Vol. 55, Issue 5

NEWS

| February 4, 2019

Environmental Club initiates ColorCycle

Charlotte Geier

News Editor he Environmental Club facilitated Maine South’s involvement in the Crayola ColorCycle program beginning on Jan. 8, and will be running through Apr. 22. ColorCycle i s a pro g r am t h rou g h w h i ch participating schools across North America collect dry markers to be recycled.

“This initiative will eliminate placing hundreds of tons of markers into landfills,” senior Environmental Club co-president Sophie Lawrence said. “As Crayola accepts all brands of plastic markers, Maine South is collecting old markers, Expos, Sharpies and highlighters from every classroom in the school.”

Maine South’s participation in ColorCycle required months of setup prior to the collection. “ The club of f ici a l ly b egan work on making the boxes at our Dec. 10 meeting,” Lawrence said.

“However, we had been discussing and developing the idea since the

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PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE GEIER

MAKE YOUR MARK(ER)

Environmental Club members spent the teacher institute day on Jan. 7 placing marker collection boxes throughout classrooms in the school.

Teachers and students will place dry markers here to be collected on April 22.

beginning of October. Each weekly meeting in December was dedicated to labeling and creating the marker collection boxes. Environmental Club officers also met with Mr. Berendt multiple times over the course of two months in order to plan the project.”

The club members set up collection boxes throughout the school before second semester started.

“On the institute day after break,

several club members came in for about half the day to attach the collection boxes near the whiteboards in all classrooms across the school,” Environmental Club co-sponsor Ms. Christine Kochou said. “The markers will be collected by club members every few weeks, and a tally will be kept for each classroom.”

The club has planned a competition between classrooms in order to

encourage students and faculty to bring in dead markers from home as well.

“Each period in the classroom with the most markers will receive a prize on Earth Day 2019,” senior Environmental Club co-president Olivia Heffernan said.

Crayola will repurpose the markers collected over the next few months into a variety of products.

“At the end of the semester, we ship them off to Crayola, where they repurpose the plastic for other uses,” Ms. Kochou said. “This might include making other plastic products or even using it to create diesel fuel.”

In order to get involved in the ColorCycle, students can find and use the donation bins set up in every classroom.

“Some teachers wanted their box in a specific place, but for the most part, we placed them at the bottom corner of each whiteboard so people are reminded of them when they go to throw away dead markers,” Heffernan said.

Charlotte Geier

News Editor eginning July 1, Dr. Melissa Pikul will become the new Assistant Principal for Student Services at Maine South.

After the current Assistant Principal for Student Services, Mr. Kevin Scotellaro, announced that he would retire at the end of the school year, the search began for his replacement. Over 150 applicants applied for this position, and after a rigorous interview process including a variety of district stakeholders, the Board of Education approved Dr. Pikul, the current Assistant Principal for Student Services at Lake Zurich High School, to fill the position.

Southwords interviewed Dr. Pikul about her experience in education and new role at Maine South.

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Q: Where did you grow up, and how did this impact your decision to pursure an education career?

A: My family moved several times when I was young. I was born in Buffalo, New York, but I have lived in Vernon Hills, IL, Grand Rapids, MI, Hudson, OH, and Grayslake, IL. I attended most of junior high and all of high school in Grayslake.

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PHOTO COURTESY DR. MELISSA PIKUL

South welcomes new assistant principal for 2019

I was really lucky to have many great teachers growing up. That’s especially important when you move into new schools. I was always grateful when caring teachers helped me to make new friends and adjust to new schools.

These positive experiences probably had the most influence on my desire to pursue a career in education.

Q: After teaching for multiple years, what drew you into administration?

A: I loved teaching; I still miss the classroom a lot. But, I pursued administration because I worked with some great role models that helped me see the opportunities to improve students’ learning experience on a level beyond the classroom. I wanted to see how I could influence a wider range of students, so I started

my administrative work in the deans’ office. Working as a dean was an awesome and challenging experience.

It’s a great role to learn about some of the barriers our students face in school. Working in administration has allowed me to collaborate with many wonderful teachers on policies and programs that support kids and make school a fun environment.

Q: What do you find appealing about Maine South?

A: Everything! There are so many things to celebrate about Maine South; it doesn’t take much research to discover that South is filled with awesome students and staff members! The more I learned, the more appealing the District and the position were to me. I was looking for a challenging position in student services where I could use many of the skills I’ve gained in my recent experiences. More importantly, though, I was looking for a student services team and an administrative team that is invested in elevating the great work that’s already being done for students. Many of the staff members involved in the interview process seemed excited about what South already is and what it can be.

That excitement is contagious—I feel so lucky to be joining this great school!

Q: Do you have any specific plans to implement at Maine South?

A: I can’t say that I have specific plans. I have ideas and I am eager to collaborate with the student services team on those ideas. I’m passionate about student services. I think there is great potential for the student services department to have an extraordinary impact on student learning and school culture. I can’t wait to learn from the student services team and share my experiences with them. I’m confident we can create some great plans together!

Q: Is there something at Maine South that you’re particularly excited to experience?

A: The people…Students, teachers, support staff—everyone! I have always enjoyed being in a school setting. I was that kid that loved the first day of school every year. After 15 years of working in education, I’ve come to love the people the most. The culture of a school is special. I cannot wait to experience, and hopefully influence, the culture at Maine South!

February 4, 2019

Luigi Laudando News Writer

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ollowing a deal made between Donald Trump and congressional leaders, on Jan. 25, the federal government shutdown has come to a temporary end.

Since Dec. 22, 2018, the government has been partially shut down. The shutdown began when President Trump and Congress couldn’t come to an agreement on an appropriations bill for the 2019 fiscal year. The disagreement stemmed from President Trump’s call for $5.6 billion in funding for a border wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. The wall was one of Trump’s core campaign promises, and he refuses to approve a bill without provisions for it.

The shutdown was the longest in U.S history, having surpassed the 21-day shutdown of 1995-1996. New representatives were sworn in at the beginning of 2019. While the senate remained in Republican control, a transition to a Democrat-controlled House did not aid the prospect of reaching a consensus.

President Trump delivered a

primetime address from the oval office on Jan. 8, which was followed by a Democratic response from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

President Trump explained his case for building a wall to solve a humanitarian and national security crisis on the southern border, while Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer argued for other methods of immigration reform.

As a result of the deal, the government will reopen and remain so until Feb. 15. During this period funding negotiations will take place.

If a deal is not reached by that date, the government will partially shut down again.

There is much pressure on lawmakers to reach a consensus before the new deadline. The shutdown led to over 800,000 federal employees working unpaid, and many government programs going unfunded. Organizations such as the TSA, FDA, and Border Patrol didn’t have funds to operate or pay employees, and welfare programs faced the issue of not being able to provide for people in need.

Maine South reacts to split lunches Michael Paprocki

crowding, the split lunches have created new challenges.

“Although the hallways have here have been multiple been less congested, more students significant changes at Maine have been late to their classes” Mr. South since the implementation of Dagres said. the hybrid block schedule. The most recent change has been the split lunch SPLIT LUNCHES for certain class periods on block days.

The first semester lunch scheduling The Southwords editorial board excaused an overflow of students in amines the impacts of split lunches X and Z lunch periods. Due to this, on students and staff. See page 2 administration implemented the split lunch schedule: one third of students In addition to the split lunch have half of their class in X, lunch change, a collective administration during Y, and go to the second half decision was made to close the study of class during Z. and collaboration space C-101.

Maine South adopted this form of “Per the Deans’ Office, there were scheduling after finding that multiple common areas not fully utilized by other schools with block schedules students during student free periods,” have had success with it.

Mr. Dagres said. “Therefore, the “It is a fairly common practice decision was made to consolidate for schools with a block schedule common areas and efficiently to have split lunches,” Assistant schedule staff supervision.”

Principal George Dagres said. “The Administration plans to continue split lunches provide three balanced making adjustments to block student enrollment lunch sections.” scheduling in the future as well.

Split lunches have successfully “We continue to monitor the split reduced cafeteria crowding. lunches with respect to classroom “The cafeteria can now efficiently instruction, attendance, student hold the right number of students flow in the hallways and cafeteria, as every period,” Mr. Dagres said. well as academic support center area While successful in avoiding attendance,” Mr. Dagres said.

News Writer

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PHOTO COURTESY CHARLOTTE GEIER

Government shutdown comes to an end

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RISKY BUSINESS

Medalists from Maine South’s DECA Chapter pose for a group photo. Featured are seniors Michael Kornely, Ty Hogue, and Natalia Kurowska, junior Charlotte Geier, sophomore Natalia Stepien, juniors Jason Foster, and Jack Gorman, and senior John Wessel (left to right).

