Vol. 55, Issue 7

1111 S. Dee Road • Park Ridge, Illinois 60068

April 18, 2019

Vol. 55, No. 7

Together Security guard Mr. Mike Roach hands out backpack tags to promote a greater level of trust between students and staff, especially regarding the issue of vaping. See page 8.

Sleep In

School start times to be later in 2019-20.

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Lots of Polyglots Into the Woods

Students discuss the advan- Spring musical, ‘Into the tages of being polylingual.

Woods,’ continues April 26-27.

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Kickin’ It

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FRAZIER

WORKING

Girls’ soccer off to historic start.

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NEWS

| April 18, 2019

Construction company begins planning for District 207 school renovations

Student artwork chosen to represent Illinois at White House

News Editor istrict 207 voters approved the borrowing of $195 million in Nov. 2018 to fund the renovations and upgrades proposed by the Board of Education, and Board members and administrators are now working to get the ball rolling. The decision was made on March 4, 2019, to hire Pepper Construction Company to work on the large-scale project.

By hiring the construction company early in the planning process, District 207 hopes to save money with clear communication and transparency. Pepper Construction Company will be paid $2.1 million for the project while working alongside Wight & Company, the architecture company hired by the district in 2016.

Construction will begin during the summer of 2020, so several discussion groups and committees have already come together.

“There are multiple levels of discussion happening, and each level is at a certain amount of detail,” principal Dr. Ben Collins said.

At one of the levels, group members work to figure out the types and number of spaces the school

the entire renovation process will likely happen in three phases, with each phase happening during summers beginning in 2020. The first phase will likely impact a third of the middle of the building and possibly the A-wing.

“Once we get the design set, then we’ll do some student presentations, probably during lunch periods,” Dr. Collins said.

When construction begins, students will be able to see the changes very early in the process. Sections being worked on will be open and ready to use immediately after they’re finished. This allows everyone to see the accomplishments being made throughout the project, rather than all at the end.

“We’re planning [for this next year and for the next 3 years] to have a new building tour for all students regardless of grade level at the start of the school year,” Dr. Collins said.

Administrators are confident that the changes being made will significantly improve the lives and learning of students.

“You will be coming back to a school you’ve never seen before,” Dr. Collins said.

News Editor he Illinois St ate B oard of Education selected senior Lydia Cruz to design an easter egg to represent Illinois at the White House.

Cruz’s artwork was selected by the board due to her first place state honors in the Illinois Arts Education Week Poster Design Contest.

Cruz was excited for her artwork to be the Illinois representative at the annual Easter Egg Roll on April 22.

“I got an email before spring break about the offer, and I took it with honor and great pride,” Cruz said.

Cruz went through a difficult process in order to craft the egg, which must incorporate designs that represent the state of Illinois.

“The process of the egg design was probably my most difficult project when it came to digital design or image,” said Cruz. “This was due to the fact that I had not illustrated or drawn out a whole picture like my other projects before beginning the digital design.”

Cruz is unsure whether she will be attending the Easter Egg Roll, but her artwork will be displayed for guests of the White House to view.

suspiciously large sums of money In addition, many students are were explained by Singer as “generous discouraged by what the scandal donations.” revealed about the admissions Parents and students across the process. country are outraged. One group “When I found out about the of p are nt s an d all of “I could not believe that scandal, students have filed t he big names a lawsuit, claiming parents, the people who involved really that if they had hrew me off should be encouraging tguard, known about the ” junior Niki fraud involved in their children to work Iatrides said. “It t he a d m iss i ons hard in school, had really makes me process, they wonder whether w o u l d n’ t h a v e done all the work for all the dedication wasted their time them.”

I’ve put into and money by my school and -Kelly Rose (‘19) extracurriculars applying.

Students feel that it is an issue that will truly pay off. How can anyone people are admitted to competitive c omp e t e w it h p e op l e p ay i n g colleges without earning it. thousands of dollars to take such a “When I found out, my initial limited number of spots?” reaction was shock and disbelief,” Other students believe the senior Kelly Rose said. “I could not scandal has shed more light on the believe that parents, the people who unfair advantages embedded in the should be encouraging their children admissions process. to work hard in school, had done all “The scandal was terrible, but it the work for them.” made me think about how we all really

buy our way into colleges,” junior Megan Weiss said. “Between test prep, tutoring, and all other advantages of being in a wealthy neighborhood, we have somewhat paid our way into college as well.”

Pr i n c ip a l D r. B e n C ol l i ns expressed his disappointment with the scandal.

“I was really disappointed, but not surprised,” Dr. Collins said.

“But when I saw the extent of what happened, I was actually shocked.

There were so many people in on it. I make it a rule to not guess the intent of others. If it is found that the parents did indeed do what they were accused of doing, they should pay a steep price because it’s disgusting. What I hope happens is that we can continue to have conversations about how many problems there are with the entire college entrance process.”

So far, coaches, test administrators, proctors, and actresses have been fired from their jobs and are currently on bail as a result of the scandal.

Jessie Beck

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will need to have. They examine the number of classrooms, offices, conference rooms, and specialty classrooms desired.

Another group reviews information regarding the sizes of learning spaces and where they will be located.

The third group works to figure out where the spaces are in relation to each other. They also begin planning the positioning of doors, hallways and windows in different parts of the building.

One significant change will be the use of lockers for students next year.

“Next year, students are going to opt into a locker if they want to use it for the year,” Dr. Collins said. “We think we could probably eliminate about 70% of the lockers.”

Administrators hope to begin taking out lockers in the back hallway soon after construction starts.

Another goal of the administration is to make a cafeteria that serves students the best it can. The possibility of creating a coffee bar in the school is also being discussed.

Although many of the specifics haven’t been worked out, tentative plans are being made. For example,

Charlotte Geier

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College admissions scandal shocks the public

Emma Crosson News Writer

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n March, around 50 people, including celebrities such as Lori Loughlin from “Full House” and Felicity Huffman from “Desparate Housewives,” played a part in bribing, cheating, and falsifying qualifications in order to get their children into elite colleges. The scheme was led by William Singer, the CEO of a college admissions preparatory company called “The Key.” Singer either directly cheated on the SAT and ACT or used his connections with Division I coaches and bribed them to get the students into a school with fake athletic credentials.

Singer bribed test administrators, got test proctors to change the student’s answers, and encouraged some parents to obtain a learning disability waiver for their children.

Parents paid between $15,000 and $75,000 per test to help their children receive a better score. These

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April 18, 2019

| NEWS

Schedule officially updated for the 2019-2020 school year

News Writer hroughout this school year, many schedule changes have occurred as administrators experimented with new ideas and improvements.

However, more changes are on the way.

The decision was made on Feb. 27 for Maine South to adopt a newer version of the current hybrid schedule that will be implemented with the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.

District 207 Administration gathered feedback on the results of this year’s changes; they conducted faculty focus groups to hear what teachers wanted and held parent focus groups to determine how it would affect their students’ best interests and commutes. The Principal’s Advisory Council also held student focus groups with 140 students to discuss and review the proposed changes.

The new schedule is based on this year’s format, with some adjustments to address some issues that arose this year.

One significant change will be the switch from having block days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to having them on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Administrators hope that this will provide a smoother transition into the week and improve communication between teachers and students.

“During the student and staff focus groups, we heard that one of the major sources of stress were that you had to switch schedules every day,” principal Dr. Ben Collins said. “So we wanted to have two days in a row and we also want to have students see their teachers twice before heading into

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the block days to hopefully provide a better flow and for students to have a better idea of how they can spend their time away from class during the block days.”

Having one of the block days on Wednesdays and Thursdays will interfere with the late-start days currently occurring every Thursday. As a result, the late start will be removed and that time will be redistributed throughout the other days of the week; every school day will begin at 8:20 a.m. and students will be dismissed at 3:19 p.m.

The later start time is an attempt to improve the health and learning of Maine South students.

“For a long time, there has been a district discussion and desire to move the start of school later,” Dr. Collins said. “There’s lots of research that suggests a later start for high school students is better for their wellness and for their learning outcomes.”

In addition, this change will satisfy the requests of parents and families for a consistent start time. Students who utilize PACE bus services for transportation to school will also be accommodated.

The last schedule change concerns the ordering of the periods on block days. Currently, students attend periods one, three, five, and seven in that order on Tuesdays and periods two, four, six, and eight in that order on Wednesdays.

Next year, students will attend periods three, one, seven, and five in that order on Wednesdays and periods four, two, eight, and six in that order on Thursdays.

The purpose of the change is to shift the lunch periods to either

the start or end of the block day, which aims to ease congestion in lunch spaces by granting qualifying upperclassmen the opportunity to be off campus during those free periods. “[This is] so we could better balance the lunch periods on block days and that gives us a better environment,” Dr. Collins said. “This also provides another opportunity for our upperclassmen to either arrive late or leave early, as long as they are meeting all course requirements and in good standing.”

Additional changes for next year include more student/teacher collaborative time in the morning ranging from 7:30-8:15 on days that teacher meetings are not planned, and the utilization of two bell schedules (one for regular and one for block days) so that bells will ring every day.

Some students are looking forward to the changes planned for next year.

“I am really excited about the 8:20 start time now,” sophomore RJ Dimeo said. “The late starts are nice, but having this later start now every day will allow me to get more sleep.”

