One competitor can compete in up to four events, and according to Coach Kacprowski, sprinters often do so. Long-distance runners and field athletes usually stick to one or two events.

“Many sprinters also compete in jumping events, since similar athleticism and body types excel in those events,” Coach Kacprowski said.

This season, the coaches have noticed a strong spot in two areas: the shot put and the mile run.

“We have athletes in both events that have already hit the qualifying mark for the State meet, Kevin Jarvis in the shot put and Henry Mierzwa in the mile,” Coach Kacprowski said.

You might also know Mierzwa as a cross-country runner and Jarvis as a football lineman.

The Hawks are looking forward to the CSL conference meet, which is coming up tonight.

After that, they have just six days to prepare for Sectionals, which will take place on May 21 at Loyola Academy in Wilmette.

They hope to continue their success there, which would lead to a state appearance on May 29-30.

Boys’ water polo looks to achieve their goals Sam Tinaglia Jr. Sports Editor

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been keeping us in games,” Mr. Deger said.

Other big-name players on the team are seniors Sam Frey and Dominic Pilolla, as well as juniors Conor Brosnan and Marko Bogicevic.

The team has shared many great moments through the season so far. Frey noted that winning the Maine East tournament and beating Evanston after an overtime loss earlier in the season were highlights.

“Just observing how the Wildcats played and how hard they worked gives me an idea for what our own team may be in a few years hopefully,” Frey said.

Wachowski said his favorite moment was their game against Glenbrook North. It was a game they lost in the end, but he liked what he saw.

“We were originally not playing well and had lost the first half. After talking with the team and making

adjustments the second half, we were able to come together and win the second half. It was good to see our team come together and play really well.”

The team is reaching the end of another successful season, but the players still have some goals to accomplish. Wachowski and Frey both want the team to excel at Sectionals and Conference, but Frey has his eyes set on even more.

“We have the opportunity to go far, but we do have to work for it,” he said. “As long as we can keep our passing on point and getting our offense going, we can give any team a run for their money. If we do that, then I can finish my season pretty happy.”

“We probably wouldn’t have beaten half the teams we played if it wasn’t for our brick wall of a goalie, Danny McNamee, along with a bunch of great defenders in front of him,” said Frey.

n early March, the boys’ water polo team started their season and came up with a few individual and team goals to have a successful season. Senior Phil Wachowski has led the charge in leading by example for the younger players on the team.

“We have to try and teach the team certain things that I have learned over the years,” said Wachowski.

“My individual goals were to just go out and play as hard and as best as I could.”

“Our big goal this year was to fill in the spot left

by Makai DeNeve, who was the guy we would always pass to, and he would score no matter the situation,” senior Sam Frey said. “This year we really needed to focus on working as a team, work the ball around, and getting our passes better to get past being so reliant on one person to make a play, like Makai did last year.”

The Hawks are about three quarters of the way through the season and looking to continue improving their gameplay.

“Our team play this year features flashes of strength, but more often than not, we have tended to create our own mischief through thoughtless mistakes or poor execution in passing and movement,” Head Coach Chris Deger said.

Even throughout the mistakes, the team still has a 14-13 total record, 1-3 vs. CSL South competitors, and 4-4 overall vs. CSL teams.

This year’s team has been led by two seniors, leading scorer Phil Wachowski and goalie Danny McNamee. Wachowski has 87 goals and 22 assists Photo by rhyanne noche on the season.

“McNamee is clocking in right now with a 53% LOOSE BALL Senior Phil Wachowski fights for the ball against a St. Charles North opponent on March 9. The save rate, which reflects his career average, and has Hawks won this game in overtime by a score of 14 to 13.