Students compete at regional DECA competition Stephen Pontikes

competition pretty much at the start News Editor of the 2018-2019 school year,” senior On Jan. 25, Maine South’s DECA DECA President Natalia Kurowska team participated in the North said. “Personally, I looked at practice Suburban Regional Competition held tests on the DECA website for the at Donald E. Stephens Convention written exam portion. Maine South’s Center in Rosemont. business law class really helped me DECA members had the option prepare for the role play events.” to compete in either individual Kurowska made it clear that or partner events. Competitors while she had success at the regional specializing in six different areas competition, she was aided along of business first took an online test the way. regarding their area of expertise.

“All of the teachers involved After this, they acted out a skit in front with DECA were so helpful and of a panel of judges e n c o u r a g i n g ,” t o d e m o n s t r a t e “[Student] preparation Kurowska said. how their type of students was clearly displayed in a g Other business would reed that occur in a real- student scores and place- DECA sponsors world setting. important ments at this competi- were The top three in competition competitors for each tion.” success. event are given the -Mr. Joseph Greguras “Our teachers chance to compete gave us so many at the 2019 DECA opportunities to state finals. succeed,” Senior Tylor Baker said.

This year, Maine South will be “They helped in both test prep and sending eight students to compete at role play prep for the competition.” the state competition.

The teachers involved with Maine Within their entire respective South’s DECA chapter were pleased event categories, seniors Michael with the progress the students have Kornely, Natalia Kurowska, and made throughout the year, as well John Wessel placed first, third, and as their performance at the regional second respectively. Juniors Charlotte competition.

Geier, Jason Foster, and Jack Gorman “ The student dedication to each placed third overall in their preparation for this DECA regional respective events. competition was impressive,” coWith the ultimate goal of placing sponsor Mr. Joseph Greguras said. “I top three, earning a medal and making feel that this preparation was clearly it to the state competition, members displayed in student scores and of DECA prepared extensively for the placements at the competition.” regional competition.

The Illinois State Competition will “We started prepping for this take place on March 8, 2019.

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NEWS

| February 4, 2019

Go Green Park Ridge reaches out to youth community

News Editor o Green Park Ridge (GGPR), a group of community members passionate about the environment, has organized Park Ridge’s participation in the Chicagoland One Earth Film Fest for the second year in a row. The tenday festival presents films raising awareness and proposing solutions to many of the environmental issues facing our world today. Last year, 60 screenings of 33 different films attracted 5,400 viewers throughout the Chicagoland area.

The tour will be making a stop at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge at 10 a.m. on March 2 for a showing of the 86-minute film “Youth Unstoppable.”

Film director Slater Jewell-Kemker, 27, who will be attending the Park Ridge screening, began traveling the world at age 15 to create it. The documentary brings attention to a decade’s worth of untold stories of passionate young people—too young to vote—involved in the global youth climate movement. The ideas and efforts of young activists displayed in the movie are meant to inspire viewers to take action in fighting for their planet.

Founded in 2012, GGPR works to spread environmental awareness and encourage ecofriendly practices to make the community healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable.

“Go Green Park Ridge thought this would be a great film to ignite any interest in our own youth community,” GGPR founder Mrs. Amy Bartucci said. “If there are unstoppable youth here in Park Ridge, we want to find them, work with them, and create a sustainable mindset among all ages in town.”

Many young people who are passionate about creating a sustainable Earth find it difficult to take action or make their voices heard since they can’t vote. Youth Unstoppable aims to show how youth activism, despite its challenges, can make a huge impact in protecting the Earth.

“I think the movie will show a success story to our teens—very valuable—and it will highlight what it means to use your voice and how to get empowering environmental messages out to our decision makers and leaders,” Bartucci said.

After the screening, an eco-clinic will take place

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always open to seeking solutions for our collective future,” Bartucci said.

The group wants people of all ages to know that they can make a difference. They feel particularly strongly about plastic straw and bag reduction, waste and recycling, sustainable gardening, green infrastructure, and natural lawn care.

For example, the use of plastic straws in Park Ridge restaurants has been greatly reduced due to GGPR’s “SLURP.” Restaurants that have adopted the “Straws Literally Upon Request Policy,” including The Harp & Fiddle and Silvers, only provide straws to customers who specifically ask for them. The group also organized a “Waste-Free Wednesday” at Field Elementary School to promote reusables and discourage waste.

Some “unstoppable youth” can be found at Maine South. For example, students in environmental science classes or involved in environmental club have organized several activities this school year with positive local impacts. Environmental club members clean up litter in the forest preserve across Dee Road at least once a month and collect at Uncle Dan’s, down the block from the Pickwick dead markers in every classroom at Maine South Theater, from 5-6 p.m. 20 registrants ages 12-18 will to be recycled. participate in activities while learning about “Leave COLORCYCLE No Trace” principles, such as using alternatives to Environmental Club puts on a schoolwide single-use plastics.

On March 10 at 1 p.m., the weekend following contest to see which classroom can collect and the screening of Youth Unstoppable, GGPR is recycle the most markers.

See page 2 partnering with the Park Ridge Public Library to In December, the club took a trip to the forest show “Albatross.” Director Chris Jordan created this emotional documentary to expose the harsh preserve outside of Oakton Community College to realities of damaging habits and environmental help park rangers rid the space of invasive species.

GGPR hopes that the showings of both “Youth destruction.

“It is not going to be a ‘feel good’ movie, but it Unstoppable” and “Albatross” will help the group will be an emotional attempt to show the horror and reach out to these young environmental activists grief of the impacts of plastic pollution and where in Park Ridge and at Maine South so that they can so much of it ends up: the North Pacific Ocean,” work together to make a difference.

“So often, we hear about teens who develop Bartucci said. “It will be a great film for people ages 12 and up who highly regard a love for life on Earth projects at the high school level that support and are eager to be educated and have awareness environmental changes and causes, and we want to see them implemented and as a group we are willing raised about environmental issues.”

With the combination of these two showings to help teens move the needle here,” Bartucci said.

Everyone is encouraged to attend, especially and the Uncle Dan’s eco-clinic, GGPR hopes to inspire new passion and ideas in the neighborhood. community members ages 13-24. The screening of “I think Park Ridge can raise the bar with “Youth Unstoppable” will cost $8, and the showing learning about these important issues and GGPR is of “Albatross” is free.

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Jessie Beck

Second semester finals become optional for seniors Colleen Johnson

Editor-in-Chief tarting this semester, seniors in all levels of classes will no longer be required to take their second semester finals. If seniors still choose to take their final, they will take it on May 14 or 15.

If there are any classes with multiple grade levels, the non-seniors will take their final as planned.

This decision was made after administration talked to teachers and students last year about the final weeks of classes and final exams. The administration realized that this one-size-fits-all policy did not work perfectly for every class.

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“We’re trying to create a space where the teachers can make the decisions that they think are going to be the best for their class,“ Principal Ben Collins said.

Dr. Collins said he wishes they had had more time to polish this adjustment and prepare teachers.

The administration has been talking about this change for a while. Given all of the experimentation already taking place this year, they decided to make this shift effective this upcoming second semester.

“We’re talking about the finals policies and practices for next school year right now,” Dr. Collins said. “We’re going to try and communicate those

before this year ends so we’re much further ahead, so a teacher understands what kinds of decisions they can make prior to the class starting.”

Many students have had positive reactions to the new policy.

“I think that if a student has worked hard for four years then they deserve that,” junior Sam Mayer said.

While seniors will be able to elect to not take a final exam, teachers who feel a “capstone” assignment is necessary will still have the option to replace a final with some form of work that is not an exam, such as a final project or presentation.

February 4, 2019

STAFF EDITORIAL

Split lunch defeats the purpose of hybrid schedule tarting this semester, block day lunch periods were modified to create three lunch periods instead of two. This means that some block classes will now be interrupted by a 45-minute lunch.

This switch was made halfway through the school year in order to alleviate congestion in the study spaces during periods 5X, 5Z, 6X, and 6Z. For example, the number of students with 5X free was reduced by 274 students. There are still 1,325 students with 5X off.

However, when the number of students is still that high, and the capacity of the two main cafeterias is less than 700, it is difficult to see significant change in study space congestion. In addition, the study room C-101 was closed, eliminating space for 80 students. This change counteracts the goal of split lunch.

Splitting the lunch periods has had a significant impact on the classes that it affects. For third quarter, this includes English, Social Science, and Special Education. For fourth quarter, this includes CTE, Fine Arts, Health, Guided Study, Math, and World Languages.

While some students appreciate the break, many complain that lunch in the middle of a block is a disruption that diminishes what can be accomplished during the period.

Students who now have 5Y or 6Y lunch have 45 minutes of their class, go to lunch for 45 minutes, and then return to class for the final 45 minutes.

There are no passing periods built into this time, so in order to walk to and from lunch, students have to take an extra 10 minutes out of their lunch. This decrease in time makes the free period very unproductive.

Students who would normally be able to eat for part of their period and then work on homework no longer feel that they have sufficient time to do both.