“The flipping of the lunches to the start and end of the day sounds like their best idea,” sophomore Matt Cull said. “I might have sports after school so I can’t leave early, but it might be nice to get that head start on homework if I’m going to be getting home late.”

Dr. Collins believes the transition to this schedule will be smooth and will improve the lives of students.

“I honestly believe next year will be a much smoother transition and a much better schedule [than this year],” he said. “There will be challenges that we will have to face, and we’ll be in a much better shape for taking them on because we ironed out many this year.”

According to their website, “ALICE Training instructor led classes provide preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations on how to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event. Whether it is an attack by an individual person or by an international group of professionals intent on conveying a political message through violence, ALICE Training option-based tactics have become the accepted response, versus the traditional ‘lockdown only’ approach.”

Many students were grateful to see a change in school shooter training

due to the increased protection ALICE training provides.

“I was relieved that I now know how to prevent an attack,” sophomore Chiena Caneja said. “I was happy to see the school is taking a progressive approach on attacks and shootings, as opposed to the traditional ‘hide-andwait’ lockdowns.”

Administration was also glad they were able to implement a more effective training.

“The training will take place on Apr. 26, and it will not affect daily procedures, but will hopefully keep students more alert and safer,” Dean of Students Mr. Michael McGreevy

said. “ALICE training is better than the traditional lockdown drills of the past because ALICE encourages, run, hide, and fight as options, with the emphasis on the word ‘run.’ There is no perfect way to respond to any of these situations; however, after years of these tragedies occurring, experts have realized from research that just hiding is not always the best course of action.”

ALICE strives to help businesses, schools and individuals to prevent and defend themselves. Maine South administration plans to carry out these training sessions in the future to continue keeping students safe.

2019-2020 Daily Schedule

GRAPHIC BY MICHAEL FRAZIER

Matthew Coyle

ALICE adopted as new protocol for active shooter drills

Michael Paprocki

News Writer his year, all four schools in Maine Township District 207 have switched to a new approach on the traditional lockdown drill. With the surge of shootings across the United States, a foundation called ALICE has taken center stage in mitigating school shootings, armed attacks, and acts of terrorism.

ALICE is shor t for “Aler t, L o c kd ow n , In for m , C ou nt e r, Evacuate.” ALICE provides training sessions for various settings on how to prevent and protect themselves from these acts.

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NEWS

| April 18, 2019

Four new members elected to District 64 School Board Stephen Pontikes

News Editor andidates Carolina Sales, Denise Pearl, Tom Sotos, and Rebecca Little were elected to the School District 64’s Board of Education on Apr. 2 during Cook County’s spring municipal elections.

Four-year terms up for election were three seats on the school board, currently belonging to President Anthony Borrelli, Secretary Tom Sotos, and board member Mark Eggemann.

A two-year term was also up for election, as board member Eastman Tiu resigned in 2018. His position was filled by Bob Johnson, an appointment made by Borelli and D64 Superintendent Laurie Heinz. The election determined who will take Tiu’s seat for the remaining amount of time that he would have served had he not resigned.

Of the three members selected for the four-year seats, Carolina Sales had 23 percent of the total votes; Denise Pearl had 20 percent; and Tom Sotos had 18 percent.

The member selected for the two-year term, Rebecca Little, took 55 percent of the votes.

There were many issues that this election was centered around, one of which was the relationship between teaching staff and administrators.

“I think the board should hold periodic informal meet and greets with teachers,” board member-elect Little said. “They can offer feedback on whatever issues they feel need to be addressed at their home school.”

Trust between these same two groups was also a perceived issue.

“Effective and transparent communication serves as a building block to re-build trust,” board member-elect Pearl said. “Communication involves soliciting and listening to the teachers’ perspective, emphasizing that their perspective is a valuable one within the district.”

Another heavily discussed topic of the candidates’ campaigns was information and misinformation on social media.

“I will continue to be informed on the issues before the board,” board member Sotos said. “I will do this by continuing to spend significant amounts of time researching the issues prior to board meetings. Some people say that I talk too much in board meetings, but the truth is that I want to facilitate open and honest conversation amongst all stakeholders.”

Finally, the issue of overcrowding in school buildings was a central talking point in this election.

“The district should make sure that all spaces could truly be used as flexible learning environments,” board member-elect Sales said. “In connection with the discussions of full day kindergarten, we should consider adding sufficient classrooms for other grades as well.”

Incumbent board members will take office inApril 2019.

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PHOTO COURTESY DISTRICT 64

BIGGER, BOLDER, BALDER After shaving or donating their hair, participants in the Lincoln part of the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser celebrate their efforts outside of the school. Both schools involved in the fundraiser advertised through the hashtag #D64BiggerBolderBalder on social media in order to get other members of the community involved.

‘Lincoln-Emerson Baldies’ raise over $400,000 for St. Baldrick’s foundation Charlotte Geier

News Editor very three years, District 64’s Lincoln Middle School has raised money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation by having students and staff shave their heads or donate their hair in order to raise money for cancer research. This year marked Lincoln’s fourth time participating in the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser and their first year with Emerson Middle School joining the cause.

“This was the first year they participated in a St. Baldrick’s event,” Lincoln teacher and event coordinator Mr. James Tebo said. “Joining forces has actually been a plan of mine and Eric Lawson (Emerson) for quite some time. We were finally able to pull it off.”

Lincoln and Emerson raised $418,000 for the cause, and are currently ranked fifth out of all of the St. Baldrick’s fundraisers that have taken place this year. This amount is over three times the money Lincoln raised during their last fundraiser in 2016.

Part of the success of the fundraiser was attributed to the experience staff has had in running this event in the past.

“Like anything else in life, the more you do something, the better you get at it,” Mr. Tebo said.

“At Lincoln, we learned from the previous three events what changes we needed to make to enable us to have an even better performance the next time out.”

One integral part of the promotion was the kickoff assembly for students and staff on Feb 7.

“I ran the assembly and set the tone as I talked about why we raise money for childhood cancer, where does the money go, and who this helps in the end,” Mr. Tebo said. “It was 90 minutes of kids totally focused on the message I was presenting them… It couldn’t have gone any better. Kids left the assembly wanting to help.”

Many students initially became involved in the fundraising efforts through inspiration from teachers who participated as well. In particular, Lincoln teacher and hair donor Ms. Melissa Walters encouraged a lot of enthusiasm among

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students and teachers; she participated in St. Baldrick’s for her second time this year, shaving her head in support of the cause.

“I decided to shave my head this year in an attempt to motivate other teachers, students, and community members to participate in the event,” Ms. Walters said. “I also wanted to honor our Lincoln family members, as well as some of my own family members, who are currently in treatment for different types of cancers.”

Another aspect of the schools’ success was due to the personal connections that drove students and staff to fundraise. Specifically, multiple current and former students from both middle schools have fought childhood cancer with the support of the District 64 community.

“When kids can have that personal touch, someone they know, it makes everything so much more real for them,” Mr. Tebo said. “They internalize the fact that someone they know, someone who is a kid just like them, is battling this dreadful disease called cancer.”

The magnitude of community involvement attributed largely to the team’s fundraising of over $400,000.

“Nearly every member of the Lincoln school community contributed in some way: delivering t-shirts, setting up chairs, seeking donations, handling paperwork, participating in the Friday broadcasts, sharing information about the event, and, of course, shaving or donating hair,” Ms. Walters said. “Students and their families did an exceptional job of reaching out to the larger community for donations of time and money and to raise awareness about disparities in funding for different types of cancers.”

Everyone involved was impressed with all the effort put into the campaign and its success.

“It was beautiful to see how this campaign brought out the best in everyone,” Ms. Walters said. “Reaching a goal of this magnitude required empathy, teamwork, pride, and a lot of love, and it was wonderful to see those positive forces in all of the behind-the-scenes efforts in the weeks leading up to the assembly.”

April 18, 2019

STAFF EDITORIAL

Consequences don’t fix vaping problem T

here’s no doubt vaping is a serious problem in high schools, Maine South included. Vaping has been popular among high school students for a few years now, so the “vaping epidemic” is not new to this school year. However, at this point, vaping has become so common that students often accept it as typical behavior. All the while, supervising adults have been mostly ignorant to the issue.

In past years, adults would distribute consequences to those they caught vaping in school. Then, some education about the dangers of vaping was communicated via posters in the bathrooms. If students were vaping in order to be “cool,” these consequences might work but two or three years later, this is not the case.

Most teens who vape at school these days are doing it because they are addicted. A random poster in the hallway isn’t going to help them. A detention isn’t going to stop them.

As for students that are not addicted to vaping, they are not going to step in because vaping has become so common that it no longer seems like a serious and pressing problem.

Other schools across the country have installed vaping sensors in student bathrooms that can send alerts to administrators.

We believe that if these sensors were implemented at Maine South, it wouldn’t help address the problem.

Editor-in-Chief ost people hate Boston because of t h e i r s p or t s t e a m s — primarily because of how good they are. This hate has grown even more in recent years because of Jason McKeon, known as “Sign Kid.” When McKeon goes to the championship parades for Boston sports’ teams, he brings a sign with him, the latest saying, “17 years old, 12 parades.”

This has sparked anger in many people because of how spoiled Boston is with championships. For them, winning championships is a common occurrence for every sport.

However, Boston isn’t the only city

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

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ILLUSTRATION BY SHANNON MCGREEVY

When someone has a serious problem that they need to address, punishing them will not give them the support they need. When fellow students say that they are addicted to vaping, we don’t think much of it. This is a problem. When people say they are addicted to alcohol or cigarettes, we rightfully take it very seriously and say that they need help; with vaping we play it off like it is no big deal.

This lack of a stigma has helped this problem grow even more. Because the effects are not immediate, there are no social consequences of vaping.

A recent campaign sparked by security guard Mr. Mike Roach has raised awareness of the issue in an unforeseen way.

Mr. Roach, who was hired last fall,

has been reaching out to students to try to help students quit vaping. He has been working towards this goal by holding up signs in the hall and handing out backpack tags about the dangers of vaping and collecting vapes—with no questions asked.

There is a reason why Mr. Roach’s tactics have had an effect at Maine South: his understanding and easily approachable personality makes it easier for students to trust and listen to his message.

The new mantra for counteracting the vaping epidemic should be to stop addiction rather than punish those who are addicted. By positively helping addicted students, perhaps we can begin to curb the vaping epidemic at Maine South.

that’s spoiled with championships.

Chicago is spoiled too; we just don’t realize it as easily as we do with Boston since they have so many more championships than Chicago. Many of us are the same age as McKeon and have been alive for five Chicago championships.

We don’t think of this as being spoiled because compared to Boston’s 12 championships in our lifetime, five is nothing. But, you don’t have to have an absurd amount of championships like Boston in order to be spoiled.

Many other cities would love to have our five championships in the last 14 years.

The Blackhawks missed being in the playoffs for the second year in a row, and to us, it seems like they are such a terrible team and such a disappointment. Yes, it is disappointing that we don’t get to see our team play longer, but we also have

to remember that within the past 10 seasons the Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups. 18 current NHL teams have won three or fewer Stanley cups in their franchise’s entire history.

It’s our ignorance of statistics like this that make us so spoiled.

Not only have we been spoiled with Chicago championships, but our parents were too when they were our age. Chicago has the third most championships, 26, behind New York, 53, and Boston, 39. And, Chicago is one of only seven cities that have won a championship in professional baseball, basketball, football and hockey.

Don’t get me wrong: being spoiled isn’t a bad thing. However, we must acknowledge the privilege of having such successful sports teams and not take them for granted, as so many other cities strive to have teams as successful as we do.

Chicago has been spoiled with sports championships

Colleen Johnson

| COMMENTARY

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

| April 18, 2019

Does money help or harm happiness?

Money can buy us happiness, but will it last?

Money can’t buy happiness; it only causes problems

Lexi Stacy

Adam Ferraro

Commentary Writer

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veryone has different goals in life.

Some of us want to be doctors, teachers, or even artists. We don’t all share the same dreams, but we share an underlying motivation. In any profession we choose, we want to be happy. In order for us to achieve that happiness, we have to work hard.

In ou r s o c i e t y, a s e ns e of accomplishment and happiness comes from making money. Whether you’re considered successful or a failure largely depends on a pay check, and for some, money is a physical representation of a lifetime of hard work. Money is just one of the tangible ways to show yourself you are doing well in life. It might not be the most important one, but it definitely is the most popular.

People recognize having a lot of money as being successful. Believing that you are successful provides you with a boost of self-esteem. When we get what we want, it is natural to be happy about it. Although that happiness might not last, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there to begin with.

Money provides us with happiness, but it’s our choice if we are going to try and keep that happiness.

Although I agree money itself can’t buy happiness, science has shown that it definitely increases your fulfillment with your life.

According to a study done by Princeton University, happiness peaks at an earning of $75,000 per year. They stated, “The lower a person’s annual

income falls below that benchmark, the unhappier he or she feels. But no matter how much more than $75,000 people make, they do not report any greater degree of happiness.”

This Princeton study proves that at a certain point ($75,000), money can, in fact, buy happiness. However, for lower incomes, happiness doesn’t come that easy.

Is it possible that money is covering up the actual providers of happiness? It is easy for people to blame their issues on the money when they don’t have enough or they have too much. Happiness, however, is a choice and cannot be blamed on one materialistic desire.

We see a big paycheck and a nice car as the ultimate success because society tells us so. For the ones who don’t have it, it only creates problems, and for the ones who have too much, it becomes a burden. No one is ever happy when they feel stress about having too much or too little money.

Happiness is when we let ourselves feel successful and proud. So, yes, science shows that money buys happiness, but it also shows that happiness can be a choice. Despite this, if you don’t have enough money to provide for your needs, it becomes more difficult to live a happy life.

We all have one common goal to try and reach for in the future­— one that will push us forward in the pursuit of happiness. Money can provide us with a fulfilled and abundant life, but only if we allow it to do so.

It is your decision to feel happy with what you have and to continue to make goals for yourself that will help you achieve more happiness—but you have to have enough wealth to allow yourself to pursue these goals.

Commentary Writer

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ne of the main goals in all people’s lives is to earn lots of money. Money is supposed to make you happier and make your life better. However, happiness can’t just be purchased through money, and in many cases, money can make your life worse.

People’s happiness comes from many different things like sports, movies, and music, and while money may be able to help you purchase those things, money is not able to produce the feeling of happiness that comes from them.

Say you purchased tickets to a movie. The movie was great, and you were very happy to go to it. If someone were to ask you why you were happy in that moment, you would tell them that you just went and saw a great movie.

You wouldn’t say that the reason you are happy is because of the money you spent on the movie. Money didn’t produce that feeling of happiness.

Saying that money can buy happiness overshadows all of the activities and things you did with money that made you happy.

Happiness can’t be bought because it takes a certain activity or object to give you that happiness.

Research also shows that more money doesn’t lead to a happier life.

In 1978, psychologists in Illinois interviewed lottery winners and individuals who were paralyzed in accidents. What they found was that

the paralysis victims derived greater happiness from everyday events like talking with a loved one and enjoying a nice day.

Winning the lottery didn’t make the winners appreciate everyday events more, as being in a life changing accident had for the paralysis victims.

In many cases, money actually made their lives much worse.

In fact, many lottery winners’ lives have been ruined by their windfall.

Take the case of Jack Whittaker, a West Virginia man who in 2002 won $315 million dollars in the lottery.

In four years, he was completely broke. The man frivolously spent, didn’t invest, and was one time robbed of $545,000 that he left in his car.

While it may have been his fault for his reckless spending, there are many cases of this same thing happening to normal and usually intelligent people.

The large amounts of money that they suddenly win makes them feel like royalty, and before they know it, the money’s gone and they’re broke.

Or worse, they’re dead.

Urooj Khan won $1 million in the lottery in Illinois on July 19, 2012.

On July 20, 2012, he was found dead.

He had been poisoned. That is not a coincidence, and there are many other stories of lottery winners ending up dead or broke.

In addition, things like inheritances or wills can tear families apart. Money changes people, makes them greedy, and makes them lose sight of what really matters.

Unless money is invested and wisely spent, it can very well lead to a much worse life than you had before.

Also, having money creates a lack of appreciation for the little things that were once valuable and brought us a true sense of happiness.

Does money affect happiness for the better or for the worse?

“There’s money needed to buy food and there’s money needed to buy heat or AC. You could have your whole family with you, but if you’re starving, you’re not happy.”

Klaudia Wachnik (‘19)

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“I think that money does not affect your happiness because people with money still have the same problems as people who don’t have money.

Money can only buy temporary happiness.”

Alissa Friel (‘21)

“I don’t think that money has an affect on your overall happiness.

Happiness is something that can’t be bought and by working, you have a sense of accomplishment.”

Justin Brosnan (‘21)

April 18, 2019

| COMMENTARY

Pharmaceutical companies create danger of misuse and abuse

Kristen Meyer

Commentary Writer h e Nat i o n a l In s t i t u t e o n Drug Abuse estimates that 18 million Americans have misused a prescription drug at least once in the last year. This growing epidemic stems from a culture of over prescription and pharmaceutical companies pressuring physicians.

According to Consumer Reports, more than half of Americans regularly take prescription drugs in addition to over the counter medications in order to treat their ailments.

This statistic reflects the attitude of physicians around the United States.

They believe that every indication of a disease must be combated with some sort of medication.

Today, doctors are treating the symptoms of a disease instead of the underlying medical condition.

In the last 20 years, the number of prescriptions filled by the American p eople has incre as ed by 85% according to Consumer Reports.

This is due to drug manufacturers changing the way in which they advertise drugs with negative side effects and addictive qualities, including OxyContin and Vicodin.

Drug companies have humanized and downplayed their drugs' side effects in misleading commercials and online advertisements, minimizing the knowledge of the patients. This lack of knowledge can cause an increased risk of addiction when using their drugs.

They even go as far as to bribe physicians with expensive lunches and special

GRAPHIC BY MICHAEL FRAZIER

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speaking opportunities at medical conferences.

Once the large corporations succeed in convincing the doctors to prescribe their medication for chronic pain, patients can suffer greatly with more side effects from these prescriptions. Patients may experience additional pain, rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, anxiety, stroke, death, severe addiction and other serious side effects from the unnecessary medications being prescribed to American patients.

Severe addictions to these medications are among the most serious results of pain medication.

Sometimes, patients turn to other, more destructive drugs, like heroin, you can buy off the street.

In 2017, 47,600 people died as a result of an opioid overdose in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

In addition, the New York Times reported that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for adults under the age of 55. This staggering report further supports the movement to end the over prescription of drugs to all Americans.