Furthermore, the X and Z period lunches were productive for students, while the Y period lunch is less useful, scholastically speaking.

In the past, many students with Z period free would go to class and

ILLUSTRATION BY SHANNON MCGREEVY

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then work on the homework that was assigned in that class during their Z period.

But now because of the split lunch, students are less likely to complete homework because they don’t get it until the end of class.

Students who had X period off used to be able to attempt their homework the night before and then get help with it during the X period before their class. However, now that their free period is in the middle of their class, they can’t ask for help beforehand.

We h a v e a l s o noticed that this 45-minute break has led class to being less productive. The break causes students to check-out mentally and lose motivation for when they return.

Also, class time is wasted at the start of the Z period because we have to review where we left off 45 minutes beforehand.

It’s also a fact that students are now less likely to have free periods in common with classmates or teachers because students and staff are spread equally among six lunch periods rather than four. This is an impediment to collaboration and academic support for students.

We feel as if split lunch can defeat the entire purpose of block days.

Teachers are supposed to plan lessons

The break causes students to checkout mentally and lose motivation for when they return.

to dive deeper into learning, and they can’t do that, as long as the class is split in two parts.

It was decided that science classes would not be split at all because teachers might assign longer labs on block days; however, science is not the only subject where classes lend themselves to a 90-minute period.

For example, fine arts students need time to warm-up/tune an instrument, and now they’ll have to do that twice. Also, some teachers give longer tests during block periods, which they would now have to split into two parts.

The only real solution to this problem is to ensure that, after the building is renovated, there is more space for students to eat to prevent the need for split lunches.

In the meantime, we believe that the district should consider allowing individual teachers the freedom to dismiss students for lunch based on lessons rather than the exact time that divides the block into thirds.

Teachers could have a 75-minute time frame during the middle of the period where they must allow students to have a 45-minute lunch period sometime during that 75 minutes.

We acknowledge that these changes made to lunch periods are necessary to relieve lunchroom congestion, but the goal of the hybrid schedule, which is the best possible education for students, must be the first priority.

| COMMENTARY

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

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S outhw ord s i s a s tu d e nt - r u n publication designed as a public forum for student opinion and balanced reporting on topics relevant to the Maine South community.

Unsigned staff editorials represent the consensus opinion of the Southwords Editorial Board. Personal commentaries represent the opinion of the author alone and do not represent the opinions of the publication nor District 207.

Stu d e nt p ar t i c ip at i on i n t h e newspaper, whether through readership, submitting articles, or voicing comments or concerns, is encouraged.

Signed letters to the editor can be delivered to the new Southwords office (B115B), 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.

Editors-in-Chief Colleen Johnson Kevin McNulty News Editors

Jessie Beck Charlotte Geier Stephen Pontikes

Commentary Editors Lena Pontikes Julia Uhlig Features Editors

Erin Martin Victoria Pontikes Jonathan Ryser

Entertainment Editors Veronica Espinoza Georgia Fosse Ella Melcher Sports Editors Katie Carmichael Amalia Laskaris Art Editor

Shannon McGreevy

Photography Editor

Jen Beck

Production Editor Michael Frazier Adviser

Mr. Stathakis

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COMMENTARY

| February 4, 2019

The world of ‘reality’ TV needs a reality check Georgia Fossee & Katie Carmichael

Entertainment Editor & Sports Editor hether you’re keeping up with the Kardashians or rooting for Colton to be the next Bachelor, we idolize lives that are depicted on TV—the people who are achieving the American dream. Welcome to the world of reality TV—where people are constantly followed around by cameras so an audience can get a glimpse into their interesting lives.

Despite its name, reality TV is not a glimpse into reality. In fact, most of what we see is scripted. Clearly, a majority of the population isn’t spending several weeks at a lavish destination trying to persuade some stranger that they’re soulmates.

Despite the stars of each show being under a contract and paid to have their life documented, most reality TV personalities volunteer to be on the show. They have to go through numerous auditions and callbacks, similar to a process of a scripted show. With this, the motives of the contestants are the

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underlying cause of the lack of reality.

Contestants can go on these shows to make a name for themselves in Hollywood, promote their brand, or simply to get their 15 minutes of fame.

For example, for many pre-teen girls our age,“Dance Moms” wasn’t just a show­­— it was a lifestyle. Besides the drama caused by the overlyobsessed mothers and the wrath of Abby Lee Miller, the main focus of the show was the competitions.

Whether you were a Maddie or Chloe fan (hopefully Chloe), viewers were constantly impressed by how high the girls scored at each competition.

However, stars of the show have openly admitted they performed their dances twice at each competition— once for the judges and once for the TV show. Did the videotaped dances actually correlate to the actual results?

Probably not. Yet, “Dance Moms” was still called reality TV, despite this major inconsistency.

Another alarming issue that occurs in the world of reality TV is the childhood that some of the younger stars experience when their moneyhungry parents sign the contracts for the show. For the girls of “Dance Moms,” as well as the Jenner sisters on “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” the only childhood they ever knew

was constantly being filmed and living their lives in front of a camera.

Reality shows are edited to perfection to amp up the dramatics.

Sound bites are cut and switched, producers give the contestants directions or lines, and events are staged. For example, the “pyramid” in “Dance Moms” takes six hours to film when only the two most dramatic minutes are actually aired. Shows like “The Bachelor” keep their contestants cooped up in a house all together with plenty of alcohol and no access to phones—a stark contrast to the real world and the perfect situation to cause drama and catfights.

It’s no secret that “reality” TV is completely lacking any sort of realistic material, yet children and adults

outfielder 120 million dollars over the next five years. They also don’t want to end up like Jerry DiPoto, resigning as Los Angeles Angels General Manager, after signing Albert Pujols to a 10-year, 240 million dollar contract at age 32.

And the players, they’re ticked off because of the lack of teams expressing interest in signing them.

More and more teams have followed the “rebuild” trend in the MLB, leaving only a few left to pursue even the more-average free agents.

Some players also have blamed the inactivity this offseason on collusion between MLB owners to search for excuses not to sign free agents.

“It seems every day now someone is making up a new analytical tool to devalue players, especially free agents,” Giants’ third baseman Evan Longoria wrote on Instagram.

New-age sab ermetrics and analytics have actually been known to help some players, like Angels’ superstar Mike Trout, who signed

a six-year, $145 million extension after just 336 career games. While Longoria’s point may not be entirely truthful, he certainly demonstrates that there is a strong divide between the way MLB executives are thinking about this offseason and the way players are thinking about it.

Beyond executives and players, this stalemate of an offseason is bad for everyone else around the MLB, including managers, media, and the fans.

By waiting to find out which players their organizations will sign, managers are forced to put off or modify their offseason and spring training plans. No MLB manager is comfortable with starting the season with such uncertainty. Also, front offices that have opted not to pursue free agents subconsciously put their manager on the hot seat because they’re not getting the best talent possible to put out on the field.

Instead, they label the strategy as a “rebuild.”

This offseason has really tested

alike continue to indulge in these high-drama lives, whether they’re genuinely invested or just watching as a guilty pleasure.

So why do we continue to watch shows that are so clearly staged?

Do we feel as though we are living vicariously through reality TV stars’ “interesting” lives? Our day-to-day lives can become fairly routine, and watching someone else’s successes (and more often failures) is almost more entertaining than any scripted show.

While we aren’t in a constant state of high-drama crisis as some of our favorite celebrities seem to be, perhaps we are comforted by the fact that our lives are not as dramatic as we make them out to be.

MLB free agency hold-out is bad for everyone Kevin McNulty Editor-in-Chief his Major League Baseball offseason was supposed to be one that would shake up the league like never before, and the MLB landscape was expected to look much different for the foreseeable future. Superstars like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were supposed to be highly-sought after and sign historically-large contracts. Beyond that, it was also anticipated that allstars such as AJ Pollock and Craig Kimbrel would sign quickly for some serious cash.

However, here we sit at the end of January, with Spring Training less than three weeks away, and these guys are still free agents. Why? Well, MLB front offices are afraid of Jason Heyward-esque contracts, which has left the Cubs owing their 29-year-old

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the patience and integrity of baseball writers and insiders.

On Jan. 16, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine inaccurately reported that the White Sox had offered Manny Machado a seven-year, 175 million dollar contract. As writers and reporters are digging for the latest scoop during this hecticallyuneventful offseason, they are only hurting the credibility of themselves and other insiders.

As White Sox fan, the falsehood of that report really let me down. As the White Sox have been one of the only teams in pursuit of Machado, I have become more and more excited at the prospect of my favorite team inking the superstar; however, when that report turned out to be untrue, I lost much of my faith in the White Sox actually signing Machado.

I’m just one example of a fan who is annoyed at the entire situation this offseason, and many more will follow suit if a players’ strike occurs when the collective bargaining agreement expires in 2021.

February 4, 2019

| COMMENTARY

Kristen Meyer

Commentary Writer

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t’s midnight. You have just spent seven hours of your day in classes followed immediately by a club meeting, and sports practice, and you are finally sitting down to start on your never-ending pile of homework. For many students attending Maine South High School, this scenario is a constant reality.

Over the years, high school students have felt a rapidly increasing pressure to overachieve, packing numerous activities into 24 hours. Chief of adolescent medicine at Georgetown University Hospital, Dr. Anisha Abraham told the Washington Post, “These kids have no time for themselves. Our teenagers are becoming more over-scheduled and over-stressed.”

As the goal of attending a dream college becomes increasingly out of reach, students are feeling the physical and mental effects of overscheduling. They often experience exhaustion, headaches, stomach uneasiness, depression, and irritability, according to Dr. Abraham.

Educators, medical professionals, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all issued

warnings regarding the pressure-filled lives of American teenagers. With no end of these stressors in sight, how can Maine South students balance school, homework, jobs, sports, and other extracurricular activities?

Several options to help reduce a student’s stress have been offered around the country. A program called “flipped learning” was presented by Maine East High School on Gov. Rauner's "learning tour" in 2017. Students essentially complete homework assignments during the class period instead of finishing them at home. They then watch an instructional video after school, explaining their assignments from class. This alternative will benefit students because it reduces wasted class time and provides students with fewer at-home exercises, ultimately decreasing their stress.

Additionally, introducing a full block schedule would allow students to have more time to complete homework, projects, and essays. This additional time can result in less pressure on students to complete an assignment by the next school day.

Homework is an extremely beneficial component of a student’s learning process; it causes effective study habits, self-discipline, the development of problem-solving techniques, and improved test scores. However, an overload of work often results in significant tolls on a student’s physical and mental fitness. Creating extra time for

ILLUSTRATION BY JENNIFER NIKOLIC

Flipped learning will lighten the load of high school

assignments would reduce the strain of a taxing school life.

These solutions are only a few of the ways the busy lives of students can be relieved. More research and studies need to be conducted to learn about how the constant pressures and stress affects students.

If the demands and pressures on students continue to increase, our future is grave. Your appearance on paper is not as important as your mental and physical health. Sacrificing your well being to get a grade or an accolade will not help you in the future. It will only damage the person you will become.

With the introduction of flipped learning, additional time to complete homework, and more block days, a strenuous schedule packed with homework and extracurriculars can be a thing of the past.

Gabriel Blindauer

Commentary Writer his past month, our country experienced the longest government shutdown in history, lasting a whopping five weeks, before the temporary re-opening on Jan. 25. Unlike previous shutdowns, this past shutdown has not created any progress in terms of agreements between our ineffective Congress and ill-mannered president.

In case you haven’t been keeping up lately, here is a brief synopsis of the situation: President Trump was unwilling to reopen the government unless both sides of Congress agreed to pass a spending bill that allows roughly $5.7 billion dollars for his wall across the Southern U.S.-Mexico border.

He now has decided to open the government until Feb. 15 in hopes of getting a deal on the wall. If not, President Trump will shut down the

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government once again or a national emergency.

As he has done in the past, Trump is currently painting himself as a victim of a failed Congress that is not willing to negotiate. After dismissing his arrogant, self-centered claim, one might be asking themself, “Well, who really can be classified as a victim?"

The answer is simple: the 800,000 federal employees who were either on furlough or worked without pay. This includes many of the hardworking parents of students and spouses of teachers at Maine South.

Nine out of the fifteen federal departments were forced to use their contingency plans. This means that workers were categorized as “essential” or “non-essential” to performing the minimum tasks of said department; yet governmentemployed workers received pay stubs that had lines of “0s” written across the page, regardless of how "essential" they were to the department.

Along with that, many others also received half-hearted apologetic letters from their superiors and lists of other sources of possible income to aid with their financial troubles.

ILLUSTRATION BY LYDIA CRUZ

Government shutdown harmed families

One letter stated that workers should “barter” with their landlords to be able to pay their rent by performing ser vices such as painting and carpentry for them.

From t he T S A to fore st r y technicians, a majority of the workers realized how disconnected the government truly was from its own employees.

Inste a d of fol l ow i ng t he i r questionable advice, the workers unionized, and protested for their jobs and well-being on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Federal workers will finally receive pay for their work from the past few weeks and through Feb. 15, although it is still uncertain if the government will remain open the weeks following this date.

With tax season coming up, another issue is the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to process tax returns efficiently if the government were to shut down again. This affects all Americans, particularly federal employees.

On the same day the employees received their “paychecks,” Congress had also approved back pay for those who have continued to work through the shutdown once it ends. For those who have been furloughed, Congress has yet to mention if they will be paid as well, but in past government shutdowns, furloughed employees tend to eventually receive incremental pay.

Workers may be excited for muchdeserved pay after a strenuous 35 days, however the damage that this has inflicted on families is irreversible, and there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to what will come after Feb. 15.

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FEATURES

| February 4, 2019

New Year’s resolutions, diet revolutions Daniela Conforti Features Writer

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ith every new year comes new resolutions, especially those involving commitments to adopt a healthier lifestyle. As part of this renewed focus on health, some students are trying new diets that promise a variety of health benefits.

Senior Anna Gerbich decided to try out the ketogenic diet for the new year. This is a diet which calls for a high intake of fat, a moderate intake of protein, and a low intake of carbs.

By doing this, the body enters a state of ketosis, in which blood sugar is lowered, causing fat to be burned instead of glucose.

“I think that I have more energy and feel better, but it is a lot of work,” Gerbich said.

While the diet may have its benefits, it can be hard to keep the fat intake up while having a moderate intake of protein in order to enter ketosis.

Students have also found other diets that may also increase their energy.

Senior Zech Pappageorge is on the Maker’s Diet, which is a spiritual diet where the foods eaten are natural foods.

The diet is 40 days and has three phases, the first phase being to cut out all sugar and eating vegetables and clean meats like chicken or beef.

Towards the end, one can incorporate foods like potatoes, grain, and corn in moderation.

“I have lost a lot of weight

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and I have a ton more energy,” could be rectified by simply not doing Pappageorge said. those things, food tastes better when Some diets promise benefits you eat it with people who you like beyond boosting energy and weight to be around, so I definitely miss that loss. For example, senior Kaylee aspect of mealtime.”

Hayden is on the vegan diet, where People who have adjusted their meat and dairy are not allowed. lifestyle with food restrictions often “The benefits will be just feeling find themselves prepping meals and better in general: high energy levels, cooking for themselves. clearer skin, a healthier running “I cook a lot more on my own system,” Hayden said. and try to eat at home versus going While she still hasn’t seen these and trying to make my food fit into results yet, she’s confident that these these requirements I have to meet,” benefits will be seen soon.

Gerbich said. “[Diets] can have really good For her, meal prepping is a benefits, especially when people necessity in order to maintain her are motivated to do well,” Physical diet.

Education teacher Ms. RoddickHaving to cook more on your own Small said. rather than eating out can lead one to Many, however, explore new meal won d e r i f t h e s e “[Diets] can have options with lasting types of diets are really good benefits, benefits. truly healthy. While especially when “I have learned benefits do exist, h ow to pre p are day-to-day problems people are interesting, tasty may arise as well. meals for myself motivated.”

“Their lifestyle -Mrs. Roddick-Small and my family,” may become Pappageorge said. difficult, as the whole world is based “While the diet seems like it’s limiting, on meeting and having dessert, for it actually feels like it is opening up example,” Ms. Roddick-Small said. more options than I ever had before Friends and family frequently I started it.” go out to eat for social gatherings.

Looking for meals that coincide Restaurant options are limited, and with a diet or lifestyle can open up because the focus is on flavor, it can avenues that one may not have seen be difficult to find healthy options. or thought of before.

“The biggest drawback of the For example, struggling to find Maker’s Diet is that it is very hard healthy vegan food for Hayden has led to go out to meals with people, her to making her own meals as well. or have meals at friends houses “I love when I have time to make because of the restrictions on the my own meals and be creative with diet,” Pappageorge said. “While that meal planning,” she said.

While some may argue that making meals at home is timeconsuming, the rewards of a healthy lifestyle outweigh the inconvenience.

Lifestyle changes like these can have tremendous benefits, including making the person feel better about themselves. If a person feels better with who they are by what food they are consuming, then the advantages that come with it make these lifestyle changes worth trying out.

While diets can be beneficial for both mind and body, health professionals stress the importance of getting adequate nutrition when making drastic changes to one’s diet.

“When dieters cut out a large portion of the calories they normally consume, this can very easily lead to caloric and nutritional deficiencies, which can cause a host of side effects,” school nurse Mrs. Brenda Keeley said.

“Some of the more common ones can include headaches, muscle cramps, constipation, trouble sleeping and loss of bone density. Dieting can also greatly reduce the body’s normal metabolic rate, which can result in tiredness and fatigue.”