High school students who are prescribed painkillers to treat youth sport-related injuries and other medications are more likely to begin the usage of illegal drugs according to Narconon Rehabilitation Center.

Also, many high school students start with recreational drug use, then they move on to over use of unprescribed pills. Many students don't understand how dangerous and addictive prescription drugs are.

In order to prevent the next generation from becoming drug addicts, government agencies need to introduce more regulations, limiting the prescription of drugs to the

American people.

Phar ma c e ut i c a l c omp an i e s must become more focused on researching safe medicine instead of misleading advertisements. They need to be honest with physicians and consumers about the side effects and addictive qualities of the drugs they are advertising.

Consumers of these drugs also play a role in combating overuse of prescription drugs. They must be their own advocate by asking their doctors for alternative treatments, including lifestyle changes and holistic options.

Prescriptions can be miracle workers and life savers. However, society is facing a real challenge in how to prescribe drugs responsibly and to prevent further opioid addictions.

Governmental regulations and discussions are necessary to save millions of lives.

Hey, seniors!

Do you want to be featured in the senior issue of Southwords? Send pictures with friends, classmates, and/or teammates to southwords@ maine207.org.

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FEATURES

| April 18, 2019

Mr. Roach connects with students

Omar Farrag Features Writer

lmost every student at Maine South knows him. Walking through the halls, it is hard to miss Mr. Mike Roach, who is affectionately known as “Papa.” Mr. Roach got his nickname from his old high school’s principal, who took it from the rock band with the same name.

Hailing from an accomplished background, Mr. Roach is worn by experience and fitted with wise sentiment. The security officer was born and raised under a strict upbringing in Logan S quare, Chicago.

At 17, Mr. Roach enlisted in the Air Force where he would rise up the ranks to become an officer by the age of 22. During his time in the army, he was sent to Vietnam where he was a leader of a squadron dedicated to rescuing downed pilots.

“We would be on standby waiting for the planes to go down and the pilots to punch out,” Mr. Roach said.

“We would track down the aircrafts and retrieve the bodies.”

Upon his return from service, he served in the police departments of both Albuquerque and Chicago with different jobs in between.

“On the police force in Chicago, I was always undercover,” Mr. Roach said. “I would dress up like a bum and lie down at the train station waiting for people to steal from me.”

Mr. Roach would then have backup waiting to catch the perpetrator.

During the middle stages of his adult life, he was involved in the Anti-Cruelty Society, an organization dedicated to preventing animal and child abuse, where he held the role of Vice-President.

For six years, Mr. Roach worked at

ON THE JOB Mr. Roach converses with students about his plans for the school. He and the security team are work-

ing to decrease the amount of vaping and nicotine addiction at Maine South.

Stagg High School where his daughter team to solve one of the school’s most teaches. It was there, inspired by rampant issues: juuling. the students at Stagg, where Mr. Juuling has become a rising trend Roach first began campaigning for in Maine South over the last few years. something he felt was important.

The increase in electronic cigarettes “I created cards to promote respect use has become prevalent in the at Stagg,” Mr. Roach said. “I wanted to bathrooms of Maine South. create respect between all.”

Oftentimes, it can be difficult His bond amongst the kids in the for students to use the bathroom Palos Heights community made him without worrying about being a reluctant to take the job at Maine VAPING EPIDEMIC South.

The Southwords editorial board “I was reluctant, but Mr. Berendt told me, ‘Mr. Roach, we have kids here evaluates vaping consequences.

See­­­ page 5 too.’ That convinced me.”

In his time at Stagg, Mr. Roach witnessed racial tensions and suspect of juuling. Mr. Roach’s time continuing disrespect. Such issues in the military and police force have have motivated him to integrate more given him an advantage in sniffing inclusive attitudes in the community. out vapers.

“I am asking the student body “These kids think we’re stupid, to come together, to offer a better but we aren’t,” he said. “I could grab lifestyle,” Mr. Roach said. “We are ten a day.” doing it all together.”

However, he acknowledges that Mr. Roach has brought his the process of criminalizing and reformative attitude towards Maine punishing vapers doesn’t help solve South, working with the security the problem, attributing it to a “revolving door.”

Students are often sent down to the dean, searched, and if found with FIRE AWAY While serving in a juuling device, punished. Mr. Roach Thailand, Mr. Roach (kneeling) and his believes this procedure is ineffective. assistant fire at targets from 1,000 yards “These kids are addicted,” Mr. away with U.S. machine guns. Mr. Roach Roach said. “Our punishments mean was sent to Thailand to help train the Thai nothing.” army.

Students are constantly reprimanded for their actions, which they can’t control because of the addictive cravings, rather than provided treatment for their addiction.

“Some want to quit,” Mr. Roach said. “Let’s help them instead of PHOTO COURTESY MR. ROACH punishing them.”

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PHOTO BY MICHAEL FRAZIER

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In his short time at Maine South, Mr. Roach has already cultivated a new atmosphere throughout these halls.

“It’s nice to have a member of the staff so comfortable and personable with the students,” junior Anna Giblin said. “It makes kids feel more safe in school.”

It is evident to students that Mr. Roach enjoys his job. Senior Jack Bergtholdt recalls a time during football season when this was apparent.

“He came up to me in the student section and explained how amazing it was that we all came together for the game,” Bergtholdt said. “It was clear that he was truly excited about the atmosphere that he was in.”

Security is teaming up with MCYAF to give students a way to get professional help. Mr. Roach acknowledges the exemplary behavior of the Maine South student body and strongly believes in their potential to make positive changes in the community.

“The kids are really good. Ninety percent of the students here are over the top, absolutely,” Mr. Roach said.

This hig h prais e f rom t he experienced veteran comes with evidence; he knows how good a school and community is.

“I would rate this school, with its student body, up in the top twentyfive percent of the United States.”

He stresses how it takes the acceptance and action of others, to make our school a better place.

“It isn’t Papa Roach—it’s us. This isn’t all about me—it’s all about you,” Mr. Roach said.

April 18, 2019 |FEATURES

Multilingual students find cultural connections Claire Primeau & Tamara Dokic Features Writers

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hile most students c om mu n i c at e s o l e l y i n English, there are quite a few students who possess hidden linguistic skills due to the influence of their parents, as well as their own motivation to expand their linguistic abilities.

Although being a first-generation American can be difficult, a strong connection with the native culture is maintained through language.

G row i n g up i n a S e r bi a n household, Serbian was the first language sophomore Katarina Djukic heard.

“Serbian was the first language that I learned because my parents and grandparents spoke only Serbian to me,” Djukic said. “Being constantly surrounded by Serbian, I was able to pick it up quickly.”

Most bilingual students at Maine South have parents or extended family that recently came to America, so these languages are spoken at home on a daily basis with family.

Junior Alex Bigos has been immersed in the Polish language since she was little. Her family still speaks Polish every day.

“My parents spoke to me in Polish when I was born, so I’ve been speaking it since I was a kid,” Bigos said.

Junior Athena Baharopoulos has been speaking Greek since before she can remember, but speaks both English and Greek at home.

“My parents like to speak English a lot more in order to practice it,” Baharopoulos said.

Aside from fostering a cultural connection, many students believe that knowing a language aside from English makes it easier to learn more. Sophomore Stavroula Ladas has been able to use her Greek background to help her learn Spanish.

“Being Greek has helped me learn Spanish, because there are very similar words that only have different pronunciations,” Ladas said.

“Sometimes, when I can’t remember the meaning of a Spanish word, I just base it off of a similar word in Greek and end up understanding it.”

Other bilingual students express

similar sentiments. to talk to customers,” junior Sabrina “Serbian and Spanish are different, Czerwinska said. but they both have conjugations with Maine South foreign language verbs, which makes it easy to have teachers stress the merits of speaking something to compare it to when I’m more than one language in a modern, learning, since English doesn’t have a interconnected world. lot of the grammar rules that Serbian “B eing a polyglot will help and Spanish do,” Djukic said. students in the future because we are While this correlation is often living in an increasingly vast global helpful, sometimes it can be confusing society,” Maine South French teacher when speaking the non-dominant and polyglot Mrs. Anna Serrano said. language.

“Languages are necessary for so many “Sometimes I’ll careers, and accidentally speak “By knowing more with more than Greek in Spanish languages, you can one language class because of how a resumé, it connect to more people, on similar they are,” would be very Baharopoulos said. because not everybody difficult to turn Speaking another speaks English.” someone away language not only -Kristina Farion (‘21) for pretty much helps bilingual any job.” students in their Students foreign language classes but in all agree that their bilingualism will be aspects of their academics. very valuable for future job prospects.

“Sometimes I find myself applying “More jobs are looking for Greek to my math class, especially bilingual employees to be able to when we were working with different communicate with more clientele,” shapes, and all of the prefixes are in Bigos said. “Basically, knowing a Greek, so I translated the shapes to second language will make it easier Greek to understand how many sides for me to find a job and be successful there were,” Ladas said. in it in the future.”

However, the benefits of speaking Aside from its professional another language are not limited to advantages, bilingualism has also the classroom. allowed Maine South students to “[Speaking Polish] helped me get further their relationships with their my job at a Polish store, where you families and their communities. need to be fluent in both Bigos also values the experiences Polish and English that knowing Polish has

ILLUSTRATION BY JENNIFER NIKOLIC

brought her.