While Mrs. Keeley acknowledges that diets can be helpful, she encourages students to be more focused on balance and healthiness than on a number on a scale.

“Change is hard,” Mrs. Keeley said.

“Making small, gradual changes in your eating patterns is the best way to overhaul your diet. There is no one perfect diet that is the best. Instead, look for a sound diet that you can live with, day in and day out.”

February 4, 2019 |FEATURES PHOTO BY ALY TRUNZO

PHOTO BY LENA PONTIKES

HARD AT WORK(SHOP) Mr. Roach (left) sits in a circle with students as he teaches the Viewpoints methods. Sitting close to his students models the material being taught, as Viewpoints focuses on the connection with both oneself and others. Mr. Strom (right) sets up lights to mimic the lighting on a professional set. This realistic set-up is key in teaching the differences between acting in front of a camera and acting on stage.

Maine South staff teach at Illinois Theater Festival

n Jan. 10, the Maine South Thespians went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to attend the 44th annual Illinois High School Theatre Festival. Over 4,000 theatre students from across Illinois participated in this three-day festival that included over 25 full-length productions and showcases, college auditions, and 150 professional workshops.

This year, workshops were led by broadcasting teacher Mr. Mason Strom and substitute teacher Mr. Brennan Roach, who has also served as assistant director for Maine South productions.

Mr. Strom taught a workshop with the Maine East film and TV teacher, Mr. Phillip Ash. The focus of their workshop was acting for the camera,

and teaching students who typically act on a stage how to work with a film crew rather than an audience. “[Acting for camera] is very different,” Mr. Strom said. “There’s no film acting class in the majority of high schools. Your route is to take drama, and drama in most high schools in the traditional sense lends itself more to stage acting. Some of the subtleties in acting for camera can give them a big leg up.”

Students were given scenes to read with scene partners, and were tasked with performing their scene in front of a camera and bright studio lights.

“With the camera, you’re on the small screen rather than in a big auditorium where you’re having to play to a huge crowd,” Mr. Strom said.

“You’re just playing to a lens that’s six inches in front of your face.”

While Mr. Strom’s workshop gave students insight into a niche area of acting, Mr. Roach’s workshop sought

to teach wide-ranging techniques that can be used across all domains of acting.

Mr. Roach led a workshop on Viewpoints, an acting technique that teaches nine different ways to think about movement, expression, and space, and helps a student fully engage in the moment on-stage.

“The Viewpoints are a theatrical movement vocabulary designed to build ensemble, create dynamic work, and generate that invisible spark to draw in an audience by deconstructing and manipulating moments in time and space,” Mr. Roach said.

Mr. Roach has taught similar workshops using the Viewpoints theories to Maine South students who have been part of shows such as “Noises Off ” and “A Chorus Line,” but this is his first year teaching at IHSTF. Senior Carina Milano has attended workshops from Mr. Roach in the

past, as well as his workshop at IHSTF. “A lot of people don’t really know what [Viewpoints] is,” Milano said.

“When they hear it, they think that it’s really weird and not important, so they usually skip it. I think it’s really important to be diverse in studying the arts, and you have to be able to be open to every aspect of acting.”

Mr. Roach also praises the method for its universality and ability to connect people in an increasingly digitized and isolated age.

“At their core, drama and theatre are the art of human relationships,” Mr. Roach said. “Working through a process like the Viewpoints nourishes a part of a student which is not going to be fed anywhere else, and urges them to break free from digital isolation and be immensely present, to lean in and listen to each other with an empathetic ear, to engage, to see and be seen, and to risk truth in performance.”

Ms. Laura Kirshner has worked with other teachers from District 207 to create the Chicago Coaching Center, a teacher support organization. “ We p r o v i d e a t w o - d a y conference in the winter and summer to help teachers learn strategies for coaching one another on improving instructional strategies and practices, so as to ensure greater student engagement and success in the classroom,” Ms. Kirshner said.

Mr. Jim McGowan has been teaching at the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association Conference for five years.

“One of my presentations is called Copycat Design,” Mr. McGowan said. “I try to give [students] ideas about how to use professional models from magazines and other publications to copy or use that design in their own to get them started with fresh and winning design...to draw inspiration from the pros.”

Mr. José Argüello has worked in district workshops in an “Internal University,” where teachers hold workshops for other teachers.

“I taught what we could call ‘Spanish for Teachers’,” Mr. Argüello said. “The focus was school-related Spanish so that the participants could communicate with students with limited command of English. My favorite section of every meeting was ‘El taco del día’ (the bad word of the day).”

Mr. Jack Marino has taught workshops in the district about using a “flipped classroom.”

“A teacher is flipping the classroom when students are introduced to the material through reading or watching videos at home and then using class time to apply the information through labs, activities, homework sets, etc.,” Mr. Marino said. “I enjoyed the experience mainly because I felt like my colleagues were very supportive and inquisitive.”

Lena Pontikes

Commentary Editor

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Teaching beyond the school walls

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ENTERTAINMENT

| February 4, 2019

The winter play participates in the ten-year challenge

Michelle Ferek

Entertainment Writer

PHOTO BY LENA PONTIKES

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n 2009, Maine South students produced “Lysistrata” for their winter play. Ten years later, Ms. Laurie McCleneghan has selected the drama as the final play she will direct before retiring at the end of the year.

“The basic plot of ‘Lysistrata’ is that Athens is at war with Sparta, and the women are pretty sick of it,” senior student director Jon Luke Lassa said. “Their sons are going away, their husbands are never home, and the wealth of the country is all draining into the war effort. So, Lysistrata calls all of the women together to a meeting at the Acropolis where they decide that they are going to withhold erotic activity from their husbands until they stop fighting the war.”

T h is pl ay hol d s nu me rou s interesting moments, including humorous scenes that differ from recent Maine South productions.

“It is a hilarious and raunchy comedy, but it has some very valid and eye-opening moments that force you to question why it is so often assumed a woman cannot handle a task that a man can,” senior Anna Hyslop, who plays Lysistrata, said. “As opposed to the laugh-out-loud, physical comedy moments of other plays, the humor is more in a subtle gesture or innuendo.”

On the other hand, underneath the comedy could lie a deeper meaning more relevant to our current time.

WORK IN PROGRESS Senior Anna Hyslop and Ms. Laurie McCleneghan go

over rehearsal notes to prepare for the performance. Cast members have been rehearsing since December.

“Aristophanes wrote ‘Lysistrata’ at a time when the city-states of Greece are kind of like we are now,” Ms. McCleneghan said. “Everything was wacky and just an overall mess. He wrote ‘Lysistrata’ to talk about that, and the idea of women being in power and the notion of how, at the time, that was ridiculous.”

Due to the similarities with the current time, “Lysistrata” was fitting to be repeated.

“Last time we did this, [The United States] had just invaded Iraq,” Ms. McCleneghan said. “This time, there’s world conflict everywhere and the United States is involved with that.

More importantly, the government of Greece was in chaos, and so is ours at the moment.”

Although there are similarities, some technical changes are being

Salty Jenny by Jennifer Nikolic

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made in comparison to the 2009 production.

“There is a much larger cast than last time, because this is my last show,” Ms. McCleneghan said. “I wanted to have a special moment [with the cast]. The theater elements are also different.”

What adds to the uniqueness of the show is that the play itself is a modern rendition of the original Ancient Greek comedy written in 411 BC. Stylistically, the language is more classical and not something audience members are used to, but it is still easily understandable.

“The sense of humor used in the play is different and some jokes may go over people’s heads,” sophomore Jodi Podolski, who is portraying Kalonike, said. “It’s really based on the time period. The language is relatively

modern, but there aren’t slang words.”

The cast has been preparing the show since November. They have been diligently rehearsing every weekday, led and directed by Ms. McCleneghan.

“Winter play is always particularly challenging because [many events in the Fine Arts department] interfere with it,” Hyslop said.

For the actors, time is important in more ways than one. This show is the last show that Ms. McCleneghan will be directing, and soon the cast will have to bid her farewell.

Out of all the plays she’s directed, “Lysistrata” is the one she wanted to end on because it’s one of her favorites and fits perfectly with the current time.

“I’ve been directing at Maine South since 2001,” Ms. McCleneghan said. “I’ve been costuming [making costumes for the fall play and the musical since 1991], however. I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I will miss it.”

Due to her strong impact on the fine arts department, Ms. McCleneghan will be missed by many.

“I love Ms. M,” Hyslop said. “She has such a kind heart and she is just such an awesome person and mentor in my life. I will miss seeing her every day so much next year.”

“Lysistrata” will run in the Watson Auditorium on Feb. 7, 8, and 9.

Tickets can be bought at the door for $7.

BACK ON THE GRIND

February 4, 2019 | ENTERTAINMENT

ILLUSTRATION BY LYDIA CRUZ

The bigger picture behind ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’s’ success Jen Beck

Photo Editor

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erhaps the most anticipated film of 2018, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a box office smash, grossing over $772 million worldwide in its first 12 weeks. Despite its popularity among moviegoers, the film was not embraced by critics or Queen super-fans. It’s also experiencing backlash due to its controversial director. Still, the film continues to receive praise from the most respected award shows within Hollywood.

The film, historically-ambiguous and factuallychallenged, details the life and career of the aweinspiring, inimitable, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, during the band’s unlikely journey to rock-god status.

Despite a plethora of unfavorable reviews and overwhelming condescension from self-proclaimed Queen experts,“Bohemian Rhapsody” defied expectations and landed the most coveted Golden Globe award: “Best Motion Picture - Drama.”

The controversy over this win, however, is not solely rooted in crummy reviews and debated historical accuracy. The uproar is about Bryan Singer: the film’s credited director with a lengthy history of sexual misconduct allegations and lawsuits against him.

Singer was dismissed from the film two weeks before wrapping, not for reasons related to said misconduct, but for unprofessionalism on set and artistic differences with the film’s star, Rami Malek.

Already under heat for their indifference to the allegations when they decided to hire him, the cast and crew only added fuel to the fire with lame attempts to sweep “the Singer problem” under the rug. Backstage at the Globes, a reporter asked the cast and crew, “You didn’t feel compelled to talk about [Singer] on stage? You didn’t feel like it was appropriate?” to which Malek, whose portrayal of Mercury earned him an additional Globe, was quick to respond, “There’s only one thing we needed to do and that was to celebrate Freddie Mercury in this film.”

In the aftermath of Hollywood’s great reckoning that came via the “Me Too” and “Time’s Up”

movements, it became a mutually-understood, unspoken truth that a win for a film made by a predator, is a win for that predator. After “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” big Globes win, many were left wondering what it meant for the industry’s most prestigious award show, the Academy Awards.

Over the past 20 years, every single film that won the Golden Globe for “Best Motion Picture - Drama” went on to receive a “Best Picture” Oscar nomination. Unsurprisingly, Bohemian Rhapsody snagged a “Best Picture” nomination, which suggests that the Academy doesn’t take issue with Singer’s misconduct. This is particularly problematic, considering The Academy is viewed as the industry’s highest authority.

Seemingly conscious of their power and in an effort to distance themselves from Hollywood’s worsening reputation, the Academy adopted a code of conduct in 2018. This code stresses that, “There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency.” If the Academy cares about stopping this behavior, shouldn’t the same code also apply to those nominated for the organization’s highest awards?

With sexual harassment at the forefront of

our recent national dialogue, Hollywood and the everyday consumer are both expected to be vigilant about what media they produce or consume and whose careers, in effect, benefit from these choices.

We can’t unsee what we’ve seen, so now that we know, what do we do?

Do we pretend “Good Will Hunting” isn’t an incredible film for fear of unintentionally supporting disgraced producer, Harvey Weinstein?

Are we bad people for enjoying “Bohemian Rhapsody” a film directed by a man widely considered to be a predator? Does our appreciation for projects made by terrible people reflect some sort of ignorance for what they did? And should said works be presented with accolades like Golden Globes, Emmys, and Oscars?

We are conscious enough to know that rewarding these filmmakers with Golden Globes and Oscars just enables this behavior. The same hyper-awareness with which we choose which films we watch should apply to which films we award.

“Bohemian Rhapsody’s” nods from both the Golden Globes and the Academy certainly does not bode well for those who wish to see Hollywood’s elite take a stand against the perpetual abuses of power that are now defining the industry.

How closely related are the Golden Globes and the Oscars?

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20

of the last “Best Drama” Globe winners won “Best Picture” at the Oscars.

11 of the last 20 “Best Director” Globe winners won some award at the Oscars.

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20

of the last “Best Actor-Drama” Globe winners won “Best Actor” at the Oscars.

13 of the last 20

“Best Actress-Drama” Globe winners won “Best Actress” at the Oscars.

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SPORTS

| February 4, 2019

Boys’ swimming has a record-breaking season

the Hawks have maintained their leadership, having only lost two swimmers to graduation in 2018.

“We retained most of our fastest swimmers, and the work that we have put in over the past few years to get faster more than makes up for the losses,” senior Luke Wagner said. “The overwhelming majority of the team this year is upperclassmen, which gives us an advantage over

younger teams.”

Last year, juniors Alex Ostrowski and Logan Nielson, and seniors Luke Wagner and Josef Kubis broke the school record for the 200 medley relay.

These key swimmers have led the Hawks to some legendary wins, but all swimmers of the team have contributed to their wins.

“With our relay, I think our greatest

asset is our versatility and depth,” Ostrowski said. “We’re determined to not only win our relay, but to win each of our individual events.”

Ostrowski hopes to break his old record in the 100 fly and to qualify for State, while helping the team get all three relays to State as well.

“Even with the variety of ages ranging from seniors to freshman, the swimming squad has a great atmosphere and environment on the team,” junior Billy Myer said. “Every swimmer is encouraging of one another and we are happy to see one another succeed. This support helps us to grow as a team and become stronger and faster.”

Coach Chris Deger believes that the team has the potential to win up to ten records this season if they work hard enough.

“This group is hard-working, talented, and has really committed itself to swim the extra mile,” Deger said. “But more importantly, this group of guys has been also a pleasure to work with: fun, interesting, and intelligent young men of strong character and drive who are, indeed, characters. That has already made the year more successful than we could have ever imagined.”

some of the best teams in Illinois.

After a defeat against Evanston, the team hoped to place higher than them in order to redeem themselves.

However, this tournament had new competition that the team was not familiar with; despite that, the team was able to finish in second place.

Head coach Kevin Hansen believes having so many experienced wrestlers is a great advantage. He has higher expectations this year compared to last, believing the team will have a better turnout.

“The expectations on this team are much higher than last year’s,” Hansen said. “Last year, winning Regionals meant a lot. With so many seniors on the team, we expect to win it.”

The seniors’ mentality to win has

impacted other individuals to have the same type of mindset. Top heavyweight seniors Jon Halvorsen, Sean Kelly, and Jimmy Bartell have been dominant wrestlers throughout this season.

Halvorsen, K e l l y, a n d Bartell have wrestled together since fourth grade and have competed alongside each other on the football field.

Heavyweight wrestler Kelly is ranked No. 5 at 220 and Bartell was previously ranked at 195.

“Having them in the upper weights gives the team a bit more confidence,” Hansen said. “They will always do well and will help lead the team by scoring many points, whether it is in a dualmatch or tournament.”

Two-sport athlete Jon Halvorsen

is 25-1 and ranked No. 2 at 182 by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. In addition to this, Halvorsen was an AllConference performer in 2017 and a three-year starter as defensive tackle for the football team.

As a junior, Halvorsen finished in third place at the Class 3A State Tournament at 182 pounds. Being a two-year captain, something that is very rare for the wrestling program, has provided the team with experienced leadership.

Wrestling at an even higher level than last year, Halvorsen has hopes to repeat success in the state tournament.

“My team goals are to win Regionals and qualify four or more guys to the State tournament this year,” Halvorsen said. “As an individual, my goal is to be a state champion. I also do plan on wrestling in college, most likely for the University of Illinois.”

Regionals will be held on Feb. 2 in order to advance to the sectional dual Feb. 8 and 9.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FRAZIER

Liliana D’Alesio

Sports Writer lready having knocked off three varsity records in 2018, the boys’ swimming team is one of the best Maine South has ever seen. So far this season, the team has won at least one event in all of the invites that they attended.

This includes first place in the Blue Division at the Maine East Demon Invite as well as first place at the Rolling Meadows Stallion Jamboree, which has never been done before.

On Jan. 11, 2019, the team defeated New Trier (94-92) for the first time in 32 years. The team is now focused on doing well at their conference meet on Feb. 9.

For the first time in almost 30 years, the team won their home meet, “The Hawk Relays.”

In this meet, the Hawks swam against schools including Sandburg, Conant, Lane Tech, D-300, and Schaumburg.

Instead of swimming individual events, this meet was a relay-only meet. Their success at this event has raised expectations for the rest of conference and playoff competition.

A key to this year’s success is that

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FLYIN’

Senior Aleks Ristic competes in the 100 meter butterfly on Jan. 18 at a meet against Niles North. The Hawks defeated the Vikings 143-40.

High expectations push wrestling to the top Amalia Laskaris Sports Editor

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fter winning conference on Jan. 19, the pressure is on boys’ wrestling to improve on last year’s Regionals win—a feat that had not occurred since 2005.

Despite all this, Maine South has prepared diligently for the season; shortened practices requiring focus and intense training have improved each wrestler’s technique and endurance.

Senior Jon Halvorsen credits a lot of his improvement over his high school wrestling career to assistant varsity coach, Grant Hoerr.