“Knowing and speaking polish has connected me to so many more people—through school, church, and even everyday situations,” Bigos said.

“These ‘communities’ that I’m a part of are like a second home to me and have allowed me to do different things that I normally don’t do elsewhere.”

The polyglots at Maine South believe that knowing another language has familiarized them with their own cultures and has allowed them to interact with new people.

Sophomore Kristina Farion values the opportunities that learning Italian and Ukrainian has brought her.

“It expands your ideas and allows you to learn more about cultures,” Farion said. “By knowing more languages, you can connect to more people, because not everybody speaks English.”

Maine South language teachers agree that the ability to speak multiple languages brings people together.

“Being a polyglot has allowed me to meet so many people,” Mrs. Serrano said. “I have friends that I never would have known, had we not spoken the same language.”

Mrs. Serrano has also seen a crosscultural connection as a result of her linguistic skills.

“French is spoken in so many different countries of the world, and because I have studied it, it has led me to study the cultures of people from countries such as the Ivory Coast, Haiti, and so many more,” Mrs. Serrano said.

Other Maine South polyglots appreciate how their bilingualism bridges the gap between their lives here and their origins overseas.

“Speaking the language brings me especially closer to the Polish culture, allowing me to communicate with my other relatives in Poland when I travel and makes the experience of traditions and customs more genuine since I’m surrounded by the language every day,” Bigos said.

Baharopoulos feels the same gratitude towards her knowledge of Greek.

“It helps to know the language when I’m communicating with relatives in Greece,’ Baharopoulos said.

“Knowing the language has kept me grounded to my culture and makes me proud to carry history.”

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ENTERTAINMENT |April 18, 2019

‘Into The Woods’ thrives despite weekend gap

Anna Wapner

Entertainment Writer

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s the school year winds down, the fine arts department is ramping up their efforts to present the annual musical. The cast, crew and pit have been working feverishly to present “Into the Woods.”

“Ultimately, ‘Into the Woods’ is about the consequences of one’s actions and learning how to be vulnerable after suffering great loss,” senior director Sara Nelson said. “Act one has a very fairy-tale ending, but in act two, the audience gets to see ‘picture-perfect’ characters undergo tremendous emotional and physical strain.”

“Into the Woods” is a balanced mix of classic fairy tales and harsh reality.

The musical follows a baker and his wife, Cinderella, and Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk,” who each have their own wish.

When the baker and his wife learn that they cannot have their wish because of a witch’s curse, the two set off on a journey to break it.

Everyone’s wish is granted in some form, but the results from their actions quickly catch up to them, preventing the characters from their “happily ever afters” that are commonly present at the end of tales.

Preparations for “Into the Woods” started right before first semester ended, which was also shortly after the winter play, “Lysistrata,” was cast.

“Au d i t i o n s t o o k p l a c e o n December 12,” senior Kaylee Hayden, who portrays Cinderella, said. “We began rehearsals on February 12 and rehearsed almost every day after school, and most Saturdays for around eight hours.”

The cast of “Into the Woods” is considerably larger than last year’s musical, “A Chorus Line,” with a total of 46 cast members. The entire group came together for a read-through of the musical before the start of second semester.

From its mystical plot to its fairy tale setting, this incredibly unique musical differs from recent Maine South musicals. “‘Into the Woods’ differs from past musicals because it veers so sharply from the typical formula for musical theatre—this musical tells the story of how things don’t end up happily ever after,” director Ms. Carrie

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Saurer said. “It’s the polar opposite of what we expect when we hear a fairy tale. The characters are all familiar, but the versions in this show are not caricatures of people—they are real human beings.”

In addition to the unusually grim aspects found woven into the fairy tales that “Into the Woods” features, there are also some similarities to past Maine South musicals.

“I think ‘Into the Woods’ is very special, especially at Maine South, because it’s kind of a combination of the magic in ‘Big Fish’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’ with the reality of human nature shown in ‘A Chorus Line,’” Hayden said. “What makes it different, though, I think, is the level of difficulty and the amount that it challenges all of us in each rehearsal.”

All the excitement is packed into a run time of approximately two hours and thirty minutes.

There is also a higher level of difficulty and stress, especially for a high school production with just under three months to assemble the complex production.

“The actual script and score of this show are tremendously challenging and are filled with complex rhythms and vocal leaps throughout the music,” Ms. Saurer said. “Taking on [the musical] requires an investment by every single performer, musician, designer, and technician.

“Maine South has risen to that challenge and we have had some of the most incredibly creative people working since the beginning of February on stage, backstage, and in the pit,” Ms. Saurer said.

Even though this show will be memorable for those who attend, children should be aware that this is different from the “Into the Woods” they may be familiar with.

Originally a musical, “Into the Woods” was a l s o r e c e nt l y made into a movie that was produced by Disney.

Therefore, the plot towards the end was not quite as shocking.

Also, the darker themes that are present in the second act may be unsuitable for younger audiences.

PHOTO BY MiCHAEL FRAZIER

MOO-SICAL Freshman Timmy Wilcox, senior Annie Papciak, and junior Jonathan

Kaplan rehearse the scene where the Baker and his wife make an exchange for Jack’s cow.

The cow featured in the show, “Milky White,” was rented from a professional theater.

Because of the intricacy of the musical, everyone involved has logged numerous hours into their craft in order to put on the best production they can.

Not only the cast has been focusing all their effort into putting together the show, but also those behind the scenes have been working tirelessly to make the show as extraordinary as possible.

These crews have been hard at work creating sets, costumes, lighting designs, and so much more in addition to the music that has been continuously practiced by the talented musicians that make up the pit.

One accomplishment was successfully creating a set with different ground levels and an extension beyond the stage to bring the show to life.

There was a new challenge this year, as the performances take a break for Easter weekend.

This doesn’t mean that the shows pause though, as there are pick-up rehearsals or special weekday shows during the time off so that the company stays well-prepared.

To help keep the cast and crew sharp, the senior citizen performance and junior high performance will take

“[‘Into the Woods’ is] the polar opposite of what we expect when we hear a fairy tale.”

-Ms. Carrie Saurer

place that week.

“The cast members will have to continue working on things no matter what to keep the material fresh in their brains,” junior Jonathan Kaplan, who portrays the Baker, said. “The same applies to crew: keep learning, improving, and practicing to keep skills up during that break.”

Despite the weekend break, the cast and crew are confident that they will still deliver the same, high-quality performance to every audience.

“The change in the weekends does not impact the show—our goal is always the same: to put on the best productions that we can,” Ms. Saurer said. “The number of performances remains the same, and we are excited for people to see it.”

After their hard work these past few months, the cast and crew are looking forward to showing their performances to an audience— including families and friends.

“I couldn’t imagine a more perfect show or a more perfect role to play during my senior year,” Hayden said.

“I have loved watching people grow into their roles of the show and I can’t wait for the student body to see their classmates doing what they love and telling a story we all need to hear.”

After an Easter-weekend hiatus, “Into the Woods” continues its run in the Watson Auditorium on April 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are on sale for $10 online at www.seatyourself.com, or can be purchased at the door.

ENTERTAINMENT

| April 18, 2019

Spring movie ‘marvels’ impress ‘us’ “Us”

Kevin McNulty

Editor-in-Chief n his second stint in the director’s chair, Jordan Peele delivers a new take on the horror film genre with “Us.” Peele follows up his 2017 directorial debut, “Get Out,” a critical and box office success. Released on March 22, “Us” brought in over $70 million in its first weekend.

The film begins with a flashback to 1986, when young Adelaide is on

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vacation with her family in Santa Cruz.

While in an amusement park, she wanders off into the house of mirrors and encounters a doppelgänger of herself. It becomes obvious that something goes wrong that night, but what happened is not revealed until later.

In the present day, adult Adelaide arrives with her family to their vacation home in Santa Cruz. They drive in to Janelle Monae’s “I Like

That,” one example of Peele paying homage to black culture through the movie’s sound track. Although the movie does not focus on issues of race like “Get Out” does, it showcases African-American culture through its storytelling.

Lupita Nyong’o stars as adult Adelaide. Nyong’o performs with ferocity as her character’s childhood memories haunt her. Eventually, each family member is encountered by their doppelgänger, referred to as “the tethered.” When the movie gets eerie, Adelaide’s husband Gabe (Winston Duke) provides some much needed comedic relief.

Nyong’o and Duke both starred in Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,” and Peele allows their talents to flourish in this film. It’s also impressive how they portray American characters despite both being born outside the United States.

The acting in “Us” sets itself apart from other horror movies because every character plays their “tethered” character as well as their main character.

The scariest parts of the movie occur when the doubles are searching

for—and killing—their counterparts.

It can be considered more thrilling than scary, but that allows for more action to take place. While Peele is not focused on creating the scariest story line of all time, he creates a story that makes you think and question all that surrounds you.

It takes a while for “Us” to separate itself from the likes of recent thrillers such as “A Quiet Place” and “Bird box,” which prevents a perfect rating.

However, a significant plot twist at the near end of the movie will cause you to lean back and trace back the entire plot of the film.

Peele of course inserts some social commentary on the American beliefs of family, humanity, and individual identity. The big idea of these themes is left up for interpretation, but they serve as additional thoughtprovoking aspects of “Us,” though, they’re not really addressed until the final sequence of the movie.