“Coach Hoerr was an NCAA Division I all-American wrestler for the University of Wisconsin,” Halvorsen said. “Every day, he teaches high-level techniques and teaches us how to be successful in wrestling.”

One of the most challenging tournaments thus far this team has faced was over winter break at the Palatine Tournament, wrestling

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“Last year, winning Regionals meant a lot.

With so many seniors on the team, we expect to win it.”

-Coach Hansen

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FRAZIER

February 4, 2019 | SPORTS

IHSA votes to eliminate conferences for 2021 football season

Amalia Laskaris Sports Editor

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PERFECT 10

Senior Cristina DeFilippis flips during a tumbling pass during practice on Jan. 29. DeFilippis has been perfecting her routines to help her team win Sectionals again.

Girls’ gymnastics recovers after injuries

Katie Roche Sports Writer

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he varsity girls’ gymnastics team raised expectations last year after winning Regionals and Sectionals, and they are preparing for Conference and Sectionals with hopes of surpassing last year’s success.

At the helm of the team is Coach Tessa Robinson. Seniors Caleigh Pistorius and Cristina DeFilippis lead the team as captains. The team is much smaller than last year with only six girls on varsity.

Pistorius notes that despite their close knit relationships, it is still challenging having such a small roster.

“There are fewer people to go into events as alternates, so that has been a little challenging because of injuries,” Pistorius said.

Right now, the team is fine-tuning their skills so they can complete clean routines as the season winds down.

“We’re focusing on cleaning up our execution and doing as many reps as possible to increase consistency of hitting routines,” Coach Robinson said. “We’re not really adding any new skills at this point.”

The team is hoping that the hours of work they are putting in will pay off in the high-stakes Regionals and Sectionals coming up.

“We are a very talented team, but we need to have the determination to really perform to our best ability in important meets” Pistorius noted.

The team is still adjusting after Pistorius suffered a severe injury.

Last May, Pistorius dislocated both of her elbows during a dismount on bars. She had to be in casts for two weeks and arm braces for two months.

Though coming back to competition after an injury is a difficult task, Pistorius was up for the challenge. “[I was] very determined to get back in the gym,” Pistorius said.

Coach Robinson has seen Pistorius throughout her process of recovery and is helping her become comfortable and confident in her skills.

The double elbow injury was extremely severe and could have been potentially career-ending, so her return was difficult, both mentally and physically.

“I struggled with fears of reinjuring myself and dealing with pain on certain skills,” Pistorius said.

“She’s currently doing great and is almost back to full difficulty on all events,” Coach Robinson said. “She really just needs to upgrade her routine on bars, and then she’ll be back fully on everything.”

In order to minimize risk of further injuring her elbows, Pistorius has adapted some of her dismounts and routines.

“My biggest goal was to show everyone that I was not going to quit after this traumatic injury,” Pistorius said. “It’s been hard, and there are definitely days where I don’t want to get back on bars; however, I’m doing this for myself and my team.”

Going forward, the team will be led by Pistorius and DeFilippis.

Both being four-year varsity gymnasts, they are using their experience to guide the younger teammates with insight and discipline during practices.

“The captains have stepped up in a huge way by staying positive and trying to motivate their teammates in practice and at meets,” Robinson said.

“They keep everyone focused on our big goals.”

The captains have tried to make the season fun and keep it light.

“We really work as one unit, and though gymnastics is an individual sport, there is definitely a domino effect that goes on when everyone is working hard or if everyone is slacking,” Pistorius said.

The team plans to compete at the sectional invite on Feb. 7. If they advance, they will compete at State on Feb. 15 and 16.

llinois High School Association (IHSA) member schools voted for a proposal to eliminate conferences in favor of districts on Dec. 18. With 324 schools voting in favor of districting, 307 opposing and 69 having no opinion, the proposal was approved; it is stated to begin for the 2021 football season and applies only to varsity football.

“You got a group of people who are member schools in the IHSA that are looking for some type of change in the area of football to see if they can create an advantage for them to be more successful,” Athletic Director Andy Turner said.

This is new proposal was put into effect as a result of some schools jumping to different conferences every few years in order to obtain their five wins.

This put a stress on the other teams having to travel greater distances for other sports. Turner believes this change will affect Maine South negatively, especially for the lower-level football teams.

“Setting up a lower-level football game will be more difficult because each school has to set up their own arrangements to get the lower level games set up,” Turner said. “Potentially, these teams will never play against teams that are farther away from your district because you cannot find a common date for greater travels.”

Playoff classes will be determined prior to their season by enrollment of the high school.

Conference groups are divided in eight geographic groups, consisting of eight to nine teams. Therefore, each school would play using the round-robin schedule with two non-district games, which do not count for placement in playoffs.

In order to advance to the playoffs, a team must finish in the top four of their district. Under the old system, a team could only advance if they had five wins.

Districts are subject to change every two years, however. Based on waivers, enrollment and other factors, some schools may drop out of a district and be placed in a new one.

As a result, some Catholic and private schools may be grouped with public schools in the same district.

“There is always good and bad to it,” Turner said. “With being a public school, we have to make adjustments, and there is a positive atmosphere in how our team works together.”

Coach David Inserra is disappointed in the new districting, but plans to continue pushing his team to be the best they can be despite the change in opponents.

“I believe we will just have to roll with the new approach,” Inserra said. “We will continue to work hard in the off-season and prepare for who the state mandates us to play.”

SouthwordS 13

SPORTS

| February 4, 2019

Maine South’s signed D1 Athletes Katie Carmichael Sports Editor

Nicole Scales

North Dakota State University

Senior Nicole Scales will be attending North Dakota State University next year to continue her basketball career as a Bison.

“I chose to further my academic and athletic careers at North Dakota State because the school itself fits me perfectly,” Scales said. “With or without basketball, the school offers its students so many different fields of study.”

Scales has broken three scoring records during her four years on the varsity girls’ basketball team. She holds the record for most threes in a single season, most threes in a career, she is tied for the best free-throw percentage in a single season, and recently scored her 1000th point. She has received All-Conference and All-State honors and has won two regional championships in her career.

Scales’s talent and hard work have brought her success at the high school level and she plans to bring these qualities to her future team at North Dakota State. “[I hope to] put my team in a position to be the best they can be,” Scales said. “I hope that I can bring leadership and energy to my new team.”

Francesca Faraci

University of Florida

Senior Francesca Faraci will be attending the University of Florida next year to continue her athletic career on the women’s soccer team.

Getting the opportunity to play at the University of Florida is a dream come true for Faraci. “[Florida] has always been my dream school,” Faraci said. “I also get to compete in one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and I think that’s very exciting.”

Faraci and her club soccer team earned a state championship in 2017 as well as a fifth place finish at ECNL nationals, which is the highest level of soccer. Faraci also earned All-Conference honors last year for her talent as a goalie for the Maine South girls’ soccer team.

Faraci looks forward to being a part of the Gators’ soccer team next year as well as competing at the highest level of soccer in the country.

“I hope to bring a positive and competitive PHOTO COURTESY FRANCESCA FARACI attitude to the Florida soccer team,” Faraci said.

Jack Bolz

Madisen Werdell

University of Tennessee

Senior Madisen Werdell will be attending the University of Tennessee next year to be a part of the Lady Vols volleyball team.

Werdell knew Tennessee was the perfect place for her the moment she stepped on campus.

“When I arrived at the University of Tennessee for camp, I felt right at home,” Werdell said.

Werdell was a three-year member of the varsity volleyball team at Maine South. Werdell earned AllConference honors all three years, All-Area First Team honors in 2018, and First-Team All-State honors in 2018, only the second Maine South girls’ volleyball member to ever receive the honor. She holds the record for single-season and career digs.

Werdell hopes to be a well-rounded athlete, teammate, student, and person during her time PHOTO COURTESY MADISEN WERDELL at Tennessee.

“I hope to contribute passion, drive, leadership, and grit to the Lady Vols Volleyball Program,” Werdell said.

Katie Haley

University of Colorado-Boulder

Senior Katie Haley will be attending the University of Colorado-Boulder next year to compete on their lacrosse team, the reigning Pac-12 champions.

Haley felt that Colorado fit all her needs as an athlete, student, and person.

“I wanted to attend a school with a competitive lacrosse program,” Haley said. “When I visited the University of Colorado Boulder, I loved everything about it—the campus, the academics, and the coaches.”

Haley has been a member of the varsity lacrosse team at Maine South since her freshman year and has earned All-State honors the past two years. Haley has been recognized as an Under-Armour AllAmerican, an honor some of the best lacrosse players in the country receive.

Haley looks forward to being part of the team at Colorado as well as reaching her collegiate lacrosse goals.

“I hope to build a relationship with my coaches and teammates, work my way up to a starting position, and ultimately help CU Boulder win a national championship,” Haley said.

Tommy Brady

University of Michigan

Senior Tommy Brady will be attending the University of Michigan to be a part of the men’s cross country team.