“Us” shines with the intensity of the acting and the complexity of the story, and by sprinkling in some laughs and some popular culture, Jordan Peele constructs a masterful tale.

landing on Earth in the middle of a Blockbuster video store, a not so subtle way of telling viewers this Earth is still in the 1980s and we aren’t even close to the start of the Avengers time line.

It’s interesting that this movie subverts many of the traditional Marvel tropes while still being a typical Marvel movie. If compared to another Marvel movie, it has similarities in tone to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” except Danvers and Fury play situations much more seriously than the Guardians do.

Another strong point for “Captain Marvel” is that the character arrives on Earth mostly fully-formed strengthwise but lacks the knowledge of what her true purpose is or who she is truly fighting.

This a notable departure from the Spider-Mans and Ant-Mans of the universe who spend so much of their movie’s runtime “discovering” their powers. While this does occur for Danvers, Larson and director Anna Boden instead use much of the movie

to explore the relationships Danvers has back on Earth and how a 1980s Earth and the aliens circling around it react to the off-kilter and extremely powerful Captain Marvel. “Captain Marvel” also is a successful way to bridge the gap from “Infinity War” to “Endgame” as we see new reveals about the Avengers and the original intentions of Nick Fury.

This movie is certainly worth a watch, even if you aren’t trying to follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, this movie does still bear many similarities to the traditional superhero movies put out

by Marvel since a decade ago, and if you hate those types of movies, there

is a decent chance you won’t like this.

For those who are intent to see what happens in “Avengers: Endgame,” this movie is essential.

It connects all the dots that you pondered over after the credits rolled for “Infinity War,” and in my mind, “Captain Marvel” might be the best stand-alone movie Marvel has put out for a character, period.

In comparison to past Marvel movies and in many ways, “Captain Mar vel” has a lot of the best components of a lot of the previous movies, from its witty humor to its rebellious aura or to the fantastic soundtrack that helps build up the most important moments.

“Captain Marvel”

Aaron Lazara

Entertainment Writer

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he latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe returns with “Captain Marvel,” the eponymous superhero’s story.

“Captain Marvel” stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers alongside Samuel L. Jackson in a supporting role as Nick Fury.

The movie centers around Carol Danvers as a young Kree warrior on a mission to stop the shape-shifting Skrulls from inflicting harm on the universe as they are infiltrating planetary governments and societies.

However, not everything is so clearcut for Danvers. She has vague memories and visions of herself flying planes and talking with unknown individuals back on Earth.

With a bit of forced memory reintroduction after being kidnapped by the Skrulls, Danvers begins to start seeing her past more clearly and a whirlwind of questions and memories begins to swarm her thoughts. Danvers ends up crash-

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ENTERTAINMENT

| April 18, 2019

Movies every teen should watch Jen Beck

“Call Me By Your Name”

“Dead Poets Society”

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“La La Land”

“The Talented Mr. Ripley”

Photo Editor

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his critically-acclaimed drama stars the late Robin Williams as John Keating, a passionate English teacher at an elite New England boys’ boarding school in the 1950s.

Keating encourages his young students to embrace their individuality, passion, and vulnerability. His bond with his students allowed him to do for them what no previous teacher could: inspire them.

This is probably my favorite film of all time, and was the core inspiration for one of my college essays. Watching it will inspire you to live your fullest life.

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espite having lost Best Picture to “Moonlight” in the controversial Oscars mix-up of 2017, it is indisputable that Damien Chazelle’s modern movie musical “La La Land” is a picture for the ages. Starring Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling and Academy Award winner Emma Stone, the film follows two aspiring artists who fall in love in the “City of Angels.”

The story is beautiful and heart wrenching, and the film is nothing short of a visual and technical wonder.

“Ladybird”

“L

adybird” is a thoughtful, honest film about a high school senior, Christine McPherson, who insists on being called ‘Ladybird’ despite her mother’s distaste for the nickname. Christine experiences the high school pitfalls of love, friendship, family relationships, college rejection, romantic woes, and popularity. Simply put, the film perfectly encapsulates the teenage girl experience.

Teenagers and parents alike will enjoy this film and feel the catharsis it evokes in anyone who has ever been a teenager.

“BlacKkKlansman”

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his dark comedy which finally earned Spike Lee his long-overdue Oscar was, in my opinion, the best film of 2018. “BlacKkKlansman” is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth; the Colorado Springs Police Department’s first African-American detective. Stallworth tasks himself with infiltrating and taking down the local chapter of the Klu Klux Klan.

The film is hilarious, heart-breaking, exciting, and horrifying all at the same time. Despite his critical acclaim and accolades, Lee’s greatest accomplishment with this film was giving America the wakeup call it needs by showing that we haven’t come as far as we think we have with the treatment of people of color.

“Life is Beautiful”

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his Academy Award-winning Italian film tells the heartbreaking story of Jewish-Italian man, Guido, and his son, Giosue, who are separated from Guido’s wife and Giosue’s mother, Dora, stripped of their liberties, and sent to a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Written and directed by Roberto Benigni, who also plays Guido, “Life is Beautiful” is one of the most emotional films I’ve ever seen and is one of the few films I feel everyone must see. A couple hours and many tears later, after watching, you will have a renewed sense of gratitude and love for life.

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his poignant, coming-of-age film follows the beautiful and heartbreaking summer romance between two young men, Elio and Oliver, set against the backdrop of 1980s Tuscany. Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of a teenage boy discovering his sexuality is the role that launched him into international stardom.

This film is breathtaking in both picture and plot, and has been embraced by the LGBT+ community for its raw look at sexual identity during adolescence. Beautifully written, directed, performed, and filmed, “Call Me By Your Name” is an example of excellent filmmaking.

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att Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett all star in this glamorous, twisted thriller set in 1950s Italy.

The film follows the ambitious Tom Ripley (Damon), who dreams of living in the lap of luxury; the exact lifestyle led by Dickie Greenleaf (Law), the playboy son of a shipping magnate. Ripley is tasked with reigning in the young socialite and bringing him back home and away from his comfortable, carefree life on the Amalti Coast. As Tom grows closer to Dickie and his fiancée, Marge (Paltrow), his friendship turns into an obsession that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

“The Imitation Game”

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his masterful 2015 Oscars contender chronicles the life of career of mathematical genius Alan Turing as he leads a team of analysts tasked with breaking Nazi codes during World War II. The film explores the prejudice and oppression Turing experienced as a homosexual man in 1940s-50s era Europe.

Featuring a p owerhouse ensemble, stunning cinematography, and brilliant score, “The Imitation Game” should be remembered as one of this century’s greatest cinematic accomplishments.

“The Sound of Music”

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et in 1930s Austria, “The Sound of Music” follows exnun Maria as she begins a new job as governess for the many children of the uptight, decorated navy man, Captain Von Trapp. Maria slowly brings joy and music back into the family’s lives and fills the void left by the passing of Mrs. Von Trapp. As Maria grows closer to the children and their father, the Captain feels increasing pressure from his military colleagues and superiors to accept commission in the German militia.

Filled with beautiful music, dancing, scenery, and nostalgia, “The Sound of Music” will remain a timeless classic for generations to come.

“Pride and Prejuidice”

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his critically acclaimed adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel of the same name takes place in 19th century England, and follows the Bennet family, in particular the witty, outspoken Elizabeth, who is facing societal and parental pressure to get married. Elizabeth is initially disgusted by the arrogant, proud, and wealthy Mr. Darcy, but eventually discovers that there is more than meets the eye.

The film is funny, sad, romantic, and a breeze to watch, despite its 127 minute run time.

April 18, 2019 | SPORTS

Boys’ water polo off to hot start Girls’ water polo welcomes freshmen Aidan Herguth

Gus Ebling and Barac. Coach Lyons appreciates each captain’s way of he boys’ water polo team started motivating the team.

“Gus is our emotional leader, and off the season well with an Elk Grove Invite championship under Jovan is our leading scorer,” Lyons their belt. However, they lost a few said.

Barac applauds Ebling for all his tough games afterward to New Trier, efforts in making the team who they Evanston, and Lane Tech.

While this wasn’t ideal for this are today. “[Ebling] shows how much heart team, Coach Terry Lyons doesn’t see you need to have every minute of the it too negatively.

“The overall effort was there in game and not to lose hope,” Barac all the games, but the results varied said.

With five of the six current starters due to execution,” Coach Lyons said.

Senior Aidan Honan looks to get having played a lot last year, the team is led by experience; this is something past this string of losses.

“We’re more focused now, and that should allow the team to make a we’re thinking more about what we run late in the season.

Despite a rough patch earlier in need to do to win every game,” said the season, Lyons believes their record Honan.

Senior captain Jovan Barac thinks doesn’t truly show the success of this that their team needs to create more year’s team.

“Our record is positive, but also cohesion among the teammates’ strengths, along with using their deceptive in that we have played some speed to their advantage more often. of the top-ranked teams in the state “We have a lot of state swimmers on and have been [competitive] in all the team, and we make sure to utilize those games,” Lyons said.

Boys’ water polo will compete at their speed on the counterattacks,” the Matea Valley Invite held on April Barac said.

The team is led by senior captains 19 and 20.

Sports Writer

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Badminton captains take control this season

and sophomores added to the roster

Julianna Moore Sports Writer

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he Girls’ water polo team is looking forward to a successful and fun season. With so many younger girls on the team, they hope to improve with the help of the upperclassmen.

Seniors Jill Bacon and Iva Zanija are team leaders who are working hard to improve their young team’s skills. Senior Nicky Rafalo adds that having so many young girls on the team can be challenging at times.

There are two juniors, four sophomores, and two freshman on the team this year—a lot of youth for the seniors to organize.

“It’s a challenge to have so many new players in the pool, but we’ve been teaching skills that the freshmen and sophomores pick up so quickly,” Rafalo said. “The seniors are making sure that everyone has all the basics down.”

Rafalo is going to continue playing at McKendree University and is very excited, despite feeling a little PHOTO BY SOPHIE LAWRENCE

Maura O’Driscoll Sports Writer

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he badminton team is putting an emphasis on being aggressive this year and the girls are working very hard to reach their goals.

“Currently, we have the goal of playing with tenacity—being more aggressive and competitive on the court,” Coach Muir Wilson said.

Another one of the team’s goals is to make it to State through their singles or doubles teams, but Conference and Sectionals are very competitive; this means that they will need to continue to work very hard.

The team consists of three senior captains this year: Colleen Johnson, Mary Frances Sheffert, and Victoria Pontikes.

Each captain has had to pick up a bigger leadership role to account for their small numbers.

“Every underclassman has really stepped up to the challenge of the varsity team,” Sheffert said.

“Their confidence and skills have greatly improved since the beginning of the season.”

Coach Muir-Wilson believes the girls have adjusted well to the different partners they have been placed with in the matches.

“Maddie Lenzini, our sophomore, has done an excellent job competing at a higher singles position for many of our tournaments,” Coach Muir-Wilson said. “Many juniors who are on varsity for the

intimidated to start her college career.

“The sense of playing on a higher level is a bit intimidating for me,” Rafalo said. “My coaches through the seasons at Maine South have told me many times that I can’t back down and they’ve prepared me for this level of water polo, so I know once I get comfortable, then all the concerns will be gone.”

Senior Karolina Orzech creates a positive atmosphere for the girls in order to be successful.

“The seniors are taking on a role as teachers,” Orzech said. “Our goals for the season are to pass on as much knowledge of the sport as possible and to have as much fun as possible.”

Coach Heather Rehm is also very determined to lead her team to victories.

“This season, we are aiming to be among the top four teams in the CSL Conference,” Coach Rehm said.

“As a coach, my goal is to have a competitive, yet positive team spirit among the girls so that they can come back in the 2020 season smarter, faster, stronger.”

Boys’ tennis sees a bigger turnout this year for tryouts Katie Carmichael Sports Editor

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CROSS-COURT

Senior Mary Frances Sheffert serves the birdie in a meet against Niles North on April 5.

She won her doubles match with senior Victoria Pontikes.

first time this year are stepping up to the plate and playing very competitively.”

The competition gets more vigorous with every match they play. The team is looking forward to competing at a higher level.

“We are all doing well, but are definitely improving because we are facing tougher competition,” junior Gianna Faraci said.

The team will compete in the CSL tournament on April 26 and 27.

he boys’ tennis team is adjusting to a new coach as well as new players. New head coach Gerald Smith took over the position this year after coaching the boys’ JV team last year as well as being the girls’ tennis coach.

Additionally, the program saw a huge increase in the number of boys’ who went out for the team this year.

“I have played tennis since my freshman year and this is by far the year with the biggest turnout of kids who tried out for tennis,” senior Aaron Lazara said.

The increase in numbers has helped the team to adjust after losing Danilo Kovacevic, who graduated last year.

“We lost [Kovacevic],” Lazara said. “But we have a lot of great players who are helping to improve the team.”

Coach Gerald Smith likes how the team has faced adversity this year.

“Everyone has stepped up to these challenges,” Coach Smith said.

Next week, the team will be traveling to Prarie Ridge on April 22 and Glenbrook South on April 23.

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SPORTS

| April 18, 2019

Boys’ lacrosse looking for redemption after difficult 2018 season Tyler Houck

PHOTO BY ABBY SHOWALTER

Sports Writer

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oming off of a disappointing 5-13 spring season in 2018, this year’s team, now at 3-3, has shown glimpses of its strengths and ability.

Coming into this season, the goal was a .500 season as well as a similar record in a tough Central Suburban League. Despite a slow 1-3 start, the positivity and energy remains in the team.

“Our expectations haven’t changed much,” senior Jack Cassidy said. “Our playoff hopes are to win Sectionals to play Loyola.”

With a close 7-6 loss to a highly ranked Vernon Hills team and losses to Marist and Warren, this group wasn’t where they wanted to be to start the season.

“We just needed to hold each other accountable and make big leaps forward as a team,” Cassidy said.

Remaining positive is what will keep this seniorled team together.

Some of the struggles may be due to the lack of chemistry that comes from being teammates for long periods of time.

Some successful lacrosse teams at schools in the area, such as Loyola and Saint Viator, have had a core playing together since elementary school and the team understands its need to improve communication. However, what they lack in team experience, they claim to make up for in a familial

GO LONG

Senior Mark Olszewski battles against the defense in a game against Highland Park on April 6. The team won the game by a score of 11-5.

team attitude.

“Everyone loves and cares about each other, and it really translates to the field,” senior Brendan Buckley said. “Sometimes we don’t start games well, but we pick each other up and then we all start to play better.”

The team’s gritty approach is what they hope will make their goals attainable. Although practices are intense and often include harsh conditioning, the team is always willing to take on the challenge.

The environment of the program on and off the field has helped them to work cohesively when it’s game time.

Buckley understands intensity is necessary to have everyone on the same page and to compete at a high level the team wants to reach.

“There have been a few times where we’ve come out slow,” Buckley said. “Someone usually speaks to the team in our huddles during a time out and it gets everyone focused and ready to go.”

Girls’ lacrosse adjusts to new head coach

Julianna Moore Sports Writer

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he girls’ lacrosse team is looking for another winning season this year that results in individual as well as team improvement.

As a hard-working captain, senior Katie Haley is confident in her team despite losing many players.

“This year is definitely a rebuilding year,” Haley said. “We had a great season last year, though. Our biggest success [last year] was beating GBS a man down. We need to [continue to] work hard and play with heart.”

Senior Sarah Gleason also hopes to finish her last season on a high note and continues to be a strong leader. She will continue her lacrosse career at Illinois Wesleyan next year.

“I really want to be able to end my high school lacrosse career on a positive note.” Gleason said.

“The younger girls have stepped up and tried to fill the past girls’ shoes as best they can, and we have been playing great this season so far.”

Kalia Butler, also a senior, is excited for her last

season and is happy with their new coach.

“Our new head coach brings great energy to the team,” Butler said. “She really wants to see us all succeed and I think she really boosts everyone’s confidence and constantly encourages us to have fun but also play our hearts out. We do a great job at hyping each other up, but we have a pretty young team consisting of a lot of sophomores and our fantastic freshman Maia [Chisari], so we are just striving to be the best we can be.”

New C oach Paige Comito hopes to bring a new perspective on the game and keep moving forward with the team’s goals.

“As a new head coach, there are always many obstacles to overcome, but I feel there is one constant idea that remains and that is a shared love for the sport,” Coach Comito said.

“I hope to bring passion, pride, and continue to develop a program that is not only focused on skill and winning, but most importantly develop the true team player, which are the skills that will follow these young athletes much further in life beyond their athletic careers. My ultimate goal

“O ur ne w head coach brings great energy to the team.”

-Kalia Butler ‘19

14 SouthwordS

for the season is to win a Sectional Championship.”

Sophomore Annie Haley is a key player on the field.

“Annie Haley is a beast and a huge asset to the team,” Butler said. “She knows how to get to goal, she’s a force on defense and overall a fantastic midfielder. She’s the definition of small but mighty.”

Katie recognizes her sister’s dynamic ability on the field.

“Annie is an amazing player and is dominant on both ends of the field,” Katie said. “I love playing with her. We work well together and always know each other’s next move.”

Coach Comito is excited to see what the team has in store for the upcoming season.

“Annie Haley is definitely one of our most dominant players on the team, not to mention, one of the youngest, which makes her an incredible asset to the program,” Coach Comito said. “[She] has a strong individual presence on the field, and paired with her sister, these two are unstoppable.”

In addition to the young talent on the team this year, the veteran talent in Gleason and Haley has kept the team composed. In addition to Gleason, Haley will also be continuing her lacrosse career in college next year.

She will be joining the team at the University of Colorado-Boulder, a school she committed to during her sophomore year.

April 18, 2019 | SPORTS

Boys’ volleyball improves as Granell approaches 600 wins Katie Carmichael Sports Editor

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he boys’ volleyball team has been off to a strong start this season and has already seen significant improvement in just the first few weeks of the season. The Hawks came out with a huge win against Hinsdale Central on April 6 after losing to Hinsdale Central on March 20.

The team has six seniors and five returning starters, so they were able to breeze past the normal adjustment period that younger teams have to go through.

Players making a big impact already this season are senior right side hitter Jack Bolz, senior setter Michael Cash, senior libero Aidan Herguth, and junior middle blocker John Rzepniewski. These returners have helped get the team working together toward a common goal of finishing atop the CSL, beating New

Trier, and making a run in the state tournament. “[The team] works really well as a unit,” head coach Gary Granell said.