After sorting through a list of top-notch schools, Brady Senior Jack Bolz will be attending George Mason University next year to decided that Michigan fit all his athletic and academic continue his volleyball career collegiately. needs and wants.

Bolz was drawn to George Mason because he believes it is the best place “The academics really impressed me, the team was for him to achieve his athletic goals in a great environment. great, and it was clear that the school was committed to “Attending George Mason gives me the opportunity to fulfill my goal giving great funding to all of their programs,” Brady said. in collegiate athletics, to win a national championship,” Bolz said. “The Brady had a record-breaking career in cross country coaching is also unbelievable.” as a member of the Maine South team. Brady earned a firstBolz is a three-time varsity member and two-time captain of the Maine place finish at Regionals in 2017 and 2018, a second-place South boys’ volleyball team where he has earned All-Conference recognition. finish at Sectionals in 2017 and 2018, a third-place finish Bolz captains his club volleyball team, which earned a bid to nationals in 2018, at State in 2017, and a second-place finish at State in 2018. and he was selected to be a member of the top-level USA volleyball team.

As for his collegiate career, Brady will be bringing Bolz’s undeniable hard work and great attitude on the court are what his work ethic and leadership abilities to the Wolverines he hopes to bring to his future Patriots’ volleyball team. cross country team.

“I always want to be the hardest worker in the gym,” Bolz said. “This “I hope to be a hard worker who brings a positive attitude will push me to be my best along with everyone else.” every day and pushes others to be their best,” Brady said.

PHOTO BY LAUREN VAUGHN

George Mason University

14 SouthwordS

What does it take to be on the Southwords staff ?

T

he back page of this newspaper is the application for the 20192020 Southwords staff. Please look below for a job description for each position on staff.

The Southwords staff consists of editors-in-chief, news editors, features editors, entertainment editors, commentary editors, sports editors, production editors, graphic designers, artists and photographers, as well as several staff writers and freelance writers for each section.

It is necessary for editors to have strong proofreading skills and be able to work with students collaboratively.

Editors must always be approachable and never condescending. Editors should be familiar with Adobe products. As part of the Southwords editorial board, editors will come to a consensus on a topic in one well-written opinion piece that represents the newspaper’s view as a whole. Editors must be enrolled in Newspaper Practicum for the entire year, because this is where the paper is created.

All positions require enthusiasm and consistent contributions; students applying must be willing to spend time and put forth a great deal of effort on their work. Also, staff must also be able to work in a timely manner, as meeting deadlines is vital to being on a newspaper staff.

For more information on any staff position, feel free to e-mail an editor-in-chief or the faculty adviser, Mr. Stathakis.

Editor-in-chief Editor-in-chief is a position only open to returning editors. The editor-in-chief ultimately guides the vision of the entire paper and must be familiar with the editing process, as well as Adobe products, such as InDesign and Photoshop.

This position is also responsible for writing “Property of the Editors,” a column in Commentary section.

The editor-in-chief is also responsible for the cover page, so he/she must have knowledge of what will be published in the other sections of the paper.

The editor-in-chief must be in attendance at all extra paste-up

hours and offer assistance in any different topics. The Entertainment way possible. staff also creates or assembles any games featured in the newspaper.

News T h e N e w s s e c t i o n c o v e r s Commentary developing stories about timely The Commentary section is the issues that directly affect students, voice of the students at Maine both inside and outside the school. South.

News writers need to be informed Commentary writers need to about school and national issues and be creative and opinionated. They must be comfortable interviewing must be able to present an issue people. Staff and freelance writers about which they are passionate, alike must be able to write objectively avoiding ranting and remaining and with finesse. professional.

News editors must be up-to-date Commentary editors must be on news inside and outside of school. extremely careful, because editing Editors must also be ready to fact- opinions can be problematic. Editors check articles. must also be open-minded, because a wide variety of opinions will always Features exist in their section.

The Features section contains the widest variety of articles. Features Sports focuses on issues that directly affect The Sports section covers all students, both in and out of school. sports at Maine South.

Features articles are usually longer Sports writers need to be up-toin nature, and delve more deeply date on all sports at Maine South. into topics than news articles would. Sports writers should be creative in Also, these articles are less reliant their reporting on events. Accurate on timeliness and instead focus on reporting is crucial. relevance and interest.

Sports editors are responsible F e a t u r e s w r i t e r s m u s t b e for making sure that each Maine inventive; finding an interesting topic South sport is covered during a given to report about can sometimes be season. challenging, as the most interesting Sports editors must be aware of topics are often ones that have not varsity sports happenings, as well as been previously written about. other sports included at school. A Features editors must be well- deep knowledge of sports—within the rounded and ready to condense and school and outside of the school—is edit articles fairly. Fact-checking is a necessary component of being an necessary, but the most emphasis is editor for the Sports section. placed on relevance.

Production Entertainment To help with the technical aspects The Entertainment section of putting together a newspaper, contains reviews and articles a production editor must be related to art, music, video games, knowledgeable in the operation of literature, restaurants, and anything PC computers, a Windows operating else that might be considered system, as well as have skill in entertainment.

InDesign and Photoshop. Most Entertainment writers must be importantly, the production editor well-informed of the school’s fine art must be willing to learn to use these events. Unique to the entertainment programs more proficiently and offer section, writers specializing in a help whenever necessary. specific genre (music, TV, etc.) are The production editor should welcome. attend every meeting and pasteEntertainment editors need to up—when the final components of be knowledgeable about popular the paper are added together—to events and recreational activities and provide the editors with technical open to writing and reading about assistance.

Graphic Designers Graphic designers are responsible for improving the layout of the paper and assisting the editors-in-chief and section editors with the aesthetics of the paper. They should be familiar with Photoshop and/or InDesign software.

Artists/Cartoonists Artists and cartoonists should be able to produce realistic and creative illustrations to accompany articles on a variety of topics. It is helpful for an artist to be familiar with Photoshop software, scanner software, and InDesign (or be willing to learn the software and hardware). Often, illustrations must be produced quickly and on demand.

Photographers Photographers should be comfortable with taking photos and skilled in doing so. Photographers must be ready to take pictures at any time and to take specific pictures by a set deadline.

Photographers must also have flexible schedules, since they may have to attend away-from-school events. Owning a digital camera is preferred but not required.

Staff Writers All writers must have a good grasp of grammar and be able to write concisely. Because writers aren’t in the Newspaper Practicum class, it is important that writers communicate frequently with editors. Staff writers should have the time necessary to complete their articles; they need to be consistent and dedicated to their work.

If you or anyone you know is interested in joining Southwords, visit http://apply.southwords.org, and sign up for an interview outside of C130 (the English workroom) by Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Interviews begin Thursday, Feb. 7.

Due Wednesday, February 6

ALL STAFF MUST SUBMIT AN APPLICATION Staff

Application

PLEASE NOTE: online application is preferred, so please use the paper application below only as a worksheet to prepare for the online application. See the reverse side of this sheet for job descriptions, and feel free to contact Mr. Stathakis or any current editors with any questions.

ONLINE: APPLICATION PAPER:

WORKSHEET

Please visit http://apply.southwords.org or to scan the QR code to the right. Your application will not be processed until you have also signed up for an interview outside the English office, C130.

Current staff members do not need to sign up for an interview unless applying to move up to an editorial position.

Use the form below as a worksheet to prepare for the online application.

Name:___________________________________________________________ Class of 20______ E-mail address:____________________________________________________________________ Freshman year English teacher:

My cumulative GPA is _______. My most recent semester GPA is_______. Sophomore year English teacher: Extracurricular activities I will be involved with next year:

Junior year English teacher: Art/Computer design teacher (if applicable):

Staff application:

Open to current and prospective staff members

Returning staff members must complete this form.

Please indicate your order of preference by numbering your choices (1st & 2nd). Select no more than two, but you may select only one if that’s your only section of interest.

Editor application:

Open to current and prospective staff members

ALL editors must take Newspaper Practicum (likely 7th period next year), which will earn you an elective English credit.

Please indicate your order of preference by numbering your choices (1st & 2nd). Select no more than two, but you may select only one if that’s your only section of interest.

­­_____News writer ­­_____Features writer _____Entertainment writer _____Commentary writer ­­_____Sports writer ­­_____Photographer* ­­_____Artist/Cartoonist* _____Graphic Design team*

*Please bring portfolio/samples to interview, if possible.

­­_____News editor ­­_____Features editor _____Entertainment editor ­­_____Commentary editor _____Sports editor ­­_____Production/Design editor _____Editor-in-Chief

(For returning staff members only. All Editor-in-Chief candidates must contact Mr. Stathakis.)

If you have any questions, please see Mr. Stathakis in C130 (the English Workroom).

TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION, YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR AN INTERVIEW ON THE SCHEDULE OUTSIDE C130 by WED., FEB 6