This season, Bolz is the only captain of the team. Coach Granell has confidence in Bolz’s leadership abilities, work ethic, and ability to create a positive team dynamic. “[Bolz] leads by example and sets high goals for both himself and the team,” Coach Granell said. “He is always looking for ways to better himself and also looking out for the best interests of the team.”

Bolz not only wants to lead a hardworking and focused team, but wants to lead a team that is positive on the court and has fun.

“I want to lead a team that cares about our success, has overwhelming amounts of energy on and off the court, and utilizes every opportunity to get better,” Bolz said. “Most importantly however, is for the team

to have fun.”

Bolz said.

Bolz will be taking his talent and In addition to the team’s success leadership to the volleyball program so far this season, Coach Granell at George Mason University next year is reaching a huge milestone in his in Fairfax, Virginia. career. As of April 1, he is standing Compared to last season, the team at 599 total wins as a high school feels that there is a much better energy volleyball coach. on the court this year.

“He is ranked currently second “ We h a v e all-time in a much better the histor y overall attitude “I want to lead a team that o f b o y s ’ t h i s y e a r ,” cares about our success, has v o l l e y b a l l Herguth said. the state overwhelming amounts of in This is of Il linois,” b e c a u s e o f energy on and off the court, A s s i s t a n t t he immens e Garrett and utilizes every opportu- Coach support each Fechner said. player provides nity to get better.”

“We’re going for each other, -Jack Bolz ‘19 t o h a v e no matter what former players their role on the team is. coming back to celebrate.”

“I know for a fact that our team Coach Granell has coached a state enjoys being around each other, and champion team in the past and is that contributes to how much fun continuing to coach a winning team the games and other events can be,” this season.

Freshman phenom Buchan making an impact for boys’ baseball Amalia Laskaris

Sports Editor he boys’ baseball team leaders, seniors Sean O’Brien, TJ Fleita and Giuseppe Muscarino, have been mentoring newcomers to the team. However, they do not have a traditional label.

“In our baseball program, we do not have captains,” Coach Brian Lorenz said. “We have co-signers.”

With Zander Buchan and Ysen Useni being the only freshmen on the team, the seniors are excited to see what they has in store for the rest of the season.

A dominant player, Buchan has already gotten offers from colleges.

Buchan, a switch hitter and catcher, committed to University of South Carolina to continue his baseball career. He credits his dad for mentoring him throughout the years and helping him pick out the right college for him.

“My dad has always taught me to work hard and commit 100% when I do something,” Buchan said. “I work out, lift weights, [work on] speed and agility, watch what I eat, and have batting practices and work outs with my catching coach. On the days of rest, I work on mental aspects of the game, or I simply take care of my body by doing yoga, having massages, or

PHOTO BY SOPHIE LAWRENCE

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RIGHT OFF THE BAT

Senior center-fielder Bobby Inserra prepares to hit a pitch against St. Patrick High School. The team lost the game with a score of 5-1 on April 5.

sitting in ice baths.”

The team has been adjusting to weather conditions, a common struggle among all spring sports in the Chicagoland area. With the goal of getting many reps in during indoor practices, the team has prepared well under Coach Lorenz’s watch.

“Our practices are pretty standard,” Fleita said. “We will warm up and stretch first, then we will focus on defensive drills. After that, we move on to hitting and getting as many swings in as possible.”

Coach Lorenz has specific goals for

the season; he believes the teammates need to understand the basics to get a common foundation on how to play the game the right way.

“We want to complete every pitch and prepare every day to get ready for a playoff run,” Lorenz said. “The team is practicing and playing hard.”

With a second place standing currently in the CSL Conference, O’Brien believes the reps in practices will be crucial for an opportunity to compete against some talented teams in the conference.

“Our goals for the season would be

just improving every single day, and if we’re able to do that, we’ll be just fine,” O’Brien said. “Everyone contributes on the team. The sky’s the limit for us.”

Although the team has played against many elite teams, the most significant game was against Loyola Academy.

Not only did varsity beat Loyola, but the other levels won as well. With Loyola being a school rival among all sports, it was a big win for the program.

The team battled every inning, with each team leading at different times throughout the game. Because of the team’s offensive execution and defensive pressure, they were able to defeat Loyola, 15-13.

“They took a lead going into the last inning, but we were able to answer and take a lead of our own,” Fleita said. “In Loyola’s last offensive stand, they had the bases loaded, and we were able to get the last man out for the win. It was a game that our whole team will remember forever.”

B e at i ng York Hi g h S cho ol over spring break, a school with a phenomenal baseball program, was another big achievement for varsity.

“When you beat teams like that, it lets people know about our program and will raise some eyebrows,” O’Brien said.

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BASEBALL | BADMINTON | LACROSSE | GIRLS' SOCCER | TRACK | BOYS' TENNIS | SOFTBALL | WATER POLO | BOYS' VOLLEYBALL

Softball faces rebuilding year as they adjust to weather conditions Liliana D'Alesio Sports Writer

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KICKIN' IT

PHOTO BY MICHAEL FRAZIER

Freshman Molly Pistorius races down the field in a game against Metea Valley during the PepsiCo Showdown tournament on April 13. The Hawks tied the Mustangs 1-1.

Girls’ soccer reaching goals early on Veronica Espinoza Entertainment Editor

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ast year, the girls’ soccer team consisted of exceptional seniors who brought unique strengths to the team. With an almost all-new team, this year's team has exploited their effort and teamwork in their 8-0 undefeated this season thus far.

By having practices that include a high intensity of footwork, drills, and running, the team was able to focus on their skills that were needed to go against their competition.

In the Elk Grove tournament—which they lost last year—the team faced some challenging teams but won all three games in the tournament. The team's senior co-captain Francesca Faraci notices the team’s desire to push through their obstacles and give it their all.

“Effort is something that has definitely been a difference [from] the other two years since I was on varsity,” Faraci said.

The team's hot start can partially be attributed to the contributions of freshman Molly Pistorius; she has started the season by making six goals in five games, including one game when she scored three goals in the Elk Grove tournament.

“We all came together and got a win out of it,” said Pistorius.

According to senior co-captain Hannah Schilling, the team’s main goal they want to accomplish is to exceed people’s expectations, since most were unsure of the team’s skill compared to last year and how they would match up against their rivals, including Evanston and New Trier.

“We’re taking it step by step and we know we are going to have to outwork people and put more effort,” Schilling said.

Another goal they have is to go to Conference and win at least three games, and to win in the other two tournaments, the Pepsi-Co and Chatham held in Springfield. The team has many strengths, but their ability to recognize areas for improvement is what sets them apart from the competition.

Junior captain, Liliana D’Alesio believes that practice is fun, as well as being helpful for the games, since players learn one another’s skills and know when to use them in games.

“Practices are fun because we get to be with everybody,” D'Alesio. “We get to learn to play with each other.”

The team captains encourage the team by giving positive reinforcement, giving tips, and motivating players while they work on their skills. “[Faraci] sees the whole field [so] she uses her voice a lot,” Schilling said. “[D'Alesio] is able to relate to the younger kids and keep them on track. I'm more of the person who will pull [a player] off to the side and talk to [the player] afterwards.”

Some highlights of the season, besides winning the Elk Grove tournament, have been getting a chance to connect with the other players on the team and spending time with each other.

“Even though we’ve only been together a couple of weeks, we’re all really close already, which is really nice,” D’Alesio said.

Another highlight is already reaching some of the goals they have set; they've accomplished them earlier than they had in years past. Coach JJ Crawford was proud to see the improvement of team from starting early.

“It's been nice to get such a great start," Coach Crawford said. "Typically that’s been a struggling point."

fter losing so many contributing seniors at the end of last season, the current seniors on the girls' softball team are stepping up to fill the void left by last year's graduating members.

“We all push each other to be the best player we can be,” senior Taylor Gatz said. “We do a lot of team bonding and we consider the softball program as one big family.”

The theme of the season is that the team is a puzzle, and each player is a unique piece of the puzzle that is trying to fit together with the other pieces.

The tremendous energy of the team is going to aid them in winning games and becoming closer as a team. This year’s softball team is very tight-knit; the girls have known each other for years.

Senior Violet Kamienski attributes some of their success to how close the team is this year.

“We have all played with each other in and out of school, which really helps each of us as individuals [to] collectively make a great team,” Kamienski said.

Chicago area weather has been impacting the team’s practice schedule. Towards the beginning of the season, they found themselves practicing inside most days of the week due to poor weather conditions.

Practices usually consist of game-like drills that will help the team for when they compete against elite teams, as well as getting in as many hits as possible off the machines. The girls always have to be prepared for the weather.

“They have shorts, softball pants, t-shirts, pullovers, and jackets every day,” head coach Emmy Pasier said.

Softball practices play a crucial part in getting the team ready for game days. Each player practices for their specific position, while also doing drills that will work on the accuracy of their throws.

“Our practices help us a lot because we work on everything that is a part of the game,” Gatz said.

One major goal of the team is to win Regionals, just like they did last year. Coach Pasier hopes to be able to train the girls in a manner that leads into a successful season and postseason. They also have hope to beat Oak Park River Forest, a long-time rival. “[OPRF] was the team who knocked us out in the tournament last year,” Kamienski said.

Although the team has a losing record for the first part of the season, they hope to turn the season around and place well in the CSL conference.

The team will play against Niles North on April 23 and Niles West on April 